Cold Feet and Goose Bumps

Don’t you just love it when you draw back the bedroom curtains when you get up and see a faultless blue sky with the sun blazing in the middle of it? A California girl still at heart, to me that invites t-shirt and cropped trousers: even after forty years in this lovely northern country I have not learned that the sun and blue sky do not always signify heat.

I need to look at the other signs out there. The foliage draining of its vibrant green and transforming into a palette of fall colours. The rowan berries clustering thick and beginning to darken. The rhubarb shrivelling and the unplucked spinach shooting to flower. 

Some signs are easily seen and subconsciously obeyed. STOP. GIVE WAY. NO ENTRY.

Others are more subtle, more easily overlooked or ignored. 

Often we see what we want to see, but that leads only to cold feet and goosebumps.

Jesus counselled us to be alert to the signs of the times.

 

Today I pray that my eyes will engage with my brain and I will get the full story in every situation I encounter.

90 Years Young

We were privileged to be invited to a birthday afternoon tea to celebrate a dear friend’s 90^th birthday today. 

Hilda is not like most other 90 year olds. She radiates a deep inner joy as her sparkling smile lights up any room. 

She’s had her sad times, but moves through the decades with a joyful dignity, accepting her circumstances and enjoying things as they are now.  Although she likes reminiscing, she doesn’t wallow in her past but uses it as a springboard for her future. She’s a delight to be with, always up for a game of cards or a singalong.

She is living out the advice given by St Paul when he wrote his letter to the church in Philippi. He advised them ‘Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead’ ... press on toward the goal. A future with Jesus is a magnificent goal.

I pray that if I live to be 90, I might be as full of life and joy as dear Hilda is today.