Tip of the Day 4/14/12

Here is a final tip this week for enjoying the green for little or no green. Spending enjoyable time outdoors can be enhanced by containerizing the items commonly needed and not having to look for them each time you head outdoors. A backyard bin is a great way to accomplish this. Fill the container with everything from cloth napkins to bug spray and bandaids, anything that people commonly have to "run back inside for." This saves on the power bill in the summer and also keeps the flies out of the house. Your time will be much more enjoyable without having to look for everything you want to use each time you head outside. Having an "outdoor container" always at the ready will encourage you to actually be outdoors. There are several great options to use for the container; if you have a large enough deck area there are containers designed for a deck that double as a bench for extra seating, a plastic tub works great, but one of the most fun and prettiest to use is a picnic basket. So, get ready and let's spend the next few months outside. Life is too short to spend it inside on the couch.

Word for Today, Sand: It is funny that even when we don't grow up by, or live near the beach, we are drawn to it. We love to dig our feet in the sand as we sit on the beach and we build sandboxes in our yards for our children to dig in. It is amazing and fascinating to let the sand fall through our fingers and examine the sparkles and colors which are different in each handful. It takes special equipment to count just a handful. I personally love the mystery and wonder, the feel and the comfort as I am surrounded by the sand on our, or any other, beach. It is as amazing as the waves that come crashing in from The Lake or ocean. I love that God's thoughts for me are said to be more than the sand and too numerous to count. I love serving and being loved by a God too big to contain, fathom, or understand. The wonder is part of the joy. "How precious...are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I could count them, they would be more in number than the sand." The next time you sit on the beach don't try to figure out the mystery, bask in it.