Sunshine on a cloudy day.....

That is one of my favorite things. Watching as the sun comes out from behind the clouds, seeing the whole perspective change as the light hits the earth. It's like a breath of fresh air when that warmth hits your face.

I think that is what God's love feels like...... It's this incredible warmth that envelopes you and penetrates to your very core. It lights you up from within.

God is good....isn't He!!

This is the day that the Lord has made!

I woke up this morning literally singing that song. I think it may have something to do with the fact that Spring is just around the corner....and I could not be happier. The sun is actually shining today and teasing us with the promise of future warmth. By looking outside, you would never suspect that it is only 8 degrees.

I love that each season is distinct. As one season turns to another, I love to watch the earth awaken to the charm. Watching as Winter turns in to Spring is one of my favorite transformations. It puts me in mind of being Saved. We start out as a cold dead thing, grey of soul and without life, and then Christ comes along and fills us with Eternal life. Watching that process happen is as distinct in our lives as it is to the earth's change. How awesome is our God!

Prayer

Isn't God good! This morning as I was pulling out of the driveway and dreading the 75 ft drive down an un-plowed alley, I started praying...HARD. You see, there is about 2 ft of drifted snow in my alley and I drive a front wheel drive vehicle, not 4 wheel drive. From past experience, I know that this short little 75ft jaunt can be QUITE treacherous when snow is involved. I've gotten quite good at the front wheel "Rock". That's where you get stuck, and then proceed to "rock" yourself back and forth by switching from "drive" to "reverse" quite quickly.

Needless to say, I was a wee bit apprehensive as I got in to my car this morning to start that seemingly endless journey down the alley. Before I began, I stopped and said a heartfelt prayer to the Lord asking Him to bless my morning and to PLEASE let me get out without getting stuck. As He so often does, He answered immediately. I backed right out and then pulled forward in to the grooves in the snow and went on my merry way with no issues whatsoever. I was overjoyed and thanked Him profusely. How blessed we are as Christians to have a Heavenly Father to watch over us and to be there for us always.

I no longer have an earthly father, he passed away 3 years ago. And it was one of the hardest things I have ever been through. But in losing my daddy, I had to learn to depend on God in a way that I never had before. That loss brought me to a truly intimate relationship with my Heavenly Father. I'm reminded of Romans 8:28 which says, "And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose."

SNOW

You know, I moved to Chicago because I really got a kick out of the snow. Growing up in Texas, I never really saw snow that stuck. Our version of snow was more the flakes without the accumulation. Now that I live in Chicago, I've gotten pretty up close and personal with SNOW. And today, I actually found out what a snow drift was. I found out.....THE HARD WAY. It just took walking out my door and off what I thought was the last step...only to find out that it was actually the 3rd form the last step. I sunk into a nice little snow drift up to my knees. And of course I had on my short snow boots. But you know, all I could do was giggle. I thought of what I must look like standing there buried up to my knees laughing at myself. And it only made me laugh all the harder. And then....I lost my balance. And yes......I fell flat on my rump in about a foot of drifted snow. And that caused me to laugh all the more. So, despite an inauspicious beginning, my day actually turned out quite okay.