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He's Got You
On the day we paid our last respects to the most beautiful lady I've ever met, God sent a marvelous symbol of His love to flutter around the gathering of old friends and family, as if to say, "Don't look for her here, I've got her now." I think God sends us little assurances to remind us that He is in charge and we need to trust His guidance in everything.
In the book of James, scripture says that "the trying of your faith worketh patience". In the past year I have become less patience in looking for God's symbol of reassurance. A year ago in August, the butterflies gathered around my garden flowers and reassured my doubts and fears. There is a God, He has her, and He has me. I have not seen a butterfly since Mindy found one briefly on the azalea bush in the front yard last spring.
Everyday when I go to my Four Runner, I take a peek around to the side of the garage where my 7' tall butterfly bush is thriving. Covered in long drooping limbs adorned with delicate honey-scented blooms that have bloomed all summer. Every day I have been disappointed to see only the willowing bush swaying in the breeze with no critters clinging to the delicate blooms. I am not patient, but I am persistent to sneak a quick glance to the side of the garage.
Yesterday afternoon, in a great hurry to leave for an appointment, I looked to the side anyway and was amazed to see a couple of golden swallow-tail beauties fluttering around the bush. Took me a split-second to decide to run back into the house, go upstairs, remove the camera from the tripod and dash back down the stairs to try and capture these God-sent beauties. To heck with the appointment. I need not have rushed, the delicate nymphs posed for 10-15 minutes.
Again, in my life, I am reminded that there is a God, He has her, and He has me.
Love Lives On
Love lives on, no matter what,
If the seed is deeply sown,
And jointly nurtured through this life,
Never mind foul winds have blown,
Never mind the thousand things,
That try to rip and tear apart,
The joy that's shared by lovers true,
Two souls bound as one, in heart.
Life is short, there is no doubt,
But love will live forever,
No matter what the circumstance,
Love lives on, and fails us never.
For I have loved and lost, you see,
The one who met my every need,
Her spirit dwells within my heart,
For love lives on, no doubt, indeed.
After leaving Stoneville, I decided to explore the park, it was virtually enroute. Easily accessible off old highway 220, a paved road winded it's way through a dense forest to a cleared parking area nestled in next to a large pond surrounded by trees. Scattered around the pond were individual picnic tables in the trees, and there are shelters built to accommodate large groups. All of this is at the trailhead of a 3+ mile hiking trail that goes through the Mayo Mountain woods . Not that I am a big hiker, I once was, but the wanderlust has left my weary bones long ago.
This trail looked do-able for me, but I was not dressed for hiking, so I just wandered around the pond for about an hour. It was sunny, but not hot. A cooling breeze drifted across the small lake and rustled the leaves in the trees overhead. In the midst of this God-awful pandemic, it was an oasis in the center of the storm. Peace and tranquility prevailed. Just sitting at a picnic table in the shade eased my anxieties and brought a sweet peace over my soul.
Amy called from California as I was driving into the park and I had a very pleasant chat as I wandered through the trees and caught up with all that is happening with her boys. Life is truly short and we must learn to find joy everywhere we can find it. I found it in a park I didn't know existed, in a conversation with my sweet daughter on a call I was not expecting, and on a picnic table bench escaping from the realities of this life.
I'm taking my hiking boots next time, I read online that there is a waterfall on the northern trail of the park.
It Was a God Thing
Like a pair of cardinals who mate for life, like peanut butter and jelly, like two peas in the same pod, physically and spiritually united, we were inseparable by an invisible bond that will last for an eternity. She was the answer to my prayer and God eventually revealed it to her also. When we first met, I knew she was the one, but she wasn't looking for anyone and I was just an interesting new person to her,
God doesn't always reveal his direction to us at the same time, I had prayed through and cast myself at His mercy to help me find that soulmate whom I yearned for. She had stabilized her life and really saw no need to clutter it up with a serious relationship. She approached me cautiously and reservedly. We liked each other immediately, and since I had read the message from God that this was her, I had to wait for her to catch up.
I don't know if you have experienced a love that fused your very soul together with another, but we did. Over time we became clones of each other, we thought alike, we acted and responded alike, we even finished each other's sentences. We were not perfect but we worked hard to live in perfect harmony. I have never experienced such feelings of complete and utter joy as I did in her company. I have never felt the comfort and peace that she brought to me.
We had much in common, our beliefs, our family values, our expectations of life, our trust in one another and our God. If true love is built on a rock solid foundation then ours was built on the largest chunk of granite that you can imagine. Our love was simple and at the same time it was enormous. She was the best friend I ever had. Dear God, I love this woman still, though my heart has a prodigous vacuum that her life filled, I will love her forever till my dying day.
Several times each day I ask her what she asked me every day of our life together, "Have I told you today that I love you". My heart is broken beyond repair, her sweet memory will live as long as there is breath in me and, I will never love again as I loved her. I claim the great "Hope" that God promises to all Christians, eternal life in Heaven with all those belivers who have gone before us. I'll see you soon Sweetie.
Love Lives On
Love lives on, no matter what,
If the seed is deeply sown,
And jointly nurtured through this life,
Never mind foul winds have blown,
Never mind the thousand things,
That try to rip and tear apart,
The joy that's shared by lovers true,
Two souls bound as one, in heart.
Life is short, there is no doubt,
But love will live forever,
No matter what the circumstance,
Love lives on, and fails us never.
For I have loved and lost, you see,
The one who met my every need,
Her spirit dwells within my heart,
For love lives on, no doubt, indeed.
