I watched a seed travelling with the wind. It saw it land on a blooming flower. It nestled firmly in its crevices, blowing sweetly back and forth. I smiled fondly. It seemed to say ‘Look at me. Here I am. I found a lovely home.’
And from this vantage point it could feel all the other flowers nearby, beaming their fragrances, their petals gently blowing, turning towards the sun.
Two of God’s creations were united by the wind. Just a sweet moment in time. Soon another breeze will lift it away and change the landscape. But for now, its beauty soothes my soul. And I am reminded of how everything is possible with the winds of change on a sweet summer day.
You’re probably thinking, is that your xmas tree? Still in your yard? And you’d be right. We kept our xmas tree so long this year, that it was shedding needles like a waterfall. My husband took it the shortest route outside of the house by dumping it over our deck into 2 feet of snow! There it sat. Nobody was motivated to wade into that much snow and bring it to the curb.
At one point he even straightened it and stood it up! And he said, amazingly, it still smelled so good. We had noticed that this xmas tree just wouldn’t give up it’s piney smell. Was it because it was a Canaan fir? We’d never had one. In fact there wasn’t much choice when we waited til 2 weeks before xmas. So, even though it wasn’t as tall or as full as we’ve had in the past, we took it! A small xmas miracle. Helping us feel as if we were in the forest filled with pines and that awesome smell.
And it still smells that way. I’m not sure why. I’m guessing there’s a scientific reason. But we’ve never held on to a xmas tree this long, so how long does your xmas tree smell like xmas has never been tested!
This past year has been a year of firsts. That’s for sure! Spending xmas with family for a few hours, just to visit and exchange gifts, with our masks on. There was enough love to fill the room. Just like this xmas tree. I could feel how happy people were to see us and we were so happy to be there.
When we missed Thanksgiving due to covid, we took a walk at St. Mary’s and saw an eagle there. It really felt like a blessing. And when I went home it was so nice to have a zoom call with my cousins and sister. that was our day. That eagle never returned to St. Mary’s although we tried finding it. He was only there for 1 day. Like a talisman.
Every little bit of warmth and kindness, stood out as pungent as this xmas tree. I have to say, it’s the small things we take for granted. Maybe that’s why it’s still so hard to take this tree to the curb. Should we wait for May? I’m not worried if anyone thinks we’re strange. I’m holding on to this piece of xmas magic as long as I feel like it.
As politics and hate in the outer world make me chafed and raw, I seek refuge in the small little worlds I find out in nature. Like this bee with irridescent wings, getting nourishment out of this shriveled up flower. It looks like it’s no use to anyone, but the bee finds sustenance, and it helps him survive one more day.
Though he’s unaware, his beautiful wings capture the light and give us a rainbow of color.
The wispy grasses around him glow like gold in the summer sun. One little world in the midst of a field that otherwise might not have caught my eye, but for a few gleams of sunlight that forever changed this landscape.
May we hold on to the slightest love & encouragement in our hearts so we can make our day better, & lend a little of our own sun to someone who needs it.
I was recently reminded of a childhood memory, so I have to share. My grandmother had a beautiful spirit and an appreciation for the non-material things in life. She’d been through the 2nd world war, and starved, and waited for her family to come home, without any letters for months sometimes. I don’t know how she held on. But she still saw beauty in the world, and she shared her point of view with my sister and I.
Oma (as we called my German grandmother), received a female canary. I don’t remember how she got this bird, I’m quite sure she didn’t buy it on her own. I think she inherited it from somebody that didn’t want her. I could understand why. Cetela, as she was later named, was very ugly! She was missing hair around her neck, and she looked really scruffy. But she could sing up a storm. And even though her song was not as beautiful as the male canary’s song would have been, she made us listen to her all day long! She would start singing in the morning when the sun came up, or accompany the vacuum cleaner, or just for no reason at all. She would sing lustily, and tilt her head back proudly. My grandmother just loved her. And Oma was constantly asking us how could such a tiny creature make so much noise! She gave my grandmother so much joy as she would sing with all her heart and soul and might. It was impossible to ignore her. I wondered if she knew my grandmother’s voice and sang even harder when she was in the room. She had such an indomitable spirit. We used to laugh at her. But my grandmother helped us to appreciate Cetela’s spirit and her inner beauty. May we always look beyond the surface of appearance, and find something to love, and to nurture, and to raise, in the most unlikely places.
Linda Strickland - Nature Restores Me 