The song of my heart

The Song of my Heart

Day upon day.
Today turns into yesterday
     and life moves on.
Dead buds are coming to life.
Snow piles melt ~
     leaving brown grass that delights with the warmth of the sun.
Ladybugs flit on window panes
     and flies awake and come out of hiding.

Furry blossoms are on the pussy willows
     taking me back to my childhood
     and yet years later still mystified at how furry these little buds are.
Simple things bring joy!
The pink of the morning sky
     and blazing orange of the sunset.
The cockiness of the big crow that flies down and grabs the biscuits I threw out for him
     and the beautiful blue apparel of the blue jays taking the peanuts at the feeder.

The season of winter has passed its baton to spring.
And spring ~ having teased us with above normal days 
     only to thrust us back into the throes of winter
     with brisk winds and snow. *sigh (where is that shovel?)

Having been quick to shed the remnants of winter,
     suddenly we throw our hands in the air 
          and promise that spring really is just around the corner
                 (as if we really have any say in the whole matter!)

Dusty sills and siding. (yes, that needs to be washed down)
Mud mixed in puddles of melted snow on the gravel driveway.   
     (calling out to the grandkids to see who can walk through it without losing a boot!)
Bird seed gathered and scattered on the deck from feeding during the winter
     ~ keeps "Chippy" running back and forth in delight
Chippy - the cute yet pesky little rodent!
"Alvin why do we have seeds squirrled away in the motor of our car?"
"Joy you have to stop feeding them on the deck!"
Poor Chippy doesn't realize there is a contract out on his life!  
     (its a good thing my sweet man isn't as quick at shooting Chippy 
     as Chippy is at running away and hiding!)

The sun warms up the house so much that the heat doesn't click on all day.
The windows are open and the freshness of spring comes in like a literal "breath of fresh air"
     moving the germs that have gathered over the winter
     when windows are tightly latched for fear of freezing open!!

Slush pants and rubber boots are the apparel of choice for the grandkids.
And I wear my crocs (the ones that my little grandson picked out for me for Christmas)
     and my toes welcome spring and the "no socks" time of year.
The new shoe scrubber at the front door has mud by it,
     having already cleaned a little shoe or two that went off the path and into the mud 
     (perhaps to quench an irresistible urge to see how deep the puddle was!)

Spring sings.
     My heart overflows!
Creation cries out
     with the rustle of bare grey branches, 
     shaking off dead leaves that have clung on with dear life all winter,
     in order to make way for shiny new leaves to come 
     in every hue of green imaginable.
The birds fly and call out 
     Jays sing and chickadees flit about
Creation is coming to life in a symphony of praise to the Creator.

And my heart sings
     with a fresh awakening
     coming out of a winter into glorious spring!
New life!
God you are so incredibly good.
Have I told you lately how much I love you!

If I had been Mary ... Resurrection Day thoughts

This morning, I sat by the window with my coffee cup, waiting for the sun to rise, hoping I would see it, but knowing that in itself would be perhaps not something I would see due to the overcast skies.
But I hoped.  I turned my Bible to John 20.  I have realized that is my favourite portion of Scripture for the Resurrection story.  HE IS RISEN!!

I couldn't help but put myself into the story, imagining Mary's thoughts, and Peter and John's thoughts, and imagining what the empty tomb or the angels or Jesus himself looked like ...
These are my thoughts!

Early Morning on the First Day of the Week

The sun rises on the other side of the clouds

a small glimmer of pink barely peeps through

I know that once again, 

somewhere it is shining in full glory for someone taking it in

I know - as creation does what God ordained it to do -

that whether I see it or not

the sun has risen

today, it holds special meaning

over and above my love for sunrises

it signifies "on the morning of the first day..."

Mary while it was still dark went to the tomb.

I can imagine her

walking, stepping along 

her feet not wanting to go to the tomb of the one whom she loved

Perhaps the sound of the birds pre-dawn chittering

overpowered the sound of her footsteps on the cobblestone path

her heart broken

her thoughts many

she arrives and stops, unable to comprehend the sight

the stone has been rolled away

in panic, she runs, not stopping to take a breath, 

until arriving where Peter and John are staying

and in between crying gasps she tells them

that they have taken Jesus body away!

O Mary, Peter and John

what did you think

were you awakened with news that only played on top

of your already shattered hearts?

Yet, you need to see for yourselves

in order to make sense of it all

and in no time at all you were out the door running

Peter in the lead until John, with an extra burst of speed, ran by and got to the tomb first.

O how you two loved Jesus

even though you were messy, broken and doubting

you loved him

with all your hearts

the Teacher

your greatest friend in all the world

He had transformed your lives in three short years

and now He is Gone!

you watched him breathe his last

be taken down

and as you cast glimpses over your shoulder, you led his mom away to your home

and began to try to put pieces together

Jesus, it made no sense.

And then this - 

to top it all off - as Mary has said

your body is

GONE

John peeks in through the opening

and Mary's words are true

Your body IS gone

they have truly taken away our LORD

then Peter, arriving slightly after John

gets closer

and goes into the empty tomb

his eyes accustoming to the dimness 

can it be?

they also took off his linen strips 

and his face covering

was also laying there, on its own

gently folded

and apart from the rest.

John, having regained his composure and thoughts

ventures into the tomb

and the emptiness of the tomb 

and sight of the folded linen shroud

cements the facts in his heat

that Jesus body has not been stolen

but somehow, not entirely understanding

he believes

that His Lord has risen!

the men turn and go back home

leaving their friend Mary with her thoughts

with the linen strips

and the empty tomb 

I can just imagine

Mary wept

no doubt with big tears that ran from her eyes, down her cheeks

and fell onto her dusty feet

and as if one more glimpse would help

she inches closer, stopover 

and gasps as she sees what appeared to be angels

at the head and feet of where her Lord's body had laid

and they speak to her

"woman, why are you crying?"

And as if its normal to have an early morning conversation with angels, 

she replies

"They've taken away my Lord and I don't know where they have laid him."

And she turns to leave

more distraught than when she first came

only to see yet one more person blocking her way

the gardener perhaps

but once again this man speaks to her

what is it about that voice?

"Woman why are you crying

Who are you looking for?"

perhaps this man, the gardener

held the key for this mystery.

Oh He held the key alright

not only to where Jesus was

but the keys to hell

having conquered death, hell and the grave

He stands there

and with that gentle voice that immediately draws her

He calls her by name

"Mary"

the rest is but a blur I can imagine

Mary recognizes the voice of the Teacher

the voice of the Shepherd

This is Jesus

 Realizing that she wants to hold him

and feel the beat of his heart

and his loving arms and strength

she runs over to him

But Jesus explains why she must not hold him yet

Then with overflowing joy in her heart

and a new found spring in her step

she runs to tell the disciples

I HAVE SEEN THE LORD

NOT a dead wrapped body

but one that was flesh and blood ALIVE

the real Jesus

HE is risen and I've seen Him!!

I can only imagine how her life changed that day

only imagine

and I know that I will see Him too

in all of His glory

my Saviour

and my Lord

I will behold Him!

The best is yet to come!