Flowering

.

(graphic from Holy Experience)

Contentment is the soil.

Faith is the seed.

Humility is the sunshine.

Remembrance is the rain.

Gratitude is the flower.

231.

(glowing gloved hands of daughter and her classmates)

Creativity and precision

in a black light performance,

working together as a group of pre-teens

to express the truths of an amazing song.

It brought tears to our eyes

as the Holy Spirit touched us.

In darkness, truth shines more brightly.

232.

(taken by my daughter and her friend)

Two girls

hunt for true treasure in the neighborhood

and collect beauties on digital film.

What a blessing to see them

wonder at God's creation

and seek out its glory.

After, they made a slideshow of their pics

on the computer, complete with Christian music.

233.

Seeing a timely message and promise

on an old, rusting railroad bridge,

at the spot where we spread the ashes of my father-in-law

the day before my mother-in-law pledged her life

to her new husband.

234.

(from mother-in-law's wedding)

Seeing God's faithfulness and love

to a widow and a gentleman who never married

as they join lives in their later years.

235.

(our Independence Day cake)

Inspired by a library book read by my younger son,

three kids and a momma

bustled in the kitchen

and created a hamburger cake

just for fun.

236.

(taken at The Holy Land Experience)

Cheering my older son onward and upward

as he again and again tackles this mountain.

My heart is touched,

thinking about what great mountainous challenges he has climbed

and conquered, by God's grace,

in real life.

237.

(taken at Sea World)

Wow. Amazing shows

that display how God's creatures

who share the same Creator,

can connect and share each other's world,

as man and animals partner together.

238.

(a sea horse at Sea World)

May the glory

of the Lord

endure for ever,

may the Lord

rejoice

in His works.

~Psalm 104:31

239.

(a pearl is found in the oyster my younger son chose at Sea World)

A tiny grain of sand finds it way past the hard, rugged shell of the oyster.

It slips past the hardened exterior through an imperceptibly small opening

to lodge in the soft flesh within.

A constant irritant, a persistent annoyance, an unwanted burden,

it simply rests there

as the oyster responds by working upon that little orb,

covering it as it seeks to protect itself from this foreign invader

with layer upon layer of the same substance used to create its ugly shell

until eventually,

after time passes,

the bit of sandstone becomes a beautiful, smooth, shiny pearl

of great value.

What a parable of one facet of God's holy work in our lives.

240.

Hearing my husband share his life stories with us

as we visit the house in which he grew up,

the little trees his mother planted now hardy and grown up,

a boy now grown into a strong and mature man,

raising young saplings to reach towards Heaven.

.