after three days of gray skies and rain (so not typical of our sunshine state), i woke up this morning with a bad case of cabin fever. so i was very happy to see a few patches of blue in the morning sky. max, my 75 lb of muscle dog, who definitely had a case of rainy day blues, was chasing-his-tail happy when he saw me putting on my walking shoes.
thought i would share a few thoughts that ran through my head as max, God and i walked through the puddles.
first i thought how i love the way the earth looks and smells after a good rain. everything is washed clean of dust and debris. the ground is saturated with life giving water. and i love the way we look and smell when God rains down his love on us, saturating us with his grace and mercy.
then as i was walking the neighborhood my thoughts went like this… ours is one of the oldest neighborhoods in town and is quite an eclectic mix of houses. some of well cared for with fresh paint and landscaping and those extra touches that make them stand out amongst the ones that seem to be neglected. two blocks over, we move up a bit as far as real estate goes. I love walking down those streets where all the houses are different in architecture and design and the majority are beautifully landscaped and maintained. thinking how “nice” it would be to live on a street like that. then the question ran through my mind… as a Christ-follower, what kind of neighborhood should i be living in? one where everything is beautiful, perfect, safe behind security gates of my christian community? or should i be living in a neighborhood where i might have to see the ugliness of weeds and neglect everyday? in a place where my house/life stands out as one well cared for… one that inspires others to take care of their house and hire the master gardener?
there you go. just a few random thoughts that i wanted to quickly share with you. no time to proof-read, so i will just hit “publish”.
may you feel saturated by God’s love to day, so that you can inspire others in your neighborhood.
Ruthi's Reflections 
Love reading your “thoughts”!! A real blessing!
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Nothing like coming out of dark days with fresh eyes. Thanks, Ruthi.
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this was wonderful ..
wonderful head/heart…and spirit reminder ..
thank you for refreshing our “outlook” ..
you are a blessing to me !
jackie
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I think I remember the house in the photo – did it have all kinds of random pottery & glass stuff all through the gate & fence? I have such a bad memory – and that was 18 long years ago! Surprised that I remember it! You do have a nice neighborhood to walk through – and I’m sure yours has been that “house” that stands out because of the beacon of God’s love you are!
kelly
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