Bloom with Jesus!

I have had great pleasure watching the deer in the wheat field surrounding our house this spring. They have walked close to the house numerous times. One night, they were standing on our sidewalk and set off our front door camera. A doe and fawn have appeared in our front yard numerous times. I find myself searching for them when I pass a window...especially in the morning and evening. This morning they were along the driveway and the fawn was running along the edge. Just like a child, he never ventured very far knowing his protection was his mother. Wheat harvest is upon us, so the fun of watching the deer will be coming to an end, as they will take cover elsewhere once the wheat is off. Part of me is sad to see them go, but reality is that life changes, and after all farming is our livelihood. I’m sure for the deer there will be a moment of panic when the big green Deere combine rolls into the field. The solace and comfort of their cover will quickly disappear forcing them to head fo...

May Showers Bring June Flowers? Isn't it supposed to be "April showers bring May flowers" not "May showers bring June flowers?" Once again, the rains have come to central Ohio in mid-May. It seems like our months are turned around this spring. May has been cooler and rainier than normal, with sunny days few and far between. It has become difficult for Ohio farmers to get their crops planted, our son included. We also feel blessed because we know farmers north of us who have not been able to plant any fields, and we have all of our corn in the ground. But as always, the farmers will forge ahead making the best decisions they can, with the weather God gives them. Our months may be turned around this year, but occasionally our lives feel like they have been turned upside down and inside out. This past week, I heard many stories of unexpected deaths on the news and in the community. They ranged from accidents to illnesses which progressed quickly. But death isn'...

    Goodness is something so simple; always to live for others, never to seek one’s own advantage. ~Dag Hammarskjöld   I have always thought my neighbor is an amazing young Christian woman. I have heard bits and pieces of her story, from having a child out of wedlock, to a family of four with a happy ending, or should I say beginning, when her husband adopted her oldest child. The entire family is an example of goodness, but the story she shared of her wedding day, solidified how I feel about her even more. Hanging on our wall is a picture Jim gave me for Christmas. It says Jim & Mary and our wedding date. Behind those words are the lyrics to our song, “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” (And yes, I cried when I opened it.) Our neighbor was here and asked about the picture. When I explained that it was our song, she shared about her own wedding. Leading up to their big day, she asked numerous family members and friends, “What is your special song?” She made them believe sh...

There were many events which had to line up for me to bring a man to tears yesterday. First of all, years ago I had been to Tahquamenon Falls in Michigan and snapped some pictures of this unique waterfall. Sometime after that visit, I created several pictures with quotes and Bible verses on them to sell at craft shows. A picture of the waterfall was among them. Second, I have adopted a new plan to clean the basement. If something goes down stairs, something must come back upstairs and be evaluated. A couple of weeks ago I did just that and found the basket full of those photos which I had matted. I looked through them and rather than pitching them I packed them for the next craft show. If nothing else, maybe I could give them away. We decided to go to Florida for about a month, so I signed up for a small craft show at the American Legion just down the road from us. I packed all of my books and crafts in the truck in hopes of finding more than one event this winter. When I arrived at th...

  Change doesn’t always come easy for me. Maybe that is why I worked for the same company for over twenty years. There were good and bad times at that company, but in the end I was always glad that I persevered. Making it through difficult times gave me a sense of purpose and accomplishment. At this point and time in my life, change comes a little easier. Is it easier because of my age, or is it my faith that every change in life works out for the greater good? I am a strong believer that if you pray and ask God for direction, He will lead you through changes. My most recent changes include: Posting on my blog more, and working on a book less. Helping other authors self-publish. A new look for my website. Helping less on the farm, as the next generation takes over. It is like God has laid a path out in front of me that I didn’t know existed. A path that I am struggling to understand, but I continue to follow God’s lead. All of the changes are different, yet somehow interconnected. ...

  Recently I assisted three new authors with the publishing process. From start to finish: formatting, uploading files, book covers, tips of the trade, and being published as an Indie author. They now have digital and paperback books available for purchase. It isn’t that I have great knowledge, or know all the tricks of the trades, but after publishing ten books myself I am able to assist. I didn’t help them because I wanted accolades or payment, but because I wanted to help them each obtain their goals of getting their books in front of others. They all have wonderful devotional books, but their writing styles are different than mine, which is great. It takes different styles of authors to impact different people. Ironically, three of us have one thing in common. Our first name is Mary. I have sent group emails with information to the Marys, because it pertains to them specifically and their goals. When I do this, I call it a 3-way Mary email. Just like a 3-way bulb, different aut...

After much frustration of cooking with three out of four burners, Jim and I decided to purchase a new stove in Florida. We had no idea how old the stove was, nor a good repairman, so it seemed like our best option. The installation crew was supposed to take the old stove to the curb, and in most cases it will disappear. But we wondered how long it would sit there, and how would we get rid of it if someone didn’t take it. So forty-eight hours before delivery, I advertised the old stove for a low price on social media. I wasn’t surprised when I had a nibble right away, but typically you go through lots of nibbles, before you get a bite. This gentleman truly said he wanted the stove and we set a time. As the minutes clicked away my frustrations built, thinking he was another no show, when he was over an hour late. My first thought was, “Here we go. They always say they want it, but don’t show.” I decided to send him a message and he quickly replied. He had gotten tied up finishing a job a...

My heart goes out to the families of those who lost their lives in the hurricane this week. Many lost their homes, businesses, power, and much more as a result of this horrific storm as it came up the Gulf Coast and swept through the Carolinas. The storm did a great deal of damage across many states with its powerful winds and flooding. The storm had so much force that we had wind gusts in Ohio yesterday. One of those gusts broke a huge limb off of the neighbor's tree. Unfortunately, the limb fell on his car and a piece of equipment he had parked in the driveway. No one was hurt, and it seems so small compared to those in the South who have lost much. We have had stronger winds from thunderstorms earlier this year, so why did the limb suddenly fall? Most of our storms come out of the west, and the trees are used to the wind force from that direction. As they grow, they become stronger, almost as if they are leaning into the storms of life. But the hurricane winds came from the east...

After a week of hot dry weather, our cornfield is showing signs of needing much rain. In the heat of the day, the leaves are curling making it look frail and parched. This is a natural response to the stress the heat is putting on the corn stalks. For this to happen a few days, brings concern but no damage. However, if the heat and drought continue, the corn crop yield will begin to suffer. As I walked to the mailbox today, I snapped a picture of the curled corn. We are much like the curled corn. When the heat of life is turned up, we tend to curl up and draw within ourselves. This too is a natural stress response, a way to protect ourselves from pain and suffering. A few days in the heat and stress is no problem for us either, but if it continues, we too will not produce any crop. So how do we prevent this from happening when God allows the heat to be turned up in our lives? Job is a good example of suffering. God allowed him to feel the “fire” of pain and agony when everything was ta...

  Dictionary.com gives the following definitions... Rejoice - to make joyful; gladden Reflect - to think, ponder, or meditate Celebrate - to make known publicly; proclaim It saddens my heart how commercialized Christmas has become, yet I too am drawn into the hustle and bustle of the season. All of the commercials and hoopla draw us away from the true meaning of Christmas. The Christ child, which is why we should be reflecting, rejoicing, and celebrating. So as you step into the final days before Christmas—just pause. Pause for a minute and take a deep breath. Stop all you are doing and let go of the stress and commercialism. Take a few moments to be joyful. Reflect on Christ and His gift of salvation to you. Rejoice in Christ’s birth. “She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no lodging available for them. (Luke 2:7) Rejoice with the angel of the Lord who declared, “The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lo...

  The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!” (John 12:12-13) . As members of the church waved their palm branches on Palm Sunday, I wondered, “Why do we do this? What is the significance of palm branches today or when Jesus made His triumphant entrance to Jerusalem?” With a little internet research, I discovered some interesting facts about palm branches. They were used for celebration during King David’s time, so the branches were a symbol of royalty. Another interesting tidbit: It takes 30 years for a palm tree to bear fruit and a man couldn’t become a high priest until he was 30 years old. Jesus was 30 when He began His ministry. Coincidence? No, God ordained it, declaring Jesus as a High Priest. Waving the palms in the air and placing th...

My granddaughter, Reagan, helped me decorate the Christmas tree this year. She had only put a couple of ornaments on the tree when I heard a crash, which happens every year. She even commented that there had been another casualty and that an ornament fell off the tree. No worries, we have lost more valuable decorations in the past when she and her sister were much smaller. This particular bulb was one that the grandkids made, and I have since learned to purchase plastic bulbs and not glass ones for them to make ornaments. Decorating with small children can result in broken pieces, but the memories are far more precious than any broken decoration. Today I wrapped a few Christmas presents, and when I put them under the tree I could still see remnants of the glitter which had been inside the broken ornament. The floor in that area had a slight copper-colored sparkle to it. Knowing where the glitter came from reminded me of our brokenness. Our lives are sometimes shattered just like the bu...

  I was having one of those days, actually I could say one of those weeks, but this day was the topper. Work had piled up, and I felt buried. Not one great big project but numerous small ones that all seemed to have a very high priority. Intense fellowship had taken place between Jim and I that morning. I had waited over an hour (which I didn’t have to spare) to see a doctor, who told me I should consider optional eye lid surgery to solve my eyelash problem. The thought of another surgery just added to my already bad attitude. As I headed for home I thought, “I JUST WANT THIS DAY TO BE OVER!” Then it happened. A bird decided to poop on my parade. Tell me this—how does one bird flying in the sky produce enough poop to cover my entire driver’s side window? I wanted to scream, but thought, “Why bother. No one can hear me anyway.” I was already in the right turn lane, and of course the car wash was to the left. I made my turns and circled back to the carwash so I could see out the ...

  I dropped a laundry basket of clean clothes near my husband’s chair. I knew it was a long shot, but I thought maybe he would notice the basket and match socks while he watched the TV. (Try it sometime, because it worked!) When he got to the end of the basket, he was missing a sock. No big deal, it happens all the time. I set the sock on top of the dresser and figured its friend would show up in another load. Fast forward several days and I’m at the chiropractor standing at the front desk. I removed my jacket and took a step backward. Much to my surprise, there was my husband’s missing sock on the floor. The sweatshirt I was wearing was in the same load of laundry. Apparently the missing sock found a new friend and became rather clingy. I picked it up off of the floor, chuckled and said, “I found my husband’s missing sock. I write devotions. There is a story in here somewhere.” During biblical times Palestinian women received ten silver coins as a wedding gift. These coins were no...

Sometimes life gets crazy messy, like my house while we were waiting on new flooring. We ordered vinyl flooring for the office and carpet for the bedroom. They estimated it would be about three weeks before it arrived. I saw no hurry to empty either room and paint. After all, I had plenty of time. My three weeks turned into about ten days, and I had very little notice they were coming to install the office flooring. I literally dumped piles of papers into boxes as I cleared the desks and closet so I could paint, before the new flooring was installed. Before the office was back together, I also had to empty the bedroom, which made for an even bigger mess! We had piles in every corner and small furniture on top larger items. It’s not always our piles of paper, our closets, and drawers that create the disasters in life. Messy can come from emotional stress, or difficult decisions. Family disputes or unexpected tragedies. You fill in the blank. What part of your life is crazy messy or has ...