Pleasures of this Life

After extolling the benefits of hiking, imagine my disappointment when I discovered a tick on me Tuesday morning. Not only was there a tick, but the red bulls eye and extreme itchiness were also evident. I called the doctor and he wanted to see me. The nurse practitioner and a doctor worked quite a while to get every last piece of that nasty little tick out from under my skin. They kept apologizing if they were hurting me, but honestly it felt good for them to be digging around in there - it was a kind of scratch for a terrible itch. So I am currently on a 10 day regimen of antibiotics which will, hopefully, curb any Lyme's disease that might have been transmitted by that tick.

So is this the end of our hiking? Well, in thinking back on why we might have picked up this tick, several things occurred to me. One, I had been spraying bug repellent on our jeans and sneakers before our hikes this spring. But on Sunday, I forgot to bring it with us. Oh well, I thought, and off we went. Two, although the trail we hiked was wide and easy, there was foliage and grass that we brushed against. Both were just invitations for that tick to find me and take advantage of the situation. 

Why, oh why, do bugs love me? It's so upsetting...don't they know I hate them? Pretty ironic!

We were too busy the rest of the week to do any more hiking. On Monday, Memorial Day, we drove up to Christy's and picked up Naomi to bring her back to our house. She didn't have her birthday yet, but finding a good date between their family's activities and our schedule is a challenge sometimes. We did the usual fun things with her: make her favorite dinner, watch a movie, eat ice cream, play games and more games.


On Tuesday morning, we made 2 strawberry pies to take back with us for dessert with the family.

These pictures were taken before the whipped cream was added. Believe me, this is a delicious pie! (Thanks to LDH for the recipe!)

All these lovely blessings we enjoy are sign posts along the way that point to a greater glory - the glory of God. Paul Tripp reminds us in New Morning Mercies that "life really is all about what glory attracts your eyes and captures your heart."




The things we enjoy in this life are not the things that we were made to live for. They are sign posts to point to God and God alone. We enjoy nature because it reminds us of God and his beautiful, creative work. We enjoy the relationships of family members because it reminds us that God is in relationship with himself in the Trinity, as well as with us. How incredible is his love for us.

Another thing I really enjoy is our bird feeder, placed strategically so I can watch the action from my kitchen sink while I'm preparing meals. Yesterday, I was struck by how beautiful the cardinal is. The next time I looked out the window, I was captured by the antics of a different, but cute little creature.

Andy and I finished another puzzle this week. It was quite a challenge but we did it with much patience and perseverance! Just look at all the blue and stars. But we could do it if we stuck to it. Success at last. These are all Van Gogh paintings.

Ricky and Amy came down today with their kiddos. They joined us at church then came to the house for lunch. I had another strawberry pie for dessert that was a big hit. They visited for a couple of hours before heading back home. I did not take any pictures while they were here.:(
 
What a gift that even when we face hard times, God gives us experiences and blessings to enjoy. What a good God he is. 

I was struggling earlier this week with sadness. Pictures of our family were scrolling on my computer and every time I saw pictures of Andy and me, or Andy with the kids, I couldn't keep my eyes from tearing up. Things are not as they were...I am experiencing loss. And honestly, that loss is hard to deal with. But God met me in my struggle. He provided a friend who listened and sympathized with me. He graciously comforted me with his word and his presence. My friend shared a verse with me that is just chock full of goodness and comfort:

2 Thessalonians 2:16 & 17:  "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word."

I also was reminded of C.S. Lewis in one of his writings who says that if we find pleasure in this life, it is a sign that we were made for a better life (or something to that effect!). God has given us the capacity to enjoy and find pleasure. This life is only a small teaser of the pleasures we will enjoy in eternity with God himself.

The Healing Power of Nature

I read an interesting article this week in Elite Daily:  People Who Appreciate Nature are Happier, Healthier and More Innovative.

Reading this item has made me more determined than ever to keep on hiking. The benefits include physical and mental well being. The chapter headings included:  Nature reduces stress and helps us find meaning; Walking in nature strengthens our immune systems and our muscles; Our minds become sharper and more inventive after spending time in nature.

I had planned to do something special on Tuesday, but I was so lacking in energy and motivation that day. So we stayed home and didn't venture out except to do a few errands. In talking to some of my friends, I discovered that it seemed to be a common feeling that day. Maybe there was something in the air...maybe it was barametric pressure...maybe it was pollen...who knows?

So by the time Saturday came around we were ready to get out and make some discoveries. I had been thinking for a while about visiting the Grounds for Sculpture.  I had heard about this place several years ago and had been encouraged to give it a visit in the spring time. We left after lunch and drove 30 minutes north to Hamilton, NJ. 

It was a beautiful place. It wasn't really wild nature, but an example of the creativity of people made in the image of God, the Creator. The statutes were very interesting and creative and the grounds were pleasing to the eyes with lots of yellow iris, azaleas, lilacs, roses, poppies, and many different varieties of trees and bushes.

Those ducks in the water are not real - and neither are my buddies!

That was really enjoyable and such a pleasant day, too. We had long sleeved shirts on and were quite comfortable.

I thought today was going to be quite a bit hotter. But maybe because we went to the woods earlier in the afternoon, or maybe because we were in the woods, it was again quite pleasant. We tried out another park we had not been to before:  The Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve. This was quite different from our experience yesterday but not unlovely. The trail was wide and easy through lots of greenery and mountain laurel.

And we found some water at the end of the trail.

It was a varied forest with areas of brush and greenery, then other areas of dead wood still upright, pointing to the blue sky.

One part of the article I read mentioned that "there is widespread evidence that chemicals emitted by plants, known as phytoncides (wood essential oils), help strengthen the immune systems of humans who are exposed to them. Plants emit phytoncides to protect themselves from insects and rotting. A study from the Nippon Medical School in Tokyo found when humans breathe in these chemicals it increases the number of natural kill cells, a type of white blood cell, in our bodies."

Even if I had never read this article, I would know just by experience, that hiking is good for us. I feel so much better after being out in nature. 

So here's my advice:  if someone tells you to "go take a hike," just do it!

Dealing with Grumpiness

It's getting warmer and we're hiking less. That may be why I was feeling somewhat grumpy and out of sorts as the week went on.There really didn't seem to be a reason for feeling that way...Unless I let it get to me that Andy didn't seem to be too with it. On Friday morning, he asked me why I was all "duded up." I asked him what day he thought it was and he said Thursday. Well, even though that was wrong, it didn't make sense because if I was dressed up, I would be going to work. But he was wondering why I was going to work. Sometimes, conversations go around and around. 

Then when we got to church, I was doing my work, when he came in to the office looking for the staple remover. I asked him what he was going to do with that, and he said he was going to take down the name tags. Well, that was wrong, too. He takes the used name tags down on Mondays and puts new ones up for me on Thursday. He had already put the new ones up and started to take them down again. Fortunately, he hadn't gone too far before coming in to the office to ask for help.

If I focus on the negative, it can really get me down. In the middle of my grouchiness, the Lord gently reminded me that he never changes. He is always faithful, always loving, always kind, always patient. Where would I be without his love? (Matt Redman has a song with these lyrics that encourages me whenever I hear it.)

Sometimes I think Andy's not doing too bad...but then we have these little incidents.

On Friday afternoon when I got home from work, our lawn service was at the house cutting the lawn. I was wondering why they weren't doing as much weed whacking this year as they had done last year. When I mentioned it to Andy, he said, "Oh I told them we'd do it." I bit my tongue and didn't say anything to him at first till I could calm down and talk to him reasonably. Finally, I explained to him: "But Andy, I can't do weed whacking! We need them to do it."

I texted our lawn service to tell them I wanted the weed whacking done and mentioned what Andy had said. He texted me back saying Andy hadn't mentioned anything to him.  That was pretty confusing and I'm not sure what Andy was talking about. It's all overwhelmingly perplexing sometimes. I have to try to stay one step ahead of him and what he might do. He's so used to taking care of things and he's still trying. But at this point, it's just getting him into trouble!

Because there was a possibility of rain on Saturday as well as high temperatures, I thought an alternative might be to walk around the mall. I had been thinking of looking for some new clothes. When I mentioned to Andy about going with me, he was game. I prefer not to leave him alone at home too much. So off we went. We spent a couple of hours at the mall, walking from store to store. I didn't end up buying anything for myself and we still got some exercise. He wasn't really too thrilled about it, but he was a good sport!

We did end up buying him a new pair of shoes and some new socks.

Today was a beautiful day - in more ways than one. First of all, the worship service was so refreshing and drew my mind and heart toward the Lord.

We sang:

Hosanna
More than Enough
Wonderful Merciful Savior
I Need You More
Lord, I Need You
Sinking Deep

Wonderful Merciful Savior was especially meaningful.

WONDERFUL, MERCIFUL SAVIOR

Words and music by Dawn Rodgers & Eric Wyse

Wonderful, merciful Savior,

Precious Redeemer, and Friend,

Who would have thought that a lamb could

Rescue the souls of men?

Oh, you rescue the souls of men.

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper,

Spirit we long to embrace;

You offer hope when our hearts have

Hopelessly lost the way,

Oh, we hopelessly lost the way.

Refrain:

        You are the One that we praise,

        You are the One we adore,

        You give the healing and grace

        Our hearts always hunger for;

        Oh, our hearts always hunger for.

Almighty, infinite Father,

Faithfully loving Your own;

Here in our weakness You find us

Falling before Your throne,

Oh, we’re falling before Your throne.

                                            © 1989 Word Music ASCAP & Dayspring Music BMI

My heart was hungering for his healing and grace and God met me in my need.

I finished reading Tim Keller's book on Prayer. He really stressed how important it is to pray God's words back to him in our prayers. Amazingly, Pastor's sermon this morning reiterated the same theme. He said it's like a child learning to talk. He listens to his father, then speaks the words back to him. That's what we do with our Lord. We hear him speak in his Word, then we speak his words back to him.

The psalms are especially appropriate as prayers to God. How about Psalm 86? - one I memorized many years ago:  

Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.

Or how about Psalm 116:

The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me, I was overcome with trouble and sorrow, then I called on the name of the Lord. O Lord, save me!

I've been challenged by a friend who is memorizing Romans 5-8, so I decided to give it a try. I'm already blessed by the first few verses:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

What a wealth of resource is ours - available because of Jesus Christ.

We decided it was better to get out to the park than sit around in the house again - no matter what the weather. There was a mix of clouds with some patches of blue. The forecast today was calling for scattered showers, but it didn't look too threatening. So off we went to explore a new park.

Pennington Park in Delanco, NJ

It was a little humid but not too unbearable. There were plenty of people in the play ground and picnic areas, but we were the only ones on the trail to the Rancocas Creek. The trail was well maintained and easy walking.

 

yellow iris along the trail, but don't pick because it's in with poison ivy

This park is #28 that we have now crossed off on our brochure of Burlington County parks, only 12 more to go!

I'm so grateful for God's grace that enables me to carry on. Even when life seems overwhelming, God is more than enough. He is bigger than my biggest problems and always provides exactly what I need when I need it. He also doesn't love me less just because I'm having a hard time dealing with life. He gently and lovingly reminds me in many ways of his care.

I'm including some flower pictures. I received two lilac bushes from my mother several years ago: a deep purple one and a white one. They outdid themselves this year, blooming beautifully and the air smells so sweet as you walk out the door.

The Way God Made Me

"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?" 1 Corinthians 4:7

God has given me the gifts of organization and administration. I have always enjoyed using my gifts in the home and in my job. But now I see how necessary these gifts are in my current situation of caring for Andy in his illness.

Two weeks ago I wrote about my new role as Activity Director. Every day when we start our morning, Andy asks, "So what are we doing today?" Sometimes he knows what day it is, but usually he gets it wrong. So I tell him the day, then explain all the things we're doing. 

Out of curiosity, I started writing down a list of all the things I am responsible for.  I got down to #23, then lumped everything else into #24 - all the housework. Yikes! Believe it or not, I do not feel overwhelmed by this list. I feel energized that God has given me a love for keeping things going!

One of those items can actually now be crossed off the list. When we moved into this house 24 years ago, we had a list of all the projects we wanted to do to this fixer-upper. The last item on on this list was to replace the concrete apron in front of the old garage and along with that, replace the railroad ties that were acting as a retaining wall on that side of the house. I had saved quite a bit of money and decided that we could afford to hire a masonry contractor to do the work. So I called the guy who had done a little job last summer for us to come and submit an estimate. I also called another contractor to get a competing estimate. It took a couple of weeks, but I finally got the two estimates for the work I wanted done. The first contractor came in very high - a lot higher that I expected. The second contractor came in quite a bit lower. Now here is the tension point: Contractor #1 came in high, but his quote was very detailed in how he would complete the work and what he would do. He used a full page of descriptive detail in how he would do the work. Contractor #2 gave a short paragraph of what he would do and he was cheaper. Another point of tension was I knew the kind of work Contractor #1 did, I had experience with him. He was also very congenial, friendly, and made the effort to keep in contact with me. I did not hear from Contractor #2 after he gave me his quote.

I agonized over this. I talked this over with a trusted colleague. I prayed about it. I sought wisdom from the Lord. Then this trusted colleague suggested that I ask Contractor #1 to come down on his price. What could it hurt? So I did. He didn't get back to me for a couple of days, which got me thinking that maybe he wasn't interested in the job after all. But finally he did...and his answer? He said he would take 20% off the price.

I gave him the go ahead and last weekend, he and his crew got the job done.

Here are the before pictures:

And after the work was done - the new and improved...

Wow! We are very happy with the work that was done. Of course, it would have been so much cheaper if Andy could have done it. But that is out of the question now.

So now that's one less thing I'm responsible to get done. But there are little handy man jobs that occasionally crop up. I do know several carpenters that would be capable to fix-repair when things go wrong. So recently I had a list of 4 items that needed attention. I called someone and he came to do the work. It's also interesting to realize that I'm not as helpless as I thought I was. As long as Andy was able to fix things and do the work, and also be so ready and willing and capable to do what was needed, I was not required to get involved. Don't "they" say that "necessity is the mother of invention." And sometimes when you have no choice, you can rise to the challenge.

But I want to give the credit to the Lord. He made me the way I am with the right gifts to accomplish what he knew would be required. I also want to give him the credit that even though I have these gifts from him, I could not do what needs to be done without his enabling grace. Because without him, I can do nothing. And I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

We managed to get in two more hikes this week. On Tuesday we went to Atsion Lake. Andy and his family had spent many summers there swimming and playing in the lake and camping in the cabins as he was growing up. I've always wondered if they pronounced it correctly. They say At-sine lake, but it looks like it should be pronounced At-sigh-on Lake. So I googled it and found out that the correct way to say it is At-sigh-on, but the locals still say At-sine.  Ah-ha! Andy and his family are definitely locals. And so am I now. At-sine it is!

Atsion Lake was formed by the damming of the Mullica River. The Atsion Lake Trail is well maintained and one of the best Pine Barrens interpretive trails in the region.  It was a lovely day with sunny sky, nice and warm with hardly a ripple of a breeze. A perfect day for hiking.

 

There were lots of these leatherleaf bushes in full bloom.



I didn't think we would be able to go anywhere on Saturday because I was getting ready for Christy and her family to join us on Sunday for Mother's Day. I made a sandwich casserole that was a big hit the last time I made it, along with an apple crisp for dessert. But it was a productive morning so that I was finished with everything I had planned by 12:30. So when I suggested to Andy that we could fit in a hike, his eyes lit up and he was ready to go.

I decided to try Friendship Creek Preserve. Just the name itself sounds inviting! The brochure describes it as "a remote and hidden gem surrounding the headwaters of Friendship Creek, a tributary to the South Branch of the Rancocas Creek." It was another gorgeous day, although a little too hot. I'm afraid as we get closer to summer, our hiking days will have to be put on hold for cooler weather.

Friendship Creek Preserve:

 I guess this is Friendship Creek.

A lot of the trail was thick sand. It was quite a workout trudging through it.

Hmmm. I guess we won't go any further.
 

Andy and I think it's interesting how many of the parks we've been to are next to residential developments. Often, while we're hiking, we can hear road noise or airplanes, etc. But Friendship Creek seemed more remote. We commented how quiet it was. It was easy to hear forest noises, especially birds singing. Another interesting thing is that the people who live next to these parks aren't even aware of their existence. As we drive to them, we drive by the homes of people we know. And when we tell them we were in their neighborhood, they are surprised to find there is a park so close by.

And then today was Mother's Day. Christy and Christian and their kids came down and went to church with us. Dawn was directing our church's children's musical with 60 kids involved. So Christy and gang wanted to see it. After church they came to our house for lunch. And a good time was had by all. 

I'm so thankful for the daily blessings God showers upon us. He has given us a good life.

Even though I acknowledge my gifts are God given, because I am still earth bound, those gifts can have a dark side. I think I must drive some people crazy with my attention to detail. Fortunately, Andy loves me in spite of my OCD, although he does like to poke fun at my fastidiousness sometimes.