The flower's shadow.

When I took this picture today...

I was at work.

I missed Nonie desperately.

I had to time it just right, because the wind was blowing, and the shadow was hard to catch.

When I took this picture I was walking with a man who retired from our organization 2 weeks ago after 2 1/2 decades of work on the land. Yesterday, he closed on the house he built with his bare hands. Tomorrow he moves to a condo an hour away.

I was kneeling in white linen pants in dirt.

I didn't know the name of the flower.

When I took this picture I was hungry.

And sad.

For Nonie,

and for my co-worker.

When I look at the picture now,

I can just hear the wind

that moved the canopy of leaves,

to allow the sunlight,

that made the flower's shadow appear.

For the Birds.

Behold the birds of the air...

I have no idea how much snow we have but the cars are completely buried.

7:40am and it is still falling. Sideways.

Just watched my neighbor trudge through the process of shoveling.

But what interested me the most is that she didn't shovel her path to her car.

She shoveled her path to her bird feeder.

This was the first thing she did when she stepped outside this morning.

I also know that she has a barn full of animals waiting for her to feed them this morning just down the road - but since the plows haven't moved through this area yet - she has little hope of getting out.

Since I had just offered up food to the hungry birds sitting helplessly outside my kitchen window - I found my neighbors actions interesting.

In full disclosure, I took the lazy route and simply moved trays of salted sunflower seeds to the front porch. Yes, seeds right out of the cupboard since I've run out of our bagged birdseed. It is just far too early to start shoveling...(jeesh, I haven't even had my tea yet!).

As I moved from the window I couldn't help but think of the verse Mom painted in our vaulted kitchen wall (framing the window to the outside) in the house we lived in when we were younger. You'll surely find variations of Matthew 6:26 if you run a search for it, but this is how I remember it written:

Behold the birds of the air;

they sow not

nor do they reap,

yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.

Oh Yes He Does.

And He Feeds Me As Well.