a lake and an artist date
I slow down as I turn the corner and scan Lake Abby. Something dark floats at the far end. Not a goose. Maybe a mallard. But I can’t be sure. It looks black. I smash forefoot to floor, fly down asphalt, jerk wheel to left, spin gravel in drive, and ram gear into park. When I throw open the door, it slams back on my ankle. The camera’s on the kitchen table. I grab it, kick off flip flops and slip into muck boots, then race back up to the pond. The duck, or whatever, is gone. But the way the light ripples across chopped cattails fascinates me. Redwing blackbirds perch on remaining stalks. Swallows dip and dive over the water. I squish closer to the edge, step over deer prints, try to decipher the songs of frogs or maybe toads that mingle with the...
scripture sunday: two are better than one
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. ~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV) Stilled times two, Sandy
the finger of God
I see God’s creative finger in all seasons. But never more, I think, than in the spring when life unfurls. These are the days when all that glitters is green. Yet life is sometimes blood-tinged like the color of death in this new leaf. That also carries the color of hope. Because life is in the blood, and as long as there’s life, there’s hope. I’ve been thinking a lot about the “finger of God.” I’m sharing over at BibleDude today. It’s a little disjointed. But then so is life sometimes. I’d be honored if you’d join me there. Still...
scripture sunday: bloom
Open up, heavens, and rain, Clouds, pour out buckets of goodness! Loosen up, earth, and bloom salvation; sprout right living. I, God, generate all this. ~Isaiah 45:8 (MSG) Still blooming Sandy Note: You know how I was posting verses from The Romans Project as I memorized them? You guessed it I’ve gotten...
Still Saturday: Breathe with Joy
Yet these sweet sounds of the early season, And these fair sights of its sunny days, Are only sweet when we fondly listen, And only fair when we fondly gaze. There is no glory in star or blossom, Till looked upon by a loving eye; There is no fragrance in April breezes, Till breathed with joy as they wander by. ~William Cullen Bryant (from Invitation to the Country) Welcome to Still Saturday where we pause after a busy week, move in quiet pilgrimage, maybe linger a while in some fragrant place, and soak in the beauty of images and words. We’d love for you to join us. Get the details above, grab your favorite button, and link up below. We all love to hear if something especially speaks to your heart, but please don’t feel pressured to...
Fuel for the Weekend: I’m a Lenten Failure
Lent is the time for trimming the soul and scraping the sludge off a life turned slipshod. Lent is about taking stock of time, even religious time. Lent is about exercising the control that enables us to say no to ourselves so that when life turns hard of its own accord, we have the stamina to yes to its twists and turns with faith and hope…. Lent is the time to make new efforts to be what we say we want to be. ~Joan Chittister (The Rule of Benedict: Insight for the Ages) I knew it was coming when I saw paczki stacked. (I’m partial to prune. With a filling like that, it just has to be good for you.) But Lent always catches me off guard. It’s hard to think of sacrifice and denial when earth rises from winter tomb. When I wake up to the sights and...
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