Tell Me A Story

The neighborhood kids were playing at my house all day, you could hear spurts of laughter as they chased their imagination across my yard. The sun played in the trees casting a perfect environment for carefree outdoor play.

Watermelon, apples and cheese accompanied their picnic in my playground, giving them the extra energy to act out their game. Younger kids and older kids played off each others energy, giving and taking in perfect harmony.

Observing their interactions, remembering times past when space and time had no meaning, when thoughts were barely out of the gate and another soul playmate picked up on the vibe and interacted in sync.

The art of play; living in a moment of innocence, child like curiosity, the art of being in the present and enjoying every minute.

Live in the moment as you listen to this light, airy depiction of a story about a frog told by a girl.  Let's see the world how children see it.

Raconte Moi: Tell Me a Story
Performed By: Stacey Kent
Lyric Translation

Children are giggling and laughing in my office as I write this post: PERFECT!

Hook, Line and Sinker

Photo by: Chandra Brown
 

I took this picture over the Summer while fishing on Town Lake with my daughter. It struck me as funny but also a little sad. I imagined the scene vividly; happy angler on the shore balancing his rod gently tilting it backwards getting ready to cast, then suddenly the pole tugs on his arm as the line gets stuck in the branch just out of eyesight above his head. Realizing his dilemma the smile on his face turns to concern. His arm starts to tire wrestling with the tangled mess. Finally, he succumbs to defeat, flips his hat on the ground in disgust and pulls his knife from his pocket to cut the line. He didn't even get his bait in the water. Not exactly a relaxing day fishing.

I sat on this picture and post for months. I took the photo knowing there was a post behind it but I wasn't ready to write it until last night when I was pillow talking with my daughter. We were discussing Luke 5:1-11. We read the account from her new Pre-teen Bible she specifically asked for so she could know Jesus better.

Jesus uses Simon's boat to teach a lesson from the shore, after He was done speaking he tells Simon to go out into the deep and cast his net. Simon is skeptical because they fished all night and caught nothing but is obedient. The boat overflows and he calls James and John over to help with the bountiful catch because the nets were splitting and the boat was sinking. Simon repents of his unbelief and Jesus uses this event to invite Simon to become His disciple. Simon, James and John were smart, it says, "they left everything and followed."

After we read the account, I asked Alex what did Jesus mean when He said, "..from now on you will fish for people."

Her answer was spot on, she said, "I can explain it in kid terms, Jesus is going to teach them the truth so they can go out and tell others."

I asked her, "What 'truth' would Jesus teach them?"

And this is where I get excited about her answer...she said, "Jesus is going to teach them about Himself."

A parent has never been so proud. I couldn't stop kissing her forehead. That is IT! Jesus wants us all to know the truth about who HE is, why HE came and then tell others. Sadly, this simple truth is lost in this day and age because people don't know who He is. They go fishing in their own way and end up a tangled mess, they are so encumbered with the world they can't even get the bait in the water. They are caught up in the world just like the branch catches the line in the picture.

I like to contemplate what kind of fisher woman I am? Am I caught hook, line and sinker into the world's philosophies or swallowed up in the truth of Jesus and able to share the bounty with others?

Tend Your Garden - Post #3

"Why try to explain miracles to your kids when you can just have them plant a garden."  ~Robert Brault

If you've read the previous tend your garden posts this video finally tells what we decided to plant and is presented by my daughter Alex. She was enthusiastic about this family  project so I decided to let her introduce this years crop. She helped pick the seeds from our favorite garden shop, The Natural Gardener, and she chose each one according to what our family eats the most of. I'm proud she was attentive to what we all like or maybe it was drilled into her by yours truly. I find myself unintentionally lecturing at almost every dinner how important raw vegetables are for your body so I'm glad some of my words are rubbing off in a good way. 

This style of gardening is a mixed experiment. I took the French compact style gardening and added a Texas flair. I just made the box slighlty bigger and rectangular than the standard French square style. I let my daughter plant what she wanted so she could see how big certain plants get, what they will need, how they grow and if they will grow. Peas will need a support, squash can become huge needing more space. This is definately a learn as you grow garden.  I want to see how she approaches the challenges and I have no doubt she'll come up with solutions and strategies to make it work. 

We already have squirrels trying to plant their own bounty and she came running inside to tell me we need to get a cover for the top of the garden bed. She has put in the effort and wants to see success in the first growth popping through the soil.

Now we must wait.... time, daily attention and care is where our patience resides....

  

Tend Your Garden- Post #1

"Peach Blossom" by Chandra Brown

It often happens to children - and sometimes to gardeners - that they are

given gifts of value of which they do not perceive until much later.

- Wayne Winterrowd

I'm looking out my daughter's bedroom window and can't take my eyes off the buds and flowers of the ornamental peach tree. The pink, delicate petals have a mesmerizing effect as your eyes rest on them gently swaying on the light Spring breeze. I see my daughter playing under the pink canopy, sun shining in her hair. She captures a flower in her hands as the breeze gently shakes it from its place on the branch and I watch as she studies its' detail.

I smile when I see her delight in the beauty she holds in her hands. She touches the silky petal and I wonder what she is thinking. Is she contemplating the cycle of nature? Does she see the picture of death and new life? Does she see God's laws at work as she studies the delicate features? 

Probably not yet, but she will. I see myself in the little girl holding the Peach blossom in the backyard. I too remember playing in my fathers garden observing the ways of nature. 

Now that I am grown, I smile at this mirror glimpse I am afforded because I have come to know the Creator behind the beauty and can see the seeds of truth being planted for harvest in her maturation.

The Lord using Nature to teach us:

Isaiah 41:17-20 ..."That they may see and recognize, and consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the Lord has done this, And the Holy one of Israel has created it." 

"Daisy" By Alex Brown

Job 12:7-10 "...In whose hand is the life of every living thing.."

Psalms 19:1-8 "..The Law of The Lord is perfect, restoring the soul."

"Viola" by Alex Brown