Random Musings... From My Mind To Yours

Please bear with me, I have a few assorted topics to discuss, question and marvel over. First: these Hydrangeas. Aren't they pretty? We haven't had nary a bloom on these bushes for at least five years. We were beginning to think that they needed to be pulled out and planted somewhere else. We have not done one. thing. extra. to encourage or promote blooming. All of a sudden, last month, I noticed a profusion of buds forming! Hallelujah! Does anyone know why this may be? Knowing that the blossoms come on old wood we haven't cut them back; but then, we hadn't cut them back in at least five years. It's all mysterious and wonderful as far as we are concerned, but if anyone might know the reason, please share!

Our son has been sick: stomach distress, back pain and abdominal discomfort. This past Saturday he surprised everyone (he never gets sick and if he does, he never complains; so, the fact that he went to this extreme, both warned and worried us) and went to the Emergency Department, he feared he had appendicitis. A scan revealed a kidney stone. The stone was small so he was sent home with pain medications and other drugs; the waiting game began. He did not improve. Days dragged, he was miserable and suffering. He went back to the Dr. yesterday and was sent to the hospital for emergency surgery to remove the stone where a blockage had occurred. All went well and he was home last evening again with his family. He is "battle worn" from the ordeal but feeling much, much better and returned to work bright and early this morning. I woke up feeling like a weight had been lifted off of my mind and heart. As mothers they never get too old, do they? We worry the same way that we did when they were three and running a fever through the night or when they broke a bone; the same, exact, way as when they have ever suffered distress! They might be too big to scoop up in our laps and rock them to sleep in our arms anymore, but our hearts and minds revert to that behavior as we rejoice in their recovery; thanks be to God!

How often do you go bra shopping? If you're at all like me it is one of the most agonizing of all shopping excursions (second only to selecting a swimsuit). Whenever I find a style that fits well, and is comfortable, I buy as many as I can find in my size; because, don't you know, the next time you go shopping for one again that style is always discontinued! ALWAYS! Okay, yesterday was the day. I had put it off for as long as I possibly could. Yes, it was agonizingly painful an experience as I thought it would be; but, this time there was a new reality: the image of an old lady's body reflected back at me from the fitting room's mirror. Where did she come from? I found a few styles that met my basic criteria and skee-daddled out of there as fast as I could; far, far away from that old lady's scrutinizing eyes. I should be good for awhile; I bought four, (buy one get a second at 50% off!) maybe that old lady will be gone whenever I return-- a long time from now! Am I alone in this experience? Do any of you encounter "visitors" in those fitting room mirrors? 

These are last year's Easter lilies carried home from Easter Sunday service and plated in the ground. I really forgot about them until they emerged this spring and have, quite simply, burst forth! They have been holding onto these buds for weeks on end. We have had nothing but rain for the longest time but this week the sun has broken through once again and one bud has finally begun to loosen its tight grip. Will these burst forth in bloom today or tomorrow? What a glorious surprise these have been to witness their progress! I planted this year's lilies just behind these plants; next year we should have double the glory! What surprises are you experiencing in your life right now? Who knows, yours might be as close as a glance out the window; whatever it is, I hope that you are wrapped in the wonder of God's gift of glory all around you. Today I give thanks for all that He has so abundantly provided, revealed in blessings of every shape and form. 

Life is Good!

A Grace-filled Life

I live a blessed life, filled to overflowing with moments of pure grace. By Christian definition grace is the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings. My constant prayer is that I remain open to these blessings and aware of the true gifts that they are; and, more importantly, from where they come... always returning thanks back to God. 

A few years back I kept a gratitude journal after reading Sarah Ben Breathnach's book: Simple Abundance. The book was a gift from my daughter and I found it to be transformative. Since then I have developed a heightened awareness of blessings and grace moments, although I have long-ago given up the practice of actually keeping the journal; every now and then I think I should go back to that habit of actually writing them down, it's a humbling experience.

On Saturday we traveled to the Capital City to watch Mason play soccer. Our oldest grandchild has developed quite a competitive spirit and is a great team player; to be there and witness his God-given athletic abilities and his cooperative nature was such a treat. I realized suddenly, standing right there on the sidelines in the warm late morning heat, how very much I had to be thankful for: our close proximity to all of our grandchildren, their good health, our own good health and for the loving family unit that binds us together... blessings bestowed. Grace comes: not always in big and monumental ways, it comes in the everyday moments. Over the last few days it has come on the sidelines of that soccer field, it came around the dinner table over a simple sandwiches shared with loved ones, it came at a quilt guild meeting in unexpected surprises received from thoughtful friends, and just today in a loving note from a kind and generous friend who is going through a grief period of her own. These grace moments are so sweet, so tender, and so pure that they touch my heart and reduce me to tears. How can I possibly be worthy? How can I ever be grateful enough for all of these blessings and this life filled with God's grace? I am assured that God is there, in the midst of each sacred instant, and that God is also working within me; to be there, to bear His grace, and to pass it along. I'll do my best. How has grace touched your life today? Look around, you'll see! It's what we do next that really counts...

Mason (front row, left) and the Defeaters

Life is Good!

What's All The Buzz About?

Today is "back pocket" kind of day here; one you'd like to tuck away to retrieve whenever you need a perfect day with a cloudless blue sky, spring bursting forth and gentle sunshine to warm your body and soul. I walked out to the mailbox and could hear a loud drone coming from deep down in the woods, or so I thought; I walked back down the driveway and realized that now the sound was coming from behind me... that's when I looked UP. Right there, buzzing high over my head, were thousands of bees buzzing about the flowers in the Bradford Pear trees that line the edge of our driveway. These trees, while lovely in leaf, have never bloomed well in the past due to being sheltered, and shaded, by taller tree cover from the woods behind them. That all changed last June when we lost a good number of those tall trees to a fast moving and destuctive storm. These Pears remained, untouched, and treated to much more light and sunshine than ever before; hence, their newly acquired blooming status and thousands of buzzing visitors; have a listen here. For all the sadness that I have carried in my heart over losing those big trees I never imagined this surprise that arrived with the change of seasons; God's unexpected gift of glorious flowering trees, and a choir of buzzing bees to announce their presence!

The Forsythia are blooming too, but in a much quieter fashion.
Wishing you a "back pocket" kind of day, wherever you may be.
Life is Good!

Grace, The Gift

We have a Kousa Dogwood planted near the end of our driveway, we've had it for years. The most distinctive characteristic of this tree is the fact that it blooms after the leaves are on the branches, unlike the native variety. We thought that was it's most distinctive trait... until a few weeks ago. Surprisingly, these fruit-like seed pods began developing, becoming rounder and redder each day, now beautifully adorning the entire tree! They simply appeared... certainly not expected or worked for, and astonishingly beautiful. Isn't this exactly how God's grace comes to His faithful; unsolicited, arriving freely, and surprisingly more impressive than we could ever imagine? I am grateful for this wondrous reminder.

"For by grace you have been saved by faith, and this is not your own doing;it is the gift of God-- not the result of works, so that no one may boast."-Ephesians 2:8-9

Life is Good!