A Piece of Home
The changes are subtle at first until
you hardly realize the changes came at all. Hills iron out flatter
and flatter. The trees become shorter and shorter and more and more
sparse. The lakes and streams fewer and farther apart. The wild
flowers getting hardier and tougher. Our individual hearts melting
into one.
Our singular uniqueness, evident in
necessity for the need of the Body, and beautifully harmonious with
the task at hand. Mary described it so well. We are taking our
places. Falling in line. I can see how the body of Christ works in
this miniature working model. It is beautiful.
photo by Mary
Driving down so many highways, I
brought along my love for herbs. I got excited to see plants in much
the same way that Missy and Mary got animated to notice Mellow
Mushrooms popping up all over the south. Mary brought Lumbar. Missy
brought her sister's daily Word journal. Lesa brought her car, which, incidentally, the oldest L***** boy noticed right away as we passed by
his lemonade stand in front of his new neighborhood. He waved
enthusiastically with an ear to ear grin, sandy blond hair gleaming
in the sun. What a warm Virginia-Texas welcome!
RABBIT TRAIL: Mississippi and Louisiana seem to be
Elder heaven. I love Elder berries and flowers.
I use them so much in
herbal remedies and they are often hard to find in the fall and
winter months when they are called upon for their healing properties
for colds, flus and immune system strength. Herbal companies
frequently run out of them. I am looking for a private local source.
Note to self: grow elder bushes.
In Louisiana I saw bowl sized Marsh
Mallow flowers growing, a little here and a little there, splashing
the otherwise green landscape with pink and black.
But this was a short lived glimpse. No
one else in the car noticed them; we drove by the small patch quickly
and never came across any more.
In Texas, Jeruselum Artichoke flowers
tall and proud, like mini sunflowers, congregate across the sides of
the two lane highways, 90 West and Route 1960. I love, love, love
Jeruselum Artichoke tubers!
See http://www.theprepperproject.com
may 25, 2013 post
They are also known as Sunchoke. They
are nutty and flavorful and a good potato substitute for diabetics;
they do not spike blood sugar.
The fiesta like orange and yellow
daisy grows close to the ground along roadways here too. (see
http://livefree.typepad.com/living_free/2013/04/wildflower-days.html)
In Texas we discovered Cattle Egrets.
They look very much like the white egrets in Virginia waterways, only
these live in grassy areas.
We brought a piece of home with us to
deposit into the lives of our friends outside Houston. Bringing
familiarity, validation, love, acceptance, connectedness, prayer.
History. Fellowship. Car. Lumbar. Herbal love. Peace. Hair and nails.
I even heard from an old high school
friend who is also a Texan transplant, asking if I would be in
Houston area. We did not get together in person, but we spoke on the
phone. Connection. History. There is comfort in that somehow.
But our host family brought a piece of home for us to dwell in; their loving family, their warm hospitality, good home cooking, a comfortable, safe place to rest and enjoy family togetherness.
Tomorrow we travel to San Antonio to
pour into a new church plant we have connection with, we have history
with and love for. Stay tuned.
