Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

  • Home
  • About
  • DISCLOSURES
    • Amazon Affiliate
    • Book Reviews
  • Published
  • Contact
  • Blog
    • Commit Poetry
    • Dared

Who But God?

May 25, 2010 By Sandra Heska King

My ladies Bible study gave me this hydrangea today.

My first one.

I’m stunned by the richness of the velvety blue blooms and the deep green of the leaves.

Who but God could create such beauty? 

This stuff doesn’t happen by accident.

Of course, I had to connect with Mr. Google this afternoon to learn how to care for it. I discovered that I have to feed it aluminum. Too little aluminum in the soil means pink blooms.

Amazing!

Did you know that in the 19th century aluminum was more costly than gold? Did you know that aluminum is the most abundant metal (third most abundant element) in the earth’s crust, but that it’s so reactive it’s hardly ever found in its pure state?

(There’s spiritual significance there, but I’m sidetracked from my flowers.)

I also learned there are lots of ways to manipulate colors to pink and blue and purple and mixtures by doing things like adding lime or rusty nails, but that you can’t change the color of white hydrangeas, though God sometimes adds pink and red to the blooms as they move toward the green of an aging flower. 

Fascinating!

Anyway, after class I went to a local farmer’s market (Horrock’s for you Michigan people) and picked up this hardy “Knock Out” rose to plant in memory of Rose Dog.

I also just wanted to pick up a few herbs, but I was overcome by the scents and colors.

Everywhere I looked.

Reds and purples and whites and pinks and blues and yellows and oranges and greens of every shade and mixtures of all!

Who but God?

I filled my basket with Mexican evening primrose, flax, beard tongue, petunias, geraniums, salvia, marigolds, portulaca, ageratum, vinca, parsley, chives, basil, chervil, and tomatoes to add to the blooming astilbe and bachelor’s buttons and lilies of the valley and yet-to-bloom day lilies and black-eyed susans and daisies and hosta.

And a box of zinnia seeds.

And I came home to the heavy sweet scent of the first peony blooms.

And this summer–provided I remember to water everything–I’ll drink in the colors and the fragrances and watch butterflies and hummingbirds and behold God.

Because who but God could create such beauty?
“Attention, all!  See the marvels of God! 
He plants flowers and trees all over the earth, 
Bans war from pole to pole
breaks all the weapons across His knee.
Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
loving look at me, your High God,
above politics, above everything.”
Psalm 46:8-10 (Message)
Where do you see the marvels of God?
Can you slow down–step out of the traffic?
Can you look at Him longer than and above anything else?

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

Share this:

  • Email
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Filed Under: stories and reflections

Comments

  1. n. davis rosback says

    May 25, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    beautiful

  2. S. Etole says

    May 25, 2010 at 11:58 pm

    He is so apparent in nature … "His handiwork I see …"

  3. Billy Coffey says

    May 26, 2010 at 9:25 am

    You are such a great writer, Sandra. I loved this.

  4. Sandra Heska King says

    May 27, 2010 at 8:26 am

    Awww, Billy (kicking toe in dust and blushing.) You're not hiding a Nerf gun behind your back, are you?

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Meet Sandra

I’m Sandra, a camera-toting, recovering doer who’s learning to be. still. Read more…

Get updates from the stillness by email

Your personal information is safe and will never be shared.

Archives

Categories

Instagram Inspiration

sandraheskaking

Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours. Happy first day of fall from my backyard to yours.
Just another backyard photo… Just another backyard photo…
From my backyard tonight. From my backyard tonight.
Just another sunset. Just another sunset.
“I would like people to remember of me, how inex “I would like people to remember of me, how inexhaustible was her mindfulness.” ~ Mary Oliver in “ A Little Ado About This and That.”
Current situation. Current situation.
“This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” “This spark of life that wavest wings of gold” ~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson in “Ode to a Butterfly”
🦋
We pulled all the milkweed because it just could not support all the caterpillars. They were eating it bare and most of them died because they ran out of food. This one butterfly found this one lone volunteer.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright futur "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority." ~ E.B. White (as quoted on today's page in my Franklin Planner)
"May you experience each day as a sacred gift wove "May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven around the heart of wonder." ~ John O'Donohue in "For Presence" from To Bless the Space Between Us
🌴
Tri-colored heron stalking breakfast in my backyard.
“. . neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes “. .  neighbor’s tree hangs heavy with mangoes. They are moving in a week. They say a family from Belarus bought the house. I hope they don’t care much for mangoes.”
**
“Beautiful Sweet Things” at https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/
"People do not grow old. When they cease to grow t "People do not grow old. When they cease to grow they become old.” ~ Emerson

It's been a while since I've written anything on my blog. Like 3 years. But I just wrote my first post on Substack. Come see?

https://sandraheskaking.substack.com/p/ten-years-ten-things
Spent a couple hours this morning with friends fro Spent a couple hours this morning with friends from @spanishriverchurch picking up beach trash. Little bits of colored and clear plastic, big bits of plastic, bottle caps, broken glass, strings, ropes, straws, socks, fast food containers, paper, cigarette holders and filters—and a couple unmentionables. Took extra care around the turtle nests. Last count was about 70 pounds, but there were also some bigger things like an abandoned chair and a plastic tent. And a big piece of burlap or something with a fishing lure and giant hook attached. D found a Macy’s gift card that he almost tossed in his bucket. But we brought it home to check the balance—$24.60! We should be able to turn that into something useful for someone. 😊
H Already dead, I am living my afterlife here in t H
Already dead, I am
living my afterlife
here
in the form of a human.
~ Xueyan from Time Peels All to Original White

Thanks to @tspoetry for introducing me to this beautiful collection via an Every Day Poems selection.
The cats attacked the window all night. The dog wo The cats attacked the window all night. The dog woofed all night. This morning we discovered the would-be burglar imprisoned between the screen and the glass on our bedroom slider. 

When I stepped out to release it (no bail), I was surprised by this brief bit of backyard beauty.
For most of us, knowledge of our world comes large For most of us, knowledge of our world comes largely through sight, yet we look about with such unseeing eyes that we are partially blind. One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" ~ Rachel Carson in The Sense of Wonder
#prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michigan #prayformsu #spartanstrong #spartannurse #michiganstateuniversity
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faith Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. ~ Psalm 136:1
A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana A tale of two iguanas... I did not see the iguana in the background until I downloaded the photos. That, I believe, is the one that got caught in one of the openings in the neighbor's chain link fence. We tried in several (safe) ways to dislodge it without luck and could think of no other option but to leave it. Somehow it apparently dislodged itself. We also believe this is the pair that was getting into another neighbor's garden. We haven't seen either one since the last cold snap, so we are wondering if they survived. 
🌱
Thinking some may have tumbled from their perches last night. Pretty sure it will be raining iguanas tonight since we are under a frost advisory. It's cold. And windy.
Just sing... sing a song... Singing our way into Just sing... sing a song... 

Singing our way into the weekend.
"We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramse "We don't just see. We learn to see." ~ Russ Ramsey in Rembrandt is in the Wind
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Get the Mug

Embrace the life you have t s poetry mug

Privacy Policy

Full privacy policy is available HERE.

I Read Light

TSP-Red button

bibledude-net



Sponsor a Child

Join the Compassion Blogger Network

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2023 Sandra Heska King · Site by The Willingham Enterprise, LLC on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress · Log in