BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS

 KINDNESS . LOVE . PEACE

Where do we get kindness from? Where do we get love from? Where do we get peace from? We could say they originate in us, but the answer is incomplete. We could say they just are, but the answer is incomplete.

We could say they originate in God, then we'd have the true answer.

Love, kindness, peace speak their truth wherever they may be found. Those whose lives are full of love, kindness, and peace show remarkable facility for caring, giving, and gentleness. I love how these individuals demonstrate in their beings (without saying it) their walk with God.

My grandma walked with God. Her very essence exuded love, kindness, and peace. In the midst of distress, sorrow and suffering Grandma's inner light still continued to glow. She had worries, yes, but the Source of peacefulness lived within her, the light of life, the Lord Jesus.

Grandma trusted God, and He took care of her.

What made my grandma into the faithful servant she became? I assume it was because she chose to trust in God. She also had a dear neighbor friend. They prayed together and supported each other, especially when the burdens were heaviest.

Grandma prayed and talked to God as she gardened. She told me it was while she was gardening that she felt closest to God. Her spiritual garden grew at the same time. In it she cultivated kindness, love, and peace. Her garden grew as it was nurtured by her Father God and her own careful tending. Over the years she harvested crop after crop of kindness, love, and peace. All who knew her were blessed when they were in her presence.

Like Grandma, we all can grow in kindness, love, and peace and harvest a bumper crop of blessings.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

The days are so beautiful right now. They remind me of Southern California. When I was a child, we would visit my grandmother in Glendora. We spent our time skating on the sidewalk or playing in her lovely backyard. There was this vibrant peacefulness and a unique scent in the air. 

Glendora still has that mystique. Recently we were in Glendora for my Mum's graveside service. Afterwards, the reception was held at the church where my mother (as a child) and grandmother attended two blocks from my grandma's bungalow. 

We breathed the air and walked the circle from the church to her house and back, me with my two adult sons. We walked down the alley out back. The citrus trees and avocado tree, with the best avocados ever, in the backyard are thriving. How I miss our visits. I often dream of being back in that house for a visit.

My oldest two sons remembered their younger years and visits to Great Grandma's and the neighbors just down the street. Visits to Grandma's house were always a delight, for me and for them. 

Those are special memories that will not to be replicated. Wonderful. Today is like being back there, with the sounds of the city and the lazy, crisp beauty of another day. 

I feel soft inside with a tenderness that joy so richly imbues in the remarkable moments that give goodness to our days. Life is good. How precious is each moment.

The picture is from a visit to my Grandma Weigold's in Glendora around 1994. We're standing in front of her sweet little home on a Sunday morning, ready to walk to church. The boys are wearing shirts my mother made them. What a blessed memory.