Dragonflies, Snowdrifts & Spice Cake

By Tandy Balson

In this follow-up book to Inspirations From The Everyday, Tandy Balson continues to take everyday things and present them through eyes that see a greater meaning.
Dragonflies, Snowdrifts & Spice Cake is a wonderfully positive and insightful collection. The author takes the most mundane, everyday object or event and recognizes a greater significance, drawing parallels and making connections that most people would never notice.
With each story being only a single page long, the pacing of the collection is very good, making it very hard to put down. "I'll just read one more . . .Okay, so one more, but that's it . . . Well, one more wouldn't hurt . . ."
Janet Layberry, Editor, Friesen Press

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tandy Balson
• Release date: Apr 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781775186144

Tandy Balson

Tandy Balson is a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, volunteer and observer of life. He mission is to bring a fresh perspective to everyday things. Find out more at www.timewithtandy.com

Book preview

To my wonderful husband Brian. Your question, Is there a story in that? has been the launching pad for many of the reflections in this book. Your support by taking on the household responsibilities so I could spend time writing means more than I can express.

To my grandchildren: Faith, Katie, Logan, Emily, Hailey, Kyra and Shantal. You are a gift from heaven and a constant source of inspiration.

To my amazing editor, Steph Beth Nickel. You skillfully polished my words, provided valuable advice and in the process became a trusted friend.

To God who has given me these words to write. I know that the words do not come from me, but through me and I am eternally grateful to be entrusted with this.

Introduction

When my first book, Inspirations From The Everyday was released, my intention was to put together a collection of short reflections where people could scan the index and choose a title to read when the mood struck. I was surprised to hear from many readers that they were using this as a daily reading.

With this in mind, I have planned Dragonflies Snowdrifts and Spice Cake to have enough daily readings to last for six months. If this is your plan, read a story each day, Monday to Friday and take the weekends off.

My desire is that no matter how you work through the book, you are will find something in these writings to inspire, encourage, or cause you to look at things in a new way.

Inspirations From Nature

Dragonflies

In the summer, dragonflies abound in our area. The iridescence both on their wings and their bodies captures my attention. I enjoy them for their beauty, but also because they dine on the mosquitoes that plague so many of us.

Wanting to know more about these insects, I did a little research and learned some very interesting facts. The dragonfly moves at an amazing forty-five miles an hour. It’s very agile and can hover like a helicopter; fly backwards like a hummingbird; fly straight up, down, and to either side. It does all of this while flapping its wings only thirty times a minute, compared to 1,000 times a minute for a housefly. This power in its wing strokes is what makes it look so graceful.

In almost every part of the world, the dragonfly symbolizes change. It is immature for most of its life, and only able to fly for a mere fraction of it. For this reason, for the short time it has, it needs to live life to the fullest. This living in the moment is what resonates with me.

When I live life in the moment, I’m totally focused on God. His power is sufficient to guide and sustain me. My boring life is forgotten and I am willing to enter into the new adventure that he has in store for me every day.

Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence (2 Corinthians 5:17 GWT)

Weeds

Three of us were walking along a pathway. One, a visitor to the area, pointed to a large white flower that resembled a lily. That’s a pretty flower, she said. What is it? The other friend, a native of the area, quickly answered, That’s not a flower; it’s a terrible weed. She then went on to explain that the vine producing this lovely bloom was deadly to the plants around it. As the vine grew, it wrapped itself around other vegetation, eventually choking the life out of it.

My first friend replied, Well, I think it’s pretty anyway. This conversation made me think of my life. There have been things I’ve allowed into my life because they looked good on the surface. How could it be bad when it looked so attractive? Once allowed to take root, the blossom distracted me from the fact that the plant was slowly choking out the good and positive things in my life. This happened so gradually that I was completely unaware. One day I realized I was ensnared in a way I had never thought possible.

Fighting to be free was not easy, nor was it a onetime fix. Temptation is always there and is usually clothed in something attractive so I won’t recognize it. The safest thing for me to do is to pray about every situation. Jesus sees the whole picture and can guide me safely through the dangers.

Other seed fell among the thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants (Luke 8:7 NIV)

Mushrooms

As a friend and I were walking along a path in the woods, we noticed a few mushrooms growing nearby. Once we started looking for them, we saw many more of varying sizes and shapes.

My friend leaned closer to take a picture of one of the larger mushrooms. Wanting an unobstructed shot, she carefully moved a few blades of grass that were resting on top of it. I was surprised to see the indentations the grass had left in the surface of the mushroom. The light contact had left an impression that had changed the mushroom’s appearance.

This made me think about things I come in contact with in my life. Everything has the power to leave a permanent impression. It doesn’t have to be something large to alter the way others view me.

Knowing this, I need to be aware of the influences in my life. Is it the positive or negative that will leave the impression? The more time I spend with God, the more his impression will be seen in me. His impression is what will make my life attractive to others.

Don’t become like the people of this world. Instead, change the way you think. Then you will always be able to determine what God really wants – what is good, pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2 GWT)

Harvest

Our strawberry plants had flourished that year. We’d already harvested more berries than ever before and there were many more still growing.

After some very sparse years, it was exciting to be reaping this bounty.

We hadn’t done anything different with the plants. They had been cared for in exactly the same way as previous years. Perhaps it just took them that long to mature to their full potential.

This is a fairly accurate description of my life. There have been times I’ve worked hard but not obtained the results I’d hoped for. Sometimes the disappointment was enough to make me quit. I may have even been in reach of my goal but just not realized it. I’ll never achieve my dreams and goals if I give up.

Fortunately, God has never given up on me. No matter how long it takes to mature into the person he wants me to be, he is always there, nurturing me. In his loving care, my life can reap a harvest like never before.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9 NIV)

Hail Storm

A severe hail storm hit the seasonal RV park where we kept our trailer. We weren’t there at the time but received an email advising us that the storm had done quite a bit of damage and suggesting we check our trailer as soon as possible.

Upon inspection we discovered that our roof vents had been shattered. We were prepared to find water damage inside but were quite surprised by what we found waiting for us.

We had dropped off some large Rubbermaid bins the previous week in preparation for some cleanup on our site. Unsure of where to place them so they wouldn’t be in our way, I had put them on the bed. One of the broken vents was above the bed, and a bin was in the perfect spot to collect the water that came in. This was something we didn’t plan, but the bin placement saved the mattress and floor from getting soaked. I looked at this in awe, knowing that this wasn’t just a happy coincidence.

To me, it was a beautiful illustration of God’s protection in my life. When I cry out to God, he stills the storms in my life. My distress is lessened and the damage is minimized as I allow him to guide me to peace and safety.

Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven (Psalm 107:28-30 NIV)

Hail

The area in which we live was rocked by several severe thunderstorms in a two-week period. These storms were much more than thunder and lightning. They brought large hailstones crashing violently into everything in their path. The storms caused tremendous damage, and the news reports referred to it as catastrophic.

Until the last storm, we’d never suffered enough damage to make an insurance claim. Although our house wasn’t hit as hard as many others, our vehicles suffered far worse. Both were covered with dents after being pelted with hailstones the size of golf balls. Hours after the storm had passed, many of these large chunks of ice remained on our property.

My husband and I were both indoors when the storm hit, so we suffered no physical injuries. The things that were damaged would be covered by our insurance. Our only cost would be the deductibles.

Thinking about our coverage reminded me of the protection that Jesus provides for me. After one of life’s storms, he is always there to help me pick up the shattered pieces of my life. He does so tenderly, while guiding me to safety. There’s no deductible here. I’m fully covered by his grace and love. All I need to do is reach out and trust in him.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my Savior, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the strength of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2 GWT)

Campfire

My husband and I pulled our chairs close to the campfire. We laughed about the fact that it didn’t matter which side of it we were on, the smoke soon changed direction and blew in our faces.

There is something mesmerizing about a campfire. It seems to be an integral part of the outdoor experience. Roasting marshmallows over one has become a tradition. The fire