Happy Birthday, USA!

 

So, if the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ~John 8:36

Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.  It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. ~John Adams

On July 4th, 2026, our beloved nation turns 250 years old!  I know I'm not alone when I say that I couldn't be more proud to be an American, especially during this landmark year.  I'm old enough to remember our 200th birthday, too.  Unfortunately, I was in England at that time for a summer study of British literature.  But our group was genuinely surprised and honored to witness the Buckingham Palace guards offer a royal tribute to their American brothers and sisters.

Those moments, I recall, were the first time during that monumental trip when I felt the poignant twinge of homesickness, pining for the land I love.

Fifty years later, I find it both ironic and joyful that so many FIFA fans from all over the world have descended on our great nation for the games.  Their exuberance for the American way of life, from Buckee's to Waffle House, cold beer and air conditioning, from sea to shining sea, is both infectious and inspiring.  Truly, their enthusiasm for our country reminds us how blessed we are to have the freedoms that we often take for granted.

I'm absolutely loving every moment leading up to the big day and I plan to revel in the celebrations taking place on the National Mall and all throughout the land.  But it's not just about barbeques, parades, fireworks and flyovers, although they are all fantastic in and of themselves.

It's about God.

Our Founding Fathers were immersed in His Word, recognizing it as the very cornerstone of western civilization.  When they came to the original thirteen colonies, they brought with them all the best of the Old World's ideas and ideals, and created a government like not other ever before seen or tried.  I believe with every fiber of my being that it was God's will to establish this nation as His "Shining City on the Hill."  After all, when one looks at the historical improbability of rag-tag militias triumphing over the then greatest empire in the world, how could it have possibly happened without Him?  Winning our revolution against the formidable British Empire was nothing short of miraculous!

Here, 250 years later, figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin loom large in our collective conscience as do countless more who contributed to the formation of our government.  But we must hold tightly to what John Adams stated above:  Our Constitution is made only for a moral and religious people.  If we lose sight of that basic premise, our country will be lost.

So let's resolve to put the Lord first in our lives always, thanking Him for all our blessings, and praying that He will ever defend, protect and inspire us to do great things that are pleasing in His sight.  And we we ever cherish and uphold the freedoms America affords us because God is on His throne.

Happy Birthday, USA, and may you celebrate many more!

Amen!

The Best Part of Waking Up

 

 

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ~Luke 21:33

Morning coffee in our house isn't a suggestion, it's a requirement.  Danny mentions recently that he thinks our Cuisine Art coffee maker is about eight years old, the same age as our previous one is when it gives up the ghost.  He even browses the web to see what types of coffee makers would make a reasonable, practical replacement should our current one decide to go the way of its predecessor.

Friday evening, while Danny is cooking dinner, he glances over at the coffee maker and notices that the display clock is uncharacteristically blank.  We experience several glitches in our electricity that afternoon.  Thinking that might be the issue, he unplugs the machine and plugs it in again.  Zilch.  Zero.  Nada.  The Cuisine Art has unceremoniously brewed its last.

What are we to do now?

Fortunately, we have both metal and plastic pour-over devices to use for our morning Joe.  I use the plastic one with a coffee filter in it to slow the drip when boiling water is poured into it.

While it works okay, my coffee isn't strong enough for my liking.  And for someone spoiled by simply setting up my coffee the night before which only requires me to press the "on" button in the morning, going through the extra steps when I'm not yet fully awake is a dangerous undertaking.

By the time Danny gets up, he uses the metal filter for his coffee.

This doesn't require a paper filter, but dumping out the used grounds creates another issue.  They have to actually be washed out of the filter.  Sending unwanted grounds down our kitchen sink when we are only on a septic tank is not the way we wish to go for any length of time.

It turns out that Danny's preemptive research pays off.  On Sunday, we welcome this beauty!

The Technivorm Moccamaster is a hand-crafted and individually tested coffee maker which has been manufactured in the Netherlands since 1964.  It meets the high standards that the European Union demands for all its products, so what little plastic it does contain is safe.  We do expect, too, that this machine will outlast and outperform our last two Cuisine Art purchases.

But no matter what man-made product or appliance we might acquire, we know it is only temporary.  Nothing created in or by this world can last forever.  Eventually, they will pass away.

And so will we.

With that in mind, may we cling all the more tenaciously to what Jesus tells us will never pass away - His Word.  Let us savor each one of them like we do our first, aromatic sip of a richly-brewed coffee.

He's the best part of waking up!

Amen!

Whispers

 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. ~Psalm 95:6-7

Now that I've completed organizing my vast collection of printed photos, I'm finally, finally tackling all the memorabilia we retrieve from my mother's house when she passes away.  I've only scratched the surface when this photo in the header abruptly grabs my attention, evoking precious memories sweeter than the fragrance of new-mown hay.

Yes, that's me perched in the pony cart next to my cousin, John, who is confidently guiding Queenie, the gentle Shetland pony, as she dutifully pulls her load.  Seated on the stone wall is my Uncle Harris, John's father, who is married to my dad's only sister, Mary Jane.  Visits with them at their farm every summer when our family makes our annual pilgrimage back to Massachusetts to reunite with relatives, are always enchanting adventures.

Although the term wouldn't be coined until years later, Uncle Harris meets the dictionary definition of a horse whisperer.  My brother, Bill, and I along with John, love to accompany him when he would walk down to the pasture gate to bring the horses into the ancient red barn for the evening.

Cautioning us to stand well to the side of the dirt path at a safe distance from straying hooves, Harris opens the gate; its subtle creaking is enough to alert the horses in the field.  Their heads fly up from where they are grazing and swivel, ears high and alert, toward the sound.  The moment they catch sight of Harris, they trot headlong in this direction, snorting and whinnying their greetings long before reaching him.  Once through the pasture gate, each horse heads obediently toward the barn and enters its respective stall to wait patiently for their master to feed them their nightly grain.

Uncle Harris never has to call or whistle to get the horses' attention.  As he feeds them, he gently strokes each one and speaks in a voice so soft and low, I can't understand the words he says.  But I am certain that these powerful, free-spirited creatures, so docile in his presence, understand every word he utters.  They know where they belong and to whom they belong; they are the horses of his pasture, the herd utter his care.

So, imagine this with me for a moment:  Jesus is standing at the pasture gate.  Does He have to whoop and holler to get your attention?  Or, are you already running toward Him with gladness, thankful to be in His care?

It shouldn't take more than a whisper from Jesus to convince us to follow Him.

Amen!

Rest and Relaxation

 

Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." ~Mark 6:31

Oh, what a joyful and celebratory week we spend with daughter, Sarah, her husband, John, and our three beautiful granddaughters, Virginia, Savannah and Alexandra!  They arrive here on Saturday, June 30th, and depart a week later.  We wish the visit could be longer, but we make the most of the time we have and treasure every moment.

Because we have limited space at our house, we book a hotel room for John and Sarah; Alexandra, being the youngest, decides she would rather stay with her parents than with Gammie and Papa, but that's okay.  Virginia and Savannah are in full summer mode, sleeping in until mid-morning, which gives me more quiet time than I could have imagined possible.  When their parents, their sister and the family dog, Finn, come over each day, they are all ready to indulge in the thoughtfully planned lunch that Danny prepares for all of us.

Our dinners, too, are designed for deliciousness.  I can't believe I never snapped a photo of Danny in the kitchen, but take my word for it - no one goes hungry at the Orlando Cafe!

Conversations abound as do our many games of backgammon played each day.  Even Alexandra is learning how to play and is doing quite well.

Although, she definitely has her moments of silliness!

Perhaps you are wondering about the birthday balloons featured in the header photos.  That's to honor Savannah's birthday in April and Virginia's and Alexandra's in July.  Since we can't be there in person, Papa and I decide to recognize their special days while they are here with us.  All three of them seem delighted by these unexpected gifts.

The girls are also thrilled by visit from their Uncle Daniel and Uncle Nicco, both of whom bring birthday gifts.

Virginia is elated with the pen/pencil set, sketch pad and the satchel to hold them all from Daniel.

Here's Nicco showing something to Virginia on Danny's computer.

Opening their gifts from him.

Most of all, we want Sarah and John to get some much-needed rest and relaxation.  They both work so hard and truly deserve this break from the daily routine.  They assure us that they are, indeed, feeling refreshed and renewed by week's end.

Our home, so recently full of the good-natured, boisterous chaos, is now oddly silent as I write this post on the day they leave for home.  We miss all of them already and, as always, we wish they lived closer to us.  Still, we are so grateful for any and all time God gives us to be together.  He is the joyous source of every blessing.

Amen!

Leaving a Legacy Part III - My Turn

 

Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past.  Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. ~Deuteronomy 32:7

This past week, I embark on the same mission that Danny completes in April:  removing my many printed photos from their albums and relocating them in organized, labeled drawers.

My goal is to have this fully accomplished by the time my daughter and son-in-law arrive this coming Saturday with the three grand-girls to spend a whole week with us just as they did last December.  Setting a deadline becomes a surefire motivator!

Working on this project, of course, evokes memories of joyful experiences, but seeing the faces of children now grown and parents no longer with us trigger sadness, too.  I struggle with a longing to return to the times revealed by the photos, not to relive them, but to better appreciate all the treasures they held then and hold now in my heart.  Tears well on more than one occasion as I choose which photos should be stored in which category.

The grand-girls, Virginia, Savannah and Alexandra, haven't seen many photos of their mother, Sarah, as a little girl or teenager, or of their uncle, Daniel, when he was going through those same stages.  I'm hoping that looking at them together while they're visiting will generate curiosity on their part to know more about their lineage, at least on this side of the family.

Honestly, there are so many questions that I wish I had asked my grandparents and even my parents while they were still living, but failed to do so.  I want to encourage our grands to inquire of me here and now while I have breath and my faculties are intact.  That may sound a bit morbid, and perhaps it is, but it's also realistic.

And once this project is completed?  I've promised Virginia to begin writing a memoir of what life was like for me and for Papa when we were growing up.  That would be a gift for all three grandchildren, needless to say, but Virginia is the one who makes the request during their last visit.  I plan to do everything I can to honor that in the weeks and months to come.

It's my turn to leave a legacy.

Amen!

Due to the family being here, I will not be posting next Tuesday and I may not get around to other blogs as I usually do.  Thanks for understanding!

New Growth

 

I went down to the grove of nut trees to look at the new growth in the valley, to see if the vines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom. ~Song of Solomon 6:11

Spring is synonymous with new growth.  It is, for many of us, most evident in the reemergence of flowers and in leaf buds that slowly unfurl to reveal their green-gold hues.  The earth, stirred from its long winter's nap, renews and regenerates herself gloriously under the warmth of the sun and gentle, refreshing rains.

Where we live here in Georgia, the time for daffodils and azaleas has come and gone.  We are well on our way to the oppressively hot summer months where heat and humidity reign and the air conditioner is king.

But still, though it might not be as attention-grabbing as the flowers, there is new growth to observe.

How I love seeing the bright green tips on the darker green of our hemlock!  It tells us that our tree is healthy and growing, albeit at a slower pace than others.  In my book, that's what makes it even more special than it already is.  I see these "baby" needles, and I'm instantly transported back to March and April when every leafing tree sports that identical color.

There is yet another type of growth here in our forested yard, one that has proliferated by leaps and bounds over the past several springs, and that is our fern population.  Every season we are delighted to see them faithfully multiplying.

We are both so thankful to be surrounded by such serene and subtle beauty right here in our own backyard.  New growth reminds us, too, that no matter how far up there we are in years, we are never too old to be used by God for His purposes and for His glory.

When we are grafted onto the life-giving vine of Jesus, no matter what our age, we can and will experience new growth to inspire others and lead them to His saving grace.

Amen!

At Sunset

 

At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. ~Luke 4:40

We have an apartment complex behind our home.  In winter, when the trees are bare, its intrusive presence is a lot more obvious than it is in the spring and summer months.  As these trees have grown and matured, their leafy curtains obscure much of the apartment buildings and, to a disappointing degree, the sky as well.  Time was when we could view fireworks on July 4th from our back deck, but those days are long gone.

The other perk we miss out on is watching the sunset.  We can certainly see the light diminish and fade, but it's rarely an eye-popping scene at any time of the year.  However, in early April, we are treated to the show of a lifetime.  God's infinite palate of colors spill over the horizon with unrivaled majesty and grandeur.

WOW!  God's handiwork leaves us amazed, astonished and overwhelmed with gratitude for the beauty He has lavished upon this little corner of the world we call home.  What a glorious ending to a perfect spring day!

And I can't help but wonder.

Was the sunset as breathtaking as the one we witness when people were flocking to Jesus to be healed?  And if so, would anyone even notice?  After all, Jesus is the center of attention in the moment, and eyes and hopes are focused on Him.  He heals, He cures, He drives out demons.  What could be more miraculous, more spectacular than that?

Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Amen!