A HEARTy Blanket of LOVE

 I refuse to look at one more gray, chilly picture of winter.
 I need to linger a little longer on this last day of February.
 This wonderful month of LOVE was totally overshadowed by SNOW!
 LOVE SNOW!
That should have been the topic of my last blog.
 So, this time I will acknowledge sub-freezing temperatures but embrace the fact that we are a HEARTy sort up this way.

 I long to linger by the sea with soft warm breezes cooling my brow but I consider myself to be an adventurous person.
 I am more hearty than I think.
 In fact, this winter has made most of us more resilient than we ever imagined.
 Shovel-ready arms have grown stronger muscles.
Strong-grip legs seem more able to balance on black ice than I imagined.

 What is even more delightful is to know that, as  I age gracefully I can also stand firm against these elements of nature with robust enthusiasm.

 Yes, more snow is coming but isn't that what March is all about?
 I'll address that another day.

Today, let's remember the significance of this month.
 HEARTS!
LOVE!
 Lingering with a loved one a little longer than was planned and enjoying every moment of it.
Hearts, Flowers, sweet smiles, a reminder of God's love for us.
"I will love you with an everlasting love."
 Ahhhhh, doesn't that sound comforting.
Perhaps I have been so 'wrapped up' in snow that I have not expressed the wonder I have also felt of

being wrapped in the arms of One who loves me forever and always.
 The Lord wraps me in a snow-white blanket of His presence daily as I snuggle into scripture.
  Like snow falling on this little mountain, the words God gives me daily 'blanket' the space around me.  And so, this is a final note for February to remind myself, and anyone else who might read this, of my never-ending love relationship with the One who sends me love notes as deep and as full as a blanket of fresh snow. . .  daily.
 How can I not fall in LOVE.

SNOW!

One might wonder why no 'linger longer' notes.
  We have been shoveling.
The snow is beautiful but it has also been dangerous.
 Heavy, deep mounds turn to solid-rock ice.
We shovel and some snow melts.
Ice turns to glass on streets and sidewalks.
 We are thankful that we have a garage to park our car.
Some people have given up trying to dig out.
But that is winter.  Right?
Actually this area where we live is usually warmer than the surrounding area.

We experience milder temperatures and usually do not have much snow most winters.
This year is different.
 The sky decided to grace us with moisture during one of the coldest winters I have experienced in a long time.
A long cold spell is not bad but when it is combined with snow drifts higher than my eyes, it does make for challenging days.

I'm not complaining, though.
We have heat and electricity.
 We have plenty of food.
We have our health.
We are still quite strong and healthy.
We actually love shoveling.
So we are helping those who have not been as blessed as we have been.

 Today the sun shines.
Tomorrow we will see more snow.
Notice how WHITE and GRAY everything is?
I think we need a little color  here.

These holly berry bushes were wrapped in ice soon after I took this picture.
 When the ice melted, the berries were shriveled and fell off .
Thankfully, birds ate the remains.  At least the bush was of some use.

Ahhhhh, snow.
So nice to look at but . . .
We do think it might be nicer in Sochi.
At least we can enjoy the Olympics from a distance and wonder if those people who really love winter would rather be here . . .  where there is REAL snow . . . and REAL cold.

Just think.  We will have stories to tell the next generation.
  In the mean time, I choose to take one day at a time and delight in the days we can drive on dry roads.



Ice clings to red sticks as winter lingers long and hard.
Ice, like a blanket, wraps around spindles and holds nature in a trance.
What a grip.
What beauty.
We wait.
Spring melt will soon be here.
Snow
Ice
Cold
White
I linger a little longer and ponder the wonder of God's hand while I sip tea and watch winter from inside our warm home.

A NEW BEGINNING

Even though yesterday was THE END of a wonderful year, I look forward to new beginnings.
Today I will simply post pictures from last year that will bring memories into this precious present.
God has blessed us.

A wet snow helped cut the COLD of January

See the heart? Simple, durable, a gateway into a private
place. . . just like our own hearts.

We returned to another of the favorite places we have lived.
Such a warm day in D. C. at the end of March.

April showers bring May flowers.  Oh My! This area
usually remains dry until we have a 'flooding' rain.
Ducks visit us for the short time we have a pond.

It's still a little too cold to spend much time outside
in May so we explored the countryside.

Amish are out all year in snow, sleet or rain.  We can
count on seeing them every day we drive around.

This is my most favorite picture, just blocks from our
humble abode.  Each day we come down the hill we
are greeted by our cow.   It's even lit up at night.

August began with a delightful new adventure at
Ascension Church in Parkesburg, PA
It's our new 'home away from home.'

My garden bloomed beyond belief this year.  That rose
bush actually filled the wall.

This Amish farm is not too far from us.  I try to stop
each year to take shots of drying tobacco.  I know
Fall is setting in with this welcome sight.

The weather was so balmy in early December that it seemed
odd to put decorations outside.  No lights this year.
We kept it simple.

"In the deep mid-winter" is the beginning of a song I love.
Just when we did not think we would get snow, at the
end of the year, we had a surprise.  It melted too soon
but what a lovely way to end the year.

These "memories" bring us to a new beginning. I look forward to change that comes from weather patterns, change that comes from community relationships and change that comes from forming new habits. 

 Do I dare think of new habits right now, on the first day of the new year? 

 I think I'll wait awhile and linger in this lazy day of nostalgia, chatting with friends and family and drinking hot chocolate (made for us by the children at church.)  

What a wonderful way to begin the new year!

We anticipate blessings for this New Year which will

enable us to enjoy the precious present of the Lord's presence in our lives each day.

It should be a GREAT YEAR!

THE END

It's the end of another year.

It's time to celebrate.
It's not just the anticipation of a New Year but it's my birthday.
I waited all this time to celebrate.
I don't have to grow into the next year until the very end.
Nice.

It's also a sad time.
Friends are slipping into heaven unexpectedly.
Yes, they are a bit older than me . . .  but why so many this past week?
What is it about the dark, cold, windswept days that tell our senses not to linger any longer on this earth?
It is the 'winter' of our lives for many of us.

There is something that draws us to the end . . .  of a year . . . of our lives . . . that draws us into a cocoon-like state.
I find myself curling up by the warm fire as my eyes linger on the dance of blue and yellow flames.

Part of me dies - that early morning zest that springs me out of bed on a warm sunny day.

I linger inside more than I ought so as not to be stung by chilly winds and icicle-cold weather.

Yet, I always look forward.
Light is already peaking out of the clouds a little more each day.
The New Year will bring new adventures, new ideas . . .  new life.
I walk into tomorrow a whole year older and learn to write a new number for the year.
I anticipate brighter days that will, in time, turn my attention to Spring . . .  then summer.

The End is never really the end.
There is always a new beginning.
As I anticipate new adventures while I remain on this earth, I also anticipate a glorious life beyond this world.
I am healthy and happy and content just where I am.
I know the 'end' will never truly be the 'end' for me.
God is with me.
Heaven is simply another place to reside.
Yet, for now, I embrace the New Year with hopes and dreams and a sense of anticipation.

HAPPY NEW YEAR . . . they all tell me.
Indeed, it IS a new year for me as I celebrate one more birthday.

I know it will be a good year filled with new discoveries.
I am already creating ways to celebrate each new day.
I sip tea and eat a few extra cookies.
 I unwrap the gifts ever-so-slowly sensing the love that my sister packs inside every package.
 She is so faithful to send me surprises every year.

Hubby also surprised me with an adventure at the theatre.  We never go out on this crazy night but this year we are defying all odds and stepping out into the chilly abyss they call winter.

It's all good.
Let us Celebrate this New Year as we embrace life to the fullest and then . . .  when it is time . . .  we can say . . .
The End.

THE DARKEST NIGHT

It should be cold, this shortest day, with light so scant we barely see.
Yet, as we walk outside we find, no need of coat for you or me.

The springtime temps are a great surprise, this shortest day amid clear blue skies.
OH JOY! I shout, as I embrace the day, 'tis a wondrous God who changes nature's way.

The snow melts slow under cloudless skies, the sun shines too bright for unmasked eyes.
We know this time will be too short, as dark sneaks into this little port.

We turn on lights and snuggle in, knowing shadows creep through light so thin.
Tonight we give our thanks to God, for a day of Spring where winter has trod.

Today IS winter, they all say, I beg to differ this balmy day.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, yet a pinch more light will be God's aim.

And then the winter cold sets in, but darkness lessens as each day begins.
I wait with patience for the True Light to shine, as we celebrate Christmas in this darkest time.

Praise God we have our Savior's Birth, to celebrate with all joy and mirth.
Praise God He is with us each day, in hearts that invite Him in to stay.

O Wonder, God's begotten Son, Jesus, Our Lord, the only One,

Who fills our hearts with love so grand, that we, being filled, can barely stand.

As we praise God for Jesus' birth, and fill our souls with this season's mirth,
Let's all rejoice and sing and shout as night grows deep and lights go out.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow, let the True Light shine let the darkness glow.
May we all enjoy this winter balm with peace and love and eternal calm.

As God's Light peaks through each darkened life and rests the soul that is in strife.

This darkest night need not be sad with God's son, Jesus, can make us glad.

I can try to rhyme for days on end but I think the mind would begin to bend,
to other thoughts and things to do . . .  so blessings to all from me to you.

A QUIET TIME

December is suppose to be filled with the frenzy of preparation for celebrations.
Hanukkah began the night before Thanksgiving day.
I was told this would not happen again for 730 years so I am glad I was around when this happened.

Thanksgiving was so late that we jumped right into decorations and lights and trees for sale.
I missed it all.
I returned from a conference with a bad cold and have been nursing it as much as I can.
It has laid me low and kept me from swirling with everyone else as this 'Season of Advent' becomes frenetic.
I'm glad I am laid low.
I have had time to rest, as much as one can when blowing one's nose.

I linger a little longer with e-notes to people.
I close my eyes and hours fly by.
I awake to the trickle of raindrops gently soaking the earth.
What a gorgeous Fall and easy winter we have had so far.
The days open late under hanging clouds.
Night dark closes in so early that I wonder where the day went.
That's OK.
I'm staying quiet.
I'm being still.
I'm just being.
I have to let go of shopping and cards and decorating.
I have no choice.
I am glad I am taking advantage of the quiet part of December.
I look forward to the celebration of the birth of Christ Jesus.
Yet, for now, I am glad to simply sit and sip tea with honey and close my eyes and linger in quiet.

FIRST WE HAVE BREAKFAST

Life has been crazy lately - all good.
We have been on a wonderful adventure.

But, sometimes, I feel like I am spinning.
That's why I begin each day with the words, "First we have breakfast."

I have a tendency to wake up swirling and want to spin into overdrive before I take time to stretch, yawn, feast on God's presence and put a little something in my tummy.

So, first we have breakfast.
But it is not the kind of breakfast someone might imagine.

Breaking a fast for many means grabbing a cup of coffee with toast and running out the door.
I tend to linger a little longer with my little routine.

Before I eat anything I need to do my little workout.
If I don't, I'll never exercise.

I do not like exercise but it really does keep my muscles and joints a bit more limber after being horizontal for so many hours.
I do get plenty of sleep.

And then, I sip my breakfast tea slowly as I enjoy daily scripture readings.
As I munch on God's word, I slowly chew my almonds and dip my spoon into greek yogurt with wheatgerm sprinkled on top.
I do double duty as I feed my soul while feeding my body.
YUM!

My greatest challenge is to stay off of the computer until my "breakfast" time is over.

The minute I step out of bed I must begin saying to myself, "First we have breakfast."
Otherwise I spin the wrong way for the rest of the day.
And email is no help.
I can spend up to two hours reading, answering and creating messages.
I think of new ideas that need documentation.
I don't take time to breathe.

When I take time to linger longer and breathe and drink in the new day with my little routine, I seem to spin a bit less or at least a bit slower.

When I take time to dig in my garden or pick fresh veges or nip old buds before the dew dries on the leaves I see life with a new perspective.  It's almost like I am breaking my fast with blooms that slowly open with the sun.

And so, I continue to murmur to myself when I arise before the sun has fully risen . . .
            "First we have breakfast."