At the copper-roofed feeder that fronts my
study window, three downy woodpeckers recently visited simultaneously, two perched contentedly on the wooden platform, and
the third was suspended upside down on the hanging suet feeder beneath. Were
they not traveling in tandem, I wondered, like the three magi, carrying their gifts of adoration? Henry David Thoreau once observed that the “bluebird carries the sky on his back.” Are not all God’s creatures made for His glory in their own unique way?
A gentle doe and her fawn,
both with beguiling liquid eyes, were recent welcomed guests here on my premises. Observed
from my kitchen window, they were a metaphor of peace in the nearby woods, reminding me that in these turbulent times, the
Superintendent of the Universe kept watch over them and me as well. I stood long
at the window and watched them feed on the dried leaves of the underbrush. I
marveled at their agile negotiation of the briars underfoot, a kind of parable of the tangles that mark all our days, our
comings and goings. Sure there are thorny paths, slippery slopes, barriers to
hurdle, wounds to heal, and difficulties aplenty, but with the apostle Paul writing to the church at Rome, all are designed
for us to “glory in our tribulations” in the beautiful soul-stirring language of the King James version, knowing
that “tribulations worketh patience… experience…hope,
and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts…”
Coming home
after nightfall one evening in mid-January, I found myself lost in wonder at the sky illumined with the “bling-bling”
of heaven! An exquisite chiseled golden sickle moon hung delicately in the eastern
sky; accented magically just to the right was Venus pulsating like a multi-carat diamond gleaming with bright prisms of light
. I stopped the car in the driveway and dismounted to absorb the glory. The moment was made more perfect because no street lights exist in my neighborhood,
while overhead the night sky sparkled with the constellations. I was reminded
of a story Ravi Zacharias told of former President Roosevelt's routine habit of stepping outside to gaze at the late night
sky. Finding the Spiral Galaxy of Andromeda, the president would recite its many facts.
"It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It is seven hundred and fifty thousand light years
away. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our own sun." And at this Roosevelt would then pause and say:
"Now I think we feel small enough! Let's go to bed."†
♥ ♥
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
February is the month for Valentines with its emphasis on love!
Ponder these words of wisdom about love from Leo Buscaglia. He taught
me much about love via his several best selling books on living and loving. We
were pen pals until his death in 1968…acg
“The person
who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply
cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live….It's not enough to have lived. We should be determined
to live for something. May I suggest that it be creating joy for others, sharing
what we have for the betterment of others, bringing hope to the lost and love to the lonely.
The essence of love is getting out of oneself and into others. When we care
less about our feelings, our rights, our happiness, our security, etc., and begin to concern ourselves with the feelings,
rights, happiness, and security of others, we will have found the true power of love. ….Death is a challenge. It tells us not to waste time . . . It tells us to tell each other right now that we love each other….Love is life. . . . And
if you miss love, you miss life.” Leo Buscaglia
† † †
