HYMN OF PROMISE

In the bulb there is a flower;

In the seed, an apple tree;

In cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!

In the cold and snow of winter, there’s a spring that waits to be,

unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

There’s a song in every silence,

Seeking word and melody;

There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.

From the past will come the future;

What it holds, a mystery, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

In our end is our beginning;

In our time, infinity;

In our doubt, there is believing;

In our life, eternity.

In our death, a resurrection;

At the last, a victory

Unrevealed until its season,

Something God alone can see

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The Porch

I sit on my porch – in my favorite rocker – in the spring and watch the dogwood trees blooming in the forest below.

In summer, I sit there, a glass of iced tea in hand, watching the hummingbirds visit the feeder. In the fall, I arrange a variety of pumpkins and squash up the steps and beside the door. And in winter, glorious winter, you will find me wrapped in one of my grandmother’s quilts swinging in the porch swing.

This past week, when it wasn't raining, the dreary skies blocked the sun. Sometimes I feel discouraged. Even looking out the window at my garden is depressing – the flowers are gone, the plants are brown. I can feel winter creeping into my soul.

As I sit on the porch, I am reminded that nothing lasts forever. Winter, as dark and cold and rainy as it has been, will always be followed by spring and then summer.

Another view

The view from my porch

My front porch is my sanctuary. Sitting there, I am not bothered by the demand and pressures of everyday life. Trouble and stress seem to melt away.

Everyone needs a porch – a sanctuary – where rest and renewal can be found. 

Do you have a sanctuary?