Bits on the Beach and a Bird in a Bush

 I had a bit of time yesterday afternoon to run off to the lake. I sat on the pebble beach and combed through the stones in search of beach glass. The mouth of the creek gurgled as it poured into the lake where the north wind stirred up gentle waves and attempted to push the water back again. 

I picked tiny bits of white, brown, and green glass from the beach while also attempting to keep my jean jacket wrapped around me. I usually dress in layers, and had intended to bring a heavier jacket along "just in case" but had managed to leave the house without it.
 

I'd been picking glass for a time when I looked up and noticed a few bright, orange objects along the water's edge. Goldfish crackers? I glanced to my left and all along the edge of the beach toward the rocks that just out around the mouth of the creek, was a line of goldfish crackers. They were floating in on the waves and beaching themselves on the shore. 

I'd already been at the park for an hour or more, and collected  a fair amount of glass, when the cold wind off the lake drove me to my car. I decided to go home, but when I reached to top of the parking lot entrance, a bright yellow forsythia bush caught my attention. I rolled down my window for a picture, and that's when I saw the cardinal. I snapped several pictures and was ready to pull out just as my friend Gail was pulling in. Of course, I had to turn around and go back for a while. By the time I got home an hour later, I was pretty much frozen. Ha ha!

It's been a stressful few days and I wish I'd been in a better mindset last evening when a few family members were here. Most evenings I can tolerate, and even enjoy, the noise and activity of the kids, but I struggled with it yesterday and went to up bed later feeling "icky" inside. I am so thankful that God always knows when I am in desperate need of a friend. A phone call from someone who cares can make all the difference in the world.