Drinking my first cup of coffee with my eyes still sleepy I googled blackberry.   “Grandma Camp” had been to Huber Farms to pick blackberries and I was expecting two happy campers within the hour ready to tackle jam, pie, and cobblers!  My computer screen responded with a thousand hits on different phones!  When did this fresh delicious fruit loose its name to a phone??   I’ve picked blackberries since I was old enough to walk and hold my own pail.  They stain your hands purple, but oh the cobblers during that season make your mouth water just thinking about them.  The ones we picked were in empty fields growing wild….a sweet delight hidden among overgrown grasses, weeds, and under the trees.  I believe God enjoyed watching us find the blackberries He had hidden there just as parents would watch their kids look for hidden eggs at Easter!  When I hear the word blackberry I will stay true and crave the taste of a fresh picked one before I think of a phone!

Planet Carol loves the experience of life.  I gave in to the cell phone and now am proudly an addict as I love sharing the moments of life as they happen with family or being readily available to encourage a friend.  At the same time I am working on sensitivity to the moment.  When everyone in the car is on the phone we miss developing relationships.  The elderly can’t get a word in and often feel left out.  Yesterday I got lost.  This is not a new thing and having a phone is helpful.  Even so I diffused the worry of my precious passengers by referring to the moment as our adventure ride!  We ended up taking pictures of cornfields.  My granddaughter was mesmerized by a field of wild flowers and saw a purple one she had never seen before.  I pulled over and her brother jumped out and picked her some.  We discovered a well.  Older homes with lots of character were described as doll houses and huge modern homes Barbie houses!  I was sad to have to get directions to the interstate before I ran out of gas knowing the adventure would end.  Technology has taken over and moving so fast I know that I will never keep up.  However I am a living being surrounded by gifts of creation.  I never want to wake up one day and find my best friend is a machine that has never tasted a blackberry!

Only in America do we have the hurry- hurry- hurry- rush and wait syndrome.  I used to promote such unhealthy behavior and must apologize to some for pushing too hard.  Digging deeper inside the core of Planet Carol has caused me to try slowing the pace so that I can live with quality memories rather than try to remember what I did!  Sometimes it works.

Recently however, I was up early gathering stuff for Mom, lunch for my grandchildren’s Grandma Camp outing, packages to be mailed, and a few other odds and ends on the errand list.  I was hurrying.  Upon finishing my task of loading everything into the car I checked for phone, keys, sunglasses, drink.  All ready I checked to make sure the door was locked, went quickly down the steps, got in the car and shut the door.  I was sitting in the passenger seat.

There are lots of reactions one might have finding themselves in such a ridiculous position.  I sat there and laughed at myself.  “I can’t believe I just did this!”  “Am I ok?”  “How healthy is my present level of rotation in this planet?”  “Is there anyone anywhere who has done this before me or am I one of a kind?”  Then another thought came.  I realized the anxiousness of not doing everything perfect was still trying to rule my thoughts.  All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  Our pastor has been preaching "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ".  I realized that in addition I am not ashamed I need the gospel of Christ.  I got out of the car to get into the passenger seat knowing one of the 4 angels assigned to my car stood at the driver’s door smiling as I said, “You go first Lord.”……

It is eleven thirty Sunday morning and these men are at church.   Literally!  Below them there is children’s ministry and a worship service going on, but there is also a service on the roof!  One that requires sacrifice, sweat, and hard work, but reaps the blessing of spending time together at God’s house!

Jesus said, “My father’s house is a house of prayer”.  He healed the sick on the Sabbath.  Man has the option of defining what their church looks like.  Church by definition is the building where we assemble.  However only God can define what is true worship- for it comes from the heart.   I love the simple verse in Ecclesiastes 2:26:  “To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness.”

This universe is changing. As I roam these days I am seeing the importance of looking for what God sees more than ever before.  Planet Carol will always be repairing and adjusting but it is not I but Jesus in me I want you to see…….

Summer rains are unique.  Thunder is louder, lightening is sharper, yet somehow they are more calming than rain any other time of year.  What I truly love the best is the earth’s response immediately after the summer rain.  Trees shake themselves like a puppy after a bath.  Plants stand taller and the colors are more brilliant. The grass seems longer like the rain brought instant growth!  I cannot help but think about the intricacy of God’s plan in caring for the earth.

I have a friend who makes beautiful baskets.  When she is done there is no doubt a feeling of both fulfillment and protection.  Where they are displayed will be a safe place.  A child cries when their beautiful creation is torn or ruined (or purposely knocked over by a sibling or friend).  My grandchildren were like hawks circling the strawberry jam they were making watching the clock and reminding me when it was time for the next step.  They wanted to separate their own jars in the freezerJ.  It is part of our nature to protect what is ours.

Perhaps if you have read this far you think I am rambling today.  Actually I have a thought.  Whatever I do today I pray that it feels loving to those who interact with me. I pray they feel the presence of a caring God around me.  I am His creation still in process so perfection will not describe me today.  Sincere love, patience, and empathy however are a few of the gifts of God to me that can appear to you….may it be so!

PS:  Next time it rains this summer go ahead- go outside and let it refresh you- after all we are part of the creation so it is meant for us too!!!

For a full 30 seconds the world stopped as the blend of the fresh picked strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream settled upon my daughter, husband, and my taste buds.  The fresh first fruit of the plants are not in any way comparable to “store fresh”!   We have all grown accustomed to running in and picking something “off the shelf” we no longer expect and in many cases don’t even remember the taste off a fruit or vegetable off the vine as God created it to be.  I am not a vegetarian or health nut in any way, but I do so appreciate anything fresh.  A friend and I were traveling once and stayed in the home of a lady who had just picked corn out of her garden.  My friend ate at least 10 ears she was in such fresh corn heaven!

It is interesting to me that God meant for all of life to be like that.  Moments of refreshing.   Not only did He provide it in food, but also for our minds and spirits.  The moment we understand something that has confused us there is refreshing.  Regularly I have moments just between the Lord and I where I understand what He is saying to me and feel His presence- refreshing!   Corporately as worship takes place during song, prayer or teaching we are refreshed as we experience God and share together.

Today I will look for the refreshments God has for me in the traffic pattern of my day…..

Fall break.  Christmas break.  100^th day of School.  Spring break.  Nothing measures up to the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Usually the excitement is related to the academic work no longer required.  However not seeing their friends for the summer for many is emotional, lonely, and for some  worrisome and traumatic.

Schools come in all personalities and sizes these days.  Prep Schools, Private Schools, Christian Schools, Public Schools with Uniforms, and Public Schools without uniforms- and of course Home School and more!  Regardless of how excellent, good, mediocre, bad or horrific the school may be young children bond and take ownership and pride that it is theirs!   Since Kindergarten my grandson has dressed up for every school special occasion whether it is a party-visitor-program-election day, etc...  No one ever tells him to and several times it was quite a moment when Mom didn’t have the right clothes ready!  Today was a dress shirt with jogging pants and then as no surprise to me when the teacher announced it was time to hand out the awards he pulled out a suit coat he had been sitting on to wear for that moment!  He has true appreciation for special occasions and that is how he shows it.

When my reader base grows to thousands there will be hundreds of comments about unhappy children in school.  I didn’t mention happiness in paragraph one because I am aware that is true.  However, the need to identify with having what all other children have overrides the need to be happy.  So a young child will be proud of their school and friends and defend them as they share whatever the situation may be.  All of us as adults are sharing life with a group in some capacity; work, church, neighborhood, apartment complex, sports, hobbies, etc….  In most of these situations it is sad that so many people are unhappy.  Even more disturbing is the fact that often we pull away from each other and often pretend to be “fine” when we are not.  The truth is that we know the reality of our situation, just like the kids do.  But accepting who we are, where we are, and finding contentment and owning it often comes with great difficulty.  I am not saying there are not issues to fight as adults to bring positive change to our environments.  I am saying that pride among other things keeps us from accepting what we cannot change and enjoying what good God has for us in it. Perhaps we can learn from the children………

There she goes- driving off to a new adventure.  We used to do it regularly on my birthday!  The first time with a one month old baby between us on the U-Haul truck seat!  Most of America has a memory with a moving truck involved.  Excitement inside the cab is offset by the tears waving goodbye.  But hold on- this is not the 70’s!  Email, face book, cell phones, text and twitter!  It’s like the movie “What about Bob”- they’re not really gone- they are still here!   The first text is sent 30 seconds down the road!

Having sent my children all over the world without modern communications is unfathomable to me now!  I am watching nieces, nephews, and friends and sharing in their lives as often as I can use these tools.  It is a joy.  Communication is the key to keeping our relationships strong and at least momentarily a sure cure for the lonely pioneer out there somewhere.

Sometimes we refuse to take advantage of these modern conveniences and choose to disconnect.  That was never the plan.  Jesus said “Lo I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”  Whether you believe in Him or not there has no doubt been a time you would have liked to talk to God about something.  Technology savvy- Not!  Determined to stay in touch-Yes!  No matter what I face today I will look for the resources to keep me focused, stable, and happy!  In spite of the turmoil’s of the world- we are blessed and I for one Thank God Daily For His Goodness to me………………………