Short Burst of Summer

We've been enjoying and taking advantage of unbelievably warm weather. The crocuses are done, daffodils and forsythia in full bloom, tulips, standing tall and budding up. Tom mowed the grass. Together we took the winter cover off the pool. I've washed windows and cleaned the porch. And it's not yet April. Unbelievable. And I'm loving it. The weatherman says as of today, it's over, the mercury is falling, so is rain.

But a couple of days ago these little girls thought we should open the bin full of pool toys. Water wings, goggles, and a couple buckets of water kept the little tykes busy while I cleaned the porch and washed windows. Fun for everyone! (Yeah, I actually like washing windows.)




"You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth."   Ecclesiastes 11:9



"Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, as if working (or playing?) for the Lord..."  Col. 3:23










And the primrose await planting...

Happy Birthday, David Jonathan

It's my boy, Davey's 26th birthday. We're so proud of him...

If you click his link he'll sing you a song.     http://www.youtube.com/user/djh5016
Pick an original song, a cover, Christian, folk, pop... He has a CD coming out soon. We're so excited!

Happy Birthday, Davey Boy!

A Season for Everything

A date printed on the calendar denotes the start of each new season. But apparently the Mother Nature that rules this part of the country can't read. Summer always sets in before its assigned date. So does fall. Winter steps on the heel of autumn every single year, burying us in snow well before December 21st. But spring? Not so with spring. She's late. Always late.

Ah but...what was it we were taught in junior high? Never say always, and never say never for that matter. This year spring is upon us in early March. Is she here in earnest? We can only hope. Crocuses in bloom, daffodils boasting fat buds, grass greening up, and thermometers climbing toward 70 -- all indicate, yes. If you're an onion setter, you better get at it.

Today I plan to put the skis away. They lean cock-eyed, both skis and poles, against the house all winter long, sort of planted in the flower bed outside the door. Usually they're standing in white fluffy stuff, but for weeks now they've been sinking into soft dirt, remains of last year's mulch. And I'm wondering if there might be a regulation against letting flowers grow up between your ski poles. Should be. Just in case, I'll remedy that today.

Psalm 104:19   

 He (The Lord God himself, who is clothed in majesty and light) 

made the moon to mark the seasons,

 and the sun knows when to go down.

It is comforting knowing the Lord is in control. The weather doesn't always do what I want. Things don't always happen the way I want. I don't always get what I want or act the way I want. I have to learn and re-learn to be content and to trust. As Paul says in Phillipians 4:11, "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." Content whatever the season, content whatever comes my way, or doesn't. Whatever...  content. 

Happy Birthday, Adam Michael!

March 11, 1980...
Was it a day as glorious as this one? I don't remember.
Was the drive to the hospital fraught with discomfort? I don't remember.
Was labor long and miserable? I don't remember.
Was the baby longed for...you betcha!
And loved! Oh how he was, and is, loved.
Celebrated then and now. Today especially.
Every year, March 11, the anniversary of his birth,
We celebrate and thank God for...Adam Michael.

A Fabulous Day in PA

Yes indeed, it is a gorgeous day, and there are more to come. Hallelujah!

I just returned from a two mile walk -- left Tom at the one mile mark, where I turned around and he continued on so his jaunt will be five miles altogether.

We had a lovely Sunday morning and a good church service in spite of having to get up an hour earlier. The time change didn't have much affect on me, I fooled the clock by going to bed an hour earlier. Ha! (Feeling rather smug about that.) After church I stayed a few minutes to update our church website and upload the sermon.

Those are Monday morning tasks, but tomorrow... I have to report for jury duty. I've read that this is expected to be a long case, a double murder involving drugs --  with a death penalty if convicted. Good grief, my heart is saying no, no, no. While I believe that every citizen should do their part, I don't want to this time...no, no, no. I can't in good conscience send a man to his death, I don't care what he did, I can't do that. How selfish and irresponsible is it for me to think, let someone else do it if it needs done? So, ugh, I have all night to think about this. And I don't mind telling you that I'm praying I won't be picked. Better yet, that I'll be dismissed, excused from the get-go. I just don't want to do it. (I wonder how many people do?) Anyway, that's tomorrow and there is no sense worrying about it today. Tomorrow will have enough trouble of its own.

Today I'll consider the crocuses -- after a long, albeit mild winter, during which they neither toiled nor spun, look at how they are clothed in beautiful colors!  Even Solomon in all his glory...

 

Changes

March 8. Seriously? I'm apparently working on becoming a blog sloth. How many weeks without blogging does it take to earn the title? Pretty sure I'm there. Two things cause me to neglect my blog: busy-ness and unhappy-ness, both sap energy like an unplugged laptop. Once the juice is used up, you're down for the count. But...This unseasonably warm weather toward the end of an unusually mild winter is a real spirit lifter and re-charger. Not that I've been feeling down, just not up. A bit of warmth and yesterday's gorgeous sunshine really has helped.

This helped too...I spent a couple of days in Pittsburgh, visiting my friend from North Carolina who was up to the burgh watching her twin grandsons. She let me in on the fun. And I'll tell you what, two of them make for a double dose of cute. While the little guys were in school, Beth and I had plenty of time to chat over coffee. By all rights we deserved a good case of the java jitters, but nope, none of that. My incredible tolerance for caffeine surprises even me sometimes.

There have been a few significant changes in my life recently. Foremost, we're in the midst of a pastoral change. It's sad that our pastor left and we need to begin the process of finding a new leader. But if he was called to move on, then surely God has already gone before and is preparing the right person to come and shepherd our little flock. Until then, motherless lambs, that's what we are. Nah, that's not true -- on several levels -- we are one of those rather conservative denominations that wouldn't think of having a female leader. So sheep without a shepherd is way more accurate. And even at that, we've got Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We'll be fine. Our prayers are with our previous pastor and his family as they begin a new adventure in ministry. Godspeed!

Under the circumstances, I thought it reasonable to resort to retail therapy. Tom was in on it too. We embarked on a several trips to the city, choosing a trundle bed for our big guest room and new furniture for our TV room. We're replacing a couch and loveseat with a new couch, loveseat and ottoman, going from sage green to golden brown. The highlight of the purchases is the oversized ottoman with a storage compartment and hinged lid. All these purchases, scheduled to arrive at the end of March are cause for all manner of rearranging furniture. Things will be changing. I'll clear out old stuff, declutter, and reorganize to my heart's content.

Changes can be unsettling or comforting, unnerving or exciting, unhappy or delightful. Most changes are all of the above in one way or another, and we deal with them on a regular basis in this life.

And speaking of change, there is coming a day when all things will be new. New heavens and new earth, no more sickness, pain, death, no misunderstandings or confusion. No clutter? One can only hope. Either way, what a day, glorious day, that will be.

Running Out of February

And really, that's not a bad thing, watching February come to a close. One month closer to the end of winter and the beginning of spring. We've enjoyed an exceptionally mild winter. Lovely really. But what happened to all the winter projects I had planned? For the most part they are waiting. My own book is waiting, simmering so to speak, never completely out of my thoughts, it vacillates between a full boil and a stew. So why isn't it ready to serve up on a bed of white paper?

Because I find myself...

Reading, not writing. Working at church, not writing. Babysitting and visiting grandkids, not writing. House cleaning, cooking, entertaining, rearranging furniture, shopping for new furniture, visiting with friends, talking on the phone, browsing the internet (no end to interesting stuff to read out there!), goofing off on facebook, relearning to crochet again (yes I'm aware of the redundancy), figuring out life and relationships, spending time with my husband, taking walks...not writing.

Those are my excuses and I'm sticking to them.

One of my precious charges.

The two of 'em.

The Beaver Dam, frozen over, but too snow-covered to skate on.

Tracking a beaver. Did you ever see beaver footprints in the snow?

                                                              Me neither.

By the Light of the Moon

A little moonlight, 

                 a little snow,

                         a walk in the woods.

     

                                                           

                                            A couple of red birds in a snow covered tree.

And the kitty lies down with the dog

                                          inside the cozy warm house, in a nice sunny spot.

Reposting a Quote

From my other blog, Write the Vision... The nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts. The safest place to be is in someone's prayers. And the best place to be is in God's hands. C. Marilyn Austin I know friends are thinking of me and praying for me -- and I'm returning the favor. What a safe, secure, content feeling. Wish I could stay here forever. You too?

Too Young, Too Soon, to Say Goodbye...

Susan Niebur, aka Whymommy, passed from this world into heaven. Her husband entered a final post on her widely read blog, Toddler Planet -- http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/goodbye/ 

An amazing life, inspiring, vivacious, brilliant, kind, generous, loving, short. Too short. Her mother and father shared that her passing was gentle and peaceful, a small consolation, but hugely comforting.

In Susan's last post she revealed her reluctance to call on hospice care. A post before that told of her trip to the hospital with breathing problems and pneumonia. I remembered when my brother was very sick with cancer. The last I spoke with him was 2 weeks before he passed, April 21st, his 36th birthday. I hung up the phone and cried because I knew he was dying. That memory washed over me when I read this post on Toddler Planet -- http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/how-did-we-get-here/
And I cried, because I knew Susan was dying.

I awoke last night, not having heard anything for days, startled, sad, called to pray in the middle of the night. God gently preparing me, and kindly using me... to pray.

She was ready. How kind of her parents to share that with us... and this: Susan passed away this morning, gently and peacefully, with Curt at her side.