Weeds among the flowers

It's Friday morning. Monday morning I'm leaving Here to go There, and afterward Somewhere else. To begin with, I'm going to help with preps for our Spring convention. Kara is going with me to have a few special days next week with her worker-sister, Jana.

But, this morning I needed to get those weeds out of the flower bed. Small ones hide there, out of sight until they are suddenly BIG and difficult to pull. If I go away and leave them it will soon look like the "field of the slothful" that we read about in Proverbs; "thorns and nettles covered the face thereof".

While I pulled and dug and tugged and sweated I thought about the "garden" in my heart. How many "weeds" have I missed seeing there? "Weeds" of pride; of selfishness? Am I concerned enough about my "garden" to check each day? Willing for roots to be dug out?

On another note, my friend commented the other day as we visited over lunch, "you work well under pressure!" I've been thinking about that, and realize it is true. If I have a deadline, I can meet it. What I wish is that even when there is no deadline, no pressure, I would "work well" anyway! Now that I must get ready to leave, there are 100 things I can think of to do first - and mostly they have been here to do all the time.

I'll leave you for now and go get my suitcase packed.

Spring! ( Song of Solomon 2:11, 12)

I just returned from a much-needed walk on our walking trail. What a beautiful day! Finally, the trees have green leaves. The lilacs, my favorite flower, are blooming.

So, what have I been doing during the two months since I last wrote? I sewed a wedding dress that the bride looked lovely in. I taught two little girls (7 and 9) to sew. I thought they'd want to make doll clothes, but no! They sewed for themselves! They both made "skorts", and Kara made herself a cute apron. For a week, while their mother was gone, I picked up kids from school, fed them, tried to watch over them through the evenings, and put them to bed. Our workers made my house their home base for a few short days. What a joy! (I cried after they left.)

Gospel meetings have been so special. In the past 6 weeks I've seen an old man, who has missed out on fellowship for many years, smile again, rejoice, and become settled and content in a nursing home where he didn't want to go. But who would ever imagine that we could have Gospel Meetings in an Alzheimer's unit? Who would imagine that the residents would gather and sit in perfect quietness? Yes, there is peace that passes understanding in the precious story of Jesus.

What else? There's always the daily "upkeep". There is so much that I need to sort, much I need to just dispose of. I grow weary quickly of the tediousness. Beyond all that, and most important, I've prayed...and wept...and found some answers...and some healing.

What next? I'm looking forward to preps and conventions. After that? I trust the One who makes the plans for me. My song lately is 372, May the Lord Depend on You? "In the warfare we are waging for the truth and for the right, when the conflict fierce is raging with the powers of the night, God needs workers brave and true; may He then depend on you? May the Lord depend on you? Loyalty is but his due; say, oh spirit brave and true that He may depend on you."