"Talking" Plants

Some people talk to their plants. I just look (listen) to mine and see what they have to say. Here's a recent lesson.

By the time a leaf gets yellow, there's not much that can be done. Problems have to be caught earlier. I need to be more attentive and notice when the color is just beginning to change. That's an indication that something isn't quite right with the plant - and I need to take action. 

What are the warning signs that something isn't quite right with us? At what point do we need to get a bit more sunlight (or Son Light) or nourishment or change of environment?

Unlike this leaf, there's always hope for us.

Thank God for that!

Life's Journey

A while ago I was going through pictures taken in the late 1960s. At the same time I was pasting pictures from adventures with graduating grandchildren into Dr. Seuss's book "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" 

I was drawn to the books' message about life's ups and downs and thought about the ups and downs I was clueless about when going through the experiences recorded in those pictures from the 1960s. 

Sometimes we do come down "with an unpleasant bump." 

Sometimes we do find ourselves in a slump.

And - "un-slumping" ourselves is not easily done

"Bang-ups and hang-ups" are part of our life's journey

Christ and His gospel will help us get out of life's slumps and deal with the "bang-ups." 

Christ will sustain us during the difficult times. 

Living His gospel will help us find the "bright places" mentioned in Dr. Seuss's book. 

Observations

The first week of August I walked through the Nordstrom store on my way to a class in the Apple Store. (Quickest way from parking lot to Apple). Winter coats are on display ALREADY!!! It's too early for that kind of stuff!

As I waited for the Apple Store to open, 

I noticed that every person I could see on both levels of the mall 

was interacting with a device 

instead of the person who was right there. 

Topic of my class - the iPhone!

Remember When?

Remember when watermelons had seeds 

and you could accumulate enough seeds for a seed spitting contest?

As I remember, we Holtons had a distinct advantage in these contests because most of us could roll our tongues thus creating a chute for seeds and their propulsion!

On the Lake

Farmers' markets abound in this area. We have one in downtown Kirkland, right on the lake, on Wednesdays. On Fridays there's a market at Juanita Beach Park in northern Kirkland.

This beautiful park is on Lake Washington. There's a large beach area and a U-shaped board/cement-walk that goes out into the lake and encloses a swimming area. 

I love the flowers at the market

vegetables & fruits too

There's always music at the Friday Market

If you look closely you can see Joe through the middle of the tent. 

He's staking out a table for us. 

We shared a pulled pork sandwich, cole slaw and cherry cobbler - delicious

Transitions - Camera

You can probably tell that we take a LOT of pictures. I come from a family of picture takers - going back to my father's parents. Dad processed his film in the darkroom we had in our basement. Several of us learned how to print pictures at home. Some of my siblings and I were photographers for the high school newspaper. 

Our family has had many kinds of cameras over the years. We've done big, bulky cameras; film point and shoot as well as film SLR. Then we moved to digital, always point and shoot. We've purchased medium to high end point and shoot cameras. It took me quite a while to mentally adjust to the fact that the camera on my iPhone 5s takes better pictures than our point and shoot camera (except for zoom and macro functions). This past family reunion I took all pictures on my phone. That's a major transition for us. Some people at the reunion had digital SLR cameras. I don't know if we'll make that leap or not. One of my criteria for a camera is that it fits in my pocket. 

Will convenience or quality win out? Or will we go with both? Time will tell. 

Adventures Await

Dictionary definitions for adventure use phrases such as "exciting or remarkable experience." Another is "an unusual and exciting experience or activity." Another definition mentions exploring unknown territory.

When we commit to following Christ, we know the desired outcome - to become more like Christ and Heavenly Father and to have eternal life with Them. What we don't know is what we will experience during our individual journeys. That's where the adventure comes into play.

“When it is He you are following, pressing forward is the ultimate adventure.” Neil Andersen 

As we follow Christ, the Spirit is going to lead us in directions that might seem unfamiliar and perhaps even uncomfortable because we're stretching and being nudged out of our comfort zones.

This brings to mind what CS Lewis had to say about what God is trying to do with us and our lives. 

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” -  C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

From a cottage to a palace. It's all about becoming and what we do during our journey to become more like Christ in this adventure called life. 

Our discipleship has taken us places we never would have guessed. We have met people and had experiences that have greatly blessed our lives. In the process our goal has been to become better people. We hope others can see and feel Christ reflected in our words and works. 

We are excited to see what is before us as our adventure continues.