the pink blueberry blog

This was back at Easter.

Everyone was amazed that the blueberry bush the Clelands gave me a year 

ago was filled with small, green blueberries.

A close-up of what we were all raving about.

I don't expect my bushes to live,

much less bear fruit. 

These tiny berries were truly a miracle.

Then the tiny green berries turned pink.

What is happening?

I ran inside to my computer and googled pink blueberries.

My particular bush was named Pink Lemonade.

Quite a shock for me.

After checking to make sure they were not poisonous,

I ate one and it tasted just like a juicy, sweet blueberry.

What a pleasant surprise!

Here is a close-up.

When the kids came over, we gathered around the bush and tasted them.

Definitely not poisonous, because none of us got sick and died.

😵

Last Saturday I harvested the ripe ones and made this...

Everybody went nuts.

They said it was the most delicious thing they had ever eaten.

I had to add some store-bought blueberries...

didn't have enough of my homegrown ones.

If you look closely, you can see the pink ones.

Pink Blueberries are the best!

💗💗💗

Oh, by the way...

I chose a blueberry wreath for my front door this summer.

 

Cathy & Sharon

"Friends are friends forever.

If the Lord is Lord of them."

 Sharon, my sister in Christ, is moving to a new city.

Yesterday was her last day at Hope Bible Church.

She has been a dear friend to me.

Where she is going is her childhood home.

She has brothers and a sister there.

She is not going into the unknown.

I am so happy for her, but,

I will miss her.

The promise of heaven is so sweet!

All of us down here on this earth who love the Lord Jesus Christ 

and believe that He is God's Son,

and trust that His shed blood paid the price for our sin,

 and reconciled us back to God,

 will one day all be together on the New Earth 

in sweet fellowship that will never end.

Hallelujah!

I can't wait to be there with everybody!

So much to look forward to.

 

81

Bubba would have been 81 today.

I long for his companionship,

for his listening ear,

for his compassion when I'm struggling.

I miss you, too, sweet husband of mine.

Cathy

💗💙

Jesus said, "Yes, I am coming quickly."

Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Revelation 22:20

 

Happy Birthday Jake!

Today is Jake's birthday.

He is 20 years old.

Last evening, Amanda sent me a text that said...

"My baby is turning 20 tomorrow.

 I can't believe it."

My reply...

"Seems impossible."

Time is going by at the speed of sound.

My firstborn grandson is a man.

He even has a beard now.

The blessings of the Lord are too many to count. 

Jake is one of them.

I'm so sad that Bubba is missing all of these Granddaddy things.

His wisdom would have been much appreciated in the lives of these amazing kids.

And look...

Jake is sitting in my antique high chair.

All of my babies have graced our table in this extraordinary chair.

Jake now.

Happy Birthday!

 #20

 

Harry Cleland

He won another race yesterday.

He is a natural runner.

His wins are effortless. 

They are beginning to stack up. 

He is starting to be noticed.

He also wants to start baking cakes.

A few weeks ago,

 he texted and asked me to send him my Mother's sour cream pound cake recipe.

Somehow, he never got it.

But he showed up for dinner with the most delicious substitute.

A rich chocolate cake with Mocha and Reese's Pieces icing.

It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

So, we have a phenomenal runner who loves to bake cakes.

He has the sour cream pound cake recipe now.

Can't wait to see if he makes that one.

💙

 

the banyan tree

While we were in North Palm Beach,

Erika, Amanda, and I did a lot of running around...

Quick stops to pick up things we needed for Eli's party.

In and out of the car.

It was hot...

much hotter than here.

We had one scary case of car sickness,

I won't reveal who,

But we thought for a minute that we were going to lose her,

She was an important source of success for all the work we had to do.

It wasn't me.

A stop at Walmart to pick up a few things, and she revived.

Being out of the car and in a cool place helped.

Later in the day, after lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen,

we went to tour the Burn Boot Camp,

Amanda's place of employment...

Burn Boot Camp is a fitness center.

When we parked, much to my astonishment,

there was a huge, gorgeous banyan tree

just standing there in the parking lot.

I've never seen a banyan tree except in a picture.

They are native to India,

 but I guess they thrive in the tropics of South Florida as well.

We gawked for a good long time at this beauty.

God is so creative, isn't He?

I took lots of pictures and then we left for our next stop.

Our next stop was home to rest for a while.

An Overview

Banyan, 

scientifically known as Ficus benghalensis,

 is a majestic tree native to the Indian subcontinent. 

It is also known as the Indian Banyan or banyan fig.

These trees are famous for their distinctive aerial roots, 

which develop into new trunks, 

allowing them to spread and create a sprawling thicket-like appearance.

 

Eli's graduation party

Last Sunday, after church, Erika and I hopped into my car and headed south on I-95.

We had planned for weeks to go help Amanda with his party.

This is what I love about where she lives...

The Jupiter Civic Center is right on the beach.

It is a rustic, open-air pavilion just perfect for parties.

Eli was home-schooled for most of his high school, so he was the only one graduating.

We had a lot of decorating to do.

Amanda and Erika installed the curtain, with balloons and banners

as the place where the commencement address would take place.

The windows overlook the ocean.

Ocean breezes were blowing through,

 providing nice, cool air.

They outlined the windows with lights, and we set up chairs for his guests.

This was the "gift" table, complete with a box for envelopes.

This is looking toward the back, where the delicious dinner would be served.

The banner was a little off center,

but, still, it got the message across.

I put round black tablecloths on the tables and placed flowers in the center.

Each table had a picture,

That's me and Eli when he was a baby.

Eli, Jake, and Mark taking in the view from the porch.

Amanda helping Eli with his cap.

Eli in the mangrove forest.

A row of friends.

Eli processed down the aisle we made for him.

It was his moment.

He made the most of it!

Juan Abreu gave the commencement address.

A friend who Eli looks up to and admires.

Eli moved his tassel at the end of the commencement address.

He has officially graduated from High School.

🎓

The cake.

The table was full of friends sharing a meal.

The food was delicious.

It was the best part of the evening for Eli.

Here is the Bibe verse that Juan used to challenge the graduate...

"When I was a child, I used to speak as a child,

think as a child,

reason as a child;

When I became a man,

I did away with childish things."

I Corinthians 13:11

Eli is a young man now.

I have no idea why his sash was glowing.

It was that kind of night!

:

 

congratulations to Eli ~ class of 2025

I'm just home from South Florida.

Went to celebrate Eli's High School Graduation.

Pictures to follow.

2025

💙💙

 

i know...

...I'm obsessed with these roses.

I just can't help myself.

😍

He who testifies to these things says, 

"Yes, I am coming quickly."

Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Revelation 22:20

💗

 

sukey

Sukey is the new cat at the Cleland home.

Her coloring is black, white, and tan.

She matches perfectly with Daisy, the Aussie dog.

Her favorite place to plant herself is in the family room,

in a bowl,

on the coffee table,

right in the middle of all of the action.

Erika has been hosting a book study at her home this semester.

We are studying a great book, in case you are looking for a good study with 

lots of thought-provoking questions and

many opportunities to share from the heart.

It is well-suited for getting to know each other in an intimate setting.

We were gathered together when Sukey came to join us on the table in her bowl.

At some point during the study, 

she decided to leave the bowl and share some of her closeness with me.

I 💗 cats and women's Bible studies!