Lovely Day

Lovely day to fish

Too bad for us the fish did

Not get the memo.

Clara Nelle thinking about fishing

Now she's into it - going for bait fish.

Wonders

Hiking in the woods

Granddaughters leading the way

Wonders to behold.

"I Was a Stranger"

I have debated about if or how I should share my Lenten Discipline. "I Was a Stranger" is 40 days of scripture and prayer around the topic of immigration, promoted by Sojourners.  Each day a scripture is offered, beginning on Day 1 in Genesis and ending on Day 40 in Revelation.  I am sharing the scripture for each day from the Common English Bible. I use www.biblestudytools.com to access the passage and copy and paste. The words following it are my summary or thought for the day. By sharing, I deepen my commitment to keep up the reading and posting every day. My journal of "I Was a Stranger" is on the page link at the right. For more information, go to their web site also titled "I Was a Stranger."

My Valentine

Be my Valentine

You said with actions

Not with words,

Forty-one years ago.

You since have held 

My heart in your gentle hands,

Some days tightly

Some days loosely

Some days carelessly

Some days tenderly

Always lovingly.

My heart belongs to you

Forevermore.

Slowing down pays off

On the way home from school today we, as ususal, passed our neighbor's cow pasture. Claire said as we passed, "Was that a dead buffalo in the field?"  Not a buffalo, I responded.  "Well, do buffalo lie down to sleep?" asked Claire.  "Don't know about buffalo, but cows sometimes do," I replied. So we decided to drive around the circle and see if the "dead buffalo" was a cow resting. On the way, we saw several very young calves in the field. When we got back to the "dead buffalo" we discovered that she (Angus, not buffalo) was in the process of birthing a calf. She was about 100 ft from the road. We stopped to watch. She was obviously in labor, but not distressed. After a few minutes, and after a strong push, she stood up and turned around so that she was facing us. Next thing we saw was a little black bundle on the ground. She started licking it clean and it wiggled it's ears. What a blessing to witness the birth of a calf. We watching for 15-20 min longer, until the newborn calf was on its feet and finding mom's teat. Slowing down to watch paid off! Claire and I both used our phones to take a few pics. She messaged "everybody" and I'm posting the first and last  photo of the birth. Priceless!

Just Born

about 20 min later

Sandhill Crane Day

Bill and I made our third annual trek to Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge to the see Sandhill Cranes. We also hoped for a Whooping Crane sighting. We were at the viewing platform from about noon until 2 pm. We saw many Sandhills, but not the exuberant numbers that we have seen before. Bill spotted a bird across the lake that looked like an eagle, but even with the spotting scope of some of the other birders, we could not be sure. Probably a juvenile bald eagle, possibly a golden eagle. We also saw several large hawks, likely red-shouldered. A few blue herons were among the Sandhills. There were ducks we couldn't identify, but a few snow and blue geese swimming with them. Double-crested cormorants flew by occasionally. Among the small birds, I saw a yellow-rumped (Myrtle) warbler to add to my life list, bluebirds and phoebe. My camera is not powerful enough to get good pictures at the distances we were. I am definitely getting a spotting scope. Below the Hiwassee pictures are a few from earlier in January.

Can you see three birds?

Sandhill Head Shot

Feeding Time

In-Flight

A large gathering of Cranes

Mississippi HomePlace

Snow and Blue Geese, Taylor Rd, Sunflower County, MS
January 3, 2013

Our Little Pond

Robins enjoy the water, joined by a Cedar Waxwing

Peace

"Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called the Children of God." Matt 5:9

I believe that those of us who call ourselves Christians are called and given a mandate to be peacemakers. Violence cannot be overcome with violence. Using violence only escalates violence. We who call ourselves Christians are the hope of the world for building peace. If we don't answer the call, who will? Jesus' model for building peace was not to carry a bigger stick, it was to turn the other cheek, to reach out in compassion. If you call yourself a Christian, don't tell me it can't work. Young men who feel loved, valued, embraced in a fellowship of compassionate community don't go on killing sprees, even if they suffer from mental illness. There are many actions we need to take socially and politically to solve the problems of violence in our culture. Unless those actions begin with the goal of building peace, they will ultimately fail. So for every political action proposed, ask yourself: will this bring more peace or is it escalating violence? What can we do in our homes and local communities to make sure every child in this great and wealthy nation is loved, cared for, and embraced by a loving community?

The essayists at Sojourners say it more eloquently than I. I hope you will read what they have to say. http://sojo.net/magazine/2013/02/heart-peace