Partly Cloudy....

 

Look at that beautiful, bright, blue sky behind the quilt. 

Now that's blue!

And it's cold too.

Four below zero this morning and a high of 21 today.

Brrrrr!

 

 

 

 

Partly Cloudy is the name of my newest quilt creation.

I found this quilt design & pattern on

BlockM Quilts.

Daniela graciously shares her pattern for free.
My quilt turned out to be 74x57".
I had to do a little trimming and editing along the way.

 

I made this quilt for my nephew & his fiancé's wedding.

We will be driving to Wichita soon to take part in the celebration.

I chose the name Partly Cloudy because even though a wedding is one of the

Brightest Days of Life

marriage comes with many cloudy skies, rain, snow, sleet, heat waves, winds

 and all of the other things we must weather as a couple.

My prayer is that they will know the comfort of being

wrapped in the arms of God through it all.

And I hope the quilt will remind them of that.

............................................................................

 

Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
            Stormy wind, fulfilling His word.

Psalm 148:8

Humility...

Humility is perpetual quietness of heart.

It is to have no trouble.

It is never to be fretted or vexed,

Irritable or sore,

To wonder at nothing that is done to me.

It is to be at rest when nobody praises me,

And when I am blamed or despised;

It is to have a blessed home in myself

Where I can go in and shut the door

and kneel to my Father in secret

and be at peace,

As in a deep sea of calmness,

When all around and about is trouble.

 

~Andrew Murray

(This tidbit serves as a marker in my Bible.  A good reminder for me.)

 

 

Happy Easter

Since Jesus Christ Rose from the Dead

Brandon Cox

He is Risen!

We have hope.

By our love....

 ^"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  ~John 13:35 

This past Sunday in our humble country church we sang the song, They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.  I can't remember when I last sang this song, but I am sure it was in the 1970s with a guitar strumming and a group of young singers singing.  In all truth, I was surprised it was in our hymnal.  I sang it with my whole heart and soul and spirit, just like I remember doing back then.  Hubby and I have been praying for revival in our land and this song reminded me of how crucial it is to love one another right now.  The pastor's message was, "Love Your Enemies."  

``````````````````````````````````````````````````





We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

We will work with each other, we will work side by side
We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we'll guard each one's dignity and save each one's pride
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand
And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love


All praise to the Father from whom all things come
And all praise to Christ Jesus his only son
And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
Yes they'll know we are Christians by our love.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````` 
Do you remember singing this song?
Have you sung it lately?  

Garden...

 Zinnias, glorious zinnias!

Among them left to bloom are the lime green zinnias,

Cosmos,

and Bells of Ireland.

 Apples are blushing!

Northern Lights Apple tree.

 Another head of broccoli, my biggest head yet!

 Gobs and gobs of lettuce and new leaves coming up too.

I'm keeping many families in greens.

 Pots of petunias!

 Plums are beginning to turn purple.

 There will be zillions of zukes since I planted 4 plants.

I thought two were not going to come up.

My kids like them so I'll share.

Just picked 3 cukes.  More to come.

The apples were picked illegally 

(says OnlyDaughter) when all the grandkids were here running every which way. 

No one was watching so they picked and tried a few bites.

Sour.  Not ripe.  Illegal picking without asking.

More zinnias.

It was a hard week here.

My brother died the week before this and we waited for family to get here.

He was too young, just 53 years old.

He leaves behind a 9 year old daughter and her mother.

He had a life of struggle. 

I read this version of Psalm 23 from The Message when I heard of his death.

I felt like he was telling me everything's ok.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

^1-3 God, my shepherd!
    I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

⁴ Even when the way goes through
    Death Valley,
I’m not afraid
    when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook
    makes me feel secure.

⁵ You serve me a six-course dinner
    right in front of my enemies.
You revive my drooping head;
    my cup brims with blessing.

⁶ Your beauty and love chase after me
    every day of my life.
I’m back home in the house of God
    for the rest of my life.

``````````````````````````````

Peace, brother.

Salt...

Photo source

"Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, 

how will you make it salty again? 

Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

 ~Mark 9:50

This verse was part of my reading today.  

So I looked up how salt was used through the ages.  

Here is a short list that I came up with.

SALT:

Flavoring foods

Preserving foods.

Preserving fish and curing meats.

Pickling olives and vegetables.

Used in sacred anointing oil in Old Testament.

Infants were rubbed down with salt for health before swaddling.

Antidote for tooth decay and tooth ache

For cleansing (salt water)
Marco Polo reported that in Tibet, cakes of salt were pressed with images of the emperor and used as currency. Salt bars were, and reportedly are still used as money in parts of Ethiopia.
During the War of 1812, the American government,  unable to pay their soldiers in coin, paid in salt brine.

Emblem of firm union, concord, and agreement: hence the covenant of peace is called a covenant of salt.

Linked with health, hospitality, durability, and purity.

Considered as wisdom in speech.

..................................................................................................

I've been using salt these past few days, rinsing my mouth to heal a sore.  It stings a little at first, and then it soothes and gives relief.  Often I have used warm salt water to soak injuries and remove infection or to relieve sore throats.  It works beautifully.  Such a simple, common mineral is so useful.  It reminds me of what Jesus said, "Have salt in yourselves."  How can we be used as salt?  We can offer the hope of healing to an injured world though it may sting a little, we can offer relief, we can offer wisdom, we can offer savory taste to life, we can be spent while we are on earth because of Jesus in us.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt,
so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. ~ Colossians 4:6

He calls us the salt of the earth. 
What does it mean to you to have salt in yourself?

Are you salty?

Breathe....

 Source

...then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. ~Genesis 2:7

I've been thinking about breathing lately.  It first started when I was watching an interview with a then 94 year old woman who taught yoga.  Tao Porchon-Lynch is now 98 years old, and I think she still teaches yoga.  When she was asked, what is the secret to her vitality and health, she answered, "It's about the breath.  Breathing takes away fear."  As I thought about when I first learned some yoga poses, I remembered the instructors teaching how to deeply breathe through each pose, and I remembered how effective it was to then focus on the pose or the stretch at hand.  I also remember the instructors saying, "Smile." I liked that part.  I don't practice yoga as a meditation, but I do enjoy it as a way to stretch and exercise for my health.  I find it relaxing too.

Later on I was reading from The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge where the protagonist, Mary, is reading from the diaries of her late Aunt Mary.  The diary told of her mental "terror of impending disorder" and how tired it made Aunt Mary day after day.  She wanted nothing more than to live in the country where there weren't so many social things pressing in on her fragile spirit. Eventually, she did move to the English countryside where she found peace and solace in breathing deeply the scents of flowers and fresh air and appreciating the beauty of her own garden.  Nature spoke to her weary soul --  every bee and butterfly, bird and tree. Mary knew she would have illness and depression in the winter months through the years, but she anticipated spring and knew she could hold on until then. She still had times when "she lost her reason" but she felt she could breathe in the openness of the country.  Do you ever feel that it is easier to breathe when you go on a country drive or when you take time to walk into nature and take it all in?  I live in the country and yet I need time to walk, to really look, to appreciate nature, and to be thankful for all of it.

A friend from church recently had a mini-stroke.  They didn't know why because she was in very good health.  She went to Mayo Clinic for further examination and the cause was stress.  She had been working very hard ranching beside her husband day after day, and her doctor said she needed to do less and relax more.  I don't know if the doctor said it, but I can imagine he might have said, "You need to breathe.  Deeply."  

One verse from the Bible that I am very fond of is this:  "Be still and know that I am God."  (Psalm 46:10)  Another translation says, "Cease striving and recognize that I am God."  All day long we strive, don't we?  We want to do more.  We want to do our best.  We want to perform up to the standards set before us.  Even upon our beds, our minds are racing, planning, anticipating, hoping, fearing.  Where is our rest?  When do we get to be still, breathe, and know that we are in God's hands?  Believe me, I know well that of which I speak. 

I remember seeing one of my granddaughters hurt and upset.  She was crying and breathing so hard that it made her situation worse.  The more she cried, the more desperate she felt, the faster she breathed, until her mother said, "Just breathe with me -- slow breaths, in your nose, out your mouth.   Just breathe."  And together they slowed everything down.  The crying subsided, the fear abated, the breathing calmed, and the hurt was tended to.  

Why is it that we find it so hard to slow down, to experience the little things, to focus on the here and now, to be in the moment, to just breathe?  To just be.

As I took my walk this afternoon I thought about the animals I was seeing around me:  the cows chasing their calves, the sheep grazing in the hay field,  the geese floating in the reservoir, the pair of  antelope running at breakneck speed.  Were they worried?  Were they trying hard to be themselves?  Does an antelope worry that his speed is not fast enough?  Does the cow get upset that her baby is bucking and playing too much?  Does the goose have concerns about his ability to float as well as the duck?  No.  They are all content to be exactly what God made them to be. They can breathe, they can be still and know. 

And then do you know what I did?  I stopped walking so fast.  I purposely slowed my pace.  I made an effort to breath deeply, still walking, but breathing with intention.  It's a different feeling.  It's both exhilarating and relaxing.  

What do you think of the breath?  Of breathing deeply?  Of taking time to relax and to just be?  Thank you for taking time to read my scattered thoughts.  You are sweet to come this far with me.  Now let's breathe together.  And smile!

Love Notes...

 

Since it's Advent, I've been trying to slow down and see things from a different perspective than my own.  I want to see things through God's eyes.  I find that when I have "eyes to see" that there are Love Notes everywhere that He is trying to send my way.  And I know He's sending them to you too!  One Love Note was included in this Jade plant.  It was growing outdoors this summer and I brought it in for the winter months to enjoy.  It lives in the laundry room along with a few other plants.  It's not a showy place to live, but it's sunny and I'm in there regularly so I see and appreciate my green things growing.  If you look closely at this Jade, you can see little, pink rootlets hanging down from the branches.  They are just beautiful (to me) and what I see is a Reaching Down from above.  Little rootlets are wanting to reach down to some fertile soil and grow and grow and spread.  The Love Note came:  God is reaching down to me, and He wants to put roots down in the soil of my life and bring new life, and grow in me and spread His love.  I also think about the verse:  "I am the Vine and you are the branches..." and I think to myself, if I am one of these Jade branches, I need to reach out too and share the life that is in me and spread the Good News.  The life is Jesus. 

Another Love Note came while I was grandmothering.  While two little ones napped, I got the two older grandkids started on the old potholder looms.  Remember these?  I taught my own kids how to weave with them.  It was a trying experience reaching through and across and over.  It's not easy weaving with inexperienced hands.  The Love Note came:  You are like a woven potholder.  The potholder might look wonky in some places and lumpy.  It might be uneven,  the colors might not coordinate, and some of the loops might be missed in the weaving or loose.  It is imperfect, but it's a beautiful imperfection.  When a child gives a homemade potholder to his mother, it is a cherished gift that is loved and used as intended, and she thinks about those wee hands that made it.  There is love in the gift.  We are beautiful, imperfect gifts  to one another and beautiful, imperfect potholders that God loves unconditionally.

Thank you, God for these Love Notes.
Thank you for the Greatest Gift--
The Greatest Love Note ever written,
A baby named Jesus, from the Root of Jesse,
Sent
To live and grow
Among us and to us and in us and through us.
The Perfect Gift of Love
Sent
To redeem a perfectly imperfect potholder like me.

Ravished with wonder...

I mentioned to you that I am reading The Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp for my Advent meditations and so far, it's been a very good thing for me.  One phrase that has captured my attention comes from a quote from John Calvin.  

Every human being is "formed to be a spectator of the created world and given eyes that he might be led to its author...first to cast our eyes upon the very beautiful fabric of the world in which God wishes to be seen by us...As soon as we acknowledge God to be the supreme architect, who has erected the beauteous fabric of the universe, our minds must necessarily be ravished with wonder at His infinite goodness, wisdom and power.

The phrase "ravished with wonder" has captivated me.  I think about it now in lots of little things I see and feel and hear and smell.  Since I am a lover of nature, I am ravished with wonder at the chickadees, nuthatches, starlings and grouse that overwinter with us.  It's cold here.  Just 10* tonight and promises of colder days yet to come.  And they are here, happily visiting our feeders and living in the tree patches and hay stacks.

 Red-breasted Nuthatch from WikiCommons

Since the cold has returned, we've been building fires in our wood burning stove and I am ravished with wonder to watch the beautiful tongues of fire and to feel it's warmth as I stand with my cold backside to it.  In winter there is no better way of warming-up that is better than the warmth of a wood fire.

 

Walking in the biting wind with snow pelting my face as I close a gate in the pasture, I am ravished with wonder at the power and strength of the wind and the cold temperatures combined, and I am amazed at how quickly I get chilled, bundled up as I am, but our thick-hided Hereford cows and woolly sheep can tolerate this weather seemingly without a care.

 

Do you love the smells and tastes of Christmas as I do?  Are you ravished with wonder at the aromas of fresh-baked bread,  juniper branches, or the spices of star anise, cinnamon sticks, cloves and ginger?  I love those warm, earthy smells and flavors.  I like to put them in my pot of water on the wood stove and let their spicey goodness permeate the air, and I like to taste them in my hot lemonade and in cookies and cakes.  The pomegranates are in the grocery store now.  They are so delicious!  I am always taken by the beautiful red jewels that grow inside -- the sweet, juicy seeds that we love to eat this time of year.

I am ravished with wonder at the sounds of our youngest grandchildren learning to talk, saying the names of their siblings or saying, "Bye bye" and "Yeah" and "No!" and "Air compressor" and "Water tank" and "Bye Gammy!"  And I am blessed to hear the older grandchildren learning to read and love books.  It is a fine thing to have little people climb up into my lap with their favorite books who seem to be ravished with wonder as I read the same stories to them over and over again.  It's a joy, and an honor, and a blessing to me.

So I challenge you to be ravished with wonder this Advent season.  Go to the window, to your back door, go for a walk, look up at the stars, listen to a child and listen closely.  Breathe in the spices of the season, taste it, feel the cold of a snowy day or the warmth of a mug of hot tea.  Love is there.  It's a gift, just for you, from the God of Love.  He is the author of it.  Come, let us adore Him!

Moon shine...

When I look at YOUR heavens

The work of YOUR fingers

The Moon and the Stars

Which YOU have made

What is man

that you are mindful of him?

and the son of man

that you care for him?

~Psalm 8:3

 ...............................

Are you looking up?

At the moon? 

Praise!

It's hot, and so's the coffee...

I know this may seem weird, 

but I like a cup of hot coffee

even on a 100 degree day.

It's Sunday

and so

I think it's nice to have a leisurely cup 

with a frozen cookie on top

(so it will thaw perfectly).

The clouds are developing, looking threatening.

Maybe rain.

But we are watching the skies for lightning (again).

Because of heat, because of wind,

and because it's so crackling dry here,

we're under high fire danger.

Actually, a warning for today.

Ugh.

I'll sip my coffee and watch.

---------------------------

I dragged my hoses around the yard and gardens this morning.

It's my weekly watering of trees and shrubs

and whatever else I think needed a dousing.

A good, hard rain would be most appreciated.

Please God.

Thank you.

............................................

 

 When He imparted weight to the wind 

And meted out the waters by measure,

  When He set a limit for the rain 

And a course for the thunderbolt...

~Job 28:25,26

 

I've seen fire and I've seen rain....

Catchy title today, right?

You know James Taylor, yes?

(author of Fire and Rain, his first hit in 1968 )

We saw him this weekend.

In concert!!
I've always wanted to see him.

AWESOME! 
It sounded just like JT!

Some people came to the concert 

in this fun and funky double-decker VW Van.
Isn't it cool?  And so appropriate for a JT Concert.

 This July has been full of fire for us.

I've seen fire.

Every single cloud that comes over shoots lightning out of it,

and the men have been out fighting fires a lot.

But guess what??

We got RAIN!  Twice.

Wet, delicious, air-freshening, grass-washing, puddle-making

RAIN!

And I've seen rain.

Thank you God.

We can trust YOU.

Cranes, cows, calves, bulls, and sage grouse...

Sandhill Crane

 JLynn and the grandies and I went to check cows this morning.

As we drove up to the gate, we saw three Sandhill Cranes.  Two large and one small one, perhaps a baby.  The kids had their binoculars and I had the big camera to zoom in!

 These are the cows and bulls that we went to check on.

If you click on the pic, you'll see the horned bull.

 Cows, calves and another bull.

 Hello Big Fella!

As I was yakking on the phone this afternoon with OnlyDaughter, a Sage Grouse came walking through the front yard.  I snapped this photo through the window.  Isn't she lovely?

“Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:7-10)

It's Friday, but Sunday's a coming...

 

We remember.

Let there be light...

The Star is hung on the old lambing barn;

it's shining brightly towards our lonely, gravel road 

where just a few folks will travel by and see its light.

The Cross is lit on the well house roof. 

It's so bright and stands so high.

I often wonder what the low flying USAF planes think

when they see it at night. 

Our ranch-house mantel has a lit cow head 

along with the nativity hurricanes and poinsettia.

Let there be light

in the darkness!

He is LIGHT of the world.

Matt 5:14

Working cows and calves...

 Can you see the flies swarming above the cows' backs?

 Cows asking, "Where have our babies gone?"

We sorted them away for a short time

so we could give them their booster vaccinations

 and some insecticide.

 Calvies going into the barn to get their shots.

 We sorted the bulls out from the cows. 

 This bunch should be bred by now.

Counting calves out of the barn gate.

 

 Each morning this week we have been rising early to go get a bunch of cows and calves to work before the heat of the day. By the time we are done with a bunch it's really hot and sticky in the barn.  So many big bodies in one place makes it HOT and HUMID.  Our shirts and jeans are drenched.  This afternoon we hit 99* and the wind started blowing so it feels like a blow dryer out there.  I am so very thankful that I can go inside where it's cool and comfortable.  Since the temperatures are so extreme, it makes our atmosphere more volatile to thunderstorms.  A good shower would be wonderful about now, but dry lightning could be disastrous.  Hoping for rain or nothing.

Hey, did any of you sit out in the dark night and watch the meteor shower?  It was cloudy here on Wednesday, the best night, but last night (or should I say early this morning) at 2:00 I went out to my lawn chair, reclined it back, and star gazed.  I thoroughly enjoyed it. The sky was so clear and the stars were shining so brightly, I felt very small and insignificant.  And to think, The Creator of the stars thinks of you and me.  Amazing!

For the benefit...

Today there's a benefit-auction and supper planned for our postmistress who has been receiving cancer treatment this past month.  Our community is small, but it is broad, encompassing about a 50 mile radius, and the folks that live here have big hearts as wide-open as the prairie we live on.  The community of folks and the nearby small towns where we buy our feed and groceries, tires and boots  are all supporting the effort too.  It'll be a big gathering at our community hall with all the ladies bringing their best pot luck dishes and most will bring an item or two to donate to the silent auction and the live auction.  There will be handshakes and hugs, talk of making hay and grazing livestock, while we eat lots of good homemade food and spread lots of good will.  My little contribution will be a set of embroidered tea towels, just perfect for the cowgirl or ranchwife, or for anyone who has a little inner-cowgirl spirit. 

I found these vintage cowgirls on Pinterest and then traced them with my Sulky iron-on transfer pen.  Now I'm getting lots of ideas about embroidering pictures or photos in black and white, and I'm also thinking about tinting some.  For now, these black & white, retro ranch-hands are sporting red lipstick to give them a little spunk. 

Prayers and thoughts for Rita today and in the days to come.

"God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble." ~Psalm 46:1

Brand New!

 What I love about a new year is that we get to start over -- a brand new calendar with fresh new dates and nothing filling in the days.  This is the calendar I picked this year.  I love big, open spaces to write in.  How quickly that open space changes.  I don't know about you, but when I get my new calendar I immediately write in all of the family birthdays, anniversaries,  due dates, and lastly, add in the dangling January appointments scribbled on the bottom of the December page.  For one small moment though, the new year is fresh, clean, open!  It's fun to think about it for that small moment in time.  (Let's pause and think about it.)  How swiftly the new year marches in with its schedules, appointments, special dates and events.  

Do you ever take a little extra time to look at your old calendar as you add the birthdays and anniversaries onto your new one and notice what a full year it was?  It is quite fascinating to me.  My mother-in-law had a large wall calendar that she received yearly from a livestock newspaper.  It had big boxes for writing in, and she always kept a mini-diary on it.  I loved seeing her teacher-like penmanship written in each square with all the activities of the ranch and family life inked in.

I'm not a New Year Resolution Person.  Are you?  I like to think of a few things that I want to do and hope to do in the new year and pencil them into my journal, but I know that sometimes my best laid plans do not always materialize for one reason or another.  I like to remain open to things that God might put in my path, things that I may not have had on my radar screen for the coming year at all.  That's not to say I don't plan, but I know that My Plans are not always God's Plans.

Another thing that I have been thinking about in this new year is the fact that God is in control.  I have had to remind myself of this fact a lot lately.  There are so many, many things that trouble my heart, especially when I watch the news or read the headlines.   Sometimes I just want to cry for humanity.  The other day I was typing an email to a friend, and I believe God inspired the ending with the lines from the carol, O Holy Night. 

 "Christ is the Lord! O praise His Name forever!  

His power and glory ever more proclaim!

His power and glory ever more proclaim!"   

Christ is the Lord, I will trust Him.  I will put my hand in His.  I won't worry, but believe.  I will wait to see His power and glory happening, and then I will proclaim it.  

 Dear Friends, I wish you all the best in this new year, 2015.  May God speak to your heart and may you have ears to hear His whisper.  May He show you big, beautiful things, and give you keen interest in the humble little things too.  In the troubling things, I hope you'll be able to trust.  Above all, may you know His love, forgiveness, peace, and hope.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  ~Romans 15:13

Knocking...

The Light of the World

(Jesus knocking at the door)

by William Holman Hunt

Kensington, London

Do you look forward to a knock on your door?  It's a lovely anticipation, isn't it?  The knocker, eager to come in, makes himself or herself known by the knock and then waits.  He waits for the one inside to open to him.  It would be impertinent to burst in and not allow the one who abides within to show her willingness to open to you.  It is a very personal thing to open the door to someone, isn't it?  Sometimes when I am unsure about the person at the door, I stand in the doorway until I find out the reason for the knock.  It could be a salesman or a lost traveler or someone warning of fire or trouble of some kind.  At other times, I am expecting someone to come for a visit, and I hear the knock as well as the voice. I run eagerly to the door, knowing that it is a dear loved one here to call on me.  The UPS man is a happy knock to anticipate.   And then there is the unexpected knock that brings a surprise from a grandchild or neighbor.  No matter who is knocking, it is up to me to open to that one outside.  

The Light of the World (1853–54) is an allegorical painting representing the figure of Jesus preparing to knock on a long-unopened door overgrown with weeds.  It illustrates Revelation 3:20: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me".  Notice the door has no door handle on the outside, but it must be opened from the inside. 

Prairie finds and secret joys...

 

Looking up from Chuck's Pasture 

 Lark Bunting eggs in a ground nest under alfalfa

 

White Penstemon

 

Campion

 

Stemless Hymenoxys

It has been such fun to see all the varieties of flowers coming up on the prairie, some common, old friends and others who only come when the conditions are just right.  I have several other prairie wildflowers that I want to share with you, but they are on my other computer and at the moment, it's on the fritz.  Soon, I will show them to you.

Today I enjoyed a very uplifting and refreshing word from my daily reading of My Utmost for His Highest, June 3.  Here are the excerpts that especially spoke to my heart.

"What is the sign of a friend?  That he tells you his secret sorrows?  No, that he tells you his secret joys.  The last mark of intimacy is to confide secret joys.  The things that make God dear to us are not so much His great big blessings as the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us; He knows every detail of our individual lives."

"The secret (friendship RV) of the Lord is for those who fear Him."  ~ Psalm 25:10

How many times have you found a secret joy that you know was sent from God especially for you?  Just like the tiny blue bird eggs in the very top of this post, God put me in the path to discover them.  I happened to be walking the pasture coming home from depositing some mail into the mailbox.  As I walked along, a sweet mother bird flew up.  I knew her immediately, the lark bunting, and I knew just then I had discovered her nest.  Sure enough, from the exact point where she flew up, there were three tiny, perfect eggs, about the diameter of the inside of my wedding ring.  There is no way I could find them by hunting and searching, they are so hidden and inconspicuous from the casual walker-by, but knowing the seasons and habits of the birds, and knowing that my God loves to give me His secret joys and gifts, I was able to discover it along the way.

Where I live in rural America, our neighbors are very far apart, miles apart, so we rarely see one another except at community gatherings like funerals, weddings, and at the voting booth.  Our rural voter turn-out is very close to 100%.  Folks here don't miss the chance to vote, and it's a good excuse to visit with your neighbors, even if they live 50 miles or more away!  The gentle handshake of an old lady rancher (in her 90s) whom I rarely see except in the grocery store now and again, was a secret joy to me as I met her at the community hall where we vote.  What a special visit we had, both of us so glad to see one another and to hold hands.  The joy of a soon-to-be grandmother who is expecting her first granddaughter was just ecstatic to share all her sewing and crafting ideas for the baby with me and asked if I'd share a few of my patterns.  Of course!  The secret joys of knowing these folks for so many years and realizing that they are "my people" and that we belong to one another is a gift.  We may live far away from one another, but we are close in spirit and heart.  We speak the same language of the land, livestock, and wildlife and we respect each other, knowing how to live in this rugged country we love.

I hope God has shown you His secret joys today.