BOUNDARIES

Thorns sharp and piercing.

Pulling and pushing, we cross the thorny hedge.

Enticing and inviting; The sweet of the unknown.

Bleeding, we suffer the consequences;

Harmful death to our soul.

Thorns , the needed protection;

Serves to warn us not to cross the hedge.

Guarding us from harm;

The thorns prick our awareness.

 Watch cautiously. There is another path!

Inspired by "The Hedge of Thorns", dating back to 1611 is

one of the oldest tales in the "Lamplighter" collection.

A hymn of deliverance written by William A Ogden, 1841-1897
" Tis the grandest theme thro' the ages rung;
Tis the grandest theme for a mortal tongue;
Tis the grandest theme the world ever sung.
Our God is able to deliver thee."
Morninglory

"The Lane"

When I was a young child of 8 years, this area was an open pasture where grass was planted for hay. Since we dairy farmed, bailing hay was an annual event. Daddy had bought an old model 39 Chevrolet  which had a fairly large trunk. My brother would take the square bails of hay, stuff the trunk full, and we would take off down this lane. Of course, the ride was bumpy since the lane was red clay dirt with no gravel. We headed to the back pasture where we cut strings off the hay and tossed it about for the cows to eat during winter months.  At other times, I recall walking down the lane with my mother toward the back field to bring cows home to be milked. Those walks provided good times for mother-daughter talks. Sometime during my pre-teen years, daddy bought a horse which we named "Old Maude". Again we went down the lane to bring the cows home to be milked.  About 17 years ago, my parents decided to plant the acreage in pine trees through a Farm Service Administration program. The tall pine trees on both sides of the lane have enhanced its beauty. As I drive out through this memory lane, joys of childhood return. My grandchildren now use the lane for bicycle rides and photography. My 90 year old dad now rides his golf cart or four wheeler through the lane to my house.
"Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere." 
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Tears Rain on Cheeks

Rain clouds gray; 
No rain.
Broken self;
No tears.
Warped soul holds internal pain.

Gray clouds shed
Soft gentle rain.
Heart of self sheds
Flowing tears soft on cheeks.
Self's soul released into healing.
Written by Morninglory 9/29/2012


" Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." ( Lam. 3:22-23, NKJV)

FRAGILITY

A fragile flower found on sidewalk,
Broken from its bush.
Landed hard,
Still intact, just bruised.
Written by Morninglory 9/28/2009

John Newton wrote, " Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;Tis grace has brought me thus this far, and grace will lead me home."

Joyous Path of Life

Joy fills us internally while happiness is fleeting and usually based on external circumstances. As many of you know from following my blog, my mother has been terminally ill for the past four months. She created some of the best memories as we laughed together and dealt with the sad reality of  end-of-life issues.. My mother had grown up during the great depression, married young, worked a farm as entrepreneurs of the dairy business with daddy and raised two children to work more than play. Here at the end of her life she freely expressed her joy and hope in Jesus Christ she knew. One day while mamma, daddy and I sat at the dining room table watching doves feeding outside, she took my hand, looked over at daddy and said, " You know I always loved your daddy".
Hospice called me to come home as mamma had taken a change for the worse. When I entered her room and told her who I was, she reached up with both arms and held me close in a hug. That was her final hug to me as she went into glory later that night with me at her side.
Later in the week, I glanced at the date of her burial on the calendar. It said "New Moon".

 "You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16: 11NAS Study Bible

He Anchors My Soul

Lightening streaked closer and closer and the thunder kept getting louder. Even though it was not raining yet, it was evident by the black clouds that a storm was brewing. My daddy’s dog Jack, also known as Baby, is very frightened by bad weather. Daddy opened the back door and let Jack into the utility room.  When I arrived to drop off groceries, no one could find Jack. We called as we searched throughout the house. Daddy found Jack in the old fireplace behind the artificial logs. He was happy and unafraid and refused to come out until the storm was over.

It seems that life’s circumstances can bring joy or grief, happiness or despair. It is so great to know that for those who love the Lord Jesus Christ there is safety from all harm. The challenge is to simply believe that God’s assurance of His everlasting love is true. If we want to live a life without fear, we must trust and obey God completely. v. 19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19 NAS Study Bible

 Psalm 112 v.7 “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.  v. 8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look with triumph on his foes.”

Following her Whim!

It is so important to seize the moment when your mother is on Hospice. She told me how nice it would be to go for a ride to where she used to work. The outdoor temperature was in the high 90's and the air was humid with threats of rain. My husband helped me load her oxygen,portable nebulizer & medications in the SUV. She and I sat in the back seat so I could observe her breathing and condition. Daddy talked about his memories of many rides to work on the old Hwy 10 to Jackson, La.. They both laughed about when in the 1940's , Hwy 10 was gravel and rains would flood the road. When we drove by the tall brick structure covered now with ivy and vines, mamma pointed to a screen door and told me that used to be the entrance to her apartment when she first went to work at CC1. She showed me where the bench had sat where daddy first held her hand. We had a "picnic" in the car since mamma was too weak to get out in the weather or go inside a restaurant.
I can now look back and know how happy it made her for us to follow her whim to go down memory lane.
v. 14 " When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future." Ecclesiastes 7 :14 NAS Life Application Study Bible