Sunflowers and Heaven

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Suzette Sunflower

I am dropping in today to share a poem my Wildflowers friend, Kim B, sent with a couple of sunflower photos–shared in a post earlier this year. It’s no secret that I love sunflowers, and this poem touches why they are my favorite. They are my reminder to turn toward our true Source of light in whose presence we see and know and are seen and known.

And that will be heaven
Evangeline Patterson

and that will be heaven

and that will be heaven
at last     the first unclouded
seeing
to stand like the sunflower
turned full face to the sun     drenched
with light     in the still centre
held     while the circling planets
hum with an utter joy

    seeing and knowing
at last     in every particle
seen and known     and not turning
away
never turning away
again

The poem almost feels like an exegesis of 1 Corinthians 13:12, through which we understand our knowledge will be complete only when we meet Jesus face to face:

For now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then shall I know, even as also I am known.

May you have a weekend filled with light and sweet moments in the presence of the Divine.

About the Image: Today’s standing tall sunflower image features the photo-work of my Wildflowers friend Suzette R who captures some of the most stunning sunflower images. This photo was the “main event” of the packet of floral goodies she sent for International Women’s Day.

God in a Care Bears Sticker

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Image by Tú Thúy from Pixabay

Each morning I wake up and write at least three positive things from the day before to remind myself I will almost always have a very good day—even though I might wake up wanting to crawl back under the oh-so-comfy covers.

One morning, when the exhaustion hit an intolerably high point, I ended my “positives” list with the Care Bear stickers Shamara, one of our ESL tutors, slipped onto my desk when I stepped out of my office the afternoon before. I closed my prayer with gratitude for the person who cared enough to give me a Care Bears sticker.

A few days earlier, Shamara overheard me exclaiming over the cuteness of the sticker and my love for Care Bears when I saw it in a friend’s planner—and later on my sister’s desk. [Confession: I might have whined a little that I didn’t receive a sticker].

Of course, seeing the sticker on my desk that day made me squeal. But my gratitude comes from something more; it comes from knowing someone is paying attention in even the little things.  Furthermore, the tiny, cheerful Care Bears sticker is evidence of El Roi, the God who sees me. He knew I needed something in that moment when Shamara slipped into my office, He knows I need the reminder of this gesture to get me through the daily mayhem. So, the Care Bears greet me every morning when I open my planner.

I am not impressed by jewelry and fancy cars, but God knows cute stickers with bears and bunnies and (of course) sunflowers will delight me for days and days and days.

#ThursdayTreeLove | Rest and Refuel

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Crepe Myrtle1 for TTLove

Yesterday, as I was exiting Publix {aka my favorite grocery store], I overheard an exasperated woman speaking with a friend on the phone. As we rolled our carts through the parking lot, she ranted about how she had gone constantly from one thing to the next for the past several days and had no rest. She was beyond exhausted. I thought about something I scribbled in my doodle journal a couple of months ago, and started to share the words with her. But when I looked back at her—mid-rant, pushing a full grocery cart, phone securely attached to her ear—it did not feel appropriate.

That’s how I’ve been feeling about my blog posts lately. I’ve drafted several over the last few months that I cannot bring myself to post. Why? I really can’t say, but something in me says, “Not appropriate.” “Not now.” So, I’ve heeded that inner voice. 

But, maybe, you need to hear what propriety prohibited my sharing with the stressed out and over-scheduled parking lot woman—especially as we head into the second busiest time of the year for some of us:

When you’re on “E” [empty], rest and refuel. Turn off the devices. Sleep. Take a long soak in the tub. Journal. Take out your pen and paint and create. Do what you must to fuel your body and soul and to feel human again. 

Of course, it would be better to not allow yourself to get to “empty,” so here’s an extra bit of counsel:

Learn to find rest in the small moments.

These are the little bits my inner voice will allow me to share. Let’s see what she permits next. 😉

About the Image: I am still sensitive to the various pollens and scents of outdoors, so I am sharing an older picture. I shot the crepe myrtle while in New Orleans late last summer. I was drawn to the smooth bark and the pink and green against the blue sky.

I usually join Parul Thakur for #ThursdayTreeLove every second and fourth Thursday of the month. If you would like to play along, post a picture of a tree on your blog and link it back to her latest #treelove post.

#ThursdayTreeLove | Late Prayer

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5Trees

I drafted a rather lengthy blog post earlier today when I had energy and (a little) time for words, but the evening calls not for my words but for something different.

Late Prayer
Jane Hirshfield

Tenderness does not choose its own uses.
It goes out to everything equally,
circling rabbit and hawk.
Look: in the iron bucket,
a single nail, a single ruby –
all the heavens and hells.
They rattle in the heart and make one sound.

About the Image: Unfortunately, I have been hypersensitive to tree pollen this year, so I have not been able to spend much time in tree therapy. I pulled the image above from last year’s archive. The trees and sky greeted me as I exited a store one afternoon. Of course, I “amped” up the colors a bit to make the sky more dramatic.

I usually join Parul Thakur for #ThursdayTreeLove every second and fourth Thursday of the month. If you would like to play along, post a picture of a tree on your blog and link it back to her latest #treelove post.

Available Now! Musings from My Younger Self

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Musings Available

I have been trying to find time all week to drop in and say, “I finally did it!” I finally published a collection of Musings from My Younger Self! [And the crowd goes wild]. 

April has been the “cruel, cruel” month we expected it to be, but I set a goal to release the musings by the time of my presentation at our faculty research symposium, and as I said earlier, I will not let the cruelty win. So, by the hardest and certainly by the grace of God, the book was uploaded to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) last Sunday—two days before my presentation. I had to settle for a “pre-orders” by presentation day, but. it. was. done. by deadline!

The ebook released today and is available for purchase. The physical book should be in print by Mother’s Day, but if you’re interested in the ebook:

The book contains 170 poems in seven sections: “Muse,” “Ego-tripping,” “Friends, Forever Friends,” “Philosophies,” “Love Is or Love Ain’t,” “On a Sleepless Night,” and “Sweet Nothings.” 

I would not have done this without my son, my student assistant, and the university’s Scholarly Grant Program. The monetary support of the grant (given to accomplish creative or scholarly goals) is small, but it’s the accountability that makes the program worth it.

One important note—read the intro. It matters and makes the poems make sense. 😀

Oh, there are a whole lot more of my youthful writings to share, so of course, I’ll continue to post here on the blog and on Instagram. 

Have a happy weekend!

The Lion and the Lamb: Zondervan’s Garden Bible for Children

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Do you have any kiddos in your life? Then, you should check out Zondervan’s The Garden Children’s Bible. 

The cute Bible, featuring the International Children’s Bible (translation) is illustrated by Butch Hartman. I thought the style of art was familiar, but my son immediately recognized the work of the artist for Nickelodeon’s The Fairly Oddparents. The Bible is based on The Garden animated series, which is, of course, illustrated by Hartman.

Young scholars will open the pages of the Bible and find a letter from Butch Hartmann introducing the Bible and the colorful characters, Lenny the Lion and Lucy the Lamb. This is a pretty nifty way to introduce students to two depictions of (or names for) Christ—Lion of Judah and Lamb of God. 

Inside the cheerful (front and back) cover, children (and some adults) will be delighted to find a coloring page to personalize the Bible.

Like most Zondervan Bibles, the Garden Children’s Bible is packed with features: 

  • Introductory letter from the illustrator (mentioned above)
  • Traditional preface
  • Why Should I Read the Bible (written just for the wee ones)
  • Names of God chart
  • Miracles of Jesus Chart
  • Kids in the Bible Chart
  • A list of the 100 Bible illustrations included (with page numbers)

That’s before they even start reading Scripture. Once they start reading, Lenny, Lucy, and the Boss (God) assist the Bible students through the Bible with:

  • Concise introductions to each book
  • Cross references
  • Colorful illustrations
  • Short Bible-based prayer prompts
  • Comic section based on the animated series

The Bible also offers study tools made manageable for even the youngest readers:

  • What God Promises feature, which encourages kids to look for other promises in Scripture
  • I Can Memorize Scripture aid, which offers tips for memorizing Bible verses as well as a list of verses to memorize organized by topic.
  • Topical Index
  • Bible Dictionary
  • Several Bible Reading Plans with check boxes so the little ones can chart their progress.
  • Journaling space

I have only one problem with this adorable Bible–where was it when my son was young enough to appreciate it?

Thankfully, I have baby nieces with whom to enjoy the Bible.

I received the Bible free from the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, but you can purchase the Bible here: Faith Gateway or here: Amazon.

Happy Reading!

Reclaiming April | The Gift

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What a pleasant surprise to discover late last night another of my pieces was published in Agape Review. I wrote the poem last summer when my son and I challenged each other to write a poem using the word “gift.” It is appropriate for the theme I’ve been working with–“reclaiming April” and learning to let things go.

Find the poem here and let me know what you think: The Gift.

I love the way Michael B, one of my dearest friends (in a Facebook post), connects this poem to Resurrection Sunday and the ultimate Gift God gave in Jesus (John 3:16). May you give the gift of your worries and cares to the ultimate Gift-giver.

Happy Easter!

Reclaiming April | Letting Go the Good

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Ugh! That was how I woke up yesterday. Why? Because I woke up to the realization that I completely forgot to upload my 52Frames photo for the week. The deadline is 11 pm (central) every Sunday, and with just a few winks of sleep, my 64-week streak ended! What made matters worse was I downloaded the photo selections from my camera moments before I drifted into La-la Land. 

I was sick over it. 

An hour or two later, I wondered why I was so annoyed over losing my streak. As I thought about it more, I realized the streak means nothing to me. 

I joined 52Frames to make sure I was engaged in something creative every week; I figured even if I were so embroiled in work that I was too drained for creative play, at least I’d have one photograph [per week] as evidence of creative fun. 

But there was a problem. 

For the sake of the streak, I usually found myself scrambling at the last minute to fulfill a prompt, and that often involved simply snapping a shot rather than crafting a story or even creating art. That was okay initially, but not long-term.

I find value in the principles of the Framer community, but completing the weekly assignments just for the sake of it no longer serves me.

I am proud that I consistently participated for a whole year (and a quarter) without missing, but as I fretted over forgetting to post, I acknowledged I didn’t have time to hone my craft through the prompts or interact with the community of photographers. That’s a problem because the point of 52Frames is to grow in the art form through the challenges and community engagement. 

Will I still participate? Yes. But only when I have time to devote to the challenges and only when the challenges serve my creative purposes. 

This is just one tiny way I am reclaiming April. 

What about you? Is there anything you’re doing out of habit or pseudo-obligation that is no longer serving you and is no longer truly benefitting you or anyone else? Maybe, it’s time to drop it and reclaim your time.

About the Image: Kathi G, one of my Wildflowers friends, sent the colorful artwork above for International Women’s Day/Women’s History Month. It features the art of Jaymee Laws. Kathi always sends supercool women’s empowerment postcards!

Reclaiming April | Me Too

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Thanks to T.S. Eliot’s “The Wasteland,” many of us are acutely aware “April is the cruelest month.” In fact, I began to panic about April a week ago because an event or line was added to my calendar and to-do list every time I read an email, answered a call, or left my office for a tiny break.

It is difficult for an academic to not encounter the cruelty of April. There is clearly a lot to do as the school year is winding down and we are preparing for board meetings, graduation, and all the other year-end activities.

Busy is not my favorite state of being. Some people thrive on having too much to do or on jumping from one thing into another. “Resting” is my natural state–not as in doing nothing, but as in taking long breaks from the grind and doing the things I want to do, the things that fuel my soul. And it has been far too long since I picked up a paintbrush, cut paper, made cards, quietly listened to music, or read a novel for pure pleasure.

As I fretted over how I would survive next week with zero time to “rest” (let alone April), my hubby reminded me to give it to God, that only He could ease the anxiety, so I did immediately. [Then, I began to write this post]. 🙂

I am determined to take a moment this weekend to plan the month carefully and build in time to breathe and take care of my soul. I figure–and I truly believe–even during the so-called cruelest month, the work always gets done.

My artsy Wildflower sister, Lori-Anne C, created [and sent] the absolutely stunning art that leads this post in celebration of women and friendship [purple tulips and a sunflower!]. She included a beautiful quote, which is both blessing and instruction. I hope that you will heed the words, take care of you, and reclaim April from the cruel grip of busyness.

May you have the courage this month to break patterns in your life that no longer serve you. Give yourself permission during this time to pause and reflect. And always remember, taking care of yourself doesn’t mean “me first.” It means “me too.” —Becoming Unbusy

Happy April!

Flower Power | You’re the Magic

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The real magic is when you don’t know how it’s going to happen. You don’t know if you’re ever going to make it. You don’t know where this road will take you – or if it’s even taking you anywhere at all. But still, you step forward and keep showing up, even on your hardest days. Sometimes, your steps are small. Other times, they’re a little bigger. But you’re not worried about the pace because you trust that what’s meant for you won’t miss you – that you’re exactly where you’re meant to be in this moment. The real magic is when your mind tries to convince you that you can’t, but you step forward and try anyway because your beating heart tells you that you can. The real magic is you. It’s your courage and commitment. Your belief in a universe where all things are possible. Your refusal to listen to the outer voices over that quiet voice within. It’s in your breath. It’s in your energy. It’s who you are at your core. You’re the gift. You’re the spark. You’re the magic.  —Zanna Keithley

The gorgeous flower featured in today’s post was created by my Wildflowers friend, Marrianna D, a photographer and sketch artist. Lately, she has been doing amazing work with Procreate. You can see more of her work here: Marrianna on Instagram.