From My Deck

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.
Genesis 1:31(NKJV)

I thoroughly enjoy making lists of things “from A to Z.” I’ve recounted attributes of God from A to Z and encouragement from Scripture from A to Z. Once I made a list titled “Have You Ever Felt…” with the answers from A to Z. That was fun.

Recently I was out on our deck, admiring God’s beautiful world from where I sat. Here’s a list of what I saw, heard or smelled “A to Z From My Deck.”

• Air, cool and refreshing, and Azaleas teeming with color.
• Birds devouring seeds from our feeders, their Babies nearby hopping, fluttering and crying for food; Beans in Don’s garden, growing up his staked Bamboo poles; and Bees buzzing on Blooms.
• Clouds in the sky, taking shapes of objects I could name, then dissipating to wisps of fluff; Chipmunks gathering seeds from under the bird feeders till their little cheeks looked liked they would burst, then scampering under the deck to somewhere to store their goods.
• Dirt that Don had dumped atop the plot of red clay to help his garden grow.
• Evergreens standing stately, seeming to know that other trees get a winter look while they keep their color.
• Fence separating our back yard from the rest of the world and making private the little area in my view; Frogs, probably toads, digging their shallow little cave-houses in the pine straw.
• Grass growing too quickly and Garden growing slowly; Gardenias wafting their wonderful smell over their domain.
• Hornets humming while flying too close to me for comfort; Humming birds actually perching on a branch of a crepe myrtle. I didn’t realize they stopped to rest.
• Iris standing tall, reminding me of friends who generously gave them to us.
• June bugs, flying up from the grass, landing on a table nearby and tucking their wings in so close to their bodies that the bugs look like they have shells on their backs.
• Knotweed poking its head up in the grass as if to say, “You can’t get rid of me.”
• Leaves rustling in the breeze, moving in the wind; Lizards listlessly lying in the sun.
• Morning glories, reminding me of days long ago when my joyful daddy would sing, “Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning…where the morning glories twine around my door,…” He smiled BIG when he sang and he sang often.
• Nests, decorating the deck, with the wasps controlling the light fixture and the wrens thinking every flower pot is a place for their twigs and leaves.
• Orange black-eyed Susans, looking bright, reminding me to pray for the friend who lovingly dug them and gave them to me.
• Pine trees, lots of them, bending with the breezes high above the rest of our backyard action, and letting go of their needles and cones which fall gracefully to the ground.
• Queues of zinnias, adding vivid colors to the yard, but wanting to be cut so more blooms will come.
• Rays of sunshine streaming through the trees, looking almost like I could walk up them right into heaven.
• Squirrels amazing me with their playful antics, chasing each other around trees, over the fence and then resting on the bird bath; Spiders weaving webs constantly.
• Trees growing in every stage—tiny seedlings to large trunks, blooming mimosa to waxy magnolia leaves.
• Utter glory of God the Creator, shining brightly through His creation.
• Vines stretching their fingers further and further from the root, creeping over whatever they find in their way.
• Water, providing refreshment for the animals and the plants, and giving bathing opportunities to the birds; Weeds, rising relentlessly as if to say, “You may not want us here, but we’re not leaving.”
• Xeroxed description of quietness and beauty, renewing my body and soul.
• Yard for games and fun with family and friends, especially our grandchildren.
• Zoo for animal friends, giving refuge and food for many.

This is my Father’s world, and to my list’ning ears, all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father’s world, I rest me in the thought of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hands the wonders wrought.
—Maltbie D. Babcock