Heart of Grass
It started snowing late on Sunday the 25th of January. And then the temps dropped, so by the time the entire 10-12 inches had dropped, it was trying to become a seasonal fixture. Single-digit and below zero temperatures stayed around for almost 2 weeks, and then today arrived. 16 days after the big storm, I finally saw grass in my yard again!
Yesterday, it warmed up enough for me to get outside and soak up some sunshine, but the yard was still almost completely white. It was so nice today, though to be greeted by the green stuff that had been hiding beneath the white blanket. My mind went straight to parody mode and thought of the title.
My next stop was to my Wombo Dream app to make some images to go with the title. Here are the prompt words I used…
Create a heart made of green grass in a field of multicolor grasses, pastoral scene, HDR, amazing atmosphere, beautiful scene, melting snow at the edges of the field, bright sunlight illuminates the scene
I tried a variety of filters and had some cool results. My favorites are usually abstracts, but the literal heart of glass seemed like the best intro picture, especially once I added a frame from the Photo Studio Pro app. (You can find that one at the Google Play Store by clicking on the name of the app). I also used that app to make a collage of all the different designs I created so readers can see a bit of my process. Here’s the collage…
So here’s hoping some green grass and sunshine, plus a whole lot more steps than usual, will actually be good for my heart. I know it was good for my spirit because I feel better than I’ve felt in the last 2 weeks.
While we were out, we grabbed dinner at one of my favorite places, so here’s a quick shout out to an excellent waiter at Texas Roadhouse just in case he stops by my blog. Michael, you were super friendly and did an excellent job tonight. I hope you find some fun reading here, enjoy some cool images, and later enjoy some great tea with your girlfriend. I really think the variety box from “Taylor’s of Harrogate” has some of the best teas, so (for Michael and all other readers here) click the title to find them at Amazon (affiliate link for tracking). My favorites are the Sour Cherry and Rose Lemonade, but all 8 flavors are delicious.
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There’s No Business Like Snow Business
Are you suffering from warning fatigue? The dings on your phone, the emails from your shopping apps reminding you to stock up before the big storm, or the endless scrolling across the bottom of your favorite TV show?
So here’s what I’m wondering: Do all these people really care about whether or not the viewers are safe and protected? Or, is it all just a way to get more visitors to their ad-laden sites or shopping pages? Or maybe there’s a hidden agreement with the pharmaceutical companies to refer people to them when the fears they’ve sown manifest into anxiety. I’m almost certain I’m overdramatizing that last line the way the weather reports do with their new use of words like bomb cyclone and haboob. .
But while I sit wondering exactly how much of the forecast I need to believe, I will let the downtime inspire me to write and create. Last year, the icicles were beautiful to look at from inside my warm home. I was willing to freeze a bit to get some pictures, though. And then I did my favorite thing to do with the Wombo Dream app; I uploaded my real photo and then applied various AI filters to it. The header image is one of the results. And I played a little more by adding some snow brushes and a pretty white frame in the Photo Studio Pro app.
Whether or not the content in the ads and apps is more for commercial purposes or for altruistic ones, don’t let the fatigue keep you from being prepared. Know what you need for whatever event is on its way, and then, if you’ve done all you can, relax. Maybe play a game or create some art while the power is still on. And, if you are a believer in Yahveh Almighty, put it in His capable hands and trust Him. May everyone be safe in all the seasons and remember that life and time are in God’s hands, and they always have been. He’s the Creator, and He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever. (See Isaiah 44:6, and Hebrews 13:8.)
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Old Man Winter Meets Baby New Year
It is now officially winter, so whether we call him Old Man Winter or Jack Frost, he’s here to stay with us for the next three months. Because he always comes to visit less than two weeks before the end of the year, we can be sure the old and new will cross paths with one another.
Our lives are filled with times of crossing old and new, and like the crossing of winter and the new year, the meeting does not always mean the old disappears right away. It is said that it takes 30 days to develop a new habit, so in that 30 days, the old habits slowly die away. Winter takes a little longer. For the old to go away any faster, it takes a miraculous change, and there are many stories of such miraculous changes because of one newborn baby some 2000 years ago. That miracle-bringing newborn is our Savior, Christ the King.
One of my all-time favorite Christmas songs is the one written in 1865 to the English tune of Greensleeves; the carol What Child is This?
The video above uses the entire set of lyrics, some of which are often left out in popular recordings but have so much power that I searched through a number of videos to find one that had them. Here are verse and chorus one…
What Child is this who, laid to rest,
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
This next verse is sometimes left out, but even when it is included, people often sing the above chorus instead of chorus number two. When you read the words for the second chorus, you’ll understand the beauty and power in words that speak of the price our Savior paid for our eternal souls. I have trouble not crying when I sing this entire verse and chorus.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
See what I mean? I’m the “me” in that 2nd line, and you’re the “you.” He was born, and His cross was borne, for me and you to receive forgiveness of all our sins, so we can live with Him for eternity. Once we receive that blessed salvation, we can lift praise for His mercy and grace. Here’s verse and chorus three…
So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
I love the second-to-last line–Joy, joy, for Christ is born! Because He was born, we have a promise that our old lives and sins can be washed away, and we can be cleansed and made whiter than snow. Because of the blood of Yeshua, we are made both whole and new. As it says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)…
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
When Old Man Winter meets Baby New Year, may their introduction be an invitation to you to surrender your old life and let Christ make you new. You don’t even have to wait until then because we have the call in Scripture that Now is the day of salvation. Merry Christmas, and may this season bring you the newness and joy of life with our Savior, Christ the King! Amen.
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