ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER©

Pheasant hunting began about a month ago and extends from October 11, 2025, through January 4, 2026. I remember my uncle hunting for these beautiful birds when I was a child. He had all the trappings necessary to bag his limit. When he finished the hunt, the birds were turned over to his wife to retrieve the decorative plumage for making hats. She was a master at crafting these feathers into headgear that would make any woman proud. When I married a hunter, I wasn’t about to pluck pheasant feathers, but I was also surprised one day to find a pair of these colorful birds in the refrigerator. Rigor mortis had already set in. The birds remained in their original form, but I certainly wasn’t ready to greet them in that way. Since my own father wasn’t a hunter, I had to learn a new way of expecting the unexpected when I entered married life. This print is a one of a kind and I love it especially because it shows the expanse of the bird, ready to take flight. I imagine these two were filling up on remnants from an empty cornfield. I am giving thanks today for the ability to pray openly to God, the Father. We have the benefit of that communication, because it was a gift that Jesus provided along with our salvation. We can talk directly to God, because the wall has been broken down. Today, give thanks for that gift. There is no need for an intermediary. God, the Father, is available to us at all times.

Give thanks to the Lord for His creation,

In His hands all things came into existence,

The trees perfectly designed and crafted to bring shade, comfort, and shelter,

The seas in all their majesty, blown into place by His breath,

Abundant with life, food for our stomachs and beauty to behold,

The sky is filled with the voice and color of His paintbrush,

A glimmering sunset, a rainbow of promise, clouds to gather the tears of man,

The secret places are His also, He formed great mountains from formless clay,

He carved the crevices from steely granite, penciled in the lines,

Washed the canvas with water, tweaked, punched, chiseled,

He created every living thing,

Formed from nothing into intricately executed works of art,

Giving the first man a likeness of Himself,

And the first woman taken from the rib of the man,

To forever be a part of him,

God is the Creator of all things,

Let us praise Him and thank Him for His wondrous gifts,

And remind us that He created us to be the caretakers of His creation.

THANK YOU, JESUS FOR ANOTHER DAY!