Reflections of 2014

The new year is just hours away!  Just enough time to share a few thoughts about 2014 before we all say goodbye to the old year and welcome the new year ahead.  Happy New Year everyone!  

GOD BLESS YOU!

                        Reflections  of 2014

Reflections of a year gone by are dancing in my head.  It was a good year, not without its challenges, but a good year. 

I remember sitting on the back of Arni’s Goldwing headed to Savannah.  The intercom fed my ears with classical music and conversation about life.  Savannah... home to old cobblestone streets and wonderful history – a city that warms my senses with memories of boat activity filling the river and tall, fragile, smokey brick antique buildings lining the waterfront.  We continue to love it there.

Caroline was the busy bee of the family all year long with her constant juggling of teaching, master’s degree classes, projects, interning, walking our dog, and still finding time to spoil everyone with her famous sugar cookies and homemade apple pies. Caroline - always the one thinking of everyone else, was such a warm companion on any given day.  "Sweet Caroline" just seems to fit her name and demeanor.

Melissa, ever the one with the aesthetic eye, set her sights on completing projects of many kinds and then got them all done.  If a project required a vision, she was the one to consult.  Many a time she rescued family members from clutter and the proverbial messes that somehow always show up on the home front.  I have her to thank for my Christmas CD of James Taylor that kept me company in the car this Christmas season. (She just happened to pull it off the library shelf for me.)  She does have the gift of knowing what people will appreciate.

Whoever said doctors don’t make house calls?  Matt absolutely did this year.  When he showed up at our house , the computer felt decidedly better right away.  He was always kind and cool as a cucumber (how did he get that way anyway?!) when he set out to make a repair. And whether it was a computer, a pet, friend, or family member, all seemed to know right away that help and loyalty were on the way. 

Want something cared for in a wonderful way?  Bobby was the one to look to.  He watered his yard like my dad did for years, even when his schedule was crowded, also like my dad’s pattern was for years.  He was mindful of his home, his family, and helpful when something needed to be done.  I loved hearing his “kid” stories, whether it was about a student or a niece or nephew. 

It was “The Year of the Birds,” on our street with owls and hawks moving in for all to see.  Call it "Audubon Two," you might say.  And I loved it, especially when I walked our Corgi, Daisy, around the neighborhood at dusk.  Just last week, two hawks perched on the Adirondack chairs in the back yard.  And then there was that extraordinary owl who let me get up close and personal when I took his picture in the late fall.  I just love nature, and birds surely topped my list this year.

Also scoring big on my favorite list for 2014 was listening to men and women who appeared on Christian radio, sharing insights from the Bible, advice for building great marriages and families, and finding solutions to life’s problems.  Just today I heard a wonderful anecdote from Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family.  He told the story of his teenage son who recently felt the pangs of guilt for getting into trouble and disappointing his parents.  “Not good enough,” his son described himself at the  end of his note of apology to his parents.  A few days later,  Jim gently told his son, “None of us are good enough.  That’s why Jesus died for each of us - you, me and everyone.  That’s why we call him our Savior.” 

Yes, 2014 was a year of perfect days and the not so perfect ones.  Through it all, I’m so glad that even when I wasn't good enough, there was a perfect Savior who loved me anyway, brightening up my world with family, friends, birds, and Himself to make my year “just right.”

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."  Lamentations 3:22 and 23

Thanksgiving, 2014 

Here is a short piece I wanted to share about an event that happened to me this November. Enjoy reading about it over the Thanksgiving holiday!  I hope you will agree that in a year which has seen so much unsettling news, it's reassuring to remember that God still pays attention to the details. The little things.  Especially if we're paying attention too.  And He often makes it His business to show up on a street where you or I live... 

Whooo's the New Neighbor?

Lately, right before dusk, my ears have been tuning in to the unmistakable vocal auditions of our newest neighborhood resident – a great horned owl. Each evening when I step outside, the bird’s resonant baritone makes a surround sound impression on me. “Who-who-who are you?” come the questioning cries of this nocturnal newcomer. I really want to meet this mysterious mottled brown crooner, just to come face to face with those big brown eyes, and yes, tell him I’m glad he’s here. So I wait in hope as the full moon rises in an autumn sky over Central Florida.

Added to this new anticipation is our silly and sanguine Corgi, Daisy, who accompanies me around the block at dusk in search of her own new buddies. Soon, we come to a nearby tree-lined street where half a dozen oaks extend welcoming branches to the owl, who seems to have readily settled into his new residence there. Usually, I hear the camouflaged raptor when Daisy and I walk, but my eyes have not yet come up close to the elusive bird. So I keep listening and looking, praying and longing.

Until yesterday.

It was 5:30 p.m. when my steering wheel made a quick turn onto our street. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something different right out there in the open in Chris and Lisa’s front yard. Could it be Mr. Owl? I wasted no time quietly putting the car in park. I checked again, excitedly looking out to confirm that there truly was something in that yard on the grass, sitting all alone. My heart began to pound.

Now let me just say that cars with darkly tinted windows can be a problem at certain times of the day, especially in instances like this. I only hoped that in letting down the grey window, the scene I so wanted to observe would not come to a quick and unhappy end.

It didn't.

There, right in front of a residential yard, was Mr. Owl.  At first his head was turned to the side as he busily inspected something highly important in the grass. I fixated on him from the car, wide eyed, like him. I decided to grab my phone. Could I possibly hope to capture a picture?

Snap. Snap. Wow! Two pictures.

Suddenly, my new friend realized he was being studied. Our eyes met - maybe for seven long seconds.

Snap. One more picture, face-to-face. Then it was time for Mr. Owl to fly away and grab some dinner. I watched as wings whirled overhead and that giant gaze bid me goodnight.

A miracle had just occurred and didn't I know it!

Oh, what a night.

~~~

“The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.” Psalm 34:15