A Book of Comfort

My blogging friend Susan, has reviewed a very helpful book, "Words of Comfort for Times of Loss." If you have friends or loved ones who have recently experienced loss of a loved one, or if you are not sure how to help a friend who has experienced deep loss, visit Susan at her blog, Adventurous Living.

Wild Poppy

Today I had a moment. A moment to myself. It was 4:00 p.m. Mozart ran out the door and said something about recording a pipe organ. The youngest was at school. The oldest...I never know for sure...but there was a bus schedule up on the computer.

So I did something I've never done before. I sat in the poppies. I pushed my lawn chair up against them and sat down with a book that I've never read before. The sun was still high and I felt a soft warmth from head to toe. Perfect light fell across the page of my book, making it easier for my tired eyes.

I should do this more often. It feels like I'm on a vacation.

Oh the simple joys...that we often forget amidst our busy schedules.

The breeze came up, and soon it became a bit cool. I squirmed a little but the book held me to my chair. I'm reading The Story of My Life by Hellen Keller. The third-graders, at school, are studying her life. She is an intriguing person. And she loved nature. She often speaks of the softness of a rose petal, the smell of the sea, and the brush of the breeze on one's face.

I closed my eyes and felt the caress of the breeze and the sweet smell of Spring.

. . . . . . . . . .

Later in the evening we said good-bye to our 22-year-old son, who is moving to a far away place. He hopes to find a job there and live successfully on his own. My prayers will touch him every day. He is in God's care.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
...your right hand will hold me fast.

Psalm 139:9,10

My Burden and the Birds

Home has been busy with all kinds of dynamics relating to 19 and 22 year olds. There is much to pray for.

A surprise email from a friend Debby encouraged me. She asked if she could include my "poem" in a book she is compiling. What poem? It seems I had forgotten about the little piece. It was actually part of a blog post I wrote over a year ago. She emailed the piece to me, and it spoke to me. Maybe it will encourage you too.




(During a quiet time, I read the words of Jesus in Matthew 6.)

My Burden and the Birds

"Look at the birds of the air."
Okay, Lord, I'll go outside and look at the birds.

"They do not sow or reap."
"You're right, Lord. They just swoop down and pluck snacks out of the grass.

"They don't store anything away in barns."
They certainly don't seem to be worrying about the future.

"They don't need to. I take care of them one day at a time."
Are you saying you will take care of my needs, one day at a time, too?

"You are more valuable to me than a bird."
Thank you. Will you take care of my family's needs too?

"Yes, and you won't add a single hour to your life by being anxious."
I'll try to be more like the birds.

"Good."

....I wish I could fly.

"Seek first the kingdom of God and you will fly, just like they do."
(Matthew 6:26-27:33)

A New Ride

I read the newspaper in the car, waiting for Letty who was in the hair salon. Soon the glass door opened and Letty stepped out with beautiful wavy freshly sprayed hair. I slipped the key into the ignition, as Letty climbed in. I turned the key and it almost spun around in a circle. Something had broken inside...and there was no way to start the car.

Thirty minutes later, we had a new ride.




We were towed directly to the repair shop. The tow truck man dropped the car along the curb...and the repair guys had to push the car into the shop. They won't be able to look at it until tomorrow.

Letty's hair still looks pretty good after all it went through.


After I got home, I started making dinner, and the microwave quit. Nothing will bring it back to life. The big screen TV broke last week, and it still sits quietly in Mozart's office unfixed.

Well...at least life is interesting. And sometimes when old things break, new things happen. Mozart now watches his late evening TV on the smaller TV in the living room, the same room where my son's computer resides. So they're connecting more.

The microwave? My youngest will miss his microwaved burritos. Maybe we'll save money on electricity.

I suppose I could drive my husband's big blue truck to the grocery store tomorrow, but it's like parking a tank.

It's interesting that we don't really need half the things we own.

Have a nice evening. I think I'll go read a book.

At the Dog Park

It's fun to go to the dog park!
You can meet your friends and catch up on the latest news.
You can play with the big dogs! (Little Maggie--below--loves to run with the big dogs)

You can drink lot's of water...and ask, "Can I stay longer?"
Odd balls are always interesting.
And if you're lucky, you can close the place.

Recently we visited Mozart's sister and husband in Bakersfield. We enjoyed getting out into the open spaces and slowing down, and visiting with one another.

When we got home from the park, the dogs stretched out on the rug for a rest, and Mary and I went outside to see her sugar snap peas. Their growing like little 'Jack in the bean stalks' up and over the fence.





And that was Valentine's weekend...

Mary and Ken


Mozart and Me



Have a good weekend!

On the Road

No. It's not a ship on the sea. It's a farm in a grove of trees...on a sea of sleeping grapevines.



Last weekend Mozart and I traveled to Bakersfield to visit his sister and brother-in-law. We headed out of Los Angeles, climbed over the mountains and descended into California's fertile basin.

I snapped the picture at dusk, as Mozart drove 80 mph. The open spaces of land were impressive to me. It was a breath of fresh air for this city-dweller. Bakersfield, however, is quite built up...much like home. But one can drive a few minutes and be out into the flat spaces.

I'll post some pictures next time. Today I have to practice EXCEL. I'm taking a class in the evenings.

Have a nice weekend.

The Wheat and the Tares

Is this a sign? No more rain?

The temperatures are climbing into the 70's. Snowball (below) is returning from a gopher hunt.

It's a beautiful day, but in the midst of beauty, my heart is sad about the tragic Luge accident in Canada...and the shootings in Alabama. There is such heartache in this world. How does one think about a world that offers both beauty, and pain—goodness and violence...existing side by side?

I sometimes contemplate the parable Jesus told about wheat and the tares growing side by side. The servants wanted to pull out the tares, but the master said, the wheat and the tares must grow side by side——the good and the bad, "lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up the wheat with them." (Matthew 13:29) He went on to say that at the time of harvest he would separate them, and bind the tares into bundles "to burn them up" and the wheat would be gathered into his barn.



Although the passage doesn't answer all my questions, it sheds a little light on the dilemma. One day we will fully understand, and one day...one glorious day, there will be no more tares.