Today's poem is a sweet reminder that although God has blessed me abundantly, the greatest gift He's given me is the gift of Himself.Lord, please be my chief delight. I have looked to You to meet my deepest needs...You are truly satisfying. photo credit Gift of Giftsby Ralph Spaulding CushmanLife is worth while, dear God,To those who know this rich companionship with Thee;Each morning as the day flames forth,Each evening in a sweet tranquility.Ten million million gifts spring from Thy hand,Of up-flung mountains, evening skies, a tree!Yet never one can quite compare with this--The giving of Thyself to me!________________________________________

This week I'm featuring a poem a day by my favorite poet, Ralph Spaulding Cushman. The following poem is so meaningful to me. I long to be always aware that each day of life is a precious gift from the Lord. This day is full of wonder and beauty and Jesus comes to us in a thousand ways--in the sunlight, in the warm embrace of a friend, through His written Word.Lord, help us to see that You are real and that You're here with us.Photo creditTHIS DAYby Ralph Spaulding CushmanThis day, Lord, is Thy gift of grace,Wherein I may discern Thy lace!The sunbeams quivering on a treeReveal Thy constant care for me;This glad, green earth, the blue above,May tell the wonders of Thy love.But oh, dear Lord, lest blind my eyesShould grow to Thy wide lifting skies,To all Thy gifts of earth and sea,Lord, kee[...]

This week I'm featuring a poem a day from my favorite poet--Ralph Spaulding Cushman. I resonate with him because he speaks my language--he loves God and nature and has a way of helping me to slow down and enjoy the most important things in life. I hope you'll take a few moments to pause, and be inspired! Photo creditPhoto credit"I Met God in the Morning"By Ralph Spaulding CushmanI met God in the morningwhen the day was at its best,And His Presence came like sunrise,Like a glory in my breast. All day long the Presence lingered,All day long He stayed with me,And we sailed in perfect calmnessO'er a very troubled sea. Other ships were blown and battered,Other ships were sore distressed,But the winds that seemed to drive them,Brought to me a peace and rest. Then I thought of other mornings,With[...]

Morning came and I slipped out the back door. I didn't know the river would be cloaked in fog. I wasn't expecting to see only this one glorious tree, hugging the hillside, inviting me to be still and listen for His voice. I came seeking Him and needing to be filled.Hungry-hearted, I stood still. Hushed. "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted in the nations. I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:9-11)And I watched as warm morning light seeped slowly through the haze, revealing soft blue above."Oh, send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling." (Psalm 43:3)Two swans appeared. Tranquility. "You will keep in perfect peace, whose mind in stayed on You, because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3)The day rushes on.B[...]

I really should be doing something else at the moment. You know, something like cleaning the bathroom, or putting those clothes up that I've piled on the chair, or vacuuming the room. But Bubby is sleeping and I'd much rather be telling you a story...so I think I'll do just that.Remember Sally and Mander? Well, as much as I loved them with much love and fondness of heart, I decided that they would be far better off in the wild woods where they belonged, so I let them go. It was also getting harder to take time to feed them. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed pillaging through the leaves looking for grubs, but it was a funny feeling, parking Gideon in the stroller beside me as I sat down in the yard digging around. I wonder what my neighbors were thinking as they observed my daily rit[...]

One of the reasons why I started this blog is because I want to share life with you. And I want to somehow do my part to help you enjoy your life a little more. One way I can do that, is by encouraging you not to fill up your life with too much busyness and hurry, but to pause...and take time to enjoy the wonder and awe of God and His creation.This here window is in the basement bedroom that we're staying in. Every day I peek over the plants and look to see what sort of critters have fallen down overnight. This weekend, I saw something that I've been aching to see for a long time--a SALAMANDER!!! Actually, I saw two salamanders, even better.I vividly remember the first time I ever dug one of them up in the backyard as a little girl. I was completely mesmerized to find the sweetest, sleekes[...]

When Brent and I were first married (6 months to be exact), we were asked to share our story with a gathering of coworkers. We thought it would be fun to begin with a bit of humor. We called it "Building Character in Your Spouse." Hope you enjoy!Building Character--Maggie's Version:While grocery shopping, insist that you buy random spices like, “cream of tartar.” When questioned whether or not you need it, say “Of course I do…I saw it in the cookbook this week.” Then be sure to leave it unopened in the cabinet for at least 6 months. (I have to say, that nearly two years later, I have yet to open that Cream of Tartar.)While cooking dinner, experiment with your spices. Be sure to use every spice in your cabinet (except the cream of tartar of course) and by all means, whatever the recipe bo[...]

Last week, Brent and I took Gideon to the County Fair. Can you believe just three years ago, Brent came up to me after work and nervously invited me to this same fair? That turned out to be our first "unofficial" date. I'd love to blog about our love story, but that's for another time. This time, I just wanna take you along with me to see all the incredible animals we saw!By the way, I LOVED the fair. I enjoyed it immensely! I went under the guise that I wanted to watch Gideon's reaction as he noticed all these creatures for the first time, but to be honest, Brent ended up entertaining him most of time so I could just stand and stare and thoroughly enjoy myself.I'm showing you my favorite animal first. My heart melted as soon as I saw him. Just look at his nobby little knees!And that poofy[...]

Well, I’ve decided to start a new adventure in life--the adventure of blogging. Not sure how long this is gonna last but I’ve weighed the pros and cons back and forth for a good while, and I think I’m just gonna do it.There are several reasons why I haven’t wanted to do this. For one thing, as I sit here typing my little heart out onto this computer screen, I have lots of “important things” I could, perhaps should be doing instead. Things like laundry, cleaning, finishing my newsletters, making out a grocery list for the week, pulling weeds out of the flower bed…you know, all of those fun-filled, glamorous duties of daily life.I also haven’t wanted to blog because it’s a discipline. And discipline is something I’m sorely lacking in my daily life. I mean, for several years now I’ve wanted t[...]