gardens
you would love this little lady.
ninety-seven years old!
when i met her, she was "out back" lifting
heavy rock, trying to landscape one little
piece of her yard that she thought looked
imperfect.
i noticed her hands,
creased and worn, but perfectly
steady. she never used glasses to read
ANYTHING. her hearing was perfect.
well-dressed and groomed, she lived alone,
and did all her own housecleaning.
at ninety-seven, she is still painting large canvases
with bright, vivid colors
and selling them.
she makes beautiful rugs,
designed by herself, a marvelous garden flourishes
in the back yard. a couple of years ago, only because
of her age, they took her driver's license away.
"eloise...
you've been a performer--pianist and singer,
you're an established artist. . . and have traveled
abroad.
out of all your experiences in life, what has given
you the greatest satisfaction?"
"my garden..."
colors and perfumed petals and little buds sprouting
and fresh tomatoes and small, red beets and
spring onions...
"what do you dislike?"
"DISLIKE?" her face in a deep frown and her voice snapping.
"well, you know . . . washing dishes or ironing or
scrubbing or cleaning up your yard..."
"whatever there is to be done, I LIKE IT!"
her two favorite things are wood and manure.
"things grow so well in manure...and just about
anything wonderful can be created with wood..."
what an extraordinary human being.
she believes she was born to be creative with every day
in her life. . . . that God believes in hard work,
and a positive spirit, there should be much wonder
and joy over watching things grow,
in the out-of-doors.
faithfulness to create the MOST with all the talents
He has given brings responsibility and a sense of
He has given brings responsibility and a sense of
well-being...
even when it's down-home hard work.
often i've read the story in the new testament
about Jesus and the talents. suddenly, i think i
understand exactly what He meant. He will judge us
not by how good someone else is,
or by how spectacularly we measure out one day.
He will watch our lifelong endeavor to take
EVERY day and every hour and put whatever
our best is into it.
maybe no one around will pat us on the back,
or praise us, but HE KNOWS.
Plz tell Ann she remains in our thoughts and prayers. It breaks my heart that this is such a long and complicated journey for her. But He is faithful! That's my prayer for her....that she will experience that day by day!
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