Related to our family
Buying seeds…
Some of you have read my story about the “mill pond garden”. I was out of control, to say the least. My own home, a dog, a relationship and life. And it was spring. It was time to put in a garden. And I needed seeds. Well, part of the good news was that my family owned a store. And in that store was a large rack of seeds. Charles Hart Seeds. And so the garden began its first look at life. Continue reading The Seeds Carry Life
I meet a lot of people and a lot of them think God is mad at them. He is not.
When I was 15 it was time to get my license. Because I did not attend a public school, I was told that to drive a family car (And save money on my insurance, etc..) I would need driver’s ed. So, I had to make the decision to go to driver’s ed on Saturdays to complete it. And I did have the option of a standard.
My first driving lesson (Not in the classroom) I met Chuck Roberts. He showed up in a tan VW bug. On top was strapped a big yellow and brown sign with the name of the school. Interesting things happened over the next few weeks. I learned to drive in downtown New Haven Connecticut in rush hour! One time I was confronted with 3 “lefts” and I chose the wrong one. Chuck reached over and kept me out of the one way street! Continue reading God Isn’t Mad At You!
Memorial Day-My dad was a veteran of WWII. He did not die as many did, the very reason we celebrate Memorial Day, for those who gave their lives. My dad, like so many carried the guilt, the pain the hurt of fallen comrades. I never take the sacrifice lightly. This is the second of two articles this weekend on Memorial Day and one that appeared in numerous papers a few years ago.
On Monday I am going to post a full tribute to Memorial Day and what it represents. I will be posting a vision I had later on today, but honestly, I am just enjoying kicking back a little today.
I sometimes post older pieces. I amazed at the timelessness of some of them. I see how I had “no clue” about the actuality of what I was seeing and how I see it now as it unfolded. And there are somethings, like wine and cheese, that just get better with age. This is one of them. As I put together a teaching and book on gardens and Christ, I found this piece.
Today on this Memorial Day, I want you to have time with friends and family, but it is my hope that you will remember those who gave their lives.
I was talking to a new friend at work, from England and somehow God has connected us in this season. He has lived in the USA for 10 years. Yesterday, He asked me why we have Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Memorial Day is for those who have died serving our country. Veterans Day celebrates the living servicemen. (More about this at the bottom of this article.)
Continue reading The Memorial Day Weekend Thought
The process of disconnecting.
Over the last few months I have watched an trend. It is one of two that I have noticed. Both are “negative” trends capitulated by the enemy. The first one I want to address is the “disconnect”.
Disconnecting or the disconnect in its simplest form, means that something is no longer connected. It means to stop or end the supply of something. (We often talk about electricity being disconnected.) So in March I began to see people being disconnected. I thought, “Time to pray” and that is what I did. Continue reading From Disconnect To Reconnect – Community Is In The Air
As a child one of my enjoyments was working in a garden. My parents loved to garden and it rubbed off on me. At one point I was working for a handicapped man down the street who taught me how to raise vegetables, strawberries and the like. All summer long he sat in a chair at the edge of the garden and coached me. “Put more manure in the base of that hole!” he would shout across the garden. And during that summer I watched magnificent produce come from that garden. Squash and beans and lettuce and spinach. I was amazed as I recalled the seeds that came out of jars from the past year’s harvest. And the strawberries! I would pick quart upon quart and 25¢ a basket just saying “grow!” so that I would receive more money and more work. It didn’t matter how hot it was. It was just an incredible existence. Each day I would head to his little farm, to feed the chickens, pick up eggs and go pick the first strawberries of the day. Later in the summer I would pick vegetables for hours so that he would sell them. Each fall we would collect the leftovers and he and his wife would gather the seeds for the next year’s plantings. Continue reading Just A Garden Variety Kind Of Person
Houston-We have liftoff
“If you guys can go to the other side of Houston, I can have you on your way home”, the dispatcher said. Home…we had not been to Vermont for nearly 6 weeks. As we left the truck stop, with the idea of a load going home, everything seemed to be going right. I climbed into the passenger seat and began to rest.
Continue reading The Portals Are You – Today Is the Day
This morning I was awakened by the very loud sound of rain. Roaring was how it sounded at 4AM. One of the things I like to do is “investigate” the sound. Not just know where it comes from or where it is, but what is on the “inside”. (If I am going to be awake, I am going to be alert!) As I listened for hidden patterns and nuances what I realized was the sound was getting louder because there was almost no differentiation in tempo or tone. It was fast becoming “white noise”. Continue reading The Rain Is Here!
Today was a day where a new grandson was added to my life. Marcell J. Petit. My daughter Amy gave birth at 7 this morning. All are well.
Funny, my daughter Amy asked me to prophesy over him. As I prayed for him, I felt “not yet”. Something is being added…
His name means “hammer”. I was drawn to this scripture. “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?”
Continue reading Marcell Has Arrived
Today was my dad’s birthday. He would have been 88. 88… What a number! May 15th, 1926.
And on this day of celebration, my oldest daughter is in labor expecting her first child. How ironic. We shall see…
My dad will always be one of my heroes. He wasn’t the best, but he was always mine. I know some might not agree with him and his techniques. (I am still looking for my head…) He was a drunk. But he always loved me. He may never have known how to show it. I am not sure how I would be growing up without a father, finding out in your 40’s someone else was your mother, being in the military and receiving 2 Purple Hearts. Losing foxhole buddies at 17 years old. Just not sure…
So today is your birthday dad and I think you would be proud of me, of your children and your grandchildren. Today is bittersweet for me as I see Amy getting ready to deliver her first child. How much you cared about her and did everything to be her grandfather. (Between Amy and Mandy he was pretty much in love with the grandkids.) He put in a pool and such just so everyone would have a “place”.
I miss my dad. I certainly remember the day of his death. But mostly I remember his life. As you read though my stories, you can see how he taught me baseball, football, basketball and even soccer. He taught me horseshoes and Jarts. He taught me how to build and to fish. To repair motors and bikes. To see the world differently.
Dad-today is your day. Even now tears run down my face as I think about you. I miss you. I think you would be proud of your family.
