Cookin' Hot

We're setting new records this summer in the Fraser Valley with prolonged periods of extremely hot weather. Check the thermometer:

This weather is very stressful for the flowers and shrubs. Never mind the "shrinking violets" - my rose bushes and hydrangeas are taking a terrible hit inspite of daily watering. This gorgeous bloom is hidden from direct sunlight and so is fairing ok so far. Up till now the hydrangeas were stunning and the roses languishing right from the start. Now both are in trouble. But when the temps will drop and we'll get a good west coast down pour again they will rebound. Always hopeful in Abbotsford!

Taking a picture of the thermometer reminded me of this shot I took a week before Christmas when we were experiencing unusual amounts of snow and below normal temperatures!

Sisters

My sisters are one of God's most special gifts to me. He gave me four wonderful sisters-two older and two younger. Looking through some quotes about sisters I found these reflecting my sentiments quite closely:

A sister is a gift to the heart,
a friend to the spirit,
a golden thread to the meaning of life. ~Isadora James


The best thing about having a sister
is that I always have a friend. ~Cali Rae Turner

Siblings are the people we practice on,
the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation
and kindness and caring-
quite often the hard way. ~Pamela Dugdale

And then to add a bit of levity to this all I dare not omit:
Sister to sister we will always be,
A couple of nuts off the family tree.~Author Unknown


On May 30 my post read: "Roses for my Sister." Four weeks later, Erica passed away from this earth and entered into the presence of the Lord Jesus. It is a sobering thing to "lose" a sister. And yet, I haven't lost her at all. She's only gone ahead to where we all want to be. What great provision God has put in place for His children. For as we read in the Scriptures:
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. - This provides great comfort and hope and assurance.

During this time our four year old grandaughter, visiting us with her family from Mexico, cheered us on in many ways. She delighted in choosing flowers for tiny bouquets. This is the combination she picked on her last day of their visit. Erica would have enjoyed it. Just yesterday my six year old grandaughter who lives near by delighted me with her joy and exuberance in going out into the garden with me to pick another tiny bouquet similar to the one in the picture. This time we took it to the gravesite and placed it at Erica's marker. It was a beautiful moment.

Sunrise and Sunset

Both sunrise and sunset are wonderfully mysterious events which happen every day.
It was so welcoming to see the sun at this juncture of its journey on the morning after our arrival home from Mexico some time ago. I just love to see the "sun rise" - although engulfed in somewhat of a valley, we don't actually get to see the sun peeping over the horizon but only when it climbs over the mountains or trees.

The Psalmist paints a beautiful picture for us:

1The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

2Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

3There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

4Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

6His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
Psalm 19:1-6 KJV

Sunsets are a different matter. We can't see them at all from our place. On evenings when I just know the sunset will be glorious we might hop into our vehicle and head off to some vantage point where I can see the grand finale of its sojourn for that day.

This sunset picture taken by Andrew from the Golden Zone in Mazatlan, was one of many sunsets that mesmerized me during our two week vacation there. Every evening, except for one, we witnessed this phenomenal sight - the sun sinking into the ocean, which is just what it looked like from our tenth floor condo...and we knew it would rise again the next morning. Thank you, Lord.

Rhododendron

No words can match the beauty of these exotic blooms. We found these gorgeous rhododendron trees, loaded with stunning masses of blooms of every hue and colour, in a nearby park. So hard to capture their magnificance with a tiny camera.

Forgiveness

White is the symbol for purity. It is beautiful. No garden seems complete without some white accents such as this pristine Viburnam, or the sprawling Bacopa...beautiful.

...and from our backyard, zooming in on Mt. Baker, I see its white-capped dome and I'm encouraged by its beauty, its constancy and strength.

Today I needed some whiteness in my soul...I felt the pressure of needing to apologize to someone for being quick to speak and slow to listen, rather than heeding James (1:19) admonition to be "quick to listen and slow to speak" ...of course I tried to rationalize my way out of this, it's hard to apologize...but I did it. It's very cool to be forgiven...it's exhilarating, liberating and purifying-"whitening". Thank you friend and thank You Jesus!

Roses for my Sister

Of all the flowers in the garden, it is the rose that most captivates the senses. It seems to speak a universal language of hope and love and grace.
A week ago I spotted the first little red floweret on a carpet rose.

This morning as I took its picture I checked the large floribunda which produced its first rose last year at about this time. There it was again...tucked behind the lush foliage. There will be many more to come.

Today I dedicate these flowers to my sister Erica who is struggling with cancer. It is a difficult thing. Although she can't be out and about right now...these critical days after intense chemo...she has so much beauty within in her that sustains her in a miraculous and amazing way.

I posted the following song a year ago (see post May 22,08) along with my first rose blog then. Here it is again because Erica knows this song well. We've sung it together many times in trio arrangements with my other dear sisters...a song we learned when we were in Girls Choir in Winkler so many years ago.

The words hold rich meaning for us:

Jesus, Rose of Sharon,
Bloom within my heart-
Beauty of Thy truth and holiness impart.
That where'er I go,
My life my shed abroad
Fragrance of the knowledge
Of the love of God.

Jesus, blessed Jesus,
Rose of Sharon, Rose of Sharon,
Bloom in radiance and in love within my heart.

Erica's life sheds abroad this fragrance of the knowledge of the love of God... Sis, you are an inspiration to me and to all who know you. God bless and keep you, dear sister!

Mother's Day

Go down to Kew in lilac time, in lilac time, in lilac time...
Go down to Kew in lilac time it isn't far from London town...

"Kew" came to me today in the guise of my two and four year old grandsons! It couldn't have been sweeter! Those shining eyes looking up into mine so adoringly as they presented their card and fragrant bouquet -cut from their own lilac tree- both so fervently clutched in pudgy hands, really touched my heart.

There's nothing sweeter for a mother than to know that her children and grandchildren are fine. And I heard from them all and interacted with all the local ones so, "My cup runneth over!" I am so proud of my daughter and my two daughter's in law. They are all wonderful mothers...just terrific mothers...it floods my heart with joy and comfort to see how much they love their little ones and how well they care for them. God bless you dear ones!

I'm including a quote here that really surprised me when I saw its origin:

"Dear Mother: I'm all right. Stop worrying about me."
-Egyptian Papyrus Letter 2000 BC

I guess this mothering thing is universal...your children, no matter their age, are always in your heart! I'm reminded of words of even greater import spoken by our Lord some 2000 years ago:

"...do not worry...do not worry ...
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness
and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own."

taken from Matthew 6:25-34