Eight years

Dear Dad,

It has been eight years since you went home to heaven.  Such a long time since I heard you say "Good Morning Daughter".  You always knew it would be me calling early.  I would say "good morning and how are you?"  You would say "I am good and how about you?" 

What I would give to hear your voice one more time.  I miss your sound advice and wisdom...I miss your jokes and teasing...I miss your laugh.  

Thank you for teaching me how to live...giving me a love for animals...and most importantly raising me with a faith to follow the Lord.

I know you are in the most perfect of places and someday I will see you again.  In the meantime I am so thankful I had you for my dad.

Love Always,

Your Daughter

Bless all of you for stopping by and letting me share a small tribute to my father today.  Have a good week.

Hugs

Debbie

"Listen to your father, who gave you life..." Prov.23:22a (NIV)

Abundance

We have had an abundance of rain in the last couple of days.  To say we are very soggy is an understatement.

Chippy Chipmunk is not bothered by all the moisture.  He still manages to make his way to the bird feeder for his daily nourishment.

 

The flowers are happy.  These New Guinea Impatiens flourish under an abundant amount of water.  

On the down side, I am hoping the seeds in the veggie patch did not get washed away. 

We had several inches of rainfall in just a few short hours.  Many roads were closed on Friday due to flooding and mudslides.   

June thus far has been a very wet one.

Spent some time this weekend  perusing this lovely book by Claus Dalby.  It has some gorgeous photos as well as featuring famous gardeners such as Vita Sackville-West and  Gertrude Jekyll.  Certainly a good book to enjoy on a rainy weekend.

Well hope next post I can report that we received  an abundance of sunshine.  

May all of you have a blessed week.

Hugs

Debbie

"Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."  2 Peter:1:2 (NIV)

Came and Went

How quickly the month of May came and went. It was here and in a blink it was gone.  This year we were unusually cool and wet.

In spite of the weather the birds sang, the flowers bloomed and the grass grew.

I worked on a few small paintings (100 small painting challenge) when it was too wet to work in the garden.

Even found a bit of time to read.

"Help is Here" by Max Lucado was wonderful...Creative Abstract Watercolor by Kate Rebecca Leach will inspire you to paint and doodle...The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton I just started and within the first chapter I was hooked.

Kelsey and Gunnar

When the sun shone these two kept me busy outdoors.

Well hope all of you had a good May as it came and went.  

May June bring you joy.

Hugs

Debbie

"...the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.  For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter..."  Ecclesiastes 8:5B-6A (NIV),  

Remembrance

 Here in the USA, this weekend marks a time of remembrance.  We celebrate this special holiday with cookouts...parades...and cemetery visits.  It is known by some as Decoration Day and others Memorial Day.

For myself it is time to remember all the men and women who have served this country.  May their service and sacrifice never be forgotten.

Also I visit the graves of my beloved parents, grandparents as well as my husband's family.  I know they are not there but it seems appropriate to leave some flowers and pay tribute to what their lives meant to those who knew and loved them

Remembering can be sad but it also has a hidden blessing.  It reminds us to slow down and appreciate the people  who still remain with us.

God Bless

Debbie

"And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."  Luke 22:19 (NIV)

Precious Days

May is filled with precious days.  Generally the weather at Harmony Hills is lovely...not too hot and not too cold.  

As you can see in the above photo the Baltimore Orioles have arrived.  They are here from May to the end of July.  I am kept busy with slicing oranges and filling up bowls of jelly.  They are gorgeous birds.  Naturally the male's coloring is more flamboyant than the female but both catch your eye when they visit.

Pink Bleeding Heart are in bloom.  Their heart shape forms make me want to pick up a paint brush.

This yellow daylily is the first to make a show.  Its petals last only a day.  Perhaps that is why it is so precious.

Woodland Hyacinths may be small but they do not go unnoticed.  They enjoy a patch in the shade which brightens the garden.

The wallflowers are adding color to the veggie patch.  Soon they will keep company with the beets and lettuce that were just planted. 

Last but not least  the blackberries are in blossom.  Hopefully they will bear lots of delicious fruit.

Yes, May is full of many precious moments.  Hope you are enjoying this special month.

Hugs

Debbie  

"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.  Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land."  Song of Songs 2:11-12 (NIV)

Mom's Day

Wishing all the mother's a very Happy Mom's Day.  May God bless you all.  Have a wonderful week.

Hugs!

Debbie

"When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home."  John 19:26 & 27 (NIV) 

Grandma

 Every spring I plant pansies in memory of my grandma.  She loved all flowers but certain ones were more special than others.  Pansies being one of those.   My maternal grandmother was the perfect picture of what a grandma should be.

Her life's story and challenges keep me aware that "hard times" do not have to define us nor stand in the way of living each day well.

At the age of twelve she lost her mother to suicide (most likely post-partem depression).  This turn of events placed her in the role of raising an infant baby brother as well as caring for a widowed father.  School went by the way and therefore she only received an eighth grade education.

This did not keep her from enjoying a good book and being exceptional when it came to math. She was smart about the necessary things that it takes to survive.

I would like to say life got easier for her but it did not...the depression hit, grandpa was out of work, the war came, she lost a child and then the baby brother she had raised also died at his own hand.

During this time she walked a mile to work and stood eight hours on an assembly line at a local pottery to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.

She was thirty when she gave birth to my mom.  Because finances were tight; even though grandpa had found work, she remained employed for many more years.  

By the time I came along her health had started to decline.  This did not stand in her way though of growing beautiful flowers, sewing lovely clothes for me and my "Chatty Cathy" and cooking delicious dishes for whoever showed up to eat.

Grandma enjoyed life, she laughed a lot, and loved her family and friends.  She was a great woman of faith and always shared her love for the Lord with others.

She was the best babysitter to my brother and I. She had a way of making everything fun and would keep us entertained for hours.   As we grew up she was always a steady influence in our lives.

It has been 41 years since she went home to be with the Lord.  The passing of time has not dimmed the wonderful memories of this special lady.  I'm certain someday we will be enjoying a heavenly garden together.  In the meantime I will keep planting pansies for her.    

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness...Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."  Prov. 31:27 & 29 (NIV)