Christmas Parade 2018

In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps.
(Proverbs 16:9)

Unbeknownst to me, our Christmas parade that got rained out last weekend was rescheduled for today. Had I not gone down to my car at the time that I did, I would have been out running errands and missed it.

The floats were lined up at the high school across the road (which is usually where our town parades end--not start), and were getting ready to roll. My timing could not have been more perfect.

Feeling Grateful

"Though your sins are like scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they 
are red as crimson, they shall be like
wool." -- (Isaiah 1:18b)

Today was a day of much thanksgiving. Who would have thought that only six months after open heart surgery to replace my mitral valve I would be out trekking 2.36 miles through drifts of snow? Not I, but one step at a time, and with much prayer along the way, it happened.

The long road ahead

Leaves pointing the way

After several stumbles, I remembered my walking stick, and wished I had it with me so I could feel where invisible curbs started and ended. I was tempted to go back home, but the leaves all seemed to point in the opposite direction, so treading gingerly, I plodded on.

A Small Slice of Purcellville Lore

Consider the ravens: they neither sow
nor reap, they have neither storehouse
nor barn, and yet God feeds them.
(Luke 12:24a ESV)



In the early spring of 2013, a pair of ravens flew into town and built a nest near the top of the water tower across from my balcony.












Before long, there were three little fledglings learning how to fly.  They became my main subjects for weeks to follow, and the inspiration for my first children's picture book, THE WATER TOWER RAVENS.

Every spring, for the next five years, I looked forward to seeing the new brood of fledglings appear, but this year I missed them because I was in the hospital. When I came home, I was greeted instead, by a strange looking structure behind the water tower--a temporary cell tower, I was told.




The fledglings, now grown, were out and about, and one day, while they were away, a crew of men started prepping the water tower for a long overdue paint job and maintenance.

I watched them dismantle antennas and move them over to the temporary tower.  They must have moved the nest too, because when I looked for it, it was gone.































The ravens didn't seem as bothered by the missing nest as I was. Sometimes they would circle high above in the sky, watching what was going on. Other times, when no one was there, they would find new perches to sit on, and nooks and crannies to explore.

When everything had been moved, and the paint job was complete, the crew built a corral on the top of the tower.


So now we wait to see when the antennas get put back, the temporary cell tower is removed, and whether the ravens will find a new spot to nest in, or whether they will decide to lodge somewhere else.