Monday, July 28, 2008

My Gardening Experience

The first of my tomato crop was harvested several weeks ago and it was sooooo exciting! I remember so well when my grandmother lived with us when I was a child and she loved her flower garden so much. My mom worked full-time and didn't seem to have an interest, but as Momma got older, she developed that green thumb and still grows some of the most beautiful flowers ever.

Now it is my turn. I had no interest in growing things until the last few years, mainly because whenever I brought a plant home, it didn't live very long. Now I have a great interest, not only in my flowers, but my vegetable garden. I started a few years ago with a lone tomato plant in a large pot on my patio. I continued the tomato plant in a pot concept for a few years, but did add a garden plot last year with cucumbers, bell peppers, squash and green beans.

Over the winter, I saved compost materials to enrich the soil and my husband tilled it all under and we added some other good organic materials and I have had greater success, but still have a long way to go. I'm trying desperately to keep my garden organic - even subscribing to an organic gardening magazine. This year, I planted two tomato plants in my garden plot, along with green beans, cucumbers, field peas, squash, bell peppers (red, green and yellow). My husband wanted to add some fruit, so we had strawberries, cantaloupe, and watermelon.

It is my nature to get very excited over things, so my co-workers have to hear whenever I harvest something - in fact, they sometimes hear it over and over as different people come in our office and I tell it again and again.

I can see where preparing the soil and keeping the weeds out is so important to the whole process - kind of like in our spiritual development. Won't it be interesting to see how my garden and my life develop with the right care over the years?!.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Challenge

My daughter-in-law is a marathon runner and has put a challenge before me. She and my son live in Missouri, but she has signed up for a half marathon in a city near me in February and has challenged me to run with her. Gramster running a half marathon - how cool is that!!

Well, I have accepted her challenge with great determination because my son just doesn't see that I can do it. Mind you, he has good reason to feel that way. I am fairly physically fit and walk 2 miles as many days a week as my schedule permits, but running has never been my great strength.

I can do this thing!!!! If for no other reason than to prove to him and everyone that I can do this thing!!! All the references Paul made to running the race set before me are just screaming in my mind. I know those references are spiritual, but I can still do this as I press forward spiritually as well.

OK - I'm interested in the support of my friends in this thing. My daughter-in-law said we could wear matching shirts and I might just have "Gramster" printed on the back of mine as well. What do you think?

Saturday, July 19, 2008

New Beginnings

I made a commitment that I would not wait an entire month before blogging again and I'm already knocking on the door of an entire month passing. What happens to time?!

This has been an incredible 30 days just full of new beginnings in the life of my family. My husband started a new job about 3 weeks ago which is definitely an answer to prayer. He worked as manager of a retail furniture company for about 5 years and they closed all of their locations in North Alabama in a downsizing attempt about 2 years ago. The past few years have been quite a struggle as we prayed about what direction to take and although he had some interim jobs, these were times of great struggle. We have been believers who have been in the practice of praying for many years; however, from the beginning of this most recent journey, we committed to begin praying together on a regular basis for the first time in our marriage. I can tell you that it has been a time of great growth in our marriage and in our relationship with the Lord. Although we do not wish to continue the struggles, we both realize just how faithful God is and have seen His provision in too many ways to write about. We celebrate this new job venture for him and praise the Lord for yet another blessing in our lives.

Our oldest son and his family moved to the same county where we live in October to take a ministry (youth) position in a church. His church had a pastorium where he and his family lived as they tried to sell their previous home which has been a huge blessing. Well, their previous home finally sold after seven months and they are preparing to close and move into their new home within a few weeks.

Our youngest son and his wife live in Missouri where he is a teacher/coach and he accepted a position in a new school district and begins work there in August. His wife just secured a position which she absolutely LOVES in the new community just completing her second week on the job. They are making plans to move as well - in fact I think both sons and families are moving the same weekend!!! We are still praying for the sale of their home, but know that God will provide and that they will have a great adventure in their new community.

As I think of the concept of new beginnings, I realize more and more that every day is a new beginning. Morning by morning, new mercies I see. My desire is just to grow closer to Jesus every day and to fall more deeply in love with Him. There is an older contemporary song which I think was written by Wayne Watson and some of the lyrics are, "I want to get so close to Him that it's no big change on the day that Jesus calls my name." That is so what I want to do. Life is just so much better with Him - can't even imagine it nor do I want to imagine it without Him!