A Step of Faith...

Did you know that before Memorial Day was a day of remembering, there was another day, a way of honoring our fallen called Decoration Day?

The origins of our Memorial Day tradition only make the honoring more poignant...

Decoration Day began in the years following the Civil War which ended in the spring of 1865.  The death toll was unimaginable... claiming more lives than any conflict in United States history.  Families were torn apart.  The divide between the North and South a wound that ran deep.

As the war came to a close, Congress established the national cemetery system to lay our fallen soldiers to rest, both Union and Confederate.

In the years following the Civil War, people began holding rituals in the spring to lay flowers and pray over the graves in tribute to the many, many fallen soldiers.  Thus, Decoration Day became a way to remember the service of the brave and loved.

In 1868, General John A. Logan set aside the 30th of May "for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land."

Can you imagine the pain and visceral grief those families experienced as they laid flowers at the graves of husbands, sons, friends... and enemies... for the Union and Confederate soldiers often lay side by side in the cemeteries as nearby fields still bore the scars of the too recent battles, soaked in the blood that nearly tore our country in two.

It was a monumental step of faith to ask the people to decorate all the graves.  For the loved and for the enemy.

Some were brothers... Some were strangers.

But for the sake of unity.  For the enduring of a nation... the memorials were laid for all who fought.

It humbles me to think of the strength it took for those families to lay aside their deep hurt and choose to honor all the fallen.

Those steps of faith walk us through history.  Decoration Day became Memorial Day soon after World War I when as a nation we honored all our fallen, both those here and those on foreign soil.

And that faith can be a model to each of us.  When we choose to set aside our differences, our pain, our heartbreak and walk out love right where we are.  And not just this Memorial Day... it is a way of living life well and gifting Grace far and wide.

"We ought always to thank God for you,

brothers and sisters, and rightly so,

because your faith is growing more and more,

and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.

Therefore, among God's churches we boast about

your perseverance and faith

in all the persecutions and trials

you are enduring."

                           II Thess 1:3.4

Faith in who we are and whose we are... this Memorial Day I am reminded that the most holy of Love comes from a God who did not neglect to share it with us through the gift and sacrifice of Christ.

For surely, in Christ that love overflowed and covered this unworthy heart with an unmerited tenderness.  And it is in Christ that faith finds a foothold and the strength to persevere during the storms and sufferings of this life...

... giving us the strength to decorate the grave of our enemy and move forward in faith as forgiveness frees our wounded souls.

Graced to Remember this day,
In Love, Always,
Jane

Taking the Leap

We were just babies...

40 years ago we took a leap into the grandest of adventures!  And we were just babies... look at the stars in our eyes!

{love}

Life has a way of smoothing the edges... and God has a way of gifting grace. There's a richness in the years we've walked together.  

So, today is filled with memories and dreams and hopes of the adventures to come. Blessed to share each day with the one I love.

Happiest of Days...  So glad we took the leap now 40 years ago!

Happy Anniversary Love!

The Way of the Bee...

We love our honey bees!

And the sweet gift from each hive!

That delicious elixir is the result of very focused, very hard work.  Here's a little Bee Trivia for you... Throughout their entire lifespan of 6-8 weeks, a single worker bee will only produce about 1/12th teaspoon of honey.  And they work night and day for those precious drops of golden sweetness!

Every hive has an amazing hierarchy, starting with the Queen Bee.  She runs the roost, and in an average hive, she will have between 20,000 and 80,000 worker bees at her command.

Some guard the entrance of the hive, some attend to the queen's needs, others clean the honeycomb cells for the queen to deposit new eggs, still others become the nurse bee workers to raise the larvae, feeding them the honey and pollen stored up in the hive and some even work as the hive pallbearers, removing dead bees from the hive when necessary.

But the vast majority of the worker bees are foragers.  They are the breadwinners of each hive.  They are bringing home the bacon (uhhh, nectar) for their queen.

The foragers will fly up to 3-5 miles from the hive searching for nectar and pollen.  Once they find it, they load up all they can carry and take it back to the hive and drop it off.  Then the worker bee turns around, flies out of the hive and begins the hunt all over again...

It has been estimated that it takes over 500 bees gathering nectar and pollen from upwards of 2 million flowers to make one pound of honey... Crazy!!

The foragers will fly hundreds of miles per day, every day, seeking nourishment for their hive, until their wings are torn and tattered.  Each worker bee will forage until they collapse from sheer exhaustion. It is a single-minded pursuit.

They are working to lay up food and provisions for the next generation.  Every mile the honey bee flies, every load they haul back, every precious bit of nectar they turn to honey is laid up for the ones that follow behind...

Pure Heart... Such Truth... So much to learn from these little bees!  Every thing that a worker bee does is for the future and hope of the hive.  

Each little honey bee has a God-gifted, God-directed need to complete their mission. And nothing can deter them... We call it the way of the Bee. 

And we might learn a thing or two from those sweet honey bees... here are some of the lessons we've been applying to our lives lately...

1.  Stay in your lane and do your one thing well.

2.  Commit to your work no matter how big or how small.

3.  Step up for the good of the team, knowing that Working Together sustains one another.

4.  Choose to leave a legacy of Hope for those who follow behind.

5.  Spread Kindness wherever you go and Blessings will blossom as a sweet reward.

6.  Never doubt the importance of your One Life.

In Grace Today,

My Love, Always,

Jane

This Mother's Day...

Falling somewhere into the in-between today...

Celebrating with joy a mother's day that finds my heart full, watching our family grow and flourish... a son and daughter who bring delight to this mama and the grand-babies that absolutely light up my days.

And in the middle of the joy, a quiet tug pulls me to the world of remembrance, an ache in the same full heart, a missing for Mom that draws my attention to the memories that fight for the joy on a day like today...

Her generous kindnesses. her contagious laugh, her mouth-watering pot roast dinners, those crazy-perfect girls-getaway trips, the warmth of her hug, her very presence in a room, that smile, her hand on mine... oh, my heart...

She is still so missed.  And I'm learning that days like today are okay.  We're somehow falling into the in-between.

A sweet celebration that's quieter now, a joy that is richer for the love we've known, a day of remembering the moms that are no longer with us, tears mingling with the smiles..

We're living this Mother's Day with a foot in the past and a heart tugging us into the future.

It is our new normal... our life in-between... the deep heritage of our past mixed with the legacy-living work of the now, pointing us surely into the overwhelming beauty of our tomorrows.

May you feel held close this day... no matter where you are in this journey.

Happy Mother's Day with Love,

Always,

Jane

The Tomb is Empty!

Walking Where Jesus Walked...

Nothing about this Easter season feels right.  No church gatherings, no family celebrations... with the world in an unprecedented lock-down, it seems that this Holy Week has been hi-jacked.

If you're feeling the same way, read on.  For there is Hope, even in the Darkness...

Earlier this year, our good friends, Stacy and Tina, had the privilege of joining the "Walking Where Jesus Walked" tour in Israel.  It was an amazing trip and they said it deepened their faith in so many ways... this morning Stacy shared the following with friends and I was given permission to share his thoughts and experience with you all.  In the midst of all the shut-downs, quarantines and Covid-19 worries, there is a truth here that we must not miss...

"I knew that based on my recent visit to Israel that this Easter was going to be a different experience.

Anytime you can add the physical memory to the hearing of a historical event it can always elevate your senses to a better understanding and provides more meaning.

We walked the path that Jesus took from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane. 

We walked to the places he went for those last few days all the way to the cross and the tomb.  Got to get a sense of the distance, elevation, sights, sounds and smells.

We were even reminded of the opposition He faced as we could hear the 'Muslim call to prayers' being broadcast across the city. 

But the one thing I did not expect this year was the feeling of isolation.  In our culture, the Holy Week was become a time of celebration with church, family and friends.  This year that social interaction is gone.

We are isolated to some degree.

I am reminded of the deep isolation He must have felt as one by one his followers faded to the shadows and many even denying they even knew Him.

As he took the brutal punishment handed out all the way to the cross as He continued to take on the weight of all of our sins and pay that debt He didn't owe with no one to come to He defense.

How isolated He must have felt.

I am also reminded of the isolation His followers must have felt, especially on this day in between His death and resurrection.  How isolated and hopeless they must have felt.

So this year, more than any other, I have a better understanding of this historical event and the Hope of His resurrection.  Sunday is coming and that historic new day.

We will someday soon be done with all of the social distancing and what a day of celebration that will be, but nothing like the celebration someday soon we will have with our Lord and Savior."

Truth!

So beautifully said... Thank you Stacy for sharing your experiences, your heart this Holy Week.

There is a darkness laid low with the crucifixion and Christ's death alone on a cross.

Thanking God with bended knee for the Light and Hope that defies every tomb, every grave, every darkness... for Christ's redeeming work will not be buried.

This story, the story of Christ's eternal gift, it is ageless and personal and full of such love and mercy and grace.  This is Easter.  This Holy Celebration, our Holy Week, will not be lost to the darkness.

(Spoiler Alert:  The Tomb is Empty!)

May we all be reminded that God's best work is done through Darkness... Sunday's Coming.

My Love, Always,
Jane

This Girl!

She graced our world 10 years ago today...

And life has been so much sweeter ever since!

Happy Birthday Autumn!

You are the best Big Sister, the most amazing Daughter,

and the miraculous one who first made us Grandparents...

You split our hearts wide open with Blessings and Love!

May your day be filled with all the magic and fun that can be had when the world is shut down for coronavirus pandemics and such...

And don't you worry, sweet 10-year-old, there is coming a day

when we will celebrate you with Hugs and Cake

and lots and lots of Love!

You make our hearts smile!

Love you Big,

Memaw & Pepaw