I NOTICE!

TO NOTICE: "To become aware of something that has caught one's attention;

to observe; to recognize" (Dictionary)

“Forget not all His benefits”
the Psalmist writes.

I NOTICE!  I NOTICE!

Leona Choy

This morning I seized a fleeting moment

that nearly slipped through

my careless fingers.

Outside my bedroom window

I noticed swelling new buds

on naked branches

that lifted their bony fingers

toward the grey dripping sky—

such a simple thing
but it announces spring!

I raised the window. 
Sounds of spring rushed in
 carried on wings of chill, damp air:

An advance-scout robin

chirped on the soggy lawn

celebrating the foggy day.

The monotonous rhythm

from the drain spout

kept tempo with the music

of retreating rain.

God, I notice! I notice!

I echoed the throb of new life

I savored the season

trying to pin down the moment

and capture it with both hands

so it couldn't fly away.

I lingered at the window sill bewitched

and breathing basic life.

Lord! I notice! I notice!

Too many springs have passed

unheeded, unclaimed, as I rushed about

preoccupied with my many doings

missing the very One whose fingers

gently touch the earth each spring

with fresh, created life.

Is it possible to miss God

by permitting the pursuit of the ordinary

to obscure His face?

How quickly the noise of daily life

can dull my ear to God

and the pace of my activity

contribute to losing

awareness of His majesty

of His intimate care, of His reality.

But today I noticed God

in the wee buds springing to life

through His cycle of renewal

on bony-finger branches of naked trees

silhouetted against the grey dripping sky.

God smiled and whispered,

"Thank you for noticing!"

*****

Wonder of wonders, God notices ME!

He tenderly, intimately notices all the details of my life

 every moment of the day and night.

I don't understand how that is possible

given the billions of people on earth 

and His meticulous administration of the vast universe

including this seemingly insignificant

 tilted, blue-green Planet Earth.

But the Scripture declares, "the eyes of the Lord

 are upon the righteous...

the Lord looks from heaven and sees all the sons of men...

He cares about you watchfully...."

Jesus said that His Father was aware of each sparrow

and each hair of my head. 
 Incredible!

Thank You, God, that You notice ME

and You take care of my every need!
*****

(Encore from Leona's poetry collection
 LATTER RAIN: Wordsmithing Verse
in the Vintage Season of my life)