People

This morning the computer was in a bad mood, and as Chuck was coaxing it back to usefulness, I picked up a small book by Dr. Joseph Stowell titled The Final Question of Jesus. Jesus' final question was to Peter, "Do you love me?" The context was Peter's decision to quit the people business and go back to his old fishing business. When Peter answered, "Yes, of course," Jesus called him again to people ministry: "Tend my lambs." Dr. Stowell says our love for Jesus will be measured by how we care for people. That was a good reminder for me this morning.

While Jeremy was in the city, with internet access, he sent a "rhythmic sequence" (he refuses to be a poet) he'd written for me. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know that while he was living with us he and I often sang worship songs in the evenings, accompanied by his guitar and my piano. It's a sweet memory for me, and apparently also for him. He gave me permission to share his words here, though he said it needs more work.

Singing songs with Grandma

A memory engrained
When all else fades
It will remain
Our voices joined together
Rusty and out of tune
As she sang me to sleep
Tucked away in my room
Whether we sang "As the Deer,"
Under my fortress of sheets
Or "Blessed Be Your Name,"
Even when the cancer depletes
And our Father was looking down
On the praise from His children
Knowing that one day soon
We would be together with Him
These times won't be lost
These songs will never fade
They can only grow sweeter
When I hear the songs played
Now I can see it clearly
That when our voices uncurled
We were scratching the surface
Of a whole new world
I can't help but praise God
For where our voices once tangled
Soon they will be joined
By a host of heaven's angels
And as eternity unfolds
Grandma's voice will join my own
Accompanied by the angels
As we sing before His throne

Chuck's cousin and his family (from Michigan) are here with us for the weekend. God has rolled out some of North Carolina's sweetest weather for them. And I rolled out a pie made of North Carolina mountain apples. Wish you were here.

Reminder for all of us for today: Tend the "lambs" Jesus has put in our lives.

Oh, yes, I'm still feeling well, thanks to God. The sore on my toe is no worse. It seems the neuropathy in general is flaring up a little, but both feet still work.

Love,
Carol