Two old friends

I came across this poem the other day. I recall reading it a long time ago and thought then that I had an idea of what it was saying. Hmmm. I think I may have a little bit more understanding of it now. A little bit more anyway. Only a wee bit. Not much.

I walked an hour with Pleasure,
She chattered all the way,
But left me none the wiser,
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she,
But oh the things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.

Aint they sweet

Yesterday they were babies. Today they are in high school. What happened to the time??

Zachary

Introducing Zachary Tucker, my 16 year old grandson. He is in Kenya with his other grandmother, Carol, who is working with a christian missionary group. He will be there for two weeks. Some of the time he will be working with children at a camp. He may get to go on a safari. Zachary is a very sweet, easy going boy who has delighted and amused us his entire life. I pray that this trip with be of great benefit to him. That the Lord will give him a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, that the eyes of his heart will be opened to see the hope of his calling and his inheritance in the saints! Have a wonderful time Zach, and watch out for stampeeding elephants! Come home safely We love you!

I Love You Lord: a song

I love you Lord but with no love of mine,
For I have none to give.
I love you Lord but all the love is thine,
For by your love I live.
I am as nothing and rejoice to be
Emptied and lost and swallowed up in thee.
I am as nothing and rejoice to be,
Emptied and lost and swallowed up in thee.

You Lord alone are all your children need,
And there is none besides.
In you the streams of blessedness proceed,
In you the blessed abide
Fountain of life and all abounding grace,
Our source, our center and our dwelling place.
Fountain of life and all abounding grace,
Our source, our center and our dwelling place.

A poem by Madame Guyon that has been given a tune by some saints. It runs through my heart and mind on a steady basis, like a river.

Beautiful Florida & Family

We returned the 1st of August after 2 weeks on the beach in Jacksonville. Lovely water, lovely sky, lovely family. Walks on the beach, swimming in the ocean and pool. Sun, sun, sun and fun. Thank you Lord!

The Rain is back in a big way

If you read my previous blogs about dryness, you may be interested to know that the rain has replaced it with torrents and flooding. The back yard is green and squishy with wetness. The plague of web worms that have descended upon us cover every thing with their soft, white fineness, and seem to be worm-laughing knowing that they will soon become small white moths that will try anything to get into our house, in order to eat our clothes and everything else. Each morning as I glance out of my kitchen window, there are 15 little grubbies on my screen, leering in at me. I am trying not to panic but it is hard.

I just returned from a 5 day trip, first to a high school reunion in Minneapolis (not telling which one.). It took me all day to get there since I ride stand by and got bumped several times. When I finally arrived, I had 45 minutes to get to the hotel, change, and drive to the country club for the dinner. My friend Mary picked me up and we were only 15 minutes late. It was very fun chatting with all of those OLD girl friends and nostalgically reminiscing about our high school days. Mary and Eric stayed with me in the lobby until past midnight and then I went to bed only to be up at 6 to leave again, this time for Jacksonville. After another day of getting bumped, I landed in Jax at 7:30 and spend 2 days with Sarah and her darlings, and Missy and her darlings. Then I left the 5th day and once again spent that day getting bumped, arriving home at 10:30 PM. Three full days in the airport; two days with the kids. Do you think that being the spouse of a retired airline pilot and getting free rides is easy? Only if you like living in the terminal. I can tell you where every book store, restaurant, pub, t-shirt shop and restroom is in the Houston airport!! Really!

But, it is green outside and I know that the Lord is making his life brighter in me so that he can be seen. With the light comes great temptation to act out of the old me, and I do fall into the trap. But he is able to be seen in spite of my human behavior. Praise you Lord! I will not despair but trust that it is your life that does the living and moving!

A Sushi Fiasco

An ignominious failure: our evening at the Piranha Sushi Restaurant. The name alone should have given us pause. My experiences of sushi, before this night, were of delicious cones full of sweet, sticky rice that we gulped down while living in Hawaii at age 18. My latest memory was of a sweet, little sushi bar in Jacksonville where the waitress welcomed us familiarly and happily brought our soups and tea before taking our order. She was dressed in a shiny blue Asian top and was herself of Asian descent. Missy introduced me to this place exclaiming that it was her and Scott's current favorite eatery. Just being with her added to the fun and deliciousness of the place. Etamame, shrimp tempura, avocado-crab and many other beautifully arranged sushi's were a feast for the taste buds.

But back to the Piranha. It poured rain today during my hair cut appointment. I had been fastidiously faithful to preparing evening meals organically and decided that I deserved a treat and wanted to go out while my hair looked good. So, I asked Ev and we agreed, although he was reluctant, having eaten some bad sushi while in the navy. It was quite chilly in the restaurant and we were seated in a corner under an air vent. The waiter was a white, rather burly-looking young male who brusquely set down some odd little noodle dish and left menus. I, being the expert, chose several sushi rolls to share. We ordered some green tea and settled in to wait for the delicious tidbits. Hmmm. The tea arrived in cracked cups and was cold. When we told the waiter, he replied that they were supposed to look cracked and didn't offer to refresh the pot with hot tea. So far, things were not looking good and I sensed that we were not going to have the fun, exciting evening that I had fancied.The chatting was all on my side of the table while Ev shivered through the long wait until the sushi arrived. On a black, smallish plate sat 5 ominous looking tuna rolls in the middle, several fatter Mexican ones on one side, and then some other ordinary rolls that were supposed to be the succulent tempura I had dreamed of. But that was not all!! There was no shrimp sauce! When I asked the waiter about it he didn't know what I was talking about. Then I knew. The evening was a fiasco. Some experiences can't be duplicated and as we left the restaurant in the pouring rain, I thought that perhaps the next time we dine out we should go somewhere that we both like.

Memories

Bo and Emma on the patio. Cute huh? Rita and I in Charleston. Lots of fun and laffs.

Green is everywhere

It has been a while since I have posted. Much has happened. Too much to write about. Summer is here in Texas and it is green! The flowers have bloomed once and are on the second budding. It is turning a bit greener in my soul also. The mourning is passing and I feel the grace and joy of my Lord bubbling up inside of me.

Sarah is happily enscounced in her new abode in Jacksonville, only 10 minutes from the beach and 40 minutes from Missy. I am blessed that she wanted me to fly with her and the kids. I knew that she didn't wish for me to be the one left behind. Thank you dear. I am happy for you and will be glad when you are joined by Bill. Expect me to show up when you least expect it. (Like the man servant in "A Shot in the Dark."

Lord, your ways are perfect. You are the only one who knows the plan you have for us. A plan for good and not for evil; a purpose and a hope that won't be cut off. I hear this over and over. I believe you.

Pictures to come.........

Movies I recommend heartily

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (one brief unnecessary scene)

Mozart and the Whale

The White Countess

The Whole Wide World

Miss Potter

The Queen

Zelary (adult only)

to be continued.........

Pictures of My Peeps

My Peeps

Recently Ev and I went to Palm Desert to visit with my brother Dave, and his wife Betty. My sister Carla, and her husband Bill flew in from San Francisco. It had been 9 years since the 6 of us had been together and it was a happy reunion. We fell into a routine that was both comfortable and fun! The weather was perfect, the house and area around it was beautiful and we passed the days reminiscing and visiting places like Joshua Tree National Park, where smooth looking rocks were piled high like small foothills. One day we went up the San Jacinto mountain in a swiss tram(with a rotating floor) so we could see all of the views. It was straight up 9,000 feet and a bit scarey I think. On another occasion our leader (Dave,) took us up Sugar Loaf mountain and we had breakfast in a little cafe at the top! In between we took walks, shopped a little, laughed a lot and ate, ate, ate! Almost every night Dave would serve us a drink and we sat around enjoying each others company. Then we settled around the table and ate yummy meals of grilled lamb chops, salmon, and a delish chicken dish that Betty had prepared ahead. We loaded up on Trader Joes goodies and ate lots of granola from Cosco. At 10:00 Dave would get up and go to bed. We, being the followers, would do the same. Our likes and dislikes were all so similar and we were comfortable flowing along together. One of the things I remember about my brother, who is 18 months older than me, is that he is a born leader. We used to call his friends "emmissaries" because they always followed along wherever he went, including me! He was my playmate for the first 7 years of my life and we did everything together. Measles, mumps, chicken pox and the flu. My sister, Carla was the OLDEST sibling and looked up to, like a queen. I was always lucky to get her cast offs since she was the one with the good taste. I admire her more that I can say. Thank God for Betty, Bill and Ev. They were great sports and put up with us patiently. The days we had together sped by and suddenly it was time to leave. Now, almost two weeks later, it seems like it was just a dream. You know?
Incidently, we three couples have been married to each other for a total of 139 years. Wow!

Living Water

Yes I am feeling better and my sodium levels are up. Have you ever heard that one can drink too much water? Maybe here on the earth, but certainly not in the spirit. Living water is a different kind. Jesus Christ is a living person and he desires us to be filled with him to overflowing. I feel as if I am in a holding pattern, like an airplane. I am waiting. I hear him say,"You are not wasting your days for I am not weary and tired. My understanding of you is inscrutable. You are living out my life here on earth and you have my strength, Your physical body may grow weary and tired, stumbling along but I am your strength. Wait! You will experience my strength anew, You will sprout wings and move full of energy and life for my purpose. The purpose for which you have been created, from before the foundation of the earth." So I wait and relish his presence. After all, tomorrow is another day!
Isaiah 40:28
Eph. 1:4
Scarlett O'Hara: Gone With The Wind

On being sick

I have been sick for a couple of weeks with a malady of some kind. It took me to the hospital for a few days due to dehydration and extreme nausea. I am home now and wondering if I am ever going to feel well again. It always feels this way when one is sick. Like, it is the end of this life because it is never going to go away. But, it probably will and I will forget about it. Hmmmm. It is not the best time to be sick, especially since I am not ready for Christmas. But, it looks like Christmas outside! It is in the 20's with snow and sleet. Pretty dramatic since it was in the 70's yesterday and many people were in short sleeves. I snapped a picture out of my patio door just to remember the occasion. It looks bleak. Still, I know that the roots go down deeper in the winter and everything gets a rest. Lord, I rest in you!

Cloud of Witnesses

I have been musing lately about the cloud of witnesses. The ones who have gone before us. The ones who carried the torch on the earth; the life of Jesus Christ in them, outside of the establishment. I am reading a book about a saint named Bakht Singh. I feel a great kinship with him. I know that he is a brother, one of the witnesses. I have a sense of being surrounded by him and the others that make up the cloud, these saints who are kin. They keep me pressing on, moving toward the goal of the high, deep calling of our Lord Jesus. They remind me that my trials and pain are not unique. They are part and parcel of Him inside of us. They are part of his suffering in us, for he is the living one in us. (I once saw someone in a movie move out of his body, and stand apart to look at himself. I was fascinated. The new him was transparent. He left the old him behind.) When I step out of my falleness, I see him as the only one alive. All else is gone. Jesus! I am so happy to be a part of the great cloud. The one that Jesus has come in. More to come as I muse on.......

It's raining!

What? Thunder and lightening? Water coming out of the sky? Yes! It is actually raining. Pour out the water Creator, and rain on my soul, quenching my spirit and overflowing on some other thirsty person.
Rain: isn't is amazing how quickly everything turns green and stands up straighter? The flowers that seemed colorless are becoming vibrant and the sidewalk smells of childhood days. Thank you Lord!

Watering

My main occupation these days is watering. I am the sprinkler system. We have had no rain and the land is panting from dryness and heat. I get up early to turn on the water and stay up late to continue since we are on a 6 to 10:00 time limit. Still the grass looks thirsty and the flowers and plants are pale and eager for the rain.
I usually fly to Seattle or some cool place in the summer to escape the heat, but this year I feel that I must stay and keep the land alive. I am thinking of the seasons and how dry we feel as believers sometimes. Yet I know that the Lord will have his desire and we will once again drink in fresh, flowing water. Meanwhile we wait and keep the ground alive for his sake.

I Am Not I

I Am Not I

I am not I.
I am this one
Living inside me whom I do not see,
Who at times I manage to visit,
And whom at other times I forget;
The one who remains silent when I rail,
The one who forgives, sweet, when I hate,
The one who walks in another realm
Where I am not,
The one who remains alive, for I am dead!

(For it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life that I now live in the flesh,
I live by the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Who loves me and delivered himself up for me!)
Me are a We! A living breathing body.
The body of Christ, living in two realms!