End of the Road ?

When the words, "Snow" or "Ice" are mentioned on the airwaves in MD everyone rushes out to buy milk & bread. In South Carolina, toilet paper & beer are added to the list. I recall a family having moved here from sunny California asking about the toilet paper. I simply replied, "It doesn't matter if you need it, it's just how it's done. It's part of the preparation & excitement". In MD, everyone waits expectantly to find out if they will "have to go out in this mess". Down South everything closes. With the exception of "essential personnel," God has seemingly declared a free day. Everyone stays in to enjoy the beauty He has created, along with the pleasures of home & family.

It snowed throughout the day on Christmas & on through the night, with little accumulation. The next day was Sunday & we weren't about to miss our time worshiping with God's family in His "Living Room". Few cars were out & the sights were glorious !!! (These shots were taken as Tom drove, using the "behind glass" camera setting.) Those who braved the drive & ventured forth to God's House were richly rewarded by seeing the endless beauty He had washed over the landscape.

As we crossed the bridge passed the lake, my breath was taken away by the unity of snow on the pines & the amount of white in the water which fell across the dam. As a member of the parking lot greeter team, I needed to be there early so chose not to stop. By the time we returned, the sun had melted much of the snow from the trees, which increased the amount of cascading water. I captured the remnants of what will remain a picture for the film of the soul.

As for this blog, I believe it is the end of the road. I have started a new one that will not be posted on Facebook. Anyone who is interested in following can e-mail me & I will send you the link.

Letting Go

Imagine cutting 25 middle-school kids loose in an art studio & encouraging them to develop their creative side. Some may be painting or using different printing techniques, while others are sculpting with clay or papier mache'. Some will draw, as others cut with knives, carving or power tools. Instruction is a challenge with as many as 5 or 6 things going on at the same time... of course they must clean up after themselves... all in the space of 52 minutes! I do this 6 times a day & as draining as it is, I LOVE IT !


Never let it be said that, "teachers have the summer off". The business world calls it "comp time" & the ministry, "sabbatical". Both are appropriate, but we educators call it planning & professional development time. The end of the school year is bittersweet as kids I have seen blossom over 3 years, head out for high school. Many will nostalgically return one day, barely recognizable in adult bodies. Some will remain in my life, but will never again be "mine". I pray I have strengthened their confidence in their abilities. I pray I have helped them find a special way of seeing. I pray I have given them a willingness to experiment, explore, discover, & create.


The tables are clean & the sinks polished. The doors are still while the walls, racks, & counters are strangely bare. The bells ring but to an audience of memories. My private tears are accompanied by the occasional dripping faucet as my kids' voices & laughter echo silently in the empty room. It is with relief that I head for home to rediscover my peace, myself as artist & of course, my family.

The First, Official Day

I feel it has been 2 years in coming, but our summer holiday has officially begun. I greet it with an amazing sense of peace & fulfillment. Passing through the debris field of my home, 3 kids & I climbed into my heavily laden van & headed out. First stop, the last tidying & sign-offs at my school. After a quick stop at home for a feast of balogna & cheese subs on hot dog rolls, we headed out for the finishing touches of a canvas mural, which is to be used in a children's ministry performance. I returned home bathed in a palette of grass greens, sky blues & purple-gray mountains. Before long, the boys asked to go fishing & I puttered on in the gardens as they headed down to the lake. The last rays of the setting sun shone into the cove & shrouded the boys in a golden halo & oh, it was truly summer ! I thought to grab my camera, but chose to savor the moment. This was a moment & an image I will carry in my heart evermore.

Within the Ice

As I stepped onto the deck, I marveled at the ice God had played with overnight. Lines on a blue lid caught my eye. Air trying to escape from the water, along with it's path had been frozen in time.


Below is an image of the ice as seen from above. Life has taken some incredible twists & turns in my life, but I have continued to watch.

Chimes of Change

I awoke the other morning to the Westminster chimes ringing the hour. Tom's mom particularly wanted us to have this treasure of theirs. We have reset the clock & each quarter hour their song transports us to our childhoods... to memories of precious people & times we have known. The same chimes continue the cycle for London, who was brought to us too late to have met the grandparents who bestowed this treasure upon him.
I also awoke to this image, which signals the finality of the season. Winds or animal movement turned on the outside light & I sat mesmerized by the silhouette of foliage in my home. The annuals have been relocated from garden to container & now vie for light in my living room window. Some will make it, while others will not. I have 2 boxes crammed with begonias that have made it through this winter cycle 10 previous times.
As I settle into "the season of lines", reliving distant people & places, it is time to bring out our tree....I suppose I *am* ready for this season to celebrate the birth of our Saviour!

The Return of Lines

To embrace the long gray of winter I learned to enjoy & contemplate the lines of the surrounding forest. Winter reveals these masterfully creative treasures of artistry. With bittersweet regret I watched the spring growth overtake them. The ambient glow of my candlelit mornings was replaced by the pastel skies of dawn.
As winter approaches I rise once again to light trays of candles. Peering out from my desk, the reflections of light across the lake seem to reach towards me as they sparkle in the currents. The forest makes it's last stand in brilliant color while weather & time fades them to neutrals. The lines reveal themselves once more & I am drawn to the poignancy with which I relinquished them but a few months ago.

Trust in Times of Need

Wherever HAS the time gone? As I grow older, it seems to pass so quickly, I find that makes it easier to ride out the tougher times...

In my experience, those who live on the economic edge, in faith, have the closest relationship with Christ. Hardships can bring deeper faith and closer relationship with our Lord. The more we need to trust in God, and do so, the more His presence and actions are manifest in our lives. Those of faith in Christ who have the greatest hardships, often have the greatest peace in their lives. How can this be? When our back is to the wall, or we are at our rock-bottom, it is easier to admit our need for salvation. Being in relationship with Christ, gives rise to greater trust, richer hope and yes, deeper peace.

So many people are losing their jobs these days. Several dear friends I know are wondering how they will survive. Knowing they strive to be like Christ, I tell them, "Watch out! You are in for some miracles!" We are often brought right up to the very place of panic...keep trusting....once, we received a check from an unclaimed life insurance policy the day before our mortgage was due. A friend told her children there would be no Christmas. Unknowingly, another friend asked if "they" could provide Christmas for that very family....The tales are endless and all demonstrate God's amazing love for His kids! Just as we can trust in the faithful change of seasons, we can trust in His caring for us in our time of need.

As I look behind my home, I see constant miracles. The words Jesus' spoke on how our Heavenly Father cares for us come to mind:
" Now, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is gone, will He not much more clothe you...?
"Therefore do not worry...For your Heavenly Father knows you have need of these things.
"But seek first, the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about it's own things, sufficient for the day is it's own trouble" [NKJV)] (See Matt 6: 5-34)