From my window.

photo credit

It's a bit over cast today, but I can hear a sweet melody from the birdies perched  at my window.
It's a sound that I welcome with reverence. My whole life I have loved nature, but as I have grown I seem to appreciate it all the more. As I watch these two little grey and yellow fellows search out for some obscure object in the gutter right out my window, I try and be still as I can. In hopes that this rare moment will somehow be prolonged if I don't breath. I believe I shall name them, Finy and Oliver. The wind has a slight chill, and smells of rain, I know In a little wile I will be listening to the sound of rain patter. I am fortunate to have a great big window to the right of my desk. Where as an artist or when I'm stuck for some word that my mind knows but can't remember I look out to nature and get refreshed.
I'm a bit of a romantic, so I have a special ability to overlook the house right smack dab across the street. The one that's in desperate need of a paint job. The one that when I'm in a more human mood, sticks out against the trees like a big khaki thumb. But today is not that day.
From my window I see only trees, lush green fields and nature at its best. With spring here the trees are in a bright green bloom, there tiny leaves not yet formed. Yet I love this season for that reason, the soft colors that are mere suggestions. I always find myself wishing I could stop and stay in a perpetual spring. The mountains are flowering, but this year in more of a pink, than green. I thought that odd but have been too caught up in the soft blush to ask why. When a gift is given you just say thanks. And that's what I have been doing. All this month, a whisper of thanks has been constant on my lips to the Father who so lovingly created all this. For us. A masterpiece that is so in need to be enjoyed. I certainly have tried to enjoy it. Many rambled through the woods have blessed me to see the sudden change that happens. In one week new life springs from some hidden  shadow, into the light.
Like the dancers who wait  behind the stage curtain until there number is to be performed, spring was just waiting. And I can only speak for myself, but  it has a very happy audience member. I have marveled at the tiny curled sprouts of ferns. And wild flowers that seem to grow in the strangest places.  Perhaps its because of a book I'm not much interested in, or perhaps it's the strange feeling I get every spring that has propelled me out of doors. Into nature where I feel at home.
Perhaps later I shall get out my paints and try and capture the fleeting season. But for now I'm content to draw these thoughts and feelings in words here, and capture the images of spring in my mind where they will go on for an infinity. I hope your all having a lovely spring.
I know myself and Finy and Oliver  are enjoying it immensely. Now if I only knew what they were searching for in that gutter.
Drop me a note if you have time and let me know what your favorite part of spring is. Please do.

three's company four is unknown

photo credit pinterest

I seem to have missed a chunk of this year, from the end of January which still has a slow glazey fond sort of memory. To, well now. I missed February's passing without notice, how the days get so lost to me I haven't the foggiest, and march was gone in a flash. Honestly I don't think February would have stopped to wave goodbye had I seen it go. And march was a hair pulling hectic child that made even a sane mind feel a bit mad. Oh who am I kidding aren't we all a bit mad ?
January was a sweet month, the kind I could sit and have tea and a chat with. Someone please explain to me why thirty days filled with books seemed to touch eternity where there is no time.
It only goes to show how close literacy comes to time travel, now there's just that tricky space travel to figure. (There's that inner nerd I try so hard to keep hidden from you all) my apologies.
But those who live in the past never move forward so it's an early welcoming but hello April.
Lets hope you will be kinder than February, which brought troublesome soul searching, why does it seem that some months are destined to be a bother on a light heart ?  I am pondering this as I stroke the nose of my black and white fur ball of a cat. Whose as I am writing this trying his hardest to enforce an attack upon my poor papers piled high upon my desk. He's succeeded in knocking them off excuse me while I go retrieve my livelihood.
  Perhaps April dear you shall take your steps slower than march, full of hurry and bustle, planning and stress. Perhaps, we shall soon see.
I feel as I owe you dearest readers and followers some sort of explanation as to my ridiculous absence here. Am I weaning myself from the Internet ? Heavens no !
And heaven only does know how much I think about posting here when I have no time, and of all the amazingness I miss from those brilliant bloggers who never fail to feed my creative juices.
But what explanation can I give ? Life happens and gets the better of us, I could explain that a long awaited family celebration was planned and executed in the past month, that spending time with siblings that have been long away is more to my heart than even writing. That working with those  same said siblings on there home improvement business is exhausting and hard. But brilliant because I  get to be with them all day. Perhaps I might say that repainting the bedroom you share with your bosom buddies. Don't worry also siblings of mine. Went rather smoothly but got complicated at the end. I am happy to say the end result is lovely and fresh, and I have a fond memory to store of my sister and I setting our minds to something and getting the job done.
But that would fill pages and I really don't think that you all would be interested in every minute detail of why my absence has been so long.
So I shall just say hello I'm back.
My name is Rachel Hope Bishop, I'm 20 years old I share a crammed but cosy home with my eight siblings, two of whom are away for now, and my lovely mother.
I enjoy tea, coffee and Saturday mornings filled with the sound of my mother cooking bacon eggs and her speciality, pancakes,  My favourite smell is burgamot, I love cosy blankets and rainy afternoons. Books are the superior sustenance over food. And I will be a published writer someday soon. Hopefully. It is so very nice to meet you followers and readers.
Now that this long introduction is over, let me say welcome to my newest followers.
I really do love you all, your so great. And thanks for the patience, truthfully I thought I would log in here and find I had lost followers, what a pleasant surprise to see you are all still here, with some new additions. And thank you to miss Emily Ruth for the inspiration to write a new introduction, after a long absence.
So tell me about you, I would really love to know, who you are, what you like and who you share your existence with. If your are comfortable with sharing that is.
Also how about what your past three months have been for you, was the hazy January a global phenom or was it mine alone, did February make you want to forget it ever happened, or have you been crazy busy with March.
Sometimes it's good to step back and take some time away from something, it makes you appreciate that something all the more. And when family are around I hope you will choose them over something less precious than the priceless lives and relationships they bring.
I'm looking forward to more books and spring ! Oh how I have longed for green.
I hope your having a wonderful month and, here's to the weekend.

A Special Blog Anniversary

Its the two year mark for this little blog and this is a little something I wrote the other day in honor of this most auspicious occasion.
I finger the keys in a musing air.
What shall be written ? Is the question on my mind. Thoughts and ideas sometimes come, but sometimes often they don't. Listen here, the whispering voice comes from within me. Whats written on your heart, that you can tell.
What have you learned that you may share for the benefit or enjoyment of another. This is the struggle that happens every time I sit down to write here on this Blog.
The blank page screams at me, my heart whispers to me, but often I don't listen because I'm afraid that I will sound too full of myself. I hate it when someone comes across preachy, I would never presume to know everything about life. And I would not ever want someone to think I'm perfect. Because I'm not. But I must be real. For two years now this has been the constant, do I share my thoughts, things Ive learned. And sound presumptuous, or don't be me. I decided best be me, and hope the spirit of the words comes across in the way I want it to.
So I ask my self what have I learned and what can I share.
When I started this Blogging journey I would have never understood the experiences I would have.
Start a Blog, it was an easy enough idea, but then I couldn't imagine what would keep me writing each week, or when I felt there was something I could share from my heart.
I wondered,  what at all could I write about. My life is no great adventure, and this may come as quite a shock Ordinary. Looking back now i can see just how much I discovered about myself, when filling out the profile area, it brought me to the question, what defines me, who is Rachel.
That was the start. In two years I have been inspired by others courage and determination.
It has been a journey of revelation, bringing to light my many faults. I have been infuriated with myself.
Dejected to the brink of despair. But a strange thing occurred that I think is quite beautiful. I found I grew in a way I never would, if not for this Blog. And I have a way of seeing that now mapped out for me in monthly columns. So this blog has blessed me, when I gingerly hoped to bless someone else.
But one truly cant teach unless he first is taught.
This Blog became an outlet for the words I have always loved, but here this blog enabled me to find my  voice, one even I couldn't hear.
I have vividly felt more deeply and explored places within my heart I would have never found.
I am still shy, if I had the pleasure of making your acquaintance, dearest reader; you would see a shy brunet haired hazel eyed girl. Who stands with her legs together on the balls of her feet, three fingers of her left hand clasped in her right; a nervous tick. A smile to hide my general lack of confidence but a desire to know who you are at your heart, but wouldn't be the first to let you know mine.  Thus I am not perfect, but one doesn't grow overnight. The first time I shared personal details about myself it was nerve wracking and thrilling at once. And now I wouldn't imagine it any other way.
Always sharing from my heart, I hope to pull at your heart strings, with the words that come to me,
Thought a few times in these two years, I have felt deeper than I could find words for.
So I must not stop this long ramble about me, and in turn once again say thank you, Bloggers who have taught me, inspired me, who have pushed me on this discovery.

Thanks for sticking around, and for your comments and support.
The last two years have been an experience, quite the unexpected one. One I have most enjoyed.
I don't have the imagination to throw some grand party to celebrate. So I shall just tip myself a cuppa
and and hopefully this long winded post will convey the gratitude I feel in the only way I know how.
Perhaps next year in february I shall be celebrating here
Revert to photo on left.

















Photos via pinterest

The Legend of Valentine

How about a valentines legend that is both romantic and tragic ?
I have been reading countless tales here and there about the real St Valentine.

The tale you are about to read is over a thousand five hundred years old.

There once was a man named Valentinus a priest, who lived near Rome.
In the times of great persecution to the early church he often helped the early christians in there plight.
And provided covert wedding rituals to soldiers in the roman legions to those they loved. Against the law of the holy roman emperor. Who believed that married men didn't make for good soldiers.
It is said that he cut out parchment hearts to represent the love of Christ, and gave them as tokens to remember Him in there trials. His many good deeds prove to be too much and the holy roman emperor after trying to convert him to paganism, has him imprisoned due to his stout and unwavering faith.
Enter the beautiful jailers daughter, Julia. The jailer I have heard him called Asterius, clutching his blind daughter in his arms takes her to the jail where Valentinus is imprisoned. He has heard of his abilities to heal the sick and his skills with medicine. Begging him to teach and heal his daughter, he brings her every day to glean from the learned mind of the priest. Valentinus spends time reading her the history of Rome,  and describing the world around her, one she cannot see. He teaches her all sorts of things, and most importantly about a loving father who gave the best scarifies to the world through His son. She learns to trust him, and see the world through his eyes, as he sees it, and finds comfort in his strong faith and silent strength to trust in God. Some legends say that Julia is healed by the prayers of Valentinus, others say that her healing was not immediate but that with the priest as her guide she never wavered in faith to believe. Legends say that a bloom of love sprang up between Valentinus and Julia the beautiful blind jailers daughter. whether this is true or just some medieval fancy to create romance out of every legend I couldn't say. Valintinus is taken to be executed but before his sentence is carried out he writes a note to the beautiful jailers daughter and signs it from your Valentine.
His sentence is carried out on the fourteenth of February.
Hence the day we celebrate Love.
Does it seem strange to anyone else that we celebrate the day that a person was martyred for his faith ?
I don't know if the legend is absolutely true, needless to say I won't be swearing in a court of law.
Still I thought it was an interesting story, one I could see being written into a full fledged dramatic and tragic novel. I have heard the one about the jailers daughter helping Valentinus to escape by bringing him the prison keys and by following the sound of his voice makes her way safely through the roman prison. If thats not a dramatic breadcrumb for a novel than I have no idea anymore.

In truth the most important thing to remember today and every day is the beautiful creator of love.
The one who is love through and through. The one who gave you his life so that you might live.
I have often thought about why in the world would it even matter if we all went to hell, it was something we deserved after turning our backs on our maker.
Why would God even worry about the strange creation he had spoke into existence.
Why would after years of struggling with there rebellious ways, become one of them to redeem them.
I asked god this question, I was confussed that after all, after the ultimate betrayal. Why would he still do all that. And to say all that I'm not just saying the immense pain that Christ suffered at our behafs, the worst pain to ever be suffered. But the years of patience, and waiting and guiding. Love isn't just big things you see, it's small and      
 huge and indescribable at the same time.






What I heard was simply, because I AM LOVE. There could be no other way for the creator to be with the creatures made in his image if he didn't. And that's the most beautiful picture I can imagine,
That the Father would want us so much to be his family, he wouldn't just turn his backs on us when we did the   same to him.
Look around you and see the beautiful valentine God writes to you every day. He says I Love you today and nothing you do will ever change that.
I hope whether you have someone special to spend the day with or not.
You will come to know what today is really about. It's more than just one man who was marterd.
Lets remember Who he would not let go of even in the face of certain death.
Even with our imperfect understanding we can see that he learned to love and give from love Himself. And What a glorious love that is.
Happy love day to all my dearest followers.

photos via pinterest