May 31 . . . what really matters.

May 31st is no ordinary day for me. Of course, for most, the last day of May is just that...the day before glorious June - the Summer approaches! But for me, it is always a poignant memory-filled day, because my Dad was born on May 31, 1929.

Dad died in 1998, so you'd think I would be used to not hearing his voice on the telephone by now. For the most part, I am. But every so often, the strings of my heart are tugged, and I miss my dear old dad. (He never seemed old to me, though. He was always a busy, vibrant man, with people to see and places to go and things to accomplish. He died before he hit 70, so I suppose he never was old. Not really.)

Today I was helping a friend organize stuff for a massive garage sale. This friend used to own a restaurant, and she has a gift for decorating and making every special day or activity an EVENT. Over the years she amassed stuff to do just that: candles, clocks, antiques, baskets, knick-knacks, memorabilia, stoneware, pottery, gardening things, and so on. She has enough stuff to fill a 7,500 square foot space!

As we were going through each box, sorting the contents into categories, I could see that this friend has many memories of good times with loved ones. Most objects she looked at brought back a memory of an incident long ago, with her husband (now deceased) or her dad, or a close friend. Sometimes she hesitated as she thought about whether or not she wanted to keep something, but common sense prevailed. She is moving to a much smaller place, and she cannot keep everything.

I think about the memories I have of my dad, my mom, my grandparents, all gone... and I realize that I cannot keep everything. Memories fade. Objects get old and dusty, or rusty, or (worse!) musty, smelling of mold or mouse droppings. Even though some objects are special, they are all temporary, and really amount to nothing when you really think about it.

When I leave this life, I, too, will be going on to a very different place. Not smaller, but bigger than I can even imagine. Yet I won't need a thing. Not one item I own now, or may own in the future, will mean anything to me when I pass "beyond the veil". The only thing that will matter is Jesus.

Nothing else matters.

1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Psalms 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

I was featured on the Carnival!

I don't know why the button in the sidebar didn't work, but go here.

Funny Story from April, 2005

Adeena sent me this anecdote about a shopping trip a few years ago:

We had two carts, one completely full and the other more than 3/4 full of groceries. Matt and I went off to look at the meat section, leaving Tiana (8 years old) guarding both of the carts. She was bored, she tells me, so she was letting her imagination run a bit. She piped up, in her clear little voice, and asked plaintively, "HOW am I going to pay for all this FOOD?"

She told me that all the adults in the area whipped their heads around and *stared* at her. She realized what they might be thinking, then said, quietly, "Oh, well, my mom can pay for it." LOL!!

She only told me that this morning. I wish I had seen the looks on all those adult faces!!

Progress in Planting

The above pictures were taken at Creekside; however, I couldn't resist sharing the beauty.

Today we (the girls, Critter and I) went out and planted more of the garden. We planted zucchini squash, grape tomatoes, marigolds, beets, heirloom great white tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, and two varieties of peppers. Whew! It's windy and warm...perfect for a thunderstorm. I think we'll need to cover the tomatoes tonight.

Before I came in, I sat on the stoop and prayed, asking God to bless our efforts. I am well aware that gardening is a lesson in the age-old question regarding Man's Responsibility and God's Sovereignty. God is in control of the seed, the soil, the temperature, the precipitation, and even the pests that can seek to destroy the crop. Man is in control (to a limited degree) of the tilling, the hoeing, the planting, the weeding, the watering, and the watching for pests. He must also be aware of the signs and the seasons, especially in Canada; for planting in January would be foolish!

Proverbs 24:27 Prepare your outside work, Make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterward build your house.

Christians know and acknowledge that the Lord is Sovereign over all (and that makes us humble and thankful that He blesses us so abundantly) but we are also even more aware of our responsibility before God to work diligently, to persevere in hardship, to shun laziness and embrace productivity.

Proverbs 18:9 He who is slothful in his work Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
Exodus 34:21 "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest.

I am thankful that we have this beautiful area in which to plant a garden. I am grateful to my boys and my husband for tilling and putting up the fence to keep the pesky critters (not my son, Critter!) out of the garden. I rejoice in the help I had today, because many hands make light work.

Psalms 77:12 I will also meditate on all Your work, And talk of Your deeds.

Most of all, I praise my God, in Whom I will trust, because I know that in my labour, He is glorified, for I am doing what He created me to do.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

When doing anything according to His design, we are reflecting what God did, when He created the heavens and all their starry host, the world, and all that is on it, and the seas and all that is in them. That's why we take such pleasure in our creations, whether it's a drawing made by a four year old, or a garden coaxed out of a pile of dirt by a 50-something year old!

Hebrews 1:10 And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Lord, may I continue to reflect just a little bit of Your glory. May this property be a little piece of heaven. And may You be pleased to bless our efforts, so we can bless others. In Christ, I pray. Amen.

Prayer on the Subject of the Scriptures

Inspired by the Valley of Vision, this is my prayer:

O God of love, I can only come before You because of your overwhelming good character. My sinful nature is a barrier that leaves You in unapproachable light, and leaves me wallowing in the dark of my depravity. Yet You have condescended to know me, and to allow me to know YOU. I don't know all about you…because You are perfect, and so high and so holy that you are unfathomable. Yet, I know You are good, full of mercy, ready to forgive - and that, only because of Jesus.

Your creation displays Your wisdom, power and goodness, and Your word reveals Your will. The Scriptures have been preserved through the centuries, translated into many different languages, published world-wide, and spread throughout the world, even on the internet, so that men may own copies of the Bible, and find You in them.

I see, in the Holy Scriptures, Your greatness and Your grace, Your pity for us miserable creatures, and Your rectitude - Your moral uprightness and perfect judgment of all your creatures. I see Your mercy and Your truth. I see the great contrast between Your Being and the hearts of men. Through Your word You have magnified Your name, and have blessed us with the good news of the gospel.

Have mercy on me, for I have not been grateful for the benefit of Your Holy Word, and although I have had the privilege of owning a Bible for most of my life, I have not studied it as I should. I have not memorized it, meditated on it, saturated my soul with it, as You have required. Have mercy on me, O Father. I have made light of spiritual things, disregarded Your commandments, and have fought against the good examples I see in the pages of Scripture.

I have ignored the rebukes of my conscience, the admonition of friends, and even the leadings of Providence, and I do deserve that Your kingdom be taken away from me. Lord, I confess my sin with feeling, with sorrow, with a broken heart and contrite spirit. I abhor my laziness, and condemn my apathy, and despair that I am so quick to stumble. Give me relief by Jesus, my only hope, because He is my All-Sufficient Saviour. Give me forgiveness through Jesus' blood and strength through His presence. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can be holy, for You are holy.

And let me love You with all my heart.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Creekside Camping

We just got back this evening from camping at my daughter's place up near Lake Huron. We had a great time! The weather was perfect, even though it was a bit cold last night.

We huddled by the fire. Here is a picture of Michael, who informed me that he is nearly four:


The kids had fun playing in the creek, but the greatest excitement was when Christopher came screaming across the lawn with all of the other kids chasing after him. He had not one, but TWO LEECHES. Salt was applied, and Jared pulled the leeches off. Whew!

Adeena and Jeff are blessed with a 112 acre farm. In the back of the farm is a ravine, and past that there's a beautiful creek bed. We went there and explored for a bit. We heard a crashing through the bush, and looked up to see a doe running along the top of the ravine on the other side of the creek. I was in awe at the beauty of this deer, so close...and forgot to snap a picture.

But here are some pics of the area:


Jared looking down at the ravine:



Patrick standing by the creek in the flat area below.


Adeena, Jeff, Jared and Daniel discussing the beauty of the area; dreaming big!

Daniel holding Ava...but she really wanted to go back to Mommy!


Family time is always special. We'll be heading back to Creekside in June.

Marriage

This is from the new Webster's dictionary online. Read the second definition of marriage.

Main Entry:mar·riage

Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English mariage, from Anglo-French, from marier to marry
Date: 14th century

1

a (1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law

(2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage marriage>

b: the mutual relation of married persons : wedlock

c: the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage

2: an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected; especially : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities

3: an intimate or close union marriage of painting and poetry — J. T. Shawcross>

Compare that to the 1828 definition of marriage:

MAR'RIAGE, n. [L.mas, maris.] The act of uniting a man and woman for life; wedlock; the legal union of a man and woman for life. Marriage is a contract both civil and religious, by which the parties engage to live together in mutual affection and fidelity, till death shall separate them. Marriage was instituted by God himself for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of the sexes, for promoting domestic felicity,and for securing the maintenance and education of children.

Marriage is honorable in all and the bed undefiled. Heb.13.

1. A feast made on the occasion of a marriage.

The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king, who made a marriage for his son. Matt.22.

2. In a scriptural sense, the union between Christ and his church by the covenant of grace. Rev.19.

Since time began and since God created male and female, the definition of marriage has been the same: the union of one man and one woman, until death should part them.

It grieves me to think that our culture has accepted another definition, because it is one that defies God and His design for the humans He created.

Be not deceived, folks; God is not mocked. One day, He will hold us accountable for the things we do and the things we say. Before redefining an institution such as marriage, it behooves us to take a good look at the consequences. Look back at history; look forward to the ramifications of this change.

Many have written on this subject far more eloquently than I, so that's all I have to say about this subject. I am thankful that I have been married to one man since 1973. I am also thankful that in my definition of marriage, there is no room for anything apart from that which God designed. My sons will marry women; my daughters will marry men. They will bear children and raise them to think the same way they do. And God will be glorified!