When I fall on my knees, when I pick up my knitting needles...

2 years ago my Ethan fell and broke his arm. Daily we were in supplication for healing and binding the bones together. We imagined the angels being redispatched to reknit those bones back together after birth. The first angel said to the second angel, I didn't expect to have to come back to reknit Ethan together, I thought we were finished with him when he was born...Look how big this boy's bones have gotten since we last were here with our kneedles." Thank God that the season of the bone and how God used Dr. Fricht and the angels to put that boy back together was blessed. He can do pushups now and run and jump and play with no impediments. I am grateful.
Mercy me, is my cry daily. Sometimes it is a broken bone and sometimes a broken spirit. God always has the right remedy for my soul, when all around my soul gives way. He is my help and stay, even though sometimes I don't like the angels to get out their knitting kneedles again and again for my ailments. But when I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me!

My neighbor's Crepe Myrtle is already starting to bloom.

I simply, do not know what they do. They are such a young couple, but their garden seems to know that Spring is right around the corner.
I am so sad that they took down the palm trees and the banana tree that they had in their yard.
It is beautiful that in a new community, the trees are all new and growing and starting to bud. Around the corners, there are communities whose trees are above the houses, Not many around here, though. When we walk around the neighborhood, there are young couples and young families trying to make ends meet. The children's bus picks them up and they go to school together and play in the school yard together. They will grow to govern themselves and I hope one another, learning the lessons that we are teaching them. Norman Rockwell painted pictures that are synonymous with the season that we are in. Little children, need a reason to continue on. The reason is for the glory of God. They don't know what that means. They only know our neighbors have a history in this community and so do we. They only know that parents and grandparents have set the stage for them to perform on and now it is their turn to be the children on the stage and soon it will be time for them to star and Star they will!

Golden Lady!

Yesterday, amidst little pomp and certainly no circumstance in our Lord's day routine, my little special guest star woman, shone brightly. Everything that she does is award winning to me. I am her mother and I keep trying to get her to give me her stuff. This piece, I fought with her about. I really didn't want her to send that piece in for the judges. I just loved it.
From the first design on the cloth, I was into this piece. Some of the pieces, I can't see the theme, but my Emmy always acts as though she is unmoved by my opinions of her stuff. I was very impressed and proud when she walked across the stage to receive the award for her design. She's applied herself to the process of developing her craft and she received her reward. Children are a heritage from the Lord and the fruit of the womb is His reward! I held a very big trophy in my hands, many times but none as beautiful as the memory of the day that Emmy was put on that table and showed out for the first time. Feisty from the day she was born and feisty to this day. There is absolutely nothing like the joy of seeing her do her thing!.
I was shocked, when we walked into this intricately ornate building and saw the stage and the stained glass and the many many people who participated, to make this day special and memorable for the award winners. It was prestigious and Emily gave us absolutely no prep for this. Many young people had entered numerous items into the competition, but Em entered only one. She is among many famous people who have also won this prestigious award. We expect to see this product go a long way with her.

Ginger and Snap are celebrating Valentines Day, leaveless.

This may be their first valentines day apart from eachother. Snap is stallwartly in the front yard awaiting his spring adornments and Ginger is on the side trying to peek around the corner at him. The rest of the grasses and the butterfly bush are enjoying the sunshine with leaves but not Ginger and Snap. Their aren't dead, they are just dormant.

We have 3 graduates coming up and each day

we are getting closer to that. Kindergarten, Eighth grade and Highschool graduates, there is always something cooking, but this is a big year for them. I am grateful to see the academic maturity developing as they three lunge for the tape again at this milestone. We do pray that God gives us help to guide and give them goals and enjoyments for their accomplishments.

Last week it was winter and this week it is time for Spring Cleaning.

We are starting Spring training, this week in the Walker house. First it is about cleaning the mud out from the winter slush. Next is running and walking and situps. Thank God. I have gotten up to 15 minutes on the stationary bike without "dying". That is my next job this morning after my kitchen is cleaned from the weekend. I just love the Spring coming in February down here. We have lived like bears in NY and used to the hibernation season. Here, we are able to get out and enjoy the sunshine and blue skies and beauty even in February. That is why my butterfly bush didn't even cry or droop at the sense of snow on it last week. It is as if it said. Next week it will be spring. I wish that I could develop that kind of attitude in myself. Spring is just around the corner. What corner? Even my delicate Peachypoo is getting back her shed leaves.

The icy leaves of my butterfly bush

are still hanging on, even in this somewhat bitter cold. I just love looking at them shivering and glistening in the sunlight. No butterflies have come to call in ever so long now. They take sweet comfort in one another's company and the companionship of hanging on to the branch. They are beautifully surviving, though not blooming in this season. My bush sways in the breeze and enjoyed the senses of the snow which, recently covered us all with white.
The snow came and left and all we have to show for it is the 8 snowballs preciously preserved in our yard. Not large enough for a snowman, but precious to us. North Carolina snow doesn't hang around to become a nuisance. It is just enough to bring us awe and carefulness, but not enough to make us sick of it!
I wonder that the leaves are green, in this frost and I wonder that she is not at all weeping and gaunt, at the loss of her butterflies in this season. She takes it in stride, she seems to know that they will be back and the cold will pass and she stands up straight. She grasps every experience of cold and rain and snow, she trims down for the season and joyfully embraces the new days.
I will try to learn from her.

Come, let us reason together, says the Lord!

I am so grateful for the snow which reminds us that the ugliness of my sins covered with the righteousness of Christ cleanses and heals and even glows. The glare of the snow and the beauty of the freshly fallen snow is the beauty of my sins having been washed away, by His blood and the precious healing for my soul.
What shall I render, stated David, unto God for all of his mercies. That was penned before the precious blood of Jesus was spent for the salvation of our souls. I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. The picture of our whole family enjoying a meal and one little child reaching for the cup that means that he belongs with us and calling upon his father as Daddy. That is salvation. We have the responsibility to call upon the name of the Lord and the healing which comes from that blessing and then raising the standard for the generation following so that they don't have to reap the judgements for the wrong choices, because this may cost us their souls. When a child grows up and sees the negative consequences of sins and we preach Christ to them who can clean up a culture, they reason away from God and it is really judgement for our sins that they are enduring. If there is a God, why didn't my mommy and daddy...Help us Lord to foster and shepherd their faith!