All in Peace
It is early in December and already my calendar is filling up with Christmas activities, parties, and baking. I haven’t even started buying gifts yet. The hustle and bustle of the holidays can quickly become overwhelming for me. Where can a girl get some peace?
When my son was around two, he thought he saw his daddy from behind. He started running toward the man, and when he rounded the corner, I saw a horrified look on my son’s face. The man was not his daddy – not at all what my son was expecting. The man looked very similar to my husband from behind, from his build to his bald head, but one glimpse of his face revealed the truth. I explained to the man that my son was a little surprised and upset because he was not who my son had expected him to be.
Time for a hike today, ladies. Lady Bird Johnson Grove beckons. In June, or so the park ranger tells us, the rhododendrons are in beautiful bloom. Today we are amazed by all the lush ferns carpeting the forest floor. The trail through the tropical rainforest proves to be extremely refreshing. Some of the old redwoods are monstrous. So are the fallen logs and stumps, purposefully left au naturel by the park service, to do their thing—shoot sprouts of new growth up to the sun. I am intrigued.
One summer our family toured Luray Cavern. Our guided tour took us deeper and deeper into the earth. As we walked the well-lit path, our leader pointed out the natural wonders on all sides.
The testimony of a young woman caught my attention. Her family practiced one of the major religions but not Christianity. She was brought up to do the same. The girl was going through a particularly hard season of life. An older co-worker, an older asked if she could pray for her. As the woman prayed, immediate peace come over the girl.
“She’s a Bethlehem Donkey. They get the name from their markings. If you look closely, you’ll see a brown stripe down her back and across her shoulder making the shape of a cross.” That’s how the owner introduced me to the new donkey that arrived with a small herd of cattle.
Perhaps you have heard of the My One Word experiment, designed by Mike Ashcraft and Rachel Olsen to encourage you to live—really live—by the word you pick for the year. Well, look no further. In the first ten verses of John 15 Jesus uses the word remain eleven times, in multiple combinations of: remain in me and I will remain in you; remain in my love; let my words remain in you. Seems to me ladies, we need to take the hint from Jesus and remain in Him.
While driving home from out of town, I received a text from my husband that said, “There’s a squirrel in a shoebox on the counter. If it’s dead when you get home, throw it into the woods.”
I love, love, LOVE Christmas. I patently try my best to savor the Thanksgiving holiday before I break out my Christmas decorations and carols. This year I noticed more and more people in early November wondering about putting up their tress and listening to Christmas music. I found myself thinking, why not?
One summer our family toured Luray Cavern. Our guided tour took us deeper and deeper into the earth. As we walked the well-lit path, our leader pointed out the natural wonders on all sides.
I accomplished the impossible. I devised a raccoon proof bird feeder! I just might post this victory message on a nature loving website since everything I’ve read states it can’t be done! True, these are deep-in-the-woods raccoons, not the city or state park variety who sift through trash cans. These do, though, love to raid our feeders using every acrobatic instinct known to these furry friends. What foiled their perseverance? Something new!
As soon as the ocean water covered my feet I could not believe the undertow. It felt like a magnet pulling and tugging at me. Not the strongest swimmer, I decided I better not venture out very far into the Pacific Ocean.
Another Christmas season is upon us. Many of you may find you are already “stressed out” from deciding what gifts to purchase, what food to cook, finishing your decorating, etc. Wouldn’t you like to get off the holiday merry-go-round and just share a meal with family and friends? Perhaps we have allowed the gift giving to get out of hand.
When my son was around two, he thought he saw his daddy from behind. He started running toward the man, and when he rounded the corner, I saw a horrified look on my son’s face.
Yesterday, as I sat on our backyard deck and basked in the warmth of the Son, God moved my heart to praise Him. I'd just returned from a gathering of women who were assembled to learn about a local organization that supports teenage girls in foster care.
When my son was around two, he thought he saw his daddy from behind. He started running toward the man, and when he rounded the corner, I saw a horrified look on my son’s face.
