It was bad enough that my daughter and son-in-law were getting ready for their 10-hour drive home to Tennessee. They were upstairs packing; I was downstairs making oatmeal. Standing at the stove, I heard a slight banging sound over by the refrigerator. Thinking it was the ice maker, I wasn't concerned; I was too busy holding back tears. After such a great time with my kids, the leaving part always rips at my heart. Every time.
If you are a parent of adult children who live far away, then you know how exciting it is to see them arrive and sad to see them go. My daughter doesn't like to see me cry, and I was doing my best to accommodate her. Then it happened. I walked to the fridge and saw what the noise had been. A cardinal. I'm pretty sure birds don't sleep on their backs, but I was hoping to see that beautiful bird open her eyes, shake her head like you see on a cartoon, roll over to her feet, and fly away. She didn't. Even though she looked perfectly fine, she was dead, right there in front of my sliding glass door.
The kids had seen the tiny corpse from their bedroom window, so by the time they came down the stairs, none of us had an appetite. Two trips for luggage, a few minutes of loading the vehicle, and a couple of hugs later, the waterworks were flowing as I waved good-bye to my daughter and her husband. I probably could have made it; the sun was shining, and the birds were singing, but there was one bird that would never sing again. There was another, more colorful one, that wouldn't stop.
The photo for today is called, "Stained Glass" (with a dry brush filter). The reds stand out in the way Cardinals stand out in nature.
Hate. Even the way that word looks is ugly. There's nothing pretty or good about "hate". I remember commenting about something in class by saying, "I hate it when that happens," and one of my students interrupted with, "Hate is a very strong word". I guess the student became the teacher that day because, since then, I've tried not to use that word to describe how I feel. This is easier said than done if I watch the evening news. Hate, along with a side of greed, are the daily specials on most networks, which brings me to my original thought for today's post: the Jewish vs. Palestinian issue. With Christ living in my heart, I have compassion for both sides, after all, God says to, "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27). If only we could actually do that. Can you imagine what a different world this would be?
Getting back to the problems in the Middle East, read what God said to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-4, "I will cause you to become the father of a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and I will make you a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you." Wow! It's quite clear that God is not happy with us when we complain about our Jewish neighbors. I don't know about you, but I definitely choose to be blessed, not cursed. I take this seriously. Abraham is referred to many times in the Bible. One more reference worth mentioning is at the end of Romans 4:16. It says, "For Abraham is the father of all who believe." If you are a Christian, I hope you are praying for your Jewish brothers and sisters. You can see what hate does to those who hate; be blessed for being one who blesses.
My dog isn't sleeping in her usual spot; she's huddled as far back into a corner as her 80 pound body will allow. It's only nine o'clock in the evening, but the booming echoes of the fireworks, far and near, are literally non-stop. That's what happens when our town's main display of professional fireworks are done on the third of July; it frees up time for all of the locals and tourists to shoot off their own collections. On the fourth, the sky becomes a potpourri of color, size, and sizzle. Rather than concentrated in one area over the lake, fireworks ranging from mini to spectacular can be seen in every direction. Hopefully no one needs to get up early tomorrow, because sleep will be difficult tonight. Not even the loudest fan or air conditioner can drown out this many pops and explosions. To some, it may be annoying that people are allowed to make so much noise, but that is, after all, what we are celebrating. Instead of these very same sounds coming from bombs against the oppressed, they are shot to remind us that we are a free nation, born on this day in 1776, and still strong. God bless America.
I chose this double-merged sea glass photo for its symmetry that you see in some old fashioned fireworks. I hope you like it.
Happy 4th of July!
