Saturday, April 19, 2008

EARTHQUAKE!

You may, or may not have heard about the earthquake in "southern" Illinois that was felt as far up as Wisconsin and Michigan and happened around 4:40 A.M. yesterday. (If you haven't, you should be able to find an article on it fairly easily.) Here is my story...

I was sleeping, as I always try to do at night. Once I get to sleep, it is awfully hard to wake me at any time, for any reason. Anyway, I woke up. Now, I don't know if the earthquake itself woke me up, or if it was Peter that did. (Peter is my pet parakeet, in case you didn't recognize his name.) He is normally pretty quiet and still (during the night, that is). Yesterday morning, though, he was flying, or fluttering, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth from one side to the other of his cage. I couldn't figure out what must be wrong with him and was disturbed enough that I almost got out of bed to go and see if I could find out what was wrong. Then he stopped. He made enough noise that I knew he was still alive and now calmed down. I looked at my clock to see how much "night" was left, and then went back to sleep, but I just couldn't seem to figure it out.

Yesterday Valerie and I asked each other, "Were you awake early this morning when Peter was going crazy, flying back and forth?". We both were. She asked me if I knew what time it was. "Well, according to the average clock it would have been...(My alarm clock is 15 minutes fast, so 4:55 - 15=4:40.)...4:40 A.M." "Did you hear about the earthquake this morning at about that time?" "Earthquake? Where?" "Here. Well, it was actually in 'southern' Illinois, but it was felt all the way up to Milwaukee." "That's ridiculous! I thought they only happened in places like California!" "This one was right here in Illinois - I was listening to news about it on the radio. One lady said her bird was doing what we heard Peter doing. Somebody said that birds can sense them - sometimes even before they happen." "I think that is what it was, then, that bothered him, but I had absolutely no idea that there was an earthquake going on. Actually, if I had felt it (which I didn't), I don't think I was awake enough to have put two and two together that the washing machine (which does sometimes vibrate my bed) wouldn't normally be running at a quarter to five in the morning!"

So, there you have it---my earthquake story! Birds are very sensitive little creatures and I am glad to have figured out the mystery!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Evidences That Spring Is Truly Upon Us!!!!

Well lookie here---spring really is coming! Following is a nice list of evidences that I saw today that mean that spring is returning as a reality in our lives!

1~ This morning some workers came to put our internet cable underground---which means that the ground must be soft and thawed enough!


2~ When I took a walk around the yard I saw a good amount of the sod that was turning from brown to green, several spots in the backyard in the hay where there were little handfuls of grass starting to come up (like three blades here and five there and a patch or two that were the size of your hand),...


...as well as many little buds starting to grow on all of the trees!


I really like this picture as you can even see a bit of color in the bud.


This may or may not interest you, but since you probably can't see it, I will inform you that on the bud that I have circled there was a fly. You don't see very many of them in the winter (at least, I don't), and it was just sitting there. I thought it was kind of nice of it to pose for its picture - too bad I couldn't get a little closer up (actually, I did try, but he decided to fly away). Anyway, just another evidence!


3~ The children enjoyed being able to go out for a while and roller skate. They have been practicing in the basement all winter. They have all gotten to be quite good skaters!


They enjoy skating on and around the island in the "court".

When they saw me taking pictures they all came running!!! (or I should say, skating)

We even had our first wound from playing outside for the year! Lisa was the special person! It's okay, she just skinned her knee and, though she came inside crying, she went right back out, told me that she could barely feel it anymore, and went skating off again!


4~ We were able to go back outside after dinner! The sunset and clouds were beautiful this evening! Here are a few pictures--they really don't do it justice, but I thought I'd give it a try. Also, though I did mess with the settings a bit, I couldn't seem to figure out why it darkened the pictures from the reality. So, it's not really as dark out as it appears in the pictures. Later, the sun turned a deeper, even more beautiful red and was just this awesome red ball on the horizon. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of it.

Oh, how wonderful our God is! He created all of this, yet He cares for me!

I am excited to see all of the new life that is popping up out of the ground and off the trees! It reminds me of when I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and was given a new life! I don't know who all is reading this blog, but if you don't understand what I'm talking about when I speak of this new life that we can have in Christ, please contact me-I would absolutely love to have an opportunity to share it with you!

I am also reminded, as I see the new growth, especially on the trees and bushes, of the fact that there should always be new growth showing up and evidencing itself in my Christian life. For those of you who know Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with Him, do you have new growth in your life? Can/Do others see that new growth and get excited about their God and how He is working in your life? Plants have to get lots of sunlight in order to carry out photosynthesis, in order to grow. Are you spending lots of time in the Light, the Word of God ("Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path"), and with the Son of God ("I am the Light of the world"), in order that you may grow spiritually?

Let me close with a few verses from Scripture as food for thought.

Genesis 1:11-12 ~ "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

Isaiah 40:8 ~ "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."

Matthew 6:25-34 ~ "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."