Do you have trouble finding somewhere to be alone? It seems to me that as the world gets bigger and faster, more and more of it is being taken up with ‘progress’. While it seems difficult to find, there are plenty of places in the world where you can still be the only living soul around. Not so sure I’d like that. ( Well, maybe on an island in the South Pacific ) . Those pictured here have gone to extreme lengths to find this solo experience.

I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least – and it is commonly more than that – sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements. ~Henry David Thoreau

We live in a very tense society. We are pulled apart… and we all need to learn how to pull ourselves together…. I think that at least part of the answer lies in solitude. ~Helen Hayes

No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength. ~Jack Kerouac

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion. ~Henry David Thoreau

I don’t think this one actually qualifies, do you? His best friend is along for his walk. However, your best friend does tend to know when you need silence.

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Hope you find your own quiet spot…and, don’t stand so close to the edge! It makes me nervous!

You were loved. You are loved. You will be loved forever.

In June of 2007, Joy, Mom and I took a trip together…for shopping…and eating….and laughing. We went to Birmingham first and had lunch with Ian, shopped, and spent the night there, and travelled on to Atlanta the next day. While there we visited the Market in the morning and then did some more shopping in Roswell in the afternoon. There are some great shops there, and we quickly found much that suited our fancy. We went in one shop…and I saw a beautiful hand mirror, next thing I know, Mom had bought it for me! It is one of my most favorite things. While shopping in this beautiful store, which, by the way, had a very cute baby section, Mom found a little brown rocking bunny. It really caught her eye. It had an antique look about it. She was sold! I asked her who she was buying it for…and she said she’d explain it later. Across the street, in another shop, Joy found a most beautiful theorem stencil painting. If you are not sure what that is…just know it is a very, very old and complicated way of doing stencil work. The painting was, of all things, a red bird. So, Mom bought that for Joy.

When we got to the motel and changed clothes…we brought out all our goodies! Such fun! We put on all the jewelry we had bought at Market. And, we again admired my mirror, Joy’s painting, and the bunny. Here, Joy is looking at her painting…

I showed off my jewelry and my mirror…Yes, the mirror does say ‘Queen’…..and, yes, those are crowns and scepters on my night shirt. I can’t imagine you’d think it would be anything less! 🙂 Why, even Mama knew it! 🙂

Then Mom pulled out the bunny…

Now even though this antique style bunny and chick was very cute…it really was not Mom’s style. But, she was captivated by it. And, then she told us why she bought it. “This,” she said, “is for Tara’s first baby. I am going to put it up and keep it until then.” “Awwwww,” Joy and I said. And we never thought about it again.

THEN, after Mom died, and Joy and I were going through some of her things…we found the bunny. He was wrapped in tissue paper and safely resting in the bottom drawer of a dresser…right next to 5 brand new packages of Pop’s brand of underwear. She liked to be prepared. Thinking ahead. Always ready.

Joy took it home with her…which was the wrong thing to do. Tara had her baby shower…and Joy could not find the bunny. Tara had sweet JT…and Joy couldn’t find the bunny. Christmas Day rolled around…and Joy couldn’t find the bunny. EASTER!!! EASTER came …AND JOY COULD NOT FIND THE BUNNY. Mother’s Day…and Joy could not find the bunny. I told her not to worry…we’d just give it to JT when he graduated from HIGH SCHOOL!!!

AND, THEN…she found it. We made big plans to present it to her while we were at Pop’s for Father’s Day lunch. I brought the picture, and on the way over, I called Joy to make sure she had the bunny…SHE DID NOT! She had forgotten it. “I’ll get it here,” she said. And, I knew Tommy was going to have to head back to their house to get the bunny. It was not where Joy told him it was…she had to direct him, over the phone, where to look for it. But, he got it…the plan was a go! We gathered everyone, and gave the package to Tara…

Tara opened it, and then I showed her the pic…

And here she is…with tears in her eyes…remembering her Granny, and knowing that her Granny had made plans for her years ago, before she was even thinking of having a baby. Mom knew Tara was pregnant with a boy before she died, but she never saw him…that we know of. Who knows what wonderful things God does for those who choose to live with him after this life?

Mom knew that Tara would like the bunny, but why did she buy that gift, that far in advance and make such a point of letting us know about it? And, why did I pull out the camera that night and make pictures of us in our pajamas!? I think it was all one of those co-incidences….that really aren’t. I prefer to think they are just little winks from God. And, somehow I hope Mom saw how touched Tara was…all of us, actually. Here, Joy is telling Pop the story of the bunny.

And, just “one more thing” said JT…..

“Be sure you show everyone how cute I was that day!”

And, you surely are, sweet boy! One day, I hope you pass this sweet bunny on to your first child. And, tell the story once again of “Granny and the Bunny.”

FYI: The wonderful store in Roswell is called The Chandlery……and there is a great primitive country store across the street called The American Sampler (I think). They are located on Canton Street in the historic downtown area.

Today…hot, painful, weary. [It is not today…it was yesterday…but I did not get this post finished…please just work all the details out in your mind…just remember it is yesterday…and today is tomorrow…..and I’m sure it is all as clear as mud. Welcome to my world]

I had a Dr. appointment this morning. I do not mind going to the doctor, but what I do mind is that I always have to have blood drawn. Always. Today was no exception.

Let me just say, that it is not the lab tech’s fault, but it is nigh unto impossible to get any blood out of my arms. They look at my veins and think they see good ones, but they roll and blow, and another stick follows. They always have to get at least 4 vials. …which I think is somewhere close to a half gallon, at least! I refuse to even let them come near me with anything but a ‘butterfly’ type needle…even though the new techs will try to use what they are most comfortable with…to heck with what I am the most comfortable with! “Nope, not gonna happen”, I tell them. There is only a slim chance that they are going to get some with a butterfly….and there is NO chance they are going to get some with a regular needle. And, since I am not into pain…we do it my way. I usually has to come from my hands…and even once from my ankle!

One time there was a tech who thought she knew how to stick me. I gave her my spiel and she said, “Oh, but you’ve never had ME draw your blood before…I get it the first time…everytime.” “Great,” I tell her, “I’ll give you one chance with a regular needle.” “No problem”, she said. She looked again and remarked what wonderful veins I had. HA! I was willing to put up with some extra pain just to prove her wrong. She stuck me…up near the crook of my arm. Sure enough, that vein high-tailed it out of there in a flash. “Well, where did that thing go?” she said. “You need to be still now, you made me lose that vein.” Now, we have already established that I don’t like pain, and I know how hard it is with a butterfly…so if you think I moved when she had a larger needle, you are badly mistaken. She embarked on a ‘search and destroy’ mission…and I gritted my teeth, and silently thought mean thoughts. “OK,” I told her, “that’s it. No more digging. You’ll have to try somewhere else and use a butterfly”. She looked up at me, sweat standing out on her top lip, and said, “IF you’ll cooperate, this will be over in a minute. I have never seen anybody complain like you before.” WRONG THING TO SAY TO ME! The other 2 techs who knew me, and who understood the situation, stood up and came over to my chair. That woman looked over her shoulder and said, “Don’t bother me.” All this time, she has been digging in my arm, and really, I’m about to make some noise that I’m sure would embarrass me later. But, the Lord gave me a coolness, and I looked at the tech standing closest to me, and said, “She may not want you to bother her, and that’s OK…cause I’m getting ready to scream and when I do every doctor in the building is going to come running and if they don’t, I’ll scream until they do.”

This made her very angry. She stood up…and yanked that needle out of my arm…yanked off her gloves….threw them down and left. Blood was pouring out of my arm and running down onto my clothes. The other 2 ladies hurried to help me. I was near passing out by now. They helped me out of the chair and over to a cot to lie down. I told them to go and get my doctor. They did…and obviously told him the whole story before he got there. He was appalled! I told him she could NEVER touch me again. I went home, with out them getting any blood. I came back in the next day for one of the other techs to draw the blood. The ‘tech from a hot place’ was nowhere to be seen, and I never saw her again.

That was years ago, and far away, but the memory lingers still. The ladies in the lab at my doctor’s office here know how hard it is, and they don’t even look at a larger needle. SO…I got 4 vials of blood drawn today. And, they had to get it out of my hand…and the vein blew, so I’ll have a nice blue hand by morning. (EDIT: It’s tomorrow and the hand is blue!)

You know, we are so fortunate to live in a country where there is medical help for any problem we may encounter. Someone can draw my blood today and send it to a lab and study it closely and send a report back to my doctor so that he know all sorts of things about my inner workings. My doctor had just returned from a medical mission trip to Guatemala with a team of doctors from this area. We talked about it for a while today…how we take for granted what we have because we have always had it. We do not know what it is to not be able to get to a doctor when we are sick. Even if we can not afford health care, there are clinics, and hospitals that will treat everyone regardless of their ability to pay. The people who live in other places in our world have to worry whether there is even a doctor nearby, by chance. And, if they can even get to them if there is! Oh, we are blessed. My parents have spent many, many days in Central and South America helping our Southern Baptist Missionaries. They have helped to build churches and homes. Pop helped build and set up a radio station that would serve a group of Kek’chi Indians that had never heard the gospel…or anything else! I can remember Mom telling about the time she had to be the pharmacist when she and one of the missionary wives went to a village to check on some sick. She was the only one available. And either she stepped in and did it…or it would not be done…..and the clinic would not happen that day. God always puts someone in place to do the things He needs done…how sad when those people are unwilling to do what is before them. If God chooses to use you…then He will equip you with whatever you need to get the job done. Those who give their lives in service to those in poor countries are some of the heroes we tend to forget about. The people who live there are as important to God as I am, here in the USA. He loves them just as much as He loves me. But, you and I both know, it is hard to hear anything else a person is telling you, if you are in pain. So, many times, missionaries are not able to witness of God’s love without first tending to the physical needs.

I have several friends who will be travelling to Guatemala in July with a group from another church. They will go and they will do what they can. They will do more than is asked of them. They will sacrifice their own comfort while they are there. And, they will do good, in Jesus’ name. But, they will have to come home. And, the missionaries will continue on by themselves , doing the work before them…and praying for more workers.

“Oh, Lord, make us mindful of the needs around the world. And, make us mindful, as well, of how blessed we really are.” Amen.

VBS…’Vacation” Bible School…vacation is sort of a misnomer. ‘Vacation’ for the kids…maybe…but not the teachers!!! I may sound as if I’m complaining, but really, I’m not at all. I love VBS and always have. However, this is the first year that we have had just a one day event. We started this morning at 8:00 and ended at 4:30. Whew! Now that was a long day! And, my little preschoolers did very well…up until the last hour. By then…they had had enough of this ‘vacation’ and they were ready to go home!

We started our morning with the pledges and songs. Then, we came to our classes. After a bit of getting aquainted, and songs and games…we had our first Bible story…Adam and Eve. Did you know that the first job that God gave Adam to do was to name the animals. It was Adam who decided what they should be called. ( How did he, the first person in the world, decide what to name each one. Where did he get the vocabulary and the knowledge that it would take to think of all those names?) Those are not preschool questions, I just wonder that myself. I suppose God instilled in him the knowledge he would need.

We then broke up into 3 groups and began our exploration of different things. Some of you may know this, but some may not. The way Baptist literature is written, learning takes place in every thing that is done while they are in your care. As the activities are done, the teachers are retelling the Bible story. They are directing the learning that is taking place through the activities.

The children made fishing poles. And when they caught the ‘fish’…they found characteristics of Jesus listed on each one. Playing and learning…they go together so well. Top pic…teacher, Monty Clark…Bottom picture…teachers…Deeya Herring and her teenage daughter and great teacher, as well, Victoria. And, April Cobb, standing. In these pictures, they are making puppets that look like themselves. We are learning that, “I am wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14. We all look different, and are all made special! Here are some beautiful faces showing off their work…precious souls.

Then we had a wonderful lunch, and because our bodies are ‘wonderfully made’, they need a little rest when they are tired……..and, so we rested……some of us.

We managed to stay prone for about 20 minutes, then we got up and began to MOVE!

Afterwards, we had second Bible story. We learned how Jesus took a little boy’s lunch, blessed it and used it to feed 5000 people. The children learned that that’s what we call a miracle. And, another miracle was that there were 12 baskets left over! After the story, we broke into small groups to continue our learning.

First pic shows, how the children decorated and cut out a shape in a slice of bread. Ummmmm, YUMMY! And, then the children worked on making their own puzzles. They were able to take these home and put them together there!

And posing with Mrs Tonja…the ranch hand!

A little outside play….and snacks….and sidewalk chalk. But, not too long…it was really hot outside!

And after another group time to review what we had learned today, it was time for them to gather their things and go home. You know, some of these children I will probably never see again. But, they were brought into the lives of we four teachers for 8 hours today. Some of them are from families that will never attend church. Some of them may never even have a chance to visit a church again for a long time, if ever. My deepest hope is that some of the words they heard today will stay safely tucked into their hearts until such time as God chooses to bring it to their mind again. If all we planted was the fact that church is a nice place to be, so be it. If all they remember is that the Bible is more precious than gold…..maybe it will encourage them to pick it up again in some motel room or hospital. It is not necessary to us teachers of children that we see the words and thoughts and scriptures we planted come to fruition….it is just our jobs to plant them. Along the way, some one else may water them, and God will allow them to bloom in His time. God bless the children who blessed us with their presence today.