Lightkeeper's Journal

The Garden of Life - Finding Peace on a Front Porch

 

 

Photography and Article by Norma Beaird

 

Finding peace on a front porch.  That sounds rather simple and it possibly sounds quaint and sweet, but it's the honest truth.  We've said it before in various ways, using different phrases and words, but here it goes again......the world has gone crazy.  If we're looking to find peace in a world that has taken a nosedive into hedonism, violence and mayhem, then we will be looking for a very long time.  There is no peace in chaos.  There is no peace in materialism.  And, there is certainly no peace in the world's version of success.......because.....with the world, enough is never enough.  

There comes a time in life when we need to slow down and question why we're doing what we're doing.  Do we only see a brass and glass world?  Do we only see interstates and highways?  Or, do we ever notice the blooming Crepe Myrtles or the wildflowers growing on the side of the road? Do we ever notice the buzzing bees or the chirping of the birds?  

We've written about birds and nature for several years, and each day, God surprises us with new joys of nature.  On some days, it's the Northern Bobwhite Quail that brings his missus into the yard for dinner.  On other days, it's the beautiful colors of Coleus that brighten our days with shades of Neon Green and Burgundy.

Coleus, Peppermint, Spearmint and Asparagus Fern

 

On some days, the Lord blesses us with a collage of glorious color!

The lovely shades of Coleus.

 

Rex Begonia

 

Persian Shield

 

Peace doesn't appear out of thin air.  We must live in a way that brings peace to our mind and spirit.   This year, in addition to feeding the birds at Le Avian Cafe, we decided to have a front porch garden.  We kinda got carried away.  After all, you can't stop with just one plant.....or two plants.....or three plants.  Having a front porch garden has increased our physical activity and emotional calmness.  It's difficult to be stressed when you're watering the Basil and Rosemary.  It's not easy to complain when you're digging in the soil and picking out colorful pots.  And, you can't be frustrated when you've just cut some Basil leaves to place on top of Mozarella Cheese, on top of a tomato, with a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil on top! 

 

From Left to Right:  Italian Basil, Persian Shield and more Italian Basil

 We love Persian Shield.  It's grows beautifully in a hot and humid climate.  

This plant is perfect for the Deep South and Florida

 

Yellow pot - Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) and the multi-color pot has Aloe Vera 

Aloe Vera plant is essential to have on hand for cuts, scrapes or burns.  It speeds up the healing process.

 

   Yellow Pot - Rosemary (Barbecue)

Orange Pot - English Lavender

Colbalt Blue Pot - Rosemary (Barbecue - and yes, it's smells like a barbecue)

 

L to R:  Coleus, Purple Coneflower (Echinacea), Coleus, Peppermint and French Lavender (Lavandin)

We found the landscaping stones at Lowe's.  We were having problems with weeds, so we cleaned out this area, placed stones on top (bought some of the stones for 84 & 88 cents).  The stones work perfectly for keeping a lot of the weeds out and they give the pots an even surface.  These lovely plants came from The Garden House in Vidalia, Georgia.  

 

 

 

This planting and growing season has also been a learning process.  To the left is Persian Shield in a striped pot.  This is the rich beautiful color of Persian Shield.  In perfect humid conditions, it has the appearance of purple leather leaves.  The terra cotta-colored pot in the middle has Electric Lime Coleus in the back and Persian Shield in the front.  We have learned that Persian Shield needs to be in a pot by itself.  This particular Persian Shield does not have a rich, vibrant purple color. The Electric Lime seems to be halting the growth of the Persian Shield.  To the far right is French Lavender or Lavandin (a hybrid of English Lavender).

 

Moving the plants to more sunshine! 

 

Sometimes, after watering the plants and moving them around, my back muscles are a little sore.  However, my spirit is refreshed.   When we are connected to nature, we are connected to God.  This is not New Age thinking, it's Genesis 1 thinking.  Genesis 1 is the Creation Chapter of the Bible.  God created the Heavens and the Earth.  He is the God of Creation.  God created the plants, the herbs, the birds and the butterflies.  We can experience the presence of a Holy God through appreciating and caring for His creation. He provided the herbs and plants for us.  And, in His physical provision, we can experience a heavenly peace.  

Psalm 50:10 says, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills."  

God owns it all, to include this adorable little frog who was making his home in the pot of Rosemary.  

Genesis 1:29 - 30

²⁹ And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree,

in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

³⁰ And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth,

wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

L to R:  Spearmint in the red pot and Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) in the yellow pot

All of it belongs to God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth.

 

Red Rubin Basil

 

Peppermint - this herb is great for repelling spiders and mice.  

Spider Repellent Recipe.  You will need a plastic spray bottle.  Mix 16 ounces of warm water, 10-15 drops of pure Peppermint Oil, and a drop of dishwashing liquid.  Shake well. You can spray this mixture inside or outside, around doors, windows and anywhere spiders or mice can creep in.

 

As much as the American Dream encourages climbing the ladder to success, people will burn themselves out to make another dollar for another day.   As people rush here, there and everywhere, many times, they will miss the beauty of it all.   They go home exhausted beyond measure and dread the thought of doing it again tomorrow.  Mark 8:36 says "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  Even though work is very important, we must never go through life missing the things that can't be bought with gold or silver.  

A front porch garden is a garden of life.  A garden is about life because a garden is about the Creator.

God is our Creator and everything that He creates or touches generates life.

 When the world is involved, we will find chaos, confusion and spiritual death.  

When God is involved, we find peace, promise and eternal life.  

 

 

 

Copyright 2017, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

  

Finding Wonder in the Midst of Chaos

 

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker has become a regular winter visitor at Le Avian Cafe. 

 

Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird

Article by Norma Beaird

 

As we continue our "Finding Wonder" series, I want to talk about finding wonder in the midst of chaos.   In the world we live in today, a world of confusion, chaos and calamity, we sometimes find ourselves waking up each morning with what seems to be a dark cloud over our head.  Instead of waking up to hope, faith and a new outlook on life, we find that the messages of hope and faith are replaced with messages of doom and gloom.  This is especially true if you get a steady diet of television news and online newspapers.   And, it's even more true if you are constantly watching the election coverage.  

Wisdom has been replaced with foolishness.

Politicians, scandals, tragedies, shootings, drug trafficking and all manner of crimes cover the airwaves like green pollen covers the front porch.  Everywhere you turn is bad news.  Consequently, it is not inaccurate to say that there is a spiritual dark cloud over this country and over our towns and communities.  Somewhere along the way, something happened, and it wasn't good.  

Morality was replaced with hedonism. 

One thing lead to another, and here we are.... 

Neighbors aren't neighbors anymore.  Generosity of spirit has been replaced with selfish motives.  Crime is running rampant, even in the quiet rural communities.  The workplace has become a place of fear and dread. A classroom has become a place where people are forced to defend themselves.  Drug trafficking has become the new income stream.  Churches have become more concerned with money and power than they are with souls.  A country that once took its identity in the comfort and peace of freedom is turning into an overbearing police state.  

Moderation was replaced with indulgence; and now,

optimism has been replaced with anger.

.....but thankfully, we have the birds.....

Rocky, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, is looking for Chef Curtis' famous Peanut Butter Tree Spread.  

 

Thank God for the birds.  When it seems that chaos and pandemonium is breaking loose around you and that dream of peace and quiet is relegated to days gone by, we can look outside of our circumstances and listen to the melodious sounds of bird song.  We can see the woodpeckers pecking away on the old pecan tree and drumming on the barn to attract their mate.  Even though chaos reigns supreme, the birds continue to behave as birds - singing, pecking, mating, nesting and feeding their young.  If the environment becomes hostile and threatens their sanctuary, they move on to greener pastures and continue doing what God created them to do.  Even though conditions change around them, they take cover and continue to behave as birds.  

Sometimes, we need to take a lesson from our feathered friends.  After all, God's beautiful winged creatures can teach us a lot about life.  No matter what, birds continue to build their nest, feed their family; and, most importantly, they continue to spread their wings and fly.  If they detect danger or a predator, they instantly respond to the threat and move to a place of safety.  They are always singing or chirping or calling, but they are always aware.  They don't give up who they are as God's winged wonders, but they live life with both efficiency and awareness.   They keep on.....keeping on.   In other words, they don't give up.  

We can find wonder in the beauty of birds, a wonder that replaces the anxiety of a world in chaos.  

 

No one will ever accuse the mainstream media of providing us with a feeling of peace and safety.  However, God has provided us with a way to calm our fears and ease our pain.  Life is not easy.  Sometimes, it's just overwhelmingly difficult.  Still, we can find solace in the words of the Bible and in the fact that no matter what happens, God is still in control.  When we walk outside and see the birds in flight and hear the calls of the wild, we are reminded that the Creator of all things bright and beautiful will protect us and give us peace, if we will slow down and allow Him to bring tranquility into a world of chaos.  

 

John 16:33 

These things I have spoken unto you,

that in Me ye might have peace.

In the world ye shall have tribulation:

but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

 

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

 

I Peter 3:11

Let him eschew evil, and do good;

let him seek peace, and ensue it.

 

 

 

Copyright 2016, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.   

 

Bloom

 

Cardinal Climber Bloom

 

Photography and Article by Curtis Beaird

 

More than parts of a plant, roots, leaf, stem and flower.  Beyond its Xylem and Phloem.  Even more than the ingredients of sunlight and water, soil and its nutrients, potassium and nitrogen, with a pinch of calcium thrown in for good measure, the Cardinal Climber is home to life. 

With the passing of spring and the fading light of summer’s end, comes the onset of fall.  Somewhere in the plant's version of genetics, there is communication.  The Cardinal Climber knows.  It knows it has reached that time.  

Its vines are gnarled and tangled within support branches old and brittle.  Leaves once available to sunlight and moisture have curled and frayed.  Each, in turn, giving up their part in feeding the Cardinal Climber.  The ground that the plant would, if it could call home, is dry and dusty.  It’s time.

Time for what?  Time to do the only thing that life knows to do, bloom.  In spite of it all, even in the face of season's end, our Cardinal Climber remains true to its nature and its Creator.  It puts on one more bloom.  Regardless of the coming circumstance, regardless of the current circumstance, it gives life one more chance to offer up its best.  Our Cardinal Climber blooms. 

 

To read Part One, click on the following link: "What a Cardinal Climber Taught Me"

 

 

Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved.  

 

What a Cardinal Climber Taught Me

 

The Cardinal Climber

 

Photography and Article by Curtis Beaird

 

Determination is worth the effort.

Cardinal Climbers require some, but not much.  Soil, but not the best.  Water, in okay amounts.  Cardinal Climbers manage; no, they actually use the the full light of the sun and the heat of the day to produce their beauty and best.  Things don’t always have to be right for a Cardinal Climber.  They are determined to grow. 

Take only what you need. 

Climbers need water; but, a little goes a long way.  They clearly decided long ago, somewhere between the ice age and our back yard, that they can and will make up the difference between what it has, what it needs and its intent on life and growth.  It understands how much is enough.   

Too much of a good thing can cause problems.

The Climber knows water is critical to life; but, too much can bring blight.  It’s glad for an easy does it approach to this wet necessity.  It uses what it has and seems glad for what it got.  The little blooms are beautiful. 

Use what you have. Work with what you’ve got.

Our Cardinal Climber accepted the aid of a scraggly bush.  The gnarly limbs were way short of the full length that the Climber could and would grow.  Once it reached the highest point, the Cardinal Climber used the circumstance to produce a cascading flow of popping red blooms.   

Reach. 

Always grow toward the light.  The Cardinal Climber, as its name implies, is happiest climbing.  Climbing is its native joy.  Once it reaches the top of its support, a trellis or a tree, it will reach a little further, striving for the light. 

Share. 

The Cardinal Climber’s bright red blooms brings beauty to the world and offers sustenance to butterflies and hummingbirds.  The Cardinal Climber avoids greed, participates freely in the lives of its neighbors, and celebrates the rain when it comes.  The Cardinal Climber is generous. 

Sustain Yourself.  Plan on Surviving. 

Cardinal Climbers plan ahead. Spring brings roots and delicate stems and then vines reaching for the sky. Summer brings a burst of bright red blooms.  While small in size, they are a delight when at their full number.  The approaching Autumn brings the seed, a tough, dark shell holding next year’s life.  About three times the size of the period at the end of this sentence, the Cardinal Climber seed puts enough of itself into this rough husk to make it through the winter and be ready for Spring’s first rains. 

Even a Cardinal Climber can be our teacher.

 

To read Part Two, click on the following link:  "Bloom"

 

 

Copyright 2014, Curtis and Norma Beaird.  All rights reserved. 

 

Enjoy the Passage

 

Photography by Norma W. Beaird at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida

 

Enjoy The Passage
 

By: Curtis Beaird

 

Listen to the wind
ride the waves
taste the fear
the anger
pine away for a lost love

Risk walking in the light
take a chance on living new every day
walk alone in the dark
believe the light in your heart
is greater than the darkness
that surrounds you

Hope again that this time will be different
refuse the lies fear tells
get up when you fall
feel your pain
refuse its bondage

Delight in the morning light
hold your life gently in the palm of your hand
never clinch your fist
never point
respect yourself no matter what
give up the illusion you’re self sufficient
she loves you
he loves you

It rains on the just and the unjust
be glad that includes you
life is too short
when you know that to be true
live that truth
then, live your truth
relax
you’re not in charge of much
fail with courage
succeed and celebrate
grieve when it’s your turn
plead guilty only when you are

Laugh at things that are funny
they are usually true
hold hands
sleep with the one you love
it may be the only rest you get
Enjoy The Passage

 

Copyright 2006, Curtis Beaird.  All rights reserved.

 

 

Eleven Things My Yesterdays Taught Me

 

 

Article By:  Curtis Beaird

Photography By:  Norma W. Beaird

 

I kinda thought I would think on, muse on, wonder about and listen to my yesterdays and see what they had to say to me.  

So, here goes…...

1.   Life is about falling down and getting up.  It is about fouling up and waking up.  It is about fast starts, slow starts, false starts, re-starts and do-overs.

2.   Our greatest privilege:  The opportunity to confess, repent, receive forgiveness and begin again and again and again.  Guilt is a painful reminder that we are not in charge.  Follow the trail of guilt through the veil of tears and it will lead us to grace, forgiveness and the next second chance.  Confession, as they say, is good for the soul.  It sets us free to fly.

3.   Life is about showing up.  Someone, who knows who, said,

"Ninety percent of success is little more than showing up."  It's about asking, seeking, knocking. Lean on the gate just a little and it will open.  If it doesn't, it is either not a gate, could be a wall, or it is not your gate to lean on.  Pick the next one and lean on it.

Thankfully, our life will see more than one gate.  Those that are ours will open.  

Show up and lean into it.

4.   Jump and the net will appear.  Give up on security.  Security is an illusion.  Time and chance happens to everyone.  At least the writer of Ecclesiastes thought so.  Living life on the fly is the way life is lived.  A living faith has wings.

5.   If you do look for security, try God.  We don't know how anything is going to turn out, except where God is concerned.  Fear is useless.  Risk invigorates.  Love grounds us.   Loving God gives us our only solid place to stand.  Go ahead and take a chance.  Do a half gainer off the high board right smack into the middle of tomorrow.  Go for it.

6.  Dwelling on the past will turn you into a pillar of salt.  Losing yourself in woulda, shoulda or coulda, means just that, losing yourself.  It will stop you cold.  It will reduce your soul to a mush of misgivings, doubts, and a long string of tiresome second guesses and self-castigation. That, when it is not exhausting, is boring.  “Forgetting those things which have gone before, I press on…”   A bad memory can serve our future well.

7.   Use depression wisely.  Surprise, surprise.  In the economy of God, even depression has its purposes.  The Bible talks about the "treasures of darkness”.  Obviously, you have to go there to find those treasures.  Never fear things out of our control.  Things in our control that we manage poorly; or plain fatigue, will now and then plop us down in the middle of the valley of the shadow.

 

Isaiah 45: 2 - 3

²  I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

³  And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.

A couple of questions.  Will we be like the Psalmist and walk through the valley fearing no evil?   Will we squint just a little and see through that scowling evil and find the greatest treasure in that dank darkness, that "Thou art with me”? (Psalm 23)

Makes no difference what the dark feels like.  While there, we may feel like a whipped pup or an abandoned child.  We may feel lost, a loser, confused….. ..or just not care.   Not caring can be the worst.  It is then that we are willing to lose ourselves for nothing.

Thankfully, feelings are just feelings.  In the extreme, except in the case of love, they seldom define the way things are.  As far as the valley of the shadow is concerned, our fearful feelings never tell us the truth.  The truth is.......God is there.   We are not alone.

The dark is real.  Evil is our threat.  Our feelings distract us from finding the treasure.  

“Thou art with me.  Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  My cup runs over."  

All of that and more while we are deep in the valley of the shadow.

Go ahead and take a step.  Keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Use depression wisely.  It can lead you to the treasures of darkness.   “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.  And, I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."

8.  We lose in order to find.  Oops, I fumbled the ball.  Oops, I don't have the ball any more.  I lost it. Good.  Now you have a chance to seek and find what was intended for you all along…...your very own life.  "If you lose your life for my sake you shall find it."   Oops, I fumbled the ball.   Good. Another chance.

9.  We can’t get it right, but we can try again.  Faith includes trial and error, a good bit of experimentation and a dollop of adventure.  Noah's ark building, Abraham's leave-taking, Moses’ fire-watching and voice-hearing all involved faith.  Remember Moses?  Following a massive foul-up in the small matter of the killing of an Egyptian, he found himself on the backside of Median turning aside to see a bush that burned and was not consumed. 

While staring at the flames and the bush that wouldn't go away, a voice was heard. "Moses!"  Unmistakable, loud and clear, it was his name.  The specifics of his calling followed.  His excuses followed the call.   Faith took over.  And, Moses in shorter order than he ever intended, ever expected or even wanted, was on his way to trying again.

Getting it right must not be the requirement.  Trying must be the expectation.  The calling moves us to it.  The calling frees us for it.  Try again.

10.  Well, like I said at the top of the page, best I can tell, life is about falling down and getting up.  It is about messing up and waking up.  It is about fast starts, slow starts, false starts, re-starts and do-overs.       

Thankfully, it ain't ever finished.  It's better than you expected and can and usually will become something other than what you planned.  

Life is not a problem to be solved.  Life is intended to be lived.

Living is about forgetting about the pot of gold and falling in love with the rainbow.  God is good. 

Life is.....well..…life.

11.   There is no way to get ahead or fall behind.  Plans are great until they change or get wrecked.

In the economy of God, wrecked plans fit in.  

At least Paul thought so.  "All things work together for good..."   Plans have a way of ending abruptly and permanently.  We don't need a nip, a tuck or a plan.  We need a faith the size of a grain of mustard seed.  We need the faith that is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” 

Faith alive replaces strategic certainty with the risk of forward movement.  Try.

 

Romans 8:28 (King James Version)

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

Philippians 3: 13 - 14 (King James Version)

¹³ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

¹⁴ I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Copyright 2012, Curtis Beaird.  All rights reserved.