I love waves. They crash and I feel my heart flutter with anxiety about how high they will crest or if the water will come up enough to soak my feet. When the water safely recedes, I calm down expecting that again the waves will come and bring uncertainty. Waves have a rhythm so I know they will alternately excite me and challenge me. Something unseen is pushing the waves and I love the anticipation of what will come.

I wonder why it is that family waves are less exciting. As a young Mom with two little girls and a husband that traveled, waves came looking like laundry baskets full of dirty clothes to wash, too tired kids who couldn’t settle down for bed, bills we barely paid, meals to prepare when I wasn’t hungry and car repairs. Waves now look more like health issues, decisions about retirement, business decisions, travel decisions and how much is too much gardening. These waves of daily existence don’t seem to bring the same anticipation even though, they too are pushed by the unseen.

Possibly, it is the diversity of the many possibilities that daily life waves bring. Life can be creative. Just when you think you have down the best way to decide ahead of time about an ER trip with kids, you are hit with a new wave. And you didn’t see it coming!!!!

When I watch waves, I like to take a deep breath and hold it until the wave crests. Then I breath out the anxiety rides the wave back out to sea. Try using deep breathing when waves hit you in your family. Breath in the “unseen” and breath out to face the next wave.

Remember the unseen is a greater part of life than the seen.

Blessings on your day.

This is a tiger swallowtail butterfly. I spent hours with my little Identification book and that’s what I decided. If you know better, let me know.It’s such a beautiful butterfly, it reminds me of the grace and beauty of my mother. Mom was what society called “a lady”. As I grew up I had no idea what that meant. Did it means dresses and panty hose at all functions? Does being a lady mean politeness? Well, I wasn’t sure then and I’m still unsure.

For me, some descriptive words like “lady” are so subjective. Being a lady might be a sexist term to some. It isn’t a behavior term. Being a lady is more about service. Not that baking pies for the potluck is being a lady, more that seeing the potluck as a gift to lonely people and inviting those who have nothing to bring.

Recently I tried to get some silver place settings from my Grandmothers appraised for insurance. The guy actually laughed at me. He said, “Lady, nobody uses that stuff. Melt it down and figure out how much it’s worth.” I was being a lady when I saw the bigger picture. Of course, behavior wise I didn’t hit him either!!! I went right home and polished the silver for my Grandmas and for any use they might get or just because I could care for something. Maybe that’s the real definition of “lady” –someone who cares enough to try.

Here’s a little fellow that always makes me smile. This is a humming bird. He is so little it is hard to get perspective in this picture. But doesn’t he just look like he is in heaven.

Grand parenting seems easier to me in the summer. If I do see the kids it is around fun and time together. The school year seems fraught with holiday dos and don’ts and teams and lessons. There is an intensity to all those activities from Aug. to May.

When I was with the kids this summer, it was great. They climbed into bed with me in the morning. We added number three to grandma’s bed. “Me, too” is about to turn three. Although with two older siblings and being a girl I forget she’s not already three. My oldest grand son turns 8 this month.

Perhaps the most important celebration is on the 29th of Aug. It is the anniversary of the death of little Kenna, my granddaughter. It’s a quiet day for me. I have already said “no” to 3 invitations for the day. I’ll call my daughter and I’ll sit in the sun and hope that Kenna and my Mom are going on magic walks. Mom can teach Kenna about fairy paintbrushes and sing songs.

There I am just humming along buying birthday surprises and then it hits me. One of my darlings is missing. I am so glad she is with God.

This is Sweet William. It is so beautiful in it’s clusters of blooms. They come out so perfect and then the color starts to fade in each cluster and the individual blooms drop.

This reminds me of families. We are more beautiful when we cluster. Alone things start to fade. In a cluster we show a beauty that is God’s gift to the world.

As my husband and I learn to live without our kids and grandkids nearby, we recognize that we are still family. The world wants to define family as adults and children, but a widow who lives alone is family as are my husband and I. Families need to self define.

As you think of your sweet family, consider how it will change. It will always be family if you choose to call it such. Maybe that is what God meant by “family of God”.

There was a little turtle that lived in a box
He swam in the water and he swam in the rocks
He snapped at a mosquito
He snapped at a flea
He snapped at a minnow
And he snapped at me.

He caught the mosquito
He caught the flea.
He caught the minnow.
But he didn’t catch me!
Author unknown

Okay I remember this from childhood and you may know different words. Or you may just have a better memory. Either way I have learned to love box turtles. I love the fact that at the slightest worry, they just pull everything into the box and ignore life.

In today’s worried world, many are pulling their heads into the box. They are being lead by fear and uncertainty. It is hard in economic times to keep peak our heads out and take a risk. In your families try this activity to help keep some of the daily fear away.

Draw one picture together. Each person puts a family blessing into the picture. Take turns telling each other describing the blessings. Post the blessing on the inside of the doorway to your house. Each time you leave or return to your house, touch the picture and say, “Bless my family.” Big kids need to be good examples for younger family members.

Keep sticking your head out of that box and take a risk like the little box turtle. Keep snapping at the world and know that you have blessings if you only remember them.

Blogging is like journaling into a black hole. I love to write. Not so sure about blogging, yet. Perhaps it is the absolutely no interaction between writer and reader. The topics that I blog about are visual so maybe that’s the problem.

So we are looking through a new lens. Once a month I will do a video that visually says what I need to say. Once a week I’ll write as usual. Several times a year we’ll try a book study together. Maybe the issue isn’t the blogging. Maybe the issue is the frame around the blogging.

As you enter into a new season in the life of the church and the life of nature, look at this picture and think that sometimes when we change the frame, we change the scenery. And when we change we can see farther into new horizons.

Blessings,
The Faith Gardener

I don’t have many friends. Saying that in a world where one email makes people think they are friends forever is very dangerous. This week my daughter will be married and my best friend is coming for a week to celebrate, help and share in the joy.

I know it’s old fashioned to have one good friend. What about facebook and all those faceless people who read this blog. But friendship to me comes as a gift from God when experiences are shared. You know someone will be a friend almost immediately. The Celts called this spiritual friendship. Friends of the heart.

When relationships are whole is it one way that we understand God’s holiness better. So while I am negotiating the dangerous waters of family and life events, with me will be my friend.

Thank God for friends!

This pictures is a close up of the summer section of The Seasons of Faith Labyrinth. I love the idea of the blooms of our faith crossing with everyday life. I shopped last weekend at a “big box store” and was surrounded by crabby people. I mean seriously frowny, crabby people who were unhappy.

But I was happy. With my daughter’s wedding in two weeks, my hubby and I were doing some stock up. This happens when the grandkids and other guests are coming for an extended time. When it is just the two of us, well if we’re down to one roll of toilet paper, we go buy a package. But that doesn’t work with 10 people in the house.

So back to the store. 2 feet into the store, decided I would smile the entire time I was shopping. Yes, even when the store is out of what I need. Wowsa! It was like smiling through a frown land mine. In my little experiment, it was the cashier as I left that gave me the first smile. And he was getting paid to smile!!!!

Faith crossing life. The inner peace that God brings going on a trek into the world. It’s hard, but when we do it the reward may be a long time coming but when it comes in the smile of another one of God’s people, it is worth the effort.

Have you smiled today?

Ten years ago I was serving at a wonderful church. The Education committee worked hard with a visual and words to show what they felt was the core value of their mission in education. The words said, “the fruit of the tree is the faith of the children.” I love those words.

This is a plum tree is almost full bud. Just one of the developmental stages of getting to the fruit of the tree. And tonight there is supposed to be a late frost and the the buds may die and we may not get any fruit. This happens in nature.

This also happens when we are working in faith formation in our families. Sometimes there is an unexpected situation that stops faith from going forward. Maybe a child that is bullied and has trouble getting past the issue. Or maybe extreme anger that stops everything. But faith growth isn’t stopping forever. Even if these buds freeze, they will grow leaves which will keep the cycle of life moving ahead. Maybe even this season we will have some fruit because buds we cannot see will not freeze. One year we had one pear and it was so sweet.

It hard when we get hit unexpectedly with fear. But remember, the cycle of faith formation tells us that we will move forward even when we cannot see growth. God is with you in the fruit of faith that grows from your experiences and relationships in the gift of family. Blessings on your journey.

Do you like rhubarb? Well it’s here even if the flowers have yet to arrive. These little nubs grow into big leaves and some people just love the stuff. I inherited this rhubarb. It was here when we moved into the house. I keep giving it away.

One Pastor friend makes rhubarb wine. My daughter makes rhubarb crisp or strawberry rhubarb pie. Another friend makes rhubarb sauce that has so much sugar in it I get a sugar rush watching her make it. What I really like about rhubarb is GIVING IT AWAY.

Do you think it counts as good stewardship from my abundance if I give away all the rhubarb? Hmmm…..