Hopeful Petals

The dogs were sniffing at their usual spot when I noticed the small purple petal. Crocus! My daffodils were beginning to show green buds but none had opened yet. But here the crocus were now defying the certain return of frost and cold to brave raising their tender petals to the open air. We stood and marveled at the crocus for a little while.

God is such a good artist, I thought, with a tinge of jealousy. My own wedding portrait art work at home was not going so well. I had begun to paint in my son Matt's face and something was going very wrong with the mouth. I had obliterated it once already, but it was still not right. After many hours, I painted over it with a wash of flesh color and put away my brushes for the day. Karissa, the bride is almost done, and Matt's tux is painted in with a wash that gives an idea of the final color. They are a lovely couple, except for the groom without a mouth.

But the more I thought about it, the more I thought maybe that is the way man and woman should have been created. Man without mouth. "Just do what I say, no back talk, and no one gets hurt," should be in the wedding vows somewhere.
Alas, that is not the way God seems to have envisioned what the world should be. Not only does He give both the bride and groom a mouth, but He expects them to use it responsibly.

This is a tall order, especially if one hopes to be married for a lifetime. Honestly, I know I would have more success if I just hadn't been given a mouth to misuse in the first place. I am not second guessing God. I know He who brought forth the gentle crocus when the bitter cold was still raging around the corner knows best. He knows exactly how to bring a most unlikely hope in the midst of the winters of our lives. Perhaps that is why He longs and desires for marriage to last a lifetime.... it will take that long to paint in the mouth properly.

Psalm 141:3
  ³ Set a guard over my mouth, LORD;
   keep watch over the door of my lips.

Psalm 19:14
 ¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
   be pleasing in your sight,
   LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 17:3
  ³ Though you probe my heart,
   though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
   my mouth has not transgressed.

Spring can't be far.....

The Northerners just got socked with another two feet of snow, and here in the South, it is expected to reach nearly 60 degrees. Everyone I meet says they are tired of the cold and ready for Spring, and it isn't even Groundhog day yet!

I noticed a squirrel raiding our lawn chair cushion yesterday. She pulled out a huge wad of stuffing and absconded with it, scurrying up a towering oak. That can only mean she is building a nest which means baby squirrels are in the offing, which means spring must be near.

"Help yourself!" I called out as she returned for a second morsel of fluff. We never use those old cushions anyway. May as well pad the entry into the world of another rodent.

In my opinion, you can never have enough squirrels or helicopters. I love squirrels with their question mark tail. I love there cheerful chittering and their acrobatic antics as they leap among the leafy treetops. Squirrels make me smile.

Lately, however, helicopters make me cry.  As Science Olympiad now looms only 5 weeks away, a working helicopter is becoming more and more critical. A few weeks back we had two working helicopters. The team was already purchasing trophy cases for all the awards they would be racking up. And yesterday we went to practice with five completed helicopters in our hangar ( a large plastic box).  Each was of a slightly different design. Each held months of promise in their carefully sanded bodies and countless hours of effort.

Not one worked. Every single one broke as soon as we began winding the rubber motor. After some repairs, we did get two to fly for about 1 second each. And then they broke again.

As we left the practice gym, two dejected hours later, Asherel said , "That went well."
I glanced at her. Was she being sarcastic?
"We learned alot," she explained.
In my mind, that means the long season of educational winter is over. Someone on the planet in the sphere of my teaching has made the correct connection of what education is all about! Buds of comprehension are pushing through the dormant bark. Hallelujah!

One of the hardest jobs as a parent is trying to convince your children you know something they don't. And beyond that, you know something it would be wise for them to learn. The accumulation of facts, while a nice benefit for those with good memories, does not produce a well educated, functional member of society, nor does producing ten rubber helicopters that fly more than 2 seconds.  But a respectful and eager learner, who looks at failure as the opportunity to grow in understanding is a blessing beyond compare. And a child who begins to understand that those people God has placed in authority over them should be listened to is one who has the beginning of true wisdom.

Proverbs 9:9-12
⁹ Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
   teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.  ¹⁰ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
   and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
¹¹ For through wisdom^[b] your days will be many,
   and years will be added to your life.
¹² If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;

Promise

Last week there was snow in every state except Hawaii and it might have been snowing there but no one noticed cause they are all so busy hula dancing and comparing belly buttons. Our capitol was snowed under nearly three feet of snow, bringing new meaning to the phrase, "The wheels of government move slowly." It has been a cold grey winter even here in the sunny South.

So it was with surprise that I noticed sprouting from beneath the fall leaves that we still haven't raked (oops....when did we forget to do that?) the daffodil shoots. I was scurrying by with 10 bags of groceries and one was ripped like it always is and I was running like Groucho Marx low to the ground so I could balance the soon to spill contents on my knees... when I almost missed them. In fact, at first I did miss them though I saw them. I noted them in a distracted corner of my brain but sprinted by, slammed through the door, scattered the groceries with a whoosh onto the counter and said, "whew."
All the bags safely in again in one trip, no eggs rolling down the sidewalk, and I think I remembered to close the car door.

Or did I?

And so of course I have to go out and check and as I walk outside my brain is nagging me to remember something, and then I remember the daffodils. Finally I pause and look at them, surprised. Spring always takes me by surprise.

In the grocery store I had seen all the Peeps and chocolate eggs as I was hurrying to find milk, and I briefly thought surely Easter is not almost here... is it? And when I stepped out to my car, I saw a flock of robins, and I realized that even without my coat, I was not shivering. A week ago I had seen bluebirds, but it was still so cold out that it didn't occur to me that I hadn't seen bluebirds since the summer. I thought it was just the color all frozen birds attain.

And then -those daffodil stalks, just starting but reaching above the leaves we never raked from the garden. (I use the term "garden" with a bit of literary license- it might more accurately be pictured in your mind as dead leaves which cover the potential of a garden should anyone with a green thumb happen to move in to our home.)

I love surprises. Blessed with a wretched memory, almost every fact of course is a surprise for me, but the surprise of Spring is always a favorite. God usually speaks in whispers, but Spring is His shout-out. I don't think He could be saying any louder or clearer, "Hang in there all you frozen worms! The thaw is coming!" How more eloquent could He be than to follow the dark, dreary, cold of a lifeless winter with the sudden profusion of birds singing, flowers budding, tree limbs greening, and tax returns mailing?

It was of course no accident Jesus was crucified and rose again, taking on Himself the penalty of all sin for all time, in the spring. Rebirth and renewal is grabbing us all by the throat and shaking the snowdrifts from our chilled souls. It is not the end! It ain't over even after the fat lady sings! It is never the end! Don't lose heart, don't give up! The daffodils are poking out again from under the leaves, and a Promise is echoing throughout the Earth.

Psalm 85:11
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.