Holy Training-ground

In life’s push-pull-plant-reap-reach-bow

In its momentous what-where-how

Of laugh-weep-wake-sleep-hold-let go

We are being trained;

For what, we do not know

While we walk through gold-gray-green-blue

We oft forget its sacred due

We work-play-dream-learn-teach and more

Unaware of the What

We are being trained for

Then, in the bliss of hug and kiss

When life is kind; remember this

Today, though plain, commonplace crowned

We are treading on

Holy training-ground

© Janet Martin

With Providential Approval and Dave Update

 Photo Scripture reference; Psalm 147:8-11

Inherent seed

Of pride and greed

Of selfishness and lusting

Suffers the rod

Of loving God

So we may learn to trust Him

We, prone to sin

The Lord doth win

Not where green pasture pleases

But in life’s storm

We seek the Arm

Of He who never leaves us

And though the ‘why’

May birth our cry

To Him; His love so tender

Lifts, as we bow

Within the ‘How’

The heart of meek surrender

The broken ‘me’

Begins to see

How utter our reliance

How all we have

The good Lord gave

Love rebukes our defiance

Misunderstood,

But for our good

God works all things together

He does not change

His love the same

In fair or foulest weather

Inherent seed

Of pride and greed

Would be our certain ruin

God, rich in love

Gently approves

What draws us nearer to Him

© Janet Martin

I know I've posted this song on numerous posts but it is such a beaut!

Thank-you for the continued flood of support for the family through kind words, thoughts and prayers; thank-you for 'traveling' with us!

Here is last night's and this morning's update from Dave's wife Karen:

Hi Everyone
Today we had some good things happen, and some parts were rough.
He had a rough night- while I got a good much needed sleep, he had a long coughing spell . When I come in this morning he didn’t look himself. The Dr. come in and said Dave you don’t look so good, so the Dr. is changing his pain meds again. The Dr. informs me of his break; He broke all his left ribs but not just once, he did multiple times. Dave has some ribs that are just floating. They are to heal up, but floating makes it worse. Told Dave he needs to get moving to get his lungs goings. Cough every hr to make sure that he doesn’t get infection in the lungs.
By noon when they came in to try and get him sitting again on the side of the bed, they actually got him standing. My tears were flowing. It was so amazing to see. He did a great job.
He was good until later in the evening, then he had more pain again and had another one of his coughing spells. Those are so hard on him, so painful.
I stayed with him until he had all the phlegm coughed up and then I went home when he was resting. He said it is OK for me to go home and get some sleep; He will let me know if there is time I need to stay again. (Makes it so much easier on me when I know he is fine with me going home) He cares for me even when he is there in so much pain.
It is just so hard because he just can’t do anything himself. Can't use his left side and his right arm just doesn't work right! The nurses are great but they have so many more patients to look after they can't always be there when he needs them.
Krista is able to take me in the morning when she goes to work so I am able to be there by 8 and that way I am there to see his Dr. and help him with the morning things.
They are hoping in a day or so the tube in his lungs can be removed. He still has the oxygen because his breathing is hard when he moves.

This morning;
 Just called down and the nurse said last night he got his best rest so far, no coughing spells in the night and he rested nicely.

Transitions...(A Mother's Misty-eyed Musing)

Because I am a new gramma and because I do daycare, 

frequently doors to yester-shores are eased open just far enough to let echoes in...

 

 

Time tilts Her chin and she looks into rooms once filled with child

Before the brush of ‘hush now, hush now’ eased them from Her lap

While through the haste of touch and taste and imminence run wild

She hears upon the night air a young mother’s joyous clap

‘Oh look, ah see, pat-pat-a-cake and twinkle little star’

And while they laughed and played Time laid a gate across youth’s bar

With dance and grin Time kissed Her skin with living’s loving proof

And drew its artwork where Her heart hurts with glad weight of it

While toil and duty’s beauty wove earth’s heaven ‘neath a roof

That housed the kindnesses of ‘learn-teach-let’s just sit a bit’

And as year-hinged-to-year tinges her tear with hints of fall

She traces on the night wind, phrases from Past’s Madrigal

With meeker tread she bows her head and breaks Time’s bread; with awe

She hails the grail that pales the star-struck height of Night and Dream

Time is no brute but an astute deliverer of law

No one escapes the metronome that shapes thought-scape’s requiem

Time tilts Her chin and she looks into rooms with soldered locks

And worlds that tumble with the ease of castled building blocks

© Janet Martin

What Comfort This (and Dave-update)

 I was on a little drive this afternoon,(praying for my brother) looked up and saw what felt like a kind hug from God

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us,
so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 

2 Cor.1:3-5 

Below, a few more shots from my drive on a road we locals call 'The Third'.

It is an immensely scenic stretch of rural bliss!

What comfort this; the Lord who splays the ream

Where green hills touch blue sky and leave gaze awed

Where rivers like diamond tiaras gleam

Through valleys cradled in the arms of God

Where bud unfolds in star-eyed miracle

Embellishing the moil of soil with vim

Where troubadour bows, stripped of canticle

Kind-humbled by nature’s prolific hymn

Where He who tints the hues of dark and light

And sheathes with spectral shroud, dusk’s dimming lay

And tunes the green-leaf harp; with faultless might

He turns the gyre that garners night and day 

...whereon we press a printless pageantry

Of summers spent, of bowers bloomed and felled

Of hours lent, bent with love's tangent spree

Of flowers, sweet and full and hardly held

...before their petals line a tender trove

Of days gone by and eyes wiser than they

Who drink the dream of youthful wander-love

Until life deems that they too walk the way

...of laughter’s aftermath; sorrow and dust

Where time's sublime four-season, suave quadrille

Concedes that joy cannot escape The Must

That teaches us to trust a Higher Will 

 What comfort this; The Lord who fills the spheres

Whose loving faithfulness will never cease

Is ever near. He gathers up our tears

He hears our prayers and grants us Mercy’s peace

© Janet Martin

For those not on FB with us, here is the latest update from Karen, (my brother Dave's wife)

(To newcomers; I have been updating since last Wed. when I shared that my brother Dave (52yrs. old) fell from a roof )

  Yesterday (Saturday) he had a much harder day so I decided to stay down in the hospital with him all night.(he has been moved from the Trauma Center to reg. hospital closer to home)

 Tonight before I left he was feeling better. I decided to come home and get a night's sleep in my bed and will go down early in the morning with Krista so that I am there when his Dr comes in.

As I am sitting with him, it reminds me of a roller coaster ride. There are times when you are on the top and it is exciting and then you go down hill. I know that our ride is just about to begin! It would be great to be at the top of the ride but I know we will have those down days and I just know that God, family and friends will be with us thru it all.

Keep praying, I took a lot in from the DR today, main thing said, It will be a long haul.

Thanks again.

(Karen, who struggles with more than her share of health challenges needs prayers for health and strength as well!) 

This morning at our Sunday worship service I was moved to tears by the timing of this hymn.