Category Archives: Inspiration

Navigating Life’s Pathways: Lessons from a Spider

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Greetings, friends! It’s been a hot moment, hasn’t it? We’re back though, with another thought of the day to enlighten you. I was finally taking a moment to relax in the bath, when a teenie little daddy long legged spider decided to meander its way along the side of my tub. Now, I don’t have any fear of spiders, especially one so small, but I didn’t want this little guy to fall into my bath, or worse, disappear from view, so I gently scooped him up and placed him along the edge of my dangling English ivy (which I am so proud of… it’s growing well on my bathroom window ledge…long and sprawling… I am hoping to weave it all through the mirror). Anyway, I placed the little guy along the edge of the vine, hoping he would follow the path into the heart of the plant and live happily eating the fruit flies or whatever little gnat things live in soils. He did not. He made a quick veer to the right, grasping at the smooth painted bathroom wall to start his ascent. Once he slipped and slid along the wall, he had to spot check a few pieces of web to swing over the window ledge. I didn’t watch him after that. I don’t know if he every made it to the plant, or the sunny window, or simply slid down the other side under the sink and whatever lurks under there.

Which pathway to choose?

And so… you guessed it… I mused about that little spider and wondered why on earth did he choose the more treacherous path when I clearly had shown him the easiest route? The quickest definition of a pathway is “a way that constitutes or serves as a path” — it says nothing of the difficulty of the pathway, nor the length of the route, nor the dangers along it. It is simply a “way” from point A to point B. Plenty of us have traveled along many a pathway — both easy and hard routes in our lifetimes. They are worth a thought and a look back to see how far we have come.

Most of you know, it has been a hard, long, cold, snowy winter here at Itsnotta Farm. The snow is still deep on the ground, the days are still bitterly cold, and my farm chores are tough. Gates are frozen open, two feet deep in snow. Entry ways to the barn are icy because when it did warm up for a few brief days, the snow melted. The barn is a skating rink. I need to clean out my stall bound bunnies, but everything is frozen to the ground. One day, the wind created huge drifts enroute to the coop, I was waste deep and shoveling my way along. I bump my head on the top of the chicken run because the snow has lifted me up a foot or so taller. Goat fencing can’t be started because the ground is solid and still buried. Needless to say, I think we are quite sick of it all! Spring could not come sooner.

Photo by Anurag Jamwal on Pexels.com

Metaphorically speaking, we’ve been on a few pathways since moving out here. Adjusting to the weather was just one. We’ve had new schools, church, made new friends in a new community. I’ve been given several job opportunities and navigated that trajectory for awhile. Life is a seemingly endless pathway. And then you die. My faith would tell me that that isn’t the final checkpoint, though. The Bible tells us the pathway to Heaven is narrow and tough going. It’s a hard one to choose. Like my little spider, the challenges are real and sluggish. Choices we make now, will determine our fate. Is it worth the slow, arduous route to arrive in Heaven and eternal life? You bet it is!

I don’t know where you are, friend, on your pathway through life. I don’t know who reads my little public posts, or who shares them and why. I do know, God is faithful. He’s proven it time and time again. People around us try and set us on the path that is easy… one with few obstacles, an easy climb through the ivy. Sometimes, the sacrifice is worth the harder route. Sometimes, we need to plant ourselves and haul up over the ledge. It’ll be a bit more difficult for sure. Oh, we’ll have a few blessings along the way… someone will surely scoop us up every now and then and keep us from drowning; but it will all be worth it in the end. Trust me. Spring thaw is coming, and the pathways will soon be green again! And there will be plenty more spiders to watch.

Lessons from Nature: Coping with Deep Freezes

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Hello again from the land of snow and ice and extreme temperatures! It seems like we’re beginning to reach the end of the tunnel — the sun showed itself for a few moments yesterday — but I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. Those groundhogs were lucky they didn’t predict six more weeks of winter, though. I think there would have been a revolt from people here in our little part of the earth. So done with snow!

I meant to get started on my seeds this weekend… but that didn’t happen either. Grandbaby is over today, so amidst sing songs and snack breaks, here we are back to blogging! I was thinking about the deep freeze. We were talking about how trees can explode in extreme temperatures. My socials are all about frost bitten chicken combs and how invasive iguanas are falling out of trees in Florida. Ice crystals in the sky and the constant sound of snowmobilers in our fields. The parking lot at our local downhill ski lift has been full lately… a fact I am sure they are grateful for! Crazy!

Yes, if you live in a place where winter tends to hit every now and then… you have certainly felt it this year! I watched a few videos on this tree exploding thing, and apparently it is when extreme temperature drops freeze the sap running inside of the tree, causing it to expand and pop the bark open. Apparently, it can sound as loud as a gunshot and create a frost crack in the tree… leaving it susceptible to damage and disease. I’ll try and find a link or picture to leave with you:

Thanks barlett.com for the photo. There are other videos of the explosions… but I am told they don’t really shatter…only produce these scars….so trust what you will!

In any case, it had me musing… Are we not like our fellow forest dwellers? Most days, our “insides” just flow along happily. We have our ups and downs, but we maintain our outer appearances and deal with most of what life throws at us. Yet, on occasion, there are times when a sudden drop in temperature takes us off our guard and we simply freeze up. Perhaps anxiety does it. Perhaps the surprise of the situation catches us unprepared. Perhaps it is just too much for us to handle… and we crack. And every one knows it, because it makes a lot of noise. Or folks see the resulting damage days or years later. It bears scars.

Have you been through one of those deep freezes, my friend? Have you felt your insides explode? Do you bear the scars? May I be the first to tell you, you are not alone. The tree people tell us “exploding trees” are a lot more common than I have ever heard about. And second, I have seen the scars on trees…. and discovered most have survived the crisis. Damaged yes, but not broken.

God gives us these moments to grow our character. How boring would a forest look with a bunch of straight poled, smooth barked trees lined up in it? It’d be like walking among fence posts. I’m sure you’ve heard of wabi sabi… beauty in imperfection. For who wants boring perfection? Just think about the disciples… a band of misfits who went on to do great things! Did you know corn flakes were a mistake? I can’t help but think of all the ways my “imperfections” in life have transformed my character to be so much more empathetic. I’ve been there, I know. You can’t say that unless you have been there… and have lived to bear the scars afterward.

Needless to say, the tree standing out in the cold freezing from the inside out, doesn’t see the beauty in the crack until the spring comes, and the sap runs sweet again. Let’s not deny the pain of the “going through”. The point where we “explode”. It’s only after we hit bottom do we start to climb up again. When our feet are firmly planted. Then we can begin the climb — changed, but for the better.

So next time you’re out for a winter walk through the forest, take a peek at a few exploded trees, notice the scars, and be thankful you recognized pain, and the recovery.

Winter Reflections: Finding Hope Beneath the Snow

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Welcome back. It is another snow day here. I hear parts of Russia are worse off, their snow piles are as high as the street lights! No comparison here, but another snow day, nonetheless. We are Canada — known for the snow. I guess Russia is, too, though. I cannot image further up north. Brrrr. I shiver to even go there. Alas, I can only speak for us, and here, no school buses are running and we are still digging out. Our back door is completely blocked from the snow falling off our roof. The bar-b-que and garden hose are completely buried. Yes, we left the garden hose out because we didn’t get to it before the snow came. I suppose we will deal with that in spring. Don’t hate on us. We’ve also had to move our recycling and garbage bins to the front door because the snow is piled so high.

The view from our back door.

The girls have been locked up in their coop for days. Okay, they are not locked up… they have the ability to go out, but they do not like the white stuff and I have not seen them venture since you could see grass on the ground. I am sure they are bored to tears. The rabbits, too, are locked up in the (warmer) barn. They need some real sunlight. At least they are getting along so they can be out together.

The children and myself are pretty housebound, too, these days. I cleaned out the pantry the other day. Later today I may tackle a closet. It’s been bitterly cold so I have to go out to refresh water for the creatures, but other than that… where is there to go? I have no money to spend. Work, of course. Hubby is still commuting. Highways seem to be okay. Kudos to our snow clearing folk. They are earning their keep this year!

Yet, there is always another side to the winter blahs. The moon was beautiful last night as I tucked everyone in. A clear, sliver of silver against the black silhouettes of our little forest. I see from posts the Northern Lights were spotted again in our area. It was quiet and peaceful. The snow crunch crunched under my feet. The stars were out on the black sky. A gentle reminder of good things in the middle of the rest of the hardships of winter. I changed my letter board from my Christmas greeting:

So, where is my reflection leading us to today? I was imagining spring. I ordered another batch of chicks to hatch for April! I’m looking forward to when all this snow melts, but dreading what we may uncover underneath. The dog dug up a hockey puck the other day. I’m sure there are several dog tennis balls out there in the field… and, um, other dog “presents” that will soon be coming to the surface when we dig out. I was thinking about being buried. Not in the literal sense, as in when you’re dead, but buried alive.

I love the television show Hoarders. They used to call it Hoarders, Buried Alive. Where people are literally buried in their stuff. Clothes, bags, paper, trash and who knows what, piled to the ceilings of homes. Other times it’s animals and a collection that has got out of hand. I get that need to nurture. The folks usually have good intentions, but get too caught up and get overwhelmed. It’s sad, but the show aims to help, I suppose. Working to clean up and clear out… with promises to work through the mental health and triggers that get folks in that sort of trouble. Good people who struggle.

Which sums up quite a few of us. Good people who struggle. Perhaps we are not buried alive by our physical stuff, but many, many people carry such heavy burdens today. Wayward family. Health crisis, unemployment, or just simple hurts that weigh heavy on our hearts. Perhaps this winter weather makes it worse. Locked up like my chickens, just eating and getting chunky. Or needing sunshine, or to see the clear sky on a cool night, like my bunnies.

Waiting for spring….

If you’re feeling it today, friend, know that I am hearing you. I trust I will be #gracious (as my my year intention leads) to those who need it. To my self when I need it. To lead others to Jesus when I cannot do it by myself. To allow winter rest to rejuvenate our souls instead of bury them. Spring eventually comes. Hope is there. Reach for it, yearn for it, seek to find it. Then come here to join me in the journey. I got you!