It is 70 & sunny ...and I mean the outside temperature is seventy degrees, though I am also 70, as of over two months ago I am no longer a sexagenarian (person 60-69 years of age).

So, it did seem like an ideal day to do yard work ...and that is what many people are doing. I just came in for some water and a break ...also to write down my thoughts which I had while outside.

It seems like every person likes to decorate or arrange the interior of their home the way they seem fit. Yet, there seems to be some extension to that with the outside. Much effort is given to maintaining a yard ...especially in the spring and summer. Landscaping and planting flowers and shrubs around the house makes for a very pleasant feeling about one's home.

Yet, when we feel we are quite satisfied with the look of our home, we often gaze to the neighboring yard. And often it seems we want to have some input into their yard also. Instead of thinking that our own yard looks so much better in comparison to the neighbor's yard ...we often think the neighbor's yard detracts from ours. (Of course, I don't think gazing at the neighbor's yard and thinking mine is better ...well, I don't think that is a healthy attitude either.)

I think of the city ...sometimes it is referred to as a concrete jungle, though they often do spend much money on what they call beautification. Yet, that beauty has to remain within its borders ...often contained also within concrete.

So, we could say that beauty is to be contained where they want it to be ...and how it should be. Yet, it could also be said that the beauty is not just restricted, but it is protected. In the city, you can't expect a flowers to grow in a highway crack.

Yet, while looking at my driveway ...well, I know many who do edging and trim their concrete driveways to make for a very neat appearance. And the neighborhood residents may also mention something to their adjacent residents, perhaps even volunteering to do it.

I was amazed today how quickly something can grow where it seems there is not much potential to grow. The cracks in my driveway are filled with this green growth that is not supposed to be there. On the television, this is the time of year when there are many advertisements for weed killer products.

I don't use weed killer products ...and I don't use any products that could potentially be bad for the environment. Yes, I drive a car ...but I have a push flail mower. I like clean water and clean air ...though that does not mean I join the ranks of those touting the fears of 'Climate Change'. And I have read that during the time of Jesus, the earth had a warmer period ...but, it was the prevailing climate of religious and political control which was feared. And I believe it was clear then that Jesus had a message of peace and hope amid the others promoting conformity and violence to achieve it.

I am also thankful that there is not violence where I live today, though control often comes in many other forms to achieve conformity.

Back to the subject of my driveway ...

Though I don't use weed killer, I do have tools to allow me to dig or scrape unwanted vegetation ...called 'weeds'.

But, I sat down outside to look again. What was growing in my driveway cracks??

It was not just some unsightly weed ...they were all violets. And they were in bloom!!

How could I have almost missed this?

Well, I guess my initial thoughts were about what the neighbors would think about my driveway not being neat like theirs.

I had a decision to make.

And as I sat there, I suddenly also realized the birds were singing.

Why hadn't I noticed that??

Was it because the noise of traffic in my neighborhood was louder?

Was the thought of what my neighbor may think ...well, was that expectation speaking louder in my head than what I now see that God provided. 

Yes, I saw beauty where perhaps it shouldn't be. But who says it shouldn't be there??

Well, it is not out of laziness that I made my decision. But, the violets are staying. And they won't get driven over ...because they just happen to be at the side of the driveway, and they won't be affected by my pulling in or backing out.

So much for typing today ...perhaps I'll go back outside and look at the violets, listen to the birds singing, and perhaps contemplate where else God's beauty is. I'm sure God is working many places and through many things and people we don't even realize.