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!

Nothing is Impossible with God

 

Jesus replied, "What is impossible with man is possible with God." ~Luke 18:27

Pictured here is the book I'm currently reading and loving.  Shannon Bream is an excellent writer and a devout Christian.  She works for Fox News and anchors the popular program Fox News Sunday.  I intend to ask Danny for this book as a birthday present until I realize at the time that it's only available for pre-order.  Because I know how much he likes having gifts in hand by my birthday, I decide instead to ask for two different ones.

The day this book does become available, however, I casually mention it to Danny in conversation adding that it is one I would have asked for if it had been ready in time for my birthday.

Without hesitation, Danny says, "Let me order it for you now."

What a generous guy!  Yes, folks, I'm a most fortunate woman, and I'll always be the first to tell anyone who will listen.

So, imagine my surprise when this book arrives from Amazon instead.

Same title, different author!  Maybe, Danny doesn't hear the Shannon Bream portion of my request and simply orders the first book that pops up on his screen.  As you can tell my the header photo, he more than makes up for his error.

But the more I think about it, the less I believe that Danny made a mistake.  I find the biography of Rose Marie Miller on the back cover to be both inviting and intriguing.  Her pastor husband, Jack, and she planted the New Life Presbyterian Churches and began World Harvest Mission, now known as Serge.  She spent her entire life serving others in the name of Jesus.  Rose Marie passed away in March of this year at the ripe old age of 101!  I love what the publisher says about this book:

Rose Marie Miller weaves together biblical insights and personal experience and shares a new, gospel-driven way of living where the way up is down, the weak become strong, and the dead receive life.  God, for whom nothing is impossible, uses weak people to change the world - and that includes you!

I never would have asked for this book because I wouldn't have known how.  But God knows our needs before we ask.  I truly believe He worked through Danny's "mistake" to give me the perfect compliment to Shannon's amazing book where she, too, focuses on imperfect, "weak" people in the Bible who do great things because God is with them.

God is, was and always will be, the God of the impossible!

Amen!

Roots Take Hold

 

"Consider how the wild flowers grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." ~Luke 12:27

I spring forth unexpected

A wanton, lowly weed

Adorned in yellow bright

Not the shade of cowardice

But of sunny survival

I bloom where I'm planted

And thrive against the odds

For I'm content to call home

Wherever God intends

For my roots to take hold

And when I go to seed

I am grateful still.

Amen!

Thank you, Regina, for your reminder that April is National Poetry Month.  I simply had to join in the celebration before this month's end.

A Tree Planted by the Water

 

They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. ~Jeremiah 17:8

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the springtime saying:  April showers bring May flowers.  Most of the time, that adage holds true for us here in northwestern Georgia.  But not this year.  We are, for all intents and purposes, in a drought.  Oh, sure, we might get a sprinkling of rain here and there as we leave April and enter into May, but when you have a lawn which mostly consists of moss, we have to take extra precautions if we want it to live and thrive through the hot summer months.

Danny makes elaborate plans to keep our moss hydrated and healthy while we wait and pray for rain.  He already has two sprinklers, but needs more for this job; he orders a couple of them along with additional hoses.  Since we only have two outdoor faucets, Danny also buys splitters so that two hoses can be attached to the same spigot.  His best strategic move, in my opinion, is to purchase timers that tell each hose when to release the water to the correct sprinkler, and for how long.  Ingenious!

Do they work?  Of course!

When you look closely at this photo, you can see a rainbow!

Even in our shady yard, moss can't survive intense heat and lack of moisture as its root system is both shallow and fragile.  Just seeing it transform to a lush green after a good soaking brings us such joy.

The same is true for us spiritually.  If we don't make the concerted effort to spend time in God's Word drinking deeply of its sustenance, we, too, can become dry and parched in our faith.  I've always loved the image of the tree planted by the water as described by the prophet, Jeremiah.  In my mind's eye, I envision a willow tree, its boughs cascading leaves of green, its roots black with moisture.  So verdant!  So lush!

And isn't that the way our faith in the Lord should be?  Filled to the brim with the abundant life that Jesus promises to all who believe in Him?

May we all resolve to plant our roots deeply into the Living Water.  Jesus is the well that never runs dry.

Amen!