Flourish

May all the happenings of my life prove useful and beneficial to me. May all things instruct me and afford me an opportunity of exercising some virtue and daily learning and growing toward Thy likeness, and let the world go which way it will.

Susanna Wesley (from The Prayers of Susanna Wesley)

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Hello Friend,

You are a brave one to be out in this cold! Come in, come in! What a treat to have a visit from you on a day like this. Please have a seat by the fire, and feel free to cozy up under the comfy quilt draped over the wing chair.

We had a delightful six-day visit from our youngest grandson, Little Munch. Now that he has returned home and the house has reshuffled its feathers, The Cowboy is back out in his shop working on his antique tractor, refurbishing it so it’ll be ready for work in the spring. And I’ve been sitting at my desk reading and writing, with gentle acoustic guitar playing in the background, and a glorious winter vista out my windows.

I’ve made chamomile tea. Among its many benefits, it helps to reduce stress and anxiety. And we all need a little bit of that in our lives these days. Will you have some with a piece of coffee cake? I made some for Little Munch while he was here (he does love his coffee cake), and there are a few pieces left.

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Somehow, January has gone and I don’t know where it has gone. I usually like to spend January reflecting on the year past and thinking about the year ahead, but this year life was unusually busy. And here we are halfway through February!

We’ve had a very cold snap recently, but there is magic yet to be found in -32º weather. The chickadees still call, “Hey Sweetie,” while the frost on twig and branch and ground sparkles in a myriad of diamonds. It looks like everything is charged with tiny twinkling snow fairies. Look! Isn’t it enchanting?

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The voice of Nature loudly cries,

And many a message from the skies,

That something in us never dies.

Robert Burns

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I wonder if you’ve been feeling the heaviness that seems to permeate the world lately. There’s tension and combativeness in the air; people are quick to lash out at the smallest idea or action or opinion. So many think their way is the right way; there is no sense of compromise, of love, of kindness. It makes one want to hide away until the universe resolves itself.

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The world’s more full of weeping than you can understand. — W.B. Yeats

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Hiding away may serve your mental health for a time, but hiding away is not the answer. If the pandemic taught me anything it was that, as the world felt crazier, bigger, and more out of control, I had to look closer at the happenings in my own sphere, and those beings within my realm of influence. I looked for scraps of joy that revealed themselves the more I looked for them. They are there; you just need to look on purpose.

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In a world gone mad, small things turn big bad wheels.

In my little corner, gargantuan things happen:

The hollyhocks are blooming.

Joy Bailey

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There are ways to flourish in times like these. Kindness, for instance. Kindness is so remarkably rare that people are surprised by it when it happens to them. They’re so conditioned to the current atmosphere of teeth-clenching and fighting back, that kindness takes them off guard. In a world gone mad, where we want to do something that makes sense, kindness is something we can DO.

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Life is short, And we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who make the journey with us. So … be swift to love, and make haste to be kind. And the blessing of God, who made us, who loves us, and who travels with us be with you now and forever. Amen

Henri Frédéric Amiel

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I’m so very glad you stopped in on this wintry day. I hope it’s a little warmer for our next visit. Stay safe out there, and see you next time.

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Feature Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay