Sunday, April 30, 2017

Calm My Hurried Soul

Prose is my modus operandi -- and very plain "here and now" prose at that. But sometimes it just doesn't convey as much meaning as a few carefully chosen lines of verse. (I dare not call it real poetry...)

The following was begun on a few scraps of paper during my private devotions years ago. Maybe a decade. It wasn't until December of 2014 that I pulled together the scraps and added the second half.

Forgotten for a couple of years, I re-read it now and know I need to make this my prayer again.


I try to fly to Your presence
With my feet stuck in the mud.
My mouth says, “Praise You, Lord!”
But my mind is all aflood
                with the things I need to do today,
                a story read when I was eight,
                the way my back and body ache,
                and things too countless to relate.

My mind knows of Your power and grace
To calm my hurried soul,
But it needs to go much deeper
For You to make me whole;
                past the overloaded brain,
                distracted, in a daze;
                deeper than a routine prayer
                uttered with some shallow praise.

Calm my hurried soul;
May I rest in You again.
Sure I’m busy, Lord,
But that need not be a sin,
                unless life crowds out true living
                and plants hurry in my soul,
                and I cannot hear You calling,
                waiting now to make me whole.

Some busy years down the road
You make me lie down… long.
My broken body gave no choice;
My active strength all gone.
                I want to fight; You hold me down
                to trust that You know best;
                to stop to hear the Shepherd’s words,
                “Come to me, and I will give you rest.”

Though still so limited in strength
The urge is hunting me;
A daily struggle, this inner drive,
To find value in activity.
                What’s the truth? God loves me not
                for daily, checked-off lists,
                but just because He made me!
                Do I really believe this??

So, calm my hurried soul.
May I rest in You again.
Help me slow down, Lord
To hear Your voice within;
                fill my life with Your true living;
                plant Your stillness in my soul;
                through pain I hear You calling,
                at work to make me whole.


“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

Saturday, April 29, 2017

April Harvest 2017


First picking of asparagus steaming for a delicious, fresh 
side-dish at supper on April 24th


Friday, April 28, 2017

April Snows

If April showers bring May flowers,
what do April SNOWS bring?!




At least this spring is nothing like the year when on April 21st, our local branch of the National Weather Service made me laugh with an unusually lively ending to their daily bulletin. Picture the following exact quote in the nearly-monotone computerized voice of our weather radio:

"Enough said, as conditions will fail to evade their totally ridiculous state until we approach next weekend – at the earliest. We hope these words are not unduly harsh or frightening, but one must consider that the weather of the past month in these parts has not been realized in recorded history."

Thursday, April 27, 2017

First Canoe Ride of 2017

At the start of April, we took a little drive to see how the ice was coming off the lakes. 



Though still mostly filled with giant ice-cubes, the water around the edge was so alluring. I proposed a little exploration in the canoe.




Some paths we tried were a bit too tight even for our narrow craft.



So close, but no way through! On the way out... that is.

By the time we came back 10 minutes later, this fissure had opened and become our only way home through the drifting icebergs! 

Monday, April 24, 2017

The Return of the Green

Tree buds are swelling.


Lilacs and honeysuckle are leafing out.



Early bulbs and perennials are pushing their way into the light.





Spring is here!

Friday, April 21, 2017

He Is Risen!

It has been longer than usual since I posted (or had a pre-scheduled post automatically load). That is because Elsa and I got to church again for a special Easter morning service!

The Easter hymns are glorious! Even more so with Dad's trumpet!

We chose to share in this joy with our church family, though we knew it would set us back for the rest of the day, and longer. ... Well, it is proving to be "longer." So I will just settle for a few pictures for now.


Dad's trumpet, bought through "The Canadian Brass"
when his college trumpet finally broke some years ago


Decorations in the church entry




Sleepy Dorothy in her Easter dress



Jesus is Risen, Indeed!!

Friday, April 14, 2017

Happiness


Every now and again we will catch a blissful look on Dorothy's stoic face. How it cheers our hearts to see her happy amid all the illness, weakness, and pain of living in her body these years.

If you hear my sisters or me suddenly begin chanting a funny little poem by A.A. Milne (author of Winnie-The-Pooh), it means we see an expression of utter happiness on Dorothy!


John had
Great Big
Waterproof
Boots on;
John had a 
Great Big
Waterproof
Hat;
John had a 
Great Big
Waterproof
Mackintosh--
And that
(Said John)
Is
That.



You may well wonder why that particular poem. ;-)

The reason: the title of this little rhyme is...

HAPPINESS