He Restoreth My Soul

The 23rd Psalm is repeating itself, over and over, in my heart this evening. The afternoon was totally breathtaking. The beauty of God's creation in these mountains is the closest taste of heaven that I have ever experienced.

He Leadeth Me beside the Still Waters

Hiking around the Lake at Ft. Mountain

For the Beauty of the Earth....For the Glory of the Skies....
Oh Lord, my heart is full to the breaking point with Your glorious creation! I will always be grateful for your goodness to me!

A Sunday Afternoon Drive up Ft. Mountain

What a gorgeous afternoon drive! Carole and Sherry, Ft. Mountain has literally been set ablaze with color since you left 3 days ago. How I wish I could have shared this with you two! Daniel, I know you would love this so much, as well. I have thought about the quote from John Donne that you shared Thursday so many times, "In Heaven it is always autumn, because God's blessings are always ripe." I am truly blessed beyond measure to live in such a breathtakingly beautiful place!

My First Date

What a delightful time yesterday! I've met a really nice new friend named Tom. He's a widower who teaches photography at two local colleges here and is a photojournalist for the Baptist Mission Board. Yesterday we went to Mercier's Apple Barn in Blue Ridge and exploring Fort Mountain, as well. He showed me a few new "tricks" of photo taking and put me at ease about the possibility of dating in the future. God is ever good and faithful to me, even in these adventures into unchartered waters. My new world is such a beautiful blessing, and I am so thankful to be alive in this lovely world!

Longtime and Cherished Friends

What a blessing to know that "family" is not limited to those to whom we are born. God Himself puts us in His Family, and by doing so, close friends do become our sisters and brothers! Daniel, Carole, and Sherry, you were each such a blessing to me yesterday, and I'm proud to call you "relatives"! How I look forward to a day when all of us will live in closer proximity to each other!

Maggie Valley Weekend

What an absolute blessing! The weekend was "nearly perfect" in every way. Visiting with longtime friends -- Marcia, Lori, and Sara Rogers, viewing breathtaking scenery, shopping and walking in the crisp autumn mornings, and sipping hot chocolate by the crackling fire in the cabin fireplace in the evenings. My heart is full and my spirit is so very thankful for being able to fellowship with Christian friends in this splendid display of God's creativity! Thank you, Lord!

Final Pictures of a Glorious Day

Old Friends, Dear Friends

The Rogers Girls have been friends for 30+ years. What precious gifts from God!

And the Earth Shows Forth His Handiwork

From the majesty of the mountains to the smallest details in nature, our world declares our Lord's glory.

Happy Birthday Yaya!

I was blessed beyond words yesterday with a phone call from my dear cousin Ann's daughter Alisa! What a true gift from God Himself! To experience anew the faithful love of my dear Mother's family was, quite literally, a taste of the Heaven which is to come!

Aunt Lila, how I miss you this morning! You've always been an inspiration to so many of us...... Your continual quest for learning and experiencing the beauty in life has been passed on to generations! Your love for reading and putting down the depths of your heart in written words were such inspirations to me, personally, and actually one of the underlying foundations for my writing this blog of my soul....

I've always appreciated your gifts of hospitality and kindness (which were passed on to your daughters and grandaughters), Aunt Lila. And I have grown to truly cherish your downright determination and indomitable spirit more and more during the last few years....These, too have been inspirations to me to "keep on" when I've wanted so much to cave in to others or run away from life, instead of embracing the life and the people God puts on my path, day to day....

I know how much you loved "your twin"....and this means so much to her daughter! Your special bond was beautiful to see, Yaya. Your hearts beat as one, and I know you shared many of your hearts' joys and sorrows without the necessity of the spoken word. The bond was strong and enduring....... and full of laughter and joy, despite the deep valleys endured by you both,.....and full of shared wisdom because of those valleys. I know that you and your dear Fred were guardian angels over Mother during the early days of your marriage....and just maybe Fred is allowing Mother to share in guarding over you, as a returned grace, these days....

How special it will be some day in the distant future, to be able to visit all of you in your next door mansions throughout a beautiful eternity to come! I know you will both have many, many visitors from children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You see, all of our lives have been deeply touched and shaped and molded by the love and lives of the Stokes Twins!

I love you very much! May your 90th be a very special day!

Oh, Glorious Day!

Thank you, Vondeana Green, for helping us remember this phrase! There is just no way to describe Appalachian Autumns short of superlatives! My soul and spirit are refreshed, revived and renewed! I don't think I'll ever be able to take my new home for granted....and, Lord, may I never even border on complacency up here. As I type this blog, I'm looking out our upstair's window on the entire Blue Ridge...ablaze with the breaking of the dawn amidst a cobalt blue sky. It is, in fact, "Glorious!"

Cloudland Canyon on a Sunday Afternoon

What a way to spend an evening! I am so thankful that we live here. My dear friend Lynn said that even though, yes, we will have a new heaven some day, I have already begun my experiences with my "new earth". My heart literally overflows with the beauty of it!

Baby Bluebirds out My Window

What a gift from God on this gorgeous Sunday morning! Just outside my window, a flurry of baby bluebirds coming back for a last good-bye! Delightful blessings from above! Thank you Lord for a beautiful beginning of a crisp autumn day! Can't wait to see what You have in store!

Weeping May Endure for the Night...but Joy Comes in the Morning

The old song..."His Eye is on the Sparrow"...rang in my heart this morning as I viewed this gorgeous autumn sunrise coupled with the antics of a precious sparrow on my little terrace-of-a-backyard....
Your mercies ARE new every morning...and I KNOW You care for me.....

The World Comes to Dalton.....

Yesterday had to be one of the most sobering days of my life..... You'd have to understand our dear Dalton to truly understand how disturbing the morning's events actually were and the impact on my heart....
Dalton IS Mitford of the Jan Karon novels. It is the quintessential mountain hamlet, peaceful and friendly........ a small city with a huge heart. I've felt peace here and quietness of soul like in no other place in my life.
So yesterday morning was shocking and horrifying.... This happened about a block from our Big Brothers/Big Sisters Office on Crawford Street. Staci, my precious young Boss, and I were the only ones there (save our loyal office mascot, Staci's Schnauzer Molly). For an explosion to rip through the quiet of this city, followed by the screams of sirens, seemed surreal....
We watched in disbelief as police car after police car showed up on the scene....along with the Dalton Fire Department....and crowds began to form on the streets outside our office. Staci kept abreast of the unfolding events via telephone and the computer.....
To think that I was about to go to the post office (directly next door to the explosion) at that very time to get a mailbox key, but had an unexpected interview that kept me from doing so. Instead, this was the scene as I arrived.
I could sense God's protection and care and felt an undergirding peace...but at the same time I could see man's brokenness showing it's desperate face, even in the quiet North Georgia Mountains.
I was deeply touched by the love of Staci's family as they continually called her....making sure she was safe....
Lord, thank you for your care...and for being our Rock of Safety and our Fortress.

Our New Baby

I've tried and tried to download the picture Annie just sent of our new Baby, but, alas, it just won't copy. I've cried for about 30 minutes now as I've gazed upon the precious hand waving to us from Anna's Blog (acosmicdance.blogspot.com), and cannot fathom the miracle of this new life from God. How Psalm 139 takes on new meaning when I literally look upon the knitting together of a precious life before my very eyes. My heart wants to burst with joy unspeakable.... Thank you, Lord, for your amazing Grace.....

Prater's Mill Festival

Autumn is not quite here (as far as the foliage and temperatures) but Prater's Mill Festival is getting the season off to a great start. Paul and Elizabeth came for the weekend, and what a blessing to have them in our home. Life is peaceful and sweet these days. I feel as though I'm living in Mitford.......(and by the way, if you haven't read the series....the books are just wonderful!)

Paul and Liz's visit

Prater's Mill Festival with Paul and Elizabeth

What a blessed weekend with Liz and Paul! Praters Mill was wonderful!

Thoughts of Baby Rambo on a Glorious Morning

I've been dwelling of Phillipian 4 and Isaiah 61 this morning. What absolutely inspiring, comforting, and encouraging words! One verse "jumped off the page" at me today. Isaiah 61:9, "And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed." I wrote beside that verse in my Bible..."for Baby Rambo, Oct. 1, 2008". It is my heart's prayer for this blessed child, and any future grandchildren that the LORD may send our family.

We're Having a Baby! ..... My Baby and Me

Philip, one of my favorite all-time TV shows was Desi Arnez singing this song to Lucy. I couldn't help but think of this with you and Annie. Something about your baby having a baby is thrilling, exciting, and humbling!!!!..... I can hardly believe that I'm about to become Granni Bishop! How absolutely incredible! I cannot think of a more blessed event to happen in one's life. Annie and Philip, how happy I am for you both....and for me:).... I've been frequenting Carter's and OshKoshBegosh at the Outlet Mall....dreaming and laughing and just thoroughly enjoying the occasion. I'll be so glad to know whether this precious child is a girl or boy....just to begin to jump into the Granni role full force! All three of you are in my prayers, many times a day! I love you all so much!!!!

A Mother's Legacy

How I miss my dear Mother today! It doesn’t seem possible that her Homecoming was over 6 years ago…. I’ve thought a lot about her during the past few weeks and have often wondered what she thinks about our family these days. I’ve also thought so much about how different life would have been had she not gone to heaven when she did….. But, as the cross stitch on my refrigerator says, “This too shall pass”. And even the brightest and best days and the dearest and best people…pass from our lives. We are left with a huge void. But, thank God, He promises to fill that void with His Spirit.

Today, though, I wish to remember Mother and the ways she has influenced her children and grandchildren by her example of character, consistency, courage, comedy, and commitment to her family.

We live in an age of hurried frenzy. People seem to always be on the move, so busy with doing that many fail to “be”. God Himself told us to be still and know that He is God. Mother did just that, not just because she was in pain so many of her latter years, but because she had committed to the priorities of truly knowing God and loving her family early in her life.

She was a born student of God’s Word. And she taught us that His Word is practical and is to be lived. And Mother truly lived what she taught….at home as consistently as in public. Her name was never the focal point of her actions. Instead it was His Name of which her word and life spoke. Mom had little tolerance for “religion” (or “churchianity” as she would have called it.) A life lived for Jesus was what was important, not merely “looking good” for the members of a church or community. She knew that serving her family took time....and lots of it. Therefore, she knew how to say NO…even to church activities….. when “going” was in conflict with her living God’s love for her family. What others thought or said of her simply wasn't important to her....what God and her family thought was.....

And Mother was courageous and strong. I’ve seen her eyes literally filled with pain, and yet she would rarely complain. She had a servant spirit to the end…..

I remember well the HOME Mom created for us. Making a haven of peace and calm and cleanliness was so much more important to her than a flurry of activity. She was usually found in the kitchen when Tim and I would get home for school….and she made sure all else stopped when Dad got home. “Supper” was first on the agenda for the evening. She truly loved her "man"!

Mother was a born comedienne. She would keep family reunions in stitches as she recalled antics of her siblings and herself while growing up. She never took herself so seriously as to not be willing to poke fun at herself…..but she never made fun of others nor gossiped about them. Hers was a safe, gentle humor…. One never had reason to fear that he/she would be the brunt of a joke, or cruel teasing, or sarcasm. And Mother would never be crude or rude in her laughter.

Mom truly knew the difference between being a “good person” and being “alive in Christ”….and she always opted for the latter. Mother’s Christianity was consistent. The way she was in public was the same as she was in private. She truly lived her faith. She was a wife and mother, first and foremost. A wise counselor once said to me that, when all is said and done, we will be remembered, most probably, by only a sentence or two. It is our family, mostly our children and grandchildren, who pass on these few sentences.

I think it interesting that Mother is remembered by her children and grandchildren by the sentence, ”She loved us unconditionally.” I don’t think there could be a higher tribute to a woman of Faith. We all knew that she would always be in our corner, always act in our behalf, always be loyal to us, always speak of us in the best possible light, always cherish her time with us, always put her wants and needs as subservient to ours, and always cover us with her prayers. What greater legacy could a parent leave the coming generations?!

So, on this sixth anniversary of your going Home, dear Mom, “Thank you…for a life well lived!”

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

Once again, I was awestruck as I gazed upon this morning's sunrise. What a Mighty Artist is our God! His power combined with sensitivity brings me to my knees. How often in this world, men are either powerful and brutally insensitive or artistic and morally weak. That both qualities--power and artistry-- are displayed, even in the brief moments of sunrises, amazes me. What wondrous complexity!

Paul, Elizabeth, and Gillis's Visit

What a wonderful weekend! It was such a blessing to have Paul and Elizabeth, Gillis, Andrew, and Justin in our home! The boys were absolutely adorable and kept us in stiches with their tales of visits to the Holton home in West Virginia and their many antics there with their Grandma Marsha and Poppy. Gillis is every bit the precious lady that Liz had told me, and meeting her was a delight! And of course, visiting with my beautiful second daughter and her husband is always a joy! Thank you, guys, for coming! Hope to see all of you many times in the future! I love you! Annie and Philip, I hope that some day in the near future, the three of you can join us:)!

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

After a long weekend of sorrow and concern about our home and friends in Texas, God gave us the most brilliant sky this evening. I've never seen a more vivid double rainbow in my life nor a more breathtaking sunset. Rainbows have always been a sign of God's faithfulnes to me and my family.

David Lawson, our interim pastor, spoke yesterday from James 1:5-8, concerning seeking God's wisdom with a singleness of heart and mind, with full assurance of His faithfulness to give us that wisdom. May I have the mind set and heart cry of Solomon, as he asked for wisdom above all else...including health, financial security, or vindication from the attacks and lies of our enemies.

The Lord promises to give us that wisdom, without reproach, when we ask Him with our whole heart.
Lord, may you, in Your faithfulness, grant my entire family wisdom....the ability to see every situation in life from Your Divine and Just and Merciful standpoint. And may you have the honor and glory from our lives.