What a Wonderful World

Today was the warmest day we have had in some while, up in the 60s.  The forsythia that I cut about two weeks ago and placed in a vase on the dining room table have bloomed, a beautiful and aromatic wonder and a harbinger of Spring:

And finally, after 10 days, I went on my first run - only a little over four miles, but a wonderful feeling to run with friends again.  Apparently the hiking and the visits to the gym have kept me from losing all that hard-won fitness.  Martha ran too, and it was a good day.  For the first time this evening it was warm enough to have appetizers out on our deck.  Surely Spring is just around the corner!

Hunter Coleman preached this morning in our church, and he talked a lot about being mindful, of paying attention to the Kingdom on this earth, here and now.  He quote those lovely words of the Louis Armstrong song, "What a Wonderful World":

I see trees of green,
red roses too.
I see them bloom,
for me and you.
And I think to myself,
what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue,
And clouds of white.
The bright blessed day,
The dark sacred night.
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbow,
So pretty in the sky.
Are also on the faces,
Of people going by,
I see friends shaking hands.
Saying, "How do you do?"
They're really saying,
"I love you".

I hear babies cry,
I watch them grow,
They'll learn much more,
Than I'll ever know.
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.

Yes, I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.

Oh yeah.