It’s hard to know, 

Which way to go.

But if we must

Let us trust. 

Trust in GOD is a must

When life seems good or a bust.

Skip the mush, the flush, the blush,  and the rush. Let life be the lush, deep good life in trust…

Trust is a must.

Trust in the Lord becomes mysterious love gush.

Lush gush of love’s trust…

It’s just us, and trust.. 

Amen 

What kind of life would we lead?

If we forget to breathe.

What kind of life would be in play?

If we forget to start out our day.

What would we know?

If we forget to go.

.

God we often praise in pleas,

When we are on our knees. 

Life will fail to add up,

If we don’t refill the cup.

Love will prevail, 

And we remember it will never fail. 

.

Amen 

Sure, cue Cher singing this song: “If I could TURN back time…” 

Well I sorta did TURN back a little time, I’ve traveled north to see family and they still have the last of the daffodils blooming alongside their tulips, like 3 weeks behind in weather, and the redbuds and forget-me-nots are beautiful. And the pollen would be high except it’s raining, yay, and it’s still too cold at night to put gardens in.  I think the temperature will jump this weekend, and yet my feet on the register yesterday and today feels good, good heat, good memories up here at home.

But honestly I wouldn’t really turn back time, because living in the present is a present. God reminds us, as He did Queen Esther, we are made for a time like this. Begging for the old days misses the point that God’s got us moving quickly. But yet, oh if sometimes, if I could turn back time, it would be here…

And looking at these family farmhouse finds, now I’m singing: “If I could CHURN back time…” as in a butter churn… Found one of those today cleaning up my family farmhouse. A short one, probably great grandparents, as my grandma’s was wood and taller… Churning cream into butter, HARD WORK!

And to churn up, or churn back,  time means we are working up being reminiscent of good times, maybe forgetting hard times, and trust me there were hard times for our ancestors. These memory-filled items in the farmhouse are from 1920s to 1980’s, which we are sorting, including today found my grandmother’s trunk that contains her wedding things and other clothes. She even had a corset, now tell me those times we’re tough working in a corset!!!

Photos of my family are fun, and letters from family remind us of tough times, but especially of the love that they shared. I found a few spiritual items too, made me happy to know that they had faith. 

I think we are to be present in the present. And let’s keep turning and churning now… remember hard work will get others reminiscing later…

Keep trusting God’s plan for the present and the future. 

Amen 

The Sandwich generation – we are the people who are in the middle of growing kids and aging parents – some of us are further towards onr side, or becoming an open face sandwich than others – but speaking in all these analogies, I hope you understand what I mean. And we can use the sandwich generation terminology for more than just family. 

But in the classic use of the phrase, I hope you understand what I mean. These are people who are sometimes responsible – and often/should enjoy the blessings – of having both sides of their lives – pulls on their time – in 2 worlds… the kids and the parents… and often there comes heartaches and stretched time schedules for all folks.

Now, let’s conceptualize us in between the layers (where I am, blessedly) – not playing both sides, but in engaged in both sides… both sides with freshness and savoring inserts to my sandwich. 

On the kids side – well there are fresh new adventures, spicy and dicey conversations and continuous needs – so fresh lettuce, tomato slices, some onions just half that side because differing kids have different lifestyles and preferences. Fresh, novel, and even if not always appreciated, maybe that freshness will be, someday… 

On the parents side, (for me it’s just my mom now, plus aunts and uncles, all over 80), I’m savoring these years, their golden ones, so I’m adding to my sandwich some appreciated aged cheeses, smoked bacon, maybe a pickle or two, savored preserved, appreciation… always add appreciation…

As for me? The meat in the middle? Sometimes I’m the rarest of roast beef. Well, what about beef on wick, being a local favorite back home. Or some exciting falafel even tofu. Maybe just extra veggies. Turkey seems so bland but sometimes we do feel that way. Ham is a standby! Personally, I like to travel. So what about some Lebanon baloney, or Trenton pork roll.  Maybe you just need some schnitzel, and a passport…

Now let’s not forget the condiments. Sometimes I need that garlic garlic aeoli, to give it some flavor and moisture. Ugly yellow mustard is my favorite, but sometimes you need some dijon, special touch. And don’t snub your nose at ketchup, but maybe heinz 57 sauce or maybe barbecue… mayo yes, relish? Well, relish that you are in the position and that you have the blessings.

Obviously the most important infusion into all of this is LOVE. FOR WE ARE FAMILY MADE FROM LOVE MADE TO LOVE.

God gives us an opportunity to be the love in the middle on both sides, and from dust we came to toast as dust we shall be, let us love love love love in every space we’re in… 

Sometimes love until it hurts. But always LOVE to keep the flow flowing…

Amen 

Cleaning is not my calling. 

And Sorting stuff goes out of style.

Although I love gardening, it’s not my guru. 

My baking bubble burst.

Sewing just sits.

Rearranging furniture rules, but is so rare.

How to unhinder my hangup is hard.

Tote bag take over,

And boxes bursting, 

Giveaways galore, 

Please distract me from what might come in my door.

Prayers against my pack-rat nature, I will try to ply.

But if cleaning is not my calling, what is?

Carrying out and on God’s Plan and place for me. It changes season to season you see. Seriously, I say scripture does save me.

Writing wrangles my worry away.

Teaching is a tasty treat. 

So books of biblical beauty I now buy.

To give away to inspire, yes I will try.

And most of all, I remind myself, ask Him to rekindle my fire. Remembering that God has bought me for hire.

Find your calling to be true. Actually God is calling you. Find out TOGETHER what He wants you to do.

Amen 

 A poem!

Don’t worry I DIDN’T do the worst thing that I could do, 

Because the WORST thing that I could do was NOT PRAISE the LORD through and through.

.

This week I ALMOST touched poison ivy, DID pull out bad plant nightshade on purpose, and then stepped on a rusty nail oops – well yay tetanus shot – well with bonus CVS coupons, hooray!

But the WORST thing I could have done, this that and today, was not remembered to pause and PRAY.

.

I now feel better than OK,

Because I paused to pray.

.

Life gets scary.

Situations get hairy.

But better than any pretend magic fairy,

Is the Lord, the Lord is Who of us will CARRY. 

.

So give Him your tears

Be honest with your fears,

Yet let’s save Him any sneers,

Because He still loves us, over our jeers.

.

LOVE YOU LORD. Whew…

The worst thing I could do,

Was not trust YOU.

Thank You Lord for being TRUE. 

AMEN

Calm the fear,

Know God is near.

Hold Him in cloudy days and clear.

He holds us close and dear.

We must know that His Love is SINCERE.

If you have a prayer against catching poison ivy, I would appreciate now if you would pray it. I mean, you can’t blame me for being excited about my new little clippers from harbor freight, they are just the right size and sharp and new… so when it finally got a little shady, I went to the the side of the house and started on the hydrangeas, which unfortunately took a hit in the cold snap. Well, there is still some green and for sure I never trimmed the old branches from last year – so clip clip clip I went – felt good to deal with it but it was also a situation of thinking about the pruning of dead branches in life that God will do – like Jesus explained in John 15. And this made me sad (not just for the hydrangea but for me) – I felt sad that maybe there were things pruned in my life that I didn’t expect or they didn’t work out – or a cold snap got them – well – enough of my whining I thought and just sat down to rest in the shade when all of a sudden a pair of birds flew in and one sat right inside the region that I had just pruned – see, the pruned hydrangea now had MORE ROOM for a safe place for the bird – as well as lots of great sticks on the ground that it could use if it wanted for nesting….  Pruning accepted Lord – I saw that there was purpose beyond the “what’s in it for me” mentality. and God does take care of those birds, doesn’t He?!!!  (I watched a bird documentary at the same time as I was pruning – go figure! – CBS link below)

WELL, PRUNING DOES make it better for a plant to not deal with dead branches and focus on strengthening the ones that still thrive. And thus pruned areas can be more fruitful. And doesn’t fruit look better than dead spaces or dead branches… I guess that is for us too – we can hold better fruit from God on our stronger branches if we accept that He will prune away some bad stuff – and maybe some good stuff too it seems – but we have to remember that all is naught compared to Him. God will use the good and the bad for His cause. And sometimes Pruning surprises us!

I continued on my pruning tasks on the other side of the house – this time for the annual cutting of a wayward nuisance junk tree that keeps coming up year after year – right in the middle of a beautiful azalea – that has a big trunk that sprouts anew each year and clutters my life – and that is the moral of the story of removing stuff underneath – removing the root of the problems…

Went over to the over grown flowering quice = which encombers my dainty rose bush and I went to clip clip clip = filled a trash can. AND THEN – UGH – I SAW THE POISON IVY!!! UGH – stopped in my tracks – my heart sank and my feet retreated – I don’t think I touched it buy you never know…  Well, that pruned my activity and in I went to shower and retool… That shiny leaf is so distinctive – what a symbol to STOP. If I had not pruned the plant I would not have seen it until much later in the season when it was much more well established! The pruning of this overzealous quince – even if strong – allowed me to see the danger lurking underneath.

In life – we have to remember that all things, good and bad, pale in comparison to Jesus – to being with our Lord in the moment – and forever. One song that speaks to me – on the wall – is “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” – all things will fade compared to the LIGHT of His Glory and Grace. And this song is one that I saw when I started praying for guidance – for one thing – but well it holds true for all. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – and let HIM add the fruit to YOUR branch.

AMEN AMEN AMEN

—

John 15:1-17 NKJV The True Vine
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Birding in Columbia from 60 minutes 

Job 22:21-30 NIV

“Submit to God and be at peace with him;
    in this way prosperity will come to you.
Accept instruction from his mouth
    and lay up his words in your heart.
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored:
    If you remove wickedness far from your tent
and assign your nuggets to the dust,
    your gold of Ophir to the rocks in the ravines,
then the Almighty will be your gold,
    the choicest silver for you.
Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty
    and will lift up your face to God.
You will pray to him, and he will hear you,
    and you will fulfill your vows.
What you decide on will be done,
    and light will shine on your ways.
When people are brought low and you say, ‘Lift them up!’
    then he will save the downcast.
He will deliver even one who is not innocent,
    who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Well, it started with ambition to rearrange the living room couches,  with the intention that rearranging leads to cleaning. That’s the only way I seem to be able to clean is to entice rearranging. This gets other people involved aka my kids.

Then it turned into a different project to rearrange the kitchen, and my muscles kid really helped, and we pushed the big repurposed china curio cabinet towards the wall, freeing up space for rehanging old artwork and new. Rearranging which of course led to other types of cleaning, but most importantly removing the bothers – those bothers are things that just drive you nuts, cause you haven’t dealt with them, like removing the relevant irrelevant junk. Removing the bothers including the rearranging of the room, became repairing, reprimimg, repainting, and even repotting plants. Really. 

I’m regrouping for resting, before I get back to the reworking.

I also did some restorative soul socializing, with a friend neighbor, repacking the recycling bin with recyclables. Rerouted my travels around road repaving, Reheated leftovers.

I’m not regretting anything about my rerouting of routine. 

Sometimes we get stuck in a routine, and we should think about rearranging life. On a small-scale, it’s kind of like someone who has gained or regained sobriety then will REDIRECT their car not to pass in front of the local bars, like they used to do. REROUTE AND REJOICE. 

If we rearrange and reroute ourselves, redo the bothers, without regret, regardless of activity type, we can have restorative life routines. 

Really!

Rework reshuffles the ruts, reworks the roughness, and rethinks our reality. Now, if you add into that resizing, rescinding and restoring, we have a remix of life.

And here’s a blessing: God will help us restore our attitude to rethink and reshine our thankfulness in PRAISE. 

Amen

Really!!!

I just rolled in – home (south) from a week at home (north) with my mom and family – and trust me that as an opportunist, spending this time with my family, when I can, is so worth it! I had brought my mom flowers as an early mother’s day present.

I am glad that I wrote this while on the road – taking a break – before home life invaded and my week memories fade… and yet, as my memories are strong from my childhood, I think memories are made from LOVE.

I think my Grandma would be proud of me, I just got a free cup of hot water from Dunkin’ Donuts then a free cup of ice from Starbucks. My Grandmother would be proud of me in other ways, but as a thrifty lady, she knew how to get her deals,  all for love of her family. We used to go to McDonald’s in the 1970’s and the hostess lady (yes they had them back then) would give free toys to the kids. Then, my grandmother would also come up and say: “I have five grandkids, can I get five of that toy?” Yes Grandma had taught us well. 

I’ve recently been digging through family treasures and even though I had a little bit of an overload of trinkets, it is OK –  those many McDonald’s toys and paint sets and Halloween outfits and coloring books and toys and play dishes and dress up clothes and and and – yes volumes and volumes of stored treasures of Love and play have shown up, stored like a timecapsule at my family farmhouse –  and not just from my generation, but a generation back. Wind up toys and puzzles, play horses, dolls and carriages, doll clothes, and those little bead mazes where you had to roll that darn bead into the right place so it would fall into the right hole – annoyingly entertaining. 

Many more treasures found in the storage rooms, including ice cream makers, repair kits for kids’ shoes, tricycles and bouncy balls, bow and arrow, nets, freezers which held ice cream pops, and don’t forget all those outside joys of swingsets, a pond of tadpoles, a field of butterflies, and snow-fence enhanced snow caves, plus vintage snow sleds – and how can I not mention that we had a whole farm to run around in…

See I don’t need always to visit a museum, I already have one. And if you think my memories are strong – my mom and my aunt’s are even stronger – and in techicolor where I see only black and white photos of that time frame.

It’s not just luck from the lucky horseshoe (which is still nailed above in the doorframe) that brought this level of activity to me and us growing up, it was pure LOVE from my grandparents and my relatives, including the grit and determination of my great grandparents to come over on the boats – and then really REAL was a big dose of hard, hard, hard work. Play is the job of a child. Giving a place to play is the joy of a grandparent, who pays it forward for lifetimes they won’t ever see.

Also on the rafters above, in one storage room, my grandma’s washboard and wash tub. Can you even imagine how she had to pump the water outside to bring it in (or even do laundry outside – I know she hung it on the line – that she still did even thought there was a dryer in the kitchen. My grandma and before her my great grandmas used to pump water outside – or get their kids to do it – until they had a pump on the inside of the house. (I just got out of a wonderfully warm shower – no strength needed for that!). Oh I am grateful for all indoor plumbing!

Pre-electricity, they were using the kerosene lamps. Electricity came in the 1940’s, the transistor radio eventually replaced with black and white tv. But the volumes and volumes of books and volumes and volumes of toys speak to an era where entertainment was engaging oneself – as well as playing with siblings and cousins. And oh the magazines, Life magazines stand out in brightness and in depth coverage, glamour was coming to fashion too alongside down home good advice just as the 1950’s women’s magazines had every imaginable crochet pattern, baby necessity, food recipe, and then some…

TIMES MIGHT HAVE BEEN POOR, BUT ENERGY WAS NOT. LOVE WAS CERTAINLY GIVEN OUT AND LIFE WAS WHAT YOU MADE OF IT.

My family now safeguards all these items and memories, filled with knowledge of farm days, animal caretaking, construction house building and everything in between. It’s important to us to remember but most importantly remember that LOVE started it and kept it all together.

My treasure that I took home from the multitudes was a plastic nativity set that family had – it is the giant sized one that matches a tiny plastic one that I have. LOVE is GOD and GOD IS LOVE – and so God is in all this plastic in spirit and truth and shape and you name it!

I do appreciate that the Lord was from before the beginning of time. I appreciate that He is love.

Our family journeys are filled with love. Even in hard times or when love seems to be lacking, there is somebody somewhere who thought of you and loved you even never having a chance to meet you – a grandparent or great great, great, great, great, great, great grandparent.

I appreciate being able to share my journey… I appreciate that my journey was made possible by family love and especially God’s love.

AMEN

………………..

Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look,
And see the reward of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you,
To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.”

News, NOPE

History? Forgotten 

Simplicity? Never enough

HOPE? Hopefully 

Life? Lovingly 

Love? LONGINGLY 

Light? Definitely 

Dark? Temporary

Reality? Realized

Conflict? Clashing

Peace? Ponderable

Pain? Forgettable

Lost? Longing for Home 

Sick? Healed 

Lonely? Held

Tears? Wiped

Passion? Princely

Faith? For Sure

Gates? Opened 

Certainty? Certainly

Tiredness? Eliminated 

Needs? Met

Forever? For sure

Win? Won

God? Dwelling With Us 

Done? Ah but just begun. 

Believe and Begin again. 

Amen 

—

Revelation 21 NKJV 

All Things Made New

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.

Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

The Glory of the New Jerusalem

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.