Memorial Day

Ten years ago, my husband and I had the privilege of flying to France with my Mom and Dad to celebrate the 55th Anniversary of D-Day. We watched as my Dad walked among the gleaming white crosses clutching several roses in his hand.

He searched for the crosses of the men with whom he had served. One by one, he laid a rose beside each cross. I saw the father whom I have rarely seen cry, wipe tears from his eyes.

We who have never known the reality of war can never fully understand the profound affect it has on the lives of those who have. I see it in my father and my husband, who served in Vietnam. The bond that forms between those who faced death together in places far from all they loved and held dear, is one that is never broken. The pain of loss is still there, after all these years.

When I listen to their stories, war takes on a personal face. The young soldiers come alive. They were so much more than the pictures we see. They were living, breathing people with hopes and dreams that died with them. We have much to thank them for.

Have a blessed Memorial Day.

Shout to the Lord

"Shout to the Lord
All the earth let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King

Mountains bow down and the sea will roar




At the sound of Your name.
I sing for joy
At the work of Your hand
Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have in You."

"Shout to the Lord"
Darlene Zschech

Blessings,

He Sees

The streets and sidewalks of this great city were quiet on the morning we took this walk, gasping for breath as we climbed one hill after another.

It was a different scene on the day we arrived, a busy, bustling saturday afternoon. The beautiful weather had drawn everyone outdoors, and it was hard to walk against the press of people all around us.

The air was filled with the harmony of different languages blended together into one lovely melody. The different races and nationalities formed a colorful human rainbow. We took a seat to watch them all walk by - so many of them - and I thought about the Father who knows each one by name.

"How is it possible, Lord?" I thought. So many, and this is just one small corner of your great big world. How can You see us all; know every heart; hear every whispered prayer; love each one with such longing?

It seems impossible, and yet that is just what He does. He sees each one of us as though we were His only child. I was reminded of this when I read just what I needed to hear from Him the other morning. Always, He supplies what I need. I am only one, and yet He gives me His undivided attention every moment of every day.

I have wrestled with this question of suffering and unanswered prayer and trust. It is, I find, a long journey in understanding. Just when you think you have made it to the end of the road, you find it is only a sharp curve that leads you further still. Longing for help and reassurance, I read Elisabeth Elliot's words:

"Instead of seeing His everlasting love, tenderly bending down to our humanness, longing over each one of us with a father's speechless longing, we sometimes think of Him as indifferent, inaccessable or just plain unfair.

The worst pains we experience are not those of the suffering itself but of our stubborn resistance to it, our resolute insistence on our independence. To be "crucified with Christ" means what Oswald Chambers calls "breaking the husk" of that independence. 'Has that break come?' he asks. 'All the rest is pious fraud.' And you and I know, in our heart of hearts, that that sword-thrust...is the straight truth.

If we reject this cross, we will not find it is this world again. Here is the opportunity offered. Be patient. Wait on the Lord for whatever He appoints, wait quietly, wait trustingly. He holds every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year in His hands. Thank Him in advance for what the future holds, for He is already there. 'Lord you have assigned me my portion and my cup' (Ps 16:5). Shall we not gladly say, 'I'll take it , Lord! YES! I'll trust you for everything. Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

There it always is - trust. Not simply trust, however, but trust in One Who loves me with a love beyond measure. He loved me so much He sent His Son to die in my place. Is it not a love worthy of my trust? Yes, and so much more.

Blessings,

"Home Sweet Texas Home"

We are home! Actually, we arrived home late saturday night. I am just trying to get myself "reorganized".

We had a wonderful time. It was our first visit to California, so it was all new and exciting. I kept sending up silent prayers of thanks for the blessing of being able to experience such beauty. The ocean....oh how I love the ocean. It was just magnificent.

I took over 200 pictures. Don't fret....I promise I will absolutely not post all of them. In reality they will be of no real interest to anyone but us - memories I wanted to bottle up and preserve.

Here are a few ... in no particular order (because I couldn't take the time to really sort through them all):

My husband, who thinks those signs that caution one about climbing on the rocks are just for decoration :-)


A nice young man took our picture in front of the "Lone Cypress" along the route to Big Sur.



We spent hours in the Monterey Aquarium. I took pictures until my battery died. It was all so miraculously amazing.


Along the route to Big Sur


I had to get my toes into that ocean. It was numbingly cold!


The view from the balcony of our hotel room. We could hear the waves breaking against the shore during the night - bliss.


Muir Woods and the giant red woods.

The trolley in San Francisco. Riding up and down those hills (especially down) is quite an experience.

The weather was gorgeous, the views spectacular.....it was all I had dreamed it would be, but this Texas girl is glad to be back home. I love this particular little patch of earth. There's no place like home.

Blessings,

Pruning

Although I am officially "not here" - I will have a devotional up here at Laced With Grace on tuesday. (I can't figure out how to have this post publish on that date so I had to put it up now). I would love to have you visit there. Here is a little bit of what I've written:

Earlier this week I did some work in my flower garden. I had a new pair of pruning shears, and I was ready to do some necessary trimming. Every year the Lantana freeze and their long branches die. It is necessary to cut them off so the new branches have room to grow. The Salvia had become long and leggy and didn’t have much new growth. The same was true of the Texas Sage that grows beside the front porch.

And so I went to work. Being a girl with a very vivid imagination (something I never seem to have out-grown) I pictured the plants cringing when they saw me coming with those sharp, new shears. “Oh no. Here she comes again. She’s going to cut away with abandon, and it hurts. Why can’t she just leave us alone? We’re growing perfectly fine without all that unnecessary pain. Look we even have new leaves and are putting out new branches. We’re producing. Leave us alone!!”


Blessings,

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

I have been in "travel mode" this week, making lists and trying to get myself organized for our up-coming vacation. I apologize for not writing, reading or commenting very much. I have decided to just take a little break and concentrate on what needs to be done here.

We leave on Saturday and will return the following Saturday. We haven't flown in several years, so I'm nervously trying to do everything the way the airlines dictate. We have more to organize than most, with all of my husband's things for his diabetes. Once we get through security, I will breathe a sigh of relief.

This is our first trip to California, not counting the day or so my husband was there waiting to be flown to Vietnam. This will be a lot nicer :-) I am most excited about seeing the Pacific Ocean. I have had a love affair with the Atlantic all my life but have never seen the Pacific. I am longing to see the ocean again. There is something about it that settles my spirit - it reminds me of the infinite power of the Father and makes me feel so small in the grand scheme of things. I want to find a quiet spot, watch the waves roll in and gaze out into the limitless horizon.

I have so many things swirling around in my little brain that I want to get down on "paper", but it will have to wait until I get home. I will think of you when I am there, mentally writing posts to share. Isn't it funny the way we bloggers view so many of the things that happen in our lives with an eye to the post we will write?
For me, it finishes the experience. It is another form of journaling.

Blessings to all of you. If you think of us every now and then, we would appreciate your prayers that all will be well with my parents while we are gone. We have a wonderful son and daughter-in-law who will pick up the mantle and check on them. I am so thankful for them.

With love,

Early Mother's Day

On friday we celebrated Mother's Day - just a bit early. My husband and I are leaving for California on saturday and won't be home on May 10th. I failed to realize that fact when planning our vacation.

My daughter suggested we "girls" celebrate a little ahead of time so that we wouldn't miss out altogether. So friday afternoon she drove here and then we drove together to Mom/Grandma's house.

We had a delicious lunch at The Olive Garden - with fabulous desserts (my stomach was so full I could hardly move, but I managed that chocolate tart!). Then we did a little shopping.

It was a lovely day spent with my two best friends. They both inspire me in ways I cannot begin to describe. Their strength, inner beauty, courage, faith, wisdom and selfless love all bring such richness to my life. I am blessed with priceless treasures.



I wish you all a love-filled Mother's Day.

Blessings,