Harvest blessings, gather some! Music is the song of life.

The air outside is crisp and fresh as I peek out the patio window at the view before me. I just finished listening to a fabulous song by Michael W. Smith which found me sitting, eyes closed and heart open to the majesty of voices perfectly in tune to the spirit at hand. I almost felt removed from the present as voices and various instruments combined to form a haunting, yet magnificent melody of praise! My heart felt a familiar calling to join in and become one with the moment at hand.

This for me is a defining moment...for you see it has been quite awhile since I let my heart admit it misses being  in tune to the melodies around me...silent I sit with yet a glimpse at what God has in store for me in the future. To sing is to share from the heart, without holding back the feelings of within. To stand before others, vulnerable to the opinions of the audience and yet caught up in worship as one heart, devoted to the glory of sharing from the soul.

And so I sit and ponder what it means to love enough to consider the cost of being ready and willing to take yet another step forward as a widow of only two years. My dear husband was the one I searched for when I stood to sing...his loving face gave me the confidence necessary to give my very best to the task at hand. It was his hugs which my heart longed for after the service ended. My one love of a lifetime.

"My soul magnifies the Lord" may be the one phrase which I feel captures my reason for living each day with grace...waiting for the plans He has to call me to a deeper understanding of his holiness at last. "Great is thy faithfulness" has become my mantra when days are long and time marches on in spite of my weariness and fatigue. "There is a Saviour" quiets my soul to the point of wishing I could be at once in heaven with those I hold dear! Oh and by the way the song by Michael W. Smith is entitled "I can hear your voice."

He rose, he arose... hallelujah, Christ arose! Why Easter is so much more than a spring time theme.

Everywhere I go these days I see reminders of this glorious season. Just this week my dear Momma expressed joy at the beauty of creation while we were on a drive near where we live.; "Oh, look at the trees she exclaimed! The colors are so beautiful, it's as if God created them just for us to see!" With heartfelt glee we giggled like school girls at the glorious view before us. It was as though God knew we were embracing his majesty at every turn.

Just a few weeks ago the trees were bare of colorful leaves and floral displays. I waited with anticipation of the amazing views to come. Pansies, and rows of lovely tulips march along the borders of nearby places we pass every day. Funny how we can take for granted these glimpses of heaven unless our hearts are able to slow down and take it all in. I am thankful to have grown up in a family which gave us opportunities to appreciate God's beautiful world.

On my news feed this morning visions of the cross on which my savior died, remind me once again of the passionate love of the father. To think of how he suffered to save us causes a great  deal of sadness in my heart...but knowing the cross was only the beginning makes me bow with gratitude, at so great a cost paid for all who accept him as savior. Can there be a greater love?

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him might not parish but have everlasting life. John 3:16. Oh what a sacrifice, a price paid in full by the keeper of our hearts...Jesus! Pause today and take in the words of this verse as you prepare for Easter. The maker of the universe loved us enough to die for our sins. We can be assured of our salvation once we have bowed down and accepted his authority over our lives. Repenting is only the beginning of a life well lived.

Spring without a garden...a new way of life for me...

I bought some lovely pansies today outside the grocery store at our local supermarket. They stood smiling from a display out in front of the store, beckoning me to linger and enjoy signs of Spring. I bent over to choose a few for our patio pots. Like tiny faces they stood up with ruffled petals as if to greet each passer by. This year it seemed strange not to hurry home to pull out my shovels and get busy. For you see I no longer live in a home with a garden. Instead the apartment home where I live provides a carefully groomed array of plantings which the hired gardeners care for.

The truths behind starting over seemed easy to grasp until the warm weather offered me an invitation to enjoy the outdoors after a busy winter season of packing up my life to move back home to Virginia. My garden was a work of the heart! Each row was carefully planned and drawn out on graft paper lest I forget where I planted each newly purchased plant. I started with small trees, roses and bulbs, along with many shared plants from my husbands childhood home.

Dan and I spent many long hours hauling soil and peat moss to each bed and worked the soil until we were able to plant each area with love. Or should I say hard work! For you see, the ground which surrounded our home was filled with buckets of small rocks and even an occasional bit of left over nails and building supplies which were left behind. Often the work was exhausting but I kept my eye on the prize, all the while knowing my efforts would provide a lovely place of solace for years to come.

And so it did. Many mornings I would tip toe barefoot along the grassy paths with delight in search of just a bit of tiny growth at the end of a long winter season. Each  green leaf and flowering bulb greeted my winter weary soul with a reminder that all things have a cycle of life. Flowers are the reward of a gardeners long hours of toil. Like anything worthwhile the effort is in the end result.
Life is good and life goes on...a garden is a reminder of the cycle of life we live upon this earth.

From dusk until dawn I lingered in my little paradise called home. In my heart I know one day I just might have the opportunity to plant another lovely plot of happiness in a garden, but for now the memories cause my heart to smile. How thankful I am to have been given a glimpse into my idea of what heaven will be like. Until then I will seek to plant seeds of hope faith, and love into the lives of those I am called to minister to daily. Praying for the fruits of the spirit to cause their hearts to produce a harvest of love in the lives of others along this road we call life.

The joy of loving others...gifts to treasure!

It's been a while since my creative side has emerged in terms of sharing on my blog. Business and the simple joys of moving home to be near my family in Virginia have been the object of my time well spent. Not a day goes by without a smile in my heart at the mere joy of being able to hug those I love so dearly! Truly I have been given a key to the door of hope so longed for and finally realized at last.

Life can be a season of joys and sorrows. In fact the truth is, we are faced with situations in which we can either find hope in the one who created us, or we seek to find it in other ways. Sometimes we truly do have to lose our lives to gain the simple childlike joy in which we see daily gifts of renewal sent from the father above to our hopeful hearts here on earth.

The good news is...we do not travel this road called life alone! My news feed is alive with news from friends and family as well as devotionals, bible verses, words of encouragement and pictures of the sweetest kind daily. Just last evening I received encouragement from a friend who loves my grandson and cares about his safety as if he were her own. True friendship goes above and beyond the normal limits we consider to be important.

This week I was thankful for prayers lifted up for my youngest brother Jon, who is very ill and hospitalized in Mississippi as I write. His faith and dependence on God are evident as he rests on the promises of healing to come. God is teaching us many ways in which a servant heart reaches out another in times of need. Friends are friends forever...there is even a song written about the very essence of this gift.

I received a card many years ago from a dear friend of a lifetime; whom, without her love and listening ear I may not have grown to understand the deep love and devotion I seek to share today:

  Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down,
 one can help the other up.
But pity the one who falls
  and has no one to help them up. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.

Thinking about the gifts of a snowy day

The snowflakes are gently falling on the tiny garden outside my building...there is a feeling of utter peace as I ponder the miracle of God's creation! I recall hearing that each flake is unique in nature and as I watch the dance of white snowy flakes I am called to wait and see what lies ahead. A holy hush  has fallen over the earth. I wonder if others take the time to hear it? Posts are popping up on my newsfeed concerning the much needed bread and milk and other necessities which we need to get by until it's over.

Do we really take time to pause and enjoy the view? Maybe we should take the time to see the gift. Snow is a perfect analogy for the whiteness of our garments once God washes us free from sin. We are then set apart for our calling to become as he is. Holy in all ways...a hope is instilled within our souls as we ponder his grace. Grace which the songs proclaim is whiter than snow. Oh such peace is ours as a result of accepting His grace and forgiveness.


My hope is in the one who created my life to be a light for other souls to see, will grant you hope as the journey of life takes you forward each day towards the life giving salvation he has offered us, if we just trust I his love. Are you washed in the blood? In the soul saving blood of the lamb? Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow, are you washed in the blood of the lamb?


May the gentle fall of snowflakes find us seeking to grasp the tenderness of our God who loves us so much he would offer his son in our place. Oh the gracious love of God! Each snowflake is unique, just as the life he has given us along the road before us. We are only a  breath away from the place we call heaven. In the meantime may we rejoice in the day of snow and gives thanks to the father of life who made us all for times such as this.

Yet another journey on this road we call life. Sometimes the change can be good for the soul.

My husband was a handsome man full of love for his family and devoted to a life well spent. We moved many times together, packing up our life to follow the orders from the United States Navy. I knew when we married we were destined for  life full of change.
Having grown up a Navy brat, I took to the idea of traveling to new places with a sense of fun and adventure!  Knowing we would be together as a family come what may, gave my heart a sense of peace in knowing  he would always be there for us to provide for us and protect our lives. It wasn't easy to pack up and move so often, but I loved my husband and wanted to be with him.

Years later I took to the task of moving every few years with Dan as a matter of necessity due to his military service. It never occurred to me to savor the years we had together until sickness claimed his life at the age of 67. We had many plans ahead of us, yet when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, everything came to a stop. Shock and disbelief followed us every moment as he bravely underwent chemo and a stem cell transplant soon after being diagnosed.


Many trips to Philadelphia became necessary in order that he might seek treatment for a painful and very aggressive cancer. The University of Pennsylvania was the chosen place for much of his medical treatment, so we spent a lot of our time traveling back and forth from New Jersey. Life was centered on finding a cure for the disease which in just three years would claim his life. He told me he was ready to be with Jesus when the days became difficult and he was bedridden. Even so, he wanted to be near his family whom he cherished.


So here I am just a year after Dan when to heaven, planning a move on my own. At first the thought of doing so seemed overwhelming to me. I had never been the one in charge of such a big decision, having had my husband to do the planning while I did the necessary preparations required of me in the past. I knew he would take charge of the "big stuff" and I would follow his lead. So after much prayer, I set out to find a new place for my Mother and I to live near my children in Virginia.


A lovely apartment would fill the needs of both myself and my sweet Momma. A few changes in furnishings will be necessary; thankfully our children are willing to help us by giving some items a home with them. So it is with joy I prepare for another big life change! Just a few weeks to go and we will watch as the movers load our belongings and carefully place our memories on the truck and drive them to Virginia. God knows the desires of our hearts. Closer to home each day as life leads and guides us by the grace of God to new beginnings. One day at a time sweet Jesus!

Rediscovering my inner diva is a work in progress...how I found the joy in cooking again.

It started out as a simple lunch idea with quite a hint from my dear roommate, aka: Momma. Her next to the last day of radiation treatments for breast cancer found me willing to step up to the stove and find a way to nourish her worn out soul. She took over the meal planning several years back when we invited her to live with us after the death of my Daddy. I welcomed a delicious change in menus as you see, she is a fabulous cook! My childhood recollections and visits home after marriage proved one thing true: She is a master with a stove!



It was a bit of a transition for me from meat loafs and mashed potatoes to chicken and dumplings with fried okra, but to be honest my waistband can attest to the amount of fussing I made over letting go of the day to day preparations and cleaning up after the meal was finished. You see, it was my chore to do the dishes most nights after our family of five finished eating while I was growing up. Since both of my parents came from farm living cooks, it simply would not be right to exist on boxed macaroni! Not with a hungry family to feed.


Her hints at each meal fell on deaf ears for several months until one day she left some frozen chicken on the counter for me to fix while she was at her radiation appointment. Truth be told I simply did not feel like cooking but the all knowing look of love on her beautiful face won me over! After a year of grieving for my husband my heart realized joy in the simple desire to fix something delicious to share with my Mother. It occurred to me that she was teaching me once again to take yet another step toward  the of healing my soul after the loss of my husband and his brother within a 12 month span of time.


I found myself humming while I chopped up the salad fixin's and made the decision to combine mayonnaise with sour cream for a tart but delicious mixture for the fruit. Then I simply opened an already prepared frozen chicken dinner and warmed it up in a skillet! I can hear my cooking friends gasp as I type, but truth is I have kind'a lost my touch as a cook. My efforts were enjoyed by my dear Momma. She know I prepared the meal with hands of love. Just seeing the smile on her lovely face filled my heart with joy.


Sharing our love truly is a matter of the heart. Every little act of kindness flows from a grateful spirit. At times I find myself desiring to reach out and boldly hold on to the hearts of those who need to be loved and nourished with the hope only found in the scriptures. We are never alone!
The bible speaks of friendship in this verse found in Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10; Two are better than one, because they have  good return for their labor; if one falls down, the other can help the other up. But pity the one who falls down and has no one to help them up. Find hope in these promises friends. For because of Jesus great love for us, we are truly provided for.