The Master Gardener has been at work.

The old passes away and makes way for new life.



He sends the showers to water,


And the sunshine to bring light and life.

"Oh Lord, our Lord, Your majestic name fills the earth!"

Psalm 8:9

Blessings,

pictures from my morning walk

Outside my window: The leaves are falling from the live oak trees and very soon we will see tiny new leaves take their places

I am thinking: about how I struggle with balancing all the different things in my life - never seeming to get things in the right order. I am working on listing five "must do" things in my daily journal and prioritizing them.

I am thankful for...: God's presence in our lives and answered prayer for my Dad. I'm thankful too for good doctors and the amazing technology that can provide a machine to cleanse one's blood. Amazing.

From the kitchen...a big pot of lentil soup. Our weather is warming up so I think this will be the last of the soup for a while.

I am wearing: tan shorts, blue tee shirt and white socks. We took a walk earlier this afternoon, and it was rather warm!

I am reading...: another Miss Read book - "The Year at Thrush Green" and "Why?" by Anne Graham Lotz

I am hoping... and praying that my Dad's dialysis treatment goes well tomorrow.

I am creating...: dishrags and learning to knit continental style. After so many, many years of knitting the way I was taught by my Aunt Fanny, I've discovered that this way is much faster - once you master it that is. I'm all thumbs right now but determined to learn.

I am hearing: It is absolutely quite in my house right now. I am making a deliberate effort to take the time to shut off all the other noises for a little while during the noisy day.

Around the house... : laundry day and the day to put clean sheets on the bed. How I love climbing between freshly washed sheets at night. Bliss..

One of my favorite things: listening to my Easter CD


A few plans for the rest of the week...: to get back to the normal routine -Bible Study, piano lessons, working outside. It is so nice to just spend time at home.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...


My Grandmother and me. I've just been thinking a lot about family these days and how precious the days we have together really are.

For more Daybooks visit Peggy.

Blessings,

While I was visiting my Dad at the hospital this past week I knitted some dishrags. I've seen so many pretty ones on other blogs I just couldn't resist. I think I'll knit some more!

Have a blessed weekend everyone.

We took my Dad home from the hospital late this afternoon. We stepped out of that rarefied hospital air into a beautiful spring day. The sky was a brilliant blue and there was a fresh, clear breeze blowing through the trees. We were filled with gratitude for the abundant blessings from the hand of a faithful, loving Father.

Thank you so very much for your love and prayers. What a blessing to know that you are being carried on the prayers of faithful friends.

photo by aloalosabine at flickr


Blessings,

It is early thursday afternoon, and we are just home from the hospital. My Dad has received his second dialysis treatment and is doing well according to his doctor.
Unbelievably, we never did get those lab results we were waiting for, but by wednesday morning my Dad's kidney function was so bad there was just no more time to wait around. He had a catheter inserted on his left side quite close to his heart on wednesday morning. We were very concerned about the possible complications, but it all went extremely well. By that afternoon he was having his first dialysis treatment. It took about three hours.
This afternoon's treatment was two and a half hours long. There is the slim hope that his kidneys will begin to function on their own. More than likely, he will be on dialysis from now on. He will probably have to go three times a week.
Both he and my Mom are doing very well. Tuesday was a rather dark day. I think the full import of what was going on finally hit my Dad. By two-thirty that afternoon, he said he was tired and wanted to sleep. He sent us all home.
Before we left the hospital, my Mom had to sign the release papers for the catheter insertion and the dialysis. She has been so strong through this whole difficult year, but after she signed the papers she just wept and wept.
She said she and Dad had a long telephone conversation that evening, and he told her he felt at peace. He said, "Whatever the Lord does is okay with me."
They have been in much better spirits these past couple of days. God is so very good. We know how much He has blessed us these many years. It has been with great abundance.
Please excuse this rather disjointed post. What is it about sitting in a hospital room all day that makes you feel as though you had run a marathon?
Dad has one more treatment tomorrow and then they are going to let him go home. He is so happy about that. He doesn't like being separated from his "bride" of sixty-three years.
Thank you so much for your prayers. We have felt so cared for.

Blessings,

I'm sorry I haven't written an update on my Dad before now. We've been gone so much of the time.
He is still in the hospital. We are waiting for test results on his kidneys. They are only functioning at less than 15%, and the doctor does not know the specific cause right now. They are monitoring him carefully, and he seems to be doing well. He has had a very difficult year - a stroke, a heart attack and now this.

He and my Mom are sweet examples of faith and grace. As much as my Dad hates to be in the hospital, he is being very cooperative. It is hard to see him looking so helpless. My Mom has a quiet strength. She is so dear.

So we wait. Hopefully we will have some news today. We appreciate your prayers. Thank you for all of your sweet comments. You are so very dear.

Blessings,

I am glad that nothing surprises the Lord. Whatever emergency breaks into my ordinary day - He is already there. I am also so grateful that there are things I don't know. I couldn't have enjoyed being outdoors this afternoon - digging, pruning, pulling out old worn out plants - feeling the warmth of the sun and the refreshing breeze. I would have known that Mom would call and say she and Dad are on their way to the emergency room - again.

Dad has not been doing well since his heart attack. He just never seemed to bounce back. It has been one thing after another - small things that wear him down.

Today it is a big thing - his kidney function is very poor and potassium level not at all good. He had blood work done a couple of days ago, and his doctor called this afternoon to say he had to get to the hospital immediately.

And so we are on our way to be with them. We would deeply appreciate your prayers.

Blessings,

"You dance over me while I am unaware.
You sing all around but I never hear the sound."

You paint the morning sky with miracles in mind.

My hope will always stand;

For You hold me in Your hand

"Lord I'm amazed by You.

Lord I'm amazed by You.

Lord I'm amazed by You,

And how You love me."

Blessings,

From "Amazed" by Lincoln Brewster

Pictures from my walk this morning.

Just something I've been thinking about ever since our last Beth Moore session on "Esther" - conditional trust. It gave a name to something I have struggled with for ever so long and underscored with deep black lines the truths the Father has been teaching me. Whenever the thing I feared most loomed large in my life, I would exercise this sort of trust. In essence I would say, "I trust you Lord - as long as it all works out the way I have asked You to work it out."

I never said it in so many words, but it truly was underlying everything I thought and said. I could trust God, just as long as.... If it didn't go according to plan, I would find my faith taking a body blow that sent it reeling.

Over the past few years, the Lord has been gently adjusting my vision. I have learned (and am still learning - to be sure) to place my trust in who He is and not in my plan. It is truly freeing, like chains that once bound my heart falling off, to surrender the "plan" to the One who will do that which is best - always.

When I exercise that unconditional trust, it is such relief. Like a little child, I can rest in the truth that I have a Father who will never fail to love me perfectly and will guide my life with mercy, grace and wisdom.

That's what I've been thinking about this lazy Sunday afternoon.

Blessings,
Linda

THANK YOU LORD - FOR THE WONDERFUL RAIN!










Blessings,

On Thursday I will be here at Laced With Grace. This is a little bit of what I've written about:

I expect to see them any day. Perhaps they are waiting for the absolute promise of warm weather – after all, they are predicting rain and cold temperatures for the latter part of this week. However, I know they will come. They arrive every March without fail.
I took the feeder down in September, when it was apparent they had begun their journey south. It is hard to imagine such tiny creatures traveling hundreds of miles to spend the winter months in another country.
We had one as an over-night visitor one summer. I noticed him clinging to the feeder as the others flew at him. He finally fell to the ground, and we rescued him. His tiny wing had somehow been injured, and he couldn’t fly. I couldn’t imagine how he would survive, but we made him a tiny bed in a little box and offered sugar-water...

Blessings,

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1 - No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.
2- When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3- If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4- Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5- You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6- Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
7- Never hold a dust-buster and a cat at the same time.
8- You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of mild.
9- Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10- The best place to be when you're sad is Grandpa's lap.

GREAT TRUTHS THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED:

1- Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
2- Wrinkles don't hurt.
3- Families are like fudge...mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
4- Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
5- Laughing is good exercise. It's like jogging on the inside.
6- Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT GROWING OLD:

1- Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2- Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3- When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there.
4- You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5- It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6- Time may be a great healer, but its a lousy beautician.
7- Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.

From the "Chin Strap"

Blessings,

Had anyone told me a few years ago that our future included doing the M.S. Walk in support of our younger son, I would have been overwhelmed with grief and fear. But here we were yesterday, gathered with hundreds of other people doing just that.


This is just a part of the group that walked to support Todd. The name on our tee -shirts was "Todd's Team". There wasn't a brooding sense of sadness or fear. There was laughter and friendly chatter because God is good and because our son is an amazing young man.

The back of his shirt says "I Have M.S. That is why I walk." The tears fall as I look at this picture - tears of the deepest gratitude. I have cried so many tears, prayed so many gut-wrenching prayers, wished so often it could be me instead of him. He has the sweetest spirit and such a deep, deep love for the Lord.

Yesterday, he set a pace I found hard to match. He laughed and talked, and I thanked the Lord over and over again for answered prayer. My heart overflowed with joy just to see him walking sure and strong. How good and loving You are Father.

"O MY God,

Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves Thee, for my little vessel is a full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fullness before Thee in ceaseless flow.

When I think upon and converse with Thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness.

I bless Thee for the soul Thou has created,, for adorning it, sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil; for the body Thou has given me, for preserving its strength and vigour, for providing senses to enjoy delights, for the ease and freedom of my limbs, for hands, eyes, ears that do Thy bidding; for Thy royal bounty providing my daily support, for a full table and overflowing cup, for appetite, taste, sweetness, for social joys of relatives and friends, for ability to serve others, for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities, for a mind to care for my fellow-men, for opportunities of spreading happiness around, for loved ones in the joys of heaven, for my own expectation of seeing Thee clearly.

I love Thee above the powers of language to express, for what Thou are to Thy creatures.

Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity."

From "The Valley of Vision"

Blessed Sabbath,

After forty-two years of marriage I have come to the unalterable conclusion that my husband and I don't always agree on everything and don't even necessarily approach things in the same way (I have never claimed to be a fast learner.).

For example: Hanging pictures. My approach to this task is to eye-ball the place on the wall I'd like to hang said picture. Get a nail and a hammer (or any available heavy object that will drive a nail into the wall - I've been know to use a big metal spoon, but don't tell my husband about that little trick please.) I then proceed to pound the nail in, hang the picture and step back and admire my handiwork.

My husband on the other hand gathers the necessary tools to accomplish this task - tape measure, hammer, nail. He then begins tapping the wall with his fist to find a stud. Once located he then begins to measure from all directions to be sure to get the exact location he is looking for. He then carefully taps in the nail, hangs the picture and stands back to admire the professional job he's done.

Okay, so I do admit that there have been times I've made more than one hole in the wall, but once the picture is hung who's going to notice?

As a little aside here - did you know that you can use an ordinary sewing needle to hang even the heaviest of pictures. I didn't believe it myself, but it is absolutely true. You snip off the eye of the needle (I sometimes don't even bother with that because who feels like going down to the garage to find the right tool for that job), tap it in the wall, and you're good to go. I've hung pictures that are very heavy, and it works every time.

There really isn't much problem with the differences in our picture-hanging techniques, but there can be times when the differences become a tad annoying. Having come from a large Italian family where arguing (well discussing) was practically a sport, I've had to learn that there are some things just not worth arguing over. When I was a teenager, I would have these long "discussions" with my Dad over just about anything. We both knew that neither one of us was going to give - what fun would that be. There were times when I was waxing eloquent defending my point all the while thinking "I know he's right about this, but I am never going to admit it." In fact yesterday, we were arguing (make that discussing) whether we should be using soaker hoses around the foundations of our houses. He said no; I said yes. He was wrong - but he'll never admit it :-)

For years I've used one of those "twirly" sprinklers to water our lawn. Works great. I love it. Sadly, last year one of its little arms broke, and we needed to replace it (kind of hard to turn in circles and remain upright with one arm missing). It was late in the season, and we could not find a twirly one anywhere. So my husband bought this one.



I hate it. It doesn't cover nearly the area the twirly one does. It take forever to get the whole lawn done.



Last week our daughter gave us the extra twirly sprinkler she had just sitting in her garage. Happy day! An efficient sprinkler once again. We started using it immediately.

Yesterday, I said to my husband, "Isn't that sprinkler great? It does a much better job than that other silly one." He just looked at me. Then he said, "The other sprinkler makes a square pattern. I like that better because then you can easily see where you've left off." Huh? Who seriously cares if you miss a spot here or there or actually overlap in a few places? You cover more area!!

Here is where I normally would step up to the debate podium and begin to argue my case. But I have been learning that there are some things just not worth getting into a disagreement over. So I remained calm and didn't say a word (twitch, twitch).

He's running the sprinkler this morning - the twirly one. But he's marking the area it covers with rocks so he won't overlap.

"Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is counted prudent."
Proverbs 17:28

Blessings,

Notice how brown and dry our poor grass is!

For several years my husband and I have sponsored a little boy through World Vision. His name is Pellumb. He lives in Albania with his father, mother and older brother. It has blessed us a million times over to be a part of his life.

The other day my husband said he thought we should sponsor another child. I am so excited to introduce you to her. Her name is Nomhle. She is almost four years old. She lives in South Africa with her mother, brother and two sisters. "Her mother struggles to provide for the family." says the accompanying letter.

Nomhle lives in a community severely affected by the HIV AIDS crisis. When I made the call to World Vision to sponsor another child, the sweet lady's closing comment to me was, "Nomhle is a Hope-child".

There it is again - my word for this year "HOPE". How I smiled when I heard it. I look at that sweet little face and I am so moved. I wish I could gather her in a big hug.

Thank You Father for bringing this sweet little one into our lives.

Blessings,