Lauri Hawley

Benediction

A blessing, especially at the end of a religious service. If I had to guess, its roots are something like “good words.”

Oh, that we had more good words to say to one another! We know that “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).

Critical words come from a critical spirit, but words of blessing from a heart fully aware of the blessings it has received.

May we pay full attention to the words we speak, and pray with David,

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

This post is written in response to Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Friday link-up. These prompts are fun to respond to, and only take five minutes to compose. Today’s prompt: BENEDICTION.

Longing

Today I started a watercolor design experiment using soapy, clean dishwater bubbles. I got to be a kid again, blowing through a straw and making a bubbly mess!

I’m so old that I remember when going outside in the cold meant you would catch a cold! I recently recovered from my yearly knock-me-down cold. Getting it every year in winter would seem to support the cold weather→sick cold hypothesis. Just in case, I’ve painted some oranges and berries to remind you to stay stocked up on your Vitamin C!

We know better these days. We know there have to be germs around first. But today’s extreme cold could certainly wear down a body’s defenses so that germs could settle in for a spell! An extreme cold warning is in effect in our area, with wind chills to -25°F (-31°C). Frostbite could happen within 30 minutes.

Unusual

I’ve been painting daily this month as part of a challenge to be creative for 31 days in a row. Today’s watercolor creation called for layers upon layers. Each layer left out one more piece of the puzzle.

Watercolor painting of diamond shapes on hills

With each new color layer, I was surprised with the result!

Horizon

It’s a crisp winter day. The trees are bare, having lost their leaf coats months ago. Through their stripped branches, I can see what is invisible during the leafy seasons of spring, summer, and fall.

The horizon lies beyond, beautiful and distinct.

Mend

Today I received a text from an unknown number.

“Your kids keep climbing my tree, please ask them to stop.”

My first reaction was to laugh, because my kids are all in their 20s. If they’re climbing the neighbor’s tree, they’re grownups and responsible for themselves! I replied that I wished my kids were out climbing trees!