Just a Daisy in the Meadow

“Sweet Jesus, sweet Jesus ,what a wonder You are!

You are brighter than the morning star.

You’re fairer, much fairer, than the lily that grows by the wayside,

Precious,more precious than gold.”

Whenever I sing this song I think of my friend, Bonita. She taught it to me and I’ve had the privilege of passing it along  to others also.  I remember stopping by the meadows and roadsides in New York (it forever changed my image of New York, I guess I just always thought of New York City whenever New York  came to my mind . . . but it is a pretty state) on our way to Va one summer after school let out . . .

Our hearts have keepsakes of many memories . . .

We love our “lilies” by the wayside . . . in fact that’s one of the worst things about traveling . . . I can’t stop the vehicle and get out and pick a few or take a picture of or just stroll through them  . . .( Well, I probably would . . . maybe that’s why Japheth likes to do all the driving

Anyway just a reminder to me . . . do I act like He’s fairer than the lilies . . . brighter than the morning star . . . and more precious than gold . . .  Yes, what a WONDER HE IS!

Anybody know that silly Bumblebee\Fly song ? . . . Well, I think it was the first song I learned when I was little, and it’s about the only song I can play without messing up So you know that I am not a piano player, but we are having fun since this piano came here to stay. . . The boys have started lessons with Aunt Judi, (By the way, besides being the Best Bread Baker in the World, she is the Best Piano Player too . . . I LOVE her style of playing!!! )

And see the candle . . . I now can put to practice that incentive that  I’ve talked about on here before.

Anyway, back that stupid, silly song . . . I didn’t tell the boys to the words to it when I showed them how to play it (by the way it’s there favorite song) but today, I put a Scripture verse to it.  NOW I like it!

The name of the Lord is a strong tower,

The name of the Lord is strong.

The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the name of the Lord is strong.

“The righteous run to it and are safe,

The righteous run to it,

The righteous run to it and are safe, The righteous run to it.

- From Proverbs 18:10

Many moments with lots of sunshine . . .

and doing things we enjoy . . .

“This is the day that the Lord has made, I will be glad and rejoice in it!”

Our little humming bird is kinda greedy . . . it’s sitting there keeping guard of the food . . . Doesn’t it know that we will replenish the supply as soon as it is exhausted . . . How often I am like this little bird . . . I don’t trust in my All- Sufficient God . . . I have to guard or hang on to certain things thinking that there just might not be any more of this “good stuff” and I want it all to myself . . . Hmmmm . . . hummingbird ponderings . . .

And then there is the case of “Garage Anger” . . . this comes upon me many times a year . . . I get so frustrated and angry that our garage can be so messy! . . . How can we let it be or become this way? . . . And so today, I was trying to apply James’ advice on counting it all joy.  I think a messy garage certainly applies to various trials, don’t you?

. . .  Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience . . . argggg, just what I “wanted”!!!  I don’t want to be patient about it, I want something to be done . . . Ahhh, the testing of you faith . . . and letting patience have it’s perfect work in my heart . . . Ahhh, God, your ways ARE SO MUCH HIGHER, and so much better than this poor woman’s!

Taking time to "smell the roses" literally  . . . and gather flowers with my girlie . . .

Reading "End of the Spear" by Steve Saint . . .

Listening to the 5 cd collection - "Symphony of Praise" recently released by Schlabachs, & Deckers & Hostetlers.  You did a good job, Weldon!  One of my favorites is "I Want That Mountain"  Just sooo many favorite praise songs with a few new ones scattered in that I haven’t heard before. 

What constitutes a simple life . . . for you?

“I have been crucified with Christ:

It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; . . .” - Galations 2:20a

Old Mister Toad made his appearance to say hello while we were at the cabin.

And not to be outdone, so did Mister Creepy Spider . . . I REALY DID NOT APPRECIATE this turn of events . . . we still had one more night there . . . and we had pulled out mattresses of the bunks to sleep in front of the fireplace that night . . .

In his trapping for groundhogs, Skyer caught this little guy.  The consensous was to let him go . . . Goodbye Little Guy!

“All God’s critters got a place in the choir, some sing low, some sing higher, some sing out loud on the telephone wire and some just clap their hands or paws or anything they got now . . .” Ever hear that song?

Ahhhhh . . . what a feeling . . . home at last, home again!

I spent quite a bit of time “going in circles” just looking at things “remembering” what it all looked like, seeing the garden’s growth, what flowers were blooming, weeding a bit around them (the flowers of course, not the garden yet ) and ahhhh . . . sleeping in our OWN bed!!!

It was a very good month! . . . . I am satisfied . . . no, of course we couldn’t get in everything we might wish to, but that’s life . . . . many joys and many sorrows, both running along there together . . .

Anyway we are here and as the saying goes “No matter where you may roam, there’s NO place like home.”

Stay tuned for some pics

This weekend we head to WI again for a wedding. (this is in a different area than last time) Japheth and I have not been to very many weddings since we said our own vows (maybe about 3 or four, one just doesn’t travel 24 hours with many toddlers for a wedding very often!_ . . .  and there just haven’t been many our age at Kitchi though there is a group of young people coming up.)

And in June, Lord willing, we take off to VA for several weeks!  Yipee!!!

I think the snow is gone now for good . . . though there are a few piles here and there and the lake is still covered. But as soon as it disappeared, we started yard cleanup - picking up sticks, stones, raking leaves ( yes, although we did rake the leaves last fall the wind brought in more) and fluffing up the grass to help it get green faster Ha!  (Little boys don not have much stamina for raking leaves . . . neither does Mama, . . . and so we are rather tired and sore :), but plenteously happy )

Japheth was gone the past two days. And even though I might have liked to get out and do something different (or oh, joy and delight go with him!) the best thing for us to do at this stage in our lives was for the children and I to stay at home.

I like to keep busy while he’s gone, it makes the time go by faster. So we basked in the sunny 50 degrees days and burnt our little brush\leaf pile and had hotdog roasts. And of course one of the best things was bringing in some mulch from the woods. We’d go find a deteriorated log, tear it apart, fill the wheelbarrow and bring it back . . . Regular fun stuff this is!

This phrase keeps running through my head, “For lo the winter is past . . . the flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come . . .” - Song of Solomon 2:11-12

And yes, the Red-Winged Blackbirds are back . . . they sing down in the marsh . . . and it is beautiful! What would life be like without the songbirds? . . . Yep, that is one of the best parts of spring . . .God just made it SO DELLIGHTFULLY GOOD!