Profoundly Jealous

While I love seeing everyone’s beautiful spring flowers…I am a bit jealous. Well, maybe more than a bit but please don’t stop sharing. It makes it easier to know it is coming when this morning I again had to scrape the snow off my car before going to my appointment. Seriously!!! UG!!

As the sprouts continue to grow in my office for the community garden, I find hope in their determination. But if it doesn’t warm up soon, they are going to hit the ceiling.

When I got home from shopping I checked out the yard as Daisy did her business. Currently not snowing but you can feel the light mix as it hits your face. ENOUGH ALREADY!

The dianthus around the mailbox is trying and my irises are peeking through, so I know it coming. I’m just being impatient. This is the last day of March, so hopefully this lion takes his winter coat with him as he leaves.

***I think the lion won this one…at least for the midwest.***

Hopefully we can all enjoy the warmth of spring and the beauty of new flowers. And when we do lets us all remember the beauty of kindness.

Cellpic Sunday, March 28

Found a new wonderful blog to follow with amazing pictures. Journeys with Johnbo. Check out his blog for some amazing pictures.

While this was not taken of a fantastic sight, to some, it did make me smile. And it was taken from my cell phone. Proof that spring is coming. Yay!!

From the office window at church, this cardinal was enjoying the feeder.

He chirped with every bite. I was not sure if he was calling others to come eat or if he was saying “Mine”.

As always I remind you to be kind. You never know what comfort you may give someone who is hurting.

Monday Encouragement

Too often Christians will over think and stress on doing what they think is needed and then will miss out on the joy of being with God. Randy’s message Sunday about stress was reflected again in my devotion tonight about this self-imposed stress. The devotion mentions how we get so stress over doing the right thing for the kingdom so we can “bear fruit” that we miss the point. Bearing fruit is a term in the scriptures to show we are following Christ and sharing His love for the kingdom. But bearing fruit has very little to do with how hard we are working and everything to do with how well we are connected with Jesus. The devotion book “Jesus Speaks” by Steven Scott, reminds us that for any branch to have life that will produce fruit, it must first have sap. The life-giving sap flows up through the vine, then out to the branches. Scripture reminds us that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. If we are not connected to the branch, we will not gain the life-giving sap.

The only way out spiritual life can bear fruit is to stay connected to Christ and His words. Our purpose is to bear fruit for the kingdom, with some being planters, and some being waterers but none of it will be able to be done if we are not connected to the vine. The scriptures are our connecting tissue to the vine where His Spirit flows. And as long as we stay connected to His words we will receive the life-giving sap from above.

When we do not have the life-giving sap, we can not plant or water…or share His love and that is our goal. And eventually our connection may harden and be of little use.

For when we are able to share His love, by sharing His truths, and bearing fruit, then God will be glorified. It doesn’t matter if we were the sower, the waterer, the encourager, the friend, or the total stranger that is sharing God’s love, we will all get to rejoice with those who reap the benefits of that shared love. So stay connected and watch God work.

Have a safe and blessed week and be kind in all that you do.

FOTD, March 28

Technically for me its still the 27th but…We are tying in with Cee’s challenge for the 28th to showcase the beauty of flowers regardless of the day.

Since mine are not up yet, I give you archives of last summer as the hopes of this summers sunflowers are just now breaking ground.

My neighbors loved my sunflowers so much last year, we are planting them again this year. They are just beginning to break ground in their little cups. Hopefully it will warm up soon before they get too big. LOL.

And with all things spring in mind, lets warm up our kindness as well.

Controversial Spring

Spring in the midwest can be beautiful, maddening and extremely temperamental.

For example: One one hand we have flowers coming up…

**Daffodils beginning to show their greenery**

Then on the other hand…we have ice.

**The (dirty) bird bath is a block of ice**

We got way less than expected snow fall this winter for our area but the polar air from Canada gave us TOO much cold for longer periods of time. Ready for April!!

Four days until April…Come on flower time.

And remember, as flowers begin to show their beauty that make us smile, share your beauty in the form of kindness and help others smile.

Weekly Prompts Challenge, Mother

This weekend, SueW and GC have challenged us with perhaps a loving memory or maybe a current love in talking of mothers, even plants have a mother. I repotted several baby spider plants yesterday at my office as the mother plant is doing very well. My one at home is just getting started.

Mothers, we all had one. Some were good, some not so good. My mother, while she had issues (as we all do), it was her mother that taught me the most about courage, faith and surviving this life. She was a school teacher so it is not surprising that she always taught.

***Miss Lottie, as others called her, and her love, Brownie***

But I did write a poem about my mother and gave it as a frames gift in 1986 for Mothers Day, a lifetime ago. While is may not be a great poem, its value far outweighed it errors because it came from the heart – which is where all family love should come from. And she loved it.

Like A Rose

Like a rose’s sweet fragrance that floats through the air,

So does a mother’s love as it flows through her home.

Like a rose that reflects its rich vibrant color,

So does a mother when she is loving her children.

Like a rose’s thorns that beckon you to beware,

So does a mother who safely guides her children.

Like the velvety softness of the rose’s soft petals,

So soothes a mother’s hand and voice calms a fear.

Like the beauty of a gentle swaying rose,

So the beauty of mother forever will glow.

And as always, I close with a reminder of kindness. We can never be too kind as somewhere, someone will be watching and be encouraged.

Weekend Sky 60 – Update

Typical with most passing storms, the appearance of a spectacular sunset. I just wanted to pass along that this sunset meets that criteria after all of the menacing gray clouds that seemed to just hang around forever today.

“They” say that behind every gray cloud is a silver lining but todays lining is orangey gold and quite beautiful. I know my photography skills are not as good as some but this needed sharing. May your weekend turn out just as beautiful.

Remember to be Kind.

Weekend Sky #60, 3/26

Today we have more fun with Hammad Rais and Weekend Sky #60. I just had to play along as the sky today has been tumultuous, from rain to spiting snow and now the wind is crazy. We are under a wind advisory. BUT, it makes for great pictures. Even though I am no professional, it is fun to join in. So come show us your beautiful sky.

The Red Tailed Hawks are not even having to do anything but stretch out their wings and float on the currents of the wind. But the contrasting gray colors with the occasional blue patches of sky is what makes it so beautiful.

Since we are talking about weekend skies, I leave you with a sunset image of kindness for you to reflect on.

**Always Be Kind** ***enough so that the deaf may hear your kindness and the blind can see it.***

Have a great weekend.

Tuesday Writing Prompt, 3/22

Devereaux Frazier and Beth Amanda are currently hosting the Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge which was started by our star writer Christine Ray. We hope to offer all of you something that will spark your creativity and willingness to participate.

Today’s prompt—use the words for reasons they don’t understand in a piece of poetry.

With all of our eyes looking across the ocean, or maybe even next door, we see the greed and cruelty being dumped by one man onto the tenderness of those who don’t understand. So I give you my thoughts through “Who What Why”

For reasons we don’t understand

Greed and cruelty have fill the land

We start this life hoping it to be so grand

Then life surrounds us as though unplanned

Time moves quickly through the hourglass sand

Leaving us confused for reasons we don’t understand

As many of us have asked and prayed, remember those misplaced by the cruelty of war and the oppression of “bullies” all over this world. Especially for Ukraine. For if this door does not get closed, we could be the next saying – “for reasons we don’t understand”

Never forget the power and beauty of kindness, regardless of how small. It can have ripple effects to touch us all.

Encouragement for Myself

After blogging now for several years I started doing encouragements for my church, then I started occasionally posting them here. Then came along Susi Bocks’ encouragement of my writing and many of you who have appreciated my encouraging thoughts and have been very kind to me. Thank you for giving me a small voice. Twice now, The Short of It/I Write Her has featured my writing which has encouraged me to the point that I wanted to share some of the short stories I have written that are TOOOO long to post. So I took Susi’s advice and created an anthology featuring my short stories and some of my poetry. A couple of these poems, Susi featured this February.

If you are interested, you can go to Amazon and purchase either the Kindle version or the paperback version of Hope (An Anthology of Christian Perspective) and I hope you will be encouraged.

I thank you in advance if you do but my hope is that even here I can encourage one person who needs a hug. We all need hugs. Below is one of the poems of the book that I also had posted on my blog last year. This kind of sets the theme of the book.

Raindrops of the Heart

Raindrops of the heart can be a sad place to start

As life of those loved around us do inevitably depart

But Raindrops of the heart can also come from joy

As we remember the fun things we both did enjoy

Raindrops of the heart do not always come from grief

As laughter of the heart shows raindrops of relief

Raindrops of the heart are moments to be shared

As raindrops from the heart show moments that we cared.

Thank you for reading today. Remember the power and beauty of Kindness and share it often.