Friday, April 23, 2010

Plant a Tree...Save the Earth!

Arbor Day always brings back memories of the spring afternoon when our son, Matt, then about 6, decided to save the earth...all by himself.

I was out in the yard when he came tripping off the bus and up the driveway, backpack bouncing, shoes untied, struggling with a huge bundle of 'sticks' that was nearly as big as he was.

He and his classmates had learned about the benefits of planting trees and each were given a 'stick' (seedling) to plant at home. For some reason, many of the kids left the doors of school and chucked their 'sticks' as they ran to the bus or to their bikes. Upon seeing this, Matt positioned himself and began piling the abandoned seedlings. More kids passed by and added their sticks to his pile.

When I asked about the bundle he was toting, Matt told me how he was going to make the air better for us to breathe...."Trees suck up all the bad stuff in the air...." (Translation: Trees absorb carbon dioxide.)

Without being told, he changed his clothes, found a good shovel and began his task. He was on a mission! I didn't pay much attention but this little project kept him occupied for a long time. He finally came to the house for supper, red-cheeked and dirty...and all smiles!

After supper he proudly took me by the hand to show off his little plot. He had planted all his seedlings in the woods near our house. Oops, one problem. He had put them only a few inches apart! (Matt's compact reforestation project)

We sat down on the steps, had a popsicle and a little visit about how planting trees was like planting corn......and how it was different. In the end, he allowed me to help him transplant some of his precious seedlings to other places around the yard.

Twenty-seven years later here are some of Matt's treasures...



If every American family planted just one tree, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere would be reduced by one billion pounds annually.


Plant a tree....save the earth!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

One Foundation.......Volume 2

I just have a 'thing' for churches! I like visiting them, exploring them and taking pictures of them. I hope to feature some of those we visit during our weekly wanderings.




United Methodist Church
This week, we didn't travel too far from home to enjoy fellowship and a good meal. Our wanderings took us to the United Methodist Church in Villard. Although the church is 127 years old, its members are enjoying their new building, dedicated last summer. It stands proudly across the street from a building that previously housed the congregation.

Clearly, new life has come to this congregation.

After the meal, I left the church's large gathering area and I took my little walk-about, ending up in the sanctuary. As I approached the front I could see an inlaid wooden cross fitting like a giant puzzle into the wood floor beneath the altar. It was beautiful! Turns out that a local craftsman was responsible for the amazing work of art. A member told me that the young man did most of the work by the light of a kerosene lantern as the sanctuary hadn't yet been wired with electricity. I could just picture this young man, on his knees, consentrating on the details of fitting, measuring and cutting the small individual pieces of teakwood in the intricut pattern until, at last, the final piece was tapped into its place.



I see him stepping back, looking at what he had done, and saying to himself, "It is finished."



Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Holy Humor


At our church last Sunday, we celebrated "Holy Humor Sunday." People wore funny hats, team jerseys and lots of different garb. I didn't participate in the dress-up part but enjoyed the day and took some pictures. But it wasn't until today that I saw first hand God's sense of humor. Let me tell you about it.

It's my birthday today! And I started the day like I start every day...with a shower. And, as usual, I had a talk with God in the shower. (No, he's not in the shower...he sits right outside the shower curtain on the toilet.)

Anyway, on THIS day, I told him what my dreams were for the next year..what I wanted to do...what I wanted to achieve...where I wanted to be in a year...you know, that kind of stuff. I remember mentioning that I'd like to lose the pounds that I've gathered over winter..."I'm going to need your help with that," I said.

The girls at the office gave me a nice little birthday party, complete with sugar free Cool Whip! Mmmmmm! I had the rest of the day off so I headed home. I turned into our mile-long driveway and my 'little plastic car with the paper roof' quit...it died! Not a murmur nor a groan. There was no convincing it back to life. . . believe me, I tried. I even slapped the dashboard...no ducks! Battery was good, full tank of gas...no logical explanation what so ever!

I pondered what to do. Please understand, I could live in my car for a week with no problems. I've got blankets, clothes, treats and lots more. But today when I looked in the back seat, the first thing I saw was my tennis shoes! And I laughed. Yup, God does have a weight loss plan for me. It involves walking...and probably other things too, like sugar free Cool Whip! Of course I thanked him for answering my prayer...and told him how funny he is!

Anyway, I strapped on my walking shoes to begin the long trip up the driveway. I had a hard time deciding what, if anything, to take with me. I ended up taking my purse....and the sugar free Cool Whip. (Just in case I felt a little faint at the half mile point!)

Yup, I believe it. God has a great sense of humor...and a plan!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

More Than Optimism...


"Who plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to see, believes in God..."