.
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.
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.
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.
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.
.
