A Hydrangea By Any Other Name

This little beauty is in my yard. I look at the intricacies of it and think that there is nothing man can make that equals this magnificence.

See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Matthew 6:28b-29

No-Spin Zone

Vertigo.

Love the movie ... hate the ailment.

I got slammed a few days with vertigo, probably brought on by a virus. Life came to a virtual stand-still. Kinda makes me appreciate the somewhat mundane, even occasionally boring, life I live.

Lord, have mercy! And thank you for putting me back in the no-spin zone!

Encounter With An Icon Redux

Michael Spencer has a beautiful and sensitive post about missing the Lord. He expresses much of what I've been feeling. I wanted to comment on his post. I've added it below, with a few edits.

I’ve been thinking about this since you posted. The night before, a glance at an icon of Christ brought this overwhelming and very intense desire, a longing for Christ. I posted yesterday a.m. on my own blog. The scripture reading for that night was I Corinthians 2:9; it was a comfort and renewed a spark of hope.

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the
things which God has prepared for those who love Him.

Maybe it’s our age, maybe it’s the age we live in; both are challenging. We feel a loneliness that I believe is a longing for our true home. I cannot glibly say any longer that I know Christ and I run from people that claim they do. I know aspects of Him - what I read in the gospels, what I experience, but that is small. And it is a relief to be away from the crowds that proclaim victory in every area of their lives, condemning those who cannot shout with them.

I do believe that remaining steadfast and child-like through this time will continue to deepen my roots in Him. Not necessarily “doing” anything, no performance, just believing that He is there, albeit silent; knowing that He promised to prepare a place for me and will receive me there at the appointed time.

I don’t want to and hope I’m not coming across as “preachy”. I just want to let you know that you are not alone and how one other person is coping with these feelings for right now. Maybe this experience is another way of understanding “narrow is the path and few there be that find it.”

Oh, and consider adding John Michael Talbot to your musical list - another beautiful “lamenter.”

May we be still and know that He is Lord!

Movie Meme

What a great way to waste some hot summer time, especially since the hubster is out of town and I don't have to think about dinner.

I copied this from Deb on the Run. Feel free to use and pass on.

1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times. Wizard of Oz

2. Name a movie that you’ve seen multiple times in the theater. None

3. Name an actor/s that would make you more inclined to see a movie. Judi Dench

4. Name an actor/s that would make you less likely to see a movie. Madonna

5. Name a movie(s) that you can quote from. Pride & Prejudice, The Jewel in the Crown, Monthy Python and the Holy Grail

6. Name a movie musical that you know all the lyrics to all the songs. Fiddler on the Roof

7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with. Fiddler on the Roof

8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see. The Godfather

9. Name a movie that you own. Pride & Prejudice

10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops. Frank Sinatra

11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what? Yes, The Way We Were and about a bazillion others

12. Ever made out in a movie? Of course

13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven’t gotten around to it. Can't think of one

14. Ever walked out of a movie? Yep, The Prince of Tides

15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater. Schindler's List

16. Popcorn? Nope

17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)? Maybe once every month or two. We only go to a small indy theater here in the city.

18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater? Films that were shown at the Jewish Film Festival - can't remember the names.

19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie? Indy and foreign

20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater? Rosemary's Baby

21. What movie do you wish you had never seen? The Exorcist

22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed? Napoleon Dynamite

23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen? The Exorcist

24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen? Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Encounter With An Icon

Coming from a Protestant background and not having been Orthodox for long, I have a respect for icons, an appreciation of their unique beauty, even somewhat of an understanding of their intended and historical use. But they have not been a necessity or much of an inspiration to me - I'm still too Protestant for that.

Until last night. I have a copy of The Savior of Zvenigorod by Andrei Rublev that I keep in my Bible. As I settled in and prepared to read a bit last night, I glanced at this icon, this representation of my Savior. And I longed for Him. Longed to see Him, talk with Him face to face ... a overwhelming longing I had not experienced before. He seemed so near, yet so far away.

I have heard it said that as Christians, we really should not be completely content in this world and that part of our discontentedness is a longing to be with Jesus and for our true home.

I feel this, and all I can say is Maranatha!

Book Recommendation

If you are looking for a quick fictional read this summer, I just finished and highly recommend The Chosen by Chaim Potok. It's about the friendship that develops between two Jewish teen boys - one of them Hasidic, during WWII. It's a lovely story, and well-written.

The Daily Puppy

Resistance is futile!

Displaced

I'm part of a discussion board for women living with empty nests - some, successfully; some, not so much. One of the women recently posted that her counselor told her she had holes in her heart and had used her children to fill those holes. Now that they were out on their own, the holes were once again gaping and raw, they needed filled. She needed to find herself, again.

I admit. I saw red!! Now I don't know this woman and it is entirely possible that she was doing all that the counselor said she was doing. But I see something different. I see a counselor blaming a woman for doing what comes naturally - putting everything she had into the job of raising her family and now that the job is finished, she is bereft. I see another example of motherhood devalued and it makes me angry and a bit sad.

We.are.not.lost. Displaced, maybe.

Historically, there was no such thing as an empty nest. Families tended to be large and lived in the same geographical area; they needed and depended on one another. Women were never idle; they went from taking care of their own children to caring for grandchildren and others in their families. They helped their neighbors when needed. The situation changed with the industrial revolution - when manual labor was replaced with machines. Families left the farm, moving away for better jobs. Grandma's caretaking was replaced by daycare centers and she became somewhat obsolete ... and invisible … and she developed holes in her heart that can only be healed with love.

Beautiful Hershey Gardens

We recently visited Hershey Gardens. They have some really amazing foliage and several hybrids that I have never seen before, but thoroughly enjoyed. I'll post some pics.

I'm Leavin' On a Jet Plane

Oh, the joys of travel these days. I went to see my youngest daughter who lives on the left coast. Getting from our little town to her little town usually involves three flights each way. Of course, there were snags and the trip out took 15 hours! Needless to say, I don't do it often, but she is graduating from college and I wanted to celebrate with her.

Doesn't she look content, resting her head on Mama'?

News! News!

News! I am going to be a grandma next February! This will be our first grandbaby. The only sadness is that my daughter lives four hours away. I would love to be a 'hands-on' grammy, but that probably won't be possible. Sigh ...