White Winter Hymnal.

So you know that ice I just mentioned .... the kind that wraps itself tightly around any and everything? Well if it's my car... no fun. If it's every tree, shrub, branch and berry in sight, it's breath-taking. And it rarely happens. But it's magical, especially when the sun sparkles through the branches on a clear morning. It's a sacred thing, being surrounded by such heavenly beauty. I almost ran inside to grab my camera on my way to work yesterday, knowing I'd have a good chance at catching that moment forever near the woods by the church, but I was already running late and decided not to (which I sorely regret). I was hopeful the morning sun would be in full effect this morning as I stopped by my favorite spot to try and capture some images, but to no avail.

Nevertheless, I still savored those few quiet moments of solitude out in the stillness of the morning. Even without the sun to highlight its best features, the woods are always inviting, beckoning me to stay and visit awhile.

Anticipating Spring.

I'm very much a four seasons person. I have no desire to live in a warm climate that only sees summer, nor would I want to live in a frigid climate that only sees winter. On the other hand... I could probably be quite content living in a spring/fall climate the whole year. In any case, I really do love my seasons. They offer the promise of change and variety, of beauty and the opportunity to appreciate nature in all of its forms. Just as I welcome the coming and going of seasons in life, I relish the coming and going of the seasons in nature.

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.

If we did not sometimes taste of adversity,

prosperity would not be so welcome.”

Anne Bradstreet

That said, this winter feels as though its been especially long. And with these past few days of cold temperatures being replaced by a warm breeze and the color green returning to the palate outside my window, I can't help longing for spring to be here. I have been greedily taking advantage of this taste of spring as much as possible with two walks in the park and one around the neighborhood (baby in tow). In sad anticipation of this glorious weather being erased by the return of the winter chill tomorrow, I've changed my desktop background to the image below to reflect my new state of mind and remind me that spring is so very closely around the corner. Puxsutawny Phil agrees.

“It's spring fever.... You don't quite know what it is you do want,

but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”

Mark Twain

Rambling Thoughts.

This morning I feel like I drank five cups of coffee when in reality I've only had 3/4 of a cup. It's one of those days when I could completely destroy a to-do list with an uncharacteristic flare of overachievement. Maybe it's because I started my day with good music (Tim, I bet you can't guess what song :p) which always gets me dreaming, scheming and planning a terrific show of reckless decision making that always gets me from here to some other fantastic place in life. Is this making any sense?

I keep having this overwhelming urge (not just today, but for a while now) to come to a screeching halt, put everything on hold for a moment, and completely reevaluate where we are as a family, what could but has not yet been achieved, and where - if given the chance to be made into a reality - we dream of ending up. I'm not necessarily talking about location, but rather of mission and how we go about life; how we approach the possibility of living each day doing something we're passionate about. Tim and I would both admit that we don't do enough dreaming with God or exploration into what's outside the box we've somewhat created for ourselves. That said, this is a unnerving thing to do because you never know where God's going to take you. In my experience, though not without trial and challenges, it's always been into some wonderful adventure. Thus, my absence of trust is unfounded and completely unfair. I feel like I've talked about this topic a lot lately. Have I? Sorry for being repetitive. I often do a whole lot of thinking and talking and not a whole lot of doing. It's a serious character flaw of mine.

The thing about pursuing that which you love, whatever or whoever it is, is that it requires sacrifice. Anything truly worth pursuing is going to require some sweat and tears. In the case of pursuing God, sacrifice is not only required but very much repaid in full and then some. I believe this with my whole heart. So why I hesitate to truly pursue the things He has for me, for us, is beyond me. Scripture would chalk it up to foolishness and I couldn't agree more.

Well the 1/4 cup of coffee I had left is now cold and the pseudo-caffeine buzz I've been coasting on this morning is fading. My playlist switched into chill mode so I'm rapidly crashing into the moody blues.

One click to a new track and I'm back on top.