moonshine stills and other things found

we hiked our mountain yesterday
in search of the elusive
lady slipper
that wild, north carolina orchid
my dad held so dear
and
when i was small
we hiked the hills,
him teaching me
trillium
flags
jack in the pulpit
blood root
but he always
treasured the lady's slipper,
it's pink bloom bringing to mind
my ballet shoes....
we didn't find any yesterday
but i did find
a fistful of flags
remnants of a moonshine still
part of a moonshine jug
a jack in the pulpit bloom
and
a fierce missing - i found that, too

how about you? what have you found lately that you weren't even looking for?

linking with  michelle, laura, jen, jennifer

on not lopping the judas tree

hey, tree

i've had my eye on you
since you volunteered for your spot
in the saint john's wort
but
you haven't wanted to bloom,
little red bud
in fact you were very nearly lopped
but something about you
made
me
wait
and this year....one flower!
this is spring's miracle -
she always always
hikes this mountain
(her gait determined)
to bestow her gifts -
the ostentatious show of light green atop the trees
and
the tiny-i-can't-believe-i-found-it ones
tucked low
in the branches of a judas tree
and
again, nature preaches

what is wowing you this spring? 

continuing to count his gifts to 1000 -

988. new opportunities for worship on the horizon
989. warmth
990. the days i feel like a real teacher
991. running a 5k with a student
992. new recipes
993. time to cook
994. my husband who makes new clothes lines and helps with dishes and thanks me for marrying him

linking with -

michelle for hear it monday, use it on sunday, ann for 1000 gifts, joan for sharing his beauty, laura for playdates with god, jennifer for tell his story, jen for soli deo gloria, my freshly brewed life and kat for titus 2 tuesdays

for chris: flowers from a ditch

queen anne's lace
adorns the dusty roadside
tall and white,
opening proud
and it's my wedding flower
it's strong,
difficult to uproot
and
it's beauty from nothing
and
it
is
always
which  is everything i want
us to be
protecting
trusting
hoping
persevering
always

what reminds you of your wedding?

continuing to count his gifts to 1000

663. pat, the cutest kitten on earth
664. moses, our dog, tolerating pat
665. fresh strawberries from the garden
666. seeing friends from small group
667. time for naps
668. looking forward
linking with:

michelle for hear it monday, use it on sunday, ann for 1000 gifts, l.l. for on, in, and around mondays

joan for sharing his beauty, laura for playdates with god jen for soli deo gloria shanda for on your heart tuesdays and kat for titus 2 tuesdays

a humbling change of perspective



photo credit

i ran past ernie's old house place today

it burned maybe six years ago
but
nobody bothered to tell
the cherry tree
or
the daffodils
that bloom every year,
despite.
and i wonder,
like the cherry tree
like the daffodils
will i leave a legacy?
will some part of me continue to bloom,
despite?

do you ever think about the legacy you will leave?

linking with:

jen for god bumps
joy for life:unmasked
kimberly for painting prose

beki at the rusted chain for fingerprint friday

michelle for caffeinated randomness

studio jru for sneak peek friday

what the forsythia knows

forsythia blooming
and
not-so-cold bible study sessions
whisper hints of
spring
i love the whole
spring metaphor for new life
but the truth is
i have a day off school
with a sink full of dirty dishes
with dentist appointments
with baseball and soccer practices
with lesson planning
stop. kendal. walk out to the porch.
the trees are still gray
the sky holds clouds
but that forsythia
she knows the promise
because of the lord's great love
we are not consumed
for his compassions never fail
they are new
every
morning
great is your faithfulness

how about you? what do you do when you when the mundane threatens to steal your joy?

continuing to count his gifts to 1000 -

562. hiking our mountain with my husband
563. blood root in bloom
564. sunlight on papa's pond
565. dinner at friends' house
566. yielding to the creator
567. having a twin
568. my girl, the one i mentor, her courage
569. baseball games (even the cold ones)
570. soccer games (even the cold ones)
571. young lady moving to sit with the out-of-the-ordinary church visitor
572. students excited about taking care of a new student

i am linking with:

michelle for hear it monday, use it on sunday, ann for 1000 gifts, l.l. for on, in, and around mondays

joan for sharing his beauty, richella for grace imparted, laura for playdates with god

jen for soli deo gloria and shanda for on your heart tuesdays