"Being rich of heart makes you wealthy beyond compare." - Rodney Williams

Simple things can give me such profound pleasure. Whether it is holding a clicky, inky pen and a piece of scratch notebook paper or walking through the dewy grass barefoot at 6:30 in the morning; I enjoy finding the hidden gifts each day in an ordinary life.... 


Making someone smile, waltzing with your pretended partner in an open field (hoping no one is watching), cooking in the kitchen with the inspiration of Julia Child (*note* this "inspiration" is not fool proof - you're still liable to burn your souffle), laughing off an embarrassing moment, re-arranging a cluttered space into an organized, accessible and aesthetically pleasing area, reading such an incredibly inspirational and profound Scripture passage that you want to share it with the whole world!, sitting at the piano composing a ballad which you'll soon forget, cleaning the house with vigor (*hint* for those of you who lack motivation, just pretend all your in-laws are coming over in 3 hrs - that should do it!), writing a letter, laying in the damp grass on a clear night and marveling at the LORD's beautiful stars (all of which are named and accounted for by Him) and the list goes on and on......

For me, home is the place where most of this takes place. It is the warm, inviting glow of the kitchen chandelier which is a bit too dim because only two of the light bulbs are currently employed; the rough, unfinished hardwood floors which turn my bare feet two shades too dark; the sunlight shining through the south windows onto my desk; our creaky steps (after skipping the third one to the bottom, take two at a time and you'll reach the top without waking the whole house), etc... 


A small house is actually a blessing. The five occupants of it are forced to get along and enjoy each other's company. After all, it would be foolish to be enemies with someone you run into every four minutes. But that's where the great outdoors come into the picture - I often escape to the barn loft or take a walk down "lover's lane" (My version of Anne's dubbed path). Perhaps it's my Father coming out in me. He'll say that the woods are calling him and then he's off, on what he calls, a "walk-about." I often get the same irresistible urge.

Some may think me a strange, sentimental fool for treasuring such things.... but then again, "If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom." ~Audra Foveo

:::Humility; Purity; Modesty:::

Mary's favourite flowers were the violet, the lily, and the rose, and James [her father] loved to find in them emblems of the graces of the mind, which he wished her to cultivate. When she brought him her first spring violet, he said to her, "Let this flower, my dear Mary, be the emblem of humility and of that quite benevolence which does good in secret. In it's quite dress of deep blue, decked by no gaudy colours, it modestly hides under the green leaves and is scarcely seen, while shedding around it the richest perfume. Try to resemble it, dear Mary; care not for gay ornaments and vain display, but strive to obtain that 'ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.'"

In the season of roses and lilies, James said one morning, pointing to the spotless white of a beautiful lily, rendered still more dazzling by the rays of the sun shining full upon it, "This lily, my dear child, is the emblem of purity. How easily it's leaves are stained! Scarcely can they be touched when they are injured. Thus the very least approach of vice pollutes and corrupts the soul. Pray, dear Mary, for purity of heart. Remember that though polluted by nature, we may nevertheless be washed free from stain in the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness, and that God has promised that though our sins are red as crimson, they shall be white as snow. None but the pure in heart shall see God; none but those washed and clothed in the spotless white robe of Christ's righteousness shall ever sit down at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

"Let the rose," he said, "be the emblem of modesty, as it resembles the blush which rises to the cheek of a modest girl. But there is another lesson to be learned from the rose: after it's beautiful colours have faded, it still retains it's fragrance; when it's leaves are brown and withered, they are even sweeter than in their fresh and lovely youth. Thus it is, dear Mary, with a true Christian. Thus let it be with you. The cheek of youth will fade, outward beauty will decay, but strive to acquire those graces of the mind which are unfading and imperishable."



- "The Basket of Flowers. A Tale For The Youth." by,  Marguerite Gavin