Winter: The gift that keeps on giving!

Grumpy Isabella!

 This is a picture of the tree that greets everyone as they drive up Ivy Lane. I call her Isabella. She is looking a bit grumpy in this picture because she is covered with ice. But that was last week...today it is snowing. It is a spring snow: icy, wet and heavy. I keep going back to the wisdom I learned a few weeks ago..."snow is like cash to the farmers because it puts nitrogen in the ground." I certainly don't want to rob the farmers of their fortune, but we need some spring!

The Standoff! 

This is a picture of Pumpkin (on the left) and Bella (on the right). Bella has now been with us for 6 months and Pumpkin has decided that Bella will NOT get all the attention just because she is bigger...and more extroverted. Pumpkin often resides under the bed...her extroversion is certainly "in check". She does not like visitors, or other intrusions to her schedule. But she has decided that Bella is not going to harm her on the other hand...

This is the cat that Bella chased up a tree this weekend. I don't know the cat but I have never seen one climb a tree quite so fast. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen a cat climb a tree and it was remarkable. The cat had no idea that Bella wouldn't hurt a fly but after hearing one, loud, deep bark from this big red dog, the cat wanted to make sure it was out of sight. When I lived in Albuquerque my Golden Retriever, Katie, would chase the bunnies on the mesa when we walked. I always told them: "No fear, little bunny, she is slow of foot and easily intimidated". And so it is with Bella, although she has younger, swifter feet than Katie ever had. Can you tell that I love my animals?

Bella, the lovely

One of the ways that I know God's love is through Bella. She is so tolerant of my failings and forgiving. This morning I "got caught up" on the SSJE Lenten Series meditations. In the meditation yesterday, Br. Mark Brown talked about his "trinity" of attributes for God: Love, Grace and Truth. We humans are certainly meant to reflect those attributes as we "incarnate, or embody" God. One of the things he suggests is asking ourselves, "Is this the gracious way to act?" or "What is God's truth?" or "Where is God's love for this situation?" I find myself deeply moved by this notion of "incarnating or embodying" the divine attributes of God. It requires such mindfulness on my part. I want to slow down to that mindful way of making God's presence in my life real.