(Look up.)

When people and things are taken away from you, and you are left empty-handed
There's only one thing to do.
When that something you never could've expected suddenly rocks your world
and it doesn't look good,
There's one thing left to do.
There's a moment when suddenly the earth you were standing on
just melts away.

(Look up.)

There's someone who will catch you when you fall.
Someone who hears you when you call.

Look up.

Look up.

When Winter Comes to an End

It’s been another long, difficult winter in North Texas, thanks for our boys in Congress who do not seem able to man up and make the hard decisions for our country.  We are streamlining business, and I have taken a full-time temp job to help keeping the home fires burning so to speak.  Despite the political scene, business is starting to awaken a bit from its winter hibernation, with more calls coming in this month than usual for February.  It truly smells like spring is on the threshold and it’s going to be a great year.

In anticipation of a great year, I have restarted a new hobby, and planted some cucumber and tomato seeds.  They are doing very well!  I used the idea of toilet paper rolls to start the seeds, and found it’s a feasible idea.  You have to have a container to keep them in, because they are wobbly and obviously do not hold water.  And you should probably keep it down to one seed a roll, unless you plan to thin seedlings (pulling out the weaker plants).  I had some old seed packets and chose to plant about three seeds each roll, because I wasn’t sure if they would still be good.  The cucumber seeds were only from last year, but I really don’t remember when I got the tomato seeds, which were in packets that really do not tell what variety they are.

My dear son decided to help my enthusiasm along, and after a week from planting the seeds, he took leaves off of a honeysuckle and stuck them in the dirt to make me think the seeds sprouted!  It was very suspicious, since these “mystery plants” just appeared overnight, but I have to admit it was a funny prank on someone who is known to not have a green thumb.  A week later, those honeysuckle leaves are still green.  The prank may turn on him, if those leaves are taking root, because I’m going to need a fence built to train them to grow on and who might I be thinking about to help build it!  Today I separated some of the vegetable seedlings into separate peet pots to give them some room to grow.

Hopefully, my green thumb and 2013 will both grow into some greatness!

The seed packets

After transplanting some, I still have other seedlings still in the toilet paper rolls.  The larger seedlings are the cucumber.  The shorter "plant" that is darker green are the honeysuckle.  Smaller seedlings are the tomatoes, which only just started sprouting a few days ago.

The transplanted seedlings, in 3 inch peet pots.

 

Baby tomatoes.  I just put the whole toilet paper roll in a larger pot.  I wasn't sure if the seedlings would handle being taken out of the roll and transplanted just yet.  Off to the side is another honeysuckle.

 

These are a couple tomato seedlings that I did transplant into a larger pot.  Grow, babies, grow!

Epithany

The bright idea.  The illumination.  The moment that we suddenly “see” for the first time.  I was reading a devotional that started to explain how other religions held a certain belief.  Then the light bulb came on with the next words.  “But we Christians….” 

It didn’t matter what the particular belief was for either Christianity or the other religions that were noted by that author.  “But we Christians….”  That phrase separated us from other religions.  It separated us from their different beliefs.  It separated us from other people.

2 Corinthians 6: 14-18 says, ¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?   ¹⁵ And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?  ¹⁶ And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  ¹⁷ Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.  ¹⁸ And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

Did God really mean for us to stand of the rooftop and point out another’s errors while thumping our Bibles and exalting ourselves for our “righteousness?”

So often I see comments on the internet, where Christians are arguing with people who have different religious or political beliefs, and I often believe if they were able to take a virtual bat to their heads, the “Righteous’ would indeed take a swing.

I am no better, with my countless dignified Bible-thumping moments.  All that I accomplished was drawing a line, with me on one side gloating and the “offender” on the other side glowering.

We really have to be careful about what is in our hearts, what our motivation is.  Are we reaching out to help a brother or sister, or parading our self-made sanctity?

Merry Christmas and a Bright...Wonderful...New Year!

Hopefully you have and continue to celebrate the holidays with your loved ones.  It has been a difficult year to celebrate, being so close to the incident at Sandy Hook Elementary and the other in Beijing.  My heart and prayers go out to those families.  I hope that as wise people consider ways to lessen the chance of this occurring again, they will also consider whether the system for helping mentally ill needs fixing.  Nonetheless, I hope that you have been able to celebrate and honor your own family despite any tragedies or personal circumstances that may hinder joy in this holiday season.

I am keenly aware this particular season of the various sensory components of celebrating.  We watch the lights dancing on the Christmas tree.  We feel the warmth from a crackling fire in the fireplace.  We hear the old Christmas carols and the wonderful Christmas shows that we all have favorites of.  We relish the taste of homemade treats that come out only this time of the year.  And we especially hug a little tighter.

If you have been unable to enjoy the holidays, please somehow, some way, find help.  Whether it's counseling or if you just need an extra push to connect with family or friend, I hope you will find your way home, to a place filled with love and hope.  If what you consider "home" has been full of sadness or dysfunction, maybe it's time to build something new in its place.  Who can you connect with in a positive way?  What new traditions can you start?  How will you begin to stir hope in yourself?  Awaken your senses to a new beginning!  Awaken your senses to love one another.  That's what Christmas is for.

Maraschino Cherry Nut Bread

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

¾ cup sugar

 2 eggs

½ cups butter, melted and cooled

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. juice from cherry jar or vanilla extract

1 cup chopped walnuts

10 ounce jar (appprox. 1 cup) chopped maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour one 8 x 4 “ loaf pan.  Combine flour, baking soda, salt and sugar in large bowl, mixing well.  In smaller bowl, combine eggs, butter, buttermilk and juice or extract.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing only till moist.  Stir in walnuts and cherries.  Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes.  Cool in pan before cutting.

Optional glaze:

½ cup powdered sugar

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. milk

Mix together till smooth and drizzle over cooled bread before cutting.