I Lie In Wait

Today I worked in the backyard...and it was work.  There was a breeze and I had prepared myself to spend a few hours just trying to bring some sort of order to the flower beds.  I ended up pulling more than I kept.  Such is the end of summer in south Texas.  Burned up flowers and dried vegetables lay claim to the dirt, right along with the weeds that are as green and healthy as ever.  Go figure.
So much needed to be done.  An enormous task to be sure.
I wish I had taken pictures of the ghastly mess before I started, but surely you have seen a jungle before.  I just knew any moment I would encounter a large snake.  Something else caught my eye and I spent the rest of my time outside trying to get a decent picture.  Hummingbirds!
I sat still f o r e v e r it seemed.  So I am sharing some of my photos with you.  Enjoy!

He is on the left.

There was a prism on the clear gem, but I couldn't capture its iridescence.

Cops in the Parking Lot

Last Saturday I took my mom to WalMart.  We had been at my great nephew's second birthday party and stopped on the way home.  Saturday at WalMart is not something I usually do.  If you have been there, then you know why.  It is crazy...and especially crazy the Saturday before school starts.

My mom is blind and she walked beside me, hanging on to the cart.  People were closing in and we both recognized that this was not our brightest idea.  As we were leaving with our purchases, we noticed about seven police cars blocking the row where we had parked.  It looked as if they were surrounding my car actually and all I could think was that my car had been hit.

Well, I dismissed that immediately.  Why would seven cars be there?  (How thoughtful of them to care.)  The nearer we came, the more I could see and hear them.  One was talking about multiple arrest warrants and they were all out of their cars, behind the open doors, as if they needed protection. (Here I am with my mom and no way to escape this scenario.)

I walked up and simply stated, "This is my car."

One of them smiled and said, "We have all the people we want, so we will move and let you out."

This guy had a sense of humor.  I am not sure what was going on and I guess we missed out on the arrests. 

I thanked him and we went our separate ways and I just thought I would share this insignificant moment in my weekend.  Thanks for reading. Smile.

To Be or Not To Be....A Doormat

Most doormats say "Welcome" if they say anything at all.  Actually mine say nothing...so let me say it.  Welcome....because I want you to always feel welcomed at my house.  Hmm.  Do I really mean that?  Always?  For anyone?
This is how my grandmother's dictionary from 1951 says it - welcome: 1.word of kindly greeting. 2. a kind reception: you will always have a welcome here. Yes, it says exactly that...and if this dictionary was good enough for Grandma, well then....  

Sometimes I 'reserve the right to refuse service'...as the saying goes.  And so I justify to myself why I can't do such and such or why I am too busy with my schedule to be distracted with the needs of others.  That sounds harsh, but that is exactly what I do at times. (And you do, too, by the way.)  I want to decide when I am willing to be inconvenienced....when it is convenient for me.  Shame on me. Shame on you.

What does God's dictionary say to us?
2 Corinthians 13:12   Greet one another with a holy kiss. It says this at least 5 times. Kiss, kiss.
Philippians 4:21  Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you. 
Matthew 5:47  And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Exactly.  Don't just do what is easy.
Matthew 10:12  As you enter the house, greet it. 
Romans 14:1  As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. 
Romans 15:7  Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 
Hebrews 11:31  By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. 

Love is willing to be a doormat.  It chooses to be one, in fact.  No rights to be trampled on. No claim to 'time for self.'  Maybe that is what should be written on my mat.  Just "Love."  And maybe then I will be inclined and reminded to live it out inside the house.

Matthew 25:43-46   I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." 

Romans 16:22  I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord. 
I June, who wrote this post, greet you in the Lord here and at my front door, with love.

Fall Came Early!

Fall came to see me.  I opened my closet and it fell into my house, filling it with orange and gold and love. My favorite time of the year.  You may think I am pushing it, but believe me, I am not.  Every year I rejoice at its arrival and grieve its passing.  So, let the rejoicing begin.
Drink this cup of delight with me and take the opportunities you have to watch a tree change its clothes and notice the restaurants and coffee shops adding some pumpkin to their menus.
It is a fever and I hope you can catch it from me.  It will make you dizzy with glee as you bake, create wonderful soups, and observe nature taking its course...though slight and slow in Texas.  The nice thing about inviting it inside is that you can make it yours.
My house is cooler for it. Come see for yourself!

Welcome Autumn!

Metal Monsters

 They are wind turbines...and they are in the states north of us....and they are ugly.
Eyes sore: mess, ugliness, blemish, blight, blot on the landscape (yes, that sums it up!!), monstrosity, ugly thing.
Is this really progress?  Is this what the future looks like?  They are said to be efficient in energy, saving us huge amounts of money, and not that dependent on the wind.  Metal. Clinical. Giants. The world is on a fast track to a streamlined, sterile, cold, hybrid existence.  I can just sit back and watch it happen because it is going to happen.
There are some things I am thankful to be able to remember...clotheslines, cloth diapers, rolled up newspapers lying in the yards and thrown by a boy on a bike, draw bridges, REAL light bulbs, and yes, wooden windmills.
Technology makes my life easier in hundreds of ways, it is true.  I cannot deny that I enjoy those pleasures.  I am just not eager to rush into being a sci-fi planet where metal monsters appear on the horizon, laying to waste a piece of the past.  Look in the background of the pictures below.  They are everywhere! (Sad face.)

Being Apart Together

We are on the road, headed for a campground outside Nashville.  We will meet some friends there.  We are tired, but not weary.  I loved seeing my children and their families.  I miss them already.  Why can't there be a state called 'Texowa' or 'Illinexas?' Maybe our states could be connected then and all the states between would somehow just....move over. Actually, we ARE connected by a bond that cannot be broken.  We are close in a way that cannot be measured in distance.
My children and I are under the eye of the all seeing, all knowing God of the universe. Our hearts are knit together by a never ending love.  This is the God we serve.  He loves my children and grandchildren more than I ever could.  I can trust them to His care as sheep loved by the Great Shepherd.  We are bonded forever as part of His flock.
No one is guaranteed another minute of life but, Lord willing, I will be able to see those sweet faces before too much time passes.

Chicago 2013

Jana and Matt live in a brownstone apartment building set aside for those attending Moody Bible Institute and those in Christian ministry.  There is a home for new moms next door and a church across the street with a vacant lot used for baseball, volleyball, and hanging out in the evenings.  All of this paints a picture similar to Sesame Street...with a little danger built in.
Chicago is full of free wheeling, law breaking citizens...as the police are nowhere in sight.  Jana says they are not on the freeways because they are too busy with the neighborhood gangs.  Comforting?  Not really.  So all that to say that when we squeezed into a parking place on the street - as close to Jana's apartment as possible - I said, "We are not going anywhere in our car.  We will walk."  Wow.  Shoot me.  Did I really say that?  Because I take it back...lots.

We walked,

and walked,

and walked.

We decided to go to Margie's Candies for lunch and ice cream. The kids rode in double strollers, except for Levi, who 'scootered' all the way.   I kept thinking, "Now, remind me again, why did we not drive?  Hmm. Let's see..four adults, four kids, a scooter and two double strollers in the Rav 4?"

Matt and Jana

Nope.  This was a jolly stroll and each step brought us closer to sustenance.  Ten blocks later, we arrived at our destination.  It was worth the wait.  Probably the best hot fudge sundae ever.  Margie's was establishes in 1929 and they boast of not having ever served french fries.  Well, okay.  (Maybe the grease would interfere with the ice cream.)

Addie and Levi

Ricky

T.J.

We mosied our way back home.  A hodge podge of eclectic sights begged my camera for attention.  I had to oblige.  Beautiful flowers in the middle of forgotten back lots.

 

Last night we ate outside as Matt grilled.  Friends from the building ate with us and a feast was enjoyed by all.  We went inside for Jen's blueberry cobbler.

Driving by a fire station today, we saw the filming of Chicago Hope.  I am not familiar with the show at all, but the cameras and crew were causing a stir in the neighborhood.  Chicago inner city seems alive at all hours of the day.  People of all nationalities meld together and roam the streets, especially on bicycles, which have their own lanes.
Jana and I will walk down the block to a thrift store later in the afternoon. We do not venture out at night.  There is some gang activity in this area....but daylight brings with it new adventures on Sesame Street.

Rejoice in the Lord Always...

YuJueng, Shannon, and I went to the tiny mall in Sioux Center, just fifteen minutes away.  Christianity is very prevalent up here.  Music in the gas stations and department stores declare the goodness of God and scriptures are found in various places.  It is not the norm for sure in a world that tries to dethrone Jesus Christ and replace Him with self.  I am not saying that sinners do not abound in this part of the country, for all men's hearts are desperately wicked.  It's just that here His word is proclaimed boldly and His praises sung openly, and that is not the norm elsewhere.
In the Christian bookstore I found a praise CD and as I was checking out, I spied these cute little 99 cent magnets with scriptures on them..."Rejoice in the Lord always." Philippians 4:4.
I had forgotten my glasses that day and had to wear some reading glasses that were for sale in the stores we had gone in and then put them back when I was done looking and shopping.
We stopped for a soft drink and some cheese balls made at the Dutch restaurant.
Before we left, I walked back over to buy a few more magnets.  Grabbing two, I paid for them and we hurried to leave as the guys were babysitting for us.  In the car, I handed YuJueng a magnet and said "This is for you."  She answered, "Oh, thank you.  What does it say?"  I looked at her funny and Shannon burst out laughing.  It was in Spanish.  Spanish.
Then they began to fight over them.  I refused to give them the Spanish magnets as a reminder that their mother-in-law frequently loses her glasses.  So I say to you in closing...
"ALEGRENSE SIEMPRE EN EL SENOR." Fil. 4:4

The Tree

Luke has a tall pine in his front yard.  It is in the shape of a Christmas Tree.  You cannot really tell how big it is from a photo, so I put Emma under it for perspective.  She has been my shadow and my pest.  I love her.  When Luke first moved into this house, he wanted the tree gone.  I am so glad it has stayed.  It is my landmark for finding his house each time we visit.

A maple gives shade to the backyard and the leaves are amazing in the Fall....which is just within my reach, by the way.  These green beauties will shine golden in a couple of months.  (And I will not be here to see it firsthand.  Boo Hoo.)

Actually I will be in New York, hopefully, to see and hear my son Luke's music played in Carnegie Hall.  He and a group of musicians have put together a traveling ensemble to perform the music of new composers.  They have raised enough money to perform in the Hall.  I am so looking forward to this, and while that is the goal of the trip, I am sure New York will have a golden leaf or two for me to see.  Smile.

Butterflies?

I have tried and tried to catch one...armed with a big jar and a 3 inch net.  So, what is the problem? Hmm.
There are white butterflies that love the flowers on the seeded radish plants.  Their flight is jagged and erratic and I look like a crazy sixty year old women with my jar and my tiny net, turning in circles - all in vain because they elude me every time.  A pitiful picture I am sure.
Perhaps it is the music I hear in the other room right now...but I am feeling such praise for the Lord. His goodness is all around me.  It is around you, too.  Stop and read.

This is my Father's world
The birds their carols raise
The morning light, the lily white
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is my Father's world,
He shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,
He speaks to me everywhere.

As I look out Luke's back window I see my daughter-in-law picking veggies from the garden.  I see Tommy reading. Always reading.  And I see the fenceless backyard that says welcome...to people and butterflies alike.