Winter Flowers

Winter flowers in downtown Kirkland

Sunsets

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I was walking home from a friend's house and saw this glorious sunset. 

If you look closely you can see the outline of the Olympic Mountains.

That's Seattle on the other side of Lake Washington

The colors change so quickly

panoramas from Mariana Park

Trees, Light, and God

 

Isaiah speaks of the Messiah and the work his father sent him to do. 

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; … to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61: 1-3

“That they might be called trees of righteousness” planted by God caught my eye in light of the thoughts I recently expressed about being “gatherers of light.” What do trees do? They gather light and in turn that light fuels processes that lead to growth and beauty. I could go on and on about the analogy but will leave it up to your imagination and knowledge. 

What wonderful thoughts and something to work towards – being a tree of righteousness planted by God. To gather light and then share that light, love, and beauty with others. 

Gatherers of Light

 “Those of you who have studied the process of plant growth are familiar with the remarkable way plants take light from the sun and transform it into energy and new growth, ...  Most plants can’t survive long without light. If there is no light, there is no energy. Plants that are deprived of light begin to wear away and eventually perish.”

Without light, they cannot sustain life.

“We understand the role light plays in the growth and survival of plants, ... Do we understand its role in ours?”

Like plants, individuals must be “gatherers of light” to sustain spiritual life.

“We know what happens to plants that are severed from light. What happens to mortals, what happens to us, who are separated from the Light of Christ?” he asked. “What happens when we walk in paths that shade us from God’s light? Can our spirits thrive without being drenched in the pure light of truth, the Light and Redeemer of the world?”

... a large part of the job description of a disciple of Christ is to become a light gatherer, a light collector, and to bear that light to the world.”

Dieter Uchtdorf at BYU-Hawaii 

commencement exercises December 2018

Floating Free of Time

We have a hummingbird feeder on our balcony. It's difficult to watch the birds because they fly away whenever they sense movement, even from inside the condominium. I was very surprised when I was sitting by the bay window and a hummingbird flew right up to the window and appeared to look at me. 

"Legends say that hummingbirds float free of time, carrying our hopes for love, joy and celebration. The hummingbird's delicate grace reminds us that life is rich, beauty is everywhere, every personal connection has meaning and that laughter is life's sweetest creation." (Papyrus card)

Hawaii - Petroglyphs

Puako Petroglyph Park

Mauna Lani Resort, Waimea

About 3,000 designs have been identified in this park

1,200 can be seen from the park paths

 No one knows the meaning of the petroglyphs 
nor why they are concentrated in this area

Hawaii - Seahorse Farm

Ocean Rider Seahorse Farm

Kailua-Kona, Big Island, Hawaii

"Ocean Rider is an organic Hawaiian-based aqua-farm that follows strict good farming practices and inspiring ocean awareness by saving endandered species."

The seahorses are raised in large tanks

A baby seahorse is called a fry. A group of seahorses is called a herd.

-Seahorses engage in an eight hour courtship dance which includes spinning around, swimming side by side and changing colors.

-When mating, the female seahorse releases up to 50 eggs into a pouch on the male’s abdomen.

-The male seahorse carries the eggs in his pouch until they hatch, then releases fully formed, miniature seahorses into the water.  As few as 5 or as many as 1,500 young can be born.

holding a seahorse - it wraps its tail around your finger

 from Huffingtonpost.com & OneKindPlanet