Serenity

 It had been a full day.

Good, but full.

Church and Sunday school followed by a crock pot dinner

while the men of the house watched the British Open come to a fine ending.

Then, a surprise Open House for a friend's 80th birthday.

While we were out, we decided to attend a 4:00 concert 

of one of our favorite groups, the Senior Saints.

We drove home in a rainstorm with full and happy hearts.

After a light supper, we played some table games with my father.

Just as we were about to put our feet up,

we received a call that a friend had fallen and was taken to the Emergency Room,

so we returned to our car and headed up the busy interstate.

 All the way, we drove into this beautiful sunset.

Serenity.

In spite of traffic going 75-80 MPH around us

and our concern over our friend,

the overpowering beauty of the sky was a reminder 

that ultimately our Creator God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ 

remains our Source of serenity and peace in the middle of 
surprise, commotion, hurry and the unknown.

Meals

Old recipes are the best--with a little tweaking now and then, of course...

Meals--planning, preparation and cleanup--occupy more time than I realized!  Leisurely they wander in and out of my minutes and hours.  They take me to cupboard and cookbook; internet and recipe file.  I search refrigerator and pantry for them.  I travel, too.  Superstores and small-town grocery.  Occasionally a roadside market.  Slowly they take shape.  Each one unique; odd combinations of time and taste and what's on hand. I find a surprising pleasure in their creation because I wasn't always "into" cooking.

 (This observation from my journal entry a few days ago.)

As Busy as I Care to Be

I have time to work on jigsaw puzzles...

"You must be very busy," they say.

A statement with an implied question.

Curiosity-laden.

And I struggle to respond.

Fact is, I'm as busy as I care to be.

It's all relative, I believe.

...and I have time to read.

***

And you? 

Are YOU "busy"?

Friday's Friends and More

What an incredible experience to meet Deanna face-to-face!

After reading Creekside Cottage for several years now,

I felt like I already knew her, but our conversation confirmed it!

How I thank the Lord for our mutual love for Jesus--

a fast and firm bond of faith that made our short time together so precious.

This was followed up by a meeting with friends from our college days.

Craig and Sylvia were incredible hosts, treating us to a fantastic lunch

and chauffeuring us around beautiful Amish countryside and towns.

We'll never forget this day!
(I hope THEIR photos turned out better than ours!)

Well, this one did turn out better than mine....this is Sylvia & I.

The rest of these photos are various sights from a Thursday afternoon walk
around the area of our downtown Lancaster PA hotel and convention center.

Small courtyard behind the former home of Charles Demuth

In front of one of the many art galleries

A fountain outside our hotel

More Demuth courtyard

Hubby in entrace to Demuth courtyard

Hydrangeas & hosta in front of one of the 1700's structures

Trees - always my fascination.  This one in front of Art Museum

Grounds surrounding the Museum of Art

I took the time to play this one!

Folded paper - so creative, I thought

A sweet flower shop

On the Road Again

 Traveled across Ohio and into Pennsylvania

 through beautiful country and tunnels (!)

 to arrive, register, and find our "home" for the next few days in downtown Lancaster.

 

 We found ourselves a place to eat before the first session of the

 US National Conference celebrating the 250th year of the United Brethren in Christ denomination.

We sat at a table beside this window...

 

Today while my husband is in business sessions,

I shall enjoy quiet time - reading and journaling, and possibly scouting out

the blocks surrounding the convention center (if the heat doesn't psych me out)...

View from the 11th floor of the Marriott.

Family Time at Sauder Village

 Between getting ready for the photo and the actual photo, 

 one child went missing!

Didn't realize it until it was too late.

 ...so much that DIDN'T get documented in pictures,

 but all held in the heart...

 The rain forecast didn't materialize and we had a wonderful time

 at the Sauder Village complex.  It's a perfect place for family fun.

So much to see - so much to learn - so much to do.

Going Grey Here

Sometimes I use the camera on my cell phone as a mirror

to check my lipstick or hair.

I did that this morning as I sat in a waiting room with a relative.

What I saw was so striking that I took a picture of it!

I showed my husband when I got home asking,
"Am I REALLY this grey?"

He was diplomatic.

He assures me that I'm not--
that it was just the lighting.  Or background.  Or something.
I'm not sure what to believe...


Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained in the way of righteousness.
Proverbs 16:31

I "Do" Music

I "do" music....

I enjoy writing simple music - often both words and tunes.

Recently I set a poem a friend wrote to music.  I was pleased to hear it sung 

by our Sunday School class last Sunday

Most Mondays, a friend and I meet and play piano duets

on her grand piano.

In addition to enjoying each other's company,

this has helped keep my piano playing skills sharpened.

 I've also enjoying brushing up my ukulele skills 

on an instrument recently purchased.

I take it along occasionally when I visit shut-ins with my husband.

It's another way I "do" music...

I'm thankful for ALL the music in my life,

seeds of which were planted in me -- 

at least from birth (and maybe before).

"speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord"  Ephesians 5:19

Summer Reading

 After reading The Surreal Life of Leonora Carrington, by Joanna Moorhead,

 I decided I wanted to read The Hearing Trumpet.

 So, I placed a hold on it at our library, and received a notice that it had arrived.

When I got to the library, I noticed THIS book

by one of my very favorite authors.

I'm reading it first since it is a 7-day loaner.

Loving every page!

The late Maeve Binchy was another favorite author of mine.

I'm sorry that I've read my last of her books.
By the way....
these lines from The Surreal Life intrigue me..

See what I mean?!? 
(It might help you to know that I have a couple of bedrooms
with books.  Shelves and shelves of them!)

Missing Pieces

Too many missing pieces lately!

The last two we've done - both thrift store purchases - (wonder if I've learned my lesson).

Oh, well.

Disappointing?  Sure--.

but the pleasure of puzzling was not diminished significantly.

One Picture, a Thousand Words

a 90-year-old father,

a 9 hour journey,

a National Park,

a short hike,

a beautiful falls.

My Gethsemani

"My" desk - postcards, scissors, journal, tape, Bible, hand lotion...

View from "my" window

Hanging above "my" bed

Some serious reading pleasure