Tag Archives: nature

Blessed to Learn from Adversity

21 Saturday Mar 2020

Posted by in Learning from Adversity

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After a very interesting conversation with my dear friend Bonny Napolitano Bonny 2012 picabout the Coronavirus, I asked if she would be a guest blogger on Prayer Pondering and speak from her heart about our pandemic. I have valued her advice for many years and turned to her often to pray with me about matters of deep concern. Here’s what Bon has to say about our current situation.

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“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

As a former Air Force nurse who specialized in public health and disaster response, I’ve been impressed and reassured by our government’s guidance during the coronavirus pandemic.  You may have noticed that Dr Anthony Fauci (who authored my public health textbook) and the Coronavirus Task Force speak every day about what they’re learning, and how they’re acting on this new knowledge.

However, for those of us without a preventive health background, we may struggle with feelings of uncertainty, isolation and even fear. But, as believers in Jesus Christ, we can learn to take action to feel calm and confident.

Amidst the noise of newscasts and social media, sometimes I forget that we are made in the image and likeness of God.  What does that really mean?  It means that, like Our Heavenly Father, we are naturally creative, decisive and loving.

God-given creativity:

 I feel blessed by having so many ways to stay in touch with friends and family through electronic media. I’m trying to connect with people I haven’t seen or talked to for a while. It makes me feel both energized and thankful for renewed friendships. Pat and I have known one another for close to 30 years, but have seen one another only about 5-6 times.  In spite of living hundreds of miles apart, we feel like sisters. So use your creativity to keep in touch with friends and relatives in nursing facilities, in other states or even other countries!

God-given decisions:

Our Heavenly Father longs to guide us through His personalized inspiration. I’m finally learning I can pray to know what medical advice we need to follow, what meals I can prepare with limited ingredients, what activities I can try to bring us closer together.  Today in Texas, I smiled as I noticed bluebonnets blooming on the side of the road, oblivious to our drama. It’s a great visual reminder that deciding to “bloom” (and not gloom!) can normalize our daily life.

God-given ability to love:

As God’s children, we have been blessed with an unlimited capacity to love. I get to show love to strangers, friends, families, health care workers, first responders, ministers and missionaries. I can choose words of kindness and appreciation in my home and online. I can read my scriptures and share God’s word with others. I can thank God for His love for us. Like people in Italy who can no longer give hugs, we can sing to one another from our balconies!

As a nurse, I have always stressed that health happens in the home, not in the hospital. I need to remember our heavenly home, and use this time to learn how to live up to His loving expectations.

“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.” (Isaiah 26:3)

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My sincere thanks to my sister/friend Bonny T. Napolitano, RN, BSN, MPH, USAF veteran serving as Environmental Health Officer. Civilian life: specializing in community health, Hispanic health, disaster preparedness, occupational health, patient rights, caregiver support, and healthcare strategic planning.

For the Beauty of the Skies

27 Friday Apr 2018

Posted by in nature

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Several springs ago, I spent a lot of early mornings on my patio. I didn’t keep a journal, but I did occasionally make notes in a spiral bound notebook that held a variety of musings. I came across some of my “patio notes” yesterday and thought how often we miss the simple beauties all around us. It takes sitting still and emptying ourselves of all else—something very hard to do in our fast moving age.   

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pink sky - CopyI’m enjoying this new morning on the back patio with coffee and a granola bar. The sky is especially beautiful today and I find myself grasping for words worthy of describing the clouds, but I just can’t find them. The clouds are changing in design and color, reminding me of a child’s kaleidoscope being turned to form different shapes and color. The Master Artist had something very special going on and I have a front row seat as the Lord’s hand stirs the skies right over my head.

I look upward at the unconfined space and think how the openness gives a sense of freedom to my heart just as Jesus gives freedom to my soul.  My head rests on a garden chair and I continue to drink it in. What an awesome sight it is! There are pink cotton candy-like swirls. There are smears of white over blue canvas. There are wisps of clouds that look like sheered cotton plucked fresh from their bolls in the field. The sun is beginning to peep through my neighbor’s trees, hailing the new day.  Surely, this must be a bit of heaven’s glory coming down this morning right in my very own backyard.

I begin to think what it would be like if a large billowy cloud suddenly appeared and with it came Jesus. What if the Lord stepped out on such a cloud and brought with Him brightness greater than the sun? God’s word says we will need no more sun in heaven because the glory of God will give light and the Lamb will be heaven’s lamp (Revelation 21:2). What would it feel like to be caught up in the air with Him and move through the sky’s beauty? To pass by the wispy clouds and then the thicker clouds and continue on while holding His hand until we reach the heaven of heavens? What a glorious journey–and someday I will make it.

I know as I sit on the patio watching these clouds move across the sky and hear the birds make their morning calls, I am seeing something far greater than nature. I am seeing Jesus. For this is His creation. This is His beauty on loan to me this morning. This is His marvelous gift of a new day trimmed in wonder and awe and presented to me right outside my back door.

I have received an unexpected, priceless gift of God’s love and somehow I have to hold on to this morning vision of God’s beauty and grace. So I close my eyes and let it all settle deep into my heart.  I need nothing more, Lord. I’ve had a visit from you.

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For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. –Colossians 1:16 (NIV)

Outside My Comfort Zone

18 Tuesday Apr 2017

Posted by in risks

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Go camping? Me? This was way out of my comfort zone and my Leisure and Recreation professor had just announced a part of our course work would be an overnight camping trip. If we absolutely, positively felt we could not make the camping trip, there was an alternative.  I leaned in to hear his every word. The alternative would be a lengthy and very detailed paper on a subject of his choosing. He promised it wouldn’t be easy, even for those who enjoyed writing.

Camping had never called my name and I knew I had not called out to it. I didn’t like the possibility of snakes that I imagined hanging from every tree. How was I going to get out of this? I wasn’t into roughing it in the woods and especially with people I barely knew.

Right after class, I meandered through the rows of empty chairs to my teacher and jumped right into making my case for why I should be excused. My reasons sounded lame, even to me.

Memphis State University (now Univ of Memphis) Rec and Leisure Professor. Corky was what he went by, can’t recall his last name.

He was a young guy with a PhD behind his name and I was a mid-forties adult just now finishing up what I should have completed long ago–my undergraduate degree. Friendly and polite he was—and unyielding. It looked like I had better start rounding up a tent and bedroll.

We would be camping at Fort Pillow. Though Fort Pillow is a state park, all that came to mind was the state prison bearing that name. This wasn’t getting better. I would be hanging out with snakes and prisoners.

A friend, quite amused at my plight, loaned me his tent. I found my daughter’s old sleeping bag and tossed it in the trunk of the car, alongside the tent. Next went my cooler, and, as instructed, “a minimum of personal needs.”

Setting up our tents

When I made the second turnoff to Fort Pillow Camp Grounds, I caught a view of the prison looming strong and fierce.  I told myself should anyone escape, they would not be looking to share our camping experience but getting far away from the prison. That gave me some comfort.

When I got to the spot our professor had chosen for us, I was wide-eyed with unexpected glee; there were bathroom and shower facilities in easy walking distance! Things were looking up.

That night, as we sat around a campfire and listened to a student strum his guitar, I felt myself beginning to relax. This camping thing wasn’t so bad. Nothing like I had expected, in fact. Neither a snake nor prisoner had appeared so far.

Much to my amazement, I slept well on the hard ground and the occasional night sounds didn’t spook me. I awoke to chirping birds and the smell of coffee and feeling more relaxed than I had in a while. A peek outside my tent showed a fellow student cooking breakfast. I set off toward the restroom facilities for a nice hot shower and the offer of fresh coffee on return. I felt my every resistance to camping beating a hasty retreat. I had stepped outside my comfort zone and lo and behold, look what happened! I discovered I could really get used to this. (As long as bathroom facilities were close by, of course.)

Enjoying the good life

Our Fort Pillow camping trip turned out to be a great adventure for the experienced (there were some) and the greenhorns (fewer of these). It was so successful, in fact, that someone suggested we do it once more before the end of semester. The teacher agreed and off we went into the woods one more time. Camping had turned strangers in a classroom to friends around a campfire sharing stories, songs, and food. And the one who suggested we return for another night of camping? You guessed it. It was me.

Helen Keller said “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” And I especially love what writer Rachel Cohn said: “The reward is in the risk.”  What about you? Are you staying safe in your comfort zone or “daring adventure”?  If I were doing life over, I would definitely take more risks.

Korkey’s Krew ’87. We posted notes for Corky. Mine said “I’m a believer now!” (I am front row, center.)

My note bottom, left

 

Sundays of My Childhood

29 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by in Memories

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In the sweltering heat of southern summers, there was somewhat of a Sunday afternoon tradition at my grandparents’ house of putting small children down to nap on a pallet. A pallet was a homemade quilt folded over once or twice, depending on the number of grandchildren needing rest. Nearby, would be an oscillating fan, giving off a cool breeze as it turned your way. And while children napped, grownups would spend the afternoon in conversation until time for supper.

The Sunday noontime meal usually included both fried chicken and country ham. Mama and Papa had chickens and a smoke house where Papa cured hams. The table was heavy with bowls of vegetables from their garden. Desserts came in threes and you didn’t have to choose. Mama brought you a plate with some of each one; maybe two kinds of pie and a slice of cake. Once when Mama proudly brought a plate of desserts to a guest eating with us, he shook his head and said he couldn’t possibly eat all that and to please just give him one of the desserts. I can still see Mama’s face as she looked from him to the dessert plate in puzzlement. Foolish man to turn away the wares of a champion baker!

Before nap time and conversation, the table was cleared and the food carried from the dining room back to the stove. There it would be covered and put in the oven or left on top of the stove with the pot’s lids covering the “vittles,” as my grandfather called them.That wonderful repast would wait there for us to enjoy again for supper. And we didn’t always warm it up; rather, it might be spooned onto plates and eaten at room temperature. There was Sunday night church to attend, you see, so tasks were kept to a minimum. Mama’s cooking had gone on the day before or very early Sunday morning.

The memory of my grandparents’ table groaning with food and a fan cooling children on pallets are treasured memories. If I close my eyes and listen intently, I can almost hear the hum of that fan as it traveled from left to right and feel the cool breezes it provided on a hot Sunday afternoon.

As children of the 40s and 50s, we enjoyed simple pleasures and much security. We felt with our parents and grandparents in charge, no harm could come to us. We were protected from things we did and did not know. We played uncomplicated games of jack rocks and marbles, hop scotch and jump rope. We might search for four-leaf clovers or make necklaces and bracelets by typing clovetogether the long stems of the white clovers. My grandparents had an elephant ear plant that was profuse with huge leaves and long stems. Mama would break one off for each of us and we would pretend the leaves were umbrellas to fend off the sun or rain. Imagination in that day was a part of every game we played.

I think we need these memories as we age and that accounts for why we reminisce so much in our senior years. Rituals like Sunday family dinners and naps on pallets gave us uncomplicated days. Their recall brings smiles and appreciation for what we then took for granted.

Whoever thought things would change like they have? Ours was a world that made sense and gave hope for our futures. Maybe it is sheer foolishness, but somehow I believe that if we could take our children and grandchildren back to the way things were when we grew up, they would actually enjoy and want it. What do you think?

Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.

                                                       — H. Jackson Brown, Jr. 

 

Thinking on the Rain

13 Friday May 2016

Posted by in anticipation, birds, blooming things, comfort, communication with God, earth, God's faithfulness, God's love for us, gratitude, love, nature, observation, rain

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“Drip down, O heavens, from above, And let the clouds pour down righteousness; Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, And righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it” Isaiah 45:6 (NKJV).

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A grey cloud hovers overhead. It is the promise of drink for dry ground and the uplifted faces of blooming things; the promise of water enough for birds to bathe in a forsaken fount. The grey cloud covers the sun and provides shade and a cooler day for man and animal alike.

Thunder grumbles and the rain comes, spreading its kindness over the day’s needs.file0001836239952 The earth smells fresh and colors deepen as flowers and grass are clad with glistening drops of rain. The world seems to slow a bit and I can’t hold back a smile, for I love a rainy day!

It occurs to me that the simplest things color my life with happiness. Watching showers march upon the ground and sidewalks, seeing a bird wash insects from his wings in a DSCF4397new pool of water. Pondering the buds of roses about to break forth into full bloom and how their deep drink of rain will lend a hand to the process.

I think of how rain promenades on ponds, lakes, rivers, and even the sea. The larger the body of water, the more mystical a rain appears in its stroll. What sight is grander than the downpour of heaven joining waters of the yawning deep? What vision sweeter than blooming things with lifted faces catching a morning shower? DSCN4082What image more right than birds making use of a shallow basin with its fill of afternoon rains?

Lord, I long to linger in the splendor of how you’ve made things, to think on the beauty of nature without man’s interference. Where could I go and pay a price for something as wondrous as this? You give so generously of all you have fashioned; let me not miss it. It is a demonstration and continuing promise of Your love. I bow to you with grateful heart.

“For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God”(Hebrews 6:7 NKJV).

Photo credits to morgueFile, with appreciation.

Our Creator Sets Limits

03 Friday May 2013

Posted by in faith, nature

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Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, “This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt”? 

Job 38:8-11(NIV)

The ocean is my favorite part of nature.  I love to watch the rhythmic movement of the waves, hear the sound of them rolling into shore or crashing on rocks.  The waters have a vastness that seems wild and free, yet it is restrained by God’s command, the boundaries He set.

How can I trust that God’s boundaries for the ocean will hold?  How can I walk by the edge of the water, and not be afraid that a boundary will give way and I will be swallowed up?   It is by faith in the One who created the seas and determined how deep and wide they would be, by faith in the One who spoke that they might come so far and no farther.

Such is how we must trust God with the problems and perils of our lives.  Sometimes it seems trials go on forever, pile one upon another.  We begin to ask if God has forgotten us when relief is slow to come.

It helps to think of the ocean and how God has it in control.  Just as He limits the oceans’ reach, He limits how much His children go through.  We don’t always understand our tribulations, but God has said He uses all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  We must place our trust in that word from God.  We must trust that the same One who created the boundaries for the seas, created limits for how much happens to us.  We must trust that all will have its place in forming us for eternal life.

The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this?  Even the winds and the waves obey him!” Matthew 8:27 (NIV)

God Is!

09 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by in comfort, nature

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He delivered me because He delighted in me.

–Psalm 18:19 (NKJV)

I love to read the many descriptions of God in the Psalms and how He has provided for us.  He is our shelter and fortress, a place to hide from the enemy and a place to be replenished.  He is revealed as our shield, guide and comforter.  He is the one who gives us strength and sets our feet upon steady rock.

God is ours in companion sense, but also in all that He has created for our pleasure.  He is the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the breeze.  He is in the rain that nourishes the earth and causes seed to grow.  He is in the moon and stars as they declare the end of one day and hope for another.  God is in the birds that sit among the trees and sing, and in flowers that delight with rainbows of color.

God has given Himself to us in every way we could ever possibly need.  He delights in His children and has made His provision for us full and complete.   What an awesome and loving Father our God is!

Father, how grateful we are to find you revealed in so many ways.  Thank you for delighting in us.  We bless your holy name!  Amen.

The Sea Tells Us Of God

26 Saturday Feb 2011

Posted by in nature

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The seas have lifted up, O Lord,

the seas have lifted up their voice,

the seas have lifted up their pounding waves.

Mightier than the thunder of the great waters,

mightier than the breakers of the sea –

the Lord on high is mighty.

Psalm 93:3-4 (NIV)

Perhaps this scripture tells why I love the sea so much.  It is the very reflection of the Lord God Almighty.  The seas do indeed speak and the sound is irresistible; we must listen.

It croons and calls out, it exclaims, and softly murmurs.  It is like a love song from the Lord.  When the waters glide slowly onto the beach in soft quietness of a peaceful morning or ending day, we are calmed by the beauty and discipline of so great a mass.  We find rest for our weary souls.

When the waves thrash the shore, we both see and hear the majesty of the sea, and are reminded of the strength and power of Almighty God.  As roiling, pounding waters rush back into their depth, going we do not know where, we are told again of the Lord’s supremacy and mystery.   The clap and thunder of the waters cause us to stand still and respect what it can do.  Only the Lord controls the seas.

We marvel and exclaim this work of Your remarkable hands.  That you could create and then draw a line the seas must respect.  Only if You decide, may the deep waters crawl or dash further than you determined.

You have designed the seas with many facets that describe You.  Their sounds still us and draw us, caress with a music that soothes.  Yet they can crash and quickly remind us they are also to be feared.  The great waters move with obscurity.  We both see and do not see; much remains secret.  There is gentleness, grandeur, and might.  It is all a reminder of You, Almighty God, and we sing with the seas, praises to Your Magnificent name.

The sea is His, for He made it.  Psalm 95:5

Give His Love

19 Saturday Feb 2011

Posted by in poetry

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I saw a bird low on a limb looking down at you.

He chirped and turned from side to side to get a better view.

He had visited with the Father in the early morn

and God had mentioned you to him and that you were forlorn.

The little bird then flew down and rested in a tree

right outside your window, as still as he could be.

He saw your tears and heard your cry and knew you needed care.

He didn’t know just what to do or what he had to share.

Then he thought about the love the Father gave to all,

and found a song deep in his heart on just your ears to fall.

He sang about the Savior who brought the Father’s love,

how He walked and talked with men on earth and told of home above.

The little bird sang full and loud and pulled himself up tall.

His melody was one of joy about the Savior’s call.

He sang a song so pure and sweet; it traveled to your ear,

and very soon you saw him and wiped away your tear.

For God had sent His love to you in such a perfect way.

It made you smile, it filled your heart, it brightened up your day.

That one so little, like a bird, could bring a gift of cheer,

could bring you love from God above and bring the Father near.

We each have gifts with which to serve and giving makes us grow.

As we receive, we then must give, a debt of love we owe.

So thank that little bird, who sang a song to you,

by helping someone else today, that’s all you need to do.

Just give your love to someone, no matter – big or small.

Tell another what you know, that Jesus loves us all.

 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.”  Romans 13:8 (NIV)

                                                  

God’s Incredible Design

08 Tuesday Feb 2011

Posted by in nature

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The skies are grey with snow.  Big and small flakes fall from the sky.  There are drifts and whirls and a white frosting on the trees and ground.   It is beautiful.  I stand at the window and watch as this creation falls quietly to the earth, bringing calm to the day and whispers of sweet peace.  The cold winds push the snowflakes here and there; at moments they seem to stand still, waiting to be told where to go.  It is a glorious sight, Lord.  Glorious.

In the white frosted tulip magnolia, I see five little bird nests – evidence of another season, another glory.  It is a reminder of warmer weather and the small winged creatures who built nest there through the years.  You made those little birds, covered them with feathers, told them how to fly, and gave them the knowledge of home-building.  For their shelter, You made trees with high reaching branches, shaped just right to hold their nest homes, and protect their young.  Your design there alone is incredible, Lord.

There is such purpose of dependency and support as You link one creation to another.  How seldom we slow down enough to recognize all that went into Your perfect design, the kindness and goodness.  It is shown in the strength of a tree and the fragility of a bird.  It is shown in the softness of snow against hard ground.  Your are a God of love and majesty, of power and wisdom, of beauty and graciousness.

Father God, please forgive us for the abuse and destruction we have placed on Your perfect order.  We have wrongly thought the world was ours to do with as we pleased.  Forgive us, Lord, and give us new commitment to appreciating and caring for all Your creation.  Thank You for the promise of that day when all will be restored, when we will live in concert and joy with nature.   When we will live with You in Your new kingdom on earth.  It is our hope for tomorrow, and we give You praise.