Of Memies, Mallows, and Things that Go Vroom

How life changes when grandchildren arrive! I can remember well when packing for a trip involved getting clothes, pj's and make-up into one suitcase!!!!. Now......just throwing in a few pairs of jeans, sweatshirts, and long-johns....and the rest of my luggage is devoted to holding my "Granny Stache":)
We're off to share my dad's 90th birthday with Dad and Bea. More about that in the next blog.....

p.s. I learned a new "granny time" game last week when interviewing for BBBS. "Snowtime Hide and Go Seek" . Hide the "king sized" campfire marshmallows in the snow. When the child finds the mallow, he can make a s'more with it! Or more fun.....make little mallow snow men....Then hide them in the snow! Can hardly wait to try this with Neil!:)

I've heard of a lady who had hundreds of pictures made and, out of those, found one that she liked. Well, today my daughter insisted on a photo shoot.... I felt totally vain and more than a little silly....but in the end I actually found some that I liked. I believe the reason is....these pictures seem to capture just how happy I really am these days.......
God has blessed me above what I could ever have dreamed of or hoped for. I love our home, our church, my job, and the mountains I wake up to each morning. All of this....and the most beautiful grandson in the world as a source of this grandmother's pride and laughter and JOY!! (thanks to SKYPE and Transair:))
I realize more and more each day that the latter phases of life hold so many treasures to discover...
I've learned that honest aging can be so satisfying and full, that wrinkles and sags simply tell of our unique life's journeys, and that there's still the hope for adventures, and the realization of many dreams to come! I can hardly wait!!

p.s. Jenny A, Thank you so very much for the adorable scarves! As you can see...I'm enjoying them already!

More Pictures of Ocoee

Brave Hearts were actually kayaking down stream from this. One man had capsized and was holding on to a bolder in the middle of the currents. I was grateful to simply keep my footing on some of the slick patches of ice/snow....

The Thaw

After being snowbound for six days, we headed to Ocoee yesterday. These were some of the scenes from our hike there. I loved tromping through the snow, hearing the water thunder by, and taking in the wintry landscape that surrounded us.

Snowbound: Day 4

We're still in our little condo on top of the hill. Still cozy, still warm....yet, if truth be known, I'm getting a little "cabin fever";)
But hope is in sight....the sun has broken through the clouds, and patches of blue are "busting out all over"........

Our entire hill is glazed this morning. The show melted a little yesterday afternoon and then refroze overnight. The sun hitting it makes the entire landscape a blinding white and gold and frosty blue. The thaw will be coming soon, creaking and groaning like my old bones in the early morning. And with this, we will be free to roam the countryside a bit and to explore the mountains that will still be in the depths of the freeze. I'm looking forward to these adventures that await me.
The pictures above are of scenes from our yard and windows this morning.
The sun first appeared yesterday afternoon as a frosty, hazy orb in the sky. Snowflakes were drifting and floating in the surrounding sky. Then, this morning, its light broke through in earnest and gilded our entire town's rooftops in the process.
Cynthia Nicolini, from Alamo Elementary, taught me the British term "chufft" many years ago. That's exactly what the little birds on my fence were doing a bit ago. Their fluffed feathers serve as God's down comforters for them, and delight me in the process.
And the sight of Grassy Mountain in the last picture gives me hope for wonderful "treasures in the snow" tomorrow!
For today....back to coffee, and reading, and dreaming....

Let It Snow

We keep waiting for some kind of pause from the flakes coming down. So far....it's still snowing! I'm sitting in our little dining room and looking out on the scenes above. I've had quite a bit of coffee lately, and I understand my Minnesota friends' love for it.....Coffee keeps you warm:) Looks like we'll be off work for the remainder of the week. And since no one can make it up or down our hill....we're simply staying in and keeping cozy.....

Snowbound

Thank you, LORD, for the times that you force our lives to be still, to behold the beauty of your creation, and to reflect upon Your creative grace. You do provide for the fragile sparrow. And you make even the smallest terrace to become a wonder.....

Heaviest snow since the Blizzard of '93. .......
Officially, Dalton recieved 6" during the early hours today. I awoke at 4 a.m. to the scene in the first picture. (Note the fire hydrant for an accumulation gauge.) So much can happen during a span of 4 hours... There was not a flake in sight when I finally went to bed at midnight. But when I let Sophie out this morning, she was "nose deep" in white....
I'm about to pour yet another cup of coffee, settle into my chair by our little fire, and finish "In the Company of Others".....
Life is good;)

Tis very sweet to look into the fair
And open face of heaven---to breathe a prayer
Full in the smile of the blue firmament.
.... Keats

January 5, 2011

I’ve regretted several times during the past few weeks that I’m not “fully retired”. Today, as I returned to the BBBS office after a two week holiday, I realized just how isolating being retired right now would be. Being a part of the bustle and chatter in the office was not only refreshing, but energizing, as well.

I remember Jesus’s teaching “And which of you, if your child asked for bread, would you give him a stone. Your heavenly Father knows what you need before you even ask.”

I'm so thankful for my job at Big Brothers Big Sisters. God knew that I needed to be with people, even when I had little desire to be. He knew I needed the stimulation of work, when I thought I needed leisure.

I’m learning that my faith grows as I learn, not only to trust and obey, but when I learn to truly accept and embrace what He sends my way. God truly is my Provider, my Protector, and my Defender.

By the time I came home this afternoon, I was ready for quiet…..and reading…..and trying my hand at journaling once again.

Right now I’m sitting in front of our little fireplace with its flames flickering in the shadows of the room. It’s drizzling outside our windows. Sophie sits at my feet. Water is boiling in anticipation of becoming a cup of tea. My Jan Karon novel awaits me. Bliss….and gratitude.

These were the views out my back door this morning. I've been so busy with the business of getting on with my life as it has become, that I've neglected the long stretches of silent stillness that sustained me in my earlier days here. And even though I know that there has not been a day of living on my little mountain where the gift of such mornings has gone unnoticed, I know that 2010 was the a year of action more than of meditation. But now this is 2011. A new chapter of life is beginning. And I want to ponder my LORD's gifts from His creation and from His Word more intently again.
I've always believed that every event in nature speaks of God's character, tells of His grace, and sings of His glory. This morning His train literally filled the temple of my soul. The rising sun caused the remnants of past storm clouds to be colored by the reds, and purples, and golds of its dawning. And as the day began in earnest, the clouds became less and less the focus of the horizon. All nature basked in the glory of the sun itself. It's my prayer that my own life's focus will remain fixed upon Him from whom all blessings flow.

2011
Waiting for a new computer. Should be delivered tomorrow.
Can hardly wait to start taking pictures and blogging once more.

Thanking God for Groundhogs....

The grey and gloomy day gave way to gratiude and these snowy scenes by merely facing and then climbing the obstacles on the horizon. May I become a follower of Him who calls me to the heights instead of one who would sit and bemoan seeming obstacles in my path. May I not only learn to be grateful for every circumstance in my life, but also one who chooses to live and relish every moment.....

Springs of Ice

He "is the Monarch of the Mountains. They crowned him long ago. On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds, With a diadem of snow." Lord Byron's words from so long ago seemed so fitting for these scenes from the winding trails of the mountains. God indeed has treasures of the snow to share with any who would stop long enough and search His winter bounty. Living waters.....waiting for the coming of Spring....

Three Mornings from My Window

Snow Bound

God's blessings sometimes take the shape of snowflakes. What a blessed time being snowbound can become. The total quiet of my little hilltop home. Life's "usual" becomes instead a forced stillness. Such is God's gift of solitude..... a time for reflection and checking life's compass.

Hours of Gold...

It was as though the mountain wanted to hold on to the last rays of the sun this evening..... And what a difference those golden hues made to the icy blue of the landscape. Their light and warmth and color inspired me to cherish every moment that is given to me....

Ending Well

The gnarled oaks and the ice laden evergreens around the pond served served to remind me of the season of my life now. Winter can be such a barren time without Your touch and Your grace, Lord....but oh, it can be the most beautiful of times when enveloped in Your presence and Your purpose. May You cover my life with true meaning and grace from your Heaven as Your snow covers these scenes, Lord. May You enable me to end this race well.......

Winter Wonderland

White feathers on a lake of glass, frosty clouds from my own breath, the stinging cold of icy fingers and face, the crunching and sloshing of wet snow giving way under my feet into the carpet of fallen leaves underneath, the clean smells of mountain air laced with evergreen, the perfect lighting of a late winter afternoon......all heavenly gifts in a time of solitude. The stillness was broken only by the creaking and crashing of limbs baring themselves of their beautiful burdens of ice..... "Be still and know that I am God"

The Remedy for Cabin Fever

After being snowbound since Friday afternoon, I was so thankful to be out and about this afternoon. The roads had thawed so that we felt safe to drive down our little mountain once again. (It had taken Becca almost three hours to get home Friday afternoon because the roads were so icy. We had also cancelled our trip to Macon for Dad's birthday because it was just too dangerous to get out....) We noticed a dusting of snow still remaining on Fort Mountain, and it seemed to call us to explore it a little closer. This was the beginning of such a beautiful afternoon...... We had just started our drive to Ft. Mountain State Park.

Snowfall in the Foothills

View from my back window.....
We've snowbound for two days. Nothing better than to look out upon this view while sipping a cup of coffee and reading a good book ( in this case Chuck Colson's "The Good Life"....).
I'm realizing more and more that Dalton has become my home. What a gift from God Himself....

Winter Sunrise from My Terrace

How I look forward to the dawning of each new day. God's faithfulness surrounds me in this little corner of His world. Simple and uncluttered, the beauty of the place where I have been planted supplies a backdrop for humble worship and true appreciation of His creation.

Dear Old Friends

Time it was and what a time it was

A time of innocence, a time of confidences

Long ago it must be, I have a photograph

Preserve your memories. They're all that's left you

Old friends, old friends sat on the park bench like bookends

Old friends, winter companions

Can you imagine us years from today, sharing a park bench quietly

How terribly strange to be sixty......

(A loose adaption from two Simon and Garfunkle songs. Both kept ringing in my ears on my return trip from Atlanta, where I was blessed to spend the afternoon with college friends from long ago. Judy and Johnny now living almost half a world away.....And Lynn now living within driving distance from my new home.....)

Today was a priceless gift from my God..... Forty plus years have passed since I've been together with them.

Forty years of life-building for all of us. Lives filled with love, laughter, tears, hard work...and great pain. But, oh, the lessons God has been imparting to us all. And how priceless to share stories of His, oh so sufficient, grace.....

Lynn, Judy, and Johnny, how much I respect each of you. I come away a better person by simply being in your presence. It's always been this way. Your deep and unfaltering faith, your simple way of living, your steadfast character, and your true humility have not changed except to have grown even richer and deeper. Your lives speak so gently and clearly of God's love and acceptance and grace.

I love you all so very much.

Joy to the World!

Memories of Sugar Plums Dance in My Head

Our last guest drove off this afternoon. The house is quiet and still. The rooms seem so spacious.......and empty. But my heart is full, so very full...... of love, and memories, and gratitude. This Christmas will reside in my heart for the rest of my life. Neil's first. Neil, our own cherub who seemed to fly down from heaven on his God-given mission to bless us and to fill our home with laughter, and wonder, and abundant joy once again by his presence. The family was together for the first time in, oh, so many years. Little Neil was joined by Rebecca, Elizabeth and Paul, Anna and Philip, Dad and Bea.....and even Uncle Tim joined in via SKYPE. Father, thank You for graciously giving us Your Son....and all these many moments to enjoy. What a blessed Christmas indeed!