Happy Grandparents Day!

Although this may be mere speculation on my part, days such as "Grandparents Day" are on the calendar mostly so Hallmark can sell more cards.  Cards which, after being received, generally end up displayed for a time and then discarded or added to a collection of memories, tucked away somewhere, never to be seen again.

Because of this, it has never really bothered me when, like today, the text arrived saying, "Totally forgot that today was Grandparent's Day. . .So sorry!  We are thankful for you today and every day!"  The real blessing is knowing my grandchildren are only an hour away, and the drive can be made as often as I like.  Arrival at their home is generally accompanied by four voices saying, "Grandma!" and eight arms providing hugs.  Yes, I don't need a special day to remember being a grandparent is special!

Looking back on my own life, the world of grandparents consisted of only one grandmother.  My maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother died long before I was born, and my paternal grandfather died when I was just a toddler, leaving me without memories of who he was.  Where other children had "grandparents", I had "Grandma and Henry" (Henry was my uncle who never married and lived with Grandma).  Still, I never really felt cheated, as Grandma Ellen embraced her role in such a way I never felt lacking in the grandparent department.

Some of my fondest childhood memories are of times spent at Grandma's house.  The farm, which began as a small homestead shack on the prairies of North Dakota, was lovingly built up into a beautiful yard filled with trees, a big red barn, chicken coop and come summer, a garden and lots of flowers.  Many a day was spent exploring and enjoying the freedom of "life at Grandma's house".  Our family often made Sunday the day to visit, culminating with an evening meal of sandwiches and home canned sauce in pretty oval bowls with purple flowers on them.  To end the day, there was "Wild Kingdom", "The Wonderful World of Disney" and "Bonanza" to fill our minds with more adventures.

And so it is, at the end of this Grandparents Day, I find myself saying, "Happy Grandparents Day, Grandma Ellen!  Thank you for the storehouse of memories you provided in my life.  Thank you for being the greatest example of someone who showed love to all and never anger, even amid a life filled with heartaches.  Thank you for being a wonderful role model for me to follow, as I now have my own grandchildren to love.  Tell my other grandparents I look forward to getting acquainted one day, knowing they, too, are a part of the person I've become.  Also, please tell God thank you for arranging it so you were always close by in my life, and for now providing the same privilege in the life of my grandchildren.  What a blessing to know we will one day enjoy an eternity of time together with the God who placed us in each other's lives!"

Unexpected Blessings

It has been another good year for my little garden.  How fun it is for me to watch as tiny seeds sprout into "baby crops" and eventually into mature, producing plants.  Although I did the planting and stayed busy pulling weeds and making sure there was adequate moisture, it is only God who brings forth the growth.  We find a comparison of this to the spiritual world in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8, where Paul gives the following discourse:

 

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.

So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.

Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

As summer winds down, so does the yield from my garden.  After enjoying two different varieties of lettuce over the course of the summer, the plants are now going to seed and I will soon be back to finding my lettuce in the produce aisle of the grocery store.  The sugar snap peas have also come to the end of their cycle and only occasionally do I find a quick treat off the vines.  While I have enjoyed several meals of garden beans, something tells me we are soon done with them until next year, as well.

The cucumber plants have blessed me abundantly, with my count total up to 26.  It was looking like the hot days had taken their toll on the plants and I wasn't expecting many more to mature, but yesterday revealed several more making good progress.

With three rows of carrots, we have enjoyed many a meal with them as the vegetable of choice.  Our youngest grandson in particular enjoys marching out to the garden in search of a treat, eaten Bugs Bunny style.

There has also been one helping of potatoes supplied and some small but tasty onions to add to meals.  Five little watermelons sitting among the vines seem to have stopped growing, but will be given until the first threats of frost to put on some inches.

One final row sprouts greens above ground and round, pointy ended, red roots below. . .beets.  They are such a treat when they final get big enough to pull a few, making room for the others to grow larger.  Steamed and served sliced with butter is my favorite, but with the first batch it was possible to pop them in my mouth whole!  There is also a friend in town who loves to cook up the greens, so I enjoy sharing.  (My attempt to make them last year resulted in choosing to pass them on this year!)

As I was looking out the kitchen window one day, I spotted an interesting splash of a deep pink, almost burgundy color among the beet greens.  What could it be?  Further investigation revealed a lone petunia growing in the middle of my beet row.  What a mystery!  How did it get there?  Was it a "gift from a bird" or a tiny seed which got in the wrong package?  There is no way of knowing, but it sure was an unexpected blessing!

Seeing it shining forth in its beauty made me wonder how long it had cried out for my attention before finally catching my eye.  And so it is with so many of our blessings in life.  They abound around us, but we fail to notice them.  This brings to mind a song I recently shared at a prayer breakfast at the Independent Community Banker's Convention in Bismarck, ND last month.  It is a song written by Laura Story during a time her husband was dealing with a brain tumor.  Hopefully you will take the time to listen and ponder what blessings are lurking unnoticed in your life!

http://www.musicvideolife.com/laura-story-blessings-official-video_b70a788a1.html