The Rogue Squirrel

For the past three weeks in Southern California, it has been raining consistently. Every day there is rain - lots of it, torrential downpours. Nothing like I've seen since I've lived here. As I was listening to the rain and working one morning, I noticed movement in the backward. I stopped for a second then continued working. But the movement was still there, so I explored further. There was a squirrel in one of the chairs. Somehow he had poked a hole in the seat and was taking the cotton out of the chair. When the squirrel became aware of me, it ran off with the cotton in its mouth. I had never seen that before and it made me smile and marvel at the same time.

I could only deduce that he was using the cotton to keep his living quarters warm. I did some online research which confirmed that squirrels make nests in trees of leaves and limbs but for extra warmth, they will use whatever they can find, like carpet fibers and cotton.

The unseasonably cold and rainy weather brought that squirrel to a chair in my backyard where I witnessed him absconding with a mouthful of cotton. I'm not an animal lover by any stretch of the imagination, but this simple act by the squirrel magnified the greatness of God in all of His creation. That pesky squirrel was ingenious enough to find additional warmth for his nest by using my backward chair. It's a minor inconvenience for me and a lifesaver for the squirrel.

When I look at nature and see God's handiwork, I can only say that he is amazing. When I see how everything in nature works together perfectly, again I'm amazed. I surely could not have provided such detail if it were up to me. And if God can wire a squirrel to take care of itself, how much more care went into me? Just like He made that squirrel, He made me and knows every part of me. 

For the life of every living thing is in his hand and the breath of every human being. Job 12:10 [NLT]

Does nature move you to praise God?

This Person I've Become - Nature Lover

Tonight I saw the blood moon.

After the sunset, but before the moon

I didn't know much about it beforehand, but I had heard about it. Some Christians have beliefs around what this red moon signifies, but I hold no such beliefs. I was simply curious and a tad bit bored.

So we ventured out to a popular hiking spot and it was crowded - seems like many had the same idea.

We parked our car and somehow I got into a conversation with an elderly gentleman named Neil.  He seemed knowledgeable about what was supposed to happen, but it turns out he was just like me - curious. While waiting for the moon to show, we talked about everything and nothing in particular. He was a gregarious man. He thought because I was black, I bought into some of the spiritual significance of what this moon could potentially signify.  We chatted and waited and when he left he hugged and kissed my daughters and I. And as soon as he left the moon showed her pretty face. I was excited. The moon was red, but it was blocked by clouds but it was still a sight to see.

I kept saying - "There it is! There it is, I can't believe it."

I was awestruck because so many from around the world were witnessing this phenomenon also.

All I could think was:

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. Psalm 19, 1,2 [NLT]

Did you witness the blood moon? What were your thoughts?

This Person I've Become - Earth Conscious

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Having lived in California for the past 7 years, certain things were bound to happen, but who knew they would happen to me.  About a year ago California banned all plastic bags at the grocery store. We were warned a year in advance and then once the law was implemented had a six month grace period to comply.

I, who never cared about such things,  now keep a supply of bags in my trunk at all times. When I go grocery shopping, once the bags are emptied I find myself immediately walking back to the car to store them in the trunk. I ensure that anyone in my house who may shop, also has a supply of bags. This is a new routine for me. The consequence of not doing this is having to pay .10 per bag whenever I shop and I refuse to do this. It seems that many folks think like me, because if they forget their bags they put everything back in the cart until they reach their car.

This new law has made me:

• Cost conscious - It seems that you shop based on how many bags you have. I haven't seen any research to substantiate this but just by observation I've seen this phenomenon. Also many grocery stores now give you a credit depending on how many bags you have.
• Bag conscious - Any bag that comes in to my house now has the potential of being reused as a grocery bag; so those fancy bags from high end boutiques, beach bags, or tote bags all now double as grocery bags in addition to grocery bags themselves. I have relearned the art of folding brown paper bags and then stacking them neatly in to one of my tote bags. I haven't gone so far (yet) as to make bags out of old t-shirts though!
• Environmentally conscious - apparently those plastic bags were wreaking havoc on the environment, killing marine life and generally becoming a nuisance to clean up. In writing this post and digging a little deeper I've learned that those plastic bags are non-biodegradable which means they don't decay; so long term those handy bags cause more harm than good.

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This bag is surprisingly sturdy! I carried one in my pocketbook all the time

And this is a complete surprise to me since I was never a hippie tree hugging sort of person (please excuse my ignorance, if this offends! :)) Changes in the law can force us to change our routine, but other things may do so also. For instance I was recently convicted by my lack focus and I am now consciously working to change that.

Though change may be hard, if it is for our good why not embrace it to see how much better we can become.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.The world and all its people belong to him. Psalms 24:1 [NLT]
What new routine have you recently started? It can be anything but I'd love to hear.

Sounds of the Morning

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Birds chirping, singing and whistling.
Squirrels running through the trees
Other critters coming to life
Thud - the sound of the newspaper being delivered.

I am able to hear these sounds because it is so peaceful and there is nothing else going on. Most humans are still asleep and there's not a lot of cars on the road, yet.

The sounds of nature are not drowned out by the sounds of daily living.

This is the best time of the day as it allows me to just be still. Sometimes I am in awe of all that is around me. Where I live fruit trees are prolific - the orange tree in my backyard is swelling with oranges. The lemon tree has produced quite a bit this year and the scent of fresh rosemary is heavenly; this is just my backyard.

Nature's bounty

As I run around the neighborhood, I enjoy the scent of flowers blooming. I am simply attuned to the beauty of God in nature and I am humbled.

I am no scientist, but I think about how everything knows its purpose and operates anew daily.

In the sounds of the morning I am reminded to be still. I am reminded that God has a purpose for me. I am reminded that God's mercies are new every morning. I am reminded of faithfulness.

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Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,

Because His compassions fail not.

 They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

What are your favorite sounds of the morning?