Daring Confidence

Celosia-Caracas

Evening Light

Lysimachia- Golden globes

Sweet Autumn Clematis-
 it blooms here in Virginia end of June into July

Daylily bloom procession

Drapery  of flowers in old wire basket

Pink Scaevola---Fanflower

Purple angelonia and a wave petunia

My friend Mary Moore stopped by Open Gardens this week and took some lovely garden photos in evening light to share with you. Each week in the garden are new sights and combinations.  It really is a changing place each week....

Just finished reading The Quotidian Mysteries- Laundry, Liturgy and Women's Work by Kathleen Norris. A semantic look at the word quotidian is: God in the daily life, in the quantity of our days.
As we look at routine things, how do we manage to find God in a life filled with noise, the demands of other people and relentless daily duties that can consume the self?

For me, the incarnational reality, the sanctity of the everyday comes in the garden.
 Here is where I inhale the words in Lamentations 3:21-23.

"But, this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning:
great is your faithfulness."

Dainty Bacopa

Open Gardens- Four

Phlox-- variety---LAURA -
 fell in love with the color
 and Purple is daughter Laura's favorite color

the garden marker is for the lilac behind the phlox

A beautiful hybrid daylily

The Filipendula in bloom

Bird Bath Redo-
Winter had finally created a crack and the basin
 no longer would hold water--
 so this redo of things in the yard
 with a spot for thirsty birds allows it a second life

Happy plants before the 100 degree
 weather headed our way in Virginia

Bacopa in bloom and pots filling out

Purple angelonia

Little girl and the daisies

Crocosmia- Lucifer-- just beginning to bloom

Remembering Dads

I had to think twice as I stood in front of the Father's Day cards display at the CVS.....

 and then my throat caught as I realized.....  The second year of missing dad on Father's Day.  And some dad images came flooding back......

Erv and Kate and Connie and Jessica, Laura and Sara

Adding John to the photo

The Boots by the back door 

Sara and Dad on THE BENCH

The Clematis on the Iron Wheel

The Popcorn Maker in the Back Room

And time stood still as I hung on to the grace journey story of a dad and daughter- well-loved  and well-lived.  An example of fortitude and scrappiness that made all the challenges melt away in the solidness of undeserved and unfailing love..... my gift and my heritage.

And thanking God today that the man in my life- the father of my daughters- keeps the light alive for the gift of the Treasure of Fatherhood. For another generation. Living out the story of a Heavenly Father's grace as seen here in earthly examples. Oh! The Lord is good to me.

John-

Open Gardens- Three

The birdhouse- no tenants this year

Queen of the Prairie-
 Filipendula
 ready to burst open

Bloom from "Snow on the Mountain"

The dish garden- collecting the broken
and cracked treasures too pretty to throw out

The Spirea

Angelonia-
a favorite heat and humidity thriver

Sitting back and watching all the things take off and JUST GROW...  a drink of rain last night, a cool and breezy, low humidity day today....

Things are just right in the world.......this transformation.....

Reading from The NEW YOU by John Devries....

What is this formula for change? ...spiritual transformation within us can come only through the life of Jesus flowing into us and through us. That life of Jesus will flow and expand in us only when "He remains in us and we remain in Him." In other words, just as a seed must be out into the ground in order to germinate and grow into a tree, so as we must meet the condition of remaining in Christ in order to have the life of Christ grow in us.

Beautiful stained glass garden paver
 made by Artist Sandy Watkinson-

A beautiful reminder to tend and water to grow in the garden
and in my spiritual landscape as well.

Photos courtesy of Mary Moore and Nancy Seemann

Open Gardens- Two

Gooseneck Loosestrife Blossoms on the Abelia Shrub Feverfew A Bird Landing Spot  Dipladenia Persian Shield A walk in the garden leads me to simply rest in these words....

Open Gardens- One

Endless Summer Hydrangea

A "Steppables" Golden Creeping Jenny-
 Lysimachia pathway

Part of the Dish Garden

Foliage contrasts-
 Clippings in glass jar for day time walks
 and switch out to tea lights for the evening

Planter Prominence-
On the old box and in the wire basket

Wagon wheels from the Indiana Home place

Simple- Cut ferns in tall vases


Photos- Nancy Seemann

Prayers for Transition

Prayers continue for this time of transition----- for the church where we have served for 24 years and for the staff of the Southeastern District of the LCMS...

The Summons

June 1, 2012- The Founder's Inn
Virginia Beach, Virginia

A beautiful song summarizes the events of this past weekend. At the District convention there was - Prayer at mid-day for the election of the District President.

We sang this song-

The Summons by John Bell and Graham Maule

Will you come and follow Me
If I but call your name?
Will you go where you don't know
And never be the same?
Will you let My love be shown,
Will you let my Name be known,
Will you let My life be grown
In you and you in Me?

Will you leave yourself behind
If I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind
And never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare
Should your life attract or scare?
Will you let Me answer pray'r
In you and you in Me?

Will you love the "you" you hide
If I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
And never be the same?
Will you use the faith you've found
To reshape the world around,
Through my sight and touch and sound
in you and you in me?

Lord, Your summons echoes true
When you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow You
And never be the same.
In your company I'll go
Where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow
In you and You in me.

 by John Bell and Graham Maule

Sung in a convention hall with mostly male voices-

and then about 2 minutes later a vote-
My dear husband, John, was called to be the District President of the Southeastern District-LCMS

Later in the weekend- headed out

The feet called to follow

Roses presented to me after the election

a here is the beautiful song-

http://youtube.com/watch?v=V0aAkOe87mo

and another link-http://www.se.lcms.org/


The Lord be praised in all of His ways...May He bring the gifts needed to this calling.