Tire Swings And Juicy Red Tomatoes.

I swung lazily on the tire swing in our front yard; my bare feet dangling.  Sliding up and down, my hands were grasping the red rope attached to my swing.  I held on tightly and leaned up against it.  I remembered the day, a few weeks ago, when Dad hung the tire swing up with some help from our friends.  It was a hot humid Friday. Our home was filled with happiness all day; laughter, families, lots of friends, swimming, little feet, giggles from the pool, wet towels, stringed instruments, potlucks, great meaningful conversations, Jeep rides to the field, competitive Frisbee game, riding back home in the jeep; wind blowing our sweaty faces, looking to the west and seeing the faint sun set while the darkness covered everything else.  My mind raced back to reality as I found myself reminiscing.  I smiled at the happy days I had.  The soft summer breeze flew through my hair and across my forehead.  I looked above at the deep blue cloudless sky and watched the tree above me sway back and forth; rustling.  I spun in slow circles, admiring my house.  The colorful flowers were in full bloom as they leaned across the pathway to our front door; welcoming those who walked by. The green bushes and long blades of grass created that picture-perfect scene. I loved the flag that hung off of our porch; proclaiming our independence.  I was loving my Summer; everything about it was perfect.  I enjoyed those hot days when all three of us agreed to jump in the pool at the same time.  I love our "summer hair" everyday; especially when it flies everywhere and curls by itself.  I like sitting outside and having dinner with my family as the sun sinks down behind our house; afterward catching a glimpse of the fireflies as they come out one by one. I like our hammock; especially when my dad comes home from work and lies on it with his farmers tan showing on his ankles.  I love all those little things about summer; fresh watermelon at church, corn on the cob, cute summer dresses, sitting at my piano with the windows open playing Beethoven, early mornings filled with my many piano students, our lace curtains blowing with the wind through our family room, loud exciting family game nights, sidewalk chalk, and bubbles. I’m thankful for my church and the many conversations I get to have; the laughs we have in line, the fellowship meal together, the games we play afterwards.  I feel blessed to have those close friends stand behind me and encourage me as I share my story of someone I witnessed to.  I love smiling and being happy.  God's blessings shower us every day; no matter how small they come.  The trick is to be thankful for them all; even the not so happy ones.  His creation is so beautiful and powerful, I marvel every time I walk outside.  

The garden in our backyard has flourished.  Gathering the fresh, bright red, juicy, cherry tomatoes, I sigh with contentment.  They truly are a gift from God.  The dirt beneath my bare feet feels warm and free.  I lean over to make sure I picked all the ripe ones; leaving the green ones with hope of coming back tomorrow and seeing them bright red.  I head back to the house; enjoying a few of the tomatoes.  Dad looks closely at my basket, 

"That's all we got?" I look down, 

"Well, there was more. I must have eaten a few more than I thought." ;) I think it is amazing how God created the production of fruit and vegetables; how he orchestrated every little seed to bloom and produce.  My mind tries to wrap around how great my God actually is; I stand in awe.  I feel comforted to know He knows my thoughts and hopes for the future.  I worry and fret, but He guides my steps.  "He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end." {Ecclesiastes 3:11} I feel save in the arms of my Savior as He leads me beside still waters. 

A few Sundays ago, our Pastor spoke out of Habakkuk. “ Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days—You would not believe if you were told."-Habakkuk 1:5.  I felt God speaking to me, telling me not to be anxious. He is going to do wonderful things in my life; things I wouldn't believe even if He told me. Amazing.  I wake up each day and walk in faith knowing He loves me. {2 Corinthians 5:7} "We walk by faith, not by sight." I hear Him speak to me each day through my quiet time in the morning. ^"So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun." {Ecclesiastes 8:15}. I try to imagine what it must have been like to have been one of Jesus' disciples; following in His footsteps and watching Him perform miracles. I close my eyes and picture myself on the boat, speechless as He calmed the raging waves and winds.  I try to picture myself handing out the bread and fish to the four thousand; the wonder that must have filled the eyes of all those around Him.  A might fortress is my God.

Be a witness, be a testimony, keep strong in the faith, never doubt how mighty our God is. He will do a work in our lives, far more than we can imagine.  :) 

The Day After Independence Day.

July 4th; the day before my sister was born. I can remember that day as if it was yesterday.  It had been an enjoyable evening in our friend's backyard.  They had their annual Fourth of July party and this year my mother was very pregnant. The air was muggy, but the cool breeze blew through the trees giving us a breath of fresh air.  Sparklers danced in the yard as the sun sank down the horizon.  Us kids were enjoying the holiday; jumping on the trampoline, swimming, splashing, running, and playing tag.  I sat up in the treehouse frantically waiting for the fireworks to begin; my absolutely favorite part of the summer. Suddenly I looked down to see my Father rush toward me with an excited but serious expression. 

"Kelle, we have to leave!" He called up to me. Worried, I quickly obeyed and climbed down.  Running over to my family on the back porch, I saw our friends rush around quickly. There was noise everywhere; people talking all at once, excited and nervous. Life had seemed to stop.  I looked around for my brother but found my older sister instead. 

"What is going on?" I asked her rather clueless, "Are we going to be able to see the fireworks soon?" She looked down at me and whispered, 

"I highly doubt it, Mom just went into labor." I gasped in excitement! Thoughts started buzzing in my head. Mixed emotions came into my soul, "Was Mom going to be alright? Am I not going to see the fireworks? Is it going to be a girl?"

I remember the ride back home; Mom seemed so calm, breathing deeply as Dad raced through traffic.  We quickly pulled up in the driveway and we kids filed out of the car.  Dad jumped out and ran into the house, coming back a few seconds later with Mom's overnight bag.  We stood on the driveway waving goodbye to them as our Grandma called us in; I didn't even know our grandparents were at our house.  Everything seemed to go by so fast, and to a little kid, things just seem to happen without me even knowing.  

I lay in my bed that night as my brother sat on my dresser and my Grandma sat in the rocking chair.  I squealed with delight as we talked about our new baby sister or brother. We watched out my window and saw the faint colors of the fireworks in the distance. Sadness filled me as I wished I could be there right now. 

I can remember the next morning, how excited we were to hear the news of a sweet baby girl! I burst with excitement. I can remember aching to see her and hold her.  I remember Dad placing her in my arms at the hospital. She was so precious; Diana Anne. I whispered her name over and over to myself. I thought everything about her was just beautiful and breath-taking. I was so excited to have someone to finally play with; to laugh with and to talk with. Holding her in my arms, I felt content. I wouldn't trade a million fireworks for my little sister. She was perfect, and the best surprise for the Fourth. 

It has been many years since that day my precious little sister was born.  As the years have passed, she has become my best friend.  Growing up we have had some adventurous day.  There were the days when we played "Little House on the Prairie". Grabbing old dress up clothes and playing barefoot outside. We could imagine we lived on acres of land in a tiny log cabin. We imagined big bears in the forest, and Indiana’s living in the fields. We even pretended to have a puppy. {After our little brother was born, we didn't have to pretend that anymore.} I always wound up being Laura while Diana pretended she was Mary. She seemed to have a better argument; I was better at pretending to be bad than she was, and I also could climb trees better than she could; just like Laura.

We had such great imagination; everyday was an adventure.  Summertime was our favorite.  We would ride our bikes for hours and suck on cherry Popsicles after dinner. As the sun would sink down, we would grab our jars and race to see who could collect the most Fireflies.  As autumn crept in, we would take turns raking the leaves in big colorful piles. Then we would run as fast as our little legs could take us and jump in them; leaves flying every which way.  Snow angels and tilting, lopsided snowmen were our projects for the first snowfall.  We had dreams of one day building a huge snow-fort that would withstand till the spring. We loved playing dolls together. So many ideas would fill our heads, it didn't seem like there was ever going to be enough time to play.  We would sit upstairs in our room and play for hours and hours, not even breaking for lunch.

Now we are both grown up, not little children anymore. We have different adventures now. She is my brain half the time; and she is almost taller than me.  She inspires me to be creative. She is always coming up with new crafts; it makes me jealous that I don't have that sense of inspiration. :P 

I love our talks; especially late at night. After a party or get together, we relive the evening together and reminisce of the happy moments we had. We share our thoughts, our dreams, and our hopes of the future.  She doesn't laugh at me when I feel upset, but instead she comforts me and says, "Remember that one time something like that happened to me..?" and it really did. We could stay up forever talking and giggling into our pillows for fear we might wake someone up.  

I like how we have the same style and we share jewelry.  I like when she says, "Hey, our craft room is getting kind of messy," and thus begins hours of cleaning out together while listening to “Adventures in Odyssey”.  I love it how organized she is. She must have a list for everything, and everything she owns is in some kind of order in some little box somewhere. :) I like our inside jokes and those moments we laugh and no one else knows why we are laughing. Or the wide-eye look we give each other from across the room when we have something to say to each other but can't say it out loud. 

I can remember the pain we both felt when we got the Chicken Pox last year. Scratching and crying at night, she was with me. I would feel like there was no end in sight to the pain we were both in, but she was there to comfort me and tell me it would all be better soon.  

We have taken on some pretty crazy ideas; some not so smart. Like the time I used her rotary cutter to cut paper; not a good idea. :-/ Or the time we decided to clean out our closet, and took everything out at once; way too overwhelming. 

We have baked together and cooked together; cleaned together and scrubbed together.  We have decorated for tea parties together and have made the kitchen look beautiful.  She is a fantastic muffin baker; they always turn out so moist. One day I could see her owning her own muffin bakery. She is a great gardener.  Her little herb garden is my favorite during the summer. She makes great tomato and basil sandwiches. She has many talents, I love to brag about her whenever I get the chance. 

I love our laughs and our moments.  I wish I could write them all down. I keep each one close to my heart, saving the memory forever.  I love you Diana. (: Thank you Lord for blessing me with a sister who can read my thoughts and share my hearts desires. She truly is a blessing to me. <3

Freedom.

O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain.

America, America. God shed his grace on thee

 And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea.

 O beautiful for heroes proved 

In liberating strife. 

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life.

America. America.

May God thy gold refine 

Till all success be nobleness 

And every gain divine.

O beautiful for halcyon skies, 
For amber waves of grain, 
For purple mountain majesties 
Above the enameled plain.

America. America.
God shed his grace on thee 
Till souls wax fair as earth and air 
And music-hearted sea.

 O beautiful for glory-tale 

Of liberating strife 

When once and twice, 

for man's avail 

Men lavished precious life.

America. America.

God shed his grace on thee 

Till selfish gain no longer stain 

The banner of the free.

"When we view the blessings with which our country has been favored, those which we now enjoy, and the means which we possess of handing them down unimpaired to our latest posterity, our attention is irresistibly drawn to the source from whence they flow. Let us then, unite in offering our most grateful acknowledgments for these blessings to the Divine Author of All Good." -James Monroe.

Praising Him.

Dark grey clouds rolled in as my friend and I stood on the sidewalk outside of church.  The wind blew our hair frantically. We blinked and breathed in the smell of rain.  In the distance, we could see it raining.  Far to the north on the horizon, the sun peaked through the clouds as the storm overcame the once beautiful summer sky.  Free from buildings and houses, we could see for miles across the cornfields.  We smiled as a little girl, came out squealing with delight at the thought of rain in sight.  The deep wisps of clouds stretched and moved quickly with the strong wind.  Lighting danced between the clouds and thunder rumbled in the distance.  I looked up and saw streaks of lighting above me; beautiful.  My mind tried to wrap around my Creator who breathed this; indescribable.  Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew against us, forcing us to take a step back.  One by one, big drops of rain splattered on our faces. Giggling we stood there for a minute before heading back inside. I watched my friend twirl in the rain, arms stretched out and face looking up toward the heavens. 


It was one of those Sunday's that made me want to burst with excitement; powerful sermons that made me tear up, Habakkuk 1:5, strong points: "It is one thing to recognize God as Savior, another to accept Him as Lord, but it is another matter entirely to accept Him as Father. May we embrace Him when our world goes wrong."-Pastor F., competitive trench ball games, teamwork, high fives, lots of laughs, dodging balls, fresh fruit for fellowship meal, adorable little girls with blonde pig-tales and pink dresses, sitting quietly and shyly smiling back at me, folding bulletins, excited conversations about Frisbee on Friday, graduation party on the beach, sitting on the dock dangling my bare-feet in the warm water, the sun shining on the waves, sand, beach hair, driving through the country, lots and lots of pick-ups, big red barns, and rolling meadows. 


We left our Trench ball game early after learning that a large branch had fallen on our house.  Not knowing too much of the situation, we raced home.  One hundred mile an hour winds blew through our town as we were watching the storm from afar that afternoon.  Power lines broken in half, leaned against the fences; no electricity for us.  The strong wind blew one of the branches from our tree against our house. We were thanking God there was no serious damage. Thankful for helpful neighbors in our time of need. We looked around us at our neighbor's houses and were astonished at how bad the storm really was. Just a few hours ago we were watching it blow by from another town .  Amazing. 


¹³ Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.-1 Chronices 29:13. 


Psalms 63:3-4 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.



“Depend on it, my hearer, you never will go to heaven unless you are prepared to worship Jesus Christ as God.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him [Jesus] and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.