Before the Crisis

I have been told that I am a crisis blogger.  So from the silence one might assume that there has been no crisis in the last month or so.  However there have been many stories and thoughts that I have planned to blog.  We can just blame it on the heat that they have not reached the computer.  Presently I am facing not a crisis really but a time of transition.  But for fear of being confirmed a crisis blogger, I don't want to share it today.  Silly I know.  None the less I refuse to write about it today. Therefore I am going to share a few summer highlights.  Then in a day or two I will share "the crisis."  You know it is not a real "crisis" if I can wait a couple of days to share it.

 

One high light of summer was volunteering at a water station for the AJC Peachtree Road Race July 4th.  This is the nations largest road race (I believe) with 60,000 participants.  I ran last year and have the t-shirt to prove it. It was a great experience and the weather was great so I decided to stop while I was ahead and not do it again.  However when my friend Melissa asked me in April if I would like to volunteer with her at a water station, I was game.  This year's weather was less than beautiful.  It rained most of the morning with thunderstorms delaying the race at one point.  We were up before 4 AM to be at our post at 5 AM and stayed until after 10:30 AM.  For perspective let me say that her husband left after us, ran the race (in a fabulous time I might add), went home to shower and was at IHOP before we left downtown.  All said though, it was an awesome experience and perhaps even better than running last year. We filled hundreds of water cups stacking them 5 stacks deep using a very interesting method.  And then we got to hand out water and cheer folks on.  Now that was so fun.  I got to watch 60,000 folks pass by in those few hours.  And among that crowd I saw folks "running" in wheelchairs, runners pushing the wheelchairs of those who can't run. military personal running, a blind couple walk the race, runners with prosthetic legs, children, senior adults, folks in costumes, serious runners, families, groups of friends and so on.  There were sights that made me laugh (the guy wearing the Elvis costume) and those that made me cry (the blind pair walking the race with the assistance of what I later learned was a stranger.) I met folks from a business that had coffee and free muffins available just when I needed a cup of coffee.  A man from the neighborhood brought a backpack full of zip lock bags to give to anyone who needed to keep their phone dry.  I was a grateful recipient. The rain was wet, very wet but the mood was warm and encouraging.  Worst weather, best day.  And I got a cool t-shirt, hat and Peachtree Road Race pin.   Sometimes service to others really does bring the greatest reward. And Yeah, I plan to do it again. 

BEFORE THE RACE
Watching the other side get a head start on filling their cups.  We were waiting for our water.

 

AFTER THE RACE
Melissa and I standing ankle deep in cups and water.  Tables with unused cups and water had just been dumped. Getting Wet was the theme of the morning.  Thankful for that zip lock bag for my phone because there wasn't a dry spot on me!
 

Another highlight this summer has been my yard.  Inspired by an article in some  magazine, I have been creating "gardens" in my small yard.  Presently I have the "Eating Porch with a cozy reading nook," the "Re-Tired Herb Garden", the "Front Lawn" with flowering borders, "The Archway " to the "Gathering Lawn" (complete with fire pit and seating), the "Play Garden", and "Back Porch."  I would like to create one more seating area where the phone reception is pretty good but I don't have that one worked out yet.  Taming the hedge between me and my neighbors has been a big project and I am really working at getting the "moss lawn" to grow in the play garden.  Oh and I painted the mailbox with chalk paint so I can leave messages for my mailman.  I don't have pictures yet to share.  I plan to and when I do you will likely laugh discovering that there is a fair amount of creative license going on in labeling the yard spaces as I have.  None the less, I have a good time putzing around my yard making it a warm and inviting place to come home to. It is also often better being outside than in my house which is usually hot and less inviting.  Yet considering my disdain for yard work when I was a teen, my passion for my yard has been somewhat of a surprise.

 

I have been striving to embrace a "simpler" lifestyle that involves less stuff.  Recently I reduced my clothing by almost half.  Inspired by Marie Kondo, Japan's De-cluttering Guru I have been purging through out the house. This lead to yesterday's yard sale.  As far as yard sales go, it was a dud.  I guess it was just too hot, the people didn't come.   At the end of it all, Mom called friends at a Mission and they hauled the remains away so  it is gone.  I visited with a few friends and neighbors who stopped by.  I got to sit on the "eating porch" in front of a fan and visit with mom. I ate lots of ice pops and shared with folks who braved the heat. We made enough money for pizza and a few groceries.  So all was not lost.

 

 

 

Spring

Life has had felt "heavy" recently.  I find my mind is consumed with many things.  In the midst of it all God is bringing Spring.  I had the opportunity to enjoy it at Gibbs Gardens this past weekend.

The mission of the day was to see the Daffodil's in bloom.

Some of the daffodils weren't quite ready to pop out.

Some came out in large numbers.

Natural Born Leaders

Ever seen a tadpole sack?

Dare to be different.

The birth of a new country love song "A Lawn chair in the Sun"

These make me happy!

I forget the name of this one.  Not a lot to look at but oh the sweet aroma!

In the Japanese Garden

And we weren't alone!  Lots of folks came to capture Spring.

A selfie of the Traveling Trio - Heather, Tammy and Me

The Parable of the Pumpkin Vine

This is my pumpkin vine.  Last spring my classroom preschoolers and I planted some seeds in little cups. When school concluded in May, I had a 6 inch pumpkin vine.  I took it home and for lack of a garden plot, I planted it in the natural area beside my house and ignored it. That little pumpkin seed has grown into what at the latest measurement is a 30 foot pumpkin vine producing over 50 blossoms.  It is absolutely beautiful. However as fast as it is growing, death seems determined to catch up with it.  I noticed over a month ago that the leaves near the root were developing spots and withering away.  I tried several different sprays until I was informed that my pumpkin, due to our extremely wet summer, most likely had root rot and that there was nothing I could do about it. 

The bottom of this picture is where the pumpkin was planted.
Leaves have withered to about 2/3rds of the way up on this picture.

The crazy thing is that at the time the root rot was diagnosed the vine was probably only about fifteen feet long. It is doomed and yet it keeps just on going and going and going.  I have been extremely sad about my pumpkin vine.  I was SO excited to harvest pumpkins from the seed planted by my little preschool class. Every time I look at it, I get this sinking feeling.  Jonah and his anger over the withered vine keeps flashing in my head. Believing that God waste nothing, I have been trying to figure out the parable of my pumpkin vine. I have been looking for some message for the lost that I could share with others.  The other day as I was feeling frazzled by all I was trying to do and all I felt like I couldn't get done, God reminded me of my pumpkin vine.  I have been spinning my wheels trying to do this, accomplish that, and please this one or another all in my strength and hard work.  I acknowledge God with my arrow prayers but seldom stop to meditate, read scripture or ask for wisdom and strength regarding this "to do list" of mine.  I wine and complain, feeling this bitterness creeping in.  I have this appearance of being very busy and productive.  Yet root rot is eating at it to the point that I fear the fruit of my labor will all be for nothing.  All that I do in my own strength, produces what? A withered vine. I can't say that things have changed but I have been challenged.  If I grieve over a withering pumpkin vine should I not grieve over my own effort to produce something that cannot be, without the power, strength and life of Christ surging through it.

Well Groomed Weeds

Weeds (according to Webster) -  : a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially : one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.

Between rains, I spent a little time in my yard yesterday.  I cut my grass, well I mean weeds. I remember hearing my friend say that the neighbor had complimented their lawn. She said that really all her husband did was cut the weeds.  I think of that when I mow my grass. Cut short it really does look like grass. But let the rains come and the lawn mower stay parked then the crazy tall chutes and flowers give it away. There is very little true grass in my yard. It really is mostly weeds. I believe that outside work is full of spiritual lessons. Jesus obviously believed thus and I am often on the look out for lessons in my yard. I was thinking about my weeds and wondering if there was any spiritual or life applications of "well mowed" weeds? Don't really know.  But these were a few thoughts that I had as I continued to push the lawn mower along.  

1) Even weeds look good when well groomed. It is easy to look at others' "beautiful lives" and be envious.  Truth is we all are weeds.  We are all sinners (in need of a Savior) and  we all face life challenges.  No matter how fabulous one's life may appear, truth is, it is made up of weeds.  

2) Sometimes an embraced weed looks good. In certain areas plants arise that I do not want because it competes with other plants or simply makes the area look unattractive, like in sidewalk cracks.  In these area I fight the weeds.  I pull, dig  and spray.  Letting them be is not beneficial.  However in my yard, hardy plants are welcome.  Weeds trimmed make for nice ground cover.  I accept the weeds. Sometimes situations come into our life that we may not value because they are unwanted and "wild".  Sometimes instead of fighting them it is a better use of energy to embrace them and make them part of the landscape.