Good Wednesday morning, everyone. The skies have cleared, the dust is settling from yesterday’s midterm elections, and it is – in the soulful stylings of Johnny Nash – A bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day.
So in that vein, splashed in sunshinyness, here is the “this week so far” update from beautiful Wake Forest.
You’d better believe we voted!
You can read yesterday’s post for more on how I feel about the current political climate. For today I simply want to reiterate how critically important it is that we:
- participate,
- vote intelligently rather than reactively,
- respect one another,
- raise the level of the conversation,
- listen,
- and stand firm against behavior from our leaders that works to undermine the moral integrity of our political process, trust in our institutions, and the important work of a free press.
Fall Finally Lands:
As the view from the church portico (above) indicates, a few of our trees have finally agreed to move on from the late summer. I’m looking forward to capturing some classic fall photos over the next couple of weeks, but we did already lose a lot of leaves to the recent tropical storms.
Regardless, this is a spectacularly beautiful time of the year here in North Carolina. Fall serves as a daily invitation to leave my desk, open all the doors and windows, and enjoy the outdoors. I do believe that I will.
I’m glad that we live in the woods, and I have become content to let the garden find its own way via my commitment to a program of limited maintenance and support of the term “Natural Area”. This may sound like a rationalization to avoid excessive gardening, but I like to call it “working with nature rather than against it.”
Besides, I love the trees, I appreciate all the shade on the house, we never have to purchase mulch, and all I need to do is to mow occasionally and keep the walkways clear.
It’s win-win.
90-plus and going strong:
If you remember reading about my dad’s 90th birthday party, back in July, you will be encouraged to hear that he is enjoying the outdoors when he can and he is often able to leave his walker at home.
It is a unique blessing to be sixty-two years old and still be in daily contact with both my parents. I am continually grateful that they moved in next door, and that my work allows me the flexibility to help in the limited ways that I can.
So there we have it, the midweek update. Five photographs representing just a fraction of the five-thousand blessings I could list if I had the time.
Peace, and more peace – DEREK
But this has been a travel week for us, so we have had to settle for photographs. Fortunately, Naomi delivered some good ones and I’m passing them on in this post.
But the signal moment of the day, for me, came late in the afternoon. Rebekah had just returned from officer training (she runs an eight-week class for incoming elders and deacons), and she was excited to share about the experience. Then Jesse asked her about something she’d said in her sermon that made him think (in a good way) and the two siblings fell into an animated, enthusiastic, “we-share-this-vision” conversation about the scriptures.
both still owning every bit of the enthusiasm they started out with years ago in seminary – only now more so…
Interestingly, with the epicenter of Hurricane Florence aimed right at Raleigh for the best part of a week, then veering west well to the south before heading northwest, north, and finally northeast, neatly keeping the worst of the wind, the rain, and eventually the tornadoes just out of reach, it was Naomi in Richmond who had the most hair-raising weather experience.
Up there in Richmond our two grandchildren are throwing themselves into learning with passion and enthusiasm and spirits wide-open to grow. David and Beks, riding the big yellow bus together to First-Grade and Kindergarten, a melting pot of five and six-year-olds, all things bright and beautiful, all God’s beloved children.
Where we live it’s a little quieter. I don’t mean church – that amazing community of beautiful souls is pulsating with noisy, unrestrained full contact koinonia. But our cul-de-sac, where sometimes I’ll venture next door and play Scrabble with my mum, is definitely – and thankfully – a quite zone most of the time.
This morning I’m pulled in two directions when it comes to my writing. After three successive Hurricane Florence posts I want to turn my attention back to family. At the same time, I understand all too well that the story – and the growing tragedy – is still unfolding right here in our state. Please pray for all those affected.
You see the way they are all illuminated by the light as if it’s coming from the book? Well, that is how our effervescent daughter lights up the world around her today. She is a beautiful story and full with sunshine.
We stand not because of ourselves but because we are rooted in a faith stronger and more weighty than both of us put together. To say “our love is enough” would be to miss the point. So instead we say, “God’s grace is sufficient,” and “when we lose our balance we fall into the gravitational pull of God’s love,” and “
I seriously did not intend to go paparazzi on my grandchildren this weekend. But then stuff happens, and my iPhone is right there in my pocket, and there you go.
