Thursday, February 18, 2010

Extravagance Just Because

What if God had been as frugal at creation as we tend to be with each other. How fragrant and colorful would the world's flowers be?
What if God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and all the other riches of our earth, had decided to keep them in His bank account instead of wasting them on us?
What if God had been only as kind to us as we are to others?
What if before pouring out His riches on us; God would have calculated how much He was worth, and whether we were the best place to invest His assets?
What if God had put a higher premium on having a savings account than on having a relationship with us?

Here's little story that spoke to me. Mr Browne and his family approached the security gate of an international airport preparing to fly overseas. Mrs. Browne clutched a six-pack of Mt. Dew in her hand with which she intended to please a friend when they reached their destination. I don't know how much the six bottles of pop had cost them, but I do know that they "lost" it at the gate for "security reasons". The official there offered that they take a minute to enjoy it themselves before giving it up.
If you are like me; you're thinking, Why would you spend money on something as silly as pop, go to all the bother of holding it and carrying it overseas, only to have it taken at the gate?
But the whole point to the Browne family was that if they could get it through, a dear friend would enjoy it with much pleasure. The few dollars that they spent was immaterial compared to the joy they anticipated giving their friend.

On what do you set the highest premium: the dollar amount you can save if you don't buy silly things like pop, or the pleasure you bring to someone who really enjoys it?
Next time you decide for frugality to not spend that money, be sure to check your priorities. In the light of eternity what counts the most?

And don't forget that God gave His only Son to die for us who did absolutely nothing to deserve it. Go ahead, waste/invest a little time or money on a friend today.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Winter Blues


Yes, the winter blues are here!  We are having to pull along steadily with more effort.  Brad has been faithfully building fire over a huge heap of ash build-up which makes stoking a chore. The house is chilly well into the morning.  We are inclined to complain. We take turns checking the thermostat. "Did somebody turn it down?"

The icicles hanging from our house are jagged and ugly due to a family of children who cannot resist hitting them just for the crash and jangle. I tell them not to, but they can't stop. A thick three foot icicle MUST be whacked! So the menacing broken teeth greet everyone coming to our door. (Winter hospitality at it's best!)

My silly Christmas cactus is blooming all over again.  No, I'm not going back...Spring is AHEAD!!

The snowblower belt came off/broke? a couple weeks ago so we're all walking uphill to the vehicles over the build up of snow...it's going to melt soon, right?  

Elv plans to borrow Delvin's tractor this Saturday to clean out the ashes, and push away the snow mess in the lane.  It'll be big day for that handy little John Deere tractor and loader.

We need a Saturday of rejuvenation around here.  We'll mop the salty white film off the porch floor again, just to celebrate clean paths, neatly parked cars on a crisp lane, and a hot firing boiler.  Maybe we'll create something gourmet in the new, stoneware roaster for supper as a grand finale just to thumb our noses at Old Man Winter. 

Mush On!!


Wednesday, February 3, 2010

The Winter Blahs


We all have them, don't we? It's that time of year when suddenly we realize that it's been cold for a long time.  We've been making fires, hauling wood, and wearing sweaters indoors for months now.  

The sad snow has become definite strata.  Any new snow looks like frosting on a marble cake and there's ice in different levels on the edges of the sidewalk, the winter's accumulation of tired shoveling. 

I am noticing the blue hue on my windows.  Spring cleaning comes to mind, but it is too soon. If I wash the windows now, in a week they'll be blue again.  Maybe that's not a good excuse for putting it off, but I do.

Everybody is trying to alleviate the blahs.  Seed catalogs, sale prices, Valentine's Day, and Sugar on Snow are the evidences of such efforts. But I suspect that these are only winter events after-all and the only real panacea for the blahs is to get through to the real thing.

Spring is IT!  What we have for now is only promise. The sun is a bit warmer, the snow IS tired, and the seed orders CAN be done. So we're getting there, day by day, to spring.           

                               I promise, amg

                                                             


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