Will Spring Ever Come?

My farmer and the crew work outside everyday. 

Sure they can head into the milk house to get warm. 

Sometimes they work in a tractor that has a cab.

Not sure if there is heat in there anymore. 

But mainly they are out doors. 

So, I hesitate as I choose my words; 

Will Spring ever come? 

The days are getting longer. 

Light in the early evenings. 

Yet, the cold lingers. 

I am not one to be cold. 

My internal system has always run on the warm side. 

But this year. . .

This year, I can not get warm. 

And it makes me dread the day. 

I can hear myself complaining. 

How easy it is to let the words flow. 

Listing the things that are not right. 

That could be better. 

If only.  . . 

Wallowing in the struggle in the path set before me. 

This is not how I want to live. 

I want the words that flow to be life giving. 

1 John 5:13

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God 

so that you may know that you have eternal life.

When your thoughts are consumed by 

personal needs and the focus inward. 

There is little room for the Savior to work. 

So, I pray this scripture. 

2 Corinthians 10:5

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against 

the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

We need to surrender our thoughts and actions. 

Let them be made obedient to Christ. 

Seek words to encourage. . . not condemn. 

Live life so that a difference is made, each day. 

Spring will come when it is ready. 

And it will come. 

Until then my spirit needs to be open to the lessons 

that need to be learned in the Winter. 

The Season where much is happening that can not be seen. 

So in this restless place, I will put my trust in that which I can not see. 

I will look for words that breathe life and encourage. 

I will set my eyes on the eternal and not the temporal. 

It is the Lessons in Lent. 

The waiting. 

The hoping; for more. 

Anticipation that God is not done yet. 

And He's not. 

The best is yet to come. 

Lamentations 3:21-24

Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;

therefore I will wait for him.”

When The Barrenness Is All Blanketed In White Day #14 of Thankfulness

The transformation overnight
All blanketed in white. 
A wintry landscape.
The barrenness and dark covered in a sea of fluffy delight. 

There is still wood to gather.
Lawn furniture to put away.
Many things on the list to accomplish. 
For today; just rest in the work already finished.
Work done thousands of years ago. 
On a cross.
For me, for you. 
A soul washing. 
The barrenness turned white as snow.
A reflection of grace.
Deep down peace.
I breath deep the crisp air. 
My eyes feast on the beauty.
I drink in the solemness; the hush just before dawn.
The moments in between.
My thoughts rest on the divine. 
If all moments could reflect this one.

30 Days of Thankfulness~

I am thankful for:
the distinct seasons we enjoy here in the Northeast
Warm fires, hot coffee, quiet moments
little girls all snuggled in my bed watching videos
the warm spot my husband leaves when he heads to the barn
rich dialogue in small group over "The Screwtape Letters"
a son who rises before dawn, drinks coffee and lives with abandon
a daughter who applied to her first colleges
the hope of the future, even when you live on edge,
 knowing it may be taken from you at any moment
trees laden with a blanket of white
A landscape that still takes my breath away
wood so we can be warm
this day, before it has begun and all that it will hold

Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Matt Redman
O Come Let Us Adore Him
It's so much more than a Christmas Hymn
Listen to those drums- We praise you Lord for the beauty in the drums.
I will miss my drummer all my days. 
Yet I will step into Praise, when my heart breaks. 
I will lift my hands and say, "You are worthy, Lord."
And we do give Him All the Glory!

A Cold Bedroom Day #7 Of Thankfulness

Posting from the archives today. Remembering we are beautiful." God makes beautiful things out of the dust. . . out of us. "(Gungor)
I pray your  Thankful journey is rich and changing you. 


I have learned a few things over the years about not heating the bedroom:

1. I don't need a wine cellar. It's the perfect temperature.

2. Oil of Olay does not contain water. 

3. Oil of Olay does not freeze.

4. Oil of Olay Moisturizer hurts to put on when it is 52 degrees

5.This is not an add for Oil of Olay

6. Never put your clothes on in the bedroom unless you have warmed them first.

7. Your water always stays nice and cool. 

8. It is still not cold enough for spiders to die.
81/2. #8 is really important.

9. Make sure you're fully dressed before you freak out about spiders that are still alive in the cold bedroom.

10. Your cold feet on your husband in the said cold room is not any indication of anything except that you have cold feet. 

11. When you turn the heat up to clean because you hate to clean anyway and having it cold doesn't help, remember to turn the heat back down or the night will be very warm.

 I like my cold bedroom.

I like how the sun warms the room in the afternoon.

This house really was oriented for maximum sun. 

As long as I can look past the dirt on the windows, I am fine.
They are those ceiling to floor windows.
They are hard to miss. . .

Besides the windows are probably pre-ultra violet protection so, the dirt adds a buffer. 

There are some benefits to not cleaning. 

~30 Days of Thankfulness~

I am thankful for:

Reasons to not clean
My childhood friend whose birthday is today
A friend from college whose birthday is also today
For cold bedrooms
Warm husband
Mountain Views
Open Land
Elijah's friends that just "stop by"
Grace for the moment
Back Porch Swing
Healing walks with a neighbor
Coffee
Friends who drink coffee
A cousin who made me Cuban coffee and all else pales in comparison
A beautiful fall
More sunny days than dark, this fall

The lessons I am learning in waiting
The large age differences in our children
A cousin and her daughter coming to visit this weekend
Cards, letter, words of encouragement from this community, some from folks I have yet to meet
God's word as I cling to it moment by moment
My Lord and Savior who goes before me, and sees the plan that I can not

The more we surrender the more God is able to fill our weary souls.
This journey is not about me.
It is all about Him.

I hope you can take a few moments to listen to the words of this song. 

"Out of Chaos life is being found in you. . ."

The drumming in this song is a beautiful thing. . .

 miss you Elijah,

Oh, how I miss you.

In Christ you all are beautiful. 

I hope you know that. 

Live that.

Gungor

You Make Beautiful Things