Dear Reader:

Since Christmas I have been staring at a large, blank orange wall wondering what to do differently with it decoratively….since the old dried flower arrangements looked pretty pitiful after a decade or more and the large key was broken and flapped out and hit me every time I tried to get it back up…it was time for a new look.

So for the past few weeks I have thought about what I would like to center the hearth with… as the primary focus…I thought about a large clock, or a mirror, but when I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday none of the ones I saw clicked with me.

And then I spotted it …a big round wheel with decorated wheels within it…suddenly I realized this was the symbol I was looking to find. Think about it…my life has revolved around wheels lately.

My car “wheels” were stolen (twice) and left me “wheel-less” for three months and while that was going on…my personal left “wheel” (foot) took a turn for the worse and left me high and dry on a recliner with my foot stuck up in the air…dependent for the first time in my life for an extended period of time. (And bless everyone for coming to my rescue!)

We associate the exiled prophet Ezekiel with the term “wheel” in scripture since he had a vision in which he saw God in a big chariot being pulled by four animals with four different faces…on wheels within wheels. It is a pretty complicated story with lots of different interpretations.

Because of the complexity of the story…today the expression “wheels within wheels” denotes a number of different influences, reasons, and actions… which combined… make a situation difficult to understand and /or decipher.

And that is exactly how I felt for a few months…completely baffled by the concurring strange events that befell me all at the same time….”wheels within wheels.” Deep down I knew that the axle (G0d) was still intact even while the wheels were going crazy around me.

So when I saw this art wall decor depicting a ‘wheel within wheels‘ I knew it had a place in my home…smack dab in the middle of the wall.

So what did I mostly hum (except for the first stanza and the refrain) on the way home…  the old spiritual/ folk song…”Ezekiel Saw the Wheel.” At church camp one year our cabin decided that song would be our selection for the end-of-the camp song fest... mainly because we loved Woody Guthrie and he was singing it along with other folk singers in the sixties.

The only part I remember is:

Ezekiel saw the wheels;

Way up in the middle of the air.

Ezekiel saw the wheels;

Way up in the middle of the air.

Chorus

And the big wheel run by Faith, Good Lord;

And the little wheel run by the Grace of God;

In the wheel in the wheel Good Lord;

Way up in the middle of the air.

So until tomorrow…The good thing about wheels is that a wheel will always turn full circle. I can feel the changes in my life as I type this post…today is an absolutely gorgeous, beautiful bright sunny day, my left foot doesn’t hurt any more, and now I have a whole new mantle/hearth decorated with special art works that make me happy…as it does my “Happy Place.” Life is good. Blessings abound.

…“The big wheel run by faith, Good Lord, and the little wheel run by the Grace of God!” Thank you dear Lord!

*A fun little coincidence: The name of the affable young salesman’s (who sold me my car “Surcie”) last name is “Wheeler.” 🙂

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

*With such a great day going on…I should not have been surprised when Anne sent me (last evening)  a photo of the daffodil bud we saw a few days ago … now open and blooming…with another bud close behind. *A wheel within a wheel?

*My favorite time of the evening…When the lights go down and the embers glow….another day in Your faith I grow.