2024. APRIL. SOFT

APRIL 2024  ****soft

Lambing and calving always give soft signs of  new life and hope.  They look so soft. Our mountain spring weather is still chilly so my favorite soft blanket is being used a lot these days. I chose the word soft for this month because it was the nicest version of meek I could think of, meek is one of the most misunderstood words, it’s real definition is gentleness under self control which makes me think of an elegant horseback rider, a picture of horse and rider as one.

Anyway, as you can see I have many thoughts running through my mind. There are so many signs of  spring, each being a soft, subtle hope in itself. The birds are coming back, my yard is popping with robins. Emily Dickinson said, “Hope is the thing with soft feathers, that perches in the soul and sings a tune without words. And never stops at all. “

APRIL is a great month to start getting ready for summer slowly as we still get snow and ski until the middle of April out here in Montana.  

There really is 50 days of Easter so you can slowly put your Easter decorations away I keep out bird and flowery plates as April is a great month for birdwatching and starting to garden and getting pots ready for summer.  Raking around the trees and having little bonfires cleans up really well outside.  Spring cleaning inside is almost daily as the weather changes every few hours from cold to muddy and wet.  I try to do it in little 20 minutes stints. April is also a great month to have a brunch, themes like “birds are back” or barn brunches are great fun. Appreciate the scenes of little calves and lambs as they grow up quickly.  April is also great for hiking just be aware of your surroundings and take a friend.  Enjoy the days becoming longer; so much to be thankful for in every day. This is the day the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad. 

Here a couple softer paintings by Bailey.  Max Lucado said, “ we serve as canvases for His brushstroke, papers for His pen, soil for His seeds, glimpses of His image.”

So how can we live softly with self control?

 

2024 March. TREE

2024. MARCH. ****TREE

Have you ever imagined trees as people I can’t quite see it myself but in psalm 1,  it talks about a righteous man being a tree and in an Indian myth there were  some unkind stepsisters who were turned  into Aspen trees so you could hear their leaves Rustling each autumn.  Although, Aspen trees are a beautiful golden yellow in the fall of the year; they do have a specific sound as well. 

 I recently visited my sister in California and we went to the Joshua tree State Park and the legend of the Joshua tree was when settlers were moving through, they thought the arms of the tree were pointing to the promised land, I kind of  imagined it saying, “praise to the Lord for heaven above”

My dad‘s favorite tree was the Evergreen, Pine or Spruce trees because they always look green,  alive and well.  I guess if I could imagine people as trees or myself, I would want to be an Evergreen that gets refreshed by the snow on the branches  and usually resides by a stream always looking spruced up with greenish blue color and sometimes used for Christmas  

After the short days of winter, the longer days and sunshine brings hope to our hearts.  The trees bud and spring flowers peak through the soil and we marvel in the hope we see in creation.  This year we leap into March with so much hope and new possibilities. This March is full of spirit-filled celebrations.

Here are a few:

March 

2 Iditarod dogsled race starts 

3 National anthem day

6World tennis day

7 sock monkey day🙉

8 International woman’s day

9 popcorn lovers day🍿🍿🍿

10 daylight savings time 🕰

   (spring forward into longer evenings )✨

11 Johnny Appleseed day (eat an apple)🍎

13 National good Samaritan day😊

14  pi day  (I always make my favorite pie)🥧

17 st Patrick’s day☘️ (Delicious soda bread)

19 really 20th spring begins 🌷

24 Palm Sunday 🌴

29 Good Friday +✝️

31 my sister birthday and Easter 🐣 

Have a wonderful March in to spring!  🕊Be still under a tree somewhere some time. 

If a tree could talk what would it say?  

One of my favorite films is The Three Trees. 

Christ has risen 

We remember the cross where He conquered it all was made from a tree.  

There’s an Easter legend about the dogwood tree 

Back when Jesus lived the dogwood tree was said to be very large like a great oak tree but since it was used as his crucifixion cross God gave the dogwood tree some attributes so it wouldn’t be used again for a crucifixion cross or even for building.  The dogwood become a very little tree with crooked branches so it wouldn’t be good for building.  Its pretty red bark reminds us of the blood He shed on the cross.  Its pretty white blossom has four petals aligned like a cross and the tips of the petals are dented in with a touch of red to signify the nail holes.  The little yellow center is to look like His crown of thorns. Next time you see a dogwood you can look closely for these attributes. Hope you have a happy Easter  

2024 FEBRUARY ****hope

 FEBRUARY 2024. ****hope 

Where does your hope reside?  Do you need more hope?  Hope is a positive imagination. And Hope can activate faith. Abraham had it and God gave it to us also. It’s hope that fuels us here on earth and hope that keeps us close to the Lord.  

I love the mornings.  Every new morning is full of God’s grace and gives hope of new blessings.  So teach Us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Ps90:12. 

Have you ever been hiking up a trail and hoping you’re going to come to a beautiful place , a waterfall or mountain lake, yet all you can see is the horizon.  How do we live in the time between not seeing our goal and seeing it?  Sometimes you may be tempted to just stop where you are and call it a good hike yet you persevere  hoping it’s not too far and you hope it will be worth it.  We hike by faith.  Faith is not just hoping for something we cannot presently see; it is being sure we will see it.    This hope is a gift to us to enjoy the trail, a gift from God. Thank Jesus for being your horizons.  He came to give us hope and life that will last for eternity.

Hope tells us that heaven will surpass our wildest dreams.  The amazing gift of eternity hangs on a thin wire of time &space. Trust in the one who won the battle.  May your whole life radiate the help of Jesus Christ and the hope of His glory. Let’s pray and hope for our faith, family, friends, and the world.

What have you hoped for in your life?  what do you hope for now?  May your hope renew every day.💕

The hope of Jesus will be our anchor ⚓️

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul,” Hebrews6:19

And a prayer for your day:  

Oh Lord, You love me and by Your grace have given me eternal comfort and a wonderful hope.  Now, comfort and strengthen me in every good thing I do and say.  In Jesus name, amen (so be it)