Great Imaginings

Now that my granddaughter is old enough to use her imagination, we will have many tea parties together.  She possesses great dexterity for her young age, picking up her tea cup with a tiny thumb and index finger and little pinkie extended.  The joy of watching her pretend is a blessing in itself.

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When I was a girl, I enjoyed real tea parties after school with my grandmother.  It was a special treat for me to select one of the English tea cups in her collection to suit my fancy on that particular day. When we reached the bottom of the tea cup, my grandmother would pretend to read the tea leaves.  It was always a surprise to hear what mysteries she saw amid those few bits of tea.  Of course, my grandmother always created a positive vision that would spark my imagination.


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In comparison, it is interesting how someone my granddaughter's age can pretend to have tea and how my grandmother in her old age pretended to know the future. The truth is, only God knows the future.  If we humans could read the future, we would be fearful of what was to come.  God gives us the gift of imagination to live on the edge of wonder. 

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Sometimes it takes a child to lead us to the wonder.  And, other times, as grown ups, we will be blessed for helping a child  to believe without seeing. 

1 Corinthians 2:9  However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him." Enjoy the wonder, but remember, only God knows the future.

Small Miracles

Summer sunrise, bright winged butterflies,dew on tall grass,a cobweb spun from tree to tree.  Such small miracles, yet they happen daily.  God is everywhere, if we care enough to look. 

A child's laughter, an ocean wave, fresh flowers,hummingbirds,billowing clouds,a heartbeat.

An ancient Chinese proverb tells us: The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water; but to walk on the earth.

Small miracles, everywhere we go.  In every lifetime there are many daily gifts, yet most of them go unnoticed. Take time to enjoy them. We walk this earth but once. See the miracles along your path.



Genesis 9:13: "I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."  Always with us.

In My Garden...

A garden is great therapy.  There is always something to watch and nurture.  In my garden there is a sign with words from a Chinese proverb.  It says, "If you would be happy all your life, plant a garden."  That pretty much sums up my attitude.  I can go outdoors at any time of the day and find something of beauty.  It is always a surprise to see a new bloom or a stand of color. 

Gardening teaches patience.  Bulbs planted in fall do not display their glory until spring.  It is all about the anticipation of a breath of beauty.  Man can cultivate but God created each petal and stamen.  A little rain, a bit of sunshine and soon the excitement of a sliver of green pushing up through the earth overwhelms me.  It is one small miracle in one big world.

As summer ends, the leaves turn to orange and gold, covering the landscape below.  The kid in me wants to kick the contents skyward in celebration of another season.  In spring my eyes delight in the freshness of pale green buds and puffs of white filling the tree branches.  Each season proves it's worth under God.

And there are weeds in the garden.  Small irritations amid the flowers.  Did God place them there to help me exercise?  Fresh mulch, dragonflies hovering over a bloom, all the smells and sights to provide inspiration in life.  An open palette, a beautiful lesson everywhere I look. Keep a watchful eye.  God is telling us to grow in grace.

Job 12: 8-9 " Speak to the earth, and it will teach you.... Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?