Sunday Rest

Sunday's rest is always welcomed
after a trip. I got back home at
2:00 a.m. on Friday or should I say
Saturday morning. Back from Tenn.
and a conference that was excellent.
Last conference of the summer for me.
Rest is need on this day. I am thankful
for what God said to do today: REST!

Be - ing Thankful

We could
see St. Francis
through the
garden gate of
this shop as
we passed. He
brought a sense

of beauty to the day. We were up in Highlands,
NC to celebrate my mother in law's 75th birthday.
I'm thankful for her health and fun we had.

I head out tomorrow again to this conference in
Franklin, Tenn. You can get a streamline of the
conference fairly inexpensively. It stays on your
computer for a couple of months. I need to find
out if I can get what I miss while I'm there.
What a world we live in. Too much and not enough
time.You can't be in two places at once!
The best thing about a conference are the
people and being there.

My "least one" ( borrowed term from Melissa)
turns 13 on Saturday.
She has seemed older for so long and
looks older. Maybe she is fitting right
into more of her age! I'm thankful for
my children and one wife and the wives
to come!

Gordan found a used bookshop called
Shakespeare and Co. It was delightful.
Great taste in books in a small yellow
cottage nestled behind the main street.
He wiped them out of Umberto Eco and
I found some Wendell Berry and great
children's books to give as gifts. I am
thankful for that local find.

32 Years

Evan, Ken and
Gordan.
Alaska.
Denali National
Park

Our anniversary today!
I've known him for 37 years.
That is getting to sound like alot
of years. It sounds old!
Young at heart . I still remember the
first time I saw him. I knew then that
I would marry him.

Watching for Idols

And that does not mean American Idol!!
It is the ones in our hearts. Lots of them.
That was the discussion at Book Club.
I highly recommend Tim Keller's book
Counterfeit Gods. It was a reread for me
and I think better the second time. His genius
is getting to the heart of the matter. He gets
down to the bottom layers.

I can count on my dear friend Podso to
do a lovely blog on our time. That is my
grandmother's china!

Leaving on a long weekend to the mountains
tomorrow as the heat arrives. Maybe it doesn't
like heights!

Record Number for Book Club tomorrow

I remember hearing Tim Keller say
in a sermon that when he preached
about the Seven Deadly Sins, his wife
said : noone will show up for Greed.

Well, we have two full tables for a
Brunch Tea in the morning for our
Book Club. The book is about idols.
Imagine that bringing out the numbers!

It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.” (xvii)

Giving Thanks in Summer

Ken in
Alaska in
June....
snow!







We have had a gorgeous holiday weekend with
humidity down and clear skies. This
Monday I am cultivating gratitude.
It is one that stirs the mind. What are
you thankful for? You have to cultivate
gratitude , deep gratitude. It helps with
balance and gives hope.

I am thankful for my sister and her family
( minus her med. school son!) who came for
Brad's graduation from the Police Academy.
You know, family that gets up early , spends
several hours in the car to COME celebrate
this times with you. You know also when
it all works out with work, days , schedules.
But then to get up early and come.
We were blessed. Her son brought us some
beautiful photos blown up of Mt. McKinley.
He got to Alaska a week early and then spent
the rest of the time with Ken, Evan, and Gordan.
We are thankful . He's a good photographer.

I am thankful for the training my son had.
It was very hard: pepper spray, tazered, self
defense that included being in fights, test after
test BUT all to a very covenantal ceremony of
swearing on a Bible to uphold the US and State
Constitution. Those guys stick
together which is alot different than corporate life!

I am thankful for my youngest brother.
He is the baby of 8 children.
He takes care of this older sister.
Hip replacement in August.
Yes, the other hip.
The way the Lord is bringing healing
from osteoarthritis in that joint.

I am thankful for my neighbor who let
us pick blueberries, blackberries and
beans this morning. Abundance of
a crop means sharing.

I'm thankful for snow in June somewhere
in the world. Definitely in Alaska.

Do you know what day it is?

It was a grand celebration this
morning of our son from the Police
Academy. He goes to work tomorrow!
After some family came into town
for this, I wondered WHAT DAY it is?
Then I remembered it is FRIDAY!!
The weekend is ahead.

Happy 4th!




Childe Hassam, 1916