Giving Thanks

"God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.

Have you used one to say 'thank you?'"

William A. Ward

 

 

I woke up today with a clear mind, still physically able to do many things. Because I had an education, I am able to read, write, and work with numbers. I've had fulfilling, meaningful jobs, which have extended into volunteerism. I have been able to envision and create with my hands many items of function and beauty. I have been able help others with time, talents, and money.

 

 

 

I am privileged

 

My husband and I found each other and remain in a loving relationship after all these years. We have worked long and hard to build a life together. We have a roof over our heads with heat in the winter and cooling breezes in the summer; we have enough to eat and ample fresh water every single day. We have been able to expand our horizons through travel.

 

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was,

'thank you,'

that would suffice."

Meister Eckhart

I have enough

 

I am surrounded by family and friends who care - people I can depend on, if needed. I was fortunate to grow up in an honest, stable, hard-working family. I share the joy of birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and feasts and also the sorrow of illnesses, accidents, tragedies and deaths. I have said a final goodbye to one sister and both parents; I have held a new-born grandchild.

 

 

I am content

 

I spend time outdoors where I am able to see the mountains, hear the ocean, smell the flowers, and feel the wind. I have discovered, observed, studied - and shared my life with - a great many other creatures. I have experienced sunrises, crystal-clear days, sunsets, star-studded nights, lunar and solar eclipses, thunderstorms, blizzards, gently rains, searing heat, and countless other phenomena that I regularly take for granted. I live in a world too beautiful, awesome, and powerful to fully understand and I cherish each and every day that I am allowed to remain here.

I am appreciative

I have faith in an all-knowing, omnipotent God who is always with me no matter the time, place, or circumstance. I am loved and forgiven.

 

I am richly blessed

For all of these things, I am exceedingly THANKFUL

 

...give thanks in all circumstances.

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

SEE ALSO:

Blessings, Wherever You Find Them

Sorting Out the "Needs"

Recipe for Thanks-Giving

Traditional ? Feasting

Squirrelly Thoughts

 

With summer now gone and fall slowly taking over, the squirrels that visit our yard are becoming a bit more numerous and frantic. It's not that I blame them - the fault is entirely ours. For many years, as we fed the birds, we had at least one feeder that was an easy-access one for squirrels. We had not planned this, it's just that squirrels are nearly impossible to outfox outsquirrel. After a few visits by a wandering black bear in the last year or so, we've cut back on the bird feeders and rigged them so they are difficult for land critters to reach. This has frustrated the squirrels to no end and they have quit coming around so frequently, which is probably better or them in the long run. They are not really visitors; the Douglas squirrels, or chickarees, occupied this territory long before any of us were here and they favor native foods, especially seeds of the Douglas fir. Still, who doesn't enjoy an easy, free meal now and then? They continue to venture in to check the ground beneath the feeders. They need to store up some food for later, especially if it is a female who's expecting a second litter.

 

NPS Photo by Sally King

I've always enjoyed watching squirrels. I have no recollection of them being in the town I grew up in on the high plains of Montana, but we always saw them on any trip to the conifer-cloaked mountains. After we married and moved to the woods of Colorado, we enjoyed watching the Tassel-eared or Abert's squirrels which are found in ponderosa pine forests in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado plateau. The longer tufts of dark hair covering the tops of each ear make them stand out from other squirrels and definitely up the cuteness factor. They mainly feed off of the seeds, tender buds, and inner bark of the ponderosa pines there, but they also came to our feeders. 

We lived for a time in the hill country of Texas where there are Eastern Gray Squirrels. Active year-round, they live primarily in trees and feed on a great variety of foods; they regularly pilfered all the seed in our bird feeder. My husband kept trying to out-smart them and once mounted the feeder at the top of a tall, narrow pipe in the middle of the yard away from trees. One squirrel learned to climb the pole so I greased it with Vaseline. I still can picture him running up about half way, and then sliding back down like a miniature, furry fireman. After a number of failed attempts, he got even by blatantly grabbing and eating the ripe peaches on the tree next to our kitchen window. I do believe he smiled the whole time...

 

There is much we can learn from squirrels. They teach us to plan ahead, to store our energy for times of need, to help us get through the bad times and to prepare for the future. Prepare for seasonal changes; in periods of plenty save a little something. The squirrel's stash is no guarantee, however, because sometimes others rob the goods or they forget where they hid them. And squirrels sometimes go way overboard with their saving; reasonable saving and hoarding are not the same thing. For anyone who, like a squirrel, has been hoarding things - be prepared to release and let go.

 

Go to the ant, you sluggard;

consider its ways and be wise!

It has no commander,

no overseer or ruler,

yet it stores its provision in summer

and gathers its food at harvest.

Proverbs 6:6-8

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." - Luke 12: 15

 

For Previous Posts on Squirrels,

click on the following:

Guilty By Association

Circus Admission: Sunflower Seeds

Entertaining Strangers
So Go Sow!

Odd Man Out

Odd Man Out noun:  a person who differs from the other members of a group.

I only noticed it recently, looking out our second-floor bedroom window as I do first thing every morning. I enjoy looking out, checking on the current weather, the temperature, the subtle change of seasons reflected in the surrounding vegetation. That morning, well beyond what we consider summer, it stood out like a bright pink sore thumb. A lone kousa dogwood bloom, at the tiptop of a delicate branch, blooming away like it was the most natural thing in the world - never mind that it was surrounded by leaves gradually turning color and bright red fruits poking straight up as they do. What!? Certainly this bloom was terribly confused...

 

 

We planted this tree some years ago after seeking one that would provide blooms, fall color, something to attract birds, and not grow too tall. It has met all of our expectations and more, especially the bright pink blooms that begin appearing in late spring/early summer and last a good month or more. But this is the first time it has ever had a bloom in the fall, at least that we have ever noticed.

Weather-wise, it has been an unusual year many places so that might account for this anomaly somewhat. There was one other similar incident this year when our magnolia bloomed a second time in late summer. I don't know for sure, but I assumed the blooming was in response to a rather severe pruning I had given it. But now with this single dogwood bloom, I have to wonder.

As we all know, there are always exceptions to any rule, and nature is full of anomalies. Indeed, there are times we each can feel like the odd man out. From the time we are small, most of us are told that we don't need to always follow the crowd; that we should think for ourselves and become our own person is often drilled into our heads. We all learn, however, that going against the flow can be a difficult and challenging route. Young children want to be liked and accepted; going against the majority can result in uncomfortable comments and behaviors towards those who are different. Many just find it easier to give in and go along. For teens, it's all about fitting in and finding out who they are. A mean-spirited dig or being shunned can feel like the ultimate rejection. Young adults are still trying to find their niche and the work of finding their adult role in life can seem overwhelming at times. Often, they last thing they want is to stick out as being very different - even the "different" ones hang out together. This insecurity with not falling in line is not something we necessarily out-grow as adults, either. Politicians and businesses pander to the masses for a very good reason - more often than not, it works.

 

 

As I consider this lone dogwood bloom, still blushing rosily against the backdrop of dark trees, I see what an extraordinary statement it makes. It attracts my attention because it is different, standing alone when the others have all gone. It boldly takes a stand against the season and serves a purpose of providing food for the late-season insects. Are there risks for this late-bloomer that stands alone? Yes, I suppose there are, but in the greater scheme of things I believe it is well worth it - for each of us.
 

 

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.   - Romans 12:2

Breathe...

"Remember to breathe.

It is, after all, the secret of life.”

Gregory Maguire, A Lion Among Men

 

 

To any who follow my writing here, it's obvious that from time to time I take a break. This last one has been longer than usual, but it was something I needed. Rest assured I have not been idle! Each person who blogs does so for their own reasons and mine are rather simple - to share my experiences, ideas, and talents in a way that will be uplifting to others and present some food for thought. I'm not in business here, nor am I promoting news, networking or any professional endeavors. I've spent a lifetime working hard long before the age of computers and the internet and so I am here only to humbly (I do hope) offer something of value. My mind is brimming with a lifetime of experiences, thoughts, and opinions to share and I never feel that my creative well has run dry. My own personal standards are such that I want the subjects I present to be relevant and clear, the photographs to be worthy, and the writing to be as good as I can make it. I have many interests and activities in my life and blogging has never been at the very top of the list; there are times when there is just not enough of me to go around. I am also committed to not allowing technology to replace the other things that I consider important in life and therefore do limit screen time. I hope that you will find something here that touches your inner being and helps you to see the connections in the natural world that surrounds us. After all, "We're all in this together..."

 

 

 "Breathe.

Let go.

And remind yourself that this very moment

is the only one you know you have for sure."

Oprah Winfrey

Summer here in the Pacific Northwest was outstanding - warm, sunny, dry, and seemingly endless. But now autumn has arrived, bringing with it a cooling - warmth dropping a peg or two, and rain up more than that. I have loved the rich fecundity of summer but our temperate forests need the rain. It is time, once again, for acceptance of change:

 

 

• To work long and hard amid living things is a priceless experience.
• Tens of thousands of sea stars are dying and we've yet to know why.
• To fully hear the sounds of the earth is to deeply connect on another level.
• Contemplate all who came before - and all who are yet to come.
• Solitude is not the same as loneliness.

 

 

“I am never alone wherever I am.

The air itself supplies me with a century of love.

When I breathe in, I am breathing in the laughter, tears, victories,

passions, thoughts, memories, existence, joys, moments,

and the hues of the sunlight on many tones of skin;

I am breathing in the same air that was exhaled by many before me.

The air that bore them life.

And so how can I ever say that I am alone?”

~ C. JoyBell C.

 

 

• For most, busyness has become a way of life.
• Many of us can change our lives - if we want.
• Some are nesters, fussing and rearranging without going anywhere.
• Some are travelers, coming, going, yearning to be elsewhere.
• Some are both.

 

 

“Divide the constant tide and random noisiness of energetic flow,

with conscious recurring moments of empty mind,

solitude, gratitude

and deep...slow...breathing.

Of this, the natural law of self-preservation demands.”

~ T. F. Hodge

 

Photo by Linda Baker 

• We are all growing older.
• Growing older is not the same as being older.
• None of us knows how long we will be here.
• NEVER let a day pass without saying "I love you" - to someone.
• And mean it.

Photo by Linda Baker

“The river is now.
This moment.
This breath between us.
The space between your heartbeats.
The moment before you blink.
The instant a thought flashes through your mind.
It is everything that is around us.
Life. Energy.
Flowing, endlessly flowing, carrying you
from then...to now...to tomorrow.
Listen: you can hear the music of it.
Of the passage of time.”
~ Lisa Mangum

It's good to be back - I hope that you will be also...

 

 

Spring Means New Beginnings

 

On this day, I simply want to BE - to soak up some sun and enjoy the spectacular views. Sitting on a grassy bluff surrounded by towering madrone and Douglas fir trees, I gaze across the vast expanse of sand exposed by the receding tide. Beyond the sands lay the waters of Georgia Strait, snow-capped mountains of mainland British Columbia forming a dramatic backdrop. Closing my eyes briefly, I hear the soft swish of the wind in the trees and feel the warmth of the sun on my face. We have come here for rest and relaxation - what a day to be alive!

 

We have come through the long season of darkness. Some of us may carry heavy burdens and feel no relief with this passage of time. But we are still here as the days lengthen and the earth warms.

As Easter people, we have passed through a time of sadness and grief and come forward into the light of new hope. Once again, we witness a season of newness and rebirth.

In the woods blooms appear on Indian plum, salmonberry, red flowering current and Oregon grape, while redwood sorrel, trillium, and delicate Pacific bleeding heart brighten the forest floor.

 

 

In our yards forsythia, dogwood, rhododendron, bluebells, tulips, and many others burst forth in various colors and scents.

 

We drift off to sleep with the peeping of frogs and awake to the singing of birds, which are already nesting and caring for young; young fawns will soon be seen with their cautious mothers.

 

Dusty, bug-gnawed leaves will be seen later, but now all new growth appears shiny-bright and squeaky-clean.

 

We anticipate all that is new: a landscape full of surprises, a first-born child, a joining of lives in marriage.  Still to come are graduations, anniversaries, and celebrations we’ve yet to plan. Rejoice in this, for as spring progresses with wave after wave of sprouting, unfolding, and blooming we are led toward the full-fledged burgeoning of summer. After our dark, cool, wet winters who does not welcome that?

It is a time to savor and enjoy. There is much to be learned from the never-ending cycle of seasons, for we can – each of us – begin anew; we can be refreshed, changed, improved.

 

If there are things undone, we can do them. If we owe an apology or need to make amends, we can do that. If we are weary, we can rest. We can get our affairs in order; if necessary, we can say our good-byes. We can change our household, our appearance, our habits, our state of mind, our outlook or attitude. We can change our actions, or finally act at all. We can accept that challenge, take on that task, meet that new person, or send that letter. We can make that call, visit that friend, and hold that hand. This is a time of renewal and second chances - thank GOD we have those.

 

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.

See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

Isaiah 43:18-19