BC

So... About a month ago, John and I hauled a trailer full of furniture and stuff out to our son-in-law and daughter in Denver. Looking a bit like the Beverly Hillbillies, we limped into Denver sans tail lights on the trailer... but who's talking about that...  We made it to their lovely home - that's what counts!



As all good parents do, John and I thought we would help them out a bit by doing odd jobs and yard work for one day.  How much trouble could we get into in just one lousy day? We dashed to the store for garden plants (and a few more things) and leaped into action.



I decided I would tackle the narrow garden by the fence in the front yard.  The kids had dug out a row of crispy arborvitae and thought flowering vines growing on the fence would add that all important curb appeal. Well, I know a thing or two about planting vines so I dug in.








This planting spot was not like any I've ever planted. It bordered a public sidewalk which bordered a four-lane major parkway, namely, 6th Avenue Parkway. Not only was this a public sidewalk and a parkway, but also a bus stop.

So... I was planting in a VERY public place with lots of cars whizzing by and people standing waiting for the bus.

A city bus would pull up within a foot of my foot as I spaded holes and fertilized and planted vines and was on my hands and knees in the dirt all afternoon - in the hot sun. Actually, it was fun and I chatted with a lot of different people. I told everyone they should get to know the dear people who lived in this cute house!







It wasn't until the next day that I realized I was sunburned, that is, sunburned in a most peculiar spot. Evidently, my top didn't quite reach to the waist of my jeans... the jeans that are quite loose and fall down a bit... O yea... It's true... Judging by what was sunburned, I'm quite sure I exposed my butt crack to the city of Denver on that lovely sunny day.

(Sorry.... no pictures...)











And I suppose that person on the bus who took a picture wasn't actually admiring the lovely vines I was planting. I have the strangest feeling my BC is posted on someone's blog somewhere....  and it probably has some cute little comments about beached whales found in our fair city...

Not a good thing...

I was exposed and didn't even know it. I was busy doing my thing and chatting away and had no idea that people were seeing more of me than I really wanted them to see - right there at the bus stop.

I'm reminded that my heavenly Father sees all and knows all. There is no hiding from Him. Everything about me is totally exposed to Him. My heart is exposed, along with my attitudes and feelings and pride and shame.

This is a good thing...

My heavenly Father looks at the areas of my life that I try to hide and willingly applies grace, mercy, and healing. He forgives and loves. He binds up wounds. He teaches me how to be more like Him. He's always in the business of improving and strengthening my life through grace and love.

So here I stand, totally exposed to my heavenly Father and join the psalmist:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart;
           test me and know my anxious thoughts.
                     See if there is any offensive way in me,
                               and lead me in the way everlasting."
                                                                                  Psalm 139:23-24

Aloe, Rum and Jesus!

So... One of the more unusual experiences I had on my vacation in March was a tour of an aloe factory in Aruba. My dear husband and I hopped off our cruise ship at the Aruba port and willingly hopped onto a tour bus which wove through the dry countryside to a rather small, nondescript metal building by the side of the road. If this factory is the largest in Aruba, this country is in trouble.

Outside the factory was a field of aloe vera plants – you know, the plants that most cooks have on their windowsill in the kitchen. Mine is quite spindly and almost dead, but the plants in Aruba were green and happy, standing three feet tall and full of the drippy, slurpy gel that is a balm for all problems. Our guide proceeded to slice a leaf open and peel the outer skin off with a flick of her wrist and behold, there was the answer to all my ailments.

You can eat it, drink it, and slather it to treat arthritis, high blood pressure, digestive disorder,s and ulcers. Slap it on a burn and the burn goes away. One gal said it can treat insomnia and hair loss.

The factory was a bust. No one was working. But we did see some very nice stainless steel vats and conveyor belts and of course, the gift shop was bustling.

Another stop our cruise ship made was to Jamaica, where we again hopped off and toured the countryside. The Jamaicans use another liquid as their balm – rum. Our Jamaican guide recanted all the medicinal uses of rum: it’s an antiseptic, it reduces the chance of cancer, stroke, heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, macular degeneration, and kidney stones. It also acts as an aphrodisiac.  No kiddin’…

So now I have two items on my window sill: my spindly aloe vera plant and a big old jug of rum. One of these items is more fun to administer than the other…

Now all my ailments are cured…right?

Wrong.

We can treat all our physical ailments with all the aloe and rum in all the world, but one part of our human nature will still hurt and fail to thrive; our mind and emotions, our very soul. Deep down inside we all need a balm to soothe our hurts and calm our fears. We all need a Savior, a Comforter, a compassionate, loving, heavenly Father.

Psalm 103 says:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love…

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.

We all need more than aloe and rum. Add faith in God…lots of it

“This original content, created by me, was originally published on http://thoughtcirc.us on March 20, 2013. Thought Circus is a media & publishing brand that shares extraordinary information about our world.”