Wow what a glorious day!!

It was 88 degrees today (after 80 yesterday), and I spent most of the day working in my yard and cul de sac. Just twelve days ago, we had a blizzard in MN, but now spring seems to have arrived. While working in my yard, I was listening to some music. My current favorite song:

How Can You Not - Leanna Crawford

I see his goodness
When I fall down
And his grace that picks me up
Every day I can’t stop singing
Hallelujah
[Chorus]
How can you not see God
In every little thing
In every little moment
How can you not feel loved
How can you not
How can you not
I see the sun rise in the morning
And a million stars at night
I hear the birds, they can’t stop singing
HallelujahCause He’s in the middle of
Every little thing
And every little moment
How can you not see God
How can you not
How can you not[Verse 2]
I see the sunset and I wonder
If He paints it just for me
Nobody else could make a world so beautiful
How could I question his love when
It’s everywhere I go
Wherever I look I find another miracle[Chorus]
How can you not see God
In every little thing
In every little moment
How can you not feel loved
How can you not
How can you not

I first heard this song on a road trip to Arizona. Needing to move my mother (for the third time in seven months), I had two long days of driving down and two long days of driving back. While I normally listen to audiobooks when driving long distances, each day I did take a break from the books near the end of my driving and listen to songs on the radio. This song played at sunset on two of my days of driving, once on the way down and again on my return trip. The beauty of the sunset emphasized the awesomeness of God’s creation.

My mother is settled and happy in her new apartment. I am pleased that many of the deficits she suffered when she had a stroke last summer have been healed and she can live independently once again.

After returning to Minnesota, I had a day to do laundry and repack for a vacation on Singer Island in Florida. Sunshine and 80 degrees was really nice!

On April 1st, while my son was back in MN shoveling out from another snow storm, I went for a walk on the beach.

I again heard Leanna Crawford’s song on the radio. While enjoying the beauty of the waves and sunshine, I was again reminded of God’s marvelous creation.

Each day, I marvel at God’s creation. From the pair of owls that perched on our deck, to the flowers popping up in my front yard, to the sunrise when I wake up early in the morning – everything around us reminds us of God!!

At Easter, we have a lot to celebrate. When my boys were younger, they would search for Easter eggs and their baskets, usually in the house, but occasionally the weather was nice enough to be outside. This tradition was a lot of fun. But, even more special was attending Easter services at our church. While they may not have always sat quietly when they were young, I still had tremendous joy in being there together to celebrate.

You may think that it is strange for me to enjoy celebrating that a man died. To understand this joy, you first need to understand why Jesus had to die. He died for our sins and the sin of this world. In the world there is a lot of suffering, brokenness and pain caused by our sin. God sent Jesus to the world because he loves us and wants to save us from our sins.  This is God’s gift of grace to you this Easter. 

As we approach Easter Sunday, I hope that you too will celebrate Him with praise, love and thanksgiving for what he has done on the cross for us.