Sandra Heska King

daring to open doors

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

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Look closely. Do you see it? The tail of a great h

Look closely. Do you see it? The tail of a great horned owl? There are a pair of them that hang out in this woodsy area next to the marsh trail. One swooped low over our heads and landed next to its friend—both hootie-hooting. Both well hidden. A couple weeks ago we passed someone planted in a lawn chair on the trail determined to get a decent picture. For us—no time, no patience. This time.

When you’re trying to balance on a branch that m

When you’re trying to balance on a branch that may not have been built for you. And... a little breath of Florida fall. (Except that currently it’s 90 degrees and feels like 103.)

Back. We are the only ones here. For the moment.

Back. We are the only ones here. For the moment.

I’ve got my eye on you, too. 🐊 Technically it

I’ve got my eye on you, too.
🐊
Technically it’s swimming in our yard since about a foot of it is under water. I do miss #Michigan, but I do love #Florida.
🐊
“One must stay alert—attentive to margins, shallows, uppermost branches. Take chances, forsake everything familiar . . . “ ~ Diana Woodcock in “Edge of a Sawgrass Prairie” from Beggar in the Everglades
🐊
Never dreamed I’d live on the edge of the Everglades.

In other news, our introverted friend is still han

In other news, our introverted friend is still hanging out here. (It submerges every time I walk to the edge of the water—camera shy, I guess.) But if it keeps raining, we may find it floating in the yard or on the patio. It could happen.

Excited to find an empty shell on our return. But

Excited to find an empty shell on our return. But then...
🦋
“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore
(Nobel Prize in Lit, 1913)
🦋
But this little guy didn’t have many moments. Maybe I should have done an episiotomy. 😢

We came back from Michigan to find our milkweed ha

We came back from Michigan to find our milkweed had once again been decimated. Then we found this chrysalis. This old chair seems to be a caterpillar magnet.
🦋
This morning at 5:45, it was transparent, and then the birthing process began. It takes longer than I thought. “Push. Push.” I kept repeating. The struggle for change and transformation is real and hard fought. But oh the beauty if you are patient and persevere.
🦋
We had to leave at noon. I suppose by now this sweet thing has emerged with wings all wet and crumpled. It will hang there to dry, its wings will expand, and it will fly away leaving an empty tomb. Maybe it will return to lay an egg on the milkweed. The egg will hatch a caterpillar that will gobble its host and then leave to zip itself up on this chair. Maybe I’ll even catch its first flight. #monarchwatch

Life doesn’t always go like we hope or plan or e

Life doesn’t always go like we hope or plan or expect. And things can get really uncomfortable and even scary. (Can you say #pandemic ?) My friend @shellymillerwriter has some things to say about that in her new book Searching for Certainty: Finding God in the Disruptions of Life. She wrote it pre-pandemic and before her own personal life disruption that has led to a prognosis that may or may not be part of God’s plan. So she is currently living in a bit of uncertainty, too.
🌱
At any rate scroll ⬅️ to read some encouragement from Shelly.
🌱
You can preorder Shelly’s book here:
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https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Certainty-Finding-Disruptions-Life/dp/0764235974
🌱
The lead photo was taken on a trail in northern Michigan. 😊

“What will the world be, once bereft Of wet and

“What will the world be, once bereft
Of wet and wildness?
Let them be left.”
“Gerard Manley Hopkins
🐊
Backyard visitor taking a quiet morning cruise

Feeling a bit stressed this afternoon. This should

Feeling a bit stressed this afternoon. This should help. What helps you shake it off?

An evening walk with Sissy and BIL along the Sturg

An evening walk with Sissy and BIL along the Sturgeon—section of North Central State Trail (Rails to Trails—Gaylord to Mackinaw City) #puremichigan

Going to miss this view (out our cottage window.)

Going to miss this view (out our cottage window.) #PureMichigan

Remember the major meltdown I had a couple weeks a

Remember the major meltdown I had a couple weeks ago? Here’s part of the result. We are in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula celebrating with family we haven’t seen since Thanksgiving.

My heart will go on and on ...

My heart will go on and on ...

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make musi

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.” ~ from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
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Of course, they might harass an osprey or dive bomb your head...

Joy comes in the morning. Except I wasn't feeling

Joy comes in the morning. Except I wasn't feeling it this morning. And that's because yesterday I learned some hard news about a friend.
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Today with every marsh step, I whispered her name, "Shelly. Shelly. Shelly."
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Let me tell you a little about my friend. Shelly Miller is a beauty seeker, a rest mentor, a speaker, an author, and founder of the Sabbath Society. She is an Anglican pastor's wife, mom to two adult kids, and currently an expat in London. She is also a member of my online prayer group, an assembly of a dozen women who first met face-to-face at Laity Lodge on the banks of the Frio River in the hill country of Texas. We've been celebrating with and doing battle for each other for several years.
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Shelly's first book, Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World, is an invitation to intimacy with God and intentional stillness. She has written a new book to be released in October, Searching for Certainty: Finding God in the Disruptions of Life.
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Little did Shelly know she was also writing to herself. A few months back she underwent a personal disruption when she had to have major surgery for a rare sarcoma. A followup CT has shown the cancer has metastasized to her lungs. The doctors say it is "inoperable."
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So I'm not feeling much joy. But feelings don't always reflect truth. And we know God has his own timetable.
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Here are some things you can do to help carry her.
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PRAY for Shelly and her family.
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PREORDER her book.
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Follow her here on IG at @shellymillerwriter
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Follow her on FB. Same handle.
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Follow her blog at shellymillerwriter.com
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This post has a preorder link as well as a link for some pre-order bonuses

http://shellymillerwriter.com/2020/08/28/searching-for-certainty/?fbclid=IwAR3z6a4DSPmJ13MYWXPWgdjlR4wf8W-eJVKTdSVxm4TglLXHaw8AoHAo1sM
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Maybe even consider supporting her on Patreon.
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Did I mention pray? 🙏🙏

Never underestimate the power of a major meltdown

Never underestimate the power of a major meltdown or a guilt trip. Not that I recommend either. But sometimes they get wished-for results ... Of course, then there are amends to make, but still...

Here we go again. Doesn’t seem like the wisest p

Here we go again. Doesn’t seem like the wisest place to hang, but who am I to judge? There were at least two other fat ones yesterday morning, but they are MIA. A few days ago, there were several itty bitty cats, but I knew the milkweed couldn’t support them all. So I culled them. Am I terrible?

Hey, Mable. I could use a little help here. I keep

Hey, Mable. I could use a little help here. I keep dropping breakfast. I think I bit off more than I can chew—or swallow.

Look at the birds of the air... #loggerheadshrik

Look at the birds of the air...

#loggerheadshrike

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