God plants us all as seeds in His garden. As we bloom he, too, takes time to welcome us





Good morning and happy Sabbath day, it has been a rough week but with each passing day when I awake I praise HIS name on high for bringing me through another night and allowing me another day to thank him and to pray for those in need. I don't love my life right now, but I love my God, I love my family, I love my friends and I love the fact that I am being allowed a new day! 

In prayer this morning as I sat in the silence of the morning, listening to the birds in the trees around me singing such happy tunes, I smiled..I smiled a huge smile and gave thanks for being allowed the gift of this beauty. I thanked God for loving me, for allowing me to witness his handiwork and for bringing me through this week. I asked God to continue to bless us with the little things so that when the big things arrive we will appreciate them more than we ever thought we could. I asked God to bless each of you this day with an awakening, with knowledge that you are HIS, that HE loves you beyond measure and that with HIM in your heart and at the head of all that you do that all things are possible. I thanked God for my Wayde who is a rock, who stands beside me not only in the good times but also in the bad times, who loves me unlike I have ever been loved before and who lifts me up when I feel I have slipped into the gates of hell. I thanked God for my daughter who is amazing to me, who is exactly who I have prayed she will be. I asked God to continue to bless each of us with HIS love, HIS peace, HIS calm, HIS comfort and HIS never ending patience. I asked GOD to be with us today as he is everyday and asked for mercy, grace and a miracle...we continue to hold fast to our faith and we know that HE will never leave nor forsake us. In the name of Jesus Christ we BELIEVE. Amen. 

You Keep Coming Back

It's a ritual of mine twice a year, spring and late fall. 

Early in spring I take time to welcome the flowers and other perennials in our yard. Yes, I actually go around the yard, touch the plants and say "Hello! Welcome back!" 

In late fall I thank them all, especially the annuals for making my life beautiful. 

Silly old man? Yes, but I am silly in so many other ways, too, that it borders on mental issues to those folks who take most things in life for granted and perhaps a little too serious. 

Yesterday I had a special moment. 

I found a plant near our garden that I didn't remember being there before. Our theory is that squirrels and birds carry these seeds with them and either drop them or in the case of the squirrels, plant them there for when they get the munchies another day. 

This flower is "Foxglove." 

We have found them in some odd places through the years. In the past I actually attempted to transplant a few that I found in a field next to our house. A few lasted but never returned. 

Having seen it begin to sprout in early spring, I was actually expecting a different plant in that very same spot. A perennial we planted last year. 

Then I found more Foxglove in unexpected places. 

I've been struggling with things of life. Of course I always do. Some exciting observations and other grand disappointments fill my days. I've been looking for answers and as usual not finding them fast enough to satisfy me. 

Like talking to God. I learned a long time ago that God and I don't have conversations. I mean He talks to me, but through others, ordinary and extremely un-ordinary events and in tiny details most never see. I marvel at the idea that some people say they "hear" His voice and converse with Him like having a conversation with a neighbor over the back yard fence. 

That doesn't happen to me. I do hear a voice of sorts, but it's a silent nudging, a confirmation or a wake up call to get my attention. 

Mostly I get my answers in natural ways. 

Like the Foxglove. 

I had already done my "welcome" to our flowers this past weekend because we had in essence finished planting, weeding, mulching and feeding them all. 

When I discovered the Foxglove, I simply said,"You keep coming back!" It wasn't much of a welcome. I think if someone said that to me I'd be insulted. 

The idea that my garden offers surprises every year is what keeps me gardening. 

Later in the day I found an answer to one of my challenges, I was reminded of the story of the gardener. It's an old story about a man who bought a house with an overgrown garden. The weeds had long since taken over the garden and it was a mess. But slowly the man began to clear the weeds, till the soil and plant the seeds. Finally, he had made it into a showcase garden. One day the minister came to visit, and when he saw the beautiful flowers and plants, he observed, "Well, friend, you and God have done a marvelous job on this garden." To which the homeowner replied, "You should have seen it when God had it by himself." 

There it was. My life needs the touch of the Master Gardener. Together we can create a "showcase." 

I keep returning to God for answers and never heard Him say, "You keep coming back!" 

God plants us all as seeds in His garden. As we bloom he, too, takes time to welcome us. Working with Him my garden is a "showcase." 

Without Him just weeds. 

This confirmed that, when I cannot find the answers to my current struggles in worldly places I can always turn to Him. 

Yes, I "keep coming back," too. 

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