A PERFECT DAY -- PART 1

My daughter picked me up after church today and even though I felt a little apprehensive about going anywhere other than for a short walk along the trail, I let her take me to the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.

It was such a beautiful day, and it was somewhere we had both wanted to visit. I didn't want to put a damper on our outing, but God was good, and I don't think I did.

Miraculously, He enabled me to walk with her around the outdoor Lego exhibit, the gardens, and even some of the indoor exhibits such as the miniatures in the gallery and the Glen Burnie House. A total of 3100 steps (probably more, because the step counter on my cell phone only counts when I'm holding it, and part of the time I wasn't). I did have to stop a few times when my back got stiff and achey, but after a few minutes of sitting on the seat of my rollator, I was able to get up and keep going. 

I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but today God granted me the gift of a relatively pain free day, which hasn't happened in so long I doubted it ever would again, and I got to spend it sharing some very special time with a very special daughter.

When we got home, several hours later, I even had enough energy left to make us a nice meal.

I am so glad I decided to trust God to make this happen, instead of listening to the fearful voices in my head trying to convince me not to go.

(These pictures are just from the Lego exhibit. The rest will follow soon.)

REPLACE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday 

Word prompt--REPLACE

Five minutes to free write about it 

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After what I thought was my third failed attempt to get lantana cuttings to grow on my balcony, I noticed a little bit of green in between all the dead leaves and stalks I was about to pull up.

I was so excited, I started planning a post for my other blog (At The Foot Of The Cross) entitled Finding Hope In Unexpected Places.

The next day, I was even more excited to see that not only were the green leaves still green, but there was a very strong lantana aroma, which is what attracts the butterflies and bees. 

It was a really hot day, and even though the soil was still moist, and there was rain forecast for later in the day, I watered it instead of trusting in God and nature to take care of it just as they were taking care of the lantana jungle growing outside the front door of my building.

Big mistake! It is now definitely dead. Though a little green still remains, that sweet aroma is gone, and the water pooling in the bottom of the dish under the pot is evidence I have drowned it. 

Now I need to replace the title of the post I had been composing in my head to something like Feeling Sad, or Slow Learner. 

It reminded me of another time in my life when the Lord wanted to bless me, but I tried to help Him along by manipulating circumstances and trying to rush ahead of His plan. As a result, I missed out on what I thought was going to be an amazing testimony. 

In the end it all worked out for good, and maybe the Lord allowed it to happen that way because He had a different, better outcome in mind, but I will never know for sure which way my life would have gone had I not tried to replace His timing with mine.

P.S. Five minutes is not long enough to elaborate, but it's all in my memoir, Sincerely Wrong.

MOMENT

This post was written for Five Minute Friday 

Word prompt--MOMENT

Five minutes to free write about it 

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The first thing I thought of when I saw this week's prompt was the old hymn, "Day by day, and with each passing moment." The tune and first couple of lines have since been on autoplay and I can't get them out of my mind. 

When I looked up the lyrics it turned out to be a very timely and encouraging message for me--and hopefully for at least one other person who reads this post.

The last few months have felt like a scary roller coaster ride full of ups and unexpected downs. Today, however, I choose to savor each moment rather than allow anxious thoughts about the future rob me of my present blessings.

Blessed moments of waking up to a brand new day with less pain than the day before, of having my prayer partner stop by for a live visit instead of our weekly Zoom, of finding a can of one of my favorite soups outside my door, of being delightedly surprised by the coolness of the day instead of the oppressive heat we've been having for the last few and that I've been trying to avoid, being able to take a short walk without my walker, and of being able to come back upstairs and open the windows to give the A/C a break.

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Day by day, and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

WATCH

This post was written for Five Minute Friday 

Word prompt--WATCH

Five minutes to free write about it 

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Several weeks ago I saw a small yellow butterfly flitting around my balcony. Ever since then I've been on the watch for more.

The packet of wildflower seeds I planted said the flowers would attract hummingbirds and butterflies but so far, except for that one small butterfly, I haven't even seen a bee.

Maybe I'm not watching at the right time, or more probably, the seeds have not yielded enough flowers to attract anything. And yet, that one butterfly gave me hope, so I keep watching throughout the day.

ALMOST LIKE OLD TIMES

With the help of a walker and a caring friend, I was able to walk from my parking lot all the way to the short end of the trail (4,205 steps round trip) for the first time in I don't know how long. Maybe a year?

It was a beautiful day, not too hot, and there were many squirrels and cardinals out enjoying it that I was not quick enough to capture... 

...but I did manage to get a shot of a very large black cat who my friend pointed out had been watching us for a while.

The end is in sight (or the beginning if that's where you're starting from). 

Before heading back we checked out the LOVEwork sculpture around the corner in front of the old train station, as well as the site of our town's bicentennial time capsule.

 

The L is made of wine bottle corks from all 35 wineries in Loudoun County.

A THIEF IN THE NIGHT

After a disappointing start to my efforts to grow wildflowers, some flowers started to bloom, and I was excited to see what this big bud would turn out to be. However, when I went out on the balcony to check on it a couple of days later, it was gone. Not dead or dried up, but gone without a trace.

If I hadn't taken this picture that proved it had been there, I would think maybe my mind was playing tricks on me and I had only imagined it. 

MILESTONE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday 

Word prompt--MILESTONE

Five minutes to free write about it 

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My first thought was that unless I live to be 90 or 100, there probably won't be any more milestones in my life until that major one when I go home to be with the Lord. 

I was going to skip the challlenge, but then readig some of the other posts helped me think outside the box.

Milestones don't have to be momentous events such as milestone birthdays, weddings, graduations, or the birth of a child. Finally being set free of an ugly habit after over three quarters of a century of unsuccessful attempts, or for the first time being able to complete a writing assignment that I'm painfully slow at in one day, or unexpectedly seeing new buds and flowers growing in the pots of wildflower seeds I had planted and given up on, are all milestones too. Even waking up to the gift of a new day is a milestone not to be taken for granted.

A TIMELY REMINDER

Over the years the Lord has used my plants to teach me many lessons--and sometimes just to encourage me and remind me to look up instead of around. And so it was in this season when the circumstances of my life were looking as impossible as the prospects of any wildflowers growing from the seeds I purchased in the spring.

The packet said they would attract hummingbirds and butterflies, and I felt excited and full of anticipation as I planted them in several window boxes and pots. 

Before long they started to sprout, and I put them outside.

They continued to grow quickly but did not produce any flowers. Just a variety of green leaves that soon started to droop and wither.

I wondered if perhaps I had overcrowded the seeds, or put them out before it was warm enough, or there had been too much rain?

When they started to die, I became discouraged and disappointed, but could not bring myself to throw them out. 

Though I had pretty much given up on them, I half-heartedly watered them from time to time. 

One day when I least expected it, two buds appeared that soon turned into two tiny flowers--one pink, the other blue--and a small yellow butterfly flitting around my balcony.

Another day I was surprised to find a mini sunflower and several more buds.

A very timely reminder that no matter how things may be looking in the natural, God is always in control and to be trusted. Nothing is impossible with Him.