After the Rain...New Signs of Growth

The other day I wrote a post on my blog entitled "Signs of Growth", speaking about growth both in the physical as well as the spiritual sense.  In that story I had mentioned that I was a bit frustrated that I was not seeing many signs of growth in my yard or in the trees I had planted since moving to our new home in the woods.  It's been a very dry spring, and it was taking constant watering to keep things growing. However, we have just had about 48 hours of consistent rain, thanks to tropical storm "Beryl", and tonight I took a walk around my yard and discovered many new "signs of growth" in the natural sense.  So I thought I would take this opportunity to take you with me and share them with you.  Enjoy!  Wish you were here to see this in person! Maybe someday!  Be sure to click on each picture to get a closer view!

The first Crape Myrtles of the season blooming in my back yard!!
 I had no idea what color they would be!



Perfect! Don't you agree?



More jasmine blooming...it smells so sweet!

This is a Magnolia Seed after the blossom goes away! I've never
seen one in this early stage before! Isn't it interesting?

A Magnolia Blossom about to open up.

I finally got a picture of a mother Cardinal sitting on her nest.  We've been
blessed with so many beautiful Cardinals, and already have several
juvenile Cardinals at our feeder every meal.  It will be interesting to see
the next brood arrive!  This nest is in one of the Crape Myrtle trees, and
right at my eye level! Thank you, Mrs. Cardinal, for allowing me to take
your picture while you are "in waiting'!

Now THIS is something I'm proud of! My first tomato growing
on a plant that I planted in my own yard! It was nice of our friends
The Masterson's to give us the plants while they were still in
the pots, and after faithful watering they are finally starting to
produce fruit...or is it a vegetable? Whichever...I can't wait to try it!

Do you know what these are?  This is a Dogwood Tree, and these are the
berries before they turn red.  Of course, these were once the dogwood
flowers in the early spring!  I love how God designs all of these beautiful
trees and flowers and seeds...so amazing!

I don't know what kind of tree this is, but it has a little blossom
growing in the middle of its curled up leaves. We have a lot
of these growing around the edges of the forest here, and I
don't know what they are. Do you?

Not sure what kind of tree this is either, but I think it is some kind
of Sweet Gum or Bay tree. There is a tiny little flower in the center
where the new leaves form.



Look at this profusion of English Ivy! It is growing all over the ground
and around some of the older oak trees in the front woodsy corner
of our lot.  It is so beautiful!



I believe this is "Beauty Berry", a bush that will have beautiful
purple berries that the butterflies and birds will love. I'll bet
the bears and the deer love them too!  There is a lot of this
growing all around, so it will be interesting to see what
"develops".

More "beauty berry" in its flowering stage. 

This is a teensy tiny little flower, growing all over the ground beneath the
old oak tree that is covered in lichen.  I don't know what it is, but it is so
delicate and sweet, and perfectly natural.  Just yesterday this area was covered
with water which ran off of the road and was filled with limerock mud. I feared
that nothing would live there after that...

Our front yard during Tropical Storm Beryl 5/28/12, Memorial Day

Holly Berries in my East Palatka Holly Tree that we planted!
They will turn red later this summer...if the deer don't come and
eat them first!

King Solomon tells us in his writings in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter three,

"To everything there is a season,

a time for every purpose under heaven: 

A time to be born, and a time to die;

A time to plant,

and a time to pluck what is planted.."  

(vs.1-2) 

And Last, but not Least...this is a volunteer plant growing up in the dirt where we
earlier had been draining (underground) the gray water from our kitchen sink and
garbage disposal!  It may be a cantalope or perhaps a squash vine! Time will tell!

I also stuck some watermelon seeds out there yesterday evening during the rain
so we shall see what pops up from that...if the birds and the bunnies don't get them first!

 "He has made everything beautiful in its time."

Ecclesiastes 3:11a. 

Don't you agree?

I hope you enjoyed this little walk around the yard with me.

I know I did.

Y'all come!

Dust and Bugs? Who cares?

One of my kitchen windowsills...after I cleaned it!  You don't think I'd take a picture of it dirty, do you?
Notice the birds on the bird feeder outside my window? That's what I look at...not the dust and bugs.

As I was washing up the dishes following our leisurely (thank you, Lord) Memorial Day breakfast this morning, I noticed that the windowsill above the kitchen sink was rather dusty and had a few love bug carcasses in the corners.  It's unfortunate that I didn't take care of that before we had a house full of company for a holiday indoor picnic a couple of days ago.  Actually, I have to admit that I had noticed the dust, etc. prior to our gathering, but it wasn't high enough on the priority list to get it cleaned up in time for company. I mean, having enough food to eat, tables and chairs set for everyone to have a place to sit, clean bathrooms with extra toilet paper and hand towels, etc....those are the priorities for a crowd! When you work outside of the home all week and don't have a housekeeper (except for my husband, who is still learning to be a wonderful house-husband and I don't want to push TOO hard), well, some things just don't make it to the absolute must-do list!

The tomatoes are ripe and juicy too!

So this morning, being a holiday and a lovely rainy, cloudy day with no particular place to go or any pressing urgencies, I decided to clean the windowsills.  After the fact as far as having them perfect for our party, but guess what? Not one of our guests mentioned the fact to me that those windowsills needed cleaning while they were helping me get the food ready for the dinner, nor did the wonderful ladies who assisted in washing the dishes after the dinner complain that my windowsills were dusty and buggy.  No one refused to eat at my table because I had dusty, buggy windowsills...no one pulled away from giving me a hug and laughing and smiling and sharing happy stories and sweet memories together because my windowsills were not tidy.  If anyone noticed them at all, I don't think they really cared.

My point is this...so often we put so much pressure on ourselves to have the picture-perfect house, like something out of House Beautiful or Country Living, before we will even dare to invite people into our home.  We tell ourselves that unless we can cook like Martha Stewart or Paula Deene or decorate like some decorating diva (I don't know any names for this one since I'm really not into that...) we can't possibly consider having a dinner party or picnic at our house. And so we don't ever open our homes to family, friends and especially not strangers.  We hide within our safe haven, where our immediate family doesn't really care if there are dust bunnies under the furniture or if the food isn't gourmet...and we never even try to practice hospitality because "it just isn't my gift." 

I could do that too, and I have done that...my last house was too small in which to do any entertaining, or at least that's what I told myself, and so we never made any friends in that community.  We had very few gatherings in that house, and it just never felt like home to me. Yes, it held all my "treasures", and our family had space to live and eat and breathe, but we never allowed ourselves to experience much laughter and fun with friends and extended family because I didn't think I could do it in that house. That was a lie.  I could've done it, but I convinced myself that no one would want to come there, so I didn't even try.

When we moved to this house in the forest, I determined that we were really going to live in this house, but we were not going to keep it just for ourselves.  This home was meant to be shared with others. Yes, it is bigger than the last house, but it isn't newer, or cleaner, and it certainly isn't close to any real city.  But my spirit is better here...my heart wants to reach out and make friends and entertain strangers...

"Let brotherly love continue.  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."  Hebrews 13:1-2

Who knows?  The next person we meet here could be an angel in disguise!  I wonder if an angel would care if there was dust and dead love bugs on my windowsill?  Probably not.

So now, who wants to come be the next party at our house? I will warn you, the windowsills may be dusty and buggy again by then. I keep opening them every morning to let in the fresh cool morning air and to listen to the birdies singing while they eat their breakfast at my birdfeeders while I fix our breakfast before heading off to work. So the dust blows in and sometimes some bugs work their way in around the screens too. Also, when I throw a party, I usually ask our guests to bring a dish to share, because I don't want to do all the cooking! I like to sample your cooking too and it is so much more fun to have a pot luck than to try to eat my cooking alone.  Trust me on that one.  And you may get stuck helping to wash the dishes or put the leftovers away...and maybe even get to take some home with you.  This past weekend we had a lot of coleslaw left over thanks to a wonderful friend who brought enough for an army...I'd love to share some with you now!  We also forgot to cut the huge watermelon before everyone left because we had already had too much to eat!  So now we are eating watermelon and coleslaw for days...but the memories are so sweet. The laughter is still ringing in our ears...and we feel SO blessed. 

Again I say, "Dust and Bugs? Who cares?"  My final word is: "Mi Casa Es Su Casa"....My house is your house...so come on over!

This is the watermelon we forgot to eat! It's juicy and ripe!

Happy Memorial Day!

Thank you Lord, for those who have given their lives so that we may live in freedom and peace.
Amen.

Signs of Growth

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase."  I Corinthians 3:6

I was chatting with one of the pastors at the church where I work today about "signs of growth".  He seemed to be a little discouraged about the lack of noticeable growth in the church even after taking big steps to reach out and plant new seeds by faith.  I was certainly able to empathize with him, having spent many years in churches where my husband and I labored in what appeared to be a vain effort with no apparent signs of growth.  Oftentimes soon after we left a church feeling discouraged, another minister would come along and reap a great harvest!

Recently I have been laboring in another kind of field...planting new trees and shrubs and flowers in the yard of our new home in the forest.  I have been watering our trees and flowers faithfully every evening since we are not getting any consistent rain.  I have begun to get a bit discouraged, because the trees have not been showing any signs of new growth. Not that they appear to be dying...they just haven't sprouted any new leaves or grown any taller or fuller that I can see. 

I thought about this as I spoke with my friend today...and it occured to me that we oftentimes cannot see the growth that is taking place because it is developing so slowly.  I said to him that in churches (or people we are caring for), like trees, the early growth is actually growing under the surface as roots are reaching deeper down into the soil in search of the pure water and rich nutrients of the earth.  The foundation is being established by daily watering with the right combination of fertilizer and sunlight and hopefully some rain.  Before the new leaves and branches can spring forth and reach up into the sky the tree has to be rooted and grounded in solid ground...or else when the storms come the tree (or person) will not be strong enough to withstand the high winds and pounding rain. 

It takes patience to be a gardener and a tiller of the soil.  It also takes patience to be a gardener in the garden of God's church.  Oftentimes the pastor-gardener becomes discouraged because he has labored long and hard, breaking up the fallow ground, planting seeds and praying for a great harvest, with no visible results.
The Apostle Paul dealt with this same issue when he wrote to the Corinthian early church . He was frustrated with the people of this young church because after much teaching, preaching, and prayer, they were still not showing any signs of spiritual growth.  And then they would compare one preacher with the other thinking one was better than the other because some showed more signs of growth under one leader than the other.

Paul admonished them regarding this way of thinking in I Corinthians 3:6-11~

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.  So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.  Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.  For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.  According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it.  But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ."

So, whether you are laboring in a field of trees, flowers or vegetables...or perhaps you are laboring in the field of teaching and ministering to the children of God (or even your own children)...don't lose hope when you can't see immediate results.  Be faithful to your task...cover every deed with prayer and love. When the "field" is ripe and ready for harvest or even if you find that you have to walk away and allow someone else to reap the harvest...remember that it is God Who has given the increase...in His time...in His way.  Just be faithful to do what you have been called to do and leave the results to Him.

Random Journal Day Link up #8, "In His Time"

I hope I'm not too late to join the "Random Journal Day" Linkup #8.  (Go to RJD #8 for more information) It's been a busy week, and I haven't had much time to think, let alone write...so sharing something I already wrote a long time ago from one of my old journals would simplify things a bit...so here goes:

Friday, May 4, 2001, 6:55 A.M.

"Lord, help us to see every moment of our lives as steps toward You."...This is the prayer from our devotional today. 

The story was about Saul of Tarsus (Paul), when he was met by Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-20).  I like what the author of today's devotional (Amy Welborn) had to say about everything in our lives being preparations for our own growth.  She said,

"As much as we might rest content in our plans, we ought to know better, for life has a way of going in unexpected directions, joyful or tragic as they may be."

(Note: I don't have the reference for this quote, but it was written by Amy Welborn, not me)

This reminds me of Jeremiah 29:11, "For I (God) know the thoughts that I think toward you," says the Lord, "thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Amy Welborn continues in her devotional about how Saul was being prepared by God in all of his education and life's experiences, "combined with his God-given brilliance and strengths...tobring the Gospel to the entire world..."  Then she concludes that "In a unique way, so it is for each of us.  The road ahead is filled with surprises, but we walk in confidence, knowing that viewing life with the eyes of faith--God's eyes--we'll find a way to use everything that's happened for our growth and God's glory."

Lord, I pray today that You will take my life, with all it's unexpected curves and detours, and use me for Thy honor and glory.  I realize that everything that happens to us in life is for a divine purpose.  Nothing in our lives is wasted...

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says:

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."

Verse 3:11 says:

"He has made everything beautiful in its time.  Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end."

Romans 8:28~ 

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

I will close those thoughts for today with the words to a little song that I love:

"In His time, In His time,

He makes all things beautiful in His time...

Lord please show me every day

As You're teaching me Your way

That You do just what You say

In Your time.

In Your time, In Your time,

You make all things beautiful in Your time.

Lord, my life to You I bring,

May each song I have to sing

Be to You a lovely thing

in Your time.

Lord, please show me every day,

as You're teaching me your way,

That You do just what You say,

In Your time."

Amen.

Link to You Tube Video with this song

What's to Love about LoveBugs???????

If you've ever travelled through Florida during the months of May or September, you will understand why I am writing this post today.  Since the first week of May, we have been inundated with these very unlovely lovers,  better known as "Lovebugs".   We have been so overwhelmed with these creatures that I thought I'd better do some research and find out why they seem to be especially attracted to our new home in the forest.  I have attached a pretty thorough dissertation below that gives all the scientific information, and even dispels a few myths about their connection with the University of Florida (which I had heard previously and was tending to believe...)

These Lovebugs love to love on my daylilies...

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in694   This link is everything you ever wanted to know about "lovebugs"...an insect that I am learning to dis-love  greatly...   



In reading this article I realized that we were inadvertently right smack dab in the middle of their favorite kind of love-nest...a sandy, hot, forest with lots of decaying vegetation and trees with pollen.  Our house is also a light color, which they are very attracted to, as well as anything recently painted, perhaps treated with Thompson's Waterseal...like this picnic table.

They  love to love on my picnic table and all over my patio and the
plastic base of our patio umbrella...

These lovely loving insects are lovingly swarming everywhere...if you don't close your
mouth, you may even end up swallowing some lovely lovebug lovers. Yech!!!
They taste so bad, not even the birds will eat them...





Looks like they are having quite a party here in my holly trees!
By the way, did you know that if you click on a photo you can get a close-up view? 
It sort of brings these critters up close and personal!





These wild holly trees are their favorite spot to spend the day with their mate...right out in plain view of my patio! They have no shame whatsoever!





It's a good thing we have a church right here handy for the ones
who want to do things right and get married first!!!
It also serves as a good place for the ones who have come to
the end of their life of love-making...and just drop dead from
exhaustion!



I get to clean up this mess when their frenzied season of love is
finally over ...until September, that is...

Of course, maybe that kind of death is better than the way most of them end up...

On the front bumper and windshield of the millions of cars driving through Florida

during the months of May and September...

You may want to keep this in mind before you plan your next trip to the "Sunshine State"

Try to avoid coming during lovebug season! You'll be glad I warned you!

About the only good thing I can say about lovebugs is that they don't bite. 

I hope you enjoyed this lovely little story.

"See You in September"

The End

For now.

A New Perspective

I like to mix things up sometimes just to see things differently.  For instance, at our weekly staff meetings at the church where I work it seems as though we each have our favorite spot where we like to sit.  There are no assigned seats around the large oblong conference table, but each staff member tends to gravitate toward the same chair every week...the seat where each feels the most comfortable and "safe". 

So once in a while I like to get to the conference room a bit early and sit in a different chair so I can have a new view of the room and perhaps sit next to a different person.  By the reaction of the other staff members one would think that I had tipped the canoe over on an icy river!  Oh my goodness!  These intelligent, highly educated, deeply spiritual leaders and workers were suddenly thrown out of their comfortable positions and were having to navigate new waters!  It was an interesting experiment...I found it hilariously funny to watch their expressions as they attempted to figure out where to sit down and by whom they would now be sitting!  Several were very vocal in their protests at having to rearrange their personal comfort zone for something so simple as a staff meeting. 

I couldn't help thinking to myself, "And these are the people who are trying to teach others about stepping outside the box...reaching out to strangers on the street...sharing the gospel with lost souls both inside and outside the walls of the church?"  Now, don't get me wrong...I am not attempting to be critical of my fellow servants for Christ.  It was a lesson as much for myself as for them...and perhaps for you.  If we are to be the light in the darkness...the salt of the earth...the voice of Christ to those who have not yet heard...how can we expect to do that when we are not even able to change positions at a friendly staff meeting without feeling out of place and uncomfortable?

Perhaps we each need to put ourselves to this little test...mix things up a bit in your own situation...try sitting next to a new person or a stranger the next time you are at church, or an office meeting, or a community gathering of some type.  Maybe it would be a good idea to practice this at home first...try sitting in a different place at your dinner table or in your living room and look at things from a new vantage point.  Put yourself in your child's place for a while...try to see things the way he/she sees it...or from your spouse's viewpoint...or any other family member or friend with whom you perhaps do not always see eye to eye.   Carry that thought with you to work next time...if there is a difficult co-worker or even a supervisor...allow yourself the opportunity to look at the job or life from their perspective.  You may come away with a new understanding of why that individual acts or reacts the way they do.  You may actually begin to care more about that person as a real person and not just another co-worker or supervisor.

You know, Jesus has already set this example for us.  When He left His throne in glory, and Christ, the Son of God, stepped down to earth and became One with us...to walk with us, talk with us, and even die FOR us, so that we might have everlasting fellowship and life WITH Him and His Father. 

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  John 1:14 

"Immanuel", "which is translated, 'God with us.'"  Matthew 1:23.

He didn't leave us on our own to figure these things out...He left the Great Comforter, the Holy Spirit, about Whom He said,

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

Maybe this is one of those things...

To lighten things up a bit...
How would you like to see life from the perspective of those two
"love-bugs" sitting on the edge of a daylily? 
I'll bet you didn't even notice them until I mentioned it...

I hope you will look at your life from a new perspective today! Try it, you might like it!! 

"Call unto me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jeremiah 33:3

Flowers for Mama - Updated 5-8-12

Updated again: 5/8/12:  Dear Friends: This is the 2nd re-run for this post, originally posted in 2010...but as this week is Mother's Day, and as yesterday was the 6th anniversary of my mother's passing, I wanted to read it again...and I thought some of you might appreciate it also.  Thank you for sharing this special time with me. I appreciate your friendship and sweet fellowship.

(Updated 5/7/11)  Song of Solomon 2:11-13 “For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell…”

Many years ago we answered the call of God to go and prepare for the ministry.  My husband chose a seminary in north central Ohio, which was an exciting new adventure for our whole family!  First snow for our kids...first driving in snow and ice for us...lots of fun adjusting to our new surroundings after living most of our lives in Florida. But that's another whole story I'll save for another day.

We had survived our first winter in Ohio living in a very large, old house out in a small community in the heart of farmland. Finally spring arrived in all its grandeur and beauty. I was so thrilled to discover that our yard was blossoming out in every direction! Since we had moved into this house in the early fall we were not prepared for all of the lovely flowers that would appear in the spring. There were tulips and daffodils springing up in flowerbeds all around the house. Then there appeared the blossoms of flowers I had never seen before, gorgeous large white and pink and rosy red peonies! Oh, what a delightful surprise they were! Their fragrance was exquisite.  Then the fruit trees started to blossom…we had apples, pears, plums, and cherries! It was a veritable "Garden of Eden". 

Me with my sweet little boys circa 1980:
Matthew in the space helmet, Benton, and Scotty
in front of the lilac bush
Mother's Day, Nova, OH

Next the lilacs started blooming…talk about fragrance! I was especially excited to see these delicate flowers appear because lilacs were my mother’s favorite flower, and since moving to Florida after being born and raised in the north, she was sad to discover that she was unable to grow them in the south. Every spring she would talk about the lilacs and long to see and smell them again. In honor of her, I joyously placed vases full of the beautiful flowers everywhere in the house and filled our home with their sweet perfume.  Since my Mother and Dad’s anniversary was in the middle of May, I thought I would surprise them with a “fresh bouquet” from our garden. I gathered up bunches of lilacs, tulips, and apple blossoms, and carefully packed them and mailed them to Florida by priority mail. I wish I could have been there to see my mother’s face when she opened that box and saw those lilacs! She said although they were a bit wilted, she could still smell their heavenly fragrance emanating from the package. Even though they were falling off of the stems, she saved the blossoms and enjoyed them for days to come. I believe that was the best present I ever sent her.

Lilacs, tulips and apple blossoms

Tears are rolling down my cheeks as I think of this today, as my dear mother has been gone to heaven for five years, exactly today. My sweet Daddy has just joined her in heaven, about two weeks ago.  Since Mother passed away in the month of May, we requested that the florist find fresh lilacs to make a special bouquet for her funeral. They were able to do so, and I know it brought a smile to my mother’s face in heaven to know that we had done that for her. I can even imagine that the fragrance of those beloved flowers reached all the way to heaven’s gates.

I love you Mom...and we still miss you every day!  So happy for you that Daddy is there with you to help you celebrate this Mother's Day.  Love and kisses to you both...Your baby daughter, Pam

“Her children rise up and call her blessed, her husband also, and he praises her.” Proverbs 31:28

The Pie Legacy

"Her children rise up and call her blessed..."  Proverbs 31:28

I really hadn't planned to write about my mother today...but somehow I haven't been able to get away from the memories...so I may as well put it into writing...

It all started when my husband suggested that I make some homemade applesauce today, and he proceeded to peel and cut up the apples. Since he was doing the hardest part...I suggested that perhaps I should just make an apple pie instead of applesauce.  We then took a vote of all the family members present...two of our adult sons and us...and as you can imagine, everyone voted for pie!  Therefore I proceeded to take stock of my ingredients to make sure I had everything I needed...and of course I just happened to have everything...so there was no getting out of it today!



My Mom---Always enthusiastically baking
pies for every holiday...even the 4th of July!



So, what does that have to do with my mother?  Well, only that my mother was somewhat famous for her pie baking...not just in our home and family, but even in the small town in which we lived...everyone loved Dorothea's pies!  Town's people often requested that she bake pies for them for their Thanksgiving dinners and paid her for them!  I don't know how she found the time to do it! She worked a full time job and had a pretty busy life with her own home and family and church activities as well...but somehow she found the time and the recipients of her delicious home-made pies were always most grateful! 

Because my mother's pies were always so scrumptious and perfectly baked...right down to the tender, flaky crust, I was always a little timid about baking pies, knowing that mine could never be quite as perfect as my mother's! But that's okay...I prefer to remember hers as always being the best...no matter how much I may practice. Her two most famous pies were  #1: Coconut Cream Pie with Meringue, and #2: Apple.  She also made Mince Meat pies for my Dad and my brothers at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that would not make the top of the list for me!  Her Pumpkin pie was also a great favorite.





This weekend happens to be the 6th anniversary of my mother's passing on to glory...and as I stood at my kitchen counter rolling out the pie dough I couldn't help but think about the fact that I was, in my own way, carrying on her legacy. Not that my pies will ever be as spectacular as hers...but they will be a way that I can honor her memory and continue the tradition of making something extra special for my family to enjoy.

My son quietly came in and took some pictures of me working in the kitchen...and as I looked at them later, I thought, "I really don't look much like my mother, but I felt like her today...and I sensed her presence with me, looking over my shoulder as I worked the pie dough and and as I put the ingredients together to make the pie just the way I know she would've done.  It was an ethereal connection...as if she was standing next to me, just a breath away, and I found that very comforting.

Upon looking forward to Mother's Day next week with mixed emotions as I have for the past six years, I find myself still missing her just as much this year as I did the first Mother's Day without her, (which incidentally was the Sunday following her death).  They say it gets easier with time, and perhaps it does...but what I find now is that I want to celebrate my mother's life rather than be sorrowful.  My mother was a godly woman with many wonderful talents and qualities.  She wasn't perfect...but she was the Proverbs 31 woman in so many ways. I thank God for that heritage most of all. 

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her;

Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.  Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates." 

Proverbs 31:28-31

This Coconut Cream Pie, baked from my mother's recipe, was an afterthought today, when I
realized I had made too much pie crust for one pie!  It was a
delightful afterthought, I might say!

My husband definitely gave the Coconut Cream Pie a Thumbs Up!



Mmmm...Apple pie---fresh out of the oven...almost as
good as Mama's!



Anybody want some pie?  Y'all come!

Baked in loving memory of my mother,

Dorothea Tedlie Mursch

January 6, 1917 ~ May 7, 2006

I love you Mama.

Cracks in My Soul

I skipped the last couple of weeks of  (Random Journal Day) due to having company and not enough time or energy to devote to digging through old journals for something worth sharing with you.  But here it is another weekend, and my friend Susie at Recovering Church Lady encouraged me with her RJD post, (Recovering Church Lady- RJD #6) so I thought I'd better get with the program!  So I just went and pulled out my old teal notebook journal from the 1990's, and landed on October 12, 1991.  Columbus Day! (Actually, that is the first thing I wrote on this date...)

"Columbus Day -- Aunt Nellie's birthday" (my husband's "favorite" aunt,  now RIP) , "practically the middle of October already.  Where has the year gone?  This year was so full of trauma, 'busy-ness', fear, sorrow, joy, tears, laughter, rushing to and fro, wonder, amazement, disbelief, faith--a lot of opposite emotions and activities--many days are just a blur--they all ran together--it seems on one hand like a very long time, and on the other hand, like only yesterday...and now we come to October..."  

(I won't go into all the details of what was going on at the time...but it was a very difficult year and I was feeling the stress and strain of "too much"...and as I went on in my journal to talk about some hopes and dreams for our future, I finally expressed the innermost feelings of my tired, worn out heart and soul)

"I don't ever want to stand in the way of God's will for us and block the path by selfishness and stubbornness.  Nor do I wish to attempt to dictate to God what He should do with regard to our future.

'The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righeousness

for His name's sake.'

Psalm 23:1-3

Perhaps this is what I'm longing for right now, Lord--to lie down in green pastures--beside the still waters--and have my soul restored!  This past year did a lot to cause some cracks in my soul.  Not cracks that endanger my soul's preservation, but cracks in the 'veneer'--the outer surface--

cracks of weariness, stress, burnout, fear..

cracks that could get bigger if left untreated...

'You anoint my head with oil;

My cup overflows.'  (Psalm 23:5B)

Like a table that needs refinishing (or restoring), the cracks in my soul need Your heavenly oil poured on them and in them...

to soften, smooth, and renew my soul...

Cracks come in furniture from being too dry, too exposed to the elements, or too much pressure placed on the surface...

Cracks come into our souls from becoming too dry~ not having our thirst quenched,

From being over-exposed to the elements around us...

Trials, storms of life, fears, worries, sorrows, disappointments, hurts, embarrassments...

And cracks appear from too much weight or pressure on one's heart, shoulders, or mind.

Stressful situations, carrying burdens we weren't intended to bear...and not having a strong enough foundation to support the load...these all cause cracks in our souls...

The oil of God's Holy Spirit flows into those cracks and heals, soothes, comforts, softens, and restores that soul.

Thank you, Lord, for that heavenly 'oil' that only You can pour on our souls.

Help us, Lord, to desire that oil and to apply it before too much damage is done.

Make us a completely restored vessel--suitable and beautiful for service once again."

'Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord--forever.'  (Psalm 23:6)

I think I needed to read this again today...what a blessed reminder from God's Word...and from my past for my present and my future....

How about you?  Does your soul have cracks in it from the pressures of this life?  Maybe you could use some of the "oil of God's Holy Spirit" to "flow into those cracks and heal, soothe, comfort, soften and restore" your soul today...Just ask Him...He's waiting to start the restoration right now.



My Family Isn't Perfect

Did my title get your attention?  Well, don't get your hopes up...I'm not going to "hang out my dirty laundry" for all the world to see...

If you read my previous post about our happy days with our "nuclear family" all together, (see link below)

http://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2012/04/family-time-is-best-time.html   you might get the impression that our family is "just perfect"...enjoying fun times of eating and laughing, playing games and going fishing and not having a care in the world.  After looking at the pictures I had posted on my Facebook Page, one of my friends commented that she envied me this time with our boys all home again.  I understood where her comment stemmed from...but it kind of bothered me.  Why? Well, because it made me stop and realize that there are others out there who are longing for some "quality"  (and "quantity") family time with their loved ones...perhaps there are those who are missing family members due to the war in Afghanistan, or due to estrangement of relationships because of divorce or other kinds of separation.  Others are suffering the recent loss of a mate, a child, or a parent or sibling because of a horrid disease, trauma, or accident.  I know there are some who are sadly watching a child or other family member slowly succumbing to cancer or other illness and they feel frantically helpless and heartbroken as they grieve their impending loss. 

I have been impressed with these thoughts for the past several days...so much so that it almost made me feel guilty for the joyful time we were enjoying together as a family, knowing that others would dearly love to be in my shoes. And yet, I had to remind myself that our precious time together was not something to be taken lightly...we have definitely had our family "issues"...serious illness, separation due to circumstances beyond our control, loss of job(s), personal emotional trauma and disappointments, recent loss of a loved one, financial stresses and strains...and yes, even difficulties in interpersonal relationships within our own family circle.  Our family is not perfect...but I would consider us "normal"...if there is such a thing as a normal family.  In today's society, I am not too sure what could be considered a "normal" family...but I like to think it would be a family who is defined by the fact that they persevere in spite of difficult circumstances...a family who does not give in to the status quo and allow the world's "mores" dictate what they do and who they become. 

There is one reason and only one reason that I can point to that has enabled our family to survive the various trials and tribulations we have endured throughout the past 40+ years of our existence as a family, and that would be the one constant:  our faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ, our Savior.  If it were not for that abiding belief and trust in Our Creator and Sustainer, we could not have survived.  Pure and simple.

Hear my cry, O God;

Attend to my prayer. 

From the end of the earth I will cry to You,

When my heart is overwhelmed; 

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 

For You have been a shelter for me,

A strong tower from the enemy.

I will abide in Your tabernacle forever;

I will trust in the shelter of Your wings."

Psalm 61:1-4

"So I will sing praise to Your name forever,

That I may daily perform my vows." Psalm 61:8

So if you find yourself feeling envious of other families' good times, first of all...don't do it...because most likely that family has "issues" you do not know about...and you might find out that your family isn't so bad after all.  But if you need a strong tower and a shelter from the storms of life, and a way to help your family stand strong...draw close to God.  He will sustain you and give you the strength and hope you need for yourself and your family in good times and bad.  I have nothing else to say.

Lord, I pray tonight for families everywhere who are hurting and reeling from pain, sorrow, and loss. I lift them up to You, O Lord, and pray that You will hear their cries...and attend to their needs...just like You have done for my family for all these years.  In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

Our Family in a more "sane" moment...maybe...you don't know what
it took to get this picture.  The following is an "out-take" of trying to
put this picture together!





ha ha!!