Do Not Worry about Your Life

I truly don't think I have ever been in a field of flowers that is that large. One morning last week, my daughter took me to a nearby field that just happens to be in front of the Fujitsu company in Richardson. She had told me about this field of bluebonnets that just goes on forever. It took maybe 5 minutes to get there. I couldn't believe my eyes when we pulled up. This has been practically in my own backyard, and I didn't know about it. I felt a bit foolish!

As with other splendors of God - mountains, oceans, valleys, and the starry universe - there is absolutely no way to capture it with a camera or a video. You have to stand right in the middle of it and experience it! I wanted everyone dear to me to be right there with me to see it and breathe in the fragrance. Since that was not possible, I resorted to the usual - taking photos. Naturally, all the photos ended up looking the same and in no possible way captured the experience of standing in a field of bluebonnets. But I will bore you with them all the same!

What is it about flowers - millions of flowers! - that make us smile and uplifts our spirits? They are here one day and gone tomorrow. How can they impart such meaning and joy? It is a mystery. And it is also a reminder of Christ's words to us:

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith?

"So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6)

Finding a New Park

One of the things that my daughter and I have been doing this year is exploring different parks and trails around this region. There are pluses and minuses to all of them. Some have playgrounds for preschoolers and older children. Some have lakes or ponds. Others are just nature trails. This afternoon, we found a wonderful park just 7 minutes north of my house - Crowley Park in Richardson.

They have swings and playgrounds built for preschoolers and elementary age children, lots of shade trees, a nice pavilion, and a lovely pond nearby that has a deck jutting out into the pond and some resident mallards, turtles and koi. We will definitely be visiting this one in the weeks to come!

Spring Garden

Here are some of the things growing in my garden this month AND my "garden helper"!

Purple in Texas

Someone shared these photos of some of the lavender fields that are in the Hill Country of Texas. There are a number of lavender farms in that area, and there is even a Lavender Festival in June. I can't even imagine the fragrance!

Mulch

We have made a number of trips to our city's recycling center this week. I read that the city provides free mulch to any of its residents. Evidently, the city has an endless supply of mulch from a variety of sources and is glad to give it away. Who knew? All you have to do is load up your car/truck with shovels, buckets and a tarp, and make the 10 minute drive. Once there, you are faced with a huge container filled with mulch. One end is open, so you can back your car or truck right up to it and commence with transferring the material. If someone has beat you to it, you can always jump up on top of the mulch and begin filling your 5 gallon buckets. We have found that a pitchfork works best in loosening the mulch (which has become compacted by the sheer volume of it) and putting it into the buckets. And a two-man team is helpful - one filling the bucket and the other transferring the contents to the vehicle. Of course, you have to reverse the process once you get home!

After this rather back-breaking work, and in the sun, I began to wonder "What is the purpose of mulch anyway? Why is it so important?" I found a good explanation:

Mulch: any material placed over soil in the garden. It's designed to retain moisture, deter weeds and keep the soil from eroding. The benefits of mulch are plentiful. For the busy gardener, mulch is a great time-saving device because it helps to prevent weeds from sprouting in the garden. In addition, it can keep the soil moist, reducing the need for constant watering. Mulch will enrich the existing soil and will prevent rain and other elements from washing it away.

It seems that mulch serves as a protection - both to keep the good things in and the bad things out. Using it helps the plants and soil maintain a healthy environment for growth and strength, even under extreme conditions of heat and cold. A constancy is preserved underneath. In addition, it keeps undesirable elements from growing within which can short-circuit the plant's source of nutrition. Finally, mulch will keep the soil and plants from being displaced or torn apart during wind and rain.

I'm always looking for spiritual illustrations in the ordinary things around me. As an Orthodox Christian, keeping a morning and evening prayer time has become my "mulch". I have found that when I skip these times, I become more vulnerable to distractions and anxieties. My life seems out of control and aimless. I become more self-centered and impatient. For others, following the Divine Hours throughout the day keeps them centered and focused. Scripture reading is also a good "mulch". But whatever it is, our body and soul needs it to grow and be nourished. Don't be fooled when the enemy whispers, "It's not necessary!"

Harbingers of Spring

Crocuses (photo by N. Nice)

Spring always surprises me. After months of gray and brown and dead leaves, one begins to forget what flowers and grass and shade trees look like. Sitting on my back patio, I look at the barren branches of my crape myrtles, oak tree and pear tree and try to remember all the shade they provide. It is difficult to imagine everything coming back to life again. Judging just by outward appearance, the Snow Queen has pretty much killed everything!

Then a green blade pushes up through the weather worn mulch and fallen leaves. I had completely forgotten about the daffodils in that corner! The sunlight is still sharply angled by the tilt of the earth and casts long shadows. But deep down in the earth, crocuses and daffodils are drinking in the warmth and preparing to sound the first chords of the prelude to spring.

The bright green and yellow of daffodils are soon followed by Bradford pear trees around town exploding in white blossoms. They look like trees whose branches have popped popcorn overnight! And then, as if the Master Artist decided to add a splash of color for accent and surprise, the redbud trees add their brilliant pinks against dark evergreens and barren oaks. Everything shouts the promise of spring and the hope of resurrection.

The Savior by Viktor Vasnetsov

How fitting that Pascha (Easter) is right at this time of year. We have all of creation around us to remind us of Christ's resurrection and the gift of life he has given us. God always meant for his creation to be a reflection of spiritual truths and a means of understanding our life in him. Let us be mindful of always keeping in touch with this marvelous gift.

Sofa Cushions

Skimming over the home page of the New York Times this morning, this heading jumped out at me:  Effort to Restore Children’s Play Gains Momentum


I haven't thought much about this topic since I had my own children 30 years ago, but, now that I'm a grandparent, the issue has become relevant once more. For the past 20 years I have wondered how all this technology and immediate access to information (good and bad) would affect children growing up. I have been troubled to see children so "scheduled" with soccer practices, games, gymnastics, piano lessons, and AP classes.  Writer Hilary Stout states:

"For several years, studies and statistics have been mounting that suggest the culture of play in the United States is vanishing. Children spend far too much time in front of a screen, educators and parents lament — 7 hours 38 minutes a day on average, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation last year. And only one in five children live within walking distance (a half-mile) of a park or playground, according to a 2010 report by the federal Centers for Disease Control, making them even less inclined to frolic outdoors."

My first response is - "Well, who lets the child sit in front of a screen that many hours?" The answer soon bubbles up:

"Behind the numbers is adult behavior as well as children’s: Parents furiously tapping on their BlackBerrys in the living room, too stressed by work demands to tolerate noisy games in the background. Weekends consumed by soccer, lacrosse and other sports leagues, all organized and directed by parents. The full slate of lessons (chess, tae kwon do, Chinese, you name it) and homework beginning in the earliest grades."

"Too little playtime may seem to rank far down on the list of society’s worries, but the scientists, psychologists, educators and others who are part of the play movement say that most of the social and intellectual skills one needs to succeed in life and work are first developed through childhood play. Children learn to control their impulses through games like Simon Says, play advocates believe, and they learn to solve problems, negotiate, think creatively and work as a team when they dig together in a sandbox or build a fort with sofa cushions. (The experts define play as a game or activity initiated and directed by children. So video games don’t count, they say, except perhaps ones that involve creating something, and neither, really, do the many educational toys that do things like sing the ABC’s with the push of a button.)" 

To be fair, I have to admit that it would very difficult to raise a child today in our culture. You can't isolate your child from what's going on around him. If you do, he won't know how to deal with it once he gets older. Parents who want to create a more healthy atmosphere for their children must go to battle daily to keep things in balance - putting limitations on technology in the home and inevitably being unpopular with other parents or children who haven't made the same decisions. Not an easy path to choose.


Perhaps some good can come out of our current recession. Many families have been forced to cut back on items that cost money - technology, toys, lessons, team sports. One can hope that these families will find they have more time with their children and that everyone ends up benefiting from it.

The entire article here.