My Baby Leaves Opened

As most of you know, every spring I excitedly anticipate the arrival of baby leaves. Once more I share my story, in hopes it will encourage the hearts of others who need a special sign from God.

It all started one cold, winter day when God gave me baby leaves to remind me of His hope. It was a difficult time in my life, and while I was walking our dog, Sparky, my eyes fixed on the maple tree behind our house. Stripped of all its colorful clothing, it looked dead. Just like my heart, I thought. And then I remembered baby leaves. Here is an excerpt of the article I wrote about them:

"Last February, I began watching the buds develop on the maple tree in my backyard. I couldn't remember ever taking the time to watch leaves grow, and decided I'd see firsthand how God have them birth.

"Sparkie and I would stop every evening on our walk to look for any development. It was a slow beginning, but finally--one day in April--the buds opened.

"Long tentacles reached out, as many as 10 or 15 from each bud, as I remember. At the end of the tentacles were blossoms and at their base were leaves. The leaves were bound together, just like the cold buds had been. As the weather warmed, they began to unfold.

"My heart tingled with excitement when the leaves began to open. My husband Jerry was at the garden and I remember yelling excitely to him: "Come quick! The leaves are opening."

"Half-inch baby leaves, perfectly shaped, stretched their little frames for all the earth to see.

"In one week, some leaves had grown to 3 inches in length. My eyes couldn't believe the transformation. As the leaves grew, the blossoms were blown to the ground. I walked on yellow drops of sun splattered all over the place. I had witnessed the birth of one of God's creations."

This year, my baby leaves opened while I was on vacation. But as the picture above shows, I still had baby leaves to see when I returned. God's wondrous hope to me!

Riding Around

I recently visited my sister, Kathy, in Oklahoma. It was a good visit--especially since she took me out on photo shoots three mornings! We took in many of the roads, just outside the towm limit of Enid.


To our surprise, the snap above is the favorite of Jerry and me. Yes, a dirt road. Jerry says, "It speaks volumes." This is middle America . . . flat land and dirt roads. A completely different way of life in our modern world. I found some envy in the quite countryside of long straight roads.

I noticed quickly the ponds along the side of the roads when we crossed over into Oklahoma. They were everywhere.


Cattle and oil drills relaxing together. (Oil Drill behind the tree on the left--hard to see.)

I felt an invitation to join the cattle here as they stood by the open gate.(Oil drill can be seen better here, just inside the left post.)


Cattle on the side of the road. As we got closer there was a baby!



I even snapped a white crane taking off! I saw a number of them in different ponds.


This was a familiar scene along the dirt roads.


Jerry snapped this big guy!


And, of course, barns and windmills.


Graineries too.


Horses too.



It was a good time, a welcome visit, and a great photo shoot!

Struggling No More . . . This One is Clear as Mud

As mentioned in my January 10 post, I'm reading "The Soul of C. S. Lewis." I've been struggling through, thinking deeply to comprehend his writings. I finally came to a section of the book that's been smooth sailing for me--the discussion about "The Screwtape Letters," one of C. S. Lewis' most popular and creative books. I've never read it.


"The Soul of C. S. Lewis" was written in an attempt to gain a wider grasp of the world and life experience . . . a book of reflections building on quotations from C. S. Lewis. Lewis' writings have clarity of expression and power of depiction, allowing him to speak to deep human need and bring understanding to life's complexities. It is a meditative journey through 26 of his best loved writings.

I finally got to a chapter that I can understand, and I'm not real happy about it. The quotation for this reading is: "It does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing." chapter 12, page 60 The scripture verse to go with the quote is: "Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear" Timothy 1:19

The following words were very clear: "The letters serve as a mirror of the soul. They are not written for the fainthearted. But, if anyone dares to look, it is possible to gain an honest evaluation of oneself and to repent. Lewis simply wrote honestly about the human condition, glossing over none of the wiles of human depravity."

I was found out very quickly, and it didn't feel good. "Whatever the category, all sins involve the will; all are harmful; all are contrary to God's design and character. Lewis let no one off the hook: the church goer as well as the secularist can find hints of his or her own struggles dissected and repudiated in these letters." I certainly have.

". . . this one thing is for sure: those who read 'The Soul of C. S. Lewis' will be constantly reminded of the devil and how desperate is the need for God and his grace." After a good conscious-talking to myself, I found myself at the foot of the cross asking for forgiveness and receiving His Grace.

I've wanted to put this book away several times because of how hard it was to understand. But, apparantly, I needed to see my own sin in a clear way--not for the first time, of course. I'm not sure if I ever want to read the actual book, "The Screwtape Letters." This very short work certainly did its intended work in my heart!

One thing is clear. God always finds us and shares His desire for our life. I am thankful for that. And it's no coincidence we're in the Lenten period of spiritual self-examination and rededicated living to prepare us for the celebration of Easter.

No, God certainly doesn't make mistakes. And, yes, I do intend to read this chapter again. It is clear as mud. But I will wash myself in the blood of the Lamb, thanks to my Saviour, Jesus.

Warm Easter greetings my friends!

Miracles of April

As much as I love to see my birthday month when I turn the calendar, I especially enjoy turning it over to April when so many miracles occur on the earth. I'm looking forward to seeing lovely blooms, like the one below, as temperatures warm.



Of course, the most precious miracle for me are the baby leaves God gives me. (See the March 30, 2009 post.) To see that first baby leaf open wide from the shining sun upon its form thrills my heart. The maple tree sits right outside my writing room window.

The crocuses are blooming and the daffodils are smiling. I've seen some red on some tree branches and color is beginning to show around the landscape. (Yes, even with some dusting of snow!)

This year April brings the miracle of the celebration of Easter. Is there any greater miracle? (Aside from God saving me, I don't think so.) It is the greatest!

Below is a nice snap of a blue bird my friend, Kathy Kreyling, recently took. And I've seen a few myself since March.



"Listen, can you hear it? Spring's sweet cantata. The strains of grass pushing through the snow. The song of buds swelling on the vine. The tender timpani of a baby robin's heart. Spring.!"- Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider, Northern Exposure

"The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring."- Bern Williams

Yes, Spring is indeed a sign of hope. Can't see it? Look around--it's everywhere!

The Thrill of a Snap . . .

Saturday morning found me on another photo shoot, traveling back roads between Mt. Airy and Frederick that I don't frequent. Jerry found a red barn he wanted to snap, and I found a tranquil pasture scene to snap, but nothing out of the ordinary.

That is until we headed home and found a new colt was in the yard with his Mom. I've only snapped a colt once before, and loved the few snaps I got. This little fellow found my camera lens 100 times! I was curious how the snaps of it running would turn out as I shoot automatic. My very favorite snap is the one in the middle of the mosaic above, and alone below.



I've never seen a colt stand up for the first time in person, but there are plenty of You Tube videos showing colts as they attempt to stand up. It is beyond my imagination all the things you can find on the internet. Just google whatever, and whatever usually comes up.


A lot can be said for manual setup and interchangable lenses for a snap, but my automatic, and Photoshop, provide me with all I need to make me happy. I enjoy the serendipity moments most and usually don't have time to manually adjust.


I was sharing the snaps with my friend, Donna, and she pointed out that all feet were off the ground in the snap below. I missed that!



What a way to spend a morning!

A Number

Isn't it strange how good your birth date looks when you turn over the calendar and see it? It is for me. Seeing my birth date brings a "feel good" feeling and makes me smile.

I had that feeling this week. On March 14th I turned 62, and I smiled when I saw my birth date.

Not even the year disgusts me. I've never been concerned about age numbers. When I reached the milestone age of 50 I said, "Thus begins celebrating an entire week!" From that year foreward I have joyfully celebrated each new year.

Maybe my birth date looks especially good because both my "new birth" and wedding anniversary are on the 14th of the month. And those are celebrated with joy as well.

People say the craziest things just to say something. I so often hear people say, "It's better than the alternative," and I wonder if they are aware of the heaven I know. Better than that? Glory no! When my God calls me home, what rejoicing there will be!

As fun as I try and make my birthday celebration, I'm ready to meet my God for an eternaty in heaven. Now that will be a celebration!

Photoing Around

Saturday morning I had Jerry take me on a photo shoot! It was an overcast morning, quiet and still, as we headed out at 8. I had seen some calves earlier that week and decided to see if I could find some more signs of spring.

We came around a bend and found this lovely farm and I liked this snap the best!


I wanted to go on roads I've never been on before, so we headed west, between New Market and Frederick, to check out the scenes. When we passed this red barn in the fog, I snapped its beauty.



We found a few more calves, like this one,



but I enjoyed the next picture of these two cows posing for me!



Down another road I spotted these four deer relaxing under the brush. Do you see them?



But my morning was really made when we passed a house and I saw this hillside of lambs! "Whoa, Jerry" I said. The homeowner gave us permission to walk around the pond in his backyard so I could snap away.



I just loved watching the little ones. Several were lying down together.



Instead of having watch dogs protecting the sheep, this family chose emus. You can pick him out at the bottom of the snap. He came trotting down the hill as we made our way around the pond.



What a wonderful morning we had. Yes, spring is on it's way . . . but God is still in control, as He proved with a covering of snow on Monday morning.