Golden Daffodils
Creation’s Spring miracle
Cloudy day sunshine
Daffodils
Tag: My Father's World
My Morning Walk
Here’s what I saw on this morning’s walk…
Snow!
Lots and lots of snow!
And deer!
Lots and lots of deer!
Dressed in the morning snow
Melting away into a white trailside cathedral
And birds!
Lots and lots of birds!
… a flicker, hugging a tree trunk
… downy woodpeckers, flitting about
… chickadees, darting from snowy twig to snowy twig
… a pileated woodpecker, the avian prize
And tracks!
Lots and lots of tracks!
Dog-like, but not a dog’s
A coyote! A gray ghost, ahead, watching, then trotting away.
And me!
… alone on the snowy path, but not alone
If you know what I mean
This is my Father’s world…
If you know what I mean…
Walking, Seeing
This is where I walked the other day.
This is what I saw.
Nothing noteworthy, really.
Except…
… for the ability to walk
… for the ability to see.
Today’s gift.
Sometimes There are Clouds
Sometimes there are none.
Sunny days. No shade. Cold winter nights.
Sometimes they are quite ordinary.
Sheets of gray. Nondescript. Hiding what’s behind.
Sometimes they provide interesting backdrops.
To enhance the ordinary.
Sometimes they bring what we need.
To fill creeks. To quench thirst. To water the earth.
Sometimes they’re a gift.
… If we pay attention…
To dazzle. To delight. To make us smile.
Today’s unexpected delight… Today’s gift.
Why Do Hummingbirds Hum?
The afternoon settled in …
Cool, gray, empty
Looking for meaningful activity, pondering important things …
I settled in
A book at hand and camera at the ready…
Looking …
For the elusive hummingbird
And then
So, the question remains…
Hummingbirds hum because … why?
They’re happy… ?
And it’s hard to smile with that pointy beak
Echolocation…?
That’s a batty idea
Looking for a mate?
Hmmmm…
So why DO hummingbirds hum?
Anyone can tell you…
It’s because they don’t know the words!
Or maybe they do
“This is my Father’s world…
the birds their carols raise…
declaring their Maker’s praise.”
Today’s gift.
My Dahlia
I planted
Just at the right time
Late spring
A tuber
I waited
It sprouted
Right through the soil
Right on schedule
Green leaves
I waited
It grew
Taller, branching out
Just as predicted
More green
I waited
It thrived
Basking in the sunshine
Blooming time approaching
No buds
I waited
It continued
Growing in good soil, drinking pure water
Doing what dahlias are created to do with
No flower
No bud
No hope?
Yet, I waited
Then
It budded
Round, smooth swelling
In anticipation of
A flower
I waited
I waited
I waited some more
Then
Behind schedule… My schedule?
It bloomed
A single yellow pinwheel of petals
Right on time, the Creator’s time
A gift
Today’s gift. Worth the wait.
Safety Net?
Shining silky cloud
Hammocked amid grassy poles
Invitingly safe
Cute
This morning’s unexpected delight.
Around the Corner
The trail I walk on just about every morning is a mostly flat meandering path following a creek. There are woods, fields and marshes that change with the seasons. Today’s flowers are different from a month ago. Yet day by day things pretty much remain the same.
Sometimes unexpected things come along that surprise and delight. Like this morning. I was walking along, turning a corner that bends the path into a swampy area, when I met this curious traveler.
We stood facing each other for a few minutes, long enough for me to get out my phone and snap a few pictures. Delightful.
Today, I turned a corner that I’ve walked hundreds of times seeing the same scene almost every time, until today. A surprise. A gift. And then more.
So it is with life. We travel in our day-to-day routines. We work. We play. We struggle. We enjoy. We fret.
We worry about what’s next, what’s around the next corner. It’s impossible to tell. Yet the One who created fawns and flowers walks with us as we travel our straight and crooked paths. He tells us there’s no need to worry.
So today, praise God who has all our corners, beginning to end, in view. Praise the one who reminds us “Do not be afraid… you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 Today’s gift.
Walk as Children of Light 