Faith and Work

In June Tacy and I attended a Praise Breakfast sponsored by Scenic City Women's Network, a Christian organization that offers a variety of activities for fellowship among Christian working women.
Our speaker was Bonnie Wurzbacher, Senior Vice President at the Coca-Cola Company. She gave an excellent presentation. Her comments are worth sharing with you.

5 Life Lessons

1. Identify your calling. Use your strengths.

2. Recognize and trust God's hand in your life.

3. Choose your life partner wisely - let the LORD lead you.

4. Understand the theology of work.

5. Understand that there is no sacred/secular split but Jesus knows me,
this I love!
It was a wonderful time of fellowship, complete with James Ward leading the music.
What a nice way to start the morning!

Squishing the Grapes

My daughter and I cooked the muscadine grapes we harvested from our backyard arbor last week. We added lots of sugar, then boiled, squished and strained the juice, added pectin and sealed the jelly in little jars to give away as gifts.
It was the first time we had canned together, but hopefully not the last!

Families Celebrating Together

My daughter, Tacy and granddaughter, Molly Jane came to visit from Annapolis last week. Besides the normal summer fun of cooking on the grill, swimming and boating, we had another purpose we shared...to celebrate the graduation of a dear friend(almost family)and put on a graduation party for her!
Planning, shopping and anticipating the joy of hosting a party that brought together Ana Maria's family from many different cities to rejoice over the completion of many years of diligent study was marvelous. Philippines, Canada, Chile and Dominican Republic were all represented in this assembly. We were stangers, yet we gathered in our festively decorated dining room, around a bountiful table of delicious food prepared by us and a dear friend that lives near by. Holding hands and bowing to thank our Heavenly Father for this wonder-filled occasion was a tiny glimpse of Paradise.
"All the ends of the world
Shall remember and turn to the LORD,
And all the families of the nations
Shall worship before You."
Psalm 22:27

Land of the Loons

The haunting call of the loons on Clark Lake in northern Minnesota woke me up Monday morning. Enchanting songs of praise to our Heavenly Father were a welcome sound to this transplanted Southern girl's ears!
As I read Psalm 104, I rejoiced with the writer at God's magnificent handiwork!
"The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches."
I also am humbled to return to the friendship of my dear friends, enjoying our annual retreat to catch up and become renewed through the laughter and the love.

Golden Friendships

In my Brownie troop, many years ago, we learned the song
"Make new friends but keep the old
One is silver and the other is gold."
This was a weekend of celebrating old friendships and celebrating the marvelous answers to prayer in their lives.
First on Saturday, we toasted Ruth and (Ben)Barlow Jacobs' new marriage with a lovely summer supper by the Mutters' pool. Ben's family shared the driveway with us, our two families went to the same church and school;how we missed them when they moved away!
Sunday night the Rainsfords came over to our house for another summer supper with lots of yummy vegetables. This time we were celebrating Guy's quick recovery from brain surgery only a month before and that the tumor was NOT cancer!Which was the same result after Barlow's surgery on his ear last year. Life is hard, but God is good.
We rejoice with each of them that God has strengthened us through the trials and
"...that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."
Colossians 4:12

More Than 8 Cousins

Blessings without number is the phrase that comes to mind after returning from a family reunion at Lakeside Community near Marblehead on Lake Erie. My cousin, Carmen, who we nicknamed "Queen Mum" organized a delightful get together on the shores of the most shallow of the Great Lakes at a place with old time cottages that made you feel like you dropped into an old "Leave It to Beaver" episode on T.V.!
A family group arrived from Tennessee just hours after the crew from Minnesota and Wisconsin pulled in to the old railroad station. We had a worship service, meal and some riotous games that had everyone cheering and laughing!
During the 3 days together we square danced, played shuffle board and miniature golf, climbed up Marblehead Lighthouse, also went sailing and swimming in warm Lake Erie. We rode a ferry over to Kelley's Island, visited the astounding Glacier Grooves (stone carved by ice) and ate WALLEYE for lunch!!!
Sitting around a campfire on the shore, eating s'mores and singing with a guitar all together were very memorable. It was hard to say good-bye so cousin Bill's wife, Marie, said instead we should say,"Until next time" because we have the promise of heaven and seeing each other again if not next year then over there.

Water's Edge

Henry and I have been enchanted with time away from T.V., telephones, and computers as we sit by the water's edge and watch the Tennessee River flow by our cottage.

A very simple truth has been refreshed in my spirit through this time away.

"Jesus knows me

this I love".

In so many ways, over and over again, I have felt known and provided for by the Creator of the galaxies and many universes.

The 1st chapter of Jeremiah reminds us that before we were born, He knew us!

"And Jesus said,
"Come to the water
stand by my side
I know you are thirsty
You won't be denied
I saw every teardrop
When in darkness you cried
And I strove to remind you
That for those tears I died."