out of africa

We have a little grandson
over on the continent of Africa
that we are anxious to get home.
Yesterday,
during our day trip to Florida,
we bought this for the small one
to wear when he comes home.
Loved the giraffe motif....
thought it very fitting.

Here is the blog for the latest...
http://www.ethiopiancleland.blogspot.com/

Concerning the future of Israel....
"I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel,
and they shall rebuild the ruined cities
and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards
and drink their wine,
and they shall make gardens
and eat their fruit.
I will plant them on their land
and they shall never again be
uprooted out of the land
I have given them
says the Lord your God."
Amos 9:14~15

from the upper deck

The marsh is greening up.
So beautiful!
Those are my neighbor's flowers
peeking around the corner.
I couldn't resist this shot.

"My heart is leaning on the Word~
the written word of God."

from...
"My Faith has found a Resting Place."
Lidie H. Edmums
19th century Norwegian melody

Was singing this hymn in church yesterday
and came upon those words above.
I love the word of God!
I am thankful that the Holy Spirit
has given me both the desire for it
and His understanding.

I love to read...
all kinds of books.
But nothing compares to the Bible.
It is the most fascinating of all.....
a treasure,
a gift,
and it was given to us by God Himself.

My heart is leaning on His Word!

I Praise Him!
I Thank Him!

i love beautiful things

clear blue eyes
a baby's skin
the ribbon of river out across the marsh
perfect pink peonies
wispy white clouds
gently falling rain
the smiles of my grandbabes
day falling into night
bird sounds
laughter
the word of God.

Nothing can thrill me
like finding passages
in the Bible that grab my attention.
Beautiful words of truth and life.

Did you ever feel like doing this.......?

And I said, "Oh that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.

Behold, I would wander far away,
I would lodge in the wilderness.

I would hasten to my place of refuge
from the stormy wind and the tempest."
Psalm 55: 6~8

"Beautiful words,
wonderful words,
wonderful words of life."
cathy

drying my peonies

They are so beautiful
and so fleeting.
They won't even grow here
in this hot place.
But there in the flower shop,
all by itself,
was a bouquet with my name on it!
Peonies....
another of God's blessing to enjoy.

I made the mistake
earlier this week
of opening a "forward"
and finding a joke,
the subject of which was God
and His son Jesus Christ.
Haven't had to deal with
one of these for a while.
It's like sticking a knife in my heart.

God is Holy.
He is not like us.
He is God.
To use God as the subject of a joke
is a very fearful thing.....
cathy

illusive canals

Yesterday
I had excruciating
and sudden pain
in tooth #12, upper left. 
Today I had a root canal.

This is what the dentist said
as he was finishing up the procedure
just a little while ago....
"I always like a challenge at the end of the day."

After
drilling
and poking
and prodding
and blowing
and suctioning,
he could not find a single canal in that #12.

Leave it to me. 
If there is going to be a medical anomaly,
I am always the one to provide.

And the shot...
the shot in the gum.
Horrifying.
"I promise..... only one shot and you won't feel a thing,"
said the good doctor.
"If I have to give another shot
 it will be in the roof of your mouth
and it really really hurts, but I rarely have to do that.
Not true.

Three fourths of the way through,
I levitated two feet off of the chair in wild pain.
The dentist asked calmly, "Did that hurt?"
Crazy question.
So, yes I had to get the shot in the roof of my mouth.

Four x rays later after he had drilled up to my eyebrows,
he finally located one canal and then another.
He apologized....

Mercifully,
the torture ended
and I was able to come home.

They had sky radio playing....
"Ruuuuuuby....don't take your love to town."
Haven't heard that song in ages.
c

and she danced....

and danced and danced, and we loved every minute of it!

about four hours ago

i completed the busiest weekend of my life.

At 2:00 this afternoon
when the last friend left
from the Bible study and luncheon
that I hosted today,
I collapsed on the bed
and slept.

A birthday party,
a dance recital,
and the luncheon......
good,
fun,
rewarding....
the things that I love to do,
all in one weekend.
God saw me through
and I loved every minute.

Mr. Camping was wrong
about Jesus returning
this past Saturday.
All who know God's word
were not surprised.
Not that He couldn't have chosen then to come,
but no one human can know in advance when that will be.

"Therefore you also must be ready,
for the Son of Man
is coming at an hour you do not expect."
Matthew 24:44

We do not know
or need to know
when Jesus will return for His church.
But we are admonished to BE READY!
Are you ready?

an afternoon of dance

Getting ready for the recital...
so much fun.
Lots of pins and gel to hold back the bangs.
Oh no...
the pink tights are nowhere to be found.
Can she wear these white ones?
Never!
Grammy races to Target for pink tights
while mommie applies the blush
and takes some pictures.

Her fan club
all in a row.
Grandaddy went over an hour early
to get us good seats.
We had unwipeable smiles
when the big red curtain
opened on the "polka troupe."

Lucy was a hit.
She and her "boy ballerina" did a good job
and bowed to much applause.

Her Dad
met her at the side door
with a huge bouquet of pink roses
for a job well done.
Thank you Lucy
for giving us all such joy.

"Praise Him with tambourines and dance......"
Psalm 150:4

two brothers......

born two years apart.
I won't say which one was born first.
We celebrated their birthdays today
with food, fun, and fellowhip.

It is late
and I am tired.
Not much to say other than
Happy, Happy Birthday
and many more!

"Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God
while I have my being."
Psalm 146:1

news flash....jake turns six

He was the first one.
Jake came six years ago
and plunged Bubba and I
into the wonderful world
of grandparenthood.
We haven't had time to look back since.

Jake is growing
into a strong and intelligent young boy.
He loves dolphins and African elephants.....
swimming and riding his bike.
He loves Disney
and Sea World
and the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
He loves pizza and krispy kreme do-nuts
and his cousin Lucy.

He fixed grammy's Thomas the train track
by identifying and bringing me
just the piece I needed to make it all work.

He still loves for me to read to him
and he cracks up laughing
when grandaddy gives him his nightly "head bonking."

Jake, you have lit up our world!
Happy Birthday!
We love you!
grammy & grandaddy

"wait for the Lord"

On Tuesday night in my writings
I hoped for a productive day yesterday.
It didn't turn out that way.
Almost from the time I arose
my heart and my mind were in turmoil....
my word here,
his word there,
and the day is ruined,
beyond retrieving.

While pulling dinner together
last evening still in a sorry state,
the phone rang.
Out of the blue and just like that,
God delivered us from a situation
that had been going on for over a year....
a situation that at one point
had seemed to us utterly hopeless.

All of a sudden
being cross
with each other
seemed ridiculous
in light of what God had just done.

Out of a terrible day
came an amazing blessing from God
that resulted in
reconciliation,
prayer,
and praise,
and an ice-creme cone at Chick-Fil-A.

"I would have despaired
unless I had believed
that I would see
the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living. 
Wait for the Lord;
be strong
and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord."
Psalm 27: 13&14

close-knit cousins

Riding along quietly in the van today......
both of us lost in a world of thought.
Out of the blue Lucy asks me this question....

"Grammy, do teeth have muscles?"
I, being quick with answers
when the question is easy,
promptly said, "No."

This question came tumbling out next....
"Are your teeth stronger than your tongue?"
I walked her through that with some examples.

Lucy likes to eat steak.
I made the point that
she couldn't eat her steak with her tongue,
thus answering the second question
with a resounding "Yes."

Then came the third question...
all very very serious....
"Is the top row of teeth the same as the bottom row?"

That's how they learn...
one question at a time.
I love it!

I can't know for sure
because you never know what tomorrow will bring,
but I am hoping for a stay at home,
never leave the house kind of day.
I can't recall the last one of those I've had.

I'm gonna clean my house
and do some laundry
and make something wonderful for supper.
I thank God for my
home,
and my chores,
and my love of all things domestic.

As an aside.....
when I mention "pork chop casserole"
Bubba would go out and buy me the moon.
cathy

lucy's dance recital.....

is coming up this weekend.
The excitement level is extremely high.
Today was the last normal lesson.
Now she gets to show us what she's learned......
on the stage,
under the lights,
with everybody looking.
As you can see....
the talent in this group is enormous.

Lou, I'm thinking of you and I
and our dance recital.
Me in a blue tutu and you in white....
what lovely ballerina's we were!
Oh the sweet, sweet memories!

Lu is reading in the bed just now.
She is spending the night while
her mom and dad and Harry are
in Atlanta for a neurologist
appointment tomorrow morning.

She and I rode bikes
and planted flowers
and went to her favorite restaurant
for dinner.
She will rise early and go out to
breakfast with her granddaddy in the morning.

Granddaughters are special,
very special indeed!

Go and look at the moon.
It is absolutely gorgeous.
Thank you God for the beauty of Your world.

anatomy of a freak out

Sitting in church......
you could hear a pin drop.

Bob had just started preaching....
everyone was in rapt attention.

My cell phone starts ringing...
How could that be?
I always leave it in the car on Sunday.

I have an old fashioned ring tone,
kinda loud.
In that quiet place
it sounded like sirens inside the church.

I grab my purse
and start digging.
It is not in the pouch it should be in.

My heart rate has risen
to an all time high level.....
feel everyone's eyes boring into me.

I cannot locate the phone...
but keep trying.

Never found it,
but mercifully it quit ringing.

I freaked out in church today.
It was not a pretty sight.
Every time I think of it I cringe.
cathy

(it was a courtesy call from
CVS Pharmacy informing
that my perscription was ready.
My name will be off
 of their call list as of tomortrow.)

tybee lighthouse

Tybee has been designated
as the perfect place to ride your bike.
I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment.
Riding my bike at Tybee is on the top
of my list of fun things to do.

Just returned from spending some time
at our little condo.
We had some work done there and
went to check it all out.
I sat on the deck
and read the guest book
and took in the amazing view....
definitely,
one of my most favorite places to be.

Beautiful high tide this afternoon.
Water was everywhere in the marsh.
On top of the Lazeretto looking out....
water with sun sparkling all around.
OH Lord thank you for all Your
breathtaking creation!

It happened this afternoon...
I knew it was coming.
A gentle rain started to fall
and I fell asleep...woke up....and fell asleep again.
I needed that rest
and I'm thankful for it.

"Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."
Psalm 34

Psalm 34 and the above verse
are among my all-time favorites.
cathy

blogger went down

It had never happened before.
When I went to blog yesterday
the notice said....
"blogger down for repairs."
I think you could still read,
but I couldn't write.
When I checked just now it was up again.
My last blog has disappeared,
but other than that
it seems to be back to normal.

Mother's Day Picture 
as promised.
I had much trouble with my camera,
but perservered.
My motto...
"never give up."

Love this verse.....
"Those who look to Him
are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed."
Psalm34:5

The countenance of a believer
who looks only at Jesus
 is bright as the noonday sun....
full of hope and praise.

Thank you blogger man
for coming back!

too much sun

Erika and I took Lucy and Harry to the beach today.
We had fun swimming and eating out by the pools.
As of right now I will say for sure....
I got too much sun as evidenced by
redness,
achiness,
tiredness.
Hopefully,by tomorrow,
all of these symptoms will disappear.

Black Linen Napkins
I have had them for a long time....
they had never been used.
For some reason,
I decided to use them for
our Mother's Day dinner on Sunday.
As the meal progressed,
all of us became covered by black residue.
At first Erika thought the kids
had come from church filthy,
but soon all of us had black hands and faces.
After much laughing, we put the linen napkins aside
and just used paper.
I threw the black napkins in the laundry room
to be washed at a later time.

Today
Time to wash the napkins.
They went through the wash cycle
and I threw them in the dryer with the other darks.
Let me tell you...
during that time they completely disentergrated.
The black mess in the dryer was indescribable.
It took me over an hour to clean it up.
I had just gotten home from the beach
and let me tell you,
that was not what I wanted to be doing.

Bubba said this to me later....

"Cathy, you can get yourself into some of the worst fixes."
I thanked him for stating the obvious.

great love

"Absence diminishes small loves
and increases great ones,
as the wind blows out the candle,
and blows up the bonfire."
author unknown

"YIPPEE"

It has been so much fun
reading all of your responses to
the good news about Gus.

One of my favorites
was from my neice Lisa
who wrote back simply in all caps
"YIPPEE."

That about sums it up......
YIPPEE...Gus is coming home!
He has a family.
He is not an orphan anymore.

I thank you that you care and rejoice with us.
That's what life is all about...
sharing life with one another
in the good times and the hard times.

"I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise
shall be continually in my mouth."
Psalm 34:1

"let her who bore you rejoice."

To be a mother
is the greatest calling of womanhood.
When they placed David & Amanda
in my arms for the first time,
I never fully got over it.
I still am in awe that God
would give me such a gift....
would trust me with these children.....
who have grown to adulthood serving Him.

I love to read the biblical account of mothers....
how God chose Mary to be the mother of our Lord Jesus.
She was just a young girl,
but God knew her heart,
that it would obey.
God also knew the sorrow that lay ahead for her.
He knew she would bear it well
because she learned to trust fully in Him.

New mothers,
young moms,
and those who hope to be moms soon,
listen up.....

Invest your life into your children.
Most importantly....
Teach them to love the Lord Jesus Christ.
Lead by example,
Love their father, your husband,
and always respect him.
May they see you much in His word and in prayer.....
giving yourself in service and love for others.

I truly "rejoice" in you David and Amanda.
You couldn't be more of a joy to me than you already are.
mom

PS That verse in the heading is found in Proverbs 23:25.

PSS Amanda is coming by this coming weekend.
I will post a picture with her then.

the beach....

was absolutely gorgeous today.
I honestly don't need anything else
but to be near the ocean somewhere.

The smell,
the sound of the waves,
the warm sunshine,
the sand beneath my feet,
broken shells,
seagulls overhead....
there is nothing any better.

Miracle....
The adoption process is going so well.
Every step of the way funds
have been donated to meet every need.
David and Erika have been discussing
the cost of the next trip over to retrieve the little boy.
Yesterday most of it appeared,
given by a friend in Chicago
who believes in what they are doing.
God's provision in this has been amazing.
There are not words to praise Him enough.

i like this song....
"i and love and you"
by the Avett brothers.
me and my love of quirky songs and voices.
cc

presenting...

August David Cleland ~ aka Gus ~ Our new grandson

prayer with joy

"Always offering prayer with joy
in my every prayer for you all."
Philippians 1:4

If you read this blog,
you are being prayed for with joy.
cathy

kittykat helmet

me:    "lucy, let's go to the fresh market to get some blackberries.
lucy:  "can I push the buggy?"
me:    "yes, you may if you are very careful."
lucy:  "grammy are we there yet?"
me:    "Lucy, think about this......
          how could we be there
          if we are still in the car driving down the road?"
lucy:  "I don't know, but are we there yet now?"

such are the days of our lives......

We are all very excited
about the coming up of Lucy's dance recital
in a couple of weeks.
Her costume has come in
and Monday was a mini dress-rehearsal.
How fun to see her dance the polka
with her boy ballerina partner.
It remains to be seen
if she will even move a step
when she gets up on the stage in front of hundreds of people.

David and Erika have a court date on Friday.
Please pray that the judge will have everything she needs
so that they can rescue this child and bring him home.
So many hopeless orphans....

"The Lord watches over the sojourners;
He upholds the widow and the fatherless."
Psalm 146:9

seeing God in everything

It is growing down the way a little from our home.
It smells so good wafting on the wind through my open windows.
Honeysuckle...
a special gift from God.
Something that He made to give us pleasure.

The seagull in the picture above,
flew over my head while we were at the beach.
It was my pure pleasure to watch him spin and soar...
happy and contnent in the world God gave him.

At the moment of salvation,
believers are given the gift of the
Holy Spirit.
God's Spirit,
at work within us,
over time begins to teach us His ways.

Before long,
after spending much time in His word,
we begin to see God in everything....
the physical world, and all that happens in our lives.
Nothing is outside of His sovereign hand of purpose.

I am overwhelmed with my God tonight.
this is He......

"O Lord,
thou art my God;
I will exalt Thee,
I will give thanks to Thy name;
For Thou hast worked wonders,
plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness."
Isaiah 25:1

"plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness."

A little tiny baby girl dies in Africa
and we immediately praise our all sovereign God.
God knew Mae and the plans He had for her
long before we thought she would be ours.
She is with Him now in perfection.

"plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness."

While Lucy was dancing today,
I was looking through the book of Isaiah.
I knew He would take me to the perfect verse
for what I wanted to write tonight.

Do you see God in everything?
Being able to live that way is the greatest gift I know.
cathyc

things i saw at the beach

sharing pictures early today.....
off to Bible study and dancing with Lucy.
will write tonight....
cc