JOY INCREASING!

Happy First Day of Spring! 

Memphis has flowers and our snow has dissipated! (Pradip pic)

Just the thought of springtime brings me JOY!

In every season.....winter, spring, summer, fall, ordained by God;

Focus on Him. 

Lean in to others in the "church."

Result = JOY 

Think increasing JOY!

Come let us sing for "JOY to the Lord"! (Psalm 95:1a) for "all my springs of joy are in you." (Psalm 87:7)

Everlasting JOY!

SPRING IS COMING!

Officially, the spring season will begin March 19. But.....signs are already popping up in gardens and field's everywhere! White dogwoods filling fields in Hernando, MS. Budding heritage snowball bushes in yards of many friends. An unfamiliar magnolia bush. A saucer magnolia, according to my horticulturist neighbor. It looked like a tree with two different color blooms to me.

How could I have missed this visual springtime treat at GAC for so many years!?

May the Lord give me eyes to see. May I lift my head and open my eyes to see the beauty He has created without losing focus of the the Creator, by whom all things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians !;16)

FALL FAVES!

Some things speak autumn at our house.

The sight of Psalm 143:8 on my computer screen. 

Sight of ginkgos on Grandview. (Genesis 2:9)

Smell of chili cooking.

Taste of pumpkin roll and Werther's Original Harvest Caramels.

Sound of rattling from the glass pumpkin jar lid....an alert that someone is helping self to some candy corn.

It's how I knew my oldest grandson had come through town for a visit. 

I almost heard him before I even saw him.

How grateful I am the Lord God created seasons for us to savor with all our senses.

PETAL PEEPERS to LEAF SEEKERS!

Early last week TEMPS were sweltering in all caps. Folks made travel plans to go to the north east to be leaf peepers....as colors were at their peak. Now it's CHILLY in all caps. Yet, there are still a few garden gatherings to recall the lingering flowers of summer and to see all the new mums, pumpkins and fall foliage. 

Enjoy now because we know how quickly fall comes and goes. Soon first snows will be just around the corner followed quickly by spring. May we all be joyfully expectant for each season.

The beauty of each season is created by God. Those that realize this seem to enjoy each season all the more. (1 Corinthians 3:7)

CHOOSE: SEASONAL CONTENTMENT

Sitting at the breakfast table looking out at the patio it would be easy to bemoan the "leaf situation." That is,  if I were the resident"raker." 

But....I have never even turned on a leaf blower so my thoughts were more positive than hubby's who tries to calculate the number of leaves left on the trees against the meteorologist report for upcoming rain. Then he weighs all of that against the arrival of the first grands on Monday for Thanksgiving.

I, on the other hand, am grateful for the God-designed seasons (Genesis 1:14) and think about what fun those Texans will enjoy running through those leaves and hearing them crackle beneath their feet. And our little New Yorker will love them as well as there is ground beneath theses leaves and not asphalt an just throwing leaves in the air and watching the wind blow them can be fun.

This morning as I remembered  Genesis 8:22, " While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease,"  I was content to sit with a cinnamon stick in my cuppa and watch the leaves dance. In this season of my life, I'm thankful that the Lord has chosen for me to dwell in a part of the country that has a bit of all the seasons to enjoy. (Acts 17:26) 

That's my Friday choice----seasonal contentment with a leaf strewn view.

CHOOSE: SINGING

Spring is officially here!

God is sovereign! 

The day is Yours, and Yours also the night; It was You who set all the boundaries of the earth; You made both summer and winter. (Psalm 74:16-17)

Regardless of the fluctuating winter to summertime temperatures, it is springtime in Memphis!

"He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting." (Psalm 104:19)

"My" Molly's azalea---almost 38 years old!

"For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. 

The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come...."(Song of Songs 2:12)

The sun is shining. The temps are rising.
How easy it is to choose "singing in the springtime!" 

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Fix-up, Clean-up in the neighborhood

4/8/13 When the rain finally subsided, many neighbors came out anxious to begin Spring cleaning.....in both the house and the yard. 

He changes times and seasons; (Daniel 2:21) and in Memphis on our street, we are ALL so grateful for that truth.

All the tools needed, even safety glasses,  for  Owen to help Pop-Pop.

Not sure what this neighbor has in mind but I think I'd like to follow suit...if it results in less stuff.

Snack in one hand and rake in the other,  Miss A is ready to help Daddy. Love the boots!