The Phone Call...

A quiet evening...

Chores done...

A late dinner...

Washing dishes to the

sound of the peepers 

in the pond...

The phone rings.

Now, at our home,

If the telephone rings

after 8 pm...

It is usually bad news.

It was mom.

"Are you looking for us?" she asked.

"No..."  I replied hesitantly.

"Why do you ask?"

Now, as far as I knew...

My parents were tucked in

just down the road...

Probably preparing for bed...

"Well, we're in the emergency room."

My stomach flip-flopped.

My first question...

"What happened?"

My next question...

"How did you get there?"

You see, neither of my parents

can drive very well at night...

And my mom is so tiny

that she can't see up over the 

dashboard so she doesn't even 

drive during the daytime now.

My dad had cut his hand open

while working in his shop.

I didn't know how bad

his injuries were...

But I could tell by the tremble 

in mom's voice that she was worried...

When I asked her why she hadn't

called me when it happened...

She said that Dad didn't want to

bother us during dinnertime...

And he thought mom could 

take him to the hospital.

"Stay put," I told her.

"We'll be right there."

As my husband and I 

made the 40 minute trek

to the hospital...

I began to understand

how our Lord must feel sometimes...

When we don't call on Him...

Because we don't want to bother

Him with our little problems...

Because we think that we
can handle it all by ourselves...

Until things get
"out of control"...

When we arrived,
Mom seemed relieved.
I never knew that a finger
could bleed so much..

We went in with dad
while they put in the stitches...

Two hours...
Ten stitches...
And a tetanus shot later...
We headed for home.

Mom and I in the car...
My dad and my husband in the truck.

"Mom," I told her...
"Don't ever hesitate to call us.
That's what we're here for...
To help you...
To take care of you."

"We know," she replied.
"But sometimes,
We just don't think too clearly..."

Now I really know how our Lord feels...
 

"Casting all your care upon him; 

for he careth for you. "

I Peter 5:7

The Fury of The Wind...

Our hearts are broken tonight...

As we pray for those whose lives

 were forever changed this week

by the devastating winds...

We, on the coast,
experienced just a small sampling
of this fury last evening...

As the skies darkened...
and the power flickered...
And the winds began to blow...

A large tree fell near our home
knocking down power lines...
starting a fire...

We were amazed...

It seemed as though
it was just moments later
when we heard the sounds of the sirens...

Our town volunteer fire department
arrived on the scene...
and quickly put out the blaze...

Tonight, as we remember those
 who have lost so much...

We pray for God's healing touch...

And we continue to thank Him...

For all the brave men and women
Who risk their lives everyday
To help others in need...

"Greater love hath no man than this, 

that a man lay down his life for his friends..."

John 15:13

The Covering...

Ole' Man Winter was mighty rough

on my poor little greenhouse...

 Last spring, we had a few tears and 

so we just did some minor repair work...

But this year,

we knew that we would need to

recover the entire structure.

 So, several Saturdays ago,

my husband spent the morning

stripping off old plastic and wooden lathes...

And removing the window that Samuel made.

This window was such a wonderful idea...

Sam made it out of an old wooden ladder

so that the greenhouse could get more
cross ventilation!

My assignment was to work on 

making a plastic covering 

that would simply slip over the top.

We had never tried this before...

But I thought that if we cut 3 pieces

and I sewed them together

using homemade bias tape...

We could fit it right over the top...

Sort of like a toaster cover!

I made the double sided bias tape

out of a recycled floral shower curtain.

I made 72 feet of bias tape
which I cut into 4 lengths of 18 feet
and then sewed two together for each end.

I was so pleased when the covering fit...

just like a glove!

My husband then began the task

of refastening lathes...

And putting new plastic on the window...

 

 I just love the way this window works...thanks again, Sam!

Finally, all covered

and ready for my seedlings!

And now my little plants

will have the protection that they need

both from the cold and wind...

And the warmth they will need

to nurture their growth.

This covering reminded me

of the covering that David speaks about

in Psalm 105...

The Lord provided a covering
for the Israelites as they traveled
towards the Promised Land...

The cloud would protect them
from the heat of the desert sun...

And the pillar of fire
would remind them that
even in the midst of the darkness...
God provided a token of His Light.

"He spread a cloud for a covering;  

and fire to give light in the night."

 Psalm 105:39

 Unquestionable Proof...

Of God's amazing love

and protection.