encouragement – Lauri Hawley

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’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!

Rhododendron Insights: Adapting to Life’s Seasons

I was worried earlier this winter when all of my smaller-leafed rhododendrons had turned burgandy and curled up tightly. Had I killed them by pruning them too deeply after they flowered last year?

Rhododendron leaves curled up and brown against a backdrop of snow

I’ve written before about senescence, in which the rhodies’ older leaves turn yellow and fall off in the autumn. Even the evergreens lose their leaves and needles sometimes!

Broadening My Harvest Horizons

It’s only January, but I’m dreaming of pruning around my yard. I don’t know what it is about pruning, but I love it as much as weeding (which is a lot, let me tell you)!

There’s so much opportunity to put the shears and loppers to work–forsythia, tons of lilacs, and wild grapevines.

Discovering Life’s Unexpected Joys in 2025

This is our first winter in our new home in the mountains, and we’ve moved far enough away from the ocean that it no longer softens the winter chill. Temperatures have regularly dropped below freezing, and watching what happens in the perennial garden has been fun!

Sharing Your Story: Adding Harmony to Faith

Our family visited the city for a candlelight concert a few days before Christmas. We had a wonderful time listening to a string quartet play many familiar holiday songs by candlelight!

Tag: encouragement