January Joy

 My hellebore is early, I think.

I went out to poke under its lush dark green foliage, 

and was drawn by the beauty hiding underneath ...

a profusion of beautiful buds!

The variety we have grows flowers in clusters, like grapes, 

right near the base of the plant on a very short stem.

It would not be possible to add them to a bouquet.

But what I have done is to cut them off at the base and

place them inside a large vase with a little water for the stem.

 Another treasure I found 

was hidden in the pages of a spiritual journal I found in a box I took home from my mom.

It is dated 1996 and I realized she was exactly as old as I am this year.

Looking through it I came to realize that she was following a specific plan 

to read the Bible in a year -

it's a lot of reading!

And yet - it has become a new and timely challenge for me!

What has been motivating is that I received a new Bible for Christmas-

and now, along with her daily notations -

I have come to love this quiet time,

reading and reflecting, being amazed at what she got out of her study

and how she could write it out.

Sometimes she added a prayer or a German hymn

or a song, explaining it as one they used to sing as a family.

It's her voice.

It's also God's Word that never changes

and keeps being relevant to our lives

no matter the year.