Spring on my Kitchen Counter

In spite of the mild winter we have had, I was very happy to turn the calendar. 

As has been noted by others, spring seems to have sprung a little early 

and now that March is here 

it just all makes more sense to see life bursting out of the dead . . . 

leaves and buds and blossoms reminding us of the birth of another season.

 (And on this day, the birth of our youngest)

About a week and a half ago I took some cuttings off a mini rhododendron

 and put them in a jug of water on my counter. 

It wasn't until a week later, I suddenly noticed there were buds!

 I went out to check on the bush outside, questioning if they had been there all along. 

No buds outside.

So, here on my kitchen counter these few sprigs of green 

continued to grow and surprise me with renewed anticipation.
It's just one of those small delights.

Light Gives Hope

You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning.

My God turns my darkness into light.

Psalm 18:28

The Lord is my light and my salvation -

whom shall I fear?

Psalm 27:1

I'm still thinking about the fact that the first thing God created, when He created the heavens and the earth, was light.  Without light there would be no life! If light is so important in the physical realm, it surely is a great picture of its necessity in the spiritual as well. 

Spiritually it speaks to me of hope. We talk about the light at the end of the tunnel, which tells us that if we see that light we have hope.  Early this year we heard about a very young lone survivor of a plane crash, walking through wooded terrain at night to find help. I've thought about how a light in the window of the first home she came upon would have given her hope. 

Often times when the Bible refers to light, we can replace the word for hope. God gives me hope in the dark or unknown places of my life . He is my hope and salvation, whom need I fear? When Jesus told the crowds around him that He is the light of the world, I know now that He was telling them He is the One we can put our hope in. In following Him we will not walk in darkness or in confusion. The light He sheds on our path gives us a sure hope of eternal life.

How do you Define Contentment?

A Visit with the Woodpecker

I show this photo for some perspective on the size of the tree in the back of the yard. 

The roof line is the neighbor's house behind us. 

I was at my kitchen window when I saw the bird pecking away and decided to go for a visit.

He was soon aware that I was there and started playing a game of hide and seek with me.

As I moved closer he inched further around the tree while I followed.

He moved behind, peeking around the corner so I could just see his head. I did not take a photo.

Step by step he wound around the tree

until he came around the other side.

 His dark, white speckled coat turned navy blue in certain lighting.

After some time he seemed to realize that I meant no harm as he

came right into the open and just sat there.

Yup . .. he checked to see if I was still there and

then he continued the show like he owned the tree.
Kind of cheeky, if you ask me.

From the Country to the City

Last week as I was about to head down this driveway for possibly the last time, I was reminded once more of how everything has a season. Three years ago the American / Abbotsford grands excitedly moved onto this rental property that gave them just a  taste of country living.



The seven minute drive from our house took us out of our city cul-de-sac to a main street with the most gorgeous view of the Garibaldi mountains, ending in a rural area where we passed quaint little hobby farms. We'd take one short left and there was the house with the view of the valley.

I know the kids made wonderful memories here and will always remember how they fell in love with the vast expanse of yard of endless possibilities . . . trees to be climbed, fences to duck under, a hockey and basketball pad and  the cutest home built playhouse.

However, as I turned off this picturesque driveway last week, I also knew that the good ending in all of this was an opportunity to buy a house. Because the exchange of rent payments for mortgage payments is a good one, the move this past weekend was happy one! Everyone involved has worked hard to make this possible and we are looking forward to many more trips to the house in the city seven minutes in another direction.

What Does it Mean to Follow your Heart?

We've all been given the advice, "Just follow your heart." It has a good ring to it. It implies doing what you feel is right and what will make you feel good. Maybe it's good advice, Maybe it's not. I have wondered about it. This valentines weekend  I came across an article called, "The folly of following your heart" by Subby Szterszky in Focus Insights.  It hit a chord with me and helped me understand what it is that I question about this lovely sounding advice. 

As much as following your heart can be a good thing, it can also be devastating. We all know what happened when Eve took that first bite because it was bound to make her wise. Cain may have thought his problems would be done with when he killed Abel. And to bring this into the last century, what about the tyrants who have followed their heart, instilling fear and chaos in millions of people's lives?

While we like to think that we should be able to guide our life by our feelings and that our heart should steer us in the right direction, the Bible says, "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9 

This is bothersome because if even from within the best of hearts, come thoughts of coveting, deceit, envy, slander and pride . . . how can we follow our heart? Maybe the advice given by King Solomon makes more sense now when he said, "above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

King David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23,24

Somehow we are led to believe that God is holding out on us by telling us what to do and that if we resist our feelings we will be hard done by. We see the effects of believing this lie. However, with gratefulness for the way God made us to be able to feel and able to make choices, our hearts can be made right by seeking His heart. If we seek we will find the answer and in His will our hearts are set at rest.