Once in a Blue Moon

 

Lila is 85 years young. She is a mighty woman of God and a recent widow. She lives on the family wheat farm.  Lila likes to drive on Sunday afternoons and recently took me with her to see the wonderful places of her childhood memories.  Wednesday she stopped by to pick me up for choir practice (not that I needed a ride one block to the church, but to make sure I went!) and after practice, we drove to the edge of town to watch the sun set.  I asked her if she knew that there's a blue moon in August.  I explained to her that a blue moon is the second full moon in a month and that there won't be another until 2015.

 

That's when she sang to me Ella Fitzgerald's

"Blue Moon"

(Click to listen)

 

 

Blue Moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

 

(August 1 photo)

 

Blue Moon
You know just what I was there for
You heard me saying a prayer for
Someone I really could care for

 

(August 1 photo) 

 

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked to the Moon it turned to gold



 (August 31 photo)

 

Blue Moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

 

 (August 1 photo)

 

And then there suddenly appeared before me
The only one my arms will ever hold
I heard somebody whisper please adore me
And when I looked the Moon had turned to gold

 

 (August 31 photo)

 

Blue moon
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own

 

 

And then the moon turned to gold!

 

I wonder if Lila saw the moon tonight and sang.

 

I hope you saw it too.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rescued - Renewed - Restored - Repurposed

It all started with a pile of keys in a basket.  We were always hunting the right key, which was, of course, on the bottom of the pile.  Having too much time on my hands, a need to be creative, and a stack of old windows - I came up with a solution to our key problems.  After all, it is by God's Amazing Grace that I ever find my keys!

At some time and to some degree, most of us have felt somewhat like the discarded, cracked, chipped windows left in a dark corner of my basement.  We have felt useless, used up, and

  there's definitely no light shining through us.

 

But God reaches down in His love and rescues us. 

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness

and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves  (Colossians 1:13)

 

 I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:4)

He rescues and he saves  (Daniel 6:17)

 

He sands the rough edges and polishes and even gives us a new purpose.

 

...those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31)

 

He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. (Ruth 4:15)

 

Restore us to yourself, LORD, that we may return; renew our days as of old(Lamentations 5:21

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.   (Romans 12:2)

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.(1 Peter 5:10)

Before I knew it, I had a halfway house full of rescued, renewed, restored, repurposed windows.  They will be hunting a new home and up for adoption (for a small fee) at the Farm Festival September 7th and 8th. 

 See you there!

“May your God, whom you serve continually, rescue you!” (Daniel 6:16)

When God Winks

A Farmer's Market lured me 30 miles away, through construction, trucks, potholes, harvest ready wheat, and acres upon acres of smiling sunflowers.  The added bonus was the Annual Senior Center Flower Show and Brunch.

 I met Corrine there and she invited me to tour her little 50's house.

 It was a place dear to her because of the childhood days and nights she spent there with her cousin. She and her husband bought it, restored for three years, and had it ready to serve burgers at the town's centennial celebration.  She opens the diner for special events, "big girl" parties, and special guests. 

She said finding all the furnishings was like "God Winking" - what others might call a coincidence.

God winked when she advertised for 50's style furniture and a friend responded that she just happened to have this great sectional couch.

God winked when she was given a railing that was a perfect fit for the stairway.

God winked when a relative gave her a flawless chrome dinette set.

God winked when she found the cheerful floor for the bathroom at the local lumber yard.

And then there's the kitchen,

And the footed bathtub,

And the HATS!

And God Winked

when He introduced me to a new friend -

a kindred spirit, a fellow junker, a rummage sale queen.

Not only that - we go to the same church, but had never met!

Don't you know God loves to wink!

Remember me, Lord,
when You show favor to Your people.

(Pslam 106:4 NIV)

Remember me, God, when you enjoy your people;
include me when you save them;
I want to see your chosen succeed,
celebrate with your celebrating nation,
join the Hallelujahs of your pride and joy!

(Psalm 106:4 The Message)

Hollyhocks

When North Dakota neighbor Bruce asked,

 "how I like them hollyhocks". 

My first thought was "well, they are green and blooming". 

 West Texans appreciate things like that. 

So I started wondering why he asked. 

Was it because he likes them or not? 

Was it because the stalks fall over after a while? 

Was it because they make about a million seeds? 

Or was it because the yard ends up with little hollyhocks all over it.

After a some thought, I decided that I would cut them down

just before their seed pods burst and maybe rid my lawn of them.

Then Georgia stopped by!

  "Oh, you have hollyhocks!"

hollyhocks - rolled off her tongue like sugar, like honey, like chocolate -

h o l l y h o c k s

Then... she said:

 "Do you know how to make hollyhock dolls?

First you break off a bloom and a bud

and break the stem off the bud and peel the green off. 

Then you insert the bloom stem into one of those little holes. 

My grandma taught me how to make them.

You can float her in water.

But after a while,

her little head blooms."



Holly Hock

She reminds me of the old Disney Movie,

Fantasia

(where everything in nature dances).

So for now,

the hollyhocks stay,

But I am gathering the seeds.

"Consider how the wild flowers grow.

They do not labor or spin.

Yet I tell you,

not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."
Luke 12:27