there's a bird on my Bible

life looks like

pop and ma making the trip down to the heat of arkansas. last time they were out was for the reception when the house organization was that of a new couple, where lawn chairs were the seats in the living room, and when weariness throbbed in everyone’s system. so now having them out here when life has a rhythm, the freezer is stocked, and the activity list had been fermented in ambition, it was a joy.

the days were stuffed. and so was my heart. and suddenly the weekend was done. i have things planned already for next time they are out; we just simply didn't get everything done.

life looks like

former cartwright folk rolling through northwest arkansas, and they are stopping in for a few hours. it just so happens this is the weekend that folks are also out, which is ideal. so mom and i cook lunch together for our company.

childhood best friend and i shriek at the sight of each other. that friend feels as comfy as sitting in a freddys booth munching fries. we perhaps know too much about each other like childhood best friends do, which makes our spirits kindred. can someone tell me how one day we were grade three girls with braids as tight as our secrets and our only worry was if we were placed on opposite teams in recess. and now. we are married, the laughter is abundant, and we both understand the excitement of deep freezers. we gift each other tea towels and rugs when we see each other. for our own lil homes. how did that happen? seriously.

life looks like

canning green beans in pajamas on a friday morning and homemade pesto and washing up thrifted valuables. overflowing laundry baskets after company and linen sheets drying on the line and poppies plucked from the ditches. website designing and munching on corn cobs smothered in buttery goodness and glasses of chilled lemonade just for so.

an audio book bringing us back into the late 1800s as supper dishes are submerged into suds and tucked into the dishwasher. and cat runs wild after a tinfoil ball.

life looks like

the youth over for tacos after church. its chaos in the best way. at one point probably 10-15 youth all were mulling around in the kitchen, one guy blending up his own mixture of cilantro and salsa, and one girl making cheese dip on the stove and another making tea and others cutting up fruit and casey was brewing coffee and i was stirring up cake donuts and some were wanting tools to fry tortillas on the blackstone and more were inquiring where the knives, ice, and potholders were stored. white sugar on the floor. the air saturated in conversation. cotton grapes devoured.¹

a lively games of telestrations follow.

then they all go home. the trash is overflowing, i notice the dishes are washed, and the cat is unsure what just invaded our house.

life looks like

this morning the world feels a touch heavy. there are news headlines that are penetrating the world, and our hearts, and we just cannot imagine what some are bearing. all day long, i think of the newly grieving. in our own lil corner, there are life invasive decisions and hurting loved ones and a place up for sale that i wish not. there is always something to let go off. ²

i so wonder where life will be in one year from now… i so wonder what God is plotting behind the scenes… i so wonder how He is gonna use all things for His good…

so. the sink hugs the breakfast dishes, microwaved coffee rests in the hands, and i head out on a walk. i need Jesus and the gentle rhythm of a walk.

past dozens of homes. i keep starting prayers but my mind is straying. everyone’s front yards distract me. somehow lukewarm coffee is sloshed on the white sleeve. and the arkansas heat is inviting sweat, well before nine am.

back at home, i don’t know if the walk cleared anything but sometimes I think God invites us to do stuff not for an outcome we think we are gonna get, but more like an invitation to obedience. He just wants our yes.

i click on the notes app where i gather and horde nuggets of inspiration, and this phrase stands out to me,

‘’you have an abundant, unlimited supply of My strength.’’

i don’t recall how or where i picked up those string of words but today im inspired to write them down where i can see it daily. i write them on my microwave door.

and i carry on with the day. as i stir up granola, thoughts still stir in my head but the heartbeat of daily life has a way of easing the mind.

life looks like

i sat outside in the morning breeze and ate toast and talked with God as if He was right across the table, with only coffee between us. I bowed my head to pray.

and

just as i was opening my eyes and lifting my head,

right at the exact moment of ‘’amen’’,

a bird swoops under the porch, and lands right on my Bible. which is on the table right before me. maybe one foot away.

i stared.

the bird just carefreely perched there and watched the world for a few moments, occasionally glancing up at me and doing the lil wiggles a bird does.

time stood still.

and i hardly dared to breathe.

and then.

the cat comes sauntering along. and wants to jump on my lap. o pity. and all too soon the bird takes flight to the fence.

afterwards, my eyes got all teary and i just sat there and thanked God over and over. a bird on my Bible. however?! a touch from out of the blue.³ God is so fun.

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p.s. i need good book recommendations to listen to. preferably not books that are drenched in blood and gore, or got loads of history, but neither light and fluffy ones. i’m kind of picky. but still i welcome your suggestions if you think of some.

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1. we got out the cotton candy grapes that i had bought a week ago thinking maybe there were the good kind. oh no. we both were not a fan of them. so now with the youth over, i wondered if they would like them. and they devoured them! thank goodness!

2. and in return more Jesus to gain.

3. pun unintended

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