Talents, Towns and Glory

Living in a small rural community has its limitations that can turn a disadvantage into an advantage.  I was born and raised in city and my first exposure to small town living was in our move to Eastern Oregon.  I wasn't sure I could adapt but 40 years later, I am still alive and well!   From the onset of finding myself plunked in the middle of the John Day Valley, I became aware of the expansiveness of nature from the surrounding hills to brilliant star-studded skies.  It became more personable as time went on in the discovery of this area and the people who have also made this their home.  Small town living also emphasizes the talent that exists within many of the Grant County residents as their gifts become known.  There are amazing singers, musicians, artists, photographers, writers and poets who are transplants and natives, contributing to the uniqueness of this region.  

I'd like to introduce you to one such person, KA Simpson, pen name for Kim Chesley.  Through her poetry and 'doing for others', she makes a difference within the world of Grant County and people who have met her along the way.  With Kim's permission, I am honored to feature one of her poems entitled, "The Lord's Grandeur".....

THE LORD'S GRANDEUR

(c)  by KA Simpson 

I have a feeling of such smallness

As the wind whistles at night,

And I look out upon a sky

Lined with diamonds full of light.

And if I pull my wrap around

And venture out the door,

I feel then even smaller

Then I ever did before.

And this nighttime world that stares at me

As the wind blows in the trees,

And I smell the freshness of the earth

And shiver in the breeze,

Makes me wonder, truly, what am I

Amid the grandeur of this night?

I feel inconsequential,

As this sight in me ignites

An awareness of the Power

Behind the splendor of this scene-

And I know I'm not alone out here,

Where angels all convene.

And together we all lift our hands

In union and accord,

And let our voices

Sing the name of Jesus Christ our Lord!

And my smallness gains in stature

As I worship and am free,

To hail God as Holy Master,

Creator of all I see.

The heavens truly show the grandeur of God and how infinite He is.  The aurora borealis is another example of His Glory manifested.  The below photo and article appeared in the Daily Mail about a year ago.  The implication of the photograph is of "Christ the Redeemer" in the light of the aurora borealis. 

Please take time to read the article along with other photographs of Iceland, where they are privileged to witness the aurora borealis as we are privileged to God's color in rainbows, sunrises, sunsets and star-studded skies....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2911437/I-light-Image-Christ-Redeemer-appears-aurora-borealis-Iceland.html


Come back  and visit The Turn-Up Patch on Monday, July 4th - which happens to be Independence Day!  Thank God for the freedoms we enjoy; let us not take them for granted.

The Feeling of Peace

What does peace feel like?  The words become illusive.  It is much easier to describe peace such as inner contentment and serenity.  We can describe peace as to what it is not such as turmoil, agitation and many negatives that run contrary to peace including war.   But what is the feeling of peace?  I have thought much about this lately in my quest to be peaceful in heart and mind as I live and breathe in my personal world.   

Peace can come to us in many forms that the diversity of our created world offers.  I took the above photo of several ranch horses contentedly munching on pasture grass.  Oblivious to the shower they were getting from irrigated water, their skin and manes were wet in a cool reprieve from the hot weather.  I watched the uncomplicated scene that gave back to me a feeling of peace.... a state of momentary being, I guess.  A space in time absent to the motion of doing, where there is no right or wrong with no thoughts behind me or ahead of me in a racing mind that wants to chatter.  Just simply watching.

There is a peace that passes all understanding as stated in scripture, Philippians 4:7 -  perhaps  that is why it is so difficult to attach a word description of the feeling of peace.  Perhaps  we really are the conduit of peace for it is God, who is Peace.  John 14:27 (NLT) ... "I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart.  And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give.  So don't be troubled or afraid."    The beginning prayer of St. Francis of Assisi states... make me a channel of Your Peace.  Perhaps, if we learned to become that channel and open our clogged minds and hearts, we could experience God's gifting of that spirit of peace that was meant to flow within and without.  

A rose is a rose is a rose...

 And so it goes with peace in its experience - is and is and is.  Learning to be that channel, to take a step back and open up to exquisite peace.  Peace that can wash away tension and upset, splashing its presence upon the shores of mind and heart, not only to self, but unto others.  A Pericles quote: "What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others."   To be a weaver of peace is to be an open channel for peace.

In conclusion, watch this special YouTube video in presentation of the hymn, "Make me a Channel of Your Peace"....  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE9std-lwXQ 

Until we meet again on Monday, June 20th at The Turn-Up Patch... 

  

Life Through the Eyes of Dr. Seuss

Often, when I begin a new post, I have no idea what to write about or where it will lead.  Today, it is no exception as I began to thread thoughts.... and it led to Dr. Seuss!  I am sure that many of you recall reading Dr. Seuss books to your children years ago.  As I revisited the whimsical sayings of Dr. Seuss,  I came into a new appreciation of the author's insight and deep reflection into life.  Here are a few examples.....

 

How did it get so late so soon?

Its night before its afternoon.

December is here before its June

My goodness how the time has flewn.

How did it get so late so soon? 

 Dr. Seuss was the pen name for Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991). He was a famous author and illustrator, among the list of books being - The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham. Beloved by generations, his simple style with words struck a chord with both children and adults alike. Part of his success was due to a personal philosophy in his perception of life. He states, "I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living; it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life's realities."

One of the joys of photography is often looking at the wrong end of a telescope, or camera lens for that matter.  A picture can emit numerous emotions from the viewer ranging from joy to sorrow and all that lies between.  The photo can project an essay or a sentence or even one word.  I use the below picture to make my point.  I happened to catch my cat in a comical pose on camera and the below caption from Dr. Seuss befits a truth.  So often in aspects of society, we try to "fit in" and lose ourselves in the process.   

"Why fit in when you were born to stand out" - Dr. Seuss

If you are not familiar with Dr. Seuss, I encourage you to read his books. And if you have books preserved in a box, a remnant from days gone by, go search them out and re-read for simple enlightenment. Here is a fun website to go to for more information about Theodor Seuss Geisel and "seussville".... http://www.seussville.com/

I invite you to return to The Turn-Up Patch.  It isn't Seussville, but I hope you enjoy my bi-monthly posts.  Next one will be on Monday, June 6.....  See you then!

 

Hello Spring!

Spring has sprung in Grant County!  It's always amazing to me how quickly trees and foliage take on a new life after the bare branches of winter.  Flowering buds and leaves seem to explode overnight in multi-colored dimension.  Perennials pop out of the ground along with the lush green grass of lawns and fields.  You know that spring has definitely arrived when our horses display a disinterest in eating hay set before them and prefer to wander off for the taste of new grass growth. 

WELCOME, sweet season of delight,

what beauties charm the wond'ring sight

in thy enchanting reign!

English poet, Elizabeth Bentley (1767-1839), wrote the above words in her 'Ode to Spring'.  Her poetry celebrates the beauty of the land and a deeper meaning of seasons correlating within the cycles of human life.

As you can tell in the above photos, the snow of winter still likes to intrude on the emergence of spring as it gives a few 'last hurrahs' around the surrounding countryside.  Quite a contrast as one season gives way to the other.  And so it is with Elizabeth's thoughtful words illustrated in her poem, which goes on to say.....

    We see fair Spring advances fast,

With Summer in the rear;

Soon Autumn's shades will interpose

And a succeeding Winter close

The swift-revolving year.

Of human life an emblem true,

The early morn of youth we view,

In Spring's delightful face; 

Meridian life's a Summer's day,

With Autumn fades; its quick decay,

In winter's blast we trace.

Then let us prize each fleeting hour,

Improve the moments in our pow'r, 

E'er time shall cease to be;

Then shall our spirits, taking wing,

Be crown'd with an eternal Spring,

From Wint'ry storms set free. 

Come back  to The Turn-Up Patch where we will visit again on Monday, May 23.

Morning Has Broken

I took this sunrise photo recently and what came to my mind, is a favorite hymn called "Morning Has Broken".  Written by Eleanor Farjeon in 1931, the poem achieved international fame when the lyrics were put to music by Cat Stevens in 1971.  It became a hit, rising high in the charts both in the United States and the UK.  Part of the attraction of this hymn, is not to take each day for granted but rather gratitude of experiencing a new day....

Mine is the sunlight,

mine is the morning

Born of the one light,

Eden saw play

Praise with elation,

praise every morning

God's recreation

of the new day.

As it was on the first day in the Garden of Eden, this song of praise is a reminder of creation giving thanks to the Creator in the dawn of morning.   However, as our human condition became broken since the fall in Eden, there are days when mornings are less than glorious.  Times of adversity, disappointments and depression can block an internal sunrise in aspirations of newness of life.  None of us are immune to the hardships in life since we have all experienced the good and bad times in living.  During those 'less than perfect days', there is an antidote to the toxin of sadness and despair when it overtakes and shadows any remote sense of happiness.  

This song talks of praising God.  What is praise exactly??  Some definitions are but not limited to...
admire, commend, cheer, compliment, approve, grateful homage.  I have heard it said that praise is the devil's death knoll as it dispels darkness.   Praise brings sunshine into a gray day.... and morning has broken!  I return to a recent quote that I used in a past post that states:  "There is beauty laced within this day... be courageous enough to find it, be kind enough to share it and at the end of the day, be wise enough to let it go."

Be sure to check out this You Tube Video of Cat Stevens singing "Morning Has Broken" and be encouraged.....   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we-n-Zmglt0

Until we meet again at The Turn-Up Patch on Monday, May 9th.... 

Beyond the Fog

The season is in change as we move into early Spring when buds and blossoms appear.  The color green is everywhere on pastures and hillsides alike, transforming the landscape in evidence of new life from the dullness of winter.  Fog has appeared at varied times as cold and wet meets with the warming earth in atmospheric struggle.  I took the below photos recently as the film of fog gives off its own beauty.  Dried weeds from last year took on their own form of beauty cloaked in droplets of frozen water as the fog lifted.

Fog is described as an obscuring haze - water vapor as clouds lying close to the ground limiting visibility.  It covers and envelopes what lies beyond.  In unfamiliar surroundings, particularly driving,  it can be a source of anxiety and confusion when the fog cloud is so thick, it blocks what is immediately ahead.  This brings to mind several scriptures that can be related to a spiritual fog that requires a guiding influence....

"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear" (John 16:12)  Jesus came from the Author of Wisdom, Knowledge and Truth - He had complete awareness of things past, present and future.  He could only share a fragment of this understanding to His disciples - they were limited in comprehension.  This particular scripture goes on to say that the Spirit of Truth comes and will guide.  As time has progressed, the fog shifts and lifts, so we catch glimpses of the Eternal, but only in degrees of perception.

"Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.  All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely" 
(1 Corinthians 13:12).   In the next verse of this scripture passage, it states that three things remain - faith, hope and love, the greatest being love.  

It takes faith to venture forth in the fog - to believe  in the mystery of God Himself.  It takes hope to inspire  when we can only partially see in His mystery.   It takes love to fuel  faith and hope in becoming complete, and the mystery of God is no-more and we see face to face.


Thank you for visiting the Turn-Up Patch.  Please drop by again!  See you again on Monday, April 25...

The Miracle Within - Part 2

We have just celebrated Easter - Jesus!  the Resurrection and the Life.  What does this all mean?  Far from the Cross, we are quite familiar with the traditional easter bunny, decorated eggs and baskets of sweets that awaits on Easter morning.   Easter became a merging of legend and spring equinox with the Christian celebration of a new era heralding the resurrection of Christ.  

Out of the dark violence on Golgotha with the torture of the cross and death, came an explosion of Light that has resonated for over 2000 years.  In the Christian faith, the cross became a symbol of victory - the Risen Savior, the Christ.  His arms were outstretched on the Cross, nailed to beams in constrained pain.  These same arms in the power of Resurrection, seeks to hold us - for us to know His embrace of Love that revives and restores to new life.

There is another dictionary definition of easter, which means a wind from the east.  This is significant as the root of the physical life of Jesus is located in the middle east of this world.  His death and resurrection occurred in the east and by the power of His Rising, there came a spiritual mighty wind from the East.  You cannot see wind but you can see the effects of wind upon the elements of earth and feel its presence.  This mighty wind is symbolic of the Holy Spirit - as a sixth Sense referred to in my last post, "The Miracle Within".  The force of the Spirit - pulsating in power to move and shake and yet can be as a gentle breeze upon our spiritual landscape.  If we take our arms and with hands held upon our chest - the miracle lies beneath the tissue of skin, marrow of bone and muscle of heart.  Our hands rest upon a union with the Spirit of God.  He is not a far off God!  We need not look to the heavens or to a church building to find Him but look within to touch Eternal Life, our Source to whom we belong, where we live and move and have our being.

 
I end today's post with another quote from Helen Keller.  It is short and simple and yet, profound... "What I am looking for is not out there, it is within me."


Until we meet again at The Turn-Up Patch on Monday, April 11.