God's Grace/Largess

      ~ Leaves cover our lawn. Piles and layers of thick, brown papery oak leaves. Walking out to the clothes line, my feet swish-swish the leaves furrowing a wake behind me. It's time to rake the piles onto tarps and pull them over to the compost heap of all the years we've been here. Looking at that heap I want a tractor loader to turn it and take up the treasure of mulch for the gardens. Heaps into mulch. It is another analogy of God's grace. Just a little work on the piles in our lives will work God's grace back into the soil of our hearts. God is good.
    ~ Love covers a multitude of sins. The sins of taking too seriously our own feelings and beliefs while not taking seriously enough the injunction to love our brothers. God's grace again allows us to wake up to our own need.
    ~ New babies. Babies are God's idea. What better way does He show us that life goes on? He gives us another chance to weigh our responsibilities and joys, by babies. Another chance to be soul caretakers when we have just come through the harrowing ordeal of distrusting each other too much. If there is anything we do not deserve, it is babies. That's Grace.
    ~ Routines of work and worship are only by God's grace. How much louder does He need to speak? Than a fire? or by Ebola? or by the peace and prosperity of our lives, for that matter!

 Susan and her daughters created and gave the most lovely baby shower party for Carolyn and Kathryn last week. Perfection of pink and cream and brown in every possible way: drinking mugs, napkins, cake, confections, and a banner. Lovely.
   

 Another piece of Goodness to us that evening that I noticed was that three of us ladies there each had two grandchildren present. That was really fun and warming for me to think about. Because I can see Him smiling about that, trying to show us: deaf and dumb and blind that we are, how MUCH He loves us.

 Here's a work picture for you. Rosie's handwork on the "window" at our Mounds View location.
    We're open at the mall on Miller Hill now, too. My work keeps this family content...I suppose because I am.