The Landscaping of God

It has been breathtaking to hike the foothills and mountains this Spring. The trails are lined with such a variety of flowers and growth. I am amazed that even with the small amount of rain we got this year, the plants have burst forth in the most brilliant color and array. They seem to grow so effortlessly, as they are visible among rocks and crevices. I try to provide the best conditions for flowers in my garden, and they don't seem to thrive as well as the ones in the harsher conditions. I wonder why that is?

The colors are always what draws me to the plants. It seems as if the yellow blossoms are the first to bloom, and then comes the pinks, the blues, the oranges, and then my favorite ones, the purples. Some also have a subtle sweet fragrance that overwhelms you as you walk through paths that are lined with them. I always have felt that aroma from flowers is an extra gift from God. Not only are you amazed by the beauty of the bud, but you actually are given a fragrance something that you cannot see or touch, but only breathe in. It's as if you are inhaling beauty itself!

What would a hike be without the wild life awakening as well? This year I haven't spotted any deer yet, but from a distance I have glimpsed at a brown bear. Gypsy Rose and I were on our way up on the trail, thinking we would go on up the foothill path. I was carefully surveying the trail, and saw a few hikers up ahead of us. But there on the ridge was a round, dark brown "spot." I stood and watched, it moved, not like a deer, not like a coyote. It was much too big and too brown, "That," I told Gypsy, "was a bear." So we postponed the additional hike that day. The same brown "spot" appeared when I was hiking a few days later with my friend in beautiful Etiwanda Falls. I pointed out to her what I saw on the near distant hill, and she too agreed that was none other but a brown bear!

I am so grateful for all I have seen this year in God's garden. I only wish I was as creative in my gardening as He has been with his landscaping. The streams, the waterfalls, the cliffs and canyons all filled with color and life always overwhelms me. Each hike I go, even if it is on the same trail, may be a different picture for that day. The best aspect is the conversations that I share with my hiking buddies. Their friendships are the fragrance that fills my heart with joy and love!

Get out and breathe in God's goodness from His very own garden!

Comments

Hummingbird Lessons

My eye caught a small round mound stuck upon a branch. Looking closer, I found indeed it was the start of a hummingbird nest. And yes, I now had the mother hummingbird buzzing around my head, reminding me that I was in her space. I have been able to witness at least 3 other hummingbird families come to life, and I was always mesmerized by these "tiny vulnerabilities" becoming resilient birds in only a matter of five to six weeks. The nest was right out my patio door, and I had the best view to watch them daily. I was smiling. I had a hunch that babies would be coming soon, because our hummingbird feeder had been especially sucked dry only a few weeks earlier. One day I found at least 4 hummingbirds at one time feeding, which is highly unusual because most times they come one at a time and don't seem to want to share the space. If they would share, it was two only at a the bar and of course on opposite sides. I was filling that feeder at le...

Awe

The thunder resounded with a loud clap! Certainly, it came as an afternoon surprise. The expected rain seemed less than what was forecasted, but with the thunder came a bucket of heavy raindrops splashing against my kitchen window. I wanted to take it all in, the fresh aroma of falling rain and the beauty of water drops hitting the leaves of my nasturtium and petunia hanging baskets. Unfortunately, the rain cloud quickly fled, running away into the eastern sky. But then the sun made its way onto the scene, and I was drawn to a thick band of rainbow colors shining up at me. The western sky was magnificently orange, completely bound up tight with that solo color scheme. I went outside to catch it all before it would disappear. Creation again was causing me to pause in awe and wonder. . . Awe is that reverential wonder, that even includes fear and respect. It is only a 3 letter word, but it takes bigger and grander words to define it....

Complicated Relationship Living

Today is Mom's birthday. If she were here, we would be celebrating her 109th day of life. I can't believe that it has already been 20 years since she said goodbye to earthly living. I was much too young back then, at the age of 45, to lose my Mom. You always long for at least one more conversation to ask the questions you didn't get a chance to do. You often wished you would have had more talks, especially as you find yourself on a different side of life, other wise known as the senior years. As parents we always desire to keep our family ties together and close, but it doesn't always work out that way. When our parents were still living, and as they grew more elderly, they of course were the bond that brought my brothers and myself together. As adult children, we each had a unique relationship to them, but I am realizing now, that we didn't necessarily have a tie with one another. We were children of the nuclear family, ...

Mary's Heartbeats

Search This Blog