February offers more than Valentine’s Day

/ Jeanne Lemmon Skinner / Leave a comment

Valentine’s Day dominates February, but it is filled with lots more!

February begins with Groundhog Day and Candlemas. Both are on February 2. German immigrants brought the custom of watching to see if a groundhog saw his shadow as a way to predict the coming of spring. In Germany, it was a hedgehog. I only believe the groundhog if he doesn’t see his shadow! (Meaning spring is on its way!) Candlemas has a long history but just think of it as blessing the candles for the coming year. It’s from a time when candles provided light to homes and churches. The month continues with other days to remember, and the entire month is dedicated to learning about Black history.

As soon as the Christmas decorations are removed, the Valentine’s Day decorations go up in every store. As a child, the Valentine’s Day party at school was as special as the Halloween party. The history of the day is a mixture of the Roman holiday Lupercalia and Saint Valentine. Lupercalia was celebrated February 13 -15 when Roman priests dipped animal hides in goat blood and then hit women with the hides to make them more fertile. Sounds terrible. Saint Valentine is known to have married soldiers when it was forbidden. According to the Emperor Claudius, unmarried men made better soldiers, so he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine was arrested for marrying couples and put to death. Before his death he sent letters to his friends and signed them with, “Remember your Valentine.”

President’s Day is February 16 this year which is remembered by canceling school, mail delivery and other services. I have to ask, how are the presidents remembered on this day?

February 18 is Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent. Many will eliminate favorite foods and bad habits. Spending time in prayer and reading the Bible are both encouraged, Lent is thought to be a dark time, but if one spends more time with God, they are in his light. Just a thought.

Wishing you all a warmer February and a few valentines to brighten your day!

The Silence Snow Brings

/ Jeanne Lemmon Skinner / Leave a comment

Have we lost our appreciation of silence?

I admit, I love the snow. I like walking in it and even shoveling it. That’s because I don’t have a lot to shovel! The thing I enjoy most is the silence. Our world is noisy, and I think we’ve just gotten used to it.

Waking up and turning on the radio or TV to hear the news is a common practice. The radio is always on in the car, or whatever device is chosen. People walk with earbuds in a quiet neighborhood or park. When is there a time to just think? A pastor recently said people say they want to get closer to God and when told they need to find quiet time to do this, it becomes a stumbling block.

We had a heavy snow storm a few weeks ago and I shoveled the driveway at night. That was the best time. The silence was breathtaking. I literally just stood in appreciation and in awe. I heard no sound, and I mean no sound. If God wanted my attention, he had it. I spent the hour thanking God for this peaceful time and many other things. It was a time of thankfulness.

If I were to suggest a New Year’s Resolution it would be to turn off the car radio, turn off the TV and walk without earbuds. Thoughts come to us in the silence. Creative ideas, solutions to problems and an opportunity to talk to God all occur in silence. Take time to enjoy silence and see what you gain from that time. It might surprise you.

The Greatest Gift was Given, but I Have a Couple Ideas

/ Jeanne Lemmon Skinner / Leave a comment

Need an Inspirational Gift?

When I was growing up, Santa did not overshadow the birth of Jesus. I believed in Santa, but he was not the focus of our Christmas. Church and the Christmas pageant were. Our nativity set was always the first decoration to go up and the last to be taken down. As everyone says, it was a simpler time.

With this in mind, I have three books to suggest as possible gifts. I reread my favorite Christmas books every year and I am always looking for new ones. This year I found And Then They Prayed by Barry Loudermilk. It is a historical account of men who depended on God to help them. George Washington and General George Patton are two of the men. As I read, I met new historical people and marveled at their courage and strong faith. There is no doubt that their belief that God was the answer saved lives and our country.

Max Lucado is a well known author who has written many books for adults and children. For children, I suggest You are Special and for adults The Christmas Candle. I read The Christmas Candle every year. An angel visits the chandler (candle maker) every twenty five years and touches a candle. The candle is given to someone who is told to pray and their prayer will be answered. Of course the candle isn’t the reason the prayers are answered, it’s the person’s belief. The ending of the book is very special.

Both And Then They Prayed and The Christmas Candle shared the message of believing our prayers are answered. God’s timing isn’t our timing and patience is frequently needed. These books are enjoyable to read and strengthened my faith and maybe you’ll agree. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!

/ Jeanne Lemmon Skinner / Leave a comment

A Day to Give Thanks.

The table is set and the turkey is roasting, and soon hungry family members will arrive. I love this day. There are so many things I’m thankful for.

I love that I live in a country that was dedicated to God. When English colonists arrived in Jamestown in 1607, they erected a cross on the beach and dedicated this land to God. George Washington prayed in Saint Paul’s Chapel for hours asking for God’s help and guidance during the struggle to unite the colonies and defeat Britain. He was known by some as the kneeling general. It’s interesting that Saint Paul’s Chapel was spared from destruction on 9/11 since it sits only 100 yards from the Twin Towers. People of faith are the foundation of our nation. I’m thankful to live in America.

I am always thankful for my family and friends and this year I’ve really noticed kindness in my neighborhood. We help our neighbors with their yard work, but other neighbors help in the winter by shoveling the older neighbors’ driveways and walks. One neighbor is battling cancer and food is taken to the family and transportation is provided to get him to the doctors. I like to think that once the helping began, others noticed and joined in.

Tomorrow these come down and Christmas decorations go up. Many in the neighborhood have already finished their decorating. They were smart to take advantage of the warm temperatures we had. Scarecrows, pumpkins and turkeys say Thanksgiving to me, but I’m ready to move on to Christmas. Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween is Here!

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A Halloween Horse?

Halloween is a fun time to try a new look. This horse decided on being a skeleton. I understand last year he just wore a hat, but wanted to be more creative this year. I think it worked. I’ve been impressed by what I’ve seen the dogs in the neighborhood wearing. The witch costume is adorable, but I’m surprised the dog doesn’t knock the hat off.

Costumes and candy are what Halloween is about to me. We recently visited three haunted houses in Williamsburg, but didn’t see any ghosts. The tour guide was great and he assured us he’d seen a few. I say better him than me! I know the Celtic people wore costumes so evil spirits wouldn’t bother them on Samhain. Building bonfires also helped ward off evil spirits. Some of the scary costumes I have seen would certainly do the job!

Even apples want to look different on Halloween. I could never eat this cute guy. Pumpkins get decorated the most with paint and are carved creatively. I’m sure the Irish who carved out gourds to safely carry a candle never imagined what it would become many years later.

Tonight many kids will be out trick or treating. It’s a fun night for those of us who hand out candy as well as the children. Hoping the rain stops or I’ll be stuck with a big bowl of candy. However, I can think of worse things.

Happy Halloween!

Goats at the Park

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Hired Goats!

It was a surprise to learn that the city of Columbus had hired goats for weed control. Antrim Lake is surrounded by a 1.2 mile walking path and has many people using it. The distance between the path and the water has shrubs, trees, and weeds. However, the goats have been gobbling up the weeds.

There are twenty goats enjoying poison ivy and other invasive plants. An electric fence protects them from people and dogs while a plastic fence a yard away protects people from the electric fence. The goats’ owners move the goats and fences every day or two and it appears to be a lot of work.

I’ve learned a few things about goats since seeing them. I didn’t realize mohair sweaters were made from the hair of angora goats. I had mistakenly credited sheep. Sorry, goats. Goat milk is supposedly easier to digest than cows milk. I’ll take their word for that. I do know the milk makes great soap and is a popular item at craft shows. I’ve bought it and like it. Feta cheese is popular, but the traditional Greek feta is primarily sheep milk with only 30% goat milk. Another thing I learned.

Goats apparently make good pets and doing yoga with goats continues to interest people. I don’t understand why, but many enjoy it. People in the Columbus area can find goat yoga in Groveport. If you go, I’d like hearing about it.

Hope you are all enjoying the cool temperatures. I’ve enjoyed walking around Antrim Lake and visiting the goats!

The Critters are Coming!

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My garden is filled with friendly creatures.

A few months ago I opened the window blind to see an injured deer looking in my window. He rejected the apple I offered and left. I think he told other critters that this was a friendly yard and they should visit.

Since then I’ve had a squirrel sitting on the window sill enjoying one of my tulip bulbs. He was calmly eating it as I watched. I’m sure he saw me as I was seated close to the window. I sipped my coffee as he ate. When he was finished he jumped down and left. I like to think he appreciated the breakfast I had provided.

Another visitor is a female cardinal. I’ve enjoyed watching her collect nest making material over the last couple weeks. This week she decided to look through the flowers growing in my window flower box. I watched her carefully trying a few things before discarding them. I related to her shopping technique. Look and discard, look and discard and finally find something worthy of trying on. At some point she must have realized she had an audience because she sat and looked at me. Turning her head as she looked in the window and stayed a minute or two. I know she had more important things to do than look at me.

My last visitor was a skunk. It was early morning when my husband saw him looking in the long, narrow window by the front door. He looked for a couple minutes and then left. I think he realized he wouldn’t find any grubs inside the house. I later discovered he’d dug in my flower beds. The life of a gardener!

I love my garden and am glad the critters visit, but I don’t want them to think they are welcome inside. Particularly not Mr. Skunk! If you have had any critter visits I’d love to hear about them. It is the season.

Come Sit With Me!

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Who would you like to talk with?

This is a bench in my church’s prayer garden surrounded by flowers. It is one of my happy places because I can sit and enjoy the beauty and release my cares and concerns to God. I took this picture remembering how I used a bench as a writing prompt for my students.

I began by having them picture walking through tall grass on a winding dirt path. They were to look as they walked and notice what else they saw. Some noticed the clear blue sky and others noticed things in the grass. Flowers and animals were seen. One mentioned the wind blowing the grass. The path led to a pond and by the pond was a bench. I told them to sit on the bench and invite someone to join him or her.

It was interesting to hear who joined them. One was a grandfather who had passed, another was a father who was in prison and a few mentioned friends. No one had to share and most kept their thoughts to themselves. I don’t think the classroom had ever been so quiet. Even though it was a writing assignment, I did not ask them to turn it in. They were shocked. I said this assignment was just for them. As I watched them, I realized it was too personal to share. Some shared with me how the experience felt and one said she had always hated writing until today. She went on to say she thought keeping a journal or a diary was dumb but now she got it.

So many in my life have passed and I can no longer visit with them, and that makes me even more aware of the importance of keeping in touch with those who are here. I know I need to do a better job.

I don’t have a bench on my patio, but I have two comfortable chairs and the patio is surrounded by flowers. It is a perfect place for visits. Last night I video chatted with a friend in Canada who wanted to see lightning bugs, only she called them fireflies. It was a wonderful idea. After viewing the bugs, I sat in my chair and I could see her sitting in hers. We visited.

Hope you are enjoying the wonderful days of summer and hope you are enjoying visits with friends.

Last Supper Miraculously Saved and More!

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Da Vinci’s famous painting of The Last Supper was painted in 1495 and it is still viewed by thousands every year.

I was fortunate to see Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting a few years ago in Milan, Italy. It is truly overwhelming in size and beauty. One of the best parts of traveling is learning the history of the things one sees. That was true about this painting.

The painting is on a remaining wall of what was a monastery. The monastery and most of the church next to it were destroyed by a bomb during WWII. The wall with Da Vinci’s painting remained. It was declared to be a miracle. It had been protected by sand bags, but those could not have stopped a bomb. Today it is protected by a controlled moisture environment. Before viewing it, we went through a dust filtering chamber. Only fifteen minutes were allowed and everyone viewed it in silence. It was an experience I will always remember.

I did some research on the painting recently and found this interesting. It was common for painters to use friends and paid models for their paintings and rumor had it that Da Vinci painted a known criminal as Judas. I examined the photo and thought this man could be the man people referred to. It is possible.

A reader’s theater piece, Face of Jesus, was written by Dave Tippett who used the idea of Da Vinci painting his enemy. He imagined Da Vinci painting a fellow painter (whom he hated) as Judas. Da Vinci would delight in others seeing his enemy as Judas. However, he couldn’t paint the face of Jesus. Every attempt failed. Tippett wrote that Da Vinci realized that unless he forgave his enemy he wouldn’t be able to paint the face of Jesus. The realization enabled him to finish the painting after he forgave his enemy. It’s such a good lesson about forgiveness. In fact, we’re using this piece at my church for a Lenten service. According to Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. It’s hard to forgive someone who has hurt us, but Lent is a good time to try. Wishing you all a meaningful Lenten season.

Smile it’s Spring!

/ Jeanne Lemmon Skinner / 1 Comment

When the sunshine and warm temperatures arrive, people are seen smiling!

I heard a speaker ask what makes you smile. She was talking about ways to fight depression. Suggestions were to look at photos that bring back happy memories. The problem with photos is it sometimes brings tears when you see a face that is no longer here. Nature photos can bring a smile or just a warm feeling along with a feeling of gratitude for the beauty God has created.

When people tell me how beautiful the garden is, I thank them, but I am not the creator. I am just the fortunate gardener who delights in the plants. When my spring flowers sprout, I smile and eagerly begin pulling weeds. I don’t know why the weeds always survive a tough winter, but some plants don’t. At least they give me a reason to work the soil.

I recently read there are nine types of smiles. A few are: the closed lip, genuine smile, smug smile, and twisted smile. I can’t picture the twisted smile, but I can the genuine smile. Since babies can smile as soon as they are born, that has to be a genuine smile. Smiles have been proven to relieve stress, and burn calories. Laughing burns more calories and relieves more stress. I need to find funny things to laugh at!

Smiles also create connections between people. A reassuring smile offers support to struggling traveler or a frustrated parent. It conveys understanding of the situation. That’s a gift.

A song sung by Nat King Cole, Smile, urges one to smile even though your heart is breaking. The lyrics are great. I particularly like, light up your face with gladness. The entire song encourages one to smile through the situation and believe it will improve. Hope and have faith that things will get better. That is a message I know many need to hear and believe. Referencing nature, the sun chases the darkness away when it brings the morning. The gray clouds dissipate when the sun arrives. Believing gives one the ability to smile. Soo Smile!!

Hoping each one of you has a day full of smiles!