GCR Women

Fall in Virginia!  What a wonderful time to visit this state! The highways and byways wind along following the path of a creek or river as it works its way through the mountains.  Every curve and rise reveals new breathtaking vistas of red, yellow and orange against a backdrop of green.  In the rainy weather we've been having here, the clouds hang softly along the tops of the ridges floating like smoke between the peaks.  It's so beautiful, it could make you cry. Driving these roads is challenging.  Things look different and you need to pay close attention.  Unlike home, the roads aren't straight and you can't see very far ahead. They're narrow with little or no shoulder along the sides. Instead, there are ditches and drop offs to keep you on your toes.  At night, it's incredibly dark - very few street lights to guide you, just the stripes and reflectors on the roadway. The highway signs and markers are indispensable.  Side roads and turns ar...

This coming Saturday, October 4, is Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement. In the Torah, this day was set apart as holy, a lasting ordinance.  Leviticus 16:30 teaches "...on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins." My knowledge of the Jewish holy days and how they were and are celebrated is kind of thin, but if I understand them correctly, even to this day, Yom Kippur is a day when Jewish people around the world believe they can before God and receive forgiveness and be sealed in the Book of Life for the coming year.  There's a lot more to it than that, of course, lots of preparations and traditions, but I think that sums it up. Reading about Yom Kippur and the way this holiday is celebrated and the meaning it holds to them reveals the deep love and respect the Jewish community today has for the LORD and His Torah.  They do not take Him, His Torah and His commands lightly.  While I believe...

I've spent the past few days in Baltimore, Maryland taking part in the Star-Spangled 200th - a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Baltimore Harbor and the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner.   We've celebrated with tours, food, music and fireworks. As much as we knew, or thought we knew before we arrived, we still learned a lot.  For instance, did you know that the Star-Spangled Banner has four verses?  I may have vaguely realized that there was more than one verse, but I had no idea what the words were to verses two through four. Each is powerful in its own way, with a special message in each.  But verse four is the one that took my breath away.  In case you don't know, here is that magnificent verse: Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation! Blest with victory and peace,      may the heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made      and pres...

We just returned from a trip to visit three canyon areas of the American Southwest.  Each was breathtaking in its own particular way.  Looking at each, whether from the canyon's edge or the canyon's floor, we were awestruck at the immensity, variety and beauty of the scenes that stretched out before us.  We speculated at how each was created. We heard what geologists said, but I have trouble with the number of years they claim are involved.  So rather than try to attach an age to the formations, I just marveled at what God had done. Somewhere, at some time, in some way, God caused each hoodoo, each peak, each perilously perched rock to be and look just a certain way.  Over the years, natural forces have indeed played a part in what we see there today but God laid out the ground rules and set it all into motion.  The overall effect of seeing these canyons is awe and for so many people to be visiting them, the reaction is pretty much the same:  "Look!...

We're a little over halfway through summer.  It's hot and dry. Fall isn't nearly close enough.  And with school starting soon, it doesn't really feel like summer either.  It's just kind of the in-between time of the year. Sometimes, life feels like that, too. I'm no longer young but I don't think of myself as old yet.  I'm just waiting...for what, I'm not quite sure, but the feeling that I'm waiting is so real.  And with it comes a restlessness to get started on whatever is next.  It's just kind of the in-between time of my life. I hope that this season doesn't lull me into complacency.  I don't want to waste this time.   I hope, instead, that this season spurs me on to the very best part of life yet. So while I'm waiting, I'm taking stock of where I've been, where I am, where I'm going - making an effort to lay it out before God and ask for His blessing and direction.  I know He has something special in store. ...

We've been walking at the park for exercise.  I like it better than walking in the mall or our neighborhood.  I get fresh air and don't have to cross streets.  The only traffic I have to worry about is the other morning walker who is sure to pass me.  It's a quiet spot, surrounded by pleasant homes.  The sidewalk is level and in pretty good condition so I don't worry about falling.  I like it. One morning this week, we noticed a dove scurrying around on the ground near one of the trees.  It's not unusual to see birds at the park but this one caught my attention because she didn't fly away, just trotted (can a dove trot?) away from the tree.  On the second lap, I saw the reason for her behavior.  Her babies.  I suppose the wind had blown them out of their nest and onto the ground right at the edge of the sidewalk.  One had not survived the fall.  But the other had and Momma Dove was protecting that little one with all she had...

Our granddaughter, Veronica, is spending the week with us - one of the blessings of summer.  Trying to keep a five year old busy is a challenge but we came up with some ideas. Yesterday, she helped me plant pumpkins.  We figured that if we plant them now, maybe they'll be ready late in the fall just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  We also planted Indian corn and marigolds.  I don't have a lot a skill as a gardener so this may all be wasted effort.  But yesterday was just plain fun. First, we picked out a sight for our garden.  This part was easy.  The north end of a flower bed in our back yard had a large bare spot that would work.  It wasn't in full sun as recommended for pumpkins but it was already basically prepped.  So that was the spot. Next, we visited La Casa Verde.  This time of year, the seed choices are slim but we were in luck.  They had two varieties of pumpkin and some Indian corn.  Veronica also wa...