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LOOKING AHEAD


Today, I’m all bundled up with a snuggly housecoat wrapped around me. I have on my red polka dot knee socks with a pair of red, fuzzy bedroom shoes. Still, it’s so frigid I think the heater is broken, until I hear the clicking noise it makes just before it comes on. Ahh, the warm air drifts into the room, and it’s comfortable. It’s my birthday, and my daughter gives me a pretty tee-shirt. The bright colors and sparkling tiny beads that look like chipped crystal on it lift my spirits. I try it on -- a perfect fit. Outside snow and ice cover the deck. Brrrrr, even though I can’t wait to wear my gift, I need to put on a heavy sweater. I lay the piece of clothing aside and dress warmly.

Later, after my daughter leaves I get out the shirt. Considering the weather conditions, I probably need to put it away with my summer clothes until spring. No, I look at it again. I will hang it in my closet where I can see it. Every time I look at it, it will remind me that spring is coming. It will be a sign for me, I tell myself.

That makes me think of all the other signs of spring I will see soon. There will be green leaves pushing their way onto the barren, gray branches that make the trees in my yard look like skeletons. Not long after that the azaleas and dogwood blossoms will break out in glorious clusters. Then, I’ll see daffodils blooming in my neighbors’ yards and wild honeysuckle on the sides of the road. We already have passed the shortest day of the year, December twenty-first, so each tomorrow will bring a little more sunshine. Spring is just around the corner, after all.

Thankful for signs, I begin to think of other signs God has given us. I’ve often heard the old adage, “Red sky in morning, sailors warning; red sky at night, sailors delight.” Then, I see the cross my mother gave to me. It has marks on it that remind me that Jesus suffered and died for my salvation. But I can’t look at it without hope and joy, because it also makes me remember that he rose from the dead. He lives, and he is coming.

Colossians 3: 1 - 4: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Comments

chahtameda said…
You, like your mother, express joy and inspiration! Your writing is proof! Looking forward to your uplifting words in 2010!
Gail Pallotta said…
Thank you for the comparison and your words of encouragement.
Gail Pallotta said…
eDitorcHRIS,
Thanks for stopping by.

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