Worth repeating

Every Christmastide, as I unpack my collected ornaments, I find what is now becoming a fragile petite paper box, yellowing gently from time...
Smile

“We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do.”

-Mother Theresa

   

     I shall ever be grateful for the coastal trip gifted to me by a friend. She paid for everything. We feasted on scrumptious dinners, slept in luxurious beds in San Francisco and then at a Bed & Breakfast in Fort Bragg, California.  We gathered seaglass by the bucketsful, as the local beach is a plethora of the treasure. My cup overflowed, but I shall always most remember my encounter with a little girl on a train.

     We had ridden the Skunk Train through the majestic splendor of the surrounding Redwoods. On our return, I smiled across the aisle at a petite girl with a dark pageboy haircut. She smiled back. We continued our conversation of smiles as she worked her little fingers on orgami. Her little fingers flew, folding and turning small sheets of paper. Each time she made a new treasure, she passed it to me with a shy smile.  I thanked her with a smile.

     Earlier in our trip, I had found a heart shaped pebble. I gave it to her and she turned it over in her little hands and smiled. Her mother told us they had recently adopted the four year old maiden from Japan. I have cherished the paper treasures over the years, tucking them in my Bible originally. The heart used to mark the “Love Is” passage in 1 Corinthians 13. When led to, I have shared the story behind them, I have given all but one away. It is a small box which graces a top branch on our Christmas tree every year.

     I believe it is Christ’s light that allows smiles and kindness to bridge the gap between language barriers. We never know what a simple smile may accomplish, but for me, it spoke a thousand words in a language which spoke straight to my heart.

   

Casting

 

Bubbles lead me down the alleyway.
I gather windblown trash and plop it into the rubbish bin.
A little further, kissed by the cooling breeze, I spy a discarded bloom.
A daylily blossom...
its' lifespan so short already, this one not even fully open.
I hold it to my nose and inhale its still alive fragrance.
Headed for the bridge, I know just how to honor this bedraggled bud...
Along the way, I spy a quartzite on the sidewalk.
Perhaps a youngster found it further up,
in the dirt bedding the towering metal flowers.
Then, either distracted or caught by a clueless adult,
drops it...
I pocket it.
Our wide Creek looks more to me a river.
I gaze upstream, midway across the bridge.
Making a wish, uttering a prayer, then drop my daylily
into the water.
Hurrying to the opposite side, so as to see it emerge
beneath me.
My phone rings...
My husband hears me happily exclaim,"There it is!"
instead of hello.
I explain.
He utters an endearing, "Only you."
Our conversation cuts short by a "Call Alarm."
I love you's exchanged, my Medic Mate returns to work and
I return to my quiet venture.
I watch my daylily float downstream towards shallow falls.
"Cast your cares like bread upon the waters," comes to mind.
An angler casts his line.
Clouds cast shade upon us.
I look up to meandering shapes, grateful for the momentary sun cover and breeze.
Wishes float by on the breeze,
from aged dandelions casting young seedlings to live.
A yellow flicker distracts me.
A tuxedo'd canary colored bird casts its song upon the air,
as it feasts upon large purple thistle.
I think of a friend who always tells me when a similiar bird visits her yard.
I snap a picture and cast a hug upon cyberspace.
I am grateful for available ease to reach out to loved ones as such.
I cast one more inhaling look upon the waters, the ducks and bird feasting...
There, near the thistle is a bill,  too far to see its worth.
I pray a need will be met by its finder.
Onward toward a local coffee shop...
a chirping raucous draws my attention.
In a sliver between a windowsill and brick wall, a Mama feeds her chicks.
I miss my own.
"A fine day," says a passerby.
"Blessed," I reply.
Spices and brewed caffeine greet my entry,
as a metal fisherman casts his line into a coffee table basket.
Here, I enter a treasure trove, where artists cast their inspiring creations
and hopes, to pay their bills.
Not merely inspired, I also purchase, little what I can.
Upstairs, a cream 'shmeered' bagel and brew is breakfast,
as I cloud-gaze out an ancient rusty window.
Delightful!
Returning home, I admire the Quaker Friends' garden and its sweet scents.
Bee balm and larkspur infuse my inhalation.
I choose a read from their roadside 'library' and
scoop up a few pieces of windblown trash.
I spy a shiny penny from Heaven, but
I leave it for a younger 'I Spy-er.'
Bubbles greet me as I round our corner.
The Soap Shop casts fresh perfume onto the lane.
I smile.
It is Sunday.
It is home,
here on North Beaver Street.

Jawbreaker or Gumdrop

Scrolling back on past blogs, I am reminded that we are here in York, Pennsylvania because we did not allow fear to lead us.  Our journey seemingly began back in September 2016, when Chris interviewed but can be traced back to Kayla's moving to Virginia the year prior or even the year prior when we 'lost' a million dollar deal.  Poignant times in our lives, we are able to stop and see a crossroads or a north star which led to where we are at this very moment.  Whatever the current case, it is also good to look back and see what we have already surpassed and overcome, to give us that little nudge we need to bypass fears once again.
this was my post back in June 2010:
This morning I buried a snake. It was a venomous monstrous python! Actually, it was skinny and maybe measured two feet if it hadn’t been curled in half and squashed. Having discovered it earlier lying in the road in front of our house, I had proceeded to go about my merry way ignoring its existence. But it wouldn’t be ignored. It hovered around the back of my mind like a thorn in my sock. So, I went back outside to investigate. Keeping my distance, I snapped a picture and texted it to a few loved ones. We joked about it for a bit but then I got the notion that I should probably bury it. After all, even a snake deserves a decent burial.
Now, anyone who knows me also knows that I am a little squeamish when it comes to worms and snakes. In fact, I have been known to be terrified of even pictures of snakes! I asked God to help me, grabbed a shovel and armed myself with Philippians 4:13- “I CAN do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.” My neighbor Miss Joy came out to see what I was up to and Mr. Jim rode by on his motor chair. He informed us that it was a king snake-a good snake. “They keep the bad snakes away,” he assured. “Let me know if ya ever find a live one,” he said as he rode away. To which I answered, “Even from your house around the block, you’ll know I found a live one as you’ll definitely hear me!”
Following a simple funeral service complete with a Cross to mark its final resting place, I decided that this deceased serpent needed a name. “Slimy” and “Slick” just didn’t suit him and “Squash” just seemed a little disrespectful. Given the circumstances and listening to that still voice within my heart, I christened it…FEAR. I buried all my Fretful Exhaustive Anxious Restlessness. This morning, I buried FEAR in a shallow grave marked with a Cross. May it rest in peace!

Snowflakes

YOU ARE A PERFECT CREATION- unique only to you, the only you ever!

     GOD has given us so many things to enjoy in nature. The snowflake is another perfect creation. Did you know that no two snowflakes are alike? Snowflakes are also very fragile and precious. Although God created us with strength, we are a precious creation, too. God knows us inside and out. He made us perfect and unique.

Psalms 139:13 says- “For You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Jeremiah 1:4-5 says-The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I chose you; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
God knows us so well, that he can count the hairs on our head!
Matthew 10:30 says-And the very hairs on your head are all numbered.
Luke 12:7 says-Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Revelation 4:11 “...for you created all things, and for Thy pleasure they were created.”
YOU are truly a precious gift from God!
   This is a wonderfully easy winter or any time of the year project to do especially with our children, grandchildren or just because we are kids at heart! Great for Sunday School, too! Imagine an August window decorated with snowflakes, bringing snow indoors on a hot day!

*Paper snowflake-
FOLD A COFFEE FILTER IN HALF.
THEN FOLD INTO THIRDS AND IN HALF AGAIN SO THAT YOU HAVE A SKINNY SLICE OF PIE.
 CUT SHAPES INTO IT, BEING CAREFUL TO NOT CUT IN HALF.
OPEN AND UNFOLD.  VOILA! A SNOWFLAKE!

View a special snowflake gift