unhidden

let my heart

be unlocked

and what is hiding

(what is hidden)

set free

 

*inspired by Psalm 139:23

taste and see

Still loving my marigolds!!

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Psalm 34:8

 

Linking today with

 

 

marigold

During the last few weeks of this summer I left my house and returned again each day, walking across my front patio with a twinge of regret.  I had worked hard in the early spring to repaint the outdoor furniture, find new cushions for the chairs and sofa, and even splurged on some pots and plants to freshen up the walkway.  After spending one lovely evening enjoying my work, I never sat out there again.  Life just got busy and the warm evenings slipped on by.  Now, the soil edges where the hosta grew (before they were chewed down by deer) were unruly and overgrown with weeds.  Some of the plants stood unfortunately dehydrated in their pots, unrevivable between the rains that kept the rest of the plants, and more weeds, sustained.

September came dutifully and I had happily jumped into the back-to-school routine when it happened.  Instead of plowing across my scraggly concrete garden to get into my car, I glanced up to my neighbor's impeccably landscaped yard.  There they were: perfectly potted mums.  Beautiful autumn colors.  Something inside me crumbled.

I looked back at my weeds and potted sticks and started to debate the expense of planting more seasonal flowers.  I weighed the time spent working and the time spent resting.  I did this quickly, because I pretty much have the same debate every spring and fall.  And then I noticed.

Poking through the midst of the overgrowth were marigolds.  Neon orange and velvety maroon blooms that I had not planted, nor planned for, reached toward the sun while their hidden roots dug deep into soil where the seeds had landed.

Seeing those flowers brought a peace to my heart that had been churning for months.  I have planted hidden seeds of beauty that you will never expect.  Just clear out the junk and give them space to grow.

Instead of tending to the indoor chores on Saturday morning, I spent some time clearing out the junk.  Slowly, deliberately, I made space for new plants and took a step back.  I turned away the urge to replant the flowers with even spaces between them.  No need.

After a few days of merciful hydration from above, my garden is fresher than ever.  Where I let go, life went on to flourish.  And I have a little time to soak it in.

 "I will wait for the Lord,
who is hiding his face from the descendants of Jacob.
I will put my trust in him."  Is 8:17

 

 

Linking today with Sandy and others at:

 

 

good reason

sometimes He

closes doors

for good

reason

 

i

for

one

am

re

joi

cing

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."



Linking up today with
 

sip

diamond dewdrop

in a velvet

chalice

 

arrest

your
 

mind
 
and
 

take
 
 a 

sip

 

 

 

linking today with Sandra and others at

 



abiding

not fighting

or fleeing the

storm but abiding

in the Vine

while cool drops

bejewel skin

and roots anchor

deeply in the

soil below

For the earth which drinks in the rain which often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessings from God;

Hebrews 6:7 

bloom

each bud burgeons

contented

with its face

to the sun

unhurried unworried

that the fullness

of the bloom

is not revealed

all at once

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. And He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

come find more rest today at

light

LORD let Your Word in me
be a steadfast light to
punctuate the darkness

     (a welcome home or
      welcome in)

a guide to my path
a song from my lips
the story of my days

and so she dances

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.

Then He who sat on the throne said,"Behold, I make all things new."  And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."


                                  Revelation 21:4-5 (NKJV)

Click the links below for more inspiration!

perspective

this mountain is not
an obstacle for me to
conquer but

this valley is
a place for me to
rest

gazing upward at these
stones of remembrance

     (blessings
      too numerous
      to deny)

Linking today with Sandra and others at

still life

...resting...

unfold

Early this morning, I heard a strange noise coming from my backyard.  Not a bird, too loud to be a chipmunk, but definitely something calling out for help.  I walked out onto the porch...

and in the grass lay a tiny fawn, calling for her mom.  I looked around, and saw the mother on the other side of the fence, in my neighbor's yard.

She eventually kept walking away from my yard with this fawn, leaving the other behind.  I wasn't sure what to do, so I got in the shower to get ready for worship.  When I was dressed and on my way out the door, the cries were stronger and louder, and my poor cat was meowing at me to do something!  I looked out the window to see the fawn had arisen, and was tracing its mother's path across my neighbor's yard.  I was thankful that she seemed to be on her way, but also worried that she wouldn't find her, or would get hit by a car.

When I went to get into my car, the mother was standing in my driveway, looking seriously exhausted and forlorn.  Instead of running away, she just stood there, then slowly turned in the wrong direction.

I gently called to her and strangely enough, she turned around and followed me into the side yard.  The fawn had made it halfway across the neighbor's yard by now...(pardon the quality of the prints, as they were taken with my cell phone)

When the mother turned the corner and heard her baby's cry, her head and ears perked up, and she walked the length of the fence to get to her!

What a precious sight!  While I was worrying about what I was going to do to help, nature had a quiet miracle ready for me to witness. 

I'm glad I waited long enough for it to unfold.

And I'll be looking for that same beauty in a few things this week, things that I have been trying to figure out, or plan for, without success.  I'll wait long enough for them to unfold.

Cast you burden on the Lord,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 55:22

linking with Sandra and others at:

in all things

"It was easy to love God in all that was beautiful.

The lessons of deeper knowledge, though, instructed me to embrace God in all things." 

St. Francis of Assisi

^"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In

the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have

overcome the world."  John 16:33 NKJV

Find rest in the beauty at:

wild irises

can you hear the
wild irises
torn from their roots
tumbling in turbulence
as each bloom
suffocates the next
reaching for the sun?

even as you wither
oh wild beauties
the fight to survive
this foreign footing
is beautiful

River fountains splash joy, cooling God's city,
this sacred haunt of the Most High.
God lives here, the streets are safe,
God at your service from crack of dawn.
Godless nations rant and rave, kings and kingdoms threaten,
but Earth does anything he says.
Psalm 46:4-6 The Message 

in the stillness today
seeking that sacred haunt
and the fountain
of refreshing

 

linking with

her

her passion is two sips into
a third glass of classic
french red halfway through
a crispy loaf stacked messy high
with pungent cheese smoky
jambon and savory olives

her motor is a hemi revving
in the driveway built
for power and stability
(sometimes the reins need to be
pulled back on those steeds
so they are forced to
do the speed limit)

her arms are welcome home
blanketing your anguish as
she wrings it from your core
then gives it a SNAP!
reshaping the tattered threads
into something like new

but since her strength and courage
come from a heart wide-open
tears fall a-tempest at a casual
bruising or rending of tender flesh
(hers or yours) watering the desire
to be part of love

click below for more beauty at

the perfect stillness

"Love is

the perfect stillness

and the greatest excitement, the most profound act,

and the word almost as complete

as His name."

                   -Rabia

today i rested on

this vantage point

soaking in the love

that surrounds me

He who believes in me,

as the Scripture has said,

out of his heart will flow

rivers of living water. 

John 7:38

sharing today with the community at

"For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)

it's always ourselves we find in the sea."

                            e e cummings

(pausing)

(playing)

(receiving)

i stood here for

a long long time

allowing the ocean to

bathe my feet in

surprising warmth on

this chilly

seaside day

then turned slowly away

feeling thankful

and soothed

sharing my still saturday with you and others at

 

rest

as i rest

in this

night watch

i remember

faithful provision

strength in

my weakness

a light for

my path

care for

each detail

comfort and

peace in

submission to

Your plan

and though sleep

does not blanket

my mind

until dawn

in Your promises

i rest

psalm 63:5-7, genesis 22:14, 2 corinthians 12:9,  psalm 119:105, psalm 139:1-2, isaiah 40:1-3, isaiah 30:15

linking with Sandra and

the community at

overflow

combustion

supplies

one

more

drop

to

overflow

and

burn

my

finger