Month: May 2023

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.