thankful thursday - birds

Do you remember Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 movie, The Birds? Hitchcock was a genius at taking ordinary things and making them suspenseful, earning him the nickname "The Master of Suspense." In the movie, there is a mysterious bird infestation in California. The ever-increasing flocks seem to target the main characters played by Rod Taylor and Suzanne Pleshette, attacking them over and over again. If you haven't seen the movie, it's worth watching but remember it was made before computer graphics and special effects. What it lacks in special effects it more than makes up for with story line and plot development.

I first watched the movie on television (not the silver screen) when I was about 12 years old - and the birds scared the daylights out of me! I couldn't look at a flock of birds (meaning more than two!) without wondering if they would attack. I knew in my head they wouldn't, but there was that tiny seed of doubt that always wondered, "What if..."

Somewhere between junior high and adulthood, the doubt and fear disappeared and I began to enjoy birds again. Their sweet voices are each so different. Some are melodious and tinkling like the music of a harp. Others are sharp and staccato-like, similar to a car horn. There are sopranos, altos, tenors and baritones. Most birds glide gracefully through the air as they go from perch to perch. Others, like ducks and chickens, spend some of their time waddling on the ground. Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly both forwards and backwards, in addition to flying sideways, upside-down and hovering in mid-air.

I have come to appreciate their similarities and differences. I enjoy listening to and watching them. I love how they frolic in our birdbath splashing water around until they are wet and then fly up to the fence to shake and air dry. We live in a lake community and often have to stop our car to let the ducks cross the road - it always makes me smile. We get to watch mama ducks take care of their babies. We welcome the arrival the arrival of the "snowbirds" - the real ones! American coots fly down from snowy, northern states to winter with us. Their arrival means winter is not far behind.

While the birds in Hitchcock's movie brought fear into my heart, the feathered creatures I hear and see around me now are calming. They make me smile. And feel thankful for what God has created.

thankful thursday - a perfect morning

The fog in my brain starts to lift as I hear the beep of the coffee-maker alerting me that the coffee is done. I stretch... and sniff. Yep, the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee is wafting down the hallway into the bedroom. With one eye cracked open and the other tightly shut, I stumble into the kitchen, grab a mug from the cupboard and pour a cup of liquid encouragement - and not the alcoholic kind that only encourages you to do something regrettable.

I watch the steam float gently upward and inhale deeply. A smile slowly creeps across my face and I anticipate the robust flavor on my tongue, the heat in my mouth. I bring the mug up to my mouth and gingerly take a sip, not wanting to burn my lips.

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! It is perfect! I take a big gulp. And then one more as my closed eye pops open.

I notice the sun is shining and the sky is blue. Birds are chirping. My heart begins to sing. It's gonna be a great day!

I am thankful for perfect mornings like this. And for coffee!

thankful thursday - books

I grew up in a home with books. Lots and lots of books. My parents read all the time... newspapers, magazines, books of all kinds. We had family reading time. I always received a book or two for Christmas and my birthday. "Good behavior" during the week was rewarded with a trip to the public library on Friday evening where I could check out as many books as I could carry. And "bad behavior" meant you forfeited the privilege of going to the library - something that happened only once or twice! We talked about the books we were reading. We took books to appointments to read while we waited. We read in the car on road trips.

Yes, I grew up with a love for books and reading. As I got older, I was surprised to discover that not all families had books in their homes or read for pleasure. How did these people learn things? When I was in fourth grade, I was intrigued with sea horses and read every book about them I could find. My family soon grew tired of sea horse trivia and was happy when I moved on to the next thing.

And how did nonreaders escape reality? My older sister gave me A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett one summer when I was sick and had to stay in bed for several days (back in the day when bedrest was prescribed and we had no television!). In my imagination, I escaped my sick bed and entered the life of Sarah Crewe, the young girl the story is about, and the days of confinement flew by.

As an adult, I continue to enjoy reading and appreciate a "good book." Not surprisingly, my sweet hubby also enjoys reading, although our reading interests are sometimes quite different. We encouraged our daughters to read - for knowledge, for fun, for escape.  And we are delighted that as adults, they both enjoy reading, too. It gives us another thing we can enjoy together as we recommend books to each other or introduce one another to a different genre.

Several years ago I was convinced that I would not enjoy the "young adult" trilogy, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I was sure I wouldn't like the premise of the book - a society that sends children to fight and kill each other for entertainment. After they read them, my daughters thought I would like the books and encouraged (read: nagged!) me to read them for myself. To my utter surprise, I did enjoy them and learned there was much more to them than what I had originally thought. You really can't (or shouldn't, anyway!) judge a book by its cover!

Reading is a lot like eating. There have been a few books I've started reading and didn't like just as there have been some foods I've tasted and didn't care for. It's okay to quit reading a book just as it's okay to not eat certain foods. On the other hand, there are some foods I absolutely didn't care for as a child (cantaloup!) but really enjoy now. And the same is true for a few books I quit reading when I was younger but picked back up to read years later and loved. Tastes change. Once in awhile you find a book you want to read again and again. I have read Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell eight or ten times. It reminds me of my grandmother who introduced me to the book and then the movie. It's like chicken noodle soup - comfort food!

There are many things concerning books and reading that I am thankful for. Things like having the freedom to read any book I choose - and God-given discernment to choose wisely. And that God gave me, and my parents nurtured, a love of reading from an early age. And that God gives some people the gift of writing well. Where would we be without such gifted and talented authors as William Shakespeare, Jules Verne, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, Roald Dahl, C. S. Lewis, Mark Twain, Dr. Seuss, ...

May is National Get Caught Reading Month. Are you a book lover? Great! Or was the last book you read one that was assigned in school? I challenge you to pick a book and read it this month. You just might be surprised and really enjoy it.

thankful thursday - wind chimes

Wind chimes are something you either really like... or absolutely don't like. There aren't many people in the "take 'em or leave 'em" camp.

As a child, I loved to listen to the wind chimes on our patio. They often lulled me to sleep as I listened to their sweet, ever-changing melody. As an adult, I still enjoy listening to them when the windows are open. Or we're sitting on the patio or swimming in the pool. And even now their calming tones relax my mind as I fall asleep.

Over the years I have acquired a small collection of them. We received our first one as a wedding gift from the parents of a friend of ours. It is really more decorative than musical but is loved because it marks the beginning of our married life together.

This beauty has hung on the patios of each of the three homes we've owned.

Others play beautiful music together, the tempo depending on the speed of the wind. Their "voices" blend together creating beautiful melodies.

Each of these wind chimes has its own story about how they came to be ours. The one on the left was my Mother's Day gift from our daughters and their families several years ago. The middle one was regifted to me from the person I gave it to - long story! And the left one was given to me as sort of a gag gift - but I love it!

I have two handcrafted wind chimes made just for me. Their melodies are much more muted, but their sentiment sings loudly! And I love that they are examples of up-cycling.

The wind chime on the left was made for me by my North Carolina sweethearts. It hangs in my kitchen and I smile every time I look at it. The one on the right was made by my North Carolina son-in-law. I wondered why we were saving bottle caps every time I visited - but now I smile and remember sweet memories from my visits when I hear or see it on my patio!

I think the reason I like wind chimes so much is that they remind me of unseen things. I can't see the wind but I can see and hear the effect of wind. Similarly, I can't see the Holy Spirit but I can see His work in my life and the lives of others. Watching the pieces sway in the wind and listening to the soothing sounds reminds me of the people in our lives who are no longer with us. 

Some day I would like to visit the world's largest wind chime in Casey, Illinois. It's over 50 feet tall with the longest chime measuring 42 feet!  But for now, I am content with enjoying mine.

thankful thursday - paper road maps

A few weeks ago I went to AAA to get the maps I need to plan our summer vacation. With great expectation I walked into the building and approached the counter with my list in my hand. The woman efficiently put together the maps I requested and I returned to my car with a bag full of large paper maps. I was almost giddy with excitement as I drove home, thinking about all the possible routes we could take, places we could visit and things we could see.

I know there are apps for my phone that plot your route, give you hotel suggestions and points of interest nearby. They will even tell you if there is construction somewhere or road closures. They give you traffic updates. Navigation will give you audible, step-by-step directions to your destination. You can find gas stations with the cheapest gas.

They say there is an app for everything.

But you can't feel the crisp folds in the map or spread them open all over the floor to get "the big picture" with a map app. You can't smell the ink and paper on your phone. You don't sharpen your mental math skills adding up mileage between towns in your head. You don't learn to navigate, to go from point A to point B using nothing but your map and your brain.

It's not that I have anything against "progress." Although, just because something might be easier doesn't necessarily mean it's progress - but that's a blog post for another day.  I really just like the challenge of planning a trip myself, using a paper map and a highlighter. I'm thankful AAA still prints paper maps and hope they continue to do so for many years to come. I like the adventure of not knowing if there's road construction or a detour before I get there. It's what makes the great American road trip great!

thankful thursday - rest & refuge

Sometimes I get tired. Not just sleepy or tired from working hard. It goes beyond physically fatigued to emotionally tired... and spiritually tired. Does that happen to you? I think it happens to all of us once in awhile.

I was feeling that way a couple of weeks ago right before my sweet hubby and I were scheduled for a long weekend away. Just the two of us. In the middle of nowhere. Well, technically in the middle of the Mohave Desert. What perfect timing! In fact, you might say it was God-timing!

We have driven past the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP) at lightening speed on our way to California at least 75 times and never stopped, always thinking we'd do it another time. We finally made it our destination for our long weekend away. Now I wonder what we were waiting for!

JTNP is one of the lesser crowded national parks with roughly 2 million visitors annually (compared to over 5 million visitors at Grand Canyon National Park!). Located in southern California where the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts meet, it is hot during the summer and cold during the winter making spring and fall the ideal times to visit. Since we went in the spring, I was expecting crowds. There were lots of people - but the park is a big place. There were two times we were in the midst of a lot of people - at Skull Rock (Thankful Thursday - Traveling Humor) and on a trail that started in a campground. Otherwise, we were on our own.

It was a beautiful spring weekend when we visited - not too warm with a slight breeze. It's the kind of weather that makes you want to be outside. We walked along vista points, turnouts on the road (although, to be honest, there aren't many of either) and in fields alongside the road. There was so much to see!

Every turn in the road revealed a different field - some were fields of cholla and yucca, some were fields of rocks, and some were fields of flowers (Thankful Thursday - Spring). Everywhere we looked. there was something new to see! It was quiet and calm. 

We hiked along a trail that led back to a palm canyon. It was mind-boggling to walk from the sunny, brown desert back into a lush, green, shady niche in just a few steps! There were birds chirping and we saw a bunny. It was peaceful and soothing.

After spending a day and a half exploring the park - being outside alone with our thoughts, spending time together and recharging our batteries - we noticed we were more rested physically and emotionally. It is impossible to be immersed in nature and not see the majestic hand of God - His infinite power and artistic flair and, yes, even His sense of humor.

I am thankful for periods of rest and places of refuge and that God restores, renews and recharges me.

thankful thursday - traveling humor

We enjoy traveling - seeing new sights or revisiting old favorites, meeting new people or reconnecting with friends, learning new things, geocaching in new locations, and eating local food. It's an adventure and we love it!

One of our favorite things while traveling is to discover "humor sightings." It might be a funny sign in a rural town or a tree covered in shoes. Sometimes it's a cloud shaped like something whimsical. If you keep your eyes peeled, you can find lots of things that make you laugh.

On a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park, we found several treasures that tickled our funny bones. Some are completely natural...

This is Skull Rock. Although we didn't name it, we thought it was amusing to have a skull made out of rock in the desert - it goes along with the other skulls you find traipsing around the hot, arid desert - only bigger!

Others are natural with a side of human help...

I was amused that someone(s) threw little rocks on top of this huge boulder. I imagine it was a game of sorts. Something like who could toss the most rocks on the boulder without knocking any off. Or how close to the edge could you throw your rock. What I do know is that the average person couldn't just climb up the boulder and put them there without some climbing gear. I wonder how many people pass by without looking up and noticing the little rocks. 

And some are completely man-made...

This "yard art" was in the "backyard" of an art gallery out in the middle of the Mojave Desert just north of Joshua Tree National Park. I thought it was a funny place for an art gallery to begin with but as we explored (read: looked for a geocache) we found quite a few examples of interesting yard art. This one made us laugh!

I am thankful for the gift of laughter - it does a body good!