too TGIT to quit

“God set February and Spring up on a blind date and today is their love-child”


well, it went something like that.  That was a quote from Bubba on the first day of February.  The highest my car thermometer hit yesterday? wait for it wait for it:

please ignore the dust ridden dash

BAM

That is what I am talking about.  Mama Nature threw a party on the last day of January because I am pretty sure she was excited as I was about it-66 degrees baby.  Bubba and I threw a “fake spring” cleaning party because we had to try and make the inside of our house match the outside world.  We were handed a get-out-of-winter-free card and we took that badboy and we passed go and we collected $200.00. By collected $200.00, I mean I went to a true Italian pizza restaurant and did up the end of January right.  

love this sign

my friend lizzie evidently as excited about this amazing dining experience as i was

And then today, yesterday we landed on FREE PARKING.  If you have had as many intense games of Monopoly in your childhood as I did, you would know what the glory of landing on free parking can mean.  There you are dragging your little empty thimble across the board, mortgaging your properties,and hoping against hope you have to go to jail for awhile so you don't have to risk landing on...anything. ever again.  You are well aware of exactly what you need the dice to do for you to land on free parking.  Willing with every fiber of your being for luck to be a lady tonight.  You shake those smooth cubes of impending doom and release.  The die is cast, and you look upon with calm despair what fate has been sealed.  But, what’s this?  I LANDED ON FREE PARKING!!!!!!!! Celebrations (and/or the screams of defeat from your opponents) ensue. If you have an NSYNC* CD handy, you may very well end up dancing to their classic hit “Just Got Paid”, while you let those rainbow hued dollah bills take a little trip to the ceiling.  



Yeah, that’s what this weather was like.  I am pretty sure Texas misses me and decided to send me a little southern comfort just the way I like it.  Warm, window down, country music bopping, passing a yellow mini cooper convertible with top down.  The trees don’t let me forget it’s still winter, which is fine because i don’t want to lose my head completely over this.  I’ll just take the beauty as it comes, and the sorrows or joys that may follow it.  

Perhaps we will have a vicious cold snap before winter meets its’ certain destruction.  But, the wonderful thing about it is that Spring will have the final victory.  I know that the battle between life and death always ends in life.  It is written in creation.  Every single bit of it.  

“unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit”  John 12:24

God wrote the mystery of our Salvation into the seasons, and all of creation.  

I have to invite the wisdom of Captain Jim (from Anne’s house of dreams) :  

“It always amazes me to look at the little, wrinkled brown seeds and think of the rainbows in ‘em,” said Captain Jim.  “When I ponder on them seeds I don’t find it nowise hard to believe that we’ve got souls that will live in other worlds.  You couldn’t hardly believe there is life in them tiny things, some no bigger than grains of dust, let alone color and scent, if you hadn’t seen the miracle, could you?"

you could've held these towering trees in the palm of your hand once upon a time

It is sad that so much of wonder has gone from us when we have “grown up”.  If only we could cling to the awe that we felt when we first learned that those little black things we spit out contain every thing needed to grow an apple tree or a watermelon patch and produce delicious fruit for us to enjoy. Or when we found out that those creepy crawly caterpillars shimmy into an ugly brown tomb and emerge as those delicate little creatures that dance on the breath of winds as flying works of art are wont to do.  

Both the seed and the caterpillar have to be buried in darkness before they emerge triumphant and fulfill their destiny to stand radiant in the sunshine.  Sounds like a story I know.  About a God-man Who suffered, died, was placed in a dark tomb, and rose glorious and triumphant.  Except instead of standing radiant in the sunshine, He is the Light that we all long to stand radiant in.  

So there you are, my pre-weekend musings.  

And, let me just make it known that I really really REALLY miss this little miracle:

A LOT. I have not seen Lianna, her baby belly, or my little dumpling noodle in about a month due to illness on both sides and I am having serious withdrawals. So, my dream weekend picture is painted with the colors of family love, dinner with friends, and Resurrection joy with the Body of Christ. And maybe, just maybe, some Valentine's crafting. Don't judge. It's less than 2 weeks away, and I happen to really like Valentine's day.  It's because my momma made it so special for us growing up, my associations with this holiday are centered on the unconditional love of my momma and her generous heart, and not on the commercialized pressure many feel to make it the most romantic day of their lives. Plus, if you know me, you know I dig hearts and chocolate and heart shaped chocolates. So, I say, bring on the hearts, the pink and red M&M's, the serenading cards, and the astronomically inflated rose prices. Okay, not that last one. But all that other stuff.

It's a super bonus Thursday, because today is the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple. It's been 40 days since Christmas (jigga what?!?!?) and so today we celebrate this beautiful Feast. Simeon's entire life was centered on the hope of seeing the Christ child, and his hope was not disappointed, because it was centered in He Who is Hope. Whenever I pray the canticle of Simeon, I think of how I, like Simeon, have beheld the Savior. Every time I receive the Eucharist, I hold Him as Simeon held Him, and hope that I can truly mean these words as Simeon meant them whenever I repeat them in prayer.

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go

in peace, according to your word,

for my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,

light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and glory for your people Israel.” Luke 2: 29-32

No matter what all will be well for Christ has come and will come again. And remember, even if our days are not all sunny, we can always bask in the Light of Christ, and be ourselves bearers of light for the world. Good news indeed. Cheers!

Happy Thursday!