Five Things Friday

Five things I love:

1. Walking without pain.
2. Sugarless Peppermint Bubble Yum
3. Watching the sunrise.
4. Taking pictures in the park
5. Homemade fries and cheeseburgers on the grill

Five things I do not love:

1. Attempting to get batteries out of the package

2. That Hershey's quit making Sugarless Peppermint Bubble Yum. WHY?!
3. Being lied to
4. Spam (either kind)
5. The price of gas

Five things I choose not to have an opinion about:

1. Donald Trump’s hair
2. The “reality” of reality TV
3. The intentions and motivations of politians
4. The Tea Party
5. Organic food

Five things I do not get:

1. The Home Shopping Network and shopping on TV in general
2. Moby Dick
3. Twitter (hate to admit that one)
4. Why the birds don’t gang up and kick the squirrels out of the bird feeder
5. Nose rings

Cardinal Cafe

I love watching the cardinals and other birds eating each day, right outside me office window. I recently bought some new bird seed called "Cardinal's Choice" and dining at the Cardinal Cafe in my backyard has been standing room only. I tell you the customers are really flocking in to try my little Michelin five star hot spot on these cold winter mornings. And the only squawking has been over the choice seating at the one table I have.

This morning I opened the door for "breakfast service" and there in the fresh snow were tiny little bird tracks leading right up to my back door as if to say "Hey, where's breakfast? I'm hungry." It was obvious the early bird had been there and not finding any unfrozen worms or fresh seed had hopped up see what the problem was.

As I looked at those tiny tracks and pictured such a frail creature approaching my ginormous door to get his needs met, into my head popped a picture of ME, approaching the throne of our almighty God.

Here I go, tiny, impotent, frail, but up I boldly hop on my skinny little bird legs and before the God of all Creation start twittering about my needs and when they're going to be met and what the problem is. How my loving Father must smile at my chirping and shake His head at my squawking, knowing all the time the good plans He has for me for a Hope and a Future.

Thank you Lord for lessons and reminders in small things, for patiently reassuring us in Your word of Your constant care and love. Thank You for the wonders of creation and for speaking to my heart from it's simply awesome/awesomely simple beauty.

Luke 12:24 (NLT) Look at the birds. They don’t need to plan or harvest or put food in barns because God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than any birds.

God sees the little sparrow fall,
It meets His tender view;
If God so loves the little birds,
I know He loves me, too.

He loves me, too, He loves me, too,
I know He loves me, too;
Because He loves the little things,
I know He loves me, too.

He paints the lily of the field,
Perfumes each lily bell;
If He so loves the little flow’rs,
I know He loves me well.

God made the little birds and flow’rs,
And all things large and small;
He’ll not forget his little ones,
I know He loves them all.

Ma­ria Straub, 1874