IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY HERE...ONE OF THOSE CRISP, DRY DAYS STARTING OFF WITH BEAUTIFULLY BLUE SKIES AND A SLIGHT BREEZE. CAN I STAY INSIDE WITH THE OUT OF DOORS ENTICING ME EACH TIME I WALK BY THE DOWNSTAIRS WINDOW?
NO...ITS CALLS TO ME ARE TOO POWERFUL AND SEDUCTIVE TO MY SUNSHINE-DEPRIVED EXISTENCE. WALKING SLOWLY AROUND THE EDGES OF THE FRONT ISLAND AND SEEING THE GREYS AND BROWNS OF THE OFF SEASON, THERE ARE LOTS OF BRANCHES CALLING OUT TO BE PRUNED. (I'M THINKING OF DH WHO RECENTLY PRUNED THE BUTTERFLY BUSH, THANK GOODNESS, IT'S LARGE AND WOULD HAVE DONE ME IN HAD I TRIED TO DO IT ALONE. )
THE PLUM TREE AND THE MAPLE TREE CALL ME TO THEIR SIDES...(THIS IS MY FIRST OPPORTUNITY TO USE A NEW "BREAST CANCER" SET OF PRUNING SHEARS I BOUGHT RECENTLY TO SUPPORT RESEARCH.)
PRUNING AWAY DEAD AND OVERGROWN LIMBS, I'M THINKING OF THE PRUNING GOD MUST DO WITH US..."MY ARMS ARE HURTING AS I REACH HIGH AND PULL LIMBS DOWN TO ME."...GOD'S HEART MUST HURT AS HE REACHES FOR US BUT WE TURN AWAY FROM THE MOMENT...CRUSHING ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR SHARING HIS LOVE.
I'M GROWING WEARY AS I CUT AND STACK, BEND AND STRAIGHTEN. " I AM SO THANKFUL OUR LORD DOESN'T GROW WEARY AS HE KNOCKS AT THE DOOR OF MY SOUL." IS HE IS YOUR ROCK, YOUR STRONG TOWER? HE CAN BE IF YOU ASK HIM TO BE FROM YOUR HEART.
I'M SHARING MY PICTURES AS A "BEFORE", SO I CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND MY THANKFULNESS COME SPRING WHEN I WILL POST THESE SAME LOCATIONS (THEN WE'LL SEE CONFIRMATION, TOO, OF HOW HE RENEWS, GROWS, AND STRENGTHENS...HIS FRUITS WILL MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN IN THE LEAVES, THE FLOWERS, THE COLORS, AND EVEN HIS BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES COMING TO TAKE PART.)
ENJOY THIS TIME OF REST, LISTEN TO HIM IN THE QUIET OF THE WINTER CHILL AND IN YOUR SLEEP... FOR SOON, TOMORROW, WILL GROW INTO A NEW SPRING BURSTING WITH HIS GLORY AND BLESSINGS!
