Framed

Sometimes Silence is not Golden

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer, theologian

Busy

The title of this book pretty much sums up my June. Try to figure out your teenage daughter. That will take you a while.

Freedom

Freedom is coming! Freedom from the deafening hum of the cicadas, that is. We believe the females are laying their eggs and soon the nymphs will hatch and fall from the tree branches (hopefully not in my hair!), to burrow underground and start the 13-year cycle again.

It's nice to have the windows open today!

Living the Interruptions

Sunday's sermon was talking to me. Life is about serving others - even when I think I having some "me" time. Jesus served others his entire life on earth. His walk was interrupted by the woman in the crowd who touched his cloak. He stopped to find her and heal her. Men lowered a paralytic friend through the roof of a home where Jesus was preaching. Jesus welcomed the interruption to heal the man's legs. The blind man sitting on the side of the road . . . the low wine supply at the wedding in Cana. . . .

It's a good thing no one asked me about getting some more wine. I would have said, "What?! Didn't you know how many people were coming to this party? You should have planned ahead! You should have been prepared!"

So, today I'm being more intentional about paying attention to others and cheerfully welcoming what I would typically label "distractions." So I guess if you want to stop in to visit unexpectedly, today would be a good day.

For Real

I'm not sure that I will remember in thirteen years that I'll want to get the heck out of dodge during the month of June. These pictures will help me to remember. I now have an inkling of how the Egyptians may have felt during the locust plague.

Birds and Bees

And cicadas, of course. Quinn told me that he and Rachel saw a cicada yesterday that had two heads - one on each end of its body. He stated that it must have been a freak of nature. I let him in on a secret: Those cicadas were mating. Gross!

Lauren Graduated

Congratulations to Lauren on her high school graduation. All the Rellim cousins were there to witness the ceremony.

Cicada plague continues

We tried to take a walk this morning before the cicadas awoke. I don't think the things are sleeping now. Even at 6:30 am before temperatures rose, the bugs were dive-bombing us. I'm sure I woke some neighbors with my shrieks.

Notice the gross amounts of discarded exoskeletons at the base of this tree. The dead carcasses are mixed in and give a putrid smell of wet dog.

I admit I was intrigued by them during the first couple days, but now they are the enemy.

Happy Belated Easter

Just found this picture on my camera of all the grandkids on my side of the family. Baby Evelyn was not impressed with the photo op.