All Things Nice . . .

 

 

  

Rain . . . At Night

It rained tonight, a warm fine summer rain

Making long streaks across my window pane,

And in the dark I heard the rustling leaves,

The water running in the wooden eaves,

I smelt the fragrant earth all dripping wet;

Saw the drops shine like glistening pools of sweat.

I almost thought that I could hear the sound

Of tiny thankful roots below the ground,

The eager drinking up of leaf and stem

As the warm moisture drifted down to them.

The drenched sweet flowers folded dim and tight,

Giving their sweet fragrance to the night.

And even in my sleep I seemed to feel

The quiet power of rain to bless and heal,

The peace of Nature working out her plan

Setting at naught the hurried ways of man.

For growth is slow, yet to my heart it brings

The mystery of all created things.

~Edna Jacques, Bedside Still Waters 

It literally did rain last night, all night.  We got the tale end of that hurricane Elsa.  Where I live we had no power from about midnight until about 5:45 this morning.  I remember hearing a bang, and it came on, and then I heard another bang and it went off again. That was about 4.  I got up to go to the bathroom and it was so dark in the house. I was grateful for my tiny flashlight I keep by my bed.  I went back to bed, but had to open a window because it was very stuffy in the house, and of course no fans were working. 

I lay there and worried about the stuff in the little freezer on top of my refrigerator all thawing out, and thought about the waste of it all. Thought about how I really need to get a small chest freezer or something to keep things in that will keep them much more frozen.  I was worrying about how long the power would stay off as I have a deadline to meet by Monday, and I need the internet to do that. I worried about if my tv would still work or would I need to program it all over again, you know  . . .  worry wart kinds of things . . . 

I looked out my window and could see the power was on on the street just behind us. A little while later a power truck rolled in and I could see them working on the lines, and I was grateful that it wasn't me that had to be up all night in all kinds of weather working on power lines. 

And then the power came back on and stayed on.  And I reset the clocks on my stove and microwave.  I had a shower just in case it went off again.  I put a load of wash on just in case it went off again. I thanked God that it had come back on and had stayed on. 

 

 

I picked Eileen up about 9:30 yesterday morning and we started off on our shopping trip.  It hadn't started raining yet.  We stopped at the flower place and I picked up a nice arrangement to put on top of mom's headstone. It was just starting to rain when we came out of there and by the time we got to Wal Mart it was just tipping it down. We sat in the car for a few minutes and then decided to go for it.  Like Eileen said, we're not like sugar, we won't melt.   

Eileen was able to get quite a few things with her money, and still had some to spare. We had fun picking things out.  It was still tipping it down.  I said to her, lets go get a drink and then we can order some lunch and take it to Grampy's. 

Dad had called me once while we were in the Wal Mart. I think he was worried we would be late and he has a schedule you know. 

While I was in line to order our drinks I felt a tap on my shoulder and it was my sister! What a lovely surprise!  So I got her a drink too, and the three of us had a lovely little visit. I am so glad I live in a place now where I can run into someone I love like my sister like that!  

Eileen and I ordered the lunch and then we went to the car to go to Dad's. It was still tipping it down. I said to Eileen, if it is still raining hard after we leave Dad's we may have to visit Grammy another day. 

We had a nice lunch with Dad and yes, it was still tipping it down when we left Dad's so we have plans now to go another day. It would not have been very nice for us to be standing there in the rain and to be honest I want our visit there together to be a pleasant one. 

 

You can spend your whole life learning, studying, going to church, listening to the sermon, studying the Word . . .  you might even take notes,  But at what point does the learning part transition into the living part.  When does what you believe turn into who you will become? ~Emily Belle Freeman, Even This 

I have been pondering that question over the past few days.  I have decided that it is not quite enough to just believe . . .  although that is a good start . . .  belief needs action. It needs to become a part and a fabric of who we are in our daily lives. Do we spend our days holding parts of ourselves back, protecting ourselves from the vulnerability it takes to really yoke ourselves together with Him? 

It takes much more than simply believing  in a Jesus who does good things and wanting to be like him.  It requires actually doing good things ourselves and becoming His hands on our journey, even if it is as simple as picking up the phone and calling someone we haven't spoken to in a while.  Sometimes we may need to go back up the hill we have just walked down to help the ones that are lagging behind, to help lighten their load so that they can make it down as well.  It is all very well to believe in doing good things, but we really need to do them.  That is how we become. 

 

A burden shared truly is a burden halved. 

 

Another thing I have been thinking about this week is Manna.  You know what Manna is?  When the Jewish people were wandering about in the desert for 40 years, God sent Manna down from Heaven for them to eat each every morning.  They were to gather it every morning, according to their need. No more, no less.  The Lord is with them every morning, providing, filling, feeding.   Filling them with tender mercies.  But soon the complaining comes . . .  the manna becomes mundane . . .  you can almost hear them saying "Why can't it be steak?"  They have set aside their gratitude, and many have even begun to long for the lives they had before the desert, for slavery, to return to a life in bondage, because it is easier.

Do I do this?  Do I take the manna I am given every day and take it for granted, longing instead for steak?  Do I ever long to return to the way things were? I confess I have moments like that.  Moments when I long for something more than what I have been given. Perhaps it is only natural, but I think in doing so we lose the strength and the meaning and the value of what we have been given  . . .  now.  We turn our manna into something less than what it is intended to be . . . and that is not what our lives are meant to be. 

"Men are that they might have joy." ~Nephi 2:25

 

There was a brief respite in the rain early in the evening last night. I was talking to Tina on the facetime when I saw Chip appear on my front veranda. I had not seen him for a few days.  I said to Tina, I need to go for a second to give Chip his peanuts.  He was very excited to see me.  So much so that he almost came into my house.  He was certainly within a few inches of me and my front door.  He filled his little cheek pouches and scampered off.  He did that twice. lol  He was making up for lost time I guess!

My sister has three chipmunks. The mother had babies and they have now each set up homes in her garden. Pumpkin, mom's cat, caught one the other day.  Thankfully Cindy and Dan caught her and she released it before it got hurt. But it is extra timid now and perhaps it should be.  

That made me think that maybe in taming them we are endangering them, causing them to let down their guard too much, preventing them from living the life they are intended to live, as cute as they might be.  It is perhaps not very wise for us to allow them to depend overly on us for things. They are meant to be foraging in the wild. 

Is there a lesson there for us?  Perhaps that is why we don't always get what we want when we want it.  Its not because the cosmos is being mean to us, its because the cosmos is stretching us  and our skills to make us stronger and better.  Food for thought there.  Worth more than peanuts. 

And now I will leave you with a thought for the day  . . .  and I hope today is a good day for you and for me. 

 .° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.°Water your roots

so your soul can blossom.

~Unknown  •。★★ 。* 。 

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Creamy Lemon Pie for Two.  This simple no bake pie boasts a gingersnap crust and goes together very quickly. You do have to chill it for a while before you can eat it, but let me tell you, it is more than worth the wait! Makes one six inch pie or two ramekins.

Have a brilliant Saturday. I think the storm has passed us now.  There looks to be a fine day in the offing. Whew! Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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And I do too!