Enjoyed the porch swing today. The March winds were cool but the day warmed up quickly. I was hoping the last cold spell had killed the mosquitoes but they were out for blood today. How something that little can have such big teeth beats me. They are kin to the fire ants for sure. Had an encounter with two black vultures today. They landed in the yard near the bird bath under the old water oak. Penelope stood up in her playpen and watched them the whole time they were in the yard. One vulture stayed on the ground and the other flew up to a high limb. I could see the white of his wing tip feathers as he later glided to the roof next door. They are handsome birds in a strange way. With their naked gray neck skins, dark gray and black heads, and malicious stares, they demand attention and respect. I see them as knights dressed in armor perched on the castle roofs of the neighborhood. Edward Abbey wrote, “Let us praise the noble turkey vulture: No one envies him; he harms nobody; and he contemplates our little world from a most serene and noble height.” Years ago Chief found a vulture egg in the barn and brought it home to ask me what kind of bird egg it was. I made him take it right back. When I came home from work the next day there were six vultures sitting on the guest house roof. I could feel their eyes on my back as I walked in the house. “Vultures are the most righteous of birds: they do not attack even the smallest living creature,” Plutarch.

Went outside after supper with a cup of coffee to enjoy the day’s gloaming before darkness fell on the landscape. I sat down in the swing and watched Mother Nature work her wonders with her watercolor brushes. The sun had already rolled down the horizon. I imagined her dressed in a beautiful lemon yellow formal gown embroidered with spring leaves in all their glorious colors of green. Father Sky was kissing the sun goodnight under an overcast sky of coconut colored clouds as Mother Nature began painting the sky in Murano glass colors of pale lavender blueberry and cherry blush pink. Mother Nature’s brush strokes lined and layered the heavens and deepened in color as twilight crept across the landscape. So pretty! Made me think of a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Every sunset brings the promise of a new dawn.” M.M. Ildan wrote, “In the twilight of the morning, all life silently waits for the sunrise. The sun must rise for the darkness to sink.” God’s takes away the darkness with his holy light in the promises of the day’s dawn, each day the gift of a new beginning from the Lord.

Read today’s quote in my quote book. It reads, “The man who moves a mountain must start by moving small stones,” Chinese proverb. I think this quote tells us that perseverance is needed to achieve a daunting task or goal. We break the challenges into consistent small goals and we’ll see long term results. Like “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” You got the willpower, God will show the way. We read in Matthew 17:20 of Jesus telling his disciples their inability to heal people was due to their lack of faith. “For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Just a small but true steadfast faith has the ability to move a mountain that’s blocking your path. We can overcome insurmountable challenges and obstacles when we rely on God’s grace. We can accomplish things that seem impossible with a genuine faith in our Heavenly Father.

Been thinking about God’s grace today. God gives us grace and brings us peace. “God’s grace is immeasurable, his mercy is inexhaustible, his peace is inexpressible,” Unknown. I looked up the definition of grace several times while I was pondering in my porch swing and found the Biblical meaning of grace defined as “undeserved favor.” Grace cannot be earned; it something that is freely given. I think God’s grace give us the fortitude to face life’s trials and tribulations because we have God’s strength within us. His unconditional love favors us and blesses us. He stands faithfully besides us and holds us up when we’re unsteady and carries us when our burdens are too heavy. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so no one can boast.”

When our hearts are broken and our spirits shattered by grief, we can turn to God’s grace and pray for healing. Even on our good days we need God’s grace in our lives to help show us the way. Grace gives us the strength to battle whatever challenge we face. “Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace,” Jerry Bridges. We all need to have the character of grace to live a Christian life. We need to learn to see the joyous hope in the gray skies of our lives. We need to rejoice and give thanks when the rainbows stretch across the horizon.“What gives me the most hope every day is God’s grace; knowing that his grace is going to give me the strength for whatever I face. Knowing that nothing is a surprise to God,” Rick Warren. God’s love is constant and unconditional. It’s free for the asking. He’s always ready to embrace us and bring us into his kingdom.

“Grace comes into the soul, as the morning sun into the world; first a dawning; then a light; and at last the sun in his full and excellent brightness.” — Thomas Adams