Sunday, September 29, 2013

and she flies through the air


with the greatest of ease.
Taken at Tybee just a few minutes ago.

Ya'll,
Bubba and I had the most amazing little getaway.
After a very hard week,
he literally picked me up,
put me in the car,
and whisked me away.

All I can say is,
I've never needed it more....
I've never been more grateful.
Thank you Bubba, you know me so well.

As the days get shorter and shorter,
the late in the day trips to the beach will have to end.
This afternoon was beautiful,
cool,
lit by the golden sun.
The kite got up super high and we all took turns.
flying.

The only downer was that Lucy got one of those stickers in her foot.
Remember those from your childhood?
They hurt like crazy.
There were tears,
and the van briefly became a medical triage center,
but all ended well.

The ride home was enhanced with a beautiful sunset
and reminisces of a lovely weekend.











sunset at harbour town


Just so you will have a new picture to look at !
Hopefully,
I will write this afternoon or tonight.

Thank you for reading my blog.
cathy

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Puerto Rico



One of the most fun places that we visited
 on our very long travel itinerary was
Puerto Rico.

One day we got on a plane and flew down there from Atlanta.
David and Erika joined us.
We stayed for a week in Old Town and had an
 absolutely amazing time.

You know me,
there is no place I would rather be than on or very near
a beach.
Well, Puerto Rico is surrounded by beautiful beaches.
It is truly a tropical paradise.

Every morning, 
bright and early without fail, 
we climbed out of bed and trudged up a huge hill to get to
La Bombonera..
the best little coffee shop in town.  
Above you will see a picture of the shop and
 THE COFFEE MAKER!
When this thing cranked up,
what a noise it made 
and what an extraordinary cup of coffee it produced.
It was served in tiny little cups 
and I tell you the truth, it was worth the trudge.
We lived to get back to that place every day.
They also had a soft pastry,
 unique to them,
that was delicious as well.

This was our second time to visit this
enchanted land.

and yes....
we fly kites wherever we go!





Wednesday, September 25, 2013

pecan pie (pea can)



I made this pecan pie for our guests tonight....
the first of the fall season. 
It was a huge success,
delicious with our after dinner coffee.

Darkness is coming quickly now,
soon it will be too dark to have evenings on the beach.....
Always makes me so sad to lose the daylight.

I love the way the sunlight comes into
this house in the late afternoon.
We face west
and it's golden beams shimmer through the trees 
and make the house glow.
So beautiful!

Take the time to let the people you love hear from you
every now and then.
So often it becomes hard to remember their faces
and the light fades away from their beautiful eyes,
and you forget, you just forget.




Monday, September 23, 2013

fullness of joy


Tonight I share with you this most amazing picture.....
The Cockspur Lighthouse
with the Harvest Moon from last week rising behind it.
Our condo is to the left of the lighthouse.
This picture was taken by
Don Teuton.
Notice how high the tide was.
Can you even imagine what the beauty of heaven will be like?

Keeping my promise from last night....
(You need to read last night's blog before you read this one)
this is what God wanted me to learn....
from
Life in Christ by Martyn Lloyd Jones.

"Christian people in this world are meant to be full of joy.
This is what we are called to."

{Most of the time,
when something rocks my boat,
I am filled with anger and anxiety,
not joy.}

"Joy is something very deep and profound,
something that affects the whole and entire personality.
In other words, it comes to this....
there is only one thing that can give true joy,
and that is the contemplation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
He satisfies my mind,
He satisfies my emotions,
He satisfies my every desire,
and in Him I am complete.

And this full joy is true of us not only when we are
together worshipping God and singing His praises,
but also,
should war come,
should atomic bombs descend,
should I be thrown in a concentration camp,
my joy must remain full.

I have not fully attained to the joy of the Lord,
if it is going to be variant and dependent upon circumstances 
and accidents
 and things that may happen to me.

It is a deep, profound, dynamic thing
that enables me to stand
whatever may be happening to me,
whatever may be taking place in the world,
because I know Him,
because I see Him,
and because I know that
nothing can separate me from Him and His love."

That's where God took me last night.
That's what He wants me to learn.
I am not there yet,
but now I know what I need to be working on.


Sunday, September 22, 2013

out of the blue


Sometimes,
very unexpectedly,
something comes at me completely out of the blue 
and knocks me down on my face.
Lying there in the puddle of my befuddlement,
I seek my own devices for a while....
Anger,
sadness,
a feeling of helplessness.
Finally,
about halfway through this dilemma,
I am drawn to God's word .
Why does it always take me a while to get there?

God's word talks sense to my soul
and drives me to my knees
to ask Him for forgiveness and wisdom.
It is only then that I can see clearly what to do next.

I went to my bookshelf.....
it is makeshift right now,
actually it is in our closet on Bubba's side.
(He raised his eyebrows when he first saw my books there.)

It was dark...
my hand reached for a book.
Tomorrow,
sometime,
(the shutters are supposed to be put in tomorrow),
I will write what He led me to read.

We don't grow in Christ when things are easy.
We grow and mature in Him
when life throws you to the ground
and you have to seek Him to stand up again.

Thankful tonight for troubles
that teach me 
what I desperately need to know.


Friday, September 20, 2013

lets go fly a kite


It really did have a happy ending.
The kite got up high in the sky
and flew proudly on the wind currents
to our heart's delight.

I love September at the beach...
most of the crowds are gone,
the humidity goes away,
and the beach becomes pristine and beautiful.

Thanks for bearing with me in these last few months.

We have moved Estelle,
Helped Amanda and Mark to be able to move in three weeks flat,
and then ourselves....
back to back to back 
with no time in between.

It has been a trying, tiring, tumultuous time.
It got to the point,
after we moved in,
that I just needed some time to work quietly,
to gather my thoughts about how we wanted this house to be,
and to recuperate from a physically hard stressful time.

We are starting to feel better,
although Bubba's headaches worry me a little,
and, of course,
 the normal trials of life continue.

Just this and I will close...

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

What a promise!
The good times and the bad times and the easy times and the hard times
all work together for good for those who love God,
for those who are the called
according to His purpose.

With love & thanksgiving,
cathy


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

a picture of grammy.....




....taken by Lucy
on the beach just a little while ago.

The tide was coming in fast...
a 9.4 one tonight,
predicted to cover the Tybee Road.

The ocean was choppy as you can see in the pic.
The wind was driving it right on in.
The sunset was turning everything golden when we left.

I took the second picture.
I may have it put on a canvas for over the fireplace.
That would be something,
using my own work as art for my home.

I wish I never had to leave the beach..,
I love it so.

Tonight the moon is gorgeous,
just go outside and take a peek.....
God hung it there you know.

Sweet dreams ~

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

"the grace which was given"


Our son David 
is the pastor of a small church here in 
Savannah, Georgia.

He has just started preaching through the book
of I Corinthians....
not an easy task in and of itself.

Paul is preaching to a church
 that is filled with all kinds of problems, 
but yet in the first few verses
 he says this.....

"I thank my God always concerning you 
for the grace of God 
which was given to you by 
Christ Jesus."
I Corinthians 1:4

Believers,
Do we know what we have?
Do we realize the grace which has been given to us?
Are we bowing down before Him with thanksgiving on our lips?

Even though we were vile sinners,
lost and separated from God because of our sin,
God provided a way
 for us to be reconciled to Him.

He knew that His Son Jesus would come to this earth 
and die a horrible death 
taking all of our sins upon Himself
 thus paying for our righteousness before God.

Not only that, 
but He wrote a book
telling us everything we need to know about
"life and godliness."
In His book He has made all kinds of wonderful promises
and he keeps them all without fail.

Believer...
If you desire to know God's word more deeply,
come join us this Sunday.
Get excited with us as we seek the truth of the scriptures together.
Leave amazed at what God has shown us in His word.

Cornerstone Church of Savannah
Mercy Blvd.
Across from St. Josephs Hospital
10:30 am






Monday, September 16, 2013

first nail


We've been moved in over three weeks
and just today was I able to put the first nail in the wall.
Somehow it seems a desecration
but really,
the walls do need some decorations.

Appropriately,
this flying blue heron was the first to go up. 
It soars above the windows
in our bedroom painted gray.

There will be more nails,
but this was the first.
I think he looks really good up there.

Eye report....
Three years ago,
at a very traumatic time in my life,
I almost lost the sight in my left eye.
I had a vein occlusion
which led to a shot in the eye
which led to my eye getting infected 
which led to eye surgery
which led to a very scary three or four weeks 
of not seeing at all out of my left eye.

Today I went for an exam,
there have been many of them between then and now.
I have some sight,
but I cannot see to read at all
out of the left eye.
I had always held out hope that my eyesight would be restored.
Today,
the doctor told me that it was stable, 
but it would never get any better.

I am so thankful that I can see perfectly out of my right eye....
don't even need prescription glasses.

Think I'll go sit on the back porch 
and watch this storm blow in...
so thankful that I can.


Sunday, September 15, 2013

happy birthday harry b


Today is Harry's sixth birthday.
He got his Yoda cake and his corn-on-the-cob.
He got a tent for outside
and some spy gear from grammy & granddaddy.

At six, little boy,
you are the perfect gentleman.
You waited patiently to open your gifts,
and you enjoyed every minute of your party.
Your thanksgiving was genuine,
your delight,
 pure.

You, little man,
get prayed for all the time.
As you grow,
you become more and more dear to us.
I love your ways,
the things you say,
the expressions on your handsome face.

I love that you still love for me to read to you,
how excited you get to
"spend the night"
 here at our new house.
I am amazed at how well you know your numbers,
and that you spotted the word "God" in the Bible
this morning 
when we were reading it together during church.

You are smart little guy...
you know a lot more than most in more ways than one.
You are sweet and funny and O so dear.
One of my most treasured blessings,
a gift from God.

Happy birthday baby boy,
I love you,
grammy


Friday, September 13, 2013

God's bounty


Bubba and I will be cranking up the new
Viking stove tomorrow
for the first big feed in the new house.
I drove down to the island this morning 
to get some fresh veggies to cook.

The occasion is Harry's sixth birthday 
and we are all very excited to celebrate with him.
When I asked him last week 
what he wanted to eat for his big day, 
he said promptly,
"corn-on-the-cob."
He will not be disappointed!

Just over my shoulder and out of the window,
God has sent 
a wonderful rain for us to enjoy.

I wonder how many of us take the time to thank God
for all of the provisions that He gives to us
each and every day.
Look above at His creativity
even in making our food so beautiful and appealing.

"Then God said,
Let the earth bring forth grass,
the herb that yields seed,
and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind,
whose seed is in itself,
on the earth; and it was so.

And the earth brought forth grass,
the herb that yields seed according to its kind,
and the tree that yields fruit,
whose seed is in itself according to its kind,
and God saw that it was good."
Genesis 1:11&12

All things come from God our Father
who made heaven and earth and all that there is therein.
Praise to His holy name......
and....thank You!!!!



Thursday, September 12, 2013

storm over the marsh


I really like this painting....
It is by James Way.
I want to hang it in our bedroom on the gray walls.
This would be for the me that loves 
storms, 
and clouds,
 and thunder and lightning, 
and most of all rain.
I want it to be big, like my barn picture.
When we drive to the beach (like last evening)
and I can look at the rivers and creeks snaking through the marsh,
it always takes my breath away.
I would love to see this view from above....
one day in a helicopter maybe?

Question...
How can we follow our conscience, Pope Francis?
The Bible tells us that our heart is
"deceitful above all things and desperately wicked;"
"Who can know it?"
Jeremiah 17:9

This wicked heart can surely deceive and convince us
 that anything it desires is okay....
any path we choose to traverse is good and right
if only it makes us feel happy.

What nonsense!
What a cop out and a denial of the truth.
Shocking?
yes
Hard to believe?
No

This world is already far down that pathway...
"If it feels right, do it."

For believers
truth is found in God's word,
not our deceitful and wicked heart.
We trust His word....not our conscience.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

the wedding night....


.....from Les-Mis.

I will pass this book on to Erika.
Before I do,
this passage is written for my remembrance.
This is beautiful upon beautiful.

"There must be glimmers above houses like this one.
The joy they contain
must escape through the stones of the walls
as light,
and dimly streak the darkness.

This sacred and fateful celebration
is simply bound to send
a celestial shimmer into infinity.

Love is the sublime crucible
in which a man and a woman melt together,
the one being, the triple being,
the final being
the human trinity result.

This birth of two souls into one must move deep night.
Something of this joy travels up to God.
Wherever there is a real marriage,
meaning where there is love,
the ideal is involved.

If it were given to our eye of flesh and blood
to see the fearsome and lovely sights of the higher life,
we would probably see the forms of the night,
winged strangers,
the blue bystanders of the invisible,
bend down,
a throng of dark heads, 
over the luminous house
satisfied,
blessing,
pointing out to each other,
sweetly alarmed,
the virgin bride,
and wearing the reflection of human bliss on their divine faces.

If at that supreme moment,
the newlyweds,
dazed with sensual rapture and believing themselves alone,
were to listen,
they would hear in their room the muted sounds of fluttering wings.
Perfect happiness implies the solidarity of angels.

This little dark nook
is overhung by the whole heavens.
When two mouths, sanctified by love,
come together to create,
that ineffable kiss is simply bound to set
the mysterious stars
shuddering throughout immensity.

This is real bliss.
There is no joy beyond these joys."

Oh my,
the powerful stirring of my soul
by this author's words.

Monday, September 9, 2013

update on the house


So...thanks to Lucy,
the children's room is all decked out.
She is a box-opening
unpacking
bookshelf-setter-upper
ball of fire!
She was the first
(other than Bubba and I)
to have the honor
 of sleeping in this house.
This picture is the new shelf in the kid's domain.

We are still waiting for the shutters.
They were custom made and came in wrong.
We are having to wait until they fix their mistake.
Still living with sheets tied with bows
and lots of exposed windows.
The neighbors are probably having a hey-day.

Our gas is provided by 
a propane tank 
that is the size of a small car.
Late last week the back-hoe came,
dug a hole to China,
buried the tank, 
and left the yard a mess.
Today we find out that the tank was buried,
too close to the house,
too close to the air-conditioning unit,
both possible potentials for 
a huge explosion.
Who knows when the exhumation of the buried tank will happen.

Other than that....
things are going just fine and dandy.

Today,
Bubba brought his babies home.
These crowns of  thorns
are the loves of his life.
Sandy,
 these are the ones that Robert gave him so many years ago.
He has stood all afternoon and just gazed at them.

Working on the guest room now.
I wonder who our first guest(s) will be?




Sunday, September 8, 2013

at the end of another great sunday


Just back from downtown Savannah
on this absolutely beautiful
Sunday afternoon.

Sitting around a table with people we love
remembering the wonderful 
worship service
encouraging each other
planning the week and weeks to come,
rejoicing in the truth of God's amazing provision.....
I tell you there is nothing like
being in the presence of other believers.

Definitely fellowship is one of God's grace gifts to us.
Never miss a chance to be with the people
you love.

The water spouts....
Ellis Square
Downtown Savannah
Sunday evening
Gorgeous afternoon
Much to be thankful for.


Saturday, September 7, 2013

shopping with lucy


She says we have a lot in common.
We both love to read more than anything else,
someone said that we have the same smile,
and we both love ice cream
to name just a few.

She is the best granddaughter
my only granddaughter
and a constant source of joy.

Yesterday we went shopping.
We went to the beach 
looking for a picture of the ocean 
to hang over the fireplace.

Now,
 at the beach,
 the shops are quirky and expensive.
A lot of junk with high price tags.

I did find a picture,
an original Rex Duggar,
hanging out in a junk shop.
I love it,
but am having trouble spending that much money 
in an otherwise
 "hole in the wall."

But anyway, back to Lucy.
She had $4.00.
Instead of looking for something for herself,
she insisted on shopping for me.
She made me leave the store 
so that she could make her purchase and surprise me.
I waited and waited,
finally she emerged, grief stricken....
no one would come to help her pay.

My little love is a giver.
She gives out of her beautiful heart.
I want to be more like Lucy in my soul.

Here is the picture.
It would have to be reframed.
I just love it.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

this whale....


....was sitting lonely on the shelf of a store
a couple of weeks ago.
I liked him on the spot
and just knew 
that he would look great on the glass shelves 
in our new home.

The fun part is starting now...
I get to commence with decorating,
my favorite thing to do.
Oops,
I see a spot I missed.
Hmmm...
what shall I put there?

Starting to hear thunder in the distance.
It has been so hot here.
The summer waited until September
to really start boiling.

Let me tell you one incredible thing about our God this evening...
  "He bows down His ear to hear my prayer."
Psalm 86:1

The rest of the verse says He does this because we are
"poor and needy."

This paints such a beautiful word picture for us....
 God,
the Creator and sustainer of life,
inclining His ear toward us to hear our prayers.
I am overwhelmed with this thought.

I love You so much O my God
for caring about me
and desiring to hear my feeble attempt 
to communicate with You.




Wednesday, September 4, 2013

a walk on the beach


Sometimes,
when its been a tough day,
Bubba will take me down to the beach.
He knows it will soothe my soul
and bring my sanity back.
The picture I share tonight
was taken just a little while ago
 on the very southernmost tip of Tybee Island.

We walked for a while
 and watched a little tern 
stick his long beak down into the sand,
looking for treasures for supper.
He followed us along 
as we walked and talked and refreshed our spirits.

The tide was high,
clouds filled the sky, and it had rained a little.
The ocean was dark and choppy.
Little Tybee Island 
was mostly covered over with the gray, 
tumultuous sea.

This scene always reminds me of how big God is 
and how very small I am.
He who created the vast ocean
"inclines His ear" to hear my prayer.
He who is sovereign over the sea,
calms my fears
and brings everything back into perspective again.

Tonight...
My thankfulness is that I live near the ocean,
close enough to get there
when I need to breathe it in 
and remember who I am and who controls my life.

I LOVE the ocean!!!!!