God's glory revealed in the mundane...

It always amazes me, how God shows Himself in everyday life while we are busy doing the mundane tasks that crowd most of our days. I have learned to keep my eyes open. And my camera handy. I don't know how many of His special, personal, lovely gifts I have missed, but here are a few that showed up while I was clued in enough to notice...


One morning, this ethereal scene greeted me as I opened the front porch door to let the cat and dog out to do their morning business. I am generally not a morning person, and had not even had my first cup of tea yet. No matter how rumpled and groggy I was, I could not help but notice the gift that God had left on my doorstep.




This beauty grew on a miniature rose plant that I bought at the supermarket on a whim while I was picking up some groceries. Tossed in the bag with the milk, cucumbers, coffee and peanut butter, the little plant not only survived the trip home and the planting, but it went on to produce roses like this for months, even into November. I eventually ended up buying at least 10 plants, all vigorous and glorious bloomers. I planted several of them in a pot for the house, and after a bit of a pruning in early December, I am waiting for more blooms like this one. Sometimes God gives gifts that just keep on giving!!!

Waiting for my 14 year old daughter's bus to drop her off at the end of our kilometre long lane is not usually the highlight of my day. Waiting in the midst of an ice storm doesn't improve the experience. Unless, of course, I keep my eyes open for a splash of God's grace and happen to have my camera with me. On this evening, the bus was late, which meant I had plenty of time to look around. I was struck by how this tree looked like it had a harvest of icy fruit waiting to be harvested. I felt so appreciative of the beauty within the inconvenience of icy roads and arctic winds.

This funny little boy and his paper bags are a daily source of amusement to our family. It doesn't get any more ordinary than a young, playful tom and a paper bag toy, but Frodo brings laughter and fun to our home in such a friendly, warm way. From the day he caught my eye, watching me eagerly from within a store front window, he has been my special, silly loving kitten. I don't know if anyone gets as much enjoyment out of him as I do, but my husband says he loves watching Frodo and I together because of how attached Frodo is to me. As everyday as living with a cat is, I am reminded of how much attention God pays to my need for comfort, for laughter, and for early morning snuggles with something warm and purring.

Whether I am wrapped in a house coat watching a misty sunrise or curled on the couch laughing at Frodo bursting through yet another paper bag, I am becoming more and more convinced that the secret to receiving God's blessings is simply to expect them, to receive them and to not forget to say thank you.

Thank you, Lord.