Seeing is Believing

The Lord, in his mercy and grace, has given so many gifts but sadly, rarely do we fully realize the immensity of such blessings. This week, I have been reminded again how truly blessed I am; how truly precious the lives are that mold and shape us, and how even the smallest things in life are GIFTS to be cherished, appreciated and enjoyed to their fullest. Not always do these reminders come gracefully. Often, it comes with the threat of all being lost. So it was this week. So many things happened this week, yet they all spoke of the same theme. Be grateful. One swift move and all could be lost. Your puppy. Your home. All you love. And while I AM thankful to remember and value such things, I hope I never have to be brought low to realize and appreciate the things that I love again. The fellowship of loved ones. The beauty in both home and garden. Our Dutchess. My sweet littles. My loving husband. All such wonderful things. Truly magnificent.

I am most thoughtful at times like this, in the calm of our house when all are resting except myself. I lay Andrew and Corynn to bed awake and they are content to fall asleep on their own. Sometimes Corynn will sing songs from her bedroom or tell her animals stories-but never does she complain or come out of her bedroom. There is such peace in the hush of my still awake children, settling themselves down. The quiet breaths of my husband, the pant of a sleepy puppy, the hums of my fairy girl and the creak of the cradle shifting as the Panda stretches his arms to the stars all weave themselves into a nighttime lullabye that I will never tire of.

Yet in faraway (and not so faraway places) not all are sleeping peacefully now. Where we lived just a few months ago, people are in dire straits. Flood waters have torn homes and bridges down, unapologetically destroying everything in it’s path. People have lost lovely belongings, things necessary for survival, some have even lost lives. Our old church may never fully recover from the flood waters penetrating in the building, tearing it off of it’s foundation in places and collapsing the two-story handicap ramp. Many friends have been affected, some having great losses. Thankfulness and despair wracking the crevices of their hearts and mind as they are evacuated from their homes by boats, helicopters, whatever necessary. Yet still, they exist. They have survived though much has not. It is hard to truly fathom the greatness of disaster when it strikes somewhere that you are not. You can not fully fathom the destruction when you do not SEE it with your own eyes and you are not directly affected by its warpath. Please pray for those people affected by the Upstate NY flooding, the cost is high, the consequences are great and many are in despair.

Our company of this weekend are heading home as we speak to the very place I am speaking about. I don’t know that the homecoming will be a welcome one as it will most likely require more than just the simple unpacking from a vacation. I am thankful that they were gone when it happened and that, from what they understand, their home was not greatly affected by the waters. We had such a wonderful time visiting with you guys Cory and Wendy! It truly makes me long to live CLOSER again. For all the wonderful things we have, friendships trump so many!

In other news: The chillins and I headed to Tyrone for an excursion. We went to a local park (which to my delight held not only a wading area but a bonafide SWIMMING POOL!), had a picnic and headed also to the library. We signed Corynn up for Claws and Paws Summer Reading Club. She has until August 24th to read so many books from the library. 15 gets you a free book. 30 gets you a free book and a prize. Little do they know that a goal such as that is attainable in two days around here! I wonder if they can accumulate? Corynn could get LOTS of free books! :-)

Elizabeth-thanks for your comments-you’re right! I didn’t even realize I have been posting lots of pictures of Corynn but none of Andrew. That is because most of the pictures I take are on our walks-and Andrew has a first class seat on my BACK so I can’t get to him! I made it a point to take some pictures just for YOU of the chubby Panda. So the following are for you (and those of you who get Panda overkill, blame my sister!)

Today’s Virtual Tour post is the bathroom. So exciting! Hehehe Also you will see my ‘herb garden’. As you can see, despite Matt’s promise to “get you dirt even if I have to make it myself!” I didn’t get it. I guess busyness overrules pleasures sometimes. I am still learning that. ANYWAY! I was really down about it-I had such high hopes! And since I DID have my heart set on having fresh herbs, I decided to do some container herbs and an herb garden. So, even though it is not ALL I had envisioned (not even CLOSE!), I had to share with you my modest little herby garden.