Mary's Heartbeats

  Walking in the morning desert heat, the wind is warm and subtle.  I have adopted my friend's naming of the wind as the "heavenly breeze."  We often use this phrase when we have panted and sweated during our hike up the mountain and then are refreshed as we are greeted with cool brisk air as we descend.  But this morning, it's only warm breath that I feel as I walk along the winding path . . . It's been a good road trip for us as we traveled to Arizona to be with family.  I am really not a fan to go to desert lands in the middle of July, but even with the heat, I realized the beauty of  this area.  The horizons were endless before us, with wide skies in which clouds always took up space in just the right places.  Hovering over mountain tops, the clouds brought dimension and humidity.  The night skies lit up with jagged lightening spikes and roared with thunder.  Rain came in a few large splats and poured in other distinct and very limit...

  There's a pattern over and over again in the history books of the Old Testament.  It goes something like this, the king did evil in the sight of the Lord, in which he made the people sin, and provoked God to anger with their idols, (I Kings 16: 13).  God is not human, and we are limited in our language to truly describe an Infinite Invisible Being.  We use our human terms to describe outcomes or actions that are visible to us.  The people viewed their King as their protector and advocate.  If it went well with the King, it was well for them, even if the King veered from the teachings of their heritage, i.e. the Law of Moses.  It seemed as if there was no real discernment on their part, but rather a complicity of going along with majority thought or rule.  I could be wrong, but the phrase that the King made the people sin, makes me wonder.  After all, isn't there personal choice with our decisions?  Are we any different today, on this ...

  I start out my walk this morning with Gypsy Rose, deep in my thoughts.  I am wondering about ancient days, times that in some ways seem so surreal, especially as I look around at our paved roads, sidewalks, and grassy lawns with magnolia and myrtle trees in bloom.  I admit it is hard to imagine the time of 913 BC to about 873 BC, as I hear cars whizzing up and down the main streets.  My question stuck in my mind, is how did King Asa know how to follow God? I reflect on my past reading of 1st and 2nd Samuel, along with almost the whole book of 1st Kings.  It hasn't gone well for the tiny nation of Israel, even from the beginning with their first King, Saul.  Yes, King  David did bring a willing heart to execute justice and to follow after God with his whole heart, but he brought a lot of baggage and drama into the mix too.  His son, King Solomon ushered in the golden age for Israel when they had unbelievable prosperity and peace.  But his re...

Starting out up towards Bear Flats, we were met with 4 very curious and friendly dogs.  A husky was the largest in the group, along with 3 other hound like dogs, one even like a Rottweiler mixed puppy.  I was immediately reminded of my Goldyn.  One dog seemed to be the oldest of the bunch, with a peppered gray and black coat.  Just one had a name tag, the others with collars but no tags.  I thought that they would greet us and then leave us as we left the paved road and began our descent up the mountain.  But no, they seemed as eager and determined as us to go on a hike.  My hiking buddy and I mused about them, she at first reluctant to let them follow us, but we both figured that sooner or later they would tire, and would go on home.  But not . . . Seven and a half miles later, those dogs had become our best friends!  They never left us, and in fact paved the way up the trail.  The husky definitely took the leadership role, and always w...

                                                                        Why?  Why do I have episodic waves of depression and sadness pour over me? Why do I sometimes actually feel my age and really look my age? Why do I think about the thought of my husband dying way too soon? Or of me, dying with so many things undone? Why? It's really morbid to have such moods and feelings, I want to say it is not truly me. I shut my eyes and hug my Gypsy Rose comfortably close. Why, do I find myself at times in such a funk? Perhaps, it is such another part of being complicated me. I want to be this joyful, peaceful person. I start out my days with that inte...

  Eight and one half months later, we are finally able to move back into our home.  Never did I imagine back then that the water that was seeping up through the ceramic tile in our kitchen spelled such disaster and repair. It turned out to be a leaky sink drain that over time caused such damage.  The front rooms along with the kitchen have all been gutted, dried out and repaired.  New cabinets and counter tops, along with a kitchen island have been installed.  I am finally rid of the dark wood paneling that seemed to enclose our family room way too much.  Yesterday I spent time lining my cabinets, and being ever grateful for improved cabinet space.  It's been quite a journey, living out of our guest room and bathroom for several months, before we could at least use the kitchen sink.  You always hear of these "remodeling" projects taking forever, but of course, you don't expect that to happen to you.  But it is what it is . . . If I would have...

  It has been breathtaking to hike the foothills and mountains this Spring.  The trails are lined with such a variety of flowers and growth. I am amazed that even with the small amount of rain we got this year, the plants have burst forth in the most brilliant color and array.  They seem to grow so effortlessly, as they are visible among rocks and crevices.  I try to provide the best conditions for flowers in my garden, and they don't seem to thrive as well as the ones in the harsher conditions.  I wonder why that is? The colors are always what draws me to the plants.  It seems as if the yellow blossoms are the first to bloom, and then comes the pinks, the blues, the oranges, and then my favorite ones, the purples.   Some also have a subtle sweet fragrance that overwhelms you as you walk through paths that are lined with them.  I always have felt that aroma from flowers is an extra gift from God.  Not only are you amazed by the beauty of the ...