The Colors of Winter

December 2011

Naked oaks
crunchy brown leaves
a deck of wood slats
and green moss on the north side of things.
A hint of yellow left
from a Fall that has said goodbye
and will not return for yet a little while.
A heavy wood gate.
Closed.
A dog barks in the cold and gray.
Cottage bricks rounded and shaped
strong and old clinging together
with mortar from ages past.
Steps to the porch.
Cold window panes.
Doors ornate with Christmas wreaths.
Lighted trees glowing, reflecting.
Sweet ornaments with
last year's photographs of children's faces
framed in delicately knitted circles.
Red, green
The colors of Winter.
There's a welcome here.
Chimney smoke
the fragrance of wood burning.
Sparks on a hearth.
Holly Noel—the perfect Christmas name.
A good cup of coffee
the taste of caramel.
A verse for the day.
A quiet moment.
Fellowship.
Joy divine.
To lean, depend.
Mercy drops and
Grace in abundance.
And the coveted Gift of Hospitality
freely shared.

What more could a great-grandmother desire?

Jane Bennett Gaddy
Trinity, FL

Comments

Solitude

Likely we have never understood the truth of solitude until now, in the Year of our Lord 2020. A season of enigmatic suffering, seclusion, fear. We hear stories of the elderly dying alone. There can be no funeral, just burial. We hear of refrigeration trucks being used as morgues to hold the bodies until they can be disposed of. Sadness and loneliness hover over the epicenter of our once untouchable city where literally thousands are dying—Alone. At least, we thought it was invincible— Our Savior considered that and more when He cried, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). It makes perfect sense that God had to turn His back on Jesus at the Cross, because a Holy God cannot look upon sin, and in those moments on the Cross, Jesus "became" sin for us that we might be made righteous through His shed Blood. In all of that, of course, the God-Man was—Alone. For He (God) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin...

It was Over... The South Was Defeated

Isaac Payne rode with the last of his company to Appomattox on April 10 with no inkling of what to expect. He waited outside the perimeter. Enlisted men were not allowed to be present on the streets of the Courthouse area. Only commanding officers. Isaac was emaciated, just like all the other southern patriots who leaned hard against the white picket fence that surrounded the township. Tired, empty, and disheartened, they waited to know the end of the story. One man could scarcely be identified from the next. They all looked the same. Withered and wasted. Isaac dismounted and patted Glory. She was his only earthly possession besides his weapons. His only connection to home. He gripped the bridle and pressed his face to her thin neck, unconsciously rubbing his hand over her protruding bones. If he looked up in the distance he might see his father and brother riding the dusty road to Appomattox to join him, but how could that be? They were dead. The thought of their absence and ...

His Eye Seeth Every Precious Thing

The aroma of country ham moves deliciously on the wind. A warm seventy-two degrees on this late March day at 10:10 in the morning and the sun pours through the windows of my temporary She Shed. Cracker Barrel is churning out boxes of carry out to those who dare leave the safety of their homes on this Saturday morning to pick up. Otherwise, no worries, I'm sure they will deliver those biscuit delicacies for you, hopefully tossing in a couple of blackberry jams. In the meantime, it suffices just to take in the aroma while feasting upon some goodness from His Words, which are sweeter than any blackberry jam from Cracker Barrel. Social media explains it. A few have all the answers, you know. You can always count on them. But to the faithful lovers and followers of Christ, it's a favorite verse of Scripture for such a time as this, a quote from our beloved fathers of the faith, a story of love and redemption, more positive than negative. A baby is born. A loved one dies, sadnes...

Search This Blog