A Wildflower Morning

Ponder some thoughts of the beauty and loveliness of Jesus while you enjoy a visual tour of the beautiful gardens at RoosenGaarde , near Mt. Vernon, WA. "And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us." Psalm 90:17. The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. . . . He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered. Psalm 111:2-4   "I then beheld the beauty and loveliness of Jesus. His robe was whiter than the whitest white. No language can describe His glory and exalted loveliness. All, all who keep the commandments of God, will enter in through the gates into the city, and have right to the tree of life, and ever be in the presence of the lovely Jesus, whose countenance shines brighter than the sun at noonday."  Early Writings, p. 51.  "God, who made the Eden home of our first parents so surpassingly lovely, has also given the noble trees, the beautiful flowers, and everything lovel...

Enjoy some views from around the cute little town of La Conner, Washington, not far from the daffodil fields. Trumpeter Swans can be found grazing in many of the fields in the area.  What a treat to get such a close view.  This bird is the heaviest native North American bird with a 70 inch wing span, and weighing between 17 and 28 pounds.  It was rare or even extinct in some areas in the early 1900's.  It was hunted heavily for game and feathers.

The Skagit Valley in northern Washington is famous for its large fields of tulips and daffodils.  The daffodils were just getting started when we got here.  The tulips will follow in a couple weeks. Since the morning was clear, we decided that we'd better head out and see if we could find the famed yellow fields.   There was lots of standing water and mud, but the flowers didn't mind, they just reflected into the pools, doubling the number of blooms. I haven't seen anything quite like it before.  Row after row stretching almost up to the mountains, set off with this colorful old barn.  This field is on Best Road.

 I don't think it snows very often at sea level on the Puget Sound.  Regardless, our first morning here, we woke up to snow, on the car, and on select places on the ground.    The sky was crystal clear, the sparkling air crisp and clean.  Everything radiated freshness.  The children eagerly drew me down to the beach, for morning time with God, each on our own log.  Then we set out exploring what God had created for us this day.  I've already posted photos of the snow covered Olympic mountains and the log-strewn beach in my last two posts.   When we headed back up the stairs toward breakfast, it was the daffodils that caught my attention most of all.  They were covered with sparkling droplets of freshly melted dew.  Amazing!  Spring!  All, created and held together by God, even the tiniest drops of water on a leaf.

Here are a few more hints as to where we are experiencing a spring break. The amazing thing is that we woke up to snow our first morning here, which was also the first day of spring.  I didn't get any great photos of it, because there wasn't a lot, but you could see it on the car.  It was pretty chilly outside but the sky was clear and beautiful.

  I'm always on the look out for mothering help.  I love my kids, but some days, mothering can be so frustrating.  Kids can have independent minds, and stubborn hearts, and at times need correction more often then I'd like to give. This morning when I read another mother's blog post, the first sentence caught my eye. “. . . I began to speak less to the kids and more to God. It was actually quite relaxing.” A little relaxing sounds appealing.  Maybe you'd like to read her post too . 

In Numbers Chapter 14 the children of Israel had finally made it to the promised land.  God is ready to take them in, ending their wandering in the wilderness.  He has done so many miracles on their behalf, feeding, clothing and protecting them.  And now they are afraid that if they go in, they will be killed by the giants that live there.  They had forgotten all the enemies God had defeated for them already.  They are so afraid they can't hear Joshua and Caleb's message of faith. "If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it unto us; a land which floweth with milk and honey."  Numbers 14:8. Upon hearing this the congregation was ready to stone them! Moses and Aaron are flat on their faces praying.  Caleb and Joshua tear their clothes.  Where did the faith go?  The purpose of their wandering is about to be fulfilled, and the people want nothing to do with the land flowing with milk and honey. So the Lor...

I've been thinking about Jesus, the Bread of Life.  I know how to eat toast; but how does one take in the "Bread of Life? When we receive Jesus as our personal Saviour, things start changing.  Notice the emphasis on the word personal.  It is easy to think of Him as the Saviour of the world, but we really have to believe when we let him get close and personal, to believe that he forgives our sins and that we are complete in Him, because He gives us His righteousness.  We must spend time looking at him carefully, studying His love, taking it in, as we would eagerly take in a drink of fresh, cool water on a hot day.  A drink of water is of no benefit unless we drink it.  A slice of toast is of no benefit to our body unless we chew it up and swallow it.  Jesus is of no benefit to us unless we know him as our own personal Saviour.  We can receive him into our heart, so His life becomes our life. But how do we get that close to Jesus, so as to take...