Category: spring

Guest Poem from Kelly Greer

 
Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
(Proverbs 13:14 NIV)
 
 
I have been pleased by the response to the idea of posting poetry for the month of April. My dear friend, Kelly Greer, submitted this reflective poem that leads us from empty to fulfilled. Enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hope like an empty picture frame….
Believing what is not there…unseen
Heart sick in the waiting…trusting
Not seeing…hoping in the future
The Artist…the Creator…
Working one stroke….one shade
One at a time…in time…His perfect timing
Framing the answer…a branch from the tree of life
Believing in the fruit to come
Weathering the storms
Withering in the drought
Bearing the weight of winter
Marvelling at the spring buds
Shaded in the sweltering summer heat
Radiant in fall color
Strong and deep and bold and purposeful
Framing the future…
My imaginations… His work
My hope….His purpose
Trusting in the Master’s ways…
The finishing….completion.
 
(2013 Copyright. All Rights Reserved. Kelly Greer)
 
 
 
 
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.
(Jeremiah 17:8 NIV)


Check out more of Kelly’s musings at her blog:
 Ain’t No Mountain Too High!

 
If you would like me to post one of your poems at Nourishment for the Soul in the month of April, send me a copy to my email at kelrohlf@gmail.com
 
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Thrilling Guest Thursdays are Back!

 
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 
 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 ESV)
 
Dogwood in bloom, Spring 2012, in our front yard
 
 
God uses our presence, our friendships and our words and prayers to lift one another up. One of the great encouragements of being a blogger is meeting others who walk the same path. We cheer one another on and share space to encourage, comfort and challenge one another.
 
Dawn Paoletta, a modern day disciple, as she calls herself, is one of those friends. She loves to share the power of words through journaling, blogging, and poetry. Today, she has graciously agreed to link up her newest Spring poem, which I also see as a vulnerable prayer:
 
 
 
Spring Desire by Dawn Paoletta
 
 

I find myself longing for something new.

Not that I am discontent.

I am not.

I have peace.

Am content.

Yet I feel a longing within,

not dissatisfaction,

for that stirs up

negative connotations.

Is there a fresh wind blowing?
 
 
 
 
Thanks, Dawn!
 
 
Posted on by kelrohlf 7

Consider: To Think About Carefully

 
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:
they neither toil nor spin…
(Matthew 6:28 NKJV)
 
 
 
Yesterday, we considered the butterflies…and my friend Lynn Morrissey, who inspired me to consider them in the first place, left some wonderful lessons over in the comments on yesterday’s post. Go here to read more…
 
 
 
 
And now FOR TODAY…
 
Linking up with The Simple Woman’s Daybook
 
Over at The Simple Woman’s Daybook, I found these list of prompts. I thought it would be a fun way to “journal” about the first day of Spring!


Outside my window…on the first day of spring snowflakes flutter by, when I was hoping for butterflies.

I am thinking…that the honeymoon is waning, and why have I let the zeal of this Lenten journey lapse into apathy.

I am thankful…that mercy is fresh every morning, and I can recapture the zeal to seek the Beloved, and ask how He wants to finish out the journey of Lent.

In the kitchen…is a box of Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies…how did they get in the house, when I just shooed out some Ghirardelli chocolates…I get rid of one temptation and another follows on its heels. Deliver me from evil!

I am wearing…comfy jeans and a burgundy turtleneck and my winter boots, when I’d rather be wearing shorts and a t-shirt and flip flops.

I am creating…inner chaos by flitting around my anxious thoughts rather than lighting on the terra firma of God’s word.

I am going…to enjoy the remaining days of Lent, as a “daily liturgy of lilies,” rather than harassing myself over past failures and vague future dreams. (See The Quiet Act of Attention by Jill Carattini)

I am wondering…how easily I lose sight of the Beloved.

I am reading…Psalm 91 in the morning, and Rules of Civility (Amor Towles) in the afternoon. Psalm 91 shelters me from the barrage of anxious thoughts, and the novel gives me a break from reality for a few hours.

I am hoping…that I will embrace whatever weather each day brings, and remember that my Beloved beckons me to find refuge in His love alone.

I am looking forward to…warmer weather, sitting on the porch swing, and the lazy days of summer.

I am learning…that just because one season ends that its effects can be carried over into the new season. A new season doesn’t erase the old one. Only God’s forgiveness eases my soul.

Around the house…I find that dust bunnies multiply.

I am pondering…whether or not I should tackle some spring cleaning, now that spring has arrived.

A favorite quote for today… “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”(Anne Bradstreet)

One of my favorite things…is to try something new.

A few plans for the rest of the week: meet with friends, go on my weekly writer’s adventure and enjoy each day as a gift from the Beloved.

A peek into my day…I woke up, I ate, I read, I wrote in my journal…and I visited with three friends on the phone (which is a rarity in this day of emails, facebook and texting)

Posted on by kelrohlf 7