some 5 year old wisdom

One evening last week John and I were grandparent babysitters. Julia talked-and when it came time for the bedtime chat. . .

"Gran, does God have a birthday?

"God has no beginning, no end, he's always been. . .so, sweet girl, God doesn't have a birthday!" (grandmother wisdom)

"I don't understand that," she said. (5 year old wisdom)

then-

"Gran, is Aunt Mercy a grown up?"

"hmmm-Sure, Aunt Mercy's a grown up!"

"No, I don't think so," she said. . ."Aunt Mercy is 1/2 grown up and 1/2 kid."

Aunt Mercy and Julia

bad advice-good advice

Last week during our Bible study discussion, this question came up, "what are some subtle ways that a Christian woman might give anti-God advice?"

One woman shared how years ago when she was very young in the faith, she was stuggling with desire to read her Bible; an older woman advised her to read romance novels-to help her get in the mood. .

Bad advice! (not too subtle)

"Did you take the advice?" we asked.

"No- but I started reading my Bible every day- even when I didn't feel like it. And pretty soon I realized that I had to read my Bible-it's who I am, the air I breathe."

hmmm, good advice. . . (I love that advice)

Now then, I have never counseled a woman to read romance novels, honest. . .but it makes me think, How have I subtly given anti-God advice?

I've been praying-Lord, give me more discernment, more humility. . .

friday morning and blueberry buckle

Sydney comes to my house Friday mornings. We work on Spanish-and we talk and eat a little . . . last Friday we ate breakfast tacos and I made blueberry buckle.
I didn't have blueberries but subtituted blackberries from my freezer, Yuumm. . .
So, this blueberry buckle is a family favorite with a nice memory-
15 years ago-or so, we spent a summer vacation with good friends attending seminary in Mississippi. My friend made Blueberry Buckle for Sunday morning breakfast.
And back in Texas I did the same-years and years of blueberry buckle for Sunday morning!

Blueberry Buckle
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. salt, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup mil
1 egg
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
blend first 4 ingredients; melt and cool butter, mix with milk, and egg. combine and beat 30 seconds. carefully stir in blueberries; spread batter in pan (I use a 9" round) and top with:

Crumble: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 cup butter; mix ingredients until cumbly. Bake @ 350 for 40-50 minutes.
I love this coffe cake because it's not too sweet and the berries are mixed all through the batter. I like to eat it with a scoop of plain yogurt on the side!
try it some time-any day of the week.

names in her head, maps in his. . .

My sweet friend, Deborah, is getting married - last week I had an opportunity to give her a little encouragement.
So, I thought about the yarn in my stash-a ball of sturdy 100% wool, bold blue (like him) and a hank of lovely pale green, all cotton, organic (like her), both natural fibers- Oh, so different!
In the essentials, he and she are alike-but different, like cotton and wool. . .created uniquely-different families, lifestyles, interests, preferences. . .

Elisabeth Elliot writes, "You marry a man. . .he is likely to be bigger and louder and rougher and hungrier and dirtier than a woman expects, and she finds that bigger feet make bigger footprints, a bigger noise on the stairs. He eats far more than seems necessary. When he takes a shower his broader dimensions mean more water used and a greater surface for water to cling to and therefore she finds that the towels get much wetter. . .it is a man she married, after all, and she is lucky if he acts like a man." (Let Me Be a Woman)

" She does her husband good, not evil (not harm) all the days of her life." (Prov 31:11)
So-considering differences, could a wife do her husband evil?
mmmm. . . indeed, if she says "I do" expecting to change her husband- or if she insists, (or insinuates), that her way is the right way (differences are preferences, neither right nor wrong)- or if she compares him to another man. . . Aye, poison!

How about doing good? Considering differences . . .embrace them! I know, it's not always so simple. I have names in my head, he has maps in his head. . . what? another hand-drawn map to get me where?
I remind myself to put off irritation, to put on patience, to avoid any belittling tone or attitude (you know, names are about people-maps are just paper)-
and laughter is good. . . .
hmm, it's hard sometimes. "Lord, show me how to do my husband good all the days of our life together."
I need grace to keep doing it - day after day until the end.

they grow up. . .what to do?

We're spending a few days with our north Texas family-playing, working, talking a lot . . .
I have 8 children, all grown up-
And sometimes I wonder, How do I show them love-now?
I haven't discovered a formula, a do this, don't do that manual -
Be available-that's good. . .drive the extra mile, lend a hand, listen, give cheer, pray really hard for them.
love is patient, kind, not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, is not rude, does not seek it's own. . .bears, endures all things. . .(1 cor 13)
I'll keep learning how to do this- and I'm grateful that they keep coming over, keep inviting us back-and keep trusting us with their children. Imagine that?

projects. . .old and new

I finally finished Adalyn's quilt-Mercy chose the fabric for this one-
I love it! Spring break this week-we'll hand deliver. . .

And I'm on to the next one-a quilt for baby Florence. . .

8 lovely fabrics, some with polka dots- 4 inch squares-create!

And one more. . . Josiah and Lindsey's baby girl will arrive this summer.

hmm-in Texas, New York, Tennessee- 3 dear grandaughters in a year.

Colossians-2 verses a week. . .

It's been a good week-I planted tomato seedlings (and nudged aside the bluebonnets to accomodate the eggplant).
This week I'm memorizing Colossians 1: 15-18, the preeminence of Christ. . .
And one evening I visited LM -she's 92.
I love the story-in December LM misdialed her phone and my friend, Patricia, answered.
So, they talked. . .Patricia listened, prayed, and many many phone calls later. . .

"Would you come with me to visit LM? I need an older woman along."
Sure. . .
I am older-but not yet 92!
So we went. . .winding through the corridor maze at the assisted living facility, we found LM waiting in her little room, expectantly.
She told us her life story- and I thought, "as sparks fly upward, so man was born to adversity."
"See, I'm reading Genesis on my Kindle," she said
her kindle?
And later, "Do you really believe that Jesus is God??" she asked.
Oh, indeed, I do!
I spied a Bible in a pile-

All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. . .(colossians 1: 15-18)

Then LM said, "I better read Colossians. . .if I can figure out this Kindle."
Now then- could a week be better?

And then she was 8. . .

This week I'm thinking about Rachel (happy birthday!). . .in my mother's saved papers, I discovered a little treasure- Rachel, age 8, narrating a father-daughter adventure:

I went with my papa for a 3 day walk. We walked over 4 mountains and 10 rivers.

I saw lots of red mud. I asked my papa if I could put it in my pocket and show it to Mama, but Papa said, "I don't think Mama would be very impressed by red mud!"

In Nanacatlan I went to school with my friend, Flor de Coral, for one day. We stayed overnight with Pedro and Josepha, and I made another friend. Josepha is kind. Once she made me a blouse like the Totonac ladies wear.

In Zongosotla they gave me sardines for breakfast. I gave them to Papa and he ate them all. I drank the rice atole and ate the tortillas. When I got home I was tired. Papa had to carry me a little. . .

What a plucky 8 year old! (from a mother's heart, right?). . . 4 mountains and 10 rivers-

she still dislikes sardines. . .

just a card in the box

My sister continues sorting boxes of keepsakes in our mother's garage-boxes of papers.
Recently she discovered a postcard addressed to me from my Nana Violet and mailed from California to Virginia in 1953. . .the find of the week!

My mother loved hand written letters, receiving-sending-saving.

And increasingly she distained electronic mail-

I kind of like it, myself. . .

But last week I sent a hand written note to an old friend here in town-

"I miss you, let's get together, I'm praying. . .call me!" I wrote (with my favorite pen)

And she did. The next day I listened to the sweet message she left on my phone,

"thanks for the note, I love the card-I can read it over and over, any time. that's nice!"

And in my mind I hear my mother's approval.

authentic blessing

I grew up out west- a yankee. . .but I've lived in the South for 20 years.

hmmm. . .Texas sky is big, folks are friendly, and when God brings you to a place- well, it's always good.
Texas talk is different. . .Bless your heart gets sandwiched into all sorts of dialogue. I'm still trying to decipher the hidden meaning -

And randomly I say it (really, me ?) -bless her heart just slips out when I don't know what else to say. . .

But sometimes my heart is honestly blessed, and the words ring authentic. . .

dear girls-

for me, last Friday's prayer time was amazing-

I didn't prod (or did I?)-you shared your circumstances, but aswell the inside part-one of you even came back after everthing was shared and added a personal part, without a prompt. We laughed and cried-you yearned to love God and people.

And you took the little strips of paper and prayed the Scriptures for each other- for me.

Really girls, you bless my heart -I see grace at work .