Monday Miscellany

1. Weather
February, February. The month takes on such a different meaning in the South. Growing up in upstate New York, February was the month of gloominess. The snow was no longer magical. The cold was really cold. Winter sports were our saving grace, although there is nothing quite like a ride on ski lift on a cold February night to make one ponder the insanity of winter sports. I can still feel that cold wind, toes frozen, mouths almost too cold to talk.

But here in Tennessee, February is the first month of spring. Really! The daffodils are already out in some places. We have at least two little droopy guys out there, wondering what hit them. In Tennessee we have 65 degree days interspersed with 30 degree days. One never knows if we'll have snow or flowers. I'm OK with that. Last week we had an ice storm, which was exciting.

Yesterday we had snow. That was fun, too.

2. New Endeavors
I am so totally honored and grateful to be helping with a new initiative at my church. It's called LOVE>FEAR, and it's all about inspiring people to overcome fear with love. We have one feature story each week that highlights ordinary people showing how love overpowers fear. I had the honor of interviewing one amazing woman about her escape from domestic violence. Her story is called A Life Worth Fighting For. I love being part of something like this, something that recognizes how God works in the lives of people that are so often overlooked or taken for granted—and hopefully inspires others to change their lives, share their stories, take a big step, or just join in with making the world a better place.

In other new endeavors, Randy and I joined a running small group at our church recently. We met for the first time this past Saturday when the temp was 24 degrees. Pretty sure my toes were frozen. I think I might be a small group junkie.



3. Sunrises
I love to wake up around 6:30 a.m. so I can watch the sun rise over the mountains. It's hard for me not to take a picture nearly every day. I remember this feeling about Seneca Lake, the lake our house was on in New York. The lake was moody. You never knew what lake you would see upon waking in the morning, and I loved this. I've missed the lake and its many personalities. Here in Tennessee, we used to have a pear tree in our front yard that mostly obscured the view of the mountains, but thankfully that fell down last summer in a storm. I just can't stop looking out our front window and taking pictures of the sun and the mountains.

I guess I'm also a sunrise junkie.