New Life Walking …

Spring …  It’s that time of year when the earth smiles with new life, and color is everywhere. Where I live, we didn’t really have much Winter, but even so, the barrenness of color had me ready for the change.  You too?
 

In THIS post I took you for a walk around our yard so you could enjoy Renaissance Man’s beautiful flowers.  Today, I thought I’d share with you a walk in the woods I took recently … in case you haven’t done that this Spring.  There’s so much to see, and most of the time I miss it … because I don’t take time to slow down and pay attention.
 

But not this year. You see, slowing down and paying attention is on my Sally List. How’s YOUR Sally List coming, by the way?  If you don’t know what that is, click the link and read about it. I suspect you might want to make one of your own; many of us have.  I’m insisting that I be more aware of what things are really important … and what things aren’t.  You might think it’s obvious until you start paying attention.  At least that’s been my experience…
 

I don’t know what this plant is, but it was really intriguing, and I was able to capture it in its various stages.  Anyone know what it is?  Update:  Thanks to my friend, Molly, I now know this is a podophyllum peltatum, commonly known as may apple, and found in wooded areas of Eastern North America.  It will flower in early May and produce a fruit in early Summer. In small amounts, the fruit is edible, but otherwise, the plant is mostly poisonous.


 

I plan to go back in a couple of weeks and see if it has any more tricks up its stem.  Until I learn otherwise, I think I’ll just call it a Parasol Plant … because that’s exactly what it looked like with its unfurling leaves and open parasol-like top on its straight-as-an-arrow stem.  In some places, there was a whole patch of these little parasols.
 
I wonder, though, if your favorite part of the walk will be the same as mine:  the flowers.  Colorful, gracefully textured, and amazingly sturdy, in spite of their fragile faces.

 

It was the same thing overhead as tangled branches sported tiny new bursts of color … and recently-barren limbs grew even more beautiful as Winter’s hard edge met the softness of Spring.

 

New life:  evident in creation.
 

Nature’s cycle…  Comforting and predictable.
 

 

A new beginning: available to everyone.
 
God’s provision …. faithful and dependable.
 
God shows his love for us; while we were still sinners …  doing our own thing, planning our own lives, ignoring him
Christ died for us.  (Romans 5:8)

 

 

God already knows what we need — even before we do.  He’s already provided for that need through the death and resurrection of his own son.  I can’t begin to imagine…
 

During this week leading up to Easter, I hope you’ll stop (even in the middle of your crazy-busy day) and ask yourself what your life could be like if you believe that God really cares about you … and if you believe He wants to provide for you and your family … and if you stop trying to fix things yourself and started letting Him help.  What if … you step out in faith … and trust what He says?

 
I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly.  (John 10:10)
 
I’m joining Mosaic Monday at Little Red House and Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch.
 
For those of you who thought this post was going to be about the new little life about to join our family – we’re still waiting! Apparently my new little pal has decided to follow the lead of his Mommy (who was ten days late); he’s only six — so far.

Comments

  1. Lovely images, Happy Easter.

  2. Susan…your mystery plant looks a bit like pachysandra, but I’m not sure because I can’t tell just how tall it is. If it is, it certainly does grow in patches that’s for sure. I ripped my whole front garden clean of this intrusive ground cover when we first moved into our home 3 years ago and it’s still coming back! If you look at my photo of our front garden in my “About me” page, you’ll see glorious flowers where once the “whole” thing was covered in a plant that looked suspiciously like yours! You’ve definitely caught some beautiful images here! xo wendy

  3. I was thinking that! (baby news)

    I just told someone else that The Practical One was 10 whopping days late before she was forced to make a landing and that I should have named her “Finally”. But I’ll say for the billionth time that she was worth every bit of the wait.

    And so it is with our Lord, yes? He is always, always, always worth the wait. What you said about really believing Him and not trying to work things out myself is a theme of mine these days. He showed me recently (yet again) that His does have plans. I’m praying that I stop letting my flesh forget that.

    And I love the capture of the plant shooting up. Love it.

  4. I enjoyed this post. All the best as you wait for your new grand’s arrival!

  5. Oh this waiting will be so worth it..and April babies are such happy children…we have three in this house!

    Love the walk…I am taking my exercise outside this week instead of the gym so I don’t miss any of signs of spring.

    My Sally’s list…well this year I have been blazing through it…I am learning a lot this year by getting things done

    Holy Week….Passover and Easter…what an awesome season to remember Christ

  6. Susan-What a beautiful post. You captured my favorite small Spring flower- the sweet violet. We are just warming here and seeing a haze of green here and there. xo Diana

  7. Lovely post. I would love for you to visit me at My Dream Canvas 🙂 You have a lovely blog.

  8. Wonderful post! A great reminder about what this week is all about. And your compelling words on faith really added meat to my bones today! I needed that!

  9. Love the pictures of spring and the hope of new life. It is a question to ponder…do we really believe and act like are loved by God? Have a blessed Easter dear blogging friend.

  10. The plant that you couldn’t identify is a May Apple. If you go back and look under the “umbrella” you will see a white flower that later turns into an apple. I want to get some of these to plant in our wooded area but for now can not because my hubby likes his Roundup too much. One of these days though I shall have my own.