A Perfect Blend

As I photographed this buck 

I marveled at how he blended into the landscape. 

His coloring a marvelous camouflage 

amid the rocks and trees in our backyard.

All part of God's perfect design to protect

this beautiful creature from predators.
And a reminder that He is intimately familiar 
with all He has created.

"You have searched me, Lord,

    and you know me.

You know when I sit and when I rise;

    You perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

    You are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue

    You, Lord, know it completely.

You hem me in behind and before,

    and You lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

    too lofty for me to attain."

Psalm 139:5-12


Sharing with Simple Things Sunday, Spiritual Sunday, Sunday Snapshot, Weekly Top Shot

Discovery

It’s the fourth day of a new year 

and I have a clean slate in front of me.

2012 brought blessings, to be sure.

But also some deep personal challenges

and disappointments.

I'm closing my shop this month.

It's a loss I've had to grieve.

I've done a lot of praying.

Asking God questions.

"Why Lord?"

"What now, Lord?"

And He answered in one word.

"Discovery"

God is systematically removing those

things that have kept me from

the joy of discovery.

The cloud is lifting.

2013 is my year of Discovery.

Discovering more about God,

and more about me. 

For as I discover the deeper things of God 

a window will open to who I am. 

The woman God has designed me to be.

So this is what I'm writing on my clean slate.

I'm dedicating this year to the Lord.

And I'm walking with Him.

Now every morning when I wake up 

and before my feet hit the floor

I say,

"Good morning Lord,

what are we going to discover today?"

You can bet I'll be sharing my discoveries with you.

I'm pretty excited.

Linking up with

Create with Joy - One Word 2013 Blog Hop.

Loving Arms

There's something about this picture that comforts me.

Solid

Warm

Home

Like being held in a loving father's arms.

I took this photo of my husband's studio

on October 5th 

after a light dusting of snow.

It was the first snow of the season.
No snowfall since.

It's so dry here. 

We badly need moisture.

A fire started October 9 in nearby 
Rocky Mountain National Park.
and has burned over 3,000 acres. 

It's 88% contained now.

We were under pre-evacuation notice for awhile. 

One structure was lost in the Park.

No lives were lost. 

Thank God for that.

Now my mind shifts to another barrenness;
A dryness of the soul.
 I think about the grieving in Newtown, Connecticut.

And I pray that my Heavenly Father will quench those 

thirsty

grieving

hearts

as only He can.

That He will hold them in His loving arms.

Life is fragile.

So 

fragile.

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end

    and the number of my days;

    let me know how fleeting my life is.

You have made my days a mere handbreadth;

    the span of my years is as nothing before You.

Everyone is but a breath,

    even those who seem secure."

Psalm 39:4-5

Thank you for visiting.

Today I'm sharing with

Sprague Lake, RMNP May 17, 2010

The sun is warm on my face as it casts a reflection on the water; a bright spot like a flash of light from a camera.  The air is calm; the customary wind absent.  In the distance a quacking mallard informs me that I am the intruder here.  Birds chattering in the trees behind me reinforce the duck's warning.  I hold my hand above my eyes, shielding them from the brilliant orb in the sky and look to the thousands of pines at the end of the lake.  Suddenly, a chipmunk scrambles across the log in front of me.  Startled, I jump, and in turn I spook the small animal.  He scurries below the log and I stretch my neck to peer at the spot where he has disappeared.  He pops up and peeks at me before bounding off to find a less predatory site.  Again I shade my eyes and search the end of the lake.  I see my husband walking along the shore, dwarfed by the pines behind him. Except for his movement I would lose him in the darkness of the majestic trees.  Above me the silver trail of a jet scratches the blue.  Where is the plane going, I wonder.  Are the travelers aboard looking down on the scene I am surveying?  No, I reason.  They are too far to the East to see what I see.  Distance can be deceiving.   Fifty yards to the left three mallards flap their wings and ascend, flying low, inches above the water.  After several feet they propel themselves into the sky, perform a forty-five degree turn in flawless unison and disappear into the woods.  I imagine "Wild Blue Yonder" playing in the background.  Dennis has returned to sit on the bench beside me.  I notice the shadow of my pen dancing on the journal in my lap and thank God that He has given me sight and hearing to experience His creation and the opportunity to transcribe it.

- NR