Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Another day with my brother-in-law, who's visiting this weekend. He and my nephew straightened up the garage for us...again. I was concerned that I couldn't pull my car all the way in last night when they were predicting hailstorms, so they worked hard to condense things and throw away some more items. There must be something in all that "stuff" in the garage that's reproducing, because it seems to grow every time we turn our backs.

Rees suggested a clever item that would prevent me from driving in too far and hitting some of that precious "stuff" we're talking about. He's seen people hang a ball on a string from the garage ceiling so when the ball touches the front window of your car, you know to stop. We couldn't find a ball that would work, so we made a ball out of Playdoh. I can't wait to go somewhere and try it out.

Isn't that the way the Ten Commandments work? They tell us when to stop our behavior, before we crash and make a mess of our lives. As I've been instructed to keep my eye on the ball, the Playdoh ball, we need to keep our eye on the Ten Commandments. That ball isn't strong enough to make me stop the car though. I still have to apply the brakes. And that's how it is with the Ten Commandments. They won't make me stop; they'll just tell me when to.

All the commandments but two begin with "Thou shalt not". A definite indicator to stop doing something. The fourth and fifth commandments, on the other hand, begin with something to do--first to remember to honor God on His Sabbath and also to honor our parents all our lives. They are the heart of God's law. They are the "ball" we are to keep our eye on, in order to have the strength, the brakes, to keep the rest of the commandments.

God knows how to keep us from crashing.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

What a fun time we had with family and friends today. I was a bit worried about how my husband would handle six adults and four kids, all toddlers, for Sabbath dinner, but he was admirably well-behaved through it all.

Another worry today was the weather. We were under a thunderstorm and tornado watch most of the day. And we have no basement. It really was storming it up right after church when people started arriving at our house. But all we have had out of it so far has been some heavy rain.

I worried about not being able to write this blog tonight, but it appears I can master that one too. Except that I'm getting sleepy. Didn't get my usual nap in today.

Main lesson from today for me. Don't worry for nothing. Let God handle your life, but also your stresses. I used to worry about being a worrier. Trust is a good antidote for that.

What Families Do

Dad. Uncle. Brother-in-law. The man who's coming for a last-minute visit this weekend will find many family members vying for his attention. We are looking forward to his advice (as Dad), his teasing (as Uncle), and his handyman expertise (as brother-in-law). He will be one busy man, but I gather he's looking forward to the adventure too with his boring assignment in Kansas City looming in front of him for a few more weeks.

That's what families do though. They help each other. They receive help from each other. And no one keeps count. That's how it should be in our churches too. Church is another support system to rely on. And so important, especially if your biological family lives far away. I don't see how people can live without them. It keeps you from being too invested in yourself or even your own immediate family. We are made to mingle. And God gave us a whole day every week to do it. Let your next Sabbath be about family.

Caregivers Have Birthdays too!

My birthday should trump all other topic choices for me tonight. But it really was a rather uneventful day, even with a birthday to boast of. Dean's nurse who checks on him once a week brought me cupcakes for my birthday, which was a nice beginning. I had a cake mix I could have whipped up, but this saved me from the task. She is so thoughtful that way. She's the one who has been able to sweet-talk Dean into getting his fingernails trimmed, so she'll always have a special place in my heart too. We're still working on the mustache issue. So far we're just keeping it at bay. In other words it hasn't reached his chin...yet.

My daughter then called and Jenna, her little one, sang Happy Birthday to me all the way through by herself. Pretty good for her. She usually has mom sing along. My sister and brother called three-way and they sang it too. I embarrassed my nephew by mentioning my birthday on the way home from picking him up from work. He was so upset at himself for forgetting that I felt just as special and valued after his profuse apologies. I'll get my payback from him with all the labor we have planned for around the house this weekend.

All this and over fifty birthday wishes from my Facebook friends made it a nice day. I didn't do much around the house. Only did dishes once and one load of laundry. And I had carrots for supper. Dean doesn't like them, so they were for me!

Thank you, Jesus, for one more year of life. My husband asked today what he could give me for my birthday. I told him he gives it to me every day. A purpose for living. But then again, so does our God.

Who's Steering?

I went shopping today again with my daughter and two granddaughters. The littlest one was riding with me on the power cart, sitting so still and being so good. But then she got to playing with the horn. Discovered just where and how to push it. Next thing I know she's taking over the steering too!

Good thing I was just a bit stronger than she was and kept us running safely down the middle of the aisles and not bumping into the shelves. She was having so much fun trying to wrest the steering away from Grandma, but her sister and I were laughing and enjoying it as much as she was. The joy for her came from doing something Grandma was supposed to do and getting away with it, even though I was the one who had the cart under control.

How often do we think we can steer better than God too? I imagine He humors us somewhat, letting us think we are in charge, even though He is really the strong one and is keeping our life on the straight path. Just like I kept our cart from crashing into anything. God will gladly be in control for us, if we ask Him to. Is there really a safer way to travel?

Gardener of the Universe

So, being the gardener in residence, it appears that my duties will be watering detail. It's the least labor-intensive, but at the same time the most time-intensive position on the family gardening team. It will be nice though because I will have a day-to-day eyeball on plant growth that the others won't have. Unfortunately, this will include watching the weeds grow, but that's where the other gardeners will have their input. I hope.

I'm looking forward to seeing our garden grow, when it gets planted that is. And reaping the fresh salad fixings it will provide somewhere down the line. There are many benefits of gardening, including the physical exercise it gives us and the joy of seeing our garden unfold its beauty before us.

This must be how the Lord felt when He was planning the Garden of Eden. There was intense anticipation in watching our earth and its inhabitants blossom before His eyes. Even before the actual "planting" time, I'm sure He was planning and preparing just what was needed to make it all unfold in the best possible way for the entire universe.

It may look like the weeds have taken over on this planet by now, but the Gardener of the Universe has a plan to eradicate those weeds in a manner that will cause them to never come back. We must trust that He knows the best methods and will utilize them in a way that will astound even the angels. We love Him, because He first loved us. Even before we were "planted". And now, it's love that will make us grow in and for Him.

Flowers on Easter

I can't think of a better Easter activity than planting begonias in the backyard with your family. It was a great deal of fun, watching a three-year-old work with her mommy and daddy to get the six bulbs in the ground. I stood by with a camera to document the event.

Little sister missed out on the fun, as she opted out for a nap on the couch while they labored. But we will all join in the fun as we watch these bulbs grow and flower in the coming days and weeks.

I can see why God chose working with the land as one of the first occupations for mankind. It consists of God and man working side by side, and is full of miraculous births and rebirths of plant life. No wonder Jesus drew from nature so much in His parables. We can learn so much from all that God has created. But you don't have to be a farmer to reap these benefits. Growing a single houseplant can be just as satisfying. Try it and see.