bye bye August

We just got back from the beach.
Had to get the condo ready for a very special guest & friends
who are checking in tomorrow.
Labor Day weekend is summer's last stand at Tybee.......
so glad that our unit will be filled with happy people having fun.

Earl, the hurricane,
continues to have everyone here in Savannah stirred up.
Even though it is hundreds of miles away
with no chance of making landfall anywhere nearby,
the folks here are "making plans."
I just love the "storm culture" here on the coast.

An explanation for the frequent turmoil in my heart:

"God, our Creator,
has formed man
with not only a physical body,
but within that magnificent body
is an inner realm even more significant,
glorious and powerful,
than the body which contains it.

This stately palace,
the soul of man,
was designed for habitation by God
and not for any other.

And so it was in the beginning
until that tragic incident
we know as the fall of man.
In the fall.
invaders laid claim to this domicile
and have wrecked havoc
in what was once a tranquil and pleasant place."

Well said I think.

Keeping the Heart by John Flavel (1630 - 1691)
introduction by maureen bradley

earl the hurricane

We have a small condo at Tybee that we rent out.
Since May there has not been a night that it has not been rented.
People just love to stay there.
The view is fantastic,
it is small and quaint,
decorated in vintage beach.

This past weekend it was vacant for a few nights.
Bubba and I went there to check it out.....
to see how it has fared the rush of summer tourists.
I enjoyed reading the comments in the guest book.

We just received this notice from the agency that handles the rentals.
A hurricane is coming and we need to secure the premises.
By the picture and the forecasts I don't think there will be a problem....
at the most we should just get some high tides,
but you never know what these monsters will do.

I love the excitement of hurricanes,
but I don't want them to get too close.

If not Earl, then maybe Fiona?
We'll see...

school at home

This whole home school thing has been hard for me.

I have always loved the idea
of a classroom
full of students,
with a teacher,
a chalkboard,
little desks,
bulletin boards,
books, and
pencils.

There was even a smell
that went along with all of that
that I loved.

Amanda & Mark
have decided to home-school their children.
I understand why and I am very supportive.
I admire this undertaking and
the love and sacrifice that they are making.........

but I have a little tinge of sadness that won't go away....
for the way it used to be.

Fall was in the air today.
Darkness is coming sooner and sooner each night.
Snap out of it, Cathy.
Everything is going to be okay.

when life hurts

First of all.....
I would like to say.....
I am in the school of learning to think like a Christian.

Every morning I am confronted with
the reality of how much I don't know
and how much time I've wasted on
"foolish things" in my lifetime.

"His divine power
has granted to us
everything pertaining to life and godliness,
through the true knowledge of Him
who called us by His own glory and excellence." II Peter 1:3

I beleive that in God's word
we can find
all of the answers
to the hard questions
of life on this earth.

To every one of you
who are experiencing
the toughest of life situations at this moment,
Listen up.......

God tells us this.....
"And we know that God
causes all things
to work together for good
to those who love God,
to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

If you love God,
If He called you,
then He has a purpose for your life
.
He has a purpose for what you are going through.
And if all of the above is true then,
He is using what you are going through,
no matter how hard it is,
for your good and His glory!

This truth is something to hold onto
when the bottom has fallen out of your life.

Trust Him without wavering
for He knows what you need
to become fit for His kingdom.

Be at peace,
O child of God.
This thing is from Him and
He will see you through.

I love you, cathy

about God

"And so we see this glorious truth
that this infinite,
absolute,
sublime,
transcendent,
glorious,
majestic,
mighty,
everlasting being,
who is Spirit,
who dwells in light no one can approach,
this God
that has been graciously pleased that you and I should know Him,
that we should talk to Him,
and that we should worship Him.
And He is prepared to listen to us,
to meet with us,
and receive our unworthy and poor worship,
and our praise and adoration.
BLESSED BE THE NAME OF GOD."

(Martin L Jones ~ The Doctrines of the Bible)

In view of this,
how can we,
His much loved children,
do anything but bow before Him
and graciously accept
whatever He sends our way
without questioning Him.
cathy

"jelly hell"

That was the title of the front page story in the
Savannah Morning News on Monday.
~

"Tybee sets sting record this summer."

~

Some of us who have enjoyed

the warm, sultry waters

of the Atlantic ocean recently

can attest to that fact.

Jellyfish stings hurt.

They hurt bad.

~

On the first day of August alone

the twenty-three lifeguards

racked up 1,391 stings.

~

Reportedly they have peaked....

Only a few jellyfish stings

have been reported in the last few days.

~

Now..... to get down there and get back in the ocean.

The pesky tourists are gone and the water is still warm.

It's the perfect time to go to the beach!!!!

~

Why did God create things like

jellyfish

gnats

and mosquitoes?

They all play an important role

in the ecology of our beautiful planet.

And, the jellyfish sure are pretty.

~

To God be the Glory!

~

PS Look at that gorgeous moon.

God hung it there you know!!!

dilemma

An 8:15 appointment this morning with the eye doctor
got me up and going early.

The vein occlusion is still leaking and impairing my sight.
The good physician wants to give me another shot in the eye.
He says that he administers hundreds of them each week with nary a problem. The shot is the best and only hope to treat the malady.

Last time my eye got infected and I almost lost my sight.
That was one of the worst physical ordeals of my life.

What should I do?
Was that a one time freak occurrence or will it happen again?
There are no guarantees in life.
My sight is precious to me.
It might just be a chance I'll be willing to take.
I have until October 4th to decide.

To my sweet, lovely friend Allison.
Our time together over lunch today was so special.
I love how God has brought us together again as friends.
My prayers will follow you as you embark on this new journey.
I am so glad for facebook and blogs so that we can stay in touch.

"Thou, Oh God, dost open Thy hand
and dost satisfy the desire of every living thing"
Psalm 145: 16

this fine looking boy.......

had his first day of Kindergarten today.

just waiting

This, of course, is our Harry.
He will be three in a couple of weeks.
He is every bit as adorable as he looks....
inside and out.
The only downer for him right now is that
he is having to endure the rigors of.....
potty training.
We all love him very much.

Every day is one day closer
to the day when we will meet our new grandchild.
Any day now Erika and David
could receive that coveted picture of "the one"
that God has chosen to be
the next member of our family.

Even now as we wait patiently,
the rest of the funds needed
to bring this baby home continue to appear,
much of it anonymously,
and completely unsolicited.

"Praise to the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart!"
Psalm 111:1

time in a bottle

When I feel sick I go brain dead....
can't write or even think clearly.
So as not to bore you,
I won't go on and on.

This new computer is a dream come true.
It is faster than a speeding silver bullet.
I am very thankful.

These afternoon thunderstorms are amazing.
They are so intense.
Last night when I turned out the light,
The lightning was still going strong......
massive flashes spreading out over the sky
like the ones we always saw in Colorado.
(I want to go back there so much)

From the past jim croce sings....

"If I could save time in a bottle,
the first thing that I'd like to do,
is to save every day to eternity passes away,
just to spend them with you...........
c

hi everybody

Just wanted to say....
I have been sick and
have had computer woes.

Chris came yesterday to install my new computer.
When I sat down last night to write,
it was dead as a doornail.
He came out early this morning and
got it going again.

I so appreciate his sacrifice of time to come,
before he and his family left on a camping trip,
to diagnois and repair the problem.
(when I tried to load pictures, the whole machine shorted out.)

I am feeling better and will write a little later.

Until then......

underneath the weather

or to put it another way,
"I'm not feeling so good tonight."

I'm just loving these old pictures I found.
Hope you like them too!

I have another busy day planned for tomorrow.
I'm hoping to be feeling better.

Until then....
I am lying on my bed
reading,
covered up with my soft warm "heide haun."
That's what David called his blanket when he was a little one.

cathy

from my new/old laptop

My sick computer was taken out of this home today.....
probably never to return.

My computer guy Chris said it was the hard drive.

He is going to build me a whole new business grade computer.

I am so excited.

~

In the meantime I will be using my new/old laptop.

Bubba has gifted me with the one we used at his office.

~

The pictures that are stored on this computer are old.....

hence the one of Lucy above as a precious baby.

She is clutching her brand new stuffed puppy.

~

If you could only see that puppy now.

We all think that it is disgusting,

but Lu adores him and sleeps with him every night.

~

I called Erika in the middle of the afternoon

and invited them over

to share a chicken/broccoli casserole I was making.

I got this recipe from my Aunt Louise Futrell

many years ago and it remains one of our favorites.

I made an extra to take to dad tomorrow.

~

Good fellowship around the family table tonight.

~

"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,

for in You I trust.

Make me know the way I should go,

for to You I lift up my soul."

Psalm 143:8

~

I love this verse!!!!!

cathy

once again

Today was a big day for Lucy.
She started Kindergarten!!!!!
My computer will not let me download pictures :(
(It is sick)
so I went back and found a favorite from the past.

This picture embodies all that I love about Lucy.
It captures her free spirit and her love of life.
From the freckles that sprinkle gently across her nose
to her big blue eyes that tell stories all their own.
From her deep, earthy, belly laugh
to her long, dark pigtails.
She is my joy and my love.

I wish you well,
dear one,
as your start to learn
all of the magnificent wonders of God's world.

May you come to know Jesus
at a young age
so that you will always know
His purposes and plans for you.
May the Bible be your favorite book
and time spent with Him
the favorite part of your day.

Lucy,
you are loved......
always!
grams

congratulations.....

to my daughter Amanda.

She ran in a 5K race last evening.

That is 3.2 miles if you didn't know.

It only took her 32.05 minutes.

She ran the whole way and beat all of her friends.

The only casualty was Jake.

He ran down a hill and

landed in a mud hole up to his knees.

He was pulled out by his dad,

but one of his favorite bright green crocs didn't make it.

That mud swallowed the shoe up.

Mark searched for it for quite a while but to no avail.

I have always been terrified of quick-sand.

Just the thought of this incident makes me cringe.

~

These are some of the last words penned

by the apostle Paul near the end of His life....

~

"I have fought the good fight,

I have finished the race,

I have kept the faith."

II Timothy 4:7

the curl of a wave

The waves of the sea
roll in on shore
twenty-six to the minute
in all kinds of weather.
God's timing is perfect in all things.

As most of you know, I am a big fan of Tybee island.
The ride to the beach consists of
a two-lane road squeezed in between
a beautiful marsh
and the Savannah River.

When the tide is high
sometimes the salt water spills over and covers the road.

The large "bump" at the end of the causeway
is really a bridge over the Lazeretto creek.
Perched atop this bridge the sites in either direction
never fail to make me gasp.
The blue water,
the green marsh,
the endless ocean......
times suspends itself for the briefest of moments.

Rolling on to the island,
slowing to 35 mph,
you are on Tybee time.......

As Bubba and I were returning from the beach just now,
we were counting our blessings as we so often do.
Every minute spent on Tybee
is one of those blessings.

to God be the glory
great things He has done.
I praise Him tonight
for the wisdom of His timing....

Love to all of you,
cathy

sleep til the sun comes up

The beach is very beautiful tonight.
There is a high tide and even higher waves
for our viewing pleasure.
The sapphire blue sky makes the foam of the waves
stand out in stark contrast.
A gentle breeze and swaying palm trees set the mood.
The beauty of God's creation sometimes takes my breath away.

We took Lucy and Harry for a wagon ride
and then on a jaunt to get ice cream.
That was after we all delivered a home cooked meal
to my dad.
Trying to reinforce with the children how important
it is to show care and love for others everyday.

I have a laptop computer now.
It was Bubba's and he gave it to me.
We used this one at his office, but now he has a new one.
I am very thankful .
I love being able to travel with my own link to the outside world.

Taking care of two kiddos renders me exhausted at the end of the day.
Think I will jump in the bed and sleep till the sun comes up.....

until then....
cathy

midnight swim

Lu and I just returned from the pool.
She made a new friend named Peyton Dae Dobbins.
Peyton said that we could call her "pay - day."
She and Lucy exchanged floating apparatuses several times.
Not an easy switch for old grams.

On the way to the beach this afternoon
we stopped by the fruit and vegetable stand.
We got a bag of "pigeon peas" as my moma used to call them.
We had those delicious things for supper
with some salmon and granddaddy's superb mashed potatoes.

Lucy chose a basket of the most
plump and beautiful blackberries I have ever seen.
They were eaten in a flash.

Tired tonight...
ready to hit the bed.
cathy

sweeter than honey

Bubba and I are blessed to have a pastor
who teaches the true doctrines of the Bible
without fail every Sunday....morning and evening.

He is preaching verse by verse through the gospel of John.
We haven't made it out of the first chapter yet.
Every Sunday we come away
looking at each other in astonishment.

He is filled with God's Spirit and His joy.
Every passage comes alive.
Knowing that the Scriptures are living and active,
we are not surprised.

A couple of Sundays ago he gave this little cultural tidbit
and I've wanted to share it with you......

Back in the Old Testament the Jewish students
would come to the synagogue to be taught by a Rabbi.
They taught the Scriptures.
On the first day of class the teachers would give a little object lesson....

They would put a dollop of honey on their slates and
then tell the students to lick it off.
Back then eating honey was highly enjoyable.....
one of the great pleasures of life.

The teachers were impressing on their students
that studying God's word would be equally as appealing
as eating the sought after honey.
It would be a lesson they would never forget.

"The fear of the Lord is clear,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true,
and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey
and drippings of the honeycomb."
Psalm 19: 9&10

May your time in God's word be
"sweeter than honey."

We will be at the beach for the rest of this week.
Harry and Lucy will be our special guests.
cathy

the condo when jake and eli are visiting......

The condo when Jake and Eli are not visiting.

a few more things....

Please pray for our friends Robert and Sandra.
We just left them and Robert is not doing well at all.
Please pray for mercy.

Estelle....You found me some scuppernongs.
What a delightful surprise.
They will be my first of the season.
Plus ~ blueberry crunch ~ Thank you so much.
bubba has it in the oven now heating up.
See you at church tomorrow I hope.

Lou.....I am glad you like your surprise.
Hilton Head......
What a wonderful way to spend your birthday week!!!

All of you friends are the greatest!!!!! Love you......
cathy

staying in His word

Yesterday morning I awoke with a start.....
the room was filled with so much more light than usual.
Then I discovered that I had slept until almost eight am.
Annoyed with myself for sleeping away the best part of the day,
I got up and got busy.

This is the thing.....
at eight o'clock the phone starts ringing
or its time to be getting ready to be somewhere.

If I don't read and study His word early in the morning....
many times I don't get back to it for the rest of the day.

"How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
If I would count them,
they are more than the sand."
Psalm 139: 17 & 18

I guess what I'm trying to say is.....
I don't want to miss even one morning
reading "His thoughts."

Going to meet David and Erika and Lucy and Harry and Ryan
downtown for dinner and a late evening stroll....
Ryan is their friend from Chicago.

rain

Out of an absolutely beautiful blue sky
comes a gathering of clouds
and then a sudden downpour
so thick
that no image appears beyond
the veil that has descended upon
the windows of my house.

A season,
summer,
brings these
glorious glimpes
of our Maker
busy at His work,
sending rain,
to water His creation.

The rain smells like summer....
it stays in my senses
long after it has disappeared
to refresh and refurbish the earth.
cathy

sandblasted

Things have surely changed at the dentist's office.
Today was my half yearly visit for cleaning.

After the initial,
"Wow, you sure do take good care of your teeth,"
by the smiling hygienist,
out came the picks and the prods.
A little bit of that and then she said,
"Now I am going to use the sandblaster on you."

Literally, a boatload of sand is combined with some water.
This mixture
is shot out of a pressure washer machine
into the mouth
straight at the teeth
with the force of Niagara Falls.

Sand and water were flying everywhere.
I was blinded
and choking
as she was seemingly trying
to uproot every tooth from my gums with her gun
while asking hundreds of questions
that required immediate answers.

I survived the ordeal
only to be told by the dentist
that I needed a crown on a tooth that had split in two.
Oh, and by the way,
that will be $979.00.

I can't prove it but
I think that lady with the pressure washer
might have had something to do with that broken and tattered tooth.

cc

teaching him to cook

First it was a pot of rice.
Next it was boiled potatoes.
Today it was peas and butterbeans.

My dad is learning to cook at the ripe old age of 87.
I always prepare him an extra steak or pork chop.
He fixes the rice and veggies.
He has his own way of doing things in the kitchen so
I don't interfere.
It (the kitchen) is a little messy for my taste but.......
the mess doesn't bother him in the least.

I don't do stacks.
Everything that hits my desk is dealt with quickly....
either to the trash bin or filed away.
Right now I have a stack of things that I don't know what to do with.
It has been sitting here for a while.
It is making me nervous.
I need to chill out and deal with it tonight.

Why is there so much complaining about the weather?
It is summer....
It is hot and humid.
This is what we do if we live in the south.
We compensate with....

drinking sweet tea with lemon
sitting on the beach real close to the ocean
or if all else fails....
staying inside in conditioned air.

I love the summer with it's long days
and it's late nightfalls.
I'll take the heat because of all the other benefits.

That picture up there is Eli...the sand baby.
We love him.

"Do all things without grumbling or complaining."
Philippians 2: 14

sweet boy in the swing

"O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me.
Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up;
Thou dost understand my thought from afar.
Thou dost scrutinize my path
and my lying down,
and art intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord,
Thou dost know it all.
Thou hast enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Thy hand upon me."

The above describes the God I know and love.
He is the reason for my joy.
He is why I make it through the days of my life.

He knows the words on my tongue
before they tumble out of my mouth.

He is intimately acquainted with me.
This is God whose love for me is everlasting and secure.

"Such knowledge is too wonderful for me:
It is too high, I cannot attain to it."

Psalm 139 could very possibly be my favorite.

cathy

26 times

If a phrase is repeated several times in a paragraph,
one would stop and take notice.
One would surely think,
"This is something the author has deemed of utmost importance."

In Psalm 136 the phrase
"His Steadfast Love Endures Forever" is repeated 26 times.
What point is the Psalmist going to such great extreme to make?
The love of God toward His own has no end.
God's love toward us will go on eternally.
There will be no end to His constant, loyal love.

What response does this truth elicit from us whom God loves so faithfully?
Adoration and Praise and Thanksgiving to name just a few.
Also the desire to live an exemplary life before Him.

~~~~~~~~

My friend Sandra and I had lunch today at Johnny Harris.
Yes, I go there alot......It is a good place to meet & eat.
Lots of great conversation goes on in those old wooden booths.
Today we shared a "senior moment" together.
I won't say which one of us locked our keys in the car.
I won't repeat all of the ensuing things that happened because of that.
I will say that it is great to grow old together with a good friend.

Also, to my friend Lou......Happy Birthday.
There will be more from me on that subject a little later.

Estelle, thank you for the info on Mars.
I will be sitting on my top deck
looking at the eastern sky
every night for the month of August.

I thank God for my rich, full life, and for His everlasting love.....
cathy

more "i love the beach photos"

making memories.....

cathy

cathy's "i love the beach" photos

The blessings of life are poured out abundantly upon those who love His name.

Glory to God in the Highest.

You have not withheld one good thing.

My mouth will forever praise Your name.

Great God of eternity....

the One from whom all blessings flow.

cathy

~