more peas

 A bushel of zipper peas this time!

It took hubby and I about 4 hours to shell them.

Next, a thorough rinsing...

...then blanching...

...and bagging.

 The result... 20 quarts for the freezer!

Whew! Glad that's done! :-)

the hurt and the healer

    I have a friend who, unless her husband changes his mind about leaving her, will be divorced tomorrow. I have a co-worker who found out Monday that she has liver cancer. The son of another friend is in jail awaiting trial for a very serious crime. A new bloging friend lost her mother in May. The mother of a fellow church member died today. 
  All around there are people hurting.Those whose lives are falling apart, or at the very least, will be forever changed. Hearts are breaking. Loneliness is overtaking them. Rejection is beginning to harden them. Guilt is threatening to consume them. How do they cope? How do they move on? How do they heal?
  I heard this song on the radio recently. The words are powerful and true. Our only hope is when "His glory meets our suffering" and when "humanity is overcome by His majesty". He is the only one who can redeem suffering and make it not "go in vain". "Grace is ushered in" and "mercy takes its rightful place when "the hurt and the healer collide."


 "The Hurt & The Healer" 
    by Mercy Me

Why?
The question that is never far away
The healing doesn’t come from the explained
Jesus please don’t let this go in vain
You’re all I have
All that remains

So here I am
What’s left of me
Where glory meets my suffering

I’m alive
Even though a part of me has died
You take my heart and breathe it back to life
I’ve fallen into Your arms open wide
When the hurt and the healer collide

Breathe
Sometimes I feel it’s all that I can do
Pain so deep that I can hardly move
Just keep my eyes completely fixed on You
Lord take hold and pull me through

It’s the moment when humanity
Is overcome by majesty
When grace is ushered in for good
And all our scars are understood
When mercy takes its rightful place
And all these questions fade away
When out of the weakness we must bow
And hear You say “It’s over now”

I’m alive
Even though a part of me has died
You take my heart and breathe it back to life
I’ve fallen into your arms open wide
When The hurt and the healer collide

Jesus come and break my fear
Awake my heart and take my tears
Find Your glory even here
When the hurt and the healer collide

 

If you are hurting today, I hope this reminds you that He is the Comforter and He desires to "breathe life back into your heart". He is just waiting for you to fall into His "arms open wide".

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you;

He will never permit the righteous to be moved."

Ps. 55:22

today's gifts

 One of the things I've noticed about blogging is that it has made me more aware of what God is doing in my life. I see things that I didn't see before. I take more time to notice the little things...and I take pictures of them! Ha! Ha! I've been reading Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts. She is a gifted writer and the story of how God transformed her heart, as she began to recognize all the blessings in her life and list them, is powerful. A grateful heart leads to worship!
  Her list has inspired me to start my own. So, starting today, Tuesday will be a Today's Gifts post. I hope you will come along as I ask God to give me eyes to see the gifts He has given me.


 1. a faithful husband
 2. air conditioning on a hot summer day
 3. mercy
 4. healthy grandchildren
 5. a car that is reliable
 6. children that like coming home
 7. smooth writing pens
 8. friends
 9. diet coke
10. fresh vegetables


Hope you have a beautiful day enjoying your gifts! :-)

"baby" grands

The "baby" grands came to visit Friday.

Little E and...

Little L.

 And their moms, of course.

Our dear daughter and...

our sweet daughter-in-law!

 Little E couldn't keep her hands off that baby.

Little L wasn't so sure about it! :-)

When the mommies left to go shopping,

the Chief and I headed out to the patio to swing.

The babies love it and so do we!

 

 

That's a happy Chief...

with his arms full of sweetness! :-)

We are looking forward to watching them

grow up together. I think they will be

best buddies! :-)

fresh from the field

Last week, the Hubby bought two bushels of corn. 

We shucked, silked, washed, blanched

 and creamed it and loaded into our freezer.

 This past Friday morning, he went to the same local

vegetable farm and picked a bucket of

Purple Hull Peas...about 1/2 bushel.

They were pretty peas and easy to shell.

After washing, blanching, cooling, and bagging...

We had 7 quarts of fresh peas to freeze.

It takes some work and the prices keep going up,

(like everything else)

but we sure enjoy having our freezer stocked 

with good food!

sleeping buddies

Wednesday night, the boy asked me to sleep with him in his bed.

 In the middle of the night, I awoke to this:

Him: "Gran, Gran, could you stop snoring?

Me: "OK, I will try."

....a few minutes later....

Him: "Gran, Gran, could you stop snoring."

Me: " OK, sorry." (as I turn over)

....a few minutes later....

Him: "Gran, when you breathe, it's suppose to be quiet."

Me: "OK, buddy. Do you want me to stay here or go sleep in my bed?"

Him: (as he snuggles up close) "OK, Gran, you can snore."

Love it! :-)

"grand" questions

When I picked up our grandboy Sunday

 afternoon,he told me he had a bad dream

 the night before and it had scared him.

So every night this week, when we

 prayed at bedtime, I have prayed that

 he would have happy dreams

not scary ones.

 Tuesday night, about 2 AM,
 he crawled into bed with me.

Another bad dream had scared him.

He said, "Gran, I think God
 forgot what you said."

I'll have to admit, in the middle
 of the night, it was a little funny,
 but I did not laugh.

Instead, I quickly said,

"Oh, no, sweetie, God never
 forgets anything."

( I know He forgets our sin... 
but I was not up to explaining that to a
 five year old in the middle of the night! )

"Then why did He let me have a bad dream?"

Again, at 2 AM, I wasn't ready
 to answer that, so I just said,

"I don't know, but I do know
 that God loves us and does not
 want us to be afraid."

Since then, I have prayed about it and

 I have a better answer for him now.

We will talk about it tonight.

I hope he will understand.

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter

 said the realization that Little E

 is not just a little body for her to care for,

but, rather, a little soul she is responsible 

for teaching and influencing, was 

becoming more and more real to her.

His question reminded me that my job in

that department is not over! 

God expects me to not only love these grands,

but to be ready for every teachable moment

that comes along.

ok, i took it off...

...the word verification feature that is. Truthfully, I didn't even know it was there until recently when my daughter, who comments occasionally, told me it was. I didn't intentionally choose it for my settings. Or, if I did, I didn't know I did! :-) So, if you have tried to comment before and have  become frustrated or aggravated or downright MAD because of it....rejoice! you don't have to deal with it anymore!! We all know how important comments are to us bloggers, so I hope this makes it easier for you to let me know you have visited. I look forward to hearing from you. And for those of you who have endured the inconvenience...thank you!


P.S. Thanks to Lois and Sandie for helping me to see the light!! :-)

the race

This little guy, our 5 yr old grandson, 

is spending the week with us.

Our church is having VBS in the mornings 

and Sports Camp in the afternoon.

So, his days are full and we are

happy to have him around in the evenings.

For the last couple of months, I have been

 trying to walk in the evenings after dinner.

 Sunday night, he went with me. 

There is a circle about a mile from our home

that is popular with walkers and bikers. 

When we started to walk, he said,

"Let's 'tend like we are race cars...

I'll be Lightening McQueen and you can be

 "Franscisco" and there are a "founsand"

 other cars racing, too."

So, off to the races we went!

He would pass me and lead for a while,

 then he would make a"pit stop" for oil or gas

 or tires. Then, when he tried to pass again,

 I would cut him off. Finally, he would 

get by me and then, he would cut me off

 and not let me pass. 

Before I knew it, we had finished our loop.

I told the Hubby...

"that was the "funnest"walk I've ever had!"

My only complaint...

I didn't get to make any pit stops! :-)

Hebrews 12:1 says, "...run with the patience

 the race that is set before you."

Sometimes, we need "pit stops"

... time to "refuel"

when our "tanks" are running low

 or to "retread" when our"tires" 

are worn out from where 

"the rubber has met the road"!

Sometimes, all we need is to hear

 a word of encouragement or a song that

 speaks to a need in our heart. 

 Sometimes it comes through bible study

 or time spent in prayer.

His resources are limitless and

 they are always available to us!

2 Peter 1:3 tells us that He has given us

 everything we need for life and Godliness

 so that we can finish the race...

and finish it strong!
 

moving on...

Twenty-one years ago, when the doctor

 I work for decided to open his own practice,

 he asked this lady to be his office manager.

She said "yes" and has served him faithfully

 all these years. She has been looking forward

 to retirement for several years.

Well, it finally happened...Thursday was her

 last day as our "F.L.-Fearless Leader"!

 We had her retirement dinner at Doc's house...

which is lovelier than any restaurant

 we could have chosen.

(That's Doc in the white shirt!)

The food was delicious and the atmosphere

... relaxed and comfortable.

Everyone was happy to be there to celebrate 

this momentous occasion!

 Here's my girl and her special buddy

 from the office. She worked in the office

 for two years and, since having Little E,

she is working for the Doc from home.

 One of the neat things about our office

 is that the  medical assistants and the

 front office staff are all friends

 and enjoy each other.

 We all just work together

 to get the job done!

 After dinner, we gathered in the basement

 to watch a video one of the girls made...

about 30 seconds in, we were all teary!

Since my girl worked through her

 entire pregnancy, Little E has been dubbed

 the "office baby"!

So, she attended and made the rounds...

 ...trying to give everyone equal time...

...especially the guest of honor!

"Wow, Mom, all this socializing is exhausting!"

 After the video, there were gifts...

...and more gifts...

 ...and speeches and tears,

 and more speeches and more tears!

It was a special time of expressing appreciation

for a job "more than well done",

 for friendship, for loyalty,

for 21 years of memories!

I failed to get a picture of us
 together at the party. This is one taken at a
 Braves game two years ago.

I didn't make a speech...

knew I wouldn't get through it.

So, I wrote what I would have said in the

card we signed for her...

"Who knew that when I interviewed with you

 twelve years ago, that not only would

 I get the job, but also a precious friend

 and a sweet sister? God knew! 

And I will be eternally grateful to Him for that!

You have been a special gift from God

 to me and to my family.

It won't be the same here without you,

 but I am so happy that God is giving you

 the desire of your heart!

I love you, Debbie"

She loves her God and she loves people. 

As a result, she has had a huge impact

 on the lives of everyone who has been a part

 of our office over the years.

 I am confidant that God will continue

 to use her to bless the people she encounters

 in this new phase of her life. 

I know her well enough to know that

she may be retiring from work, but

she most definitely is not retiring from life!

a different voice

I mentioned in an earlier post that our two oldest "grandgirlies" and I had a tea party recently. We made cookies and pretty sandwiches. I sliced strawberries and deviled some eggs.We washed some pretty china teacups and saucers and brewed some Earl Grey tea. Then we got dressed up and made our way to the table. As we ate and held out cups with our "pinkies" out, I started to talk with a British accent. I asked if they would like another "spot of tea" and talked about what a "jolly time" we were having. I thought they would think it was funny, but they didn't like it. They both said,"Gran, don't talk like that. Talk your regular way." It made me laugh!


I was telling some of the ladies at work about it today...they thought it was funny, too!  Later as I was thinking about it, the Lord reminded of the scripture..."My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27.  My girls know my voice and that's the one they love and trust. The one they feel safe with. They weren't comfortable with that "strange" voice coming from Gran.


I find comfort and security in the voice of the One I know and trust. The voice of the One who loves me and the voice that never changes!

in our neck of the woods...

...it's blueberry pickin' time!

We picked 3 gallons last night.
That translates to more than 60 dozen

blueberry muffins...

which is how we eat them mostly.

Sure love having them in the freezer

anytime we get a

"hankering" for those muffins! :-)

"grand camp"

A couple of weeks ago, we had our

 three oldest grands for a few days.

We tried to make the most of our time together. 

The first morning, the girls and I made cookies...

...and had a tea party!

 My prettiest things got packed up when

 we put our house on the market.

 So, we made do with what we had.

 It wasn't he fanciest tea, but it was fun!

That afternoon, the grandson joined us

 at Monkey Joe's...

...where they climbed..

 ...and slid...

...and laughed...

...and smiled...

 ...and rode until...

...they needed a break for refreshment!

After we closed the place down, it was back home home

to make their own pizza.

 After dinner, it was off to the park to ride bikes...

...and play on the great playground!

There was spinning,

 climbing,

balancing,

balancing,

 and more balancing!

I was glad to be the photographer!

The next morning, the two baby cousins

 came and there was coloring and movie watching.

 There was so much going on,
 I forgot to take pictures!

In the afternoon, we went swimming, but

the photographer left the camera at home! :-(

 ( I really fell down on the job this day!)

 After Happy Meals from McD's, baths,
 and story time...

we were ALL ready for bed!

We had a "grand" time at "Grand Camp"!

So grateful for these sweet little ones

 that bring us so much joy!