Flowers and Feathers

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

PREPARE, December 7 Advent

Home cooking begins
When soil is prepared in spring
To receive the seed

April 7 - Preparing the soil

August 11 Harvest

August 12 - Home grown supper

The gardener begins preparing for next year as soon as the harvest is complete. The farmer plants with hope and expectation, but not certainly that his or her labor will produce fruit. But without faithful preparation, there will be no harvest.

A poem of hope from March, 2012

Gardens don't always

Keep promises made in spring,

But I keep hoping.

A poem of preparation from April, 2012

Broken and open

Ready to receive and give

Bountiful blessings.

I worked at Family Resource Center for Santa's Helper today, 9 am - 3 pm, except for time-out for Bible study at TUMC. Helping families PREPARE for Christmas. Below is a very small sampling. Santa's helper provided Christmas gifts for 125 families this year.

Monday, December 6, 2021

Messenger, December 6 Advent

Messenger, Prophet,
Bringing Good News and Warning,
Repent and Rejoice.

Luke 3:1-6; John-the-Baptist preaches a message of warning and hope, preparing the way for Advent, the coming of the Christ.

I worked at Family Resource Center, Santa Helper. We met at First Baptist in the rain to pick up their gifts and then to FRC to unload in the rain. I helped check in the gifts until I had to leave at 11:30 to pick up refreshments for UMW. We had a Christmas Tea and Baby Shower at 1 pm. The women were very generous, bringing baby gifts for Susanna's House to be given to the new mothers they serve.

https://www.susannahshouse.org/

Sunday, December 5, 2021

HOPE, December 5 Advent

The Chrismon Tree with our gifts with our gifts for 5 children in the Santa Helper program. So many meanings of HOPE are present in this image.

Saturday, December 4, 2021

CALLED, December 4 Advent

Called to See.

Called to teach.

Called to act.

Called out of myself and into the world.

Called to pray with hands and feet and deeds.

Called to LOVE in all the ways I can.

We enjoyed a Saturday afternoon football game at the Brocks. For game day food this week, Kathy fixed wings. Excellent!

Friday, December 3, 2021

LIVE, December 3 Advent

Live or Live?

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Either way, watching birds at my feeder every day reminds me that other creatures live in the moment. The little birds flit from branch to feeder, competing for space and sharing space, each one getting enough to meet the days need. I am reminded of Jesus words from Luke 12:24: "Consider the ravens: they neither plant nor harvest, they have no silo or barn, yet God feeds them. You are worth so much more than birds!" The little birds remind me to LIVE in the moment, not irresponsibly, but mindfully. They remind me that I, too, am of worth. They remind me that if I make God's priority my priority, then the things of the world will be sufficient to meet my need. And God's priority if simple: LOVE. Love God, Love my neighbor as I love myself.

I had PT with Mike this morning. After lunch, Bill and I went to the outskirts of Oak Ridge to hike the Quarry Trail again, this time determined to find the quarry. We had passed it by last time. We were well-rewarded by our 3.3 mile hike. When we got home, it was still mild enough to sit on the deck and grill burgers.