May 22
I sit on the porch, enjoying the cool breeze of a pleasant spring day. The sun warms the garden, where the onions, radishes, and spinach have emerged. We've enjoyed some spinach salad already, our first harvest of the year. Unfortunately, we won't have any cabbages: after the snow killed them, there wasn't enough time in the growing season to start new ones.
The breeze blows the scent of young sagebrush in from across the fields, where wildflowers have begun to bloom. In many ways, this is the best time of year, with new life everywhere and the heat of the summer still weeks away. I watch the birds flitting and listen to their joyful cries. Psalm 66 springs to mind:
On a day like today, even the birds praise Him. I glance at the sky and mutter a quick word of thanks, for even in my gratutude, it seems that I make little time for prayer.Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
I watch Sarah as she feeds the chickens scraps from the kitchen. As soon as they hear her voice, the whole flock comes running to see what she's brought them. Sarah smiles happily as she presents them with wilted lettuce, moldy bread, mushroom trimmings, and other delicacies we accumulated over the past couple of days. The chickens make happy clucking sounds, glad of the gifts they've been given.
My wife's love for animals makes me smile, too. I've come to believe that is what love is: the ability to feel joy in seeing someone else feel joy. And Sarah makes me as joyful as I have ever been.
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