I Have Learned to Accept the Seeds

I was sitting on the porch with my grandson Ricky (6) when his older sister brought him a shake.  He was eating sweet and salty popcorn as he sat on the railing.  The healthy concoction held little interest for him.
A neighbor two doors down was listening to an audio book while sitting in her car with the windows rolled down. Perhaps her car held the only CD player by which she could listen.  I could not tell the story line, but if I had been a little closer.  The words faded into the background.
Ricky continued to sip his drink and I continued to write my letter. ( I know. Who writes letters anymore? Well, me for one.)
He interrupted my train of thought with, "I would just like to pour the rest of this into the flower bed." I gave him a puzzled look. "But I have learned to accept the seeds in the bottom of my glass."
We all have 'seeds' in our lives that lay at the bottom of our glasses.  It's like accepting the bad that comes with the enjoyable...such as cleaning brushes after painting, un-decorating the house after Christmas, and simply doing the dishes after dinner - just to name a few.
Tossing our seeds aside will not help us at all, so just plant them.  Make them the worthwhile end to worthwhile events.  This is where life's decisions are made...in the leftovers.
So, what will you do with your seeds?  Enjoy them.  They come at the end of so many of our blessings.  Allow the seeds to be blessings, too.

On My Daughter's Porch

 I am sitting this Saturday afternoon on my daughter's porch in Cleveland, Ohio while everyone else is inside watching Anne of Green Gables.  I've only seen it forty-five times, but I've never seen the neighborhood streets of Cleveland. Mowers  mow the next door lawn as I write.
Jana, my daughter, delivered her fifth child last week right here in this house. Elin Blythe has an older sister and three older, rowdy brothers.  The question is: Will she survive all he loving hands that beg to hold her?  I imagine so.

The houses in the Heights remind me of the ones seen in old movies like "The Good Old Summertime" and "On Moonlight Bay."  Quaint two stories with painted doors, columned porches with swings, and porch steps line the streets.  Outside summer noises vie for attention.  Jana's chimes try to outdo the mower's roar and if you add in four lively children - and a baby, you have quite a symphony.
Tall oaks and maples shade the lawns and murmuring voices are at a low as it is midday and warm.  I can hear laughter inside - probably Anne creating chaos on the screen as usual.
Suddenly we are visited by a neighbor across the way.  Her name is Diane and she is accompanied by Bailey, an attention stealer.  Bailey played fetch with TJ and Ricky while Diane held Elin for the first time.  She proceeded to tell me what a wonderful daughter I have.  (Well, yes, I taught her all I know and in spite of that she still survived and became wonderful.)

Tommy and I make our 'home' in the basement which also serves as the schoolroom.  We are surrounded by books and papers, pens and markers, along with maps, posters, and games that teach. We listen to footsteps on the stairs above us every morning, but we are slow to rise, using that one word excuse - .sabbatical.  I have come to love that word.  It means rest.  No, I did not look it up, I made it up.  Great word.
Our restful days are filled with grandchildren we see far too little, books we can't wait to finish, and Autumn recipe magazines. Mmmm.  Fall is near.
Another meal is currently being delivered as I write.  New babies bring out the cooks at church. We will soon begin evening rituals - dinner, baths, and Olympics. My goal while here is to serve Jana and help her through the transition period of an added child.  While there are many tasks to do, they are no burden at all. When I go, she will manage with the help of her willing children...ok, well at least they are all willing to hold Elin.
Oh wait!  Addie just offered me a pedicure and foot rub!  Well...if you must.  As the callouses disappear from my travel weary feet, I once again thank the Lord for sweet granddaughters.  The boys watch curiously and asked why girls do such things.  Um, you know...we're girls!

(Oh, the questions we could ask them in return: Like why do they put rocks in their pockets and sand in jars?  Why do they smell and run around outside in their underwear wearing superman capes? Why do bugs fascinate them and burps even more?  Okay, I'll stop.)
The end of the day arrives as scheduled and 'night nights' are exchanged along with hugs.  These are precious moments that will become memories for me in the days ahead.
The Lord has blessed me for sure and I am grateful for all the children in my life.  Each one created for His glory, each deserving my love..no matter how they smell or where they live.

Utah 2016 - 2 - Mae Jae

We were able to spend some Utah quality time with our four year old granddaughter, Mae.  Her middle name is Jae-yeon and we call her Mae Jae.  She is lively and happy with ideas of her own born from a vivid imagination.
Tommy turned sixty-six while we were there and YuJueng had blown up a dozen polka dotted balloons for the occasion. They floated around the house for about a week as we would kick them aside instead of just popping them.  Mae decided they needed to go to sleep, so taking a blanket from the other room, she carefully placed all the balloons on my bed (this took a while) and proceeded to somehow push them into place, hiding most of them, but not all.  Then she climbed into bed, too where I found her 'sleeping' with her 'friends.'

Flag says, "What is going on here?"

No, she isn't playing the piano...yet.  But her animals are.

Like her parents, Mae loves books. She will sit and read a mountain of books, telling her version of each one.  Library visits are routinely special - always ending with a bagful of stories and adventures.
We watched the Olympics every evening while we were there and Mae imitated the gymnasts as we ate popcorn. I'm not sure which was more entertaining.
I wish my grandchildren were not so far from each other.  I long for them to build relationships and play together.  More than that, I long for them to be forever united in Christ.
May the Lord direct their footsteps and lead them to the cross.

Bye Grammy!

Utah 2016 - 1

I am in Utah visiting my son and his family.  He is a music professor at the university and school will start soon, so I am grabbing his last days of freedom with glee.  This is our second trip to Salt Lake City and it still amazes me that a city this size with so much to do fits in a valley.  The view in every direction is breathtaking.

Like this view?

Today we visited the public library which stood several stories high and included a coffee shop, a deli, and places to browse and buy, while clear elevators ran up and down in the open spaces and you could watch people as they got off (or on) on their desired floor - just by looking up. The children's books were on the lower level which is where the girls ended up. Alongside the wall were cave-like rooms with reading chairs or benches ranging in height.  When I came to a cave that included tables, I went in and sat and wrote.
Early in the evening, we visited our third park. Salt Lake city is big on parks and being outside with the family including dogs.  I have never seen so many dogs.   I think the parks were built for them and people are just along for the ride.  This playground was phenomenal with swings, water spouts, and contraptions I had not seen before. Suddenly we were drawn to the right by music.  A stage was alive with a group playing Celtic tunes and the crowd sat before them on blankets, in lawn chairs, or around the fountain.  Still to the right of that was a beautiful flower garden that included summer's colors along with autumnal beginnings.

YuJueng on the slide

Tommy and Luke went to watch the minor league Salt Lake City Bees play.

I will be writing again about our escapades in Utah, but at the moment, we are operating on one computer and this girl cannot produce a post without time to think and plan. We leave tomorrow for Ohio where a new grandbaby awaits us.  Our lives are make richer by these times with the ones we love. We are blessed.