Thursday, July 16, 2009

Taste and see...

It's a hot July morning. I just got back from an almost five mile walk and was starving. I made a half sandwich on whole wheat toast of deli turkey, lowfat cheese, pickle and fresh tomato. As I scarfed it down my taste buds told my brain, "This is the perfect sandwich! This hits the spot. This is exactly what my mouth and body were craving." Now, more often then not, I don't think or feel about something I eat this way, (especially about something so good for me!), but for some reason I just really enjoyed that sandwich today!

Suddenly, I thought about when Jesus returns and all things are restored to their original intent, design and purpose-when we have our perfect resurrection bodies, and are enjoying eternal life with the new heavens and new earth. When something on this imperfect, sin scarred planet, with our weak, frail, sin scarred bodies, can taste so good, or be so beautiful that we can hardly stand it, or make us so happy we want to shout for joy, how much better is life going to be then? Life the way it was meant to be, forever in perfect fellowship with the God who created us and loves us. What will it be like to taste food, or see the mountains or the ocean, or hear music in perfection...with nothing to blemish the experience? It boggles my mind to think how overwhelmingly good it is going to be. We'll need those perfect resurrection bodies just to be able to handle the pure, unadulterated joy of it all!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Can't sleep...

It is 11:30. I am in a motel room in Everett, Washington listening to the loud snores of one husband, and the light wiffling snores of my 6 year old granddaughter and 5 year old grandson. We came up here from our home in Portland to check on my husband's mother, who is in an adult foster home not far from this hotel. We brought our two oldest grandkids to see great grandma and to have a special little getaway time with us.

Tonight Papa and grandson had "boy night" which consisted of going to a Mariner's baseball game. Granddaughter and I had a "girl night" which consisted first of all, of some "artjects" (see last blog entry for the definition), here in the hotel room. Secondly, we got ready...this consisted of curling her hair, changing her clothes, putting some sparkly polish on her fingernails, putting on lip gloss, deciding whether she should wear the blue or the yellow headband, etc. Next we went to the Olive Garden...you may recall, (again from my last blog entry), that noodles are her favorite. Since spaghetti and meatballs are on the top of my fav. foods list as well, it was a perfect choice for dinner. Question of the night...how in the world does one little six year old girl eat two breadsticks, two bowls of salad, a bowl of spaghetti topped with a meatball, and then top the whole thing off with a chocolate chip cookie? Thank God, that our next activity involved a little bit of walking...we drove to a nearby outlet mall to do what almost every girl's night out involves...shopping! Hopping out of the car, my granddaughter announced, "let's buy me an outfit and some earrings, Nana!" What followed was her finding the sparliest gaudiest thing in the store, (like a shirt with a rhinestone peace sign on it...she, of course, has no idea what a peace sign is), telling me that was what she wanted, and me trying to steer her toward something a little more wearable. We came back to the hotel with two cute tops for her, and a necklace and matching earrings. Upon getting back, one happy little girl got on her nightie, brushed her teeth and laid in bed to watch a movie.

Halfway through the movie Papa and grandson got back. One look at our little guy sporting a new ball cap, carrying a stuffed Mariner's moose, and a bag of leftover peanuts and with the biggest smile on his face told me that boy's night had been a big success as well.
After he was ready for bed, we read books, said prayers, and soon all three, Papa, and the two kids, were snoring away.

I agree with my granddaughter's comment made at dinner, "Nana, we should do boys night and girls night every year!"