fence posts

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Psalm 23:1

IMG_20181012_140133830 — picture of a fence post on a country road near Shelbyville, KY. I have a thing for fence posts.

Today was for living and finding memories in everyday moments.

I mentioned on Day 9 that I thought I’d find an Apple Orchard and buy a bag of Apples in memory of my Mom. I did just that today. They did not have Cortland’s but there was a nice variety and we did a mixed bag of Jonagold, Winesap and Ruby Mac. We came home and did a taste test. The Ruby Mac was our favorite and reminded me slightly of the Cortland’s that Mom used to buy. Tart with a hint of sweet, kind of like Mom herself. She would have loved being part of the tasting.

Part of the joy in finding an Orchard was getting to drive in the country. One of our favorite things as a family was taking drives. We’d roam all the back roads happy as larks. I know Mom would have loved our adventure on the way to Mulberry Orchard in Shelbyville, Kentucky.

Next, on our out and about excursion we stopped in at Goodwill to see if we could find a bargain. We found a couple pair of slacks for Rocky. Shopping at the Goodwill also brings back memories of Mom because she loved a good bargain. She could spot the good stuff. One of my favorite outfits as a kid came from the Goodwill, the cutest brown white and blue plaid skirt with suspender straps. Of course, as a child, I didn’t want to tell anyone that it came from Goodwill. Now, if I find a bargain at Goodwill I want pats on the back! Remind me once this series is over to tell you about the beautiful Scottish plaid jacket we found for Rocky (haha, can’t wait to share).

After our stint in Goodwill, I stopped in at Hobby Lobby to find a pretty binder and protector sheets for Mom’s handwritten poetry. I want to type all of her poems and make copies for the family, but I also want to preserve her original copies as well as other snippets of writing that I have found. We are lucky to have her poetry as we thought they had been lost.

In 2010 she came to stay with me after surgery and she brought her poetry with her. We were going to type up her poems, but life got in the way and we didn’t. After she went back home I never saw her poetry again until last year. For seven years we had no clue where they were and Mom couldn’t remember where she put them. Last summer we started going through her crates of school papers and there they were buried in with worksheets and notebooks where she had evidently hidden them for safekeeping. I put them in a safe place with intentions of finally typing them up. That is my next project once the 31-day writing challenge is over.

When we arrived home at the end of our day, we ate a bowl of chili. This too reminds me of Mom because when I was about ten years old she taught me how to make chili. It is the first thing I remember cooking and to this day I make it pretty much the way she taught me.

In a little while, I will eat a bowl of ice cream and be reminded of all the times Mom and I would sneak off to Dairy Queen without telling Dad and Rocky. We’d go through the drive-through then find a pleasant spot to park the car and enjoy our treat.

Today was exactly the kind of day that Mom would have enjoyed. I think I’ll add an extra scoop of ice cream just for her!

Simple pleasures are best.

Alan Bradley

Grace for the journey,

Teresa

Come back tomorrow for more of the journey? Just a reminder that I usually post later in the day. Clicking on the ladybug graphic will take you to the first page in this series with links to the daily posts. Thanks for reading!

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy. Psalm 96: 11-12

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forgetThat though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.

This is my Father’s world, dreaming, I see His face.I ope’ my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, “The Lord is in this place.”This is my Father’s world, from the shining courts above,
The Beloved One, His Only Son,
Came—a pledge of deathless love.

We recently had the privilege of driving around the back roads of Southern Virginia with a dear friend we met in Florida years ago. She is originally from Virginia and we spent a few days in her neck of the woods. She took us around the surrounding area, down lanes and across creeks and up wooded roads. We saw barns, cattle, fence posts, cemeteries, abandoned houses and mountains rising majestically in the near distance. It was a gloriously clear, blue sky day. We stopped for lots of pictures.

I shared a few pictures with you earlier in the week, but wanted to share some more. In thinking of the beauty captured in the photos, I was reminded of one of my favorite songs based on words written by Maltbie Davenport Babcock, This Is My Father’s World . You can go here to listen to a video production of this song by Fountainview Academy in British Columbia, Canada. It is so easy to become focused on the negative and all the ills of this world, but truly, this is our Father’s world and beauty abounds if we just open our eyes. He has promised to be faithful to us even to the end of the age. Instead of focusing on the evil and all that is wrong in the world, I want to focus on God and how he makes all things right in his time. I want to see the good, the beautiful. I want to “be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)As Christians, I believe we have to accept that there is evil, we have to abhor it and shun it. We need to pray for good to win. We don’t need to live in denial, but, we don’t need to wallow in the gutter of despair as if we have lost all hope either. We need to see with eyes that see Jesus, hearts that love others, arms that reach out to help, feet that walk alongside. We must delight in the beauty in our Father’s world. “Though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.” That gives me great comfort and hope. Let us open our eyes and see.