books and more books

Little brown eyed fellow drew this, patiently, over a few days,

a little pink tongue peeping out of his mouth.

Big brown eyed fellow built the shelves last year

and I quickly filled them.

Little blue eyed girl read The Magician's nephew in one day.

Little blue eyed boy is starting to read,

little brown eyed learning his letters.

Big girl is studying literature and off to Oxford for a semester.

and their mom .... loves books.

morning

I was out early today when the stars were bright

and slowly they disappeared and the sky glowed orange

and the orange faded into bright blue

and the morning rays blazed the trees into vivid reds and yellows.

New morning

new mercies.

lines and designs

simplicity

Snippets of reality- that is all we know.

Not by only the shadows

nor by only the lines and colors

nor by only peeping through the hole

can we really understand-

the complete picture is simply not obvious..

yet.

We went to another funeral today, another parent of a friend, which is becoming all too common (and yet, I am a generation removed) and it raises questions. Questions about why and how and it raises the awareness that one day soon all questions will be answered but that for now we can think and wonder and trust and obey and worship and be thankful for the days alloted.

sunflower bud

It is not only the bloom or the promise of the bloom that is beautiful-

sometimes the bud itself is worthy of admiration.

We anticipate new life but need to see and admire the world around us.

Beauty speaks.

today.

juvenile great blue heron

flowers tossed

.."and the rain came down as the floods came up"

flowers tossed create an image of a sea tossing and rain pelting down

webs

It is autumn and the spider webs are everywhere.

Joy and Woe

Joy and woe are woven fine,

A clothing for the soul divine;

Under every grief and pine

Runs a joy with silken twine;

It is right it should be so;

Man was made for joy and woe;

And when this we rightly know

Safely through the world we go.

William Blake

Safely with your hand in His.