Here, there, everywhere...

There was a weed in my garden. Right there in the middle of everything, with it's big, spiky, grey-green leaves and spirally stems....I meant to pull it up, but was curious about what was going to show up when those buds finally popped.

On my morning garden walk, this is what greeted me--a glowing poppy, looking like angels had gone skinny-dipping in the birdbath and left their wings behind in their hurry to not be seen.




Emma is one of our bonus kids--she's been around for so long that she's part of the family. (Josh is another, but this isn't about him.) Most summers, Emily and Emma stay with Emma's aunt and uncle in Delaware, South Carolina, and, last year, in Florida. I haven't had a summer with them since they were 12 years old. This summer, however, Emma lived with us--so I got both Ems all to myself!

Emma recently met Jesus--after years of being skeptical and being judged, she met her real, true, living Savior. And let me tell you, there is just nothing like being with a newly in love Christian who asks a lot of questions and has a solid gold foundation of faith. Seeing the Word thru her fresh eyes made it come alive again--(as a matter of fact, I am convinced that there are some chapters that mysteriously appeared in my bible that were not there before.) This led to some interesting mealtimes--which are interesting at the very least, and more often than not, chaotic around here, as we all have very different food personalities--a vegan, a raw vegan, a junkfoodaholic, a carnivore, and a sometimes vegetarian. (Emma has been eating college food and LOVED the raw vegan recipes we tried.) Meal prep seemed to be the only time all of us were in the same room at the same time, and we all have something to say about everything and I couldn't wait for all us girls to be in the kitchen chopping, boiling, tossing, and dancing around each other while MrP pretended to play solitaire in the next room---Anyway, back to Jesus--well, that's another sermon--and the missing parts of my bible:

I have read the Gospels before--haven't I? I have been to enough Sunday School classes, Bible Studies, Sunday services and Wednesday nights that of course I've read the Gospels--haven't I? The first five verses of John are my anchor. But, truly, no, I don't think I have ever read a Gospel from start to finish--and hopping around from verse to verse during Bible studies with the Christmas and Easter stories thrown in once a year doesn't count.

So I started reading John. And it stayed beautiful after the first five verses.

Did you know that Jesus prayed for you? Right there in the Gospel of John, chapter 17. I didn't know that. And still, every time I read that chapter, when I hear Jesus Christ praying for me to carry happiness, to be safe from the Evil One, to make me sacred by the truth, that His love will be within me--well, how does it make you feel to know that the Savior, the Lamb, the Bright and Morning Star is praying for you?

"And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not suppress it." John 1:5
"Make them sacred by the truth: your Word is the the truth." John 17:17