A time to plant (annuals)

Last night I stuck four Beefmaster tomato plants in the back flower bed, among the (fading) tulips, malva sylvestris, hollyhocks, blackeyed Susans, phlox, salvia, and delphinium. This is my first year for malva sylvestris. So far, they've bloomed proliferously.

I also planted trailing blue lobelia, and salmon and white petunias, in two baskets hanging over the deck. Three large flowerpots got more salmon and white petunias. The long planter has the same, plus a sweet potato vine. The deck gets sun from the south, so keeping these plants sufficiently watered for the summer will be a challenge.

Bumpersticker

"The more you know, the less you need."
-sighted on car bumper at Memorial Day Indian Pow Wow.

Poem

Attention is love, what we must give
children, mothers, fathers, pets,
our friends, the news, the woes of others.
What we want to change we curse and then
pick up a tool. Bless whatever you can
with eyes and hands and tongue. If you
can't bless it, get ready to make it new.
--Marge Piercy (from The Art of Blessing the Day)

Cemetery in spring

"He'll raise you up
On eagle's wings
Bear you on the
Breath of dawn
Make you shine
Like the sun
And hold you in
The palm of His hand"

Given in memory of a young man who passed away in his early 20's, by his family. (click to enlarge)











Lexington Cemetery

Luther Burbank quote, University of Kentucky Arboretum

Spiritual discipline: celebration

The world is filled with reasons to be downcast. But deeper than sorrow thrums the unbroken pulse of God's joy, a joy that will yet have its eternal day. To set our hearts on this joy reminds us that we can choose how we respond to any particular moment. We can search for God in all circumstances, or not. We can seek the pulse of hope and celebration because it is God's reality. Heaven is celebrating. Right now the cherubim, seraphim, angels, archangels, prophets, apostles, martyrs, and all the company of saints overflow with joy in the presence of their Creator. Every small experience of Jesus with us is a taste of the joy that is to come. We are not alone--and that in itself is reason to celebrate. Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, IVP Books, 2005, p. 27.

Hope fulfilled

Late last summer, I posted about receiving Breck's bulb catalog. (Good coupon enclosed.) I ordered a dozen flame-colored tulips. About two weeks ago, they were in full bloom. I'm posting this bouquet for Vashti, who recently underwent surgery.

* * * * * * *
See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Matthew 6:28b-29.

High hopes

Hollyhock (Bright lights), hosta (Sum and Substance), malva sylvestris, and phlox

Simple pleasures

I was honored by a tag from Rebecca, of Rebecca Writes, for a meme listing ten simple pleasures in life. I like:

1. Getting my hands in the dirt.
2. Spending time in a greenhouse/nursery, at any time of year.
3. Tim Hortons' decaf coffee with cream.
4. Watching our son walk.
5. Reading essays about gardening.
6. Salt and vinegar potato chips, especially Mike Sells brand.
7. Toblerone chocolate bars.
8. The smell of hot pizza.
9. Hot dish water.
10. A smile or a hug from our son.

I enjoy the simple things on Rebecca's list, too. I've enjoyed reading these memes from others who've done them. It reminds me that we don't really need riches to buy happiness. I'll tag Martin, retired professor blogging at Sun and Shield and Violet at Promptings. Anyone else want to volunteer?

Joy comes in the morning

Weeping cherry
Psalm 30:5

Easter reprise

(sorry, I hadn't clicked through to find direct links didn't work)

What kind of love is this? (click through Steve Bell, to music, to Simple Songs samples, to lyrics and audio)
* * * * * * *
Ride on, King Jesus! (click through Steve Bell, to music, to Comfort My People samples, to lyrics and audio)

I know many churches sing this on Palm Sunday, but I felt the sentiment was suited to remembering Easter, and looking toward the future return of Christ.

Easter

Ride on, King Jesus. No man can hinder Thee.
Ride on, King Jesus, ride on. No man can hinder Thee.

I was but young when I begun. (No man can hinder Thee.)
Now my race is almost done. (No man can hinder Thee.)
Ride on, King Jesus, ride on. No man can hinder Thee.

King Jesus rides on a milk white horse. (No man can hinder Thee.)
The river Jordan he did cross. (No man can hinder Thee.)
Ride on, King Jesus, ride on. No man can hinder Thee.
* * * * *
For He is King of Kings, He is Lord of Lords.
Jesus Christ, the First and Last, no man works like Him.
He is King of Kings, He is Lord of Lords.
Jesus Christ, the First and Last, no man works like Him.

Ride on, King Jesus. No man can hinder Thee.
Ride on, King Jesus, ride on. No man can hinder Thee.
--Traditional
Leontyne Price
Jessye Norman
Kathleen Battle & Christopher Parkening
Robert Shaw Festival Singers
Robert Shaw Festival Singers, with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Barbara Conrad
Steve Bell (audio), (copyrighted lyrics)

Good Friday

1. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

2. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? . . .

3. Were you there when they pierced him in the side? . . .

4. Were you there when the sun refused to shine? . . .

5. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? . . .

* * * * * *
(Added) Further reading: "Yes, I was there, and so were you," says Pastor Glen VanderKloot, quoted by Mark Daniels at Better Living.
Seven last words of Christ: Reflections for Holy Week, by Mark D. Roberts (HT: Mark Daniels).

Palm Sunday: looking toward home

Refrain
Steal away, steal away, steal away to Jesus!
Steal away, steal away home,
I ain’t got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the thunder;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain’t got long to stay here.

Refrain

Green trees are bending,
Poor sinners stand a-trembling;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain’t got long to stay here.

Refrain

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the lightning;
The trumpet sounds within my soul,
I ain’t got long to stay here.

Yesterday we attended the memorial service for my aunt, who stole away a few weeks ago. She had a rich and full life. She had much to be thankful for, and so did we.

Fifth Sunday of Lent: history and hope of deliverance

Refrain:
Climbin’ up the mountain, children,
Didn’t come here for to stay,
And if I nevermore see you again,
Gonna meet you on the judgment day.

Moses went down into Egypt land;
He told old Pharoah
That the good Lord sittin' on His heavenly throne
Said, "Let my people go!"
He said, "Let my people go!"

Daniel went in the den of lions,
And he begin to pray,
And the angel of the Lawd locked the lion’s jaw
Oh, wasn’t that a mighty day!
Oh, wasn't that a mighty day!

Children in the fiery furnace,
And they begin to pray,
And the angel of the Lord put the fire out,
Oh, wasn’t that a mighty day!
Oh, wasn’t that a mighty day!
--Spiritual
(a few lines from the Dixie Jubilee singers, with a German accent, and then a Korean)

This song gives us a sense of our place in the timeline of history, in more ways than one. Many American Spirituals carry layered meanings, proclaiming that God's faithfulness to the Jews in the past continues toward His people in the present. He will bring deliverance---perhaps from slavery in this life, as well as from death in the afterlife.
* * * * * * *
We traveled south over the past few days, passing through country traversed by people escaping north on the Kentucky section of the Underground Railroad.
* * * * * * *
Several weeks ago, I heard a minister state from the pulpit that he admired Tony Blair for his apology to the Irish for Britain's indifference to their plight during the great potato famine of the mid-nineteenth century. (A million Irish people died, as a result.)

He said he wished the President of the United States would issue a similar apology to the African Americans of this country for the tribulations inflicted on them by the practice of slavery here. I wish that, too. This is the time.

Spring break

Time out.
Yesterday I saw the first daffodils whizz by, on a hillside, as we headed north to speech therapy. Our tulips are up a couple inches. The bird feeders are busier by the day.

Fourth Sunday of Lent: anticipation

(For my aunt)
Fair ye well, fair ye well
Fair ye well, fair ye well, fair ye well

Well, in that great gettin' up morning (Fair ye well, fair ye well) ,
In that great gettin' up morning (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
In that great gettin' up morning (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Well, in that great gettin' up morning (Fair ye well, fair ye well).

Let me tell you 'bout the coming of judgement
(Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Let me tell you 'bout the coming of judgement
(Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Let me tell you 'bout the coming of judgement
(Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Let me tell you 'bout the coming of judgement
(Fair ye well, fair ye well).

God goin' up and speak to Gabriel (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
God goin' up and speak to Gabriel (Fair ye well, fair ye well).

Pick up your silver trumpet (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Pick up you silver trumpet (Fair ye well, fair ye well).

Blow your trumpet, Gabriel (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Blow your trumpet Gabriel (Fair ye well, fair ye well).

Lord, how loud shall I blow it (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Lord, how loud shall I blow it (Fair ye well, fair ye well).

Oh, to wake the children sleeping (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Oh, to wake the children sleeping (Fair ye well, fair ye well).
Fare ye well, fair ye well, Fair ye well, fair ye well, fair ye well.
(rpt)

They be comin' from every nation (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
They be comin' for every nation (Fair ye well, fair ye well).

On their way to the great coronation (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
On their way to the great coronation (Fair ye well, fair ye well).

Dressed in a robe so white as snow (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Dressed in a robe so white as snow (Fair ye well, fair ye well).

Singin' oh, I been redeemed (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
Singin', oh, I been redeemed (Fair ye well, fair ye well).
In that great gettin up morning (Fair ye well, fair ye well),
(rpt several times)
---Traditional spiritual, Mahalia Jackson's lyrics.
Listen to Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman sing a few lines.

Third Sunday of Lent: crossing over

Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah,
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
My brothers and sisters are all aboard, hallelujah,
My brothers and sisters are all aboard, hallelujah.

Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah,
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
The river is deep and the river is wide, hallelujah,
Milk and honey on the other side, hallelujah.

Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah,
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
Jordan's river is chilly and cold, hallelujah,
Chills the body but not the soul, hallelujah.

Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah,
Michael row the boat ashore, hallelujah.
--Traditional

One of my aunts passed away this past Monday. On the internet, you can find she buried an infant daughter in Mahaddei, Somalia, in January of 1958. And that she lost a sister in 1987. And that a Somali "Muslim Mennonite Sufi" living and teaching in Montreal dedicated a poem to her.

She spent most of her life within a one-mile radius of the house where she was born and raised. Her family settled next door to my grandparents when they returned from Africa. The church was half a mile or so away. She made a home for her husband and six children. She looked in on, and cared for my grandmother, until she passed away. She served the church for many years as member and minister's wife. She had a ready smile, a steady faith, a strong will, a great deal of energy, and a huge garden. She fed many people. Like my grandmother, she was interested in people, especially relatives. She noticed and took pleasure in the simple, daily joys of life, the sign of a grateful heart. In her later years, she spent a great deal of time taking care of grandchildren.

I cannot sum up a person in a blog post. I wish I had been able to see her more often.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15.

Second Sunday of Lent: laying my weapons down

Down By the Riverside
Gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna lay down my sword and shield
Down by the riverside
Ain't gonna study war no more.
Refrain:
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
Study war no more.
I ain't gonna study war no more,
I ain't gonna study war no more,
Study war no more.

Gonna stick my sword in the golden sand;
Down By the riverside
Down by the riverside
Down by the riverside
Gonna stick my sword in the golden sand
Down by the riverside
Gonna study war no more.
Refrain

Gonna put on my long white robe. . . .
Gonna put on my starry crown. . . .
Gonna put on my golden shoes. . . .
Gonna talk with the Prince of Peace. . . .
Gonna shake hands around the world. . . .
--Traditional

Recorded by the modern-day Fisk University Jubilee Singers, who follow in the footsteps of the original Jubilee Singers, "the first internationally acclaimed group of African-American musicians."
Peter, Paul, and Mary adapted lyrics.
Pete Seeger sings it on If I Had a Hammer: Songs of Hope and Struggle.
* * * * * * *
I need this, after the past week. It's amazing how relevant these spirituals continue to be. Dee remembers her grandmother singing Jacob's ladder, and now I'm imagining her singing along on this one, too.

First Sunday of Lent: staying the course

We are climbing Jacob’s ladder,
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder,
We are climbing Jacob’s ladder,
Soldiers of the cross.

Every round goes higher, higher,
Every round goes higher, higher,
Every round goes higher, higher,
Soldiers of the cross.

Sinner, do you love my Jesus?
Sinner, do you love my Jesus?
Sinner, do you love my Jesus?
Soldiers of the cross.

If you love Him, why not serve Him?
If you love Him, why not serve Him?
If you love Him, why not serve Him?
Soldiers of the cross.

Rise, shine, give God the glory,
Rise, shine, give God the glory,
Rise, shine, give God the glory,
Soldiers of the cross.
--Af­ri­can-Amer­i­can spir­it­u­al
Pete Seeger's variation
Lewis Scharpf, Jr.'s variation
Bruce Springsteen adds his version of Seeger's, which has also been rendered by Arlo Guthrie.
* * * * * * *
(edited)This song has been running through my mind lately, partly as an affirmation that when some aspects of life begin to seem endlessly repetitive, they are not. Every rung is taking us higher.

Over twenty years ago, I spent two years in the Canadian bush country, living on the edge of a lake which was frozen solid from (roughly) November to April. Over one Christmas break, when the students were gone, the single staff trudged across the vast white expanse of the lake to reach a hill referred to by staff as "King's Lookout," after a former staff who liked to hike to it regularly (if I remember correctly).

When we were out in the middle of the lake, we did not seem to move for long periods of time, in relation to the shoreline. The dry snow was over a foot deep. The leader struck a straight course for the lookout. Those behind him stepped into the deep footprints he left behind, over and over, over and over. At times, the monotony of the repetition seemed as if it would slowly drive one crazy.

However, eventually, over time, landmarks on the shoreline could be seen to shift. And finally, our long strung out line reached the far shore, and progress became "normal" again. We passed a tree, a bush, a rock, dried grass, in rapid succession. We gained elevation; we attained the lookout, where we could see for miles, even view our long, snaking trail across the lake.

Then we began the descent, and the long journey back. We were tired; the destination was not (at first) as exciting,* but we had learned the continuous up-and-down motion of our knees would bear fruit. It was the price of the journey.

Maybe a little like picking cotton, washing the dishes, cleaning the bathroom, teaching a child to eat or toilet. We are headed home.

*But became ever more attractive as we neared it.