The water zooms under the bridge I am standing on so fast it feels as though I am the one cutting through the boiling liquid.

The frothy bubbles dance into constantly changing swirling designs.

Chunks of ice in harsh angles twirl with the current on a parade until at last they are set free to join the drops of liquid glass.

A lonely floating log drifts under the bridge – once a stately tree, now knobby and soaked through, traveling down the river not knowing where the journey will end.

The river has come awake after hiding under a thick blanket of ice.

Where one could run and slide, one can only run, jump and swim in the chilly waters.

Snow still spotting the ground, seemingly reluctant to release its cold grasp on the warming earth.

The autumn leaves, now very gray and dead, crunch and rustle under my feet. Once again stirring with the passing breeze, revealing glimpses of hidden green grass.

Birds now back home grace the air with lovely song awaiting for the trees to forget their shyness and bud into bright new life again.

More people out walking feeling relieved that the promise of Spring is teasing through the wet-dirt smell of air.

Life in Redfield, South Dakota has not been boring.

More to come, that I know.

But I am not alone.

That I learned in Africa,

a treasure I shall cherish.

Can love be understood?

Around the world God loves all, correct?

So how are we to judge who is better or worse?

Those who are rich? Those who have nothing?

Those who 'have it all' are rarely happy, with always more wanting.

Those who have nothing, have to 'make do' and usually live in some kind of community, therefore, not alone.

Money can make one very lonely.

And yet, in this culture one never seems to have enough.

One cannot buy true love, it is only a gift. Not an investment. It is given just to be given. True love doesn't keep track of what has or has not happened in return. It always thinks of the other person and what they may need or want. Sometimes it is not possible to accomplish all that is needed or wanted, but it hopes and dreams and strives to reach it. True love listens, encourages, speaking the truth when one may not want to hear it but is necessary. True love shares the burdens, the griefs, the tears, the joy in the midst of the storm. 

 Always searched for in the depths of our souls. Where can it be found?

Can love be timeless?

Beyond seasons, years, moments, and decades?

I asked God how can one love everyone always and see those one loves choose others instead? How one's heart would break! Just seeing a glimpse of the eagerness for love in the orphans eyes

or the desperate loneliness in the touch of the elderly.

The hollow hopelessness in the bars, the weary worker or the stressed perfectionist. All seeking something, someone to be that Love for them. Total acceptance, appreciation, encouragement, a heart listening to their dreams, hopes, and willing them onward. For another day of a gift of life if one would look at it so. Enjoying the present and looking forward to the future. What future though? How can it be better than what is already known?

Oh, so much better. Just a blink of it is brilliant and mind-boggling. So much better than we could ever imagine!

Can love be understood? I think not. Not with our finite minds and our failed images smudged with our own humanness and selfishness. With expectations that could never be met in reality, all desiring so much from one person or even many, and no person can be that.

The music of our life must be given a rhythm from some place else. We are not meant for solos of the soul. It is a symphony. All with a rhythm beyond time. A heartbeat of the One who created us each individuals. An amazing miracle in itself.

Last month I decided after much thought and prayer that where I was working was not the best for me. I was learning a lot and am grateful for the experience, but I was reaching burnout really fast. I applied to another nursing home in town and have enjoyed starting over so to speak. This time with a variety of residents, not just those with dementia or alzheimers. It's a delight to share smiles and stories and get to know more people in the community too. Perfect timing and after a long day its nice to know I'm still in the palm of God's hands and this is where I am supposed to be for now.

I'm learning to see the beauty in the snow and cold weather. I was looking through some of my pictures from Ghana and found this one:

The little boy was trying to rub off my white skin to see what was underneath. What a flood of memories it brought back! It has almost been a year in a few days since I left that beautiful place. It's still in my heart and I miss it.