Beginnings::Not-Summer on Pollywog Creek {a Photo Essay}

The beginning of the year on Pollywog Creek is in our unpredictable season of not-summer—an eclectic combination of fall, winter, and spring all at once.

Summer here in the deep, sub-tropical south is fairly predictable. The air-conditioner runs 24/7, it's oppressively hot and muggy, and afternoon thunderstorms are the norm.

Not-summer is less predictable. We might need the air-conditioner, open the windows or turn on the heater. It can be humid outside or dry. In the same week.

A cold front might bring rain, thunderstorms, or fizzle out and stall before it passes through. Already this month we have run the air-conditioner more days than not, had three severe storms with tornado warnings and turned on the heater.

This is how we are beginning 2016, and it's a thousand gifts and more.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1

He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also, he has put eternity into man's heart,
yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
Psalm 111:10

Who has performed and done this,
calling the generations from the beginning?
I, the Lord, the first,
and with the last; I am he.
Isaiah 41:11 {Please visit my lovely photog friends and delight in their beginnings} Julie @ Captured Bits of Beauty Marty @ What Marty Sees Connie @ Live, Love, Laugh, Hope

Still Saturday::to look ahead...

Jesus warns against worrying about tomorrow, 

not about preparing for tomorrow.

As I look ahead, Lord, reveal Yourself more fully to me. 

Teach me how to prepare for the rest of my life.

What issues do I need to consider?

What truths must grip me more completely?

Lead me as I seek to make responsible preparations

in my mind, heart, and will.

May my preparations be informed

and fortified

with the great hope of the faith.

Jean Fleming, Pursue The Intentional Life

The only thing different about 2013...

There's nothing magical about a new year. The earth continues to spin on its axis, the sun rises and sets, bills arrive in the mail, I still have to cook dinner, and the dust under the beds, dirty dishes in the sink and overflowing hamper of dirty laundry by the washer didn't disappear.

Three days into 2013 looks just like the last three days of 2012 - more or less. As my son Casey told me, "The only thing different about 2013 is that I'll be writing down the wrong date for the next three months." Isn't that the truth?

The reality is that every day is the beginning of the 365 days in a year to follow. A calendar just helps me stay organized - only God can make lasting changes in my life and He doesn't need a new year to do so - so when 2013 was only hours old and I'd already failed to meet new goals I'd set for the day, I had to laugh at myself, post a "to be continued" photo, and go to bed grateful for the gift of another day.

{Photo - our resident mockingbird, who likes to nest in the honeysuckle and greedily hoard the flame bush berries, but his serenades are delightful, so I guess we'll let him stay.}