Of What Value?

I once spent countless, predawn hours in prayer for the pond side of the neighborhood. Life has buffeted me around until I slowly withdrew my presence. My prayers diminished & finally ceased. It is too painful for me to go there. At the request of neighbors I returned.
Though it was a cool, early morning, the barren red earth & twisted trees glared at me as in mid-day heat. For the sake of "bringing up property value" a once serene, life-filled, habitat has become a barren wasteland. I wanted to turn back, for this is what had driven me away, but my prayers had been requested & I begrudgingly continued. As my feet stepped from the bulldozed tracks, I crossed into another time & place. Grass & wildflowers grew under my feet. I was surrounded by lush foliage, wildlife, peace & an amazing quiet. I stepped back into the clamoring starkness & glare, then back into the serenity. I did that many times, amazed at the transformation within & around.


Many find value in sod, sidewalks & streetlights, while others find value in that which is seen only by careful watching. Some build up their treasures on earth, while I remind myself I am not of this world. My home is the Kingdom of God, where neither moth nor rust, nor even bulldozers will destroy my treasure. The lake is becoming walled & sodded. When the bulldozers have completed their decimation, & have "won", peace will remain elusive. I return to pray that they may surrender their lives to the Creator & Giver of peace, Jesus, the Christ. Selah!

Glorious Morning !

I went out to catch the sunrise..."Praise You in This Storm" ringing in my head....I sat atop a log left by the flood waters. Within minutes, the beaver swam right up near me, his tail above the water this time !!! He has to have seen me in my bright, turquoise hoody...but, I am no longer a threat. I have become a trusted part of his world. A great heron lumbered past, his blue gray against the orange rusts of the forest! All around were the chattering & movements of giant flocks of blackbirds heading south. A tiny wood duck cut a silver v across the water, as the sky filled orange! Glorious God & maker of the universe !! "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" (Psalm 8)

Moonlit Morning

The other morning I made my way to the lake, by the light of the moon. I am familiar with the crevices & rocks, stumps & downed branches that even in the shadows of the foliage, I was completely at ease. From the dancing lights on the surface I knew at once that schools of fish were active throughout the cove. Through the eyes of binoculars the scene within was astounding! The shimmers from the fish appeared as a fantastical meteor shower, an added treat as clouds prevented us from watching the Perseus showers. I watched as silver glimmers leaped frantically from ever increasing ringlets throughout the cove. Ever so slowly, the surface stilled as the school made it's way up stream.

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Over the ridge behind me, the dawn was erupting. The mornings' praises surrounded me as songbirds awoke. The baby wrens are still fed by their parents, but have more matured voices now...I know them. Our little slice of the world has been overwhelmed by the chirping of baby cardinals & this day was the same. Several mallards chatted as they slipped across the water & the heron made his familiar rounds. The moon is setting later now & it was dawn before she disappeared behind the pines. I began my trek towards home to start my day, renewed & refreshed.

Pinwheels in the Dark

As I sat in a chair amidst the Golden Sea of forest flowers, I reminisced about the docks just below my feet. A week earlier, dear friends (& blog followers through FB) shared in my evening watch. When the 1st bat appeared I recalled that I had told them 3 more would join in. They did so then, just as on this evening. On this night, as the suns’ light waned & my candle lantern seemed to brighten, I could not tear myself away. The lake surface began to calm. Slowly, pink ripples began to appear. They did not seem the usual river current & it was not the typical patterning of schooling fish. I arose to look down on the circles, which were throughout the cove. I was absolutely filled with wonder as I realized they were as underwater pinwheels! Each "spoke" was as the depth of a child's toy pinwheel!It was truly remarkable!!!
I stayed long past dark gazing in wonderment & went to bed still filled with curiosity.
The next morning, I headed down to the landing in the pale light of the half-moon. As my eyes adjusted, I could see the circles were still all over the cove, though fewer in number & often accompanied by a silver flash of a fish. They came as close as the landing on which I sat. As the light grew, the pinwheels faded into circles, once again & there was evidence of schooling.


Notice how mirror-like the water is around this school of fish. The extreme center of the first image is the closest I was able to get to a "pinwheel". They just would not do it in the light. As I so often quote, "Some images are just for the film of the soul."

Daily Strength

It is so powerful to start the day amidst God's creations !!! I feel so much closer to my Lord in prayer, when I am surrounded by his artistry !!As the day continues and my middle-schoolers show that post-spring break, Friday energy, I can recall the tranquility of these moments: the kingfisher hunting on the large lake, the mallards on the lesser one. I spied a new vine of yellow blossoms growing up an oak....these images and many more will give me calm throughout the day.

What Is This?

Sometimes it is difficult to capture a novel image of something that has been overdone...I think this is a cool shot. I believe that God has blessed me with an eye to go beyond the obvious eye candy and find even more, sometimes greater, treasures to behold....more images later. Off to catch the beaver before he turns in for the day....

Evening Watch

I am getting comfortable with the beaver's schedule, once again. I went down to where they come out each evening and was right on time...His wake is so cool. We have a small collection of beaver sticks..the old and used ones they have discarded.... washed up on the landing.

Growing up, we used to pass a creek that beavers' would dam up. Later on, a friend in Virginia showed Tom and I a beaver lodge that was maintained on his property. These are images I always held of beavers...until we moved here, adjacent to "Beaver Point". Beavers will burrow in the banks of a water body rather than go to all the trouble to build a lodge. Soon, they will have sticks covering their entryway, but right now, they have the doors flung open for a nice spring airing out......

Images from Spring Break

"Good" Friday

This is my most meaningful day...I arose and headed for the lake. The birdsong enveloped me as the full moon set in the early dawn light. Long before the moon had lowered below the tree line it's orb was within their reflection.

The lake was as still as I have ever seen it...a great time to watch for the beavers' last frolics before he heads home to sleep. The new hawk flew across and landed in his preening tree. I heard a familiar chatter and the kingfisher alit in a tree just across the landing. I saw the beavers' wake, and those of the fish that scattered before him. The kingfisher went for his aim, and hit right in front of the beaver and I. It was seemingly obscured by the tiny ends of a draping maple tree piercing the surface. It was only when I put my head near water-level that I could see how still the surface truly was.

A familiar call and I saw the 2 Canadians fly overhead, on their way to the lesser lake. I heard the blue heron in his glide along the far shoreline. The sky was clear while I wrote out my abundance of blessings. The sun rose behind me, turning the small wisps of clouds into a rich and lustrous pink above me. A family of swallows chased away a crow. A blue jay squawked as he flashed in front of me and landed in a branch. It was glorious, but it was time to head back. I had been out for over 2 hours.

With fresh coffee, I perched on a rock higher up and read the different accounts of Jesus' betrayal and arrest. I have a book called, "On a Friday Noon" that is a collection of writings and art of Jesus' sacrifice. I meditate with it annually on this day. I was lost in my Lord's sacrifice when a roll of thunder called my attention. As I had perched on my rock, pondering Golgotha, the sky had darkened and it was beginning to rain. Thunder rolled and lightening was beginnning to strike. It truly gave more meaning to the biblical account of this day, so long ago. I pray that this will be a meaningful day and season for you as we honor a day to praise Him for His sacrifice.