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!
