Goodbye September...

I bid you farewell. You were warm and sunny and lovely...

...but I'll shed no tears at your departure.

Photos: (Click to enlarge) a late September dawn and dusk on Pollywog Creek.

It's not all green...

With a small window of quiet time this morning in the relatively cool of the day, I wandered along the pond and creek ...
Before the Gavinator arrived ...



What a delightful day we had, too. While I worked on a few projects that needed to be completed today, Gavin played on the windowsill in my study with animal models that once belonged to his daddy. I have no idea how or why I saved them, but I'm sure glad that I did. In fact, I could kick myself for not keeping more of the boys' toys. What was I thinking?
Let this be a lesson to the moms with children still at home. You WILL be a grandmother some day, God willing. When your children outgrow their best toys, don't give them all away.

Thursdays...

Thursdays are one of my favorite days of the week.

It's the day I get to visit my dear friend Joyce and help her with a few things that she can't safely do alone. I get to hear her wonderful stories and we laugh and we pray and sometimes I take her out for appointments here and there. She tells me she prays for me every night, and I am humbled. It's the day we get to share a meal with dear, dear friends and study and pray and leave for home filled-up and stirred-up.

Thursdays are favorites, but Fridays are, too, especially today. Can you guess who's coming to play? May you see your children's children! Psalms 128:6a Photos: After-the-rain collage: cardinal, bench swing cut-out, a small south Florida glimpse of fall; milkweed at dusk; Gavin (who else!)

Late summer...

...and it's still mostly green and hot and humid on Pollywog Creek. But I'm not complaining. Honest.

However, I wasn't at all thrilled with the lightening that exploded as it struck a pine tree very close to the house yesterday...when the sun was shining and it wasn't stormy or even raining. I'm not complaining because we were all inside the house when we very easily could have been outside by that pine tree.

Totally changing the subject....

For several years I've kept a fortune cookie message clipped to a little stand by my computer.

I give absolutely no credence to the messages in fortune cookies, but this one resonated with me in ways I am sure were not intented.

Do not display your treasures or people will become envious.

Of course. If my treasures are my worldly possessions, then the display of those treasures would indeed be unwise.

But what if I don't store up treasures where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal?

John Piper says this:

"...treasuring Christ is the goal of the good news that we spread—that Christ died and rose again to remove our sin and God’s wrath so that justified people might enjoy Christ as their treasure forever—"

What if I display that my treasure is Christ?

Weekends...

Since Emily returned from Rwanda, our feet have barely touched the ground, especially the weekends.

First it was Women of Faith (we love you Patsy and Marilyn) and Mandissa and Steven Curtis Chapman in Orlando, then Jessi and the boys moved back to Florida, then Kristin, Emily and I went to the Hillsong United Conference in Miami, then Casey, Jessi and the boys stayed with us before they could move over to the east coast, then Emily went to Night of Joy and her cousin Coral's "baby shower" and MJ's Saturday night church in Winter Haven with all of us, and Kristin and Gavin and I went to Disney on Ice.......

So when Emily said, "I can't wait 'til Saturday!" a few days ago, I almost started to cry. I've loved every moment of every weekend and every activity and especially being with those I love, but I was very much looking forward to a Saturday at home.

"What's happening Saturday?" I tried to remain calm.

"The game!"

What a relief! Thank you, CBS!!!

Conversational photography and glimpses of glory...

My photographs are not for sale, as some of you have wondered. I am at best an amateur - with an amateur's camera. A real photographer would likely snicker at my unprofessional, unconventional methods.
My photography begins with a conversation.



"Lord, open my eyes and the lens of my camera and please let me capture the wonder and beauty of Your creation - sunlight and rivers and flowers and bees and birds and vines and frogs and leaves and clouds and lizards and dew drops and dragonfly wings and wild berries and cicada and.....wonders that never cease."


And He does, and it is grace and worship and wonder and awe. Pure and simple. It's God's creation, not mine. What more could I possibly receive than the joy of catching a glimpse of His glory and passing it on to you?
So my photographs are not for sale, but I'd be delighted to give one to you. Just ask.
Photos: A Sunday morning sunrise over the Caloosahatchee River; a tangle of vines, wildflowers and berries in the thickets by the creek; a little green heron hiding in the branches of a cypress tree by the pond; a pilated woodpecker (I saw four of them that day) in the shadow of a tree trunk; a bluejay perched on a pine tree branch and a mockingbird atop the eucalyptus tree; the sun rising over a dying orange grove.

First Friday::September 2009...

I'm quite aware that today is Tuesday.

Friday was the beginning of four energetic days...of precious as gold time and lively conversation with loved ones...of little boys and all their toys, of diaper changing and baby rocking...

of Gator football and Yankee baseball...

...of perfectly grilled steaks, juicy hamburgers and marinated chicken. Baked sweet potatoes with generous spoonfuls of cinnamon and brown sugar. Jessi's chile con queso, Louis' fluffy pancakes, Emily's oatmeal chocolate-chip cookies, my (award-winning) orange-blueberry bread and store-bought ice-cream. Our little house was bulging with life, laughter and occasional tears. It was loud and chaotic and exhausting - and I loved every minute.

Hours before the delightful distraction of rambunctious little boys and sweet baby love, I soaked my feet in the dewy wet morning - inspired to create a "First Friday" photo challenge that I hope to remember to keep. I'm better these days at making memories than keeping them.

I'd rather have noisy grandchildren under my feet and baby drool on my t-shirt, than a quiet house to collect my thoughts and craft meaningful prose....which explains why my "First Friday" post is going up on a Tuesday.

As for man, his days are like grass;he flourishes like a flower of the field;for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,and its place knows it no more.But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,and his righteousness to children's children, to those who keep his covenantand remember to do his commandments.The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,and his kingdom rules over all. Psalm 103:15-19

A morning shout for joy...

A drive to the city was not in my plans for the day. In fact, if I had any plans at all, they involved sleeping in followed by a slow and leisurely morning - not a 4:30 am call to awaken and coffee in a travel mug.

No emergency. Just a matter of lost keys and a need to help make a very early appointment.

That's how I happened to be parked off the side of the road in the pre-dawn darkness - with my travel mug of coffee and a wee bit of nothingness time to fill.

A layer of clouds hung low above the blazing horizon - much darker and more ominous than the fast approaching daylight later revealed.

It was stunning.

To think that I might have missed it - sleeping in and basking in the leisure of my living room.

I wonder.

What joy am I missing every single day in my desire to be cozy and comfortable?

An early morning wake-up call and coffee in a travel mug should happen more often, don't you think?

"...those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy." Psalm 65:8