Very near to our home sits the North Carolina State Howling Cow Dairy Education Center and Creamery. We catch the unmistakable aroma of cows as we drive through the fields to our home, and, on many mornings in the garden, the breeze treats me to the same experience. Think of inhaling a fragrant lung-full at the State Fair in the big barn where the city folk are dancing the toe hop to avoid the patties lurking in the straw.
I thought I had tasted and enjoyed ice cream before my first stop at Howling Cow but realize now that I was wrong. The NC State version of ice cream, and I have tried several flavors now, is out of this world good. The store is manned by students, accepts credit and debit cards only, and usually has a fair number of patrons. Except during the winter when I can have the place nearly to myself.
Of course, Shawn and I have taken the grand-darlings for ice cream. August runs back and forth along the glass freezers trying to decide on his choice for the day. I made the mistake of getting him a child-sized portion first time out and learned that he has a tank to fill. He polished off his kiddie cup and half of mine. Fern has a poker face as she decides on her favorite. One never knows what she will choose, but I can promise she will eat every bite.
As I placed orders for August and Fern once, the young lady taking the order leaned over the counter to ask the kids, “Do you want sprinkles on top?” Of course they want sprinkles. Every child knows that the splash of color makes the ice cream experience all the more enjoyable. (Here’s a pro tip for sophisticated adults who enjoy ice cream at home. Buy a box of Lucky Charms and sprinkle that on your next scoops. Think sprinkles for adults. Fruit Loops will work also, but I prefer Lucky Charms since they’re magically delicious.)
One quirk of being a writer is that someone can be speaking, and his words may trigger an idea for something I need to get down on paper. It happens during the Sunday sermon quite often. And I attempt to scribble a note…or…fire off an email to myself with enough key words to re-trigger the thought later. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not so much. Here’s the text from my reminder email this morning.
The stars also Twinkle Glitter Oh yes
The speaker, preaching from Psalms, mentioned that the text of Genesis indicates that God created the stars almost as an afterthought. What? I raced to find the passage for myself, and I share it here to save you the trouble of looking it up.
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:14-18 NASB Emphasis added
My mind scampered down a rabbit trail as I formed a picture of God creating, pausing, and saying, “Stars! We have to have stars. Bazillions of them!” Like sprinkles on top of a wonderful creation.
Have you taken time to visit the NASA site to view some of the images from their Webb Space Telescope? I feel insignificant as I marvel through those beautiful photos, and then I feel loved beyond measure as I consider that the God who made all those stars knows me by name.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
Psalms 8:3-4 NASB
We enjoyed three months in our new home before the street lights arrived with nights so thick one could reach out and grab the darkness. I stubbed my toe several times stumbling around, even got lost one night trying to find the bathroom. A few well-placed night lights solved the problem, but when I stepped outside in the cold of a winter night and looked up, I saw the expanse of stars above me. That transported me back to my childhood in West Virginia where stars at night were a given. Our side of the creek had one street light and it stood 50 yards down the dirt road. Step behind the house and look up and the stars seemed so close they might be picked like berries.
Invest a few minutes and consider some of the sprinkles God has rained down on our lives in addition to those unlimited stars. We can see a spectrum of colors from the myriad shades of green around us to the white fluffy cloud padding the dazzling blue sky. We can hear sounds from the thrum of a hummingbird’s wings to rolling thunder as a summer storm stops by. How many tastes have you enjoyed today? Or aromas? Or voices of loved ones?
Sprinkles indeed. Oh, yes, Lord, I want those. And thank You for generously shaking them all over my life.
Reading your descriptions makes me smile. Thank you for helping me imagine God as He created the stars and the sprinkles in my life. You are one!
Right back at you! I love you and thanks for all your encouragement.