Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon

What I've Learned: incredible sacrifice happens quietly every day, as a matter of course and with great honor.
I've been in tears several times today, Reader. For almost a week now, I've been keeping tabs on the latest earthquake/tsunami/nuclear crisis news coming from Japan and praying for the Japanese people as they deal with unimaginable devastation, intolerable conditions and now, the threat of radiation exposure from a damaged nuclear power plant. I can't wrap my head around the magnitude of the destruction being reported.

As the casualty estimates rise, I've been hanging onto the few stories of hope that are surfacing: a 4 month-old baby found alive 3 days after being swept from her parents' arms during the tsunami, a Japanese student studying in America who feared her family was dead but then found a You Tube video of her house (the only one left standing in her neighborhood) and her sister holding up a sign, proclaiming everyone is all right. I can feel God working in these small miracles.

Then today, I heard about the Fukushima 50. Reader, I don't have the words to describe how it felt, reading report after report of these brave plant workers, engineers, soldiers, policemen and firefighters who volunteered or chose to remain behind at the crippled Daiichi plant after hundreds of their fellow workers and the surrounding inhabitants were evacuated.

These people are working in dangerous conditions amid flood debris, wrecked buildings and the constant threat of more fires and explosions. That alone is reason enough to call them courageous. But it isn't what moves me to tears. As these workers risk life and limb flushing damaged nuclear reactors with seawater in an attempt to keep them cool, they're being exposed to radiation levels that The New York Times calls, "five times the maximum exposure permitted for American nuclear plant workers."

They are braving lethal radiation to prevent more radiation leaks and protect their families and countrymen from the effects of a full nuclear meltdown. They are sacrificing their own health and lives to save their country. This isn't a movie plot or a cheesy, made-for-TV miniseries. These are live, thinking, feeling people with families who are out where no one wants to be, giving everything they have to do their jobs, knowing that it will almost certainly cost their lives.

How do you describe or honor that kind of courage? Their ability to put fear aside, keep suiting up and going out there every single day echoes what Jesus did for us by dying on the cross. Yes, I do think there is something very Christ-like in the quiet, matter-of-fact work of the Fukushima 50. He died for us. They too, are making the ultimate sacrifice to save others. I'm praying for them, for their families and will continue to do so throughout this crisis. Please join me, Reader, and keep them in your heart. Whatever the outcome, let us honor what they do there. And may our Heavenly Father, bless and keep them. Amen.

Shot at the Heinz Bros. Nursery, St. Charles, IL

The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size. ~Gertrude s. Wister

What I've Learned: Seed Catalogs are My New Favorite Harbinger of Spring.

Came downstairs this Sunday morning, Reader, to find Aunt had spread tantalizing new seed/plant catalogs on the kitchen table. Is there a better feeling than sipping a fresh cup of coffee while you peruse the latest trends in plants, trees & shrubs?

Whatever your gardening style, the 2011 Burgess Seed Catalog & the Four Seasons Nursery have a gazillion affordable options. Some of the plants & trees that caught my eye this morning: the Tahiti Sunrise Dahlia, the 3-in-1 Angel Trumpet, the Black Bat Flower, the lavender Climbing Angel Face & the dwarf Top Hat Blueberry bush.

I can't wait to unpack all my favorite pots and start container gardening! Am really feeling anything with splashes of mixed color this year. A color palette of pinks, purples and blues seems to be in order. Isn't it funny how turning our clocks ahead this weekend and dreaming of border plantings full of butterflies and hummingbirds make spring suddenly feel much closer?

Adios, Winter! It's been a trip but I am not sad to see you go!

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world. ~Virgil A. Kraft

Quotes courtesy of The Quote Garden.