Catching Up

 The past few months have been filled with travels to new places, projects around the house, time with family, and everyday routines...in short, life happened! Unfortunately, we haven't been taking time to blog about these things, but recently we've been inspired by the blogs of  some good friends and we're ready to dive back in!

Perhaps we should start by giving a quick recap of what we have been up to lately...

August saw us in Chincoteague, Virginia - our home away from home for the past 20 some years. Beach strolls, bird walks, wonderful food and sweet family time...the perfect retreat! September was our transition month from summer to fall. The first part of the month we headed south for one last trip to the coast - North Myrtle Beach. There were no crowds since schools were in session, less humidity than the high summertime, and the water was still very warm. One of the birding highlights was our very first sighting of a male Painted Bunting.

Painted Bunting, photo courtesy of Bill Hubick

Later in the month as the weather started to turn cooler, we felt the pull to get out and enjoy the changing seasons. We did some early Christmas shopping at the Makers' Market in southern Calvert County where various artisans set up booths filled with handmade jewelry, soaps, and woodcarvings in the middle of the beautiful Annmarie Sculpture Gardens. Then we detoured on the way home to explore Flag Ponds Nature Park in Lusby. This beautiful place of varied habitats is situated right on the Chesapeake Bay near the famous Calvert Cliffs. We found an excellent diversity of birds with everything from soaring bald eagles and osprey to the adorable least flycatchers and chickadees. Definitely a place to return to in any season.

More recently, we tried something new for our family - apple-picking. Oh, to get away from the city and drive through rolling hills and see horses in the pastures! The endless rows of apple trees heavy with fruit was a sight to see. We filled our bag with treasures and have been enjoying pies, tarts, sauces and turnovers for a couple of weeks now.

Staymen apple tree

One of the reasons I look forward to autumn, and October in particular, is probably because it is a celebration month for our family. My parents' anniversary, my mom's birthday and my own are all withing a few days of each other. This year we celebrated the birthdays in a different way. My mom and I treated one another to an afternoon tea at Reynold's Tavern in downtown Annapolis. I had experienced this myself for the first time recently thanks to a very generous friend and co-worker, and I knew immediately that this would be a perfect gift. The experience of drinking tea from exquisite teacups paired with melt-in-your-mouth pastries and sandwiches, all while seated in a beautifully restored 18th-century tavern was the perfect way to spend time together. But it was more than just a meal, it was taking a moment to celebrate a relationship. Our mother-daughter relationship has been blessed by God more than I could ever have dreamed, and I look forward to many more special "moments" we can celebrate together.

Teatime at Reynolds Tavern, Annapolis

Well, I think I have run out of both words and time for this post so I will say farewell until next time. One neat thing I should mention, however, is that even though it is late October and after 9 o'clock at night, as I sit typing this the windows are open to a lovely 70 degrees and the serenade of owls!

Stephanie

Worshipful Wednesday: Lessons from the Garden, Part 2

Roots
We must be rooted in Jesus Christ. We may appear small or weak on the outside when our lives in Christ are new, but the roots should run long and deep so that no one, no power or influence could pull us up.

We must also be rooted in God's word. If our roots are not in a soil with an abundance of water and food, we, the plants, will grow weak and sickly. We may wilt down and even die. However, if we are daily watered and fed in the soil of God's word, we can reach up toward the Son growing stronger in faith. We can also reach outward, producing branches with fruit that can provide shelter and sustenance for others.

We must be diligent to uproot any evil thing that may take hold in the soil of our hearts. If the soil is dry and hard, it is difficult if not impossible to pull out the evil by the root. We may pluck it off at the soil line so that outwardly it is not visible, but the roots remain, growing stronger, stealing nutrients from the roots of goodness, righteousness, faith and love. Nevertheless, if we soften the soil with the water of God's Word, we can reach deep down to pull out the evil with all its roots, giving space for the things of God to grow and fill in.

Remember, we have a Master Gardener who wants to water and nourish the soil of our hearts. He also will help us remove the evil roots and strengthen the roots of righteousness.

Colossians 2:6-7
Matthew 13:3-52

Stephanie

Meditation Monday

Marsh Wren, courtesy Bill Hubick

"All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!..."


"Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him!..."

























-Song excerpts from hymn "All Creatures of Our God and King" Francis of Assisi, c.1225

-Thanks to Bill Hubick for letting us use his beautiful bird photo for this post. For more, see his website: http://www.billhubick.com

Meditation Monday

I've been singing this little ditty to my granddaughter these last couple of days as we've been walking together along mountain trails. It's a song I learned as a small child, taught to my children and am now blessed to share with my grandchildren. The tune may be one that appeals to little ones more so than adults, but the words are meaningful and capture great truths.

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty
There's nothing my God cannot do...

The mountains are His...

The rivers are His...

                        The skies are His handiwork too...

My God is so big, so strong and so mighty

                   There's nothing my God cannot do.

Worshipful Wednesday

                               

He leads me beside still waters . . .  He restores my soul.

                                                                                             Psalm 23:2,3