Thursday Things #85
Old lady spring, plant names, and holding all the things. 🌱🌷🌙
Welcome! Every other Thursday, I share a handful of things I'm loving, reading, watching, listening to or just discovered. In other words . . . what I'd text you about if I had your number or mention if we met up for coffee! I'm so glad you're here. :)
I’d like to raise my glass to you for making it to Thursday once again. Two thumbs up, five gold stars, and a blue ribbon to you. You’re here! I’m here! We’re making it! Yay us and good job!
I’m headed out the door soon to meet a friend and eat a ridiculous amount of chips and queso (always and forever amen a Good Thing), so let’s jump right in.
(Do I still have a few of my old business cards that listed my actual job title and also “loves queso”? 🧀 Yes. Yes I do and yes I did put that important information there on purpose. I’ve never been one to turn it down and tonight is not the night to break that streak.)
Old lady spring.
I have nothing to add except a resounding I’M IN.
The foundation will hold.
You’re going to think I’m exaggerating and honestly, I would too if I wasn’t me and didn’t know. But I’m telling you, it’s true:
In the last two weeks, I’ve sung this song no less than three hundred times.
Really really.
It came to mind a week ago Sunday. I searched it on Spotify right before driving to meet someone that afternoon. I sang it on the way home. I teared up when I read the lyrics in our first All The Things author call that evening. And here, ten days later, I’m telling you that the only time an hour has gone by that I haven’t sung the words, wept through the words, or hummed the tune—is when I’ve been asleep.
Today isn’t the day to put words around why these words matter so much right now, but I’ll say this until I’m blue in the face: the foundation holds. He is good and He is kind and He is sure.
So, save this one for when the rain comes or the wind blows or everything around begins to shake. Save this for when you need to sing joy and peace and truth into the storm.
He hasn’t failed before. He’s not going to start now.
P.s. If you’re part of All The Things, a print & lock screen with a few lines from the song will be on the way to you just as soon as I print them at the library to triple-check the sizing. :)
P.p.s. My newest article at (in)courage went live this morning. I’ll send it to you next week—trying to keep from filling your inbox twice in one day!—but would you like to guess what it’s called? The Storm Is Never the End of the Story. Mmhm. Of course it is.
He will hold all the things.
Seeing these back to back it’s now hard to miss, but it wasn’t planned—just going in order of the latest things I’ve saved in my Thursday Things iPhone note to share with you.
The foundation will hold & He will hold it all.
This is an old truth, far from new news, but I was grateful to hear it all the same.
A few weeks ago, I wrote the following in “I’ll Hold It With You”:
Our circumstances don’t change His character and although our Right Now might be a lot, His hands are not too full. We have a God who doesn’t tease, who sees the end from the beginning and has promised to bring us all the way Home. No matter what tomorrow brings, He will carry us through.
I know it. I believe it. I trust it.
Still, I read and re-read this post from Melanie with one hand holding the phone and the other open and empty. It isn’t just that He is faithful and true, as in loving or gentle or compassionate. Although, yes. But His name, what He’s called, who He actually IS, is Faithful and True. It’s like saying Hi, I’m Kaitlyn! Nice to meet you.
He is Faithful and True (Revelation 19).
And His hands are not too full. He can and does and will hold it all together. (Colossians 1)
When I look at this photo it’s a tangible reminder that he holds all things together even when there are days it feels like things are falling apart.
When we pray for peace, we’re praying to the one who placed the stars in the sky and knows them by name. When we search for wisdom, we’re looking to the one who sees all things. When we need joy, we’re asking the one who created laughter. When we face circumstances that seem impossible, we’re calling on the one whose robe fills the throne room of heaven. When we have a battle ahead of us, we have a rider called Faithful and True who fights for us.
So lift your head and remember that the keeper of the stars doesn’t overlook a single detail of your life. It’s in his hands, right next to Venus and Jupiter. ✨
A nifty iPhone feature.
And now for a hard left turn. Do you know how to look up plant names from your camera roll? I can’t remember when I learned this, but I put it on the above mentioned TT note to share with you after a fall walk with a friend—and then it just kept getting bumped down the list. Today is the day.
We passed a funky looking plant that afternoon, both said “woah, weird, wonder what that is?” and paused for a closer look. I promptly pulled out my phone, said “hold on it’ll tell us” while snapping a pic, read off the name, turned the phone around, and watched her eyes widen in surprise. She was amazed—and I was amazed that she, an outdoorsy pal, didn’t know/use the Plant feature.
Last week at the Botanical Gardens, a friend took a picture of the nearby flowers and exclaimed “Do you guys know about this? I just learned your iPhone will tell you the plant!” To which MY eyes widened as I whipped out the list on my phone, highlighting this as yep, time to put it in Thursday Things because The People Need To Know.
So! Take a picture of a plant, a flower, a tree, etc. Then open your iPhone camera roll and look for the i (information) in a circle.
Tap that button and then tap “Look up — Plant.”
Voila! Magic. ✨
(The Eastern Redbud is one of the very first to bloom in Birmingham in the Spring. Isn’t it lovely?! Worth pausing Old Lady Spring for a trail walk to see. 😊)
Alright pals, I’m headed to get chips and queso with a friend—but would love to hear, what Good Things have you read, watched, listened to, or discovered the last week or two? Tap below and share! I’ll pop into the comments tomorrow.
In the past couple weeks I have learned the gold we hold in our hearts when we invest in friendships. I have learned that sunshine every day is not overrated, as inexperienced Florida for a month. I have learned that cloudy and cold Michigan is still the best place, because it's home.