Our spring lawns, once lush and green, were crunching
under our feet. The fields of endless rows of corn displayed drying husks
months too soon. Though we have received some respite with the recent
thunderstorms, it will take more than a few showers to restore all the plants,
and some, including crops, may be beyond remedy.
These pictures are from my gardens, which I have maintained throughout the drought by daily watering. Though time-consuming, this was very important to me, because watching my gardens grow brings me joy and hope. I would suffer along with my
plants if I allowed them to whither and die.
This tiny portion of earth that I have kept watered has kept
my hope alive that life will be restored in the parched areas of the Midwest
and beyond. This drought has left many shrubs crispy and brown, and trees have
languished with the lack of moisture. I shudder to think of the farmers who
depend on their crops as their livelihood, wondering if there will be any crops
at all to harvest.
Thankfully rains, sometimes in the form of storms and torrential
downpours, including hail and high winds have scattered over our parched land
here in Southeastern Wisconsin, bringing respite to the plants and hope to the
farmers.
Amidst the despair of watching so many plants succumb to the
drought, these bright gardens of mine have given me hope that life will be restored
once again.
This awful drought in the season of what is normally a
thriving growth period has reminded me of winter, when all hope can be lost of
seeing the natural world spring back to life. We wait anxiously hoping for life
to be restored.
There are times in our personal lives, too, where seasons of
drought or deep winter affect how we find hope in our lives, yet we need to have hope to believe in new beginnings.
One way to begin finding hope is to be grateful for what we
have instead of bemoaning what we do not have. It is helpful to make a daily
list of what you are thankful for. Make this a habit. It can be little things,
simple things, things that bring you joy.
When we begin to focus on what is good in our lives, we
find the strength to make it through the challenging times. Daily keeping our
focus on God, who provides all we need, and offering thanks to Him for the
goodness in our lives, helps to keep our thoughts more positive. This, in turn,
kindles our hope for better tomorrows.
We believe in the goodness that life can bring. Though we must suffer through storms of life and difficult times when we feel our hearts will break, if we an can focus on what is good and true, offering thanks and truly feeling grateful, we can weather whatever comes our way, whether it be drought or storm.
"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is
excellent or praiseworthy —think about such things." Phillipians 4:8 (NIV)
This tiny portion of earth that I have kept watered has kept
my hope alive that life will be restored in the parched areas of the Midwest
and beyond. This drought has left many shrubs crispy and brown, and trees have
languished with the lack of moisture. I shudder to think of the farmers who
depend on their crops as their livelihood, wondering if there will be any crops
at all to harvest. 
Amidst the despair of watching so many plants succumb to the
drought, these bright gardens of mine have given me hope that life will be restored
once again.
One way to begin finding hope is to be grateful for what we
have instead of bemoaning what we do not have. It is helpful to make a daily
list of what you are thankful for. Make this a habit. It can be little things,
simple things, things that bring you joy. 
When we begin to focus on what is good in our lives, we
find the strength to make it through the challenging times. Daily keeping our
focus on God, who provides all we need, and offering thanks to Him for the
goodness in our lives, helps to keep our thoughts more positive. This, in turn,
kindles our hope for better tomorrows.
The calmness of the open water
draws my eyes across its surface, and my spirit flies along with my gaze, from
shoreline to shoreline, across the rippled surface.
Unfortunately my memory doesn't work with the clarity I wish it would. Though I try to remember exactly how I felt at a particular time, my memory blurs around the edges and I can only hold onto a fragment of the actual experience. I will remember the emotion, and I can take a snapshot with my camera to remember the scene, but the moment itself is lost forever.
So it is with my moments with God. I soar high on the mountaintop experience, those times when I feel intimately connected to God's heart, and my own heart soars with immeasurable joy. I want to hold onto the moment, but these special moments in time are brief and impossible to grasp. In fact, the more we try to hold onto them, the more they slip away. 
