Sandra Byrd's Blog, page 28
March 10, 2010
How Does Your Garden Grow?
I'm excitedly preparing for our forthcoming trip to London by browsing some travel guides. As a garden enthusiast in the thrall of early spring, one fact truly fascinated me. More than 40,000 bulbs are planted each year at Buckingham Palace, and 250,000 – a full quarter of a million bulbs – at Hampton Court Palace. That's a lot of sore backs and muddy knees for Her Majesty!
These royal gardeners plant relatively nondescript bulbs that are nearly indistinguishable from one another except to...
February 25, 2010
De-Iced
by Sandra Byrd
Last week I spent many days in chilly Denver, reconnecting with my close friend from college, catching up with a couple who has loved and spiritually guided me for more than two decades, and enjoying writing friends, old and new. But the culmination of everything I learned and experienced occurred just after I'd spent several hours parked in a cramped plane on a busy tarmac.
The plane had some mechanical problems so we waited, and waited, and waited. Of course, I was sitting...
February 15, 2010
From the Mouths of Babes
When is the last time you went out of your way to do something kind for a friend? Tonya's neighbor boy reminds us that we should have child-like spirits …
It's Better to Give than to Receive
By Tonya Nash
One warm summer's day, I stood outside watering my front yard. We hadn't purchased a sprinkler yet, so I had to do it the old-fashioned way and use the water hose. It was so dry that it seemed like the grass was sucking up the water quicker than it would come out of the hose.
All of a sudden ...
February 2, 2010
Diamonds are Forever
Just in time for Valentine's Day, new talent Sarah Austin has some fantastic things to share about true romance …
Diamonds in the Sand
By Sarah Austin
If our generation today had a theme song, it would probably be "I Want to Know What Love Is," by Foreigner. And if you don't know who Foreigner is, you're probably the generation to which I am referring. The media seems to be in love with love. We see it on the TV. We read about it in books. We listen to it on the radio. Everyone seems to be...
January 22, 2010
A Cracked Tank by Carrie Crossett
In the midst of the rainy season here in Washington, Carrie reminds us to build on The Rock…
A Cracked Tank
A few weeks ago I casually glanced into the waiting room at work and discovered a small wading pool. I jumped out of my chair and called for reinforcements. The 280 gallon saltwater fish tank had sprung a leak. Again.
Upon inspection I noted that the water level in the massive tank was three inches lower than it should have been and sinking steadily. Not good at all. I turned off valves...
January 6, 2010
What time is it? By Anne Elmer
A terrific little booster shot of encouragement and hope to start the new year …even if your name isn't Esther.
What times are these?
Difficult times, a time of recession, times of change, the end times?
So much is being said at the moment about the times we are living in that I felt nudged to read once more that beautiful passage in Ecclesiastes 3 which begins
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.
The God who lives outside time, (that concept is too big...
November 12, 2009
A true tabula rasa…by Barbara Chadwick
This devotional encouraged me so much this morning…what can I plan to do for those I love?
Your Day – A Blank Page
By Barbara Chadwick
Each day when you open your eyes you have a whole new day ahead of you, an entire blank page. You may think your day's page is already full but you have the power over your page. You have the power to insert some splotches of color onto a gray page day, to rejoice over a day already filled with color, or to fill a totally blank page with blessing others.
A...
October 25, 2009
The Priceless Gift of Generations, by Teresa Neumann
My dear friend Teresa reminds us to pass the baton…and to grasp it when it's been passed to us.
The Priceless Gift of Generations — Teresa Neumann
"Who has done this and carried it through, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD – with the first of them and with the last – I am he." – Isaiah 41:4 (NIV)
God was absolutely brilliant when He sorted human beings into different generations. Can you imagine life without babies, or children, or teenagers, or grandparents or...
October 18, 2009
My friends, the bees, by Linda Gail Johnson
God teaches us unusual things in unusual ways. What can pests add to your life? Read on…
It all began in my daughter's seventh grade science class. The subject was plants and pollination. The text covered three types of pollination: self-pollination, cross-pollination, and artificial cross-pollination.
The first, self-pollination happens when an excess of pollen in a flower causes pollination to take place within that same flower; hence the name, self-pollination.
Immediately after reading this ...
October 6, 2009
Our true best friend…by Marsha Howard
A perfect, memorable illustration for those of us who love dogs, and even, I believe, for those who don't!
He's There
Read Psalm 139:1-16
Laney, our dog, came to the back door barking. Then she ran out of the yard and up the hill and circled my small son, barking. In a few minutes, she was back at the door barking, and then once again on her way up the hill, circling my son again all the while barking. I was watching this from behind a curtain at the back door. You see, I had never taken my...
