I love the local parades. The old cars and old fire trucks and the old time feeling of people enjoying themselves – being outside of course… Yes, I love the neighborhood-ness with the friendliness of neighbors and even people whom you have never met… I try to get in the first parade, Saturday morning, to then have Sunday and Monday for parades too, weather and schedule permitting. So, I continued to sit after the parade yesterday morning for a good 10 minutes after it was done so that I could simply soak in the neighborhood feel a little more, take the moment while making my facebook post of all the cool photos – the emails etc. I send my photos to my friend who is a online local newspaper editor… Local-ness, I appreciate it here, I appreciate being local wherever you are. And today, a woman was happy to chat with me about her brother, a Vietnam Vet, in the parade. I don’t worry about going alone to parades, God always finds me someone to talk to! Yesterday after that extra stretch of time sitting, people came by with chairs and asked if the parade was about to start – but I sadly had to tell them it was already done – sad look on the young tween-age kids faces, so I am glad the Lord gave me the notion to hand them all the candy I collected (not needing any of it) – and saw the smile in the young lads face.  nice. I handed the young lady the flag given to me and a few pieces of the candy too – and I thought: God must have delayed me on purpose…  cool…  (and as I walked back to my car I collected some more roadside candy – saw my favorite blue vanilla tootsie roll – yum…  Satisfied!

In the afternoon I made it to my friend’s art gallery show where it was a showing of all “plein air” – painted outside – paintings of local buildings. And this local Patterson farmstead, now owned by a local conservatory art project group, where they host summer camps, there were all the old farm buildings and fields – oh, I felt like I was up home. Was so nice to have farmland less than five minutes from the hustle and bustle of this area. The trees that must be near two hundred years old, including a heritage magnolia twenty-one feet around. Fabulous. I hung around the farm a little bit longer after seeing the art and my friend, thinking that I would do some writing – but instead I found myself attending to their outdoor flowers, taking the dried blooms off of the pansies and petunias, which entices new blooms to grow. I took an opportunity to water the plants too. I enjoyed helping an obvious need. I love the flowers – especially pertaining to memorial day – flowers. Flowers are the personal delight for you in sight and in the giving. Memories are the personal touching moments that are natural to each of us. God made us soft-hearted on purpose – God gave us emotions to care and love – to feel and smile – to laugh and cry…  

In my memory of the fallen, I know I have many just from this past year who have “gone ahead” – many. I also heard and saw the new-ness of a little baby yesterday – age 3 and a half weeks, out at that farm – and held a 6 month old baby today – bursting with energy…  New life abounds in these times – new life comes always with blessings and gives us focus to keep going. We don’t always see our relatives who are distant – but often we are given new life moments HERE – locally – in our sights. We can share our love locally for distant hearts.

And this brings me to my devotion for this Memorial Day Sunday – that God went LOCAL… He moved not a distant love but ALL His love to local.  Yes – God sent Jesus here – local on earth and even in our hearts – for our hustle and bustle and for our limitedness of local. Jesus came to us. Came to save and not condemn – came to our place – which is His place to be in our hearts. Jesus came to simply be with us and in all complexity to save us. God went local, still does.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17

I hope to return to this farm, if not today then soon. And I do plan on more local parades – in between the raindrops we hope. I love my tourist in my own town” feeling too. I saw a little boy in the latest parade and as young as he was, he greeted the crowds with enthusiasm – knowing his ability to wave from a firetruck was just as cool as to wave to a firetruck. Sometimes we are in our own parades of fun too – and Jesus, He is holding the banner of LOVE while we wave.

Amen and God Bless local living – local flair and fresh air…