I Spy Lessons

I spy something green. 

Is it your shirt?

No. 

Is it.....

Remember when you were a kid and your mom/dad had a brilliant idea of playing I Spy? Sometimes I think it was just a ploy to keep us occupied when life got a little crazy. Read: when we drove our mom nuts arguing/screaming and running in the house.

When is the last time you really looked around & listened? I mean really looked. And really listen. When is the last time you sat on a porch swing and observed what is going on all around?

I used to play a game with our kids when getting them unwound at bedtime. We would all be quiet and listen. We'd then name off all the sounds. There were so many sounds we never heard during the busyness of day. The ticking of the clock. A plane in the distance. The noise the furnace made while blowing throughout the house.

At this very moment I am sitting on our "porch" swing which is outside connected to the swing set. What do I see and hear?

• Shadows dancing on the house siding.
• Swing creaking as I rock back and forth...
• Pine needles falling on the keyboard as I type. 
• I hear a lawnmower in the distance.
• Vehicles rushing down the road.
• Wind rushing through the trees
• Beautiful white, fluffy clouds. The kind of clouds we used to lay on the ground watching what shape they'll form next.
• The bluest of skies.
• Our dog freaking out because of the horsefly 'messin' with him.
• Corn bending and waving in the wind.
• Corn stalks turning a shade of yellow as fall threatens to come closer.
• Horses nickering.
• Kittens thinking their humans and sleeping on an outdoor chair. 
• A vulture in the sky circling gracefully. 
• Cicadas singing their song.
• Crickets competing with the song of the cicada.
• A spider busily rebuilding its web.
• A sound from the neighbor which made the dog jump (and me too!).

When I take the time to sit down and really look and listen, I am amazed at all the beauty and wonder God has made just for us. 

Now, there are some things I really wonder what God was thinking when He made them and said they were good....like skunk (smell), mosquitoes, ants, swoopy birds....but I'll ask Him about those when I see Him face to face one day. ;)

Update: a few posts ago I told you about a giveaway coming up. September 11 is the day to mark on your calendar, phone or whatever electronic gadget I can't keep up with! Giveaway entry is only open for a limited time...as in it will be over the next day. So, make sure you tell all of your friends who enjoy Christian Fiction to head over this way on the 11th. Giveaway is the newest book of Jody Hedlund - Rebellious Heart.