Silent Joy of the Days Before

The days before the day when families gather to celebrate the birth of the Lord, are busy days for most. So many preparation taking place that involve food, gifts, gatherings and traditions.

It is always good to take some time away from the busy moments, to stop, reflect, and give thanks.

These two know nothing about the season of hustle and bustle.  Their world is much simpler.

Life is quite simple for my hens too, for these days there is not much to do.  I coax them out of the coop with some straw, and some of them venture out.

But it is not long before they are back in the run, preferring to scratch dirt rather than snow.  Cold feet are not fun!

Beautiful winter sunsets abound....

Snow covered roads make travel more exciting.

Orange flecked golden glows from the sun lightens up the pines.

Rosy sunsets over still waters, and an empty park bench.

Snow's cold embrace beckons me to look for signs of uninterrupted beauty.

So still, so quiet, so tranquil.

Bright red berries set against the backdrop of the white snow are stunning.

In the minus temperatures, our turkey friends huddle.

Frigid air mixing with less frigid air... creating billowy fog drifts along the river.

Native grasses shrouded in hoary frost wave in the stiff polar breeze.

The breath of polar arctic cold takes on a new dimensions along the river.

The frozen pond, silent today.  The remaining geese in our area have no doubt found open water to glide in.

As I ponder the stillness, the quiet, and the beauty around me, I think of all the busyness of this season and how it pulls you away from the calm joy found here.

I hope you will make time to pause, stop and let the beauty of the season wash your soul with its gentle peace, joy and love that it was meant to be.  The greatest gift the Lord has wrought for us began in in a simple cold place.  As I visit my chickens, I cannot imagine how Mary felt, birthing the Lord in such a place, no doubt in the cold, with the smell of the animals, and in her heart, the heartache too - the uncertainty of what all this must mean.

And yet, somehow in that cold difficult night when Jesus was born, hope came to the world, joy resounded from the lips of the angels, and Mary cuddled little Jesus tighter, holding onto his warmth, and wondering.

Today, I still wonder... such tender love, and the miracle of it all.  God, who created me, born in a cold lonely manger... to show how much He loved me, and how He was willing to do all this for all of mankind.

Stop and ponder it today, feel the hope, the peace, and the joy that was brought into this world because of the love our Lord Jesus has for you.  My prayer for you is much like the Apostle Paul's prayer below, that the blessings of the Lord would be rich in your life, that His presence would be powerful beyond measure, and that you would grow in the increase and knowledge of who HE is in this coming year.

Ephesians 1:15-22 

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, 

and love unto all the saints, 

Cease not to give thanks for you, 

making mention of you in my prayers; 

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, 

may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; 

that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, 

and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, 

according to the working of his mighty power, 

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, 

and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, 

and every name that is named, 

not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 

And hath put all things under his feet, 

and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 

Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

Amen! 

Dear friends, I am taking a bit of a blogging break, and will see you here, the Lord willing, in January 2017.  Merry Christmas, and a Blessed New Year!