Silly Photo Saturday

Fingerprints on Friday

Snow has always been one of my favorite fingerprints of God, and since we don't see much of it here, it's always a wonderful time to watch the flurries and I try to capture it in photos before it's gone. This is our second day of this snowfall, simply because the temperatures are so low that it refuses to melt as it usually does quickly. As I was taking snow pictures, I noticed a fungus growing on our redbud tree and it has an interesting shape, from one side it looks like a big clam. I hope this fungus isn't something that is harmful to this tree, so close to our house that the birds sound like they are in the house sometimes, and you can see there is still a bird's nest hanging on a branch. The snow, the birds, the tree, and even the fungus are all fingerprints of God, found in nature, that bring my heart joy and peace every day.

Thankful Thursday

The balance of life always starts with the trees, doesn't it? They give us the air we breathe, food and shelter for all of us and I enjoy a good hike through the woods, sometimes also getting to see the little animals that live there, like this little chipmunk that was more interested in our trail mix than fearing us. Today I'm also thankful for the healing powers of the trees, spiritually and physically, as many of our medicines have come from our ancient forests. These huge trees were part of an ancient forest, and as you can tell by the size of the kids, this was one of our hikes through the woods years ago. It made me feel very small among those huge trees, but protected in a way I can only describe as spiritual, as I could really feel the wisdom, beauty, and peace of these ancient trees, created for us. I can only imagine what that little chipmunk must have felt.

May my heart become

the fastest climber

of life's tallest tree.

Wordless Wednesday: Stay Warm

Sunday Art

This beautiful painting "The Adoration of the Magi" by Rembrandt (1632) conveys the message of oneness and I really like the dramatic lighting that draws you to Mary and Jesus, the center of attention, the center of the world, but not the center of the painting. It is so often shown as the magi approaching the stable where Mary gave birth, I like that this is a different point of view. Although it is believed that they didn't actually find Jesus there, following the star, but in his home a couple of years later. "...the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed."

"We three kings of Orient are

bearing gifts, we traverse afar..."

Silly Photo Saturday