Good Friends Good Times

Bryant and Claire are in our small group and last night we went to their house for dinner. I love going over to their small farm at the base of Signal Mountain. They have goats, chickens, a huge vegetable and flower garden and it all appeals to my country girl roots!

Bryant grilled pork chops, zucchini and onions - yum!! Claire is an amazing cook and makes most things from scratch using lots of stuff from their garden. Our meal was healthy and satisfying. We had salad from their garden and one of the toppings was homemade goat cheese - delicious!

Love this garden! Controlled chaos of flowers, vegetables, raspberries, strawberries....really makes me miss having a vegetable garden like we did in MI! There just isn't a place for one here on Rocky Top!

They currently have 3 kids and 2 nannies - sooooo cute!

Conversation flowed easily and time flew! It was so good to spend an extended period of time with them outside of small group. They're an amazing talented couple. Bryant teaches math at GPS and I hope he's still my friend when some day I confess they lost me at Algebra I :-) He also plays a variety of bluegrass instruments, does woodworking and welding. Claire tends the garden and the goats, does a lot of volunteer work, makes her own pottery. I love their house too which was built to look like an old farmhouse. It was a delightful time!

"Take off your shoes.....When a new person comes into your life like a mystery about to unfold and you find yourself marveling over the frailty and splendor of every human being." Macrina

Presenting......

The future site of the Clarissa Elizabeth Memorial Garden! It doesn't look like much right now but check back in a couple of years and it's going to be amazing! We took out a dying oak tree in the back yard recently and now have this mound of dirt and an empty space. I've decided to make a flower garden in my mom's memory. She loved loved loved gardening and I hope to find some of her favorite flowers to plant in this special space!

Filled with Fun Weekend!

We had a picnic at beautiful Chester Frost State Park with our small group on Friday night. Dale grilled chicken and Eddie grilled rib tips and everyone brought delicious sides! I made a new all-time favorite dessert called "Nutter Butter Banana Pudding Trifle" that I found in Southern Living. We played Corn Hole which was tons of fun! We really love our small group alot! Right as we were leaving Bre and Sarah arrived from Louisiana!

On Saturday night Dale & I went to Bill Hullander's (the founder of Hullco where Dale works) barn for dinner and a concert by The Blackwood Brothers Quartet. Great food and some good ol' Southern gospel! Couldn't help but think that my folks would have loved an evening like this!!

Bre came with one of her yl friends, Sarah, and we had a great weekend with them. Our time included hiking on Signal Mtn., a trip to McKays, ice cream at Clumpies, and Dollywood!

Dale is standing in front of the Blackwoods bus in the Southern Gospel Hall of Fame at Dollywood. FYI Dale Allen loves Dollywood very much!!

An extra bonus of our time at Dollywood is that Bre got to see Courtney who was one of her yl kids at Ooltewah High School when she lived in Chattanooga. Courtney is spending the summer at Dicipleship Focus and working at Dollywood.

Very fun, full weekend!! So thankful that Bre made the long road trip up here!!

Presence

How we love you
and hurt for you
And we prayed for you...

and there were still tears
and that empty space

but there was also

work to do
things to learn
old friends
a mountain hike
raspy puppy kisses

all sent
to remind you

you are not alone

God's ear to your heart
in a myriad of ways

Speak for the Creek

The "Speak for the Creek" lady extolling the virtues of Chickamagua Creek!
I love to scour the Weekend section for random events happening around Chattanooga and I can occasionally rope someone into attending them with me! There was a Beginners Hike sponsored by the Chattanooga Hiking Club listed for this afternoon at 2pm and Anne, Dale & myself joined in. It was more of an easy walk than a hike but we had fun. The Hiking Club people were passionate about their hobby and we unexpectedly had a Creek Club lady along on the hike and she was passionate about creeks.

Loved her t-shirt that said "Speak for the Creek":-) It was a sweaty but fun bit of exercise on a beautiful day.

there is a moment

every once in awhile
when all seems right
in my little
part of the
universe
when all the kids
are happy
and healthy
and content
i hold the
moment
with gratitude
because too soon
i get the call that
the effects of the
Fall have encroached again
and brought a heart sadness
big or small
to one of them
And I rail against
the pain and I long
for the End of the story
the reality
of
no more death no more mourning no more pain
For that moment when
the perfect Parent will lovingly wipe
every tear from their eyes

Reading the beginning again

Just finished "I Dreamed of Africa" by Kuki Gallman - really interesting!

The book was fairly good sized and by the time I finished it I needed to go back to the beginning and scan through the names and details to see where certain characters and events entered the scene to make sense of the ending.

And I think that's what I need to do once in awhile with my life. To see the why and where and what of my life today, every now and then I need to go back through the earlier chapters. The twists and turns, the joys and tragedies, the people who have come and gone have all contributed to who I am today on Monday, May 25, 2009.

I just wrote an aunt from my dad's side and and an uncle from my mom's side and asked them to give me an update on the surviving siblings of my folks. This "Decoration" Day weekend has brought memories of visits Up North when we would visit the various cemeteries where loved ones were buried - bringing flowers, a few tears, gentle laughter, and stories of how they had touched our lives. As a child I didn't appreciate these visits and couldn't wait till the picnic afterwards but now I see the value.

Now I appreciate how the past shapes the present. Now I see how Grace and Providence are woven into each conversation, meal, funeral, birth, holiday....