A goldfinch flew right by me when I was on my walk.
It caught me by surprise.
It thrilled me.
The bright yellow color of the feathers against the green leaves was so lovely.

I remember when we built a front porch on the house we lived in before this one.
I would sit on the porch swing and watch the birds at the bird feeder.
There were quite a few goldfinches that came to the feeder to eat the birdseed that was there.
I am not getting up off this swing until I see a goldfinch, I would say to myself.

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We hear the expression all the time.
We never take the time to ponder what it means.
The expression happened to be the impetus of a question.
The expression is: a lost art.

The question was: What are some lost arts that you wish came back or never left?
The answers fascinated me.
It was as if the question was the dividing line.
You were either on one side or the other depending on what you experienced in your life.

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Whenever we go on a beach vacation, I like to walk in the early morning.
I am not a sun lover since I get sunburned much too easily.
I am not a person who can lounge at the beach for hours.
I like to watch the waves against the shore leaving shells and smooth stones for me to find.

I like to find an empty bench that is near a dock.
I can sit for quite a while, peaceful and still.
I watch as the water laps against the boards of the dock.
I have such a feeling of serenity when I am near the water.

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There he was.
Standing on the bridge.
The same bridge where I see the fishermen.
The same bridge where people often stop to take photographs.

The movement caught my eye.
He was leaning against the railing.
His arms were moving every which way.
In fact, his whole body was moving along with his arms.

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I found a dollar on my morning walk.
I always wonder why that is exciting to me.
It is not about the amount of the find.
It is just that it was found in an unexpected place.

If the dollar is on someone’s driveway or walkway, it is not to be taken.
If the dollar is in the middle of the street, it is difficult to claim.
I picked up the dollar and smiled to myself.
It was the thrill of the find.

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After two weddings last summer, two weeks apart, this is the spring of houses.
Each couple has purchased their first home.
My daughter and her husband just settled on their home.
They are thrilled to begin making memories there; they are eager to see what God will do.

Each couple knows that their house belongs to God.
It is truly His house.
The world will mockingly say, Well then, let God pay the mortgage.
Each couple can just smile, knowing that their jobs are God’s provision for them.

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It didn’t take me long to see that my younger son would be a drummer.
Even as a little boy helping me unload the dishwasher, I knew.
It was the glass lid to the corning ware dish that gave me a clue.
It was what happened when I put the lid on the island that gave it away.

The glass lid has a round glass handle.
When I inadvertently put the lid upside down on the island, it wobbled.
It wobbled back and forth quickly before slowing down and coming to a complete stop.
I turned my back for a minute and heard the wobbling sound again.

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I need to ice a tendon on my foot.
There is no pain, but the ice will help.
The wonderful chiropractor that I go to suggested the best way to apply the ice.
It was an ingenious idea.

Put a water bottle in the freezer.
Roll your foot back and forth over the water bottle.
That will be the best way to get the cold where it needs to go.
Make sure the water is in the water bottle.

We both laughed.

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If you really want to get on the wrong side of me there is one statement that will do it.
It is one I never heard in my house growing up, thank goodness.
However, it is one I heard other places as I was growing up.
I never understood it since that was not the way I was raised.

Children should be seen and not heard.

I still cringe whenever I hear it.
Usually it was said by an adult who wanted total control.
Usually it was said by an adult who did not believe that children had anything worthwhile to say.
It was a statement that reeked of propriety but no warmth.

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I went to bed well before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Yes, I did.
The full house that we had for much of the holidays had emptied a bit.
Our youngest daughter had plans with her church friends.

It was going to be a quiet night.
However, my husband came down with a terrible cold.
I decided to un-decorate the house that day to keep busy.
By the time the dinner dishes were done and put away, I was tired.

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