Living in the Dash

 Today is my birthday! It marks the beginning date of my life here on earth, or at least the day I took my first breath of fresh air!  I began nine months prior to that, which would have been Christmas day!  

The story goes that my mother got a new Sunbeam Mixmaster for Christmas that year,

and she was SO happy, well...here I am, nine months later! LOL.  I always wondered why my parents called me their little "sunbeam". LOL.  Just thought I'd start this off with a laugh!  I never knew that story until I was an adult, of course...

Anyway, moving right along...today, __ # of years ago, I took my first breath...and you know the story about how on a tombstone you see two dates?  The birthdate, and then a DASH, and then the date of death.  The DASH represents all these years in between birth and death...in other words, our LIFE...and what we do with it.   We are all living in our "DASH" right now.  There is not enough room on a tombstone to list all the things we did during our "DASH"... but hopefully we are making an impact for good on someone, somewhere, someway, during our DASH years.  The things we do and say and think about and write about are all a part of our DASH.   That is our legacy that we leave behind us.  We can't take any of it with us...no fancy cars, houses, clothes or things...it all stays behind.  The only thing we can take with us are the things we do here that impact the lives of others for good, for Christ's sake.  

Have you ever heard the quote, "Only one life, twill soon be past; Only what's done for Christ will last." ? I had heard it many times in my early adult years, but never knew who said it.  I just looked it up. His name was Charles Studd, and he was a British Missionary, who lived from December 1860 - July 1931.  Being a missionary, I expect there's a lot of life and blessings in his DASH. Yikes, he only lived to be the very same age as me! Oops, I didn't mean to give that away.  

I just found this picture on Pinterest, but we actually used to have this exact same little plaque on our wall for many years. I don't know what happened to it. It may be in the bottom of a box somewhere. It was very old, but it always meant so much to us, I don't know why it disappeared.  It may show up someday.  But anyway...having a birthday tends to make one think about such things as how one is living her "DASH"...

I can only pray that my DASH will have many blessings attached to "what's done for Christ".

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Matthew 6:19-21

Speaking of moths...that cocoon is still just a cocoon...still waiting on the moth to appear...Meanwhile, deep inside the cocoon, there is life...that caterpillar that became a pupa is developing day by day into a beautiful moth, and one day he will emerge from his cocoon and breathe the fresh air and fly away to live his "DASH"...his life here on earth until he is called to his "heavenly home".   I do hope I will get to witness his debut into this world and see his beauty while it lasts...

Today we took a nice ride down to where we used to live in Salt Springs...just to relax and enjoy a country ride. We always stop at the boat ramp on Big Lake Kerr, (because they have a nice public potty), so that I can take some pictures of the lake and whatever other nature we may see.  Here's what I took today:

Yes...butterflies and moths! September seems to be a good month for these beauties to appear, and they are enjoying the nectar/pollen from these wild daisies while they last...

Oh, yes, I did look at the lake too...

looks like the maple leaves have already mostly left the trees...

It was a gorgeous day for being out on the water...

Oh, back to the butterflies...This Gulf Fritillary was hard to capture, but he finally stayed still long enough for a decent picture:

And the little skipper butterflies were busy too...

And then there was this magnificent Swallowtail flitting around...

Such beautiful blessings for my birthday celebration!

Oh about that...we will be having a "big" celebration tomorrow afternoon with family and friends, but today is just kind of a relaxing do what I want kind of day.  I took some pictures on Still Waters Pond this morning...oh wait...first there was this marvelous sunrise in the east:

And yes...the birthday rose from Matthew's memorial garden is still blooming beautifully today! It has lasted all week long, and every day has been such a fragrant blessing from heaven...

Meanwhile...these lovely Great White Egrets were enjoying an early breakfast on the pond...

Such a peaceful setting...

A little blurry, but you get the idea:

Oh, look who else was out there on the pond!  The Sand Hill Crane family!

And then there were these two Egrets again...they look like Siamese Twins! LOL.

All these blessings for my birthday just thrill my soul and make me so thankful for the ways God has blessed me over and over and over again.  

Yesterday morning hubby and I went to town to do a little shopping and we decided to go out to breakfast first.  The place we usually go to was too crowded, so we tried a new place:

Someone had told me they had the best huge cinnamon buns, and so I thought, "why not? It's my birthday afterall..."

Yes, it was HUGE, and VERY SWEET...

(the underside), and we took most of it home for our son Scott to enjoy later... and yes, we did have other real food too...delicious eggs, home fries, bacon, and home made bread toast. It was very good, and we'll probably go back again...

The decor was cute, and I liked the old style diner tables and chairs and booth seats

After breakfast we went to Home Depot and I picked up some mums:

(looking down at them from the deck)

Well, what else is there to say today?  I know I will have a lot more to say tomorrow afternoon after we have our family/friends gathering.  Right now I have put an apple pie in the oven and it has bubbled over and I can smell burned apple pie juice on the bottom of the oven...great...something to clean up later, AFTER we eat the pie of course.  Apple pie is my favorite kind of "birthday cake", which is what my mother always baked for me.  Usually my sister bakes an apple pie for my birthday, but since we are eating at a restaurant tomorrow I don't expect she will be able to do that and besides, I wanted one today!  My gift to myself! LOL (and the rest of the family who are here nearby).

So here it is! Fresh and hot out of the oven just now. Except for the burnt apple pie juice smell in the oven, the pie smells pretty good!!

Thank you for allowing me to reflect on life in the DASH today, my birthday.

You are all a very special part of my life, even though most of us have never met in person...we share our innermost thoughts and dreams and challenges here...and what we say and do here is all a part of

our individual "dashes".

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past;

Only what's done for Christ will last..."

Charles Studd

May your "dash" be filled with joy and blessings overflowing...until we meet again...good night!

"Living Life" and Happy Memories

Last week on our way to my doctor's appointment in Gainesville, which is almost an hour's drive,  we stopped half way for an early lunch at a little cafe', "PJ's", where we've often stopped enroute to and from appointments.  It's a small town cafe', with friendly people and good food. A great place to collect our thoughts and discuss the "what if's" on the way and the "so now what?" thoughts on the way home. I've taken pictures of their interesting signs on the walls before, but never this one. We sat in a different spot than usual and this poster was above our table on the wall.  

(By Bonnie Mohr)

I hope you can read it okay. If not, click on the picture to enlarge. I like what it says.

I thought it to be a  sobering and inspirational message for anyone, anytime. I'm not sure which phrase is my favorite...maybe this one:

"Love your life and what you've been given, it is not accidental~search for your purpose and do it as best you can."  And then the other one, "Recognize the special people you've been blessed to know."

Wow! How many are there? So many I can't count them all...but if I took the time to really think about it, I could probably write a book.  However, to be honest, I'd like to say that YOU are each special people that I've been blessed to know! You each contribute something unique and interesting and inspiring just by being you and sharing yourself with us. Thank you for being you. Perhaps you can share which of the phrases above speaks to you...just a thought.

Meanwhile, this life that is not a race keeps moving forward, one day at a time. Since I last wrote, what have we been doing? Let me think...Oh, on Saturday our church had an indoor "picnic" at our church parsonage. It was meant to be our 4th of July celebration, but really it was just a gathering of people who wanted to be together, sharing food and fellowship and enjoying the day.  We actually call this our monthly "Agape Dinner". 

Agape (Ancient Greek ἀγάπη, agapē) is a Greco-Christian term referring to unconditional love, "the highest form of love, charity" and "the love of God for man and of man for God".

Once a month we gather on a Saturday for a pot luck lunch, with no special agenda except to just be together. We weren't able to do this during last year's pandemic, so now people are more eager than ever to make up for lost time. Our little group that used to be just about 10 or 12 faithful folk has more than doubled  in size, and probably will continue to grow. We may have to move to a larger space, but for now we are happy breaking bread together and giving thanks to God for bringing us through a long difficult year. I am sorry I forgot to take some pictures...I had planned to, but totally forgot because I was busy eating and talking.  Oh well, you get the picture! 

Speaking about love reminds me that I wanted to show you these pictures. My sister posted these on Facebook the other day, after she took a little ride to our hometown and drove by our old family home:

(Just added this photo...my Dad put the mailbox on this old plow many years ago. )

It still looks pretty much the same as when we closed the door on that house to our family memories for the last time, about exactly 10 years ago, after my father had passed away and we finally settled the estate and sold the house to a lovely older neighbor lady who knew my parents and wanted to keep this house for her own family to come to for visits.  We were all happy that it was going to someone who would love it and take care of it the way our parents had done for the 54 years that our family had lived there.  My Dad built the house in 1957 when we moved to Florida from Pennsylvania.  His Dad also helped him with some of the construction.  It became the family gathering place for most of the holiday dinners  and gatherings throughout all those years. Talk about "if these walls could talk"...what a wonderful story they would tell.

The only real difference in the appearance is that green paint on the eaves and gable. It used to be a rustic brown, like the shutters on that window above and the trim around the other windows. I'm not crazy about the green, but it isn't my home anymore, so I have no vote.

I personally have not been back by my old family home except maybe once. It's just too painful for me.

This is the carriage house/garage/workshop that my dad built out behind the house.  Looks like it is becoming a bit overgrown with trees, but it looks like a fresh coat of paint, so I am sure it's fine...

Below was our first Christmas in that house.  No carpet on the bare concrete floors, the brick walls had not been painted yet...there wasn't even a screen on the fireplace, which was our main source of heat at that time.  And that tree! Oh my!  Something cut out of the woods...Florida scrub pine...not exactly picture perfect, but I think you can tell we were still happy and having a great Christmas. Me with my Doctor kit that I wanted more than anything! LOL.

This might have been the next year, because the house looks a little more finished. We are all admiring the turkey as it came out of the oven.  The kitchen cabinets were all built by my dad, who was a master cabinet maker.  The kitchen was state of the art for the time...a built in wall oven: turquoise!  It lasted for many years before it was replaced with an almond colored oven.

That's me holding my baby doll and admiring the turkey. I haven't changed much.

Just added this photo...my sister Doris and I washing the dishes. The "state of the art" kitchen did NOT have a dishwasher except for us, and also the house did not have air conditioning until years later.

Fast forward to about the year 2000...and here is my Dad, "Grandpa Choo-Choo", showing my first (and only) grandson Noah and my son Matthew his toy train collection. Yes, my Dad was really into trains, and his collection was something people came to see from all over...but the grandkids and great grandkids loved it the most, and he loved showing it to them and running the trains and making them do all their special things...Choo-choooooooo, chugga chugga choo choo....

(doesn't Noah look impressed? As impressed as any 4 month old baby could be!)

That same year: four generations, My parents, me, my son Matthew, and his son Noah...now they are all in heaven except for Noah and me. Noah will be 22 years old this October. Wow, time sure flies.

Easter 2005, my parents and my siblings.

Russell, (RIP), me, Clifford, Doris

Dorothea and Bill Mursch

And the majority of their grandchildren and great grandchildren, Easter 2005. There were a few missing from this picture.

(You can see the corner of the Carriage House in the background)

Yes, if those wall could talk...they would hear the love and laughter bouncing off the walls of that house...and most of all the "sweet nothings" that my parents whispered to each other every day and night that they spent together in that home.

I'll just put this picture here again to think about...