Inside the Spin-Mosaic Studio

What I needed that day was nothing that dodging potholes, squinting against flies, and breathing manure on a county road could remedy. I was not in a shiny red-ripe mood to go on a bike ride. Not today.

But, my little son was. And, I promised. So, that's what we did. 

What I needed was to lift a burden off my shoulders; a big UGLY one---the kind of burden that, if your'e not careful, will become heavy like a too-full backpack until it overcomes your balance. Flowers keep the UGLY away, don't you know? According to my son and Nia's daughter, at all cost, we must keep picking flowers!

My son knows that I like fistfuls of plucked field buds. Many afternoons, I have peeked out the front window as the low throaty rumble of the school bus comes to a stop. It's not uncommon to see him spread his steps wide in a deep knee bend, pluck a dandelion in his small pink fist and wobble to stand upright again.

It's hard to pick a flower while wearing a heavy backpack. Getting down is not the problem. Gravity is with you. Getting back up is the challenge---just like heavy matters of the heart. 

Heavy afternoon backpacks do not make this labor of love easy; but all the sweeter for the struggle. Every time he brings me a stem, beauty comes my way. When beauty comes; UGLY goes. 

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Years ago, on a day like this day,  I complimented Nia on her flower garden as I walked my tiny daughter back to my truck after a day of teaching school.

"Oh, this is just the vegetable garden." She said. I saw flowers. 

One by one, Nia taught the teacher the names of each vegetable that each colorful bud would reveal at harvest.

I pointed to the last row, "What will these flowers turn into?"

"We just grow those flowers to keep the rabbits away." 

I pointed to another type of petal not yet identified, "What do these keep away?"

Her littlest daughter standing behind her skirts burst into giggles, "Those keep the UGLY away."

Nia softly added, "We grow those just because they are beautiful. We put them in vases. Yes, they keep the ugly away from our kitchen table!"

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As my son and I rolled our bikes out of the garage, my heart sighed, "God, please lift this UGLY burden off my shoulders. Bring that peace that You promised...that surpasses understanding. Until then...I will just pedal."

Our wheels came to a rolling stop at the end of the driveway. I looked to the right, then to the left. No cars. Turn right.

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." -- Isaiah 30:21

We were barely on the main road when my eyes lingered on a yellow finch lying in the sand with wings folded forever.

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet, not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care." -- Matthew 10:29

Two giant oak trees towered overhead. The wind whispered through the rustling leaves.

"And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper...and a voice said, 'What are you doing here?'" -- I Kings 19:12

One mile. Two miles. The forest on the left was dense here. Deep tree shadows stretched long over the road. It was hard to see my son on his bike up ahead. But, I knew he was there.

"I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love...neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow." -- Romans 8:38

Down a long hill. Peddling fast past open spacious fields. 

"You have not handed me over to the enemy, but have set my feet in a spacious safe place." -- Psalm 31:8

Muscles are growing weary now. One foot in front of the other. Pedal. Uphill.

"And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith."  --Hebrews 12:1

Wind wrapped around my neck like a summer scarf. I hear nothing but the whipping breeze. It is strong, comforting, and enveloped like an awakening cocoon. 

"Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the Wind Words; the Spirit blowing through the churches." --Revelation 2:17

Maybe this would be a good time to pray...? Here, on this quiet country road?

"Cast all your anxiety on Him. He cares for you." -- 1 Peter 5:7

God, do you hear?

"And this is the confidence we have, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." -- 1 John 5:14 

I don't know what to pray. Words tangle in my throat. Do You know?

"You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord." -- Psalm 139:4

3 miles. 4 miles. We stop along the edge of a pasture to rest. I sit with my back against a boulder and a fence beam at my feet.

"When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end." -- Isaiah 43:16-19

I am content to sit by this rock and see if the horses come near. My son is not. He walks along the fence and stops. Both arms reach open-handed through the gate bars. Wishful beckoning. There he stood, like a living prayer, as close as he could. And, very, very still. 

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you." -- James 4:8

From far, far back in the pasture, with a whinny and a snort, they began to walk our way. One by one they came. My rock and I bore witness.

"The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still." -- Exodus 14:14

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Pebbles snapped under my wheels as the bike turned into our long drive. My son saw our mailbox from a ways off and reached our house long before.

"Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you." -- Deuteronomy 31:8

As I rounded the curve, the roofline came into view. The lavender perennials had bloomed! I could see them well from this angle. So lush! The kickstand clicked. My knees knelt to take a closer look. How delicate. How beautiful. 

"Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life...consider the flowers of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."  --Matthew 6: 27-28 

Bending low to cup a flower in my hand eye-to-eye with its petals required a little balance to stand back up. Balance is better without a heavy backpack; or a heart-level burden unfiltered by promises. Standing felt lighter. 

Yes, flowers keep the UGLY away. Flowers...and a prayer. He promised.

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on You." -- Isaiah 26:3