Floating gently

So, yesterday I killed two of God's gentle creations.

The first killing happened as I was driving home from Ohio. I was cruising down I-71 in the middle of Ohio. I spotted a beautiful butterfly floating gently through the air above the highway. Suddenly it dipped down and the airstream of my vehicle blew it up and over my car. I looked in the rear view mirror and there it was plummeting to the pavement.

After getting home and unpacking, I began mowing my lawn. It was dusk. As I was mowing, I noticed that there were a few fireflies left lighting up the air. The end of firefly season. As I was pushing the mower on my final lap, I noticed a firefly landing right in front of my mower. It gets sucked up under the mower and I see it light up for the final time....

I love butterflies and fireflies...they are so beautiful, so gentle, just floating around adding beauty to the earth. I want to walk gently through this world....adding only beauty.

This rides for you Angelo!

So, this week I am spending some time with my family….my children and my parents. It is our annual pilgrimage to church camp in the mountains of Pennsylvania. We spend 10 days together. I spend my time going to church, watching the children play and watching my children try to pair up...I have teenagers….I spend most of my time keeping my eye on them.

Well, this week has been a little different….my dad got a call this afternoon that his dear friend Angelo had passed away. This is one of my dad’s dearest friends. He and Angelo have been friends for 70 years….since they were 6 years old. They spent many days in their youth playing together. As they grew older and married, they ended up moving to the same town. They were hunting buddies….taking a yearly trip somewhere exotic to slay the big game. As they grew older, they were gun buddies…always looking for a good deal on a gun to purchase or sell. They also loved to watch baseball games together…specifically, the Tribe.

Well, it's been an interesting day as I have watched my dad mourn his friend. I know how I would mourn a dear friend, but I am a woman. How does my dad, a tough guy, a hunting guy, mourn his lifelong friend? Well, he sat silently for a while…then he got in his golf cart and he drove off slowly….a few minutes later he drove by with a cart full of children. He had gone out to the home of a couple who has two mentally handicapped children and asked if he could take these children on a golf cart ride. He spent the afternoon giving each one a ride all over the campground. Their faces were glowing with excitement.

I sat and watched and wondered what that did for my dad’s hurting soul….

If you can talk, you can sing

So, today I went to chapel...it was a great service.

At the beginning of the service, we sang two songs. I had a couple come into the pew behind me and sit. They had what seemed like 12 children....I think it might have been 4. Anyhow, we started to sing, In Christ Alone.

The congregation begins to sing...what I heard next was absolutely breathtaking. One of the little boys behind me....he was maybe 3...he begins to sing. He knows the tune, but he only knows maybe 2 words in every verse. But it doesn't stop him from singing....he sings....he belts it out.....saying words that made no sense to me, sprinkled with a correct word here and one there....I had to close my eyes and listen.

There were so many things going through my head. First off, why is that we adults over-think everything....why are we not free to worship, really worship....belting it out with all our hearts as loud as we can with no regard to the person in front of us. Next, I listened to this little guy's mom....he sang just like her....she was belting it out, of course she knew all the words. This little guy has been in church with his mom, watching, listening and now following after her. She is teaching him how to worship. Last I wondered how this little guy's song sounded to God....was the Father closing His eyes, drinking in the pure worship of such a sweet soul. Then I wondered, what does my song sound like to my Father.

If you can talk, you can sing;
If you can walk, you can dance.

From Wilmore with love

So, it's the 4th of July and I'm in Wilmore.

How does Wilmore celebrate the 4th? It's too cute. Everyone goes downtown for the parade...which contains children on decorated bicycles, farmers on their tractors, some people riding horses and the lawnmower brigade. The lawnmower brigade is a group of about 20 Wilmore men pushing their lawnmowers in formation. It is the town favorite.

Then the whole town walks down to the campground for quarter hotdogs and chips.

This is the 4th in small town America.....so I bid you a happy 4th from Wilmore, with love.

Dominate, eh?

So, yesterday (July 1st) was Canada Day. What is "Canada Day?"

Well, here is what Wikipedia has to say....it is formerly Dominion Day. The definition of "dominion" is "supreme authority."

Let me just say this....this explains so much! Eh?