Photo Friday

I’ve got peace like a river
I’ve got love like an ocean
I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul
I’ve got peace like a river
I’ve got love like an ocean
I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul

Ah, today is “Photo-Friday” and a chance to share a few short thoughts with the extra pictures. Grandchildren, of course; good food; some property upkeep; random shots.

Miami:

I know this is the primary reason some of you open “Photo-Friday” – the chance to see these beautiful faces. It helps that our daughter Naomi has such a good eye and grabs the kind of photos every parent wishes they could.

Geoffrey, at 11 months, is a happy and engaging baby fast becoming a little boy. David and Beks are wonderful with him, and while he misses them when they are at school he does enjoy the solo shopping trips with his mom, where he can pull everyone he sees into his little orbit of joy.

Disaster and perspective:

This is the month for getting things repaired over at my parents’ house.

First it was – and still is – the fence. A little repair here and there turning into the need to just rebuild the whole thing. If something needs to get done then we might as well get it done right. To that end our friend Joe is doing a phenomenal job of hybrid fencing – new posts and frame, then cutting off old boards and bringing it all together. But it all adds up to a huge amount of work.

At the moment, with the fence between our properties already down, the sight lines are unique. These two photos represent views we have never seen before and will never see again.

looking from our house to theirs, then back at Maul Hall

Then, after mum and dad’s air-conditioning stopped working while we were at the beach, we discovered a fallen tree had smashed the outside unit and damaged it beyond repair!

Interestingly, we had just been talking about how nice it was to know – this not being Florida – that we could expect their 6-year-old AC system to last a good 15-20 years! We didn’t take into account the anomaly of falling trees!

Good food:

I have mentioned before that the time commitment involved in taking care of my parents makes a real impact in terms of how I invest myself in other parts of daily life. Well, one of the casualties has been my cooking, and specifically my journey into exploring creative food preparation that requires more time and concentration.

Every once in a while, however, I will come up with something extra delicious, so here are a couple of photos proving that it’s not all meatloaf and tacos at Maul Hall!

Snapper and awesome rice – Mushroom cheeseburger

Random images:

It’s the fall, so here in North Carolina that means being outside as much as possible because it’s so beautiful.

Mum visiting Rebekah as she works in the garden, Max making his way between the houses, my favorite “Weeping Willow” tree.

Life right now, hemmed in as I am by circumstances that demand constant attention, is really an exercise in “Christ-centered mindfulness” (see yesterday’s post on the subject – “Mindfulness and Jesus“).

In each moment, keeping my attention focused on the blessing that is life itself, that is the undeniable fact that we are deeply loved and invited to rest in the understanding that we are God’s beloved children.