Archive for the ‘Seasonal’ Category
Weather or Not
I don’t believe it! Just as I thought spring was here a huge snowstorm is in the forecast. We had just begun to put away the winter clothes! We were invited to a birthday party for the new one-year-old in the family. Now that is supposed to be the worst day of the storm! And I can’t do a thing to stop it! I think I will just put out the Holiday Garden Sign 
that says “Spring” and close the doors, pull the blinds and pretend. What harm can that do? We can’t stop the storm, we can’t drive in a blizzard, but we can heat up the fireplace, curl up on the couch and drink hot chocolate. Oh well, we can take the baby’s gifts another day and it really will be spring.
Its Getting Closer
That time is getting closer and closer. It is a wonderful time for Christians. It is where our hope begins to be known. At church we will study and hear again the wonderful resurrection news. Easter time once more.
It is a happy time for children. The Easter bunny, the candy, the toys, and surprises that they had not even thought about. Easter!! Kind of like Christmas in the spring for the kids. What fun to color eggs! What fun to hunt eggs! For the grown-ups there is all the discussions about Easters in the past when the weather was nice and those when the weather was bad. The “do you remember” talks. Easter baskets, cookies shaped like rabbits, little toys and sometimes a beautiful, plush Easter Bunny! Get out the Easter decorations, get a new one, put them up and enjoy the time!
Seasons
Winter is the season that starts each year here in our hemisphere. Most places we know of are cold right now, or at least colder than they are later in the year. Seasons come and go. Those of us who are older remember the “winter of” or the “spring of,” etc. Those winters of great snow or summers of no rain are often topics of conversations when families get together. We are happy when a day like today here where we live comes along. It is cold, but there is no wind and it does not seem particularly cold outside. We enjoy the sunshine and don’t think about the cold, wintery day that may come tomorrow.
When those really cold days come, we enjoy being inside and having something that makes us think of happy times. A “Garden of Prayer” wall plaque
can be an inspiration to us. We may be cold, or know it is cold outside, but no matter what time of year, prayer is something we can do at any time. A beautiful scene can take us to a wonderful day and time for a few moments of rest and peace. It may seem we are actually in that garden and at peace. Then the peace can linger even when we are away from the plaque. Take time to stop and enjoy the time - no matter what the weather!
Pretty Holidays
Some holidays are just other days that we celebrate something. Other holidays are really pretty. Valentine’s Day is a pretty holiday. It will be here in a couple of weeks. The flowers that we give are pretty. The boxes of candy are pretty. The hearts
in all shapes, sizes, and forms are pretty. Maybe it is because these things usually have red as their dominant color.
Also romance is the theme and that is a dreamy, happy thought. If you are looking for just the right person, it is a happy time. If you have found that person, it is a happy time. If you have lived with the right person for lots of years, it is a happy time. If you just enjoy the holiday and like to enjoy it with friends, it is a happy time. Remember the Valentine’s Day parties when you were in school. It was fun to make the boxes for the cards and then get to enjoy the party with games and delicious treats. Think of red, enjoy seeing the decorations around you, even if you have to go to a store to see them, and sit back and absorb the season.
Just for Fun
A new year is well upon us. Some of us are “suffering” from an unusually cold winter. We wanted it to be spring when January came, I guess. In our case, the snow melted , but now we have fog. Sometimes it lifts and we are so happy! The geese have stayed on the pond, but the small birds are all gone. Still we think of the nice, warm spring time that surely is just around the corner. We are making plans for what we will do when “the weather clears up.”
At least at our house, the garden catalogs are not arriving yet. The big lawn mower started, so that means things are warmer. We sometimes think of those decorative birdhouses and the pretty little birds we might expect them to attract. It is still too wet for our little next door neighbor children to be out playing and coming over to see our dogs. Those are all things we can look forward to when the cold gets us down. If you love winter, enjoy it for a few more weeks. Us lovers of spring are standing here waiting with our garden tools all ready to go!
Remembering
Yesterday was Veterans’ Day. It set many people to thinking about our country and all the things it means to us. If you are a veteran or married to a veteran or have one in your family, it is very special to you. If you just know a veteran, it also means something to you. If you live in the United States, it probably means something to you, too. It should. The people who served or are serving in the military in our country give something up to serve. It is sometimes a very hard life, and at the end of the service, it is something you will never forget. You may not want to talk about it, but you won’t forget. In our family, there are always some symbols around that mean we live in a great country. We do not usually put out anything special for Veterans’ Day. It is already out. The eagle figurines, flags, etc. just stay out. We live in a great country. We have many in our family who have served it in the military. We never forget.
Our Country
Is our country coming to a crossroads? Will things drastically change? Will all blow over and we will be back to life as usual? What will take place in the years ahead? No one can answer these questions for sure. Most of us have an answer we would like to give to each question. Some of us are very opinionated on this subject, some people are not, and some are just drifting along with the flow. Those of us who are opinionated can get into some very serious discussions. But then we listen to the news and find our ideas were not even considered.
Right now we can enjoy the season - if the weather will let us! Give candy to the Trick-or-Treaters, plan Thanksgiving dinner, mail Christmas cards, plan the gift list. We can pray that things will not change so much that we cannot continue with life as usual. Even difficult times are not so bad when we have some holiday breaks. Keep up with the times. Thank God for your life. Stay contented. We still live in the greatest county on Earth!
Decorate or Not Decorate
This time of year we think a lot about decorations. Halloween in October, Thanksgiving in November, and Christmas in December. Other times of year there are New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, and others that are not coming to mind right now. To decorate or not to decorate - that is the question. For most families, some decorations are usually displayed on all of these occasions. For others, no one ever puts up decorations. For some each holiday is an excuse to get out those special items that commemorate the day.
If you are the type of person who likes to decorate, you probably enjoy looking for those decorations all year - even when the season is not here. Who doesn’t enjoy driving around at Christmas and find a house that is so decorated that you can hardly see the house? The owner surely did not find all of those things during one trip to the mall! The seasonal decor changes from season to season or holiday to holiday. One way to enjoy a shopping trip when you did not really want to go, is to look for a seasonal item on sale. One way to enjoy a part of a day is to computer-shop for seasonal items. That is all for now. I just remembered some cute Pilgrim decorations that we put out every year. Now I think those are in the hall closet……..
What Should I do?
What shall I do today? The list is so long that I can’t decide where to start. It is time to do the household chores. Should I do laundry? Maybe I had better clean house. Should I decorate for fall? Maybe I had better do the paper work that has been piling up. Some shopping really needs to be done. The dogs have to have their monthly meds today. Are the treats ready for the Trick-or-Treaters? Tomorrow we have to go to the college to help get some things done. Maybe I had better get ready to go.
What is that in the corner? Our new holiday garden sign
? On yes! That needs to be put out with the current season displayed. Should it be out by the road or up by the house? Maybe just out in the yard somewhere. Now, I have to contemplate a while to really choose the right place. That will take some time. Then I will go out and try it here or there. Maybe I can get that done by noon. It will really look nice out there. Well, I will get busy. I can put that sign up and by then maybe it will be clear to me what else to do today. Decisions, decisions! What a day!
Thinking of Fall
This is the time of year that people are putting out pumpkins, Halloween decorations, bales of hay and other things that make us think of fall. The flowers that have the yellow and auburn colors are also used. The trees are turning and their red, yellow, and brown leaves may be what started the ideas of using those as fall colors. I think because God knew we needed a little uplift at this time of year, we have those beautiful reminders that make us feel contented.
There are some statues around our town that bring back thoughts of other times and places. Some are colorful, some are plain, but signify a thought that maybe the person who made the statue had in mind, or maybe it is our own private feeling. Garden statues that we can have in our own yards also can be uplifting or inspirational. They may bring back thoughts of other times or just happy thoughts in general. Enjoy these works of art wherever yours may be - at home or in town or on your travels.