“Big takes the plunge for her leg of the 400 medley relay.”
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you...”
Isaiah 43:2 NIV
This is what we’ve been waiting for all year...the State Swim Meet. Big is an accomplished swimmer. She’s all arms and legs and has finally developed enough muscle and control to overcome her gangly growth spurt of last year. She is strong and graceful. She is incredibly focused and goal oriented. It is a pleasure to watch her strive to beat her personal bests.
It was hot and humid in the aquatic center. Parking was abysmal and necessitated a 3/4 mile hike in the hot sun from a distant lot. And that’s with getting there fairly early. The benches are hard metal with little ridges that quickly become uncomfortable. Someone spilled coffee all over the place where I sat. But, you get this little gal up on the starter’s box and I’m zoned out of all that. All I want to see is that wave from the deck. That bright smile that says “I’m glad you’re here!” That quick flip around to check her time. The raise of her fist when she’s accomplished the goal she set for that event.
“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.””
2 Kings 4:1-2, 4-7 NIV
When I am on the road, I really miss my home church. I go to churches wherever I am traveling, but it’s just not the same. Fortunately, our church has an app and all of our sermons are posted on it. They come out on Tuesday so I have to wait a couple of days. But they are always worth the wait.
I spent a lay-low day yesterday icing my knee. I want it to get better quickly so I didn’t really do anything but read and catch up with my sermons. Pastor Justin preached from 2 Kings a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to share with you what I learned from his message.
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV
Yesterday was my special day with Big. She is fourteen so our yearly one-on-one is normally focused on fashion. Our trip to the mall began at the opening bell and ended at 3:00. That’s five hours of walking from one end to the other and back...several times. My suddenly sixty-five year old knee said, “What are you doing to me??? Get thee to a restaurant!”
Big and I took our time over huge yummy salads at California Pizza Kitchen. We discussed her upcoming entry into high school. We talked about making our visits really count since I only get one a year. We promised to text, call, and FaceTime more often to stay connected.
“Michelle uses livestock tanks as elevated garden containers.”
“and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.”
Exodus 35:31-33 NIV
Yesterday’s post didn’t have very many pictures to illustrate my descriptions of Michelle’s lovely home. Michelle was kind enough to send me several photos so I could run a “Part Two” of A Gal About Town.
“A faux wall hides an unsightly electric box. It is adorned with a salvaged window and shutters from the family farm in Kansas.”
“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”
Psalm 113:3 NIV
I met up with one of my favorite Sisters on the Fly last night for dinner. Michelle Michelle Cummings is an amazing woman. She created a business nearly 20 years ago because she couldn’t find a job doing what she loved. She now travels all over the world teaching team building to major corporations. She just returned from Beijing and I was thrilled she had a little time to spend with me while I’m in Colorado.
First, let me say how gorgeous her home is. Michelle is one of the craftiest women I’ve ever known. She turned her garage into a workspace that would make Joanna Gaines green with envy. She lined the walls with corrugated tin from the roof of an old barn than blew down on her parents’ farm in Kansas. She hung windows as well as her grandparents’ front door on the walls. She turned salvaged wood into a trunk to store camping chairs in. She converted an ancient fridge into winter boot storage. There is a place for everything and I’m not kidding when I say everything is in its place.
“Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.”
Jeremiah 33:6 KJV
A little over five years ago, I sat on a stool in the corner of an emergency room and watched them do CPR on my husband. It went on FOR-EV-ER. Stop. Start. Shock. X-Ray. Start. Stop. Check. Shock. Over and over and over. I sat with my hand clasped over my mouth to keep from screaming. I wrapped my feet intricately around and through the legs of the stool to keep from jumping up and running away. My shoulders slumped...my free hand dug into my thigh so I could feel something other than horror. And all of that...all of the valiant efforts, all of the shouts for more drugs, all of the hustle and bustle and orchestrated chaos could not save him. He died in spite of the best efforts of the Western Slope’s best and brightest. He died. And I could do nothing to stop it.
I ran away in my camper for three months. I busied myself. I “dated” a guy which turned out to be more about putting a tourniquet around my bleeding heart than it did about “love”. It had nothing to do with love. It had everything to do with escape. Then, one sunny afternoon at a fair in the park, a gentleman standing nearby choked. Like, Heimlich Maneuver choked. And I was frozen. Instead of jumping in as I had been trained to do…as I was certified to do…a movie started playing in my head as I stood in the park. Suddenly, I was back in the ER, sitting on the stool, watching them do CPR on my husband. It went on FOR-EV-ER. I mean, I KNEW I was in the park. So why was I “seeing” this rerun?
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Romans 15:13 ESV
I was sitting with my friend, Terri, yesterday when I heard this loud roaring noise. At first, I thought the air conditioner had gone on the fritz. I looked out the window and saw sunshine so I knew it wasn’t rain. I looked around, puzzled. Suddenly, everyone jumped up and ran to the windows. Rain! It really was raining. And pretty darned hard, too. Since the sun was out, there was an impressive rainbow. But do you think I ran and got my camera to document the event? Oh, heck no! I might have missed the whole storm. And rain is NOT something you want to miss in this semi-arid climate.
Colorado is parched. The grass crackles under your feet. Miss one day watering your plants or lawn and you have nothing but pale straw colored spikes. You know it’s a dry summer when the headline on the news alert coming out of Denver is “IT’S RAINING!” The other night, my son-in-law’s dad got the call…there would be no more water in the ditch. They own shares in the irrigation ditch…along with a gazillion other people. The ditch hasn’t dried up in years. I hope what little bit of rain we received here yesterday will help ease the fire danger. These people don’t live with “IF” when it comes to fires. They live with “WHEN”. It’s scary.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."”
1 Samuel 16:7 ESV
I came to the mountains yesterday to visit my brother and some friends one more time before I go back to West Virginia. The rest of my visit is booked with the Denver family, so this is my last trip here for a while.
The traffic coming out of Denver was terrible. It seems everyone and their brother had the same idea to head to the mountains for the weekend and a normally three hour trip took four-and-a-half. Seriously though, if you have to get stuck in traffic somewhere, I can think of far worse places than the middle of the Rockies. I had my praise music cranked up and sat staring at the beauty all around me and my heart was full.
“He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.”
Exodus 35:35 ESV
Little is a maker, just like her Nana. Yesterday was Maker Day. We headed to Starbucks to get super charged, then Hobby Lobby to buy the assorted art supplies that any 11-year-old maker needs for projects. Next week she is going to Tech Camp and while she’s gone, her mom and auntie are creating a new “Maker Space” in her room. I made a sign for her today then relaxed with a painting to try my hand at waves. I really am not much of an artist but I do have fun playing.
Today I am heading to the mountains for a few days. I need to spend some more time with my sweet brother and clean up Mr. Virgo’s grave. I heard from a gal in Glenwood Springs and we’re going to gather any readers in the area that may be interested and meet for coffee while I’m in town. It is always such a delight to spend time with my readers.
“For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.”
Proverbs 9:11 ESV
I make it a point to spend one-on-one time with the grandchildren when I visit them in Colorado. Little is my “maker” so yesterday we baked her daddy’s birthday cake. She “painted” on the iPad for quite a while. Then she stayed the night with me over at her paternal grandparents’ house where I stay when I am here.
I love the frankness of this child. She tells long tall tales but she also speaks truth that cuts to the chase. She has a way of feeling great empathy and is forever the champion of the underdog. She made me promise to take her to church while I am here. We listened to praise music as we drove around yesterday.
“Big takes the plunge for her leg of the 400 medley relay.”
“Lord, Fill my Vessel.”
“I shopped till I dropped!”
“Michelle uses livestock tanks as elevated garden containers.”
“A faux wall hides an unsightly electric box. It is adorned with a salvaged window and shutters from the family farm in Kansas.”
“Colorful Colorado”
“EMDR reprograms your brain.”
“What is this wet stuff???”
“Your DIFFERENCE is your BEAUTY.”
“My take on waves.”
“Little & Me”