MANNA

Manna.
That is the word given to me the other day as I sat quietly in the early morning hours.

Some say it is like hoarfrost, which
melts away in the warmth of the sun. 

Manna?  That's what the Hebrew people consumed during their forty years in the wilderness as they followed Moses.  In fact, some say that the manna stopped when Moses died . . . shortly before God's chosen people crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land.

Mid-1400s
Beautiful rendering of manna gathering

An ancient rendering of manna gathering.
The Egyptian word for 'food' at that time
was mennu.  Did 'menu' derive from manna?

Manna.  A food that met all requirements for human survival.  A little sweet but no distinctive taste.  Must be gathered early in the day or it will disappear.  Cannot be kept overnight as it will rot . . .  except the day before the Sabbath . . . when the Hebrew people could take enough to consume on their day of rest.  There were about two million Hebrew people at that time so there was lots of manna gathering before their Sabbath.


Hmmmm.      Coriander.
When crushed, it smells fresh and delicately delicious.  Some say that manna was a bit like coriander.  It is often used in Christmas cookies.
I love recalling the history behind manna.  Wikipedia has pages full if you want to investigate further.  That's where I got the above pictures.  But, for me, today, this week, going into Holy Week, it says so much more.  I will go into greater depth if you want to look at my other blog:  womenofworthmin.com    but for now I simply reflect on the word, manna for my daily consumption.

Food for thought.
 God's words that come to me through prayer, scripture study,  and remembering verses that I have planted in my heart.
 Manna.
This feeding . . . it's so daily.
 A word given to me today has vanished by tomorrow . . .  or at least its impact is not the same.
 God is telling me to chew carefully on a word or words that seem to linger deep inside my soul on any given day.
My senses tell me to just be content to hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest a single word or a single sentence . . . even if it seems mundane . . .  tasteless.

Some days seem that way.
Tasteless.
 So daily.
 So non-exciting.
 Manna.
Just eat the moment.
 Digest the moment.
Let the moment, the word, the phrase . . .  fill the empty spaces deep inside of me so that I feel full.

Let a simple word, given to me in a mega-instant, fill me to overflowing even if I do not relish its content.  The reason I let go of extra sweets is so I could fully indulge in a sense of emptiness, as the hebrew people did, when I crave that which I do not need.

The manna I eat daily at lunch, filled with
hummus and a ripe tomato.  No extra sweets.
So, no Peanut butter and jelly until after Lent.

 Isn't life like that?  We want so much more than what we have surrounding us.   We look beyond our quiet-time chair or far beyond the view from our window.
It's 'MANNA TIME'!
 I empty artificial sounds from the room.
I close out extra stimulus that distracts me.
I simply sit or walk or explore my natural surroundings.
My day may be as basic as manna but oh what gifts lie in front of me.
What a gift it is to see the fat robin perched on our pole that has yet to hold our bird house.
I actually hear the screeching wind slip through the narrow expanse between our house and the new one next door.
I try to smell the dried apple slice as my tongue touches it and rolls it around a bit.
I taste a bit of acid with a bit of sweet.

Manna.  Apple chips must suffice as my sweet.
I relish them as I suck each thin 'crisp' melting in my mouth. 

  Any of my senses can be easily snatched away in an instant .
  If I learn to enjoy the simplicity of manna, a single sense will thrive.
Perhaps that is why the Jewish people spend the days of Passover eating matzah, unleavened, so like manna.
 We Christians also are called to fast from rich foods during Holy Week.  Learning to simplify, step back from indulgence, appreciate the senses given to us at any single moment, may prepare us for the incredible feast of God's presence in our lives.
Manna.
The more I chew on this word, the better it tastes.

Spring has Sprung!

WOW!
 We kept waiting for the snow to fall and nothing happened.
 All of a sudden we are enjoying 70 degree days, at least by mid-afternoon.
     The sun shimmers on golden buds.
           Birds chirp with delight.
 What a wonder!
 I linger at the window a little longer each morning and even venture outside to clean up the garden.

Yesterday, as we drove around the farmland that surrounds us, we discovered that Spring has sprung.  It's almost as if God drew His hand across the land and woke up dormant vegetation.
How glorious to see flowering bushes and trees that show their majestic age.  Growing old can't be all that bad if the bold buds on bushels of branches cause people to stop and take pictures.
 God's creation can be a real show stopper!

This patch of Forsythia must have taken MANY years
to expand.  The sunny glow invites us to linger for a while.

And then we have the new little bunch we planted, below . . .  so young and fragile looking.

The lovely little buds punch through the spring air and say to us, 

       "We can bloom just as nicely as that big ol' clump.  We just need a bit more time."
 Isn't that the story of our lives?
 We just need time to bloom as majestically as our elders.
If we simply linger a little longer in our journey with God, we will bloom more fully and gloriously as we age.

This Forsythia is from our little garden.
We planted it two years ago.  It will take
forever to look like the clump above but
we have all the time in the world.

 And then there is this grand dame.  Oh, what beauty!
 She has earned the right to outdo all the other trees in the neighborhood.   This Magnolia tree  has endured sixty years of who knows what.
 She endures the years to show us her strength of character.
As she stands tall she sends forth a scent that offers the bystander a moment of true bliss.  We linger a little longer as we drink in sweetness.

The owner of this gorgeous Magnolia was in the yard
when we stopped the car to take a picture. 

Our poor Daffodils kept popping up all winter, that was more
like Spring.  They are weak from trying so hard but the
Tulips are not far behind.  See the leaves?

It's that determination we see in the Daffodils that reminds me never to give up.  Keep 'popping up' when the weather seems right even if it is the wrong time of year.  It's sort of like our life journey.  We might pop into a situation that seems 'made for us' only to find out it was best to wait awhile.  The challenge is not to get tired of 'popping' up even if it is not yet the perfect time to bloom.  Determination is like that.

I decided to take a picture of our dogwood before it
begins to bloom.  I so love the bright red twigs when
they seem to "pop"  against the snow,
 which we did not have this year.

Oh to be a twig again, so slender, such a contrast compared to other growth.   All too soon this Dogwood will fill with soft green leaves edged in vanilla.  Unique all year, it stands out in all seasons.
              Oh to stand tall and to know we are growing exactly as God created us to grow.  Each of us is so unique.  We might as well enjoy the journey in all seasons, no matter what challenges confront us.

And so we move on.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring.
 May it all bring JOY to the soul.
Ahhhhh, early Spring.

My EYES of March

March is soft this year.  

No snow.

Plenty of time for green to show up in the most wonderful places.  

I drink in new vistas as we go about our daily business.

My eyes march forth to grasp green, blue, shades of gray and bright red.

I find little time to write in this space right now.

 I am doing so much other writing.

So, I simply look, 

click the camera,

 admire,

 breathe the fresh air

 and let my eyes

enjoy March.

An old boat house and abandoned cottage.
I love the colors of stone and the tiny loft windows. I love the oldness of it all.

This is a familiar picture as it is the 'signature' picture for my blog.

I thought I would let you know a little more about it since it is my favorite picture of all time.  It's from a church in a popular sea-side town.  It is also on my computer 'desk top' so am able to enjoy it daily.

This side of a very old church looks so worn
just before it is to receive a new coat of paint.
White becomes a pale sea-green and blue becomes crisp white.
I learned this when I walked around to the back

A peek at the world from the garden.
The 'lace fan' draws my eye upward.
The heavy iron gate, softened by sturdy ferns,
 opens into a world of water.

A dead fern clutches to a worn box.
It is still in use and oh so practical.
I love red, so beautiful with green.

 I give these surprisingly warm and sunny days a chance to renew my dormant body.  I am sure rain will come.  But, for now, my 'eyes of March' linger on such delights as these.

Time MARCHes on!

And so we come to the month of MARCH!
 Time is moving too fast . . . especially since I have slowed down to a crawl and choose to linger longer in my favorite chair near the window . . .
and write reflections in my journal . . . and prepare for the classes I teach and the Lenten retreat I will lead all too soon.

   

My friend has this pillow on her couch.  I love it.
It says it all.  Nest: a place of retreat

  My urge to "nest" seems stronger this time of year.

I hide from the chill of the wind that screams outside.
We are blessed that we only hear the noise.
Very little is disturbed . . .  except untended trash once in awhile.


I get the yen to plant something when I see tulip leaves cutting through soggy soil . . . too soon, I think.  Perhaps they are more hearty than I imagine.  If we are ever to get snow of any magnitude it would have to be this month.  Yet, I don't see the temps dropping any time soon.

Tulips in a pot were given to me two years ago.
I simply planted them the next Spring and they
have doubled!

Basil, Thyme, Parsley, Cilantro & Chives
in clay pots are 'hung' on a little stand.

    So, I decided to plant seeds inside.         Herb seeds.
  It will be good to have a little green inside once they begin to rise above their hiding places in the dirt.

I poured water on these pellets and suddenly I have 'dirt.'
I then carefully pressed the seeds into this mixture, laid a tiny bit more dirt on top, watered again and . . . wait.

Each day I take the spray bottle and sprinkle to maintain the moisture level.

Can you see how the clothes pins work?
Now I wait for something to happen.

I don't want to flood the seeds with too much water.

I found some clothes pins to hold the little tags I created out of construction paper . . .  and then
I placed the pins, up-side-down, on the edge of each pot.
Voila! ... I will now know what is growing . . .  or not growing . . .  as the case may be.


The need to grow . . .  life . . .  God's natural rhythm is to grow . . . us . . . just as plants grow.  'Remember, that we are dust(dirt) and to dust(dirt) we shall return.'  We must die before we can live . . . as the Apostle Paul says, "To live is Christ and to die is gain."    May we see ourselves in these little seeds . . .  growing only when nurtured and loved and encouraged to live.

After just a few days I see life!
Unfortunately, even with my elbows on a solid surface, my little
 'point and shoot' camera could not remain steady

At least you get the idea.
Now to remain vigilant.