My Great-Grandmother

  In an older post, More About My Grandma, I published a picture of her with her husband, right after they were newly married. I talked about her friendship and her life with our family. Sometime between getting married and moving in with us, this photo was taken of Grandma with her mother, who we called G-G-ma. I don't have many memories of my great-grandmother, but I do have stories and pictures. I've even been told that I look like her. She was a tiny woman, I'm not, and I do remember that she had beautiful long hair that she wore in a braid wrapped around her head.

  I also know that she had chickens, And cows. Right in the neighborhood they lived in! Not too uncommon for the early part of the 20th century.  She sold eggs, and milk, and there was always fresh chicken to eat. She loved her animals, but knew that she had them to provide for her family.  My grandma told me that when her mom used a chicken for dinner, she would catch the bird, and thank it for its eggs and for providing a meal for her family. I can imagine that she thanked God for those things at the same time. I wish we approached our food with such reverence today. More people would have better eating habits.

  Although she was gone before I could really get to know her, the stories and photos have certainly impacted my life. She is proof that our influence travels far beyond what we realize. And that we "raise up" our children even from the past.

The Gears are Turnin'

Just a little piece about my grandson, whose mind never stops. He wakes up ready to rock and roll, and build and play and learn! Love it!

My Father's World

A little digital collage celebrating Spring and God's world and my sweet grandson. He's walking in a strawberry field.

100th Psalm

Second in a series of illustrated hymns. The lyrics here are Psalm 100 reworded to be in poetic metre rather than the order we read in the King James Bible. 

Which goes like this:

Psalm 100 (KJV)

1 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
   we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Foundation

I am going to attempt a series. I want to illustrate some of my favorite old hymns. Songs from my childhood that make me remember and help me have faith. Hope you enjoy this first attempt, illustrating "How Firm a Foundation" by George Keith and Anne Steele, from about the year 1787. I love that the songs we sing today give us such strong connections to the past and our Christian heritage.

Lilies of the Field

A painting of mine that hangs in a bedroom at Mom's.  Not signed or dated but probably I painted it in the early 90's. It's one of my favorites. 

Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

All the Starry Band