Sunflowers

It's sunflower season again. My trigger/shutter finger is happy.

(If you're looking for something to do after dinner, why not go for a drive to Yarrow and wander through fields of flowers while the sun sets? Details are here. )

I am so grateful that I get to live in this corner of Canada.

Thank you God for flowers. So glad You're wildly creative and that You obviously love bright colours. ME too! (Re: the colours. I like vivid colours too!) Thank you for all the different shapes and textures and sizes and scents and well, just everything. I hope You had as much fun designing them as I do photographing them.

God, thanks for creative people.
People who write books, make music, play instruments, decorate cookies, paint rocks, build houses, design cabinets, take photos, edit words, make clothes, hem curtains, plant gardens, grow herbs, cook meals, sing songs, crochet blankets, knit sweaters, quilt blankets, dye hair, darken eyebrows, adjust hemlines, make bouquets ...

Our world, my world, is richer and lovelier because You are the Author of Creativity. And You are delighted when we take a crack at it too.

Umm, God? There are some folks I care about who're dealing with cancer diagnosis'es ... could you hold them close? Give them peace? And courage? Could the treatment be effective? And not painful? And God, please be with their loved ones. Sometimes cancer is harder on the family than on the patient. I pray for strength and hope and energy for the families of my Uncle John, and my friends Donna and Lea. God. I pray Your will be done in their lives. Let today be a day filled with joy.

God, I pray for those who're in a season of New Beginnings right now. People I care about are dealing with life after a broken relationship, a job loss, a new marriage, a new baby, a new career, a new home, a move to a different country... All of them need wisdom. What's the next thing they should do? Please provide them with a community of supportive friends as they navigate their way through their new reality. And on THIS day, I pray their minds are at rest, knowing You're already ahead of them, equipping them for the journey.

And I pray for those who aren't facing anything NEW ; those who're stuck in the same old. God I pray You would breathe new life into their relationships, marriages, families, jobs ... Show them a way to make it better. Give them the desire to work on it. Flood them with hope that things WILL improve. On this day, God, I pray, they would have a glimmer of desire and an inkling of an idea on what they can do that'll make a positive difference. I pray, that today, they would smile and have hope.

God, so many people that I love are struggling with depression and anxiety and chronic health issues. Can you intercede? Fix it? Arrange help for them? Provide them with a plan to wellness? Do we need more doctors? More specialists? More education? Less stress? More support? Better meals? Deeper sleep? Better drugs? God, show us how to help those who're struggling. Give us patience and compassion. God I pray for those who are sinking that TODAY would feel lighter. Today they would feel hopeful. Today would be a bit brighter. Today would be the first day of many where they start to feel like themselves again. God, meet their needs, I pray.

Ugh. SO many prayer requests. Me and my never-ending To Do List for You:

• Be with those who are dating. Give them wisdom. And self-control. And patience.
• Give extra measures of strength to those who are caring for loved ones. Let them not grow weary.
• Place an extra thick hedge of protection around our doctors and nurses and hospital workers and first responders as they place themselves in right in the line of fire re: Covid. 
• Give scientists a big dose of Smarts so they can discover a cure/vaccine. 
• Our churches, God, are still mostly closed. Does this make You sad? Or are You looking forward to our leaders being creative in ways to worship You? Is this a New Beginning for Your people? Show us what to do.
• And I think there's a mouse under the kitchen sink. Can You remove him, please? And his extended family.

Amen.


Three things I'm thankful for:

1. He listens. Cares. Responds.

2. It was 30 degrees at 7 pm today. Summmmer is here.
Sadly, this week I'm taking Thursday and Friday off as Vacation Days. (You might recall, this was the exact same forecast LAST WEEK when I had Thursday and Friday off.)

3. I am thankful that forecasts are often wrong.


Stay safe,
Wash your hands.

Love,
Jane
xo