I have had the privilege, over the past few weeks, of helping my friend, Tina, get ready for her daughter’s wedding.  Sweet Amy was to marry Blake…at his very rustic farmhouse several miles outside of town.  After Tina and Amy talked and came up with the plan…she and I met and figured out the way to get it taken care of.  We have been working on projects all along, so the majority of things we needed to make were done ahead of time.  One of the first orders of business for me was to make the brides bouquet.  I was anxious to get started, because I like to do this.  I made what is called an all-in-hand bouquet,where you start with a flower in one hand and keep adding flowers and turning it and adding flowers and turning…all the time keeping all the flowers in that one hand.  Then wrap the stems.  Oh, it looked great!  But, Amy thought it was too small for her…and I think she was right.  So, I set about making another one…still not big enough.  OK..I decide to use a form this time.  She says she wants it BIG!  Big enough to cover  her side to side when held in front of her.  I got the form and I got the flowers, and I clipped and wrapped and poked and wrapped and poked until I ended up with one of the biggest bouquets that I have ever seen!  Side to side, it would cover her.  This is bouquet # 3…

Shirl had come down from Moultrie Thursday and she and Tina went out to the house to get the decorating underway.  They worked most of the day  Thursday and got the front of her house decorated and then moved to the back and got things started there.    When I joined them on Friday, we had a discussion about the size of this  ‘fistful of flowers’ and agreed that it was too big.

 So, I set about removing all the flowers for the 4th time…placed them all into groups…and started over.  

 Now the danger of making something around a group of people, is that they all have an opinion about how to do it.  And, as such…I had 4 voices other than mine.  This didn’t annoy me..it just gets a little  frustrating. So, I pulled this flower out and put that flower in.  Then I took out this flower, and put another one in.  Then I’d take out  2 flowers and put back 1.  And, finally…finally it was finished.  Here is bouquet #4…

I was happy.   Amy was happy.  Shirl and Tina were happy.   Do you see how happy we were?   And, all was right with the world.    We should have taken that bouquet to a locked vault and put it in and not looked at it again until right before the wedding!     But , NOooooooooooo…..we decided that we  needed to make one ‘little’ change.  Because we don’t know how to leave well enough alone.   So, I pulled out a few blooms.  And, then…AND THEN !!!!!!!…

…the unthinkable happened…the foam, which was glued to the base, broke loose.  The flowers and a small bit of foam went one way.  And the handle, with another small bit of foam, went another way.  The rest of the foam went EVERYWHERE !  I was shocked!  Idon’t understand why this happened …the foam  only had 683 holes in it!!!!

And I cried.

Because the nearest store from which we could buy

 foam was 15 miles away…and it was already after lunch.  Tina and I began to brainstorm a solution.  And, somewhere in the house, Tina found a old silk flower arrangement…with dead oasis stuff.  It only had 10 or so holes in it.  So, I got a piece of tulle, wrapped the oasis all around, and hot glued the mess out of it onto the base.   And I made the bouquet for the fifth time.  Many of the stems had to be re-wrapped and wired and cut because the shape of the oasis was different.  And, it was so fragile already, I knew I could only stick the flowers in one time.  It finally came together, and, I finished the bouquet.  I did not ask them if they liked it.  They had to like it. Because IT  WAS  DONE !!!  And, I was done, too!

Now all that really did happen.  But, I loved every minute of it!    It’s always the most fun when we are working together.  It was an honor to be asked to do the bouquet, and help decorate.   All’s well that ends well…RIGHT?  Here is the finished bouquet…

And, the bouquet held together.  The bride was very pleased with it and she looked beautiful carrying it.  It even lasted through the reception.

Next post, I want to share with you some of the decor.  We had some really neat things to work with, and I think you will enjoy seeing it.  (But, I won’t show any pics of the bride and groom and the actual wedding.  She will want to do that in her own time.  But, once she does, I will share some with you, too.)

Oh, and maybe by the time Christmas rolls around, I’ll get to finish my posts on Hawaii! 🙂

Last night was a horrible night for those of us who live in Alabama.  We had ‘storms of epic proportions’ which caused numerous tornadoes throughout the state.   This massive storm started in Mississippi, the went through AL, GA, SC, and NC.    Most of the worst of it was in the northern part of the state.  We live in the SE corner.  All we got here was strong thunderstorms.

I knew bad weather was coming, but not just how bad.  I happened to have the TV on the 5:00 news, and the reporters got all excited and started telling us that this massive black blob covering most of the screen was actually a massive tornado over 1/2 mile wide as it was destroying a big part of the city of Tuscaloosa.  Many students live here to attend The University of Alabama.  The weather cameras they have stationed over the state happened to catch it as it was happening.  My heart was pounding as I watched on TV, and I found myself thinking of all the kids I knew who went to school there. 

“Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified.  Do not be discouraged.
 For the Lord your God goes with you.” Joshua 1:9

There was also another tornado hitting in Birmingham, where my youngest lives.  And, terrible damage had already been done there from an earlier tornado.   And, we know quite a few friends and family who live there, so there was great concern there also.

“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.”  Psalm 36:5

At present, there are over 200 deaths, and in Tuscaloosa, they believe there are more to still be rescued under rubble or worse.

Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens,  with all their host,
the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein,
and thou preservest them all;
and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.”      Nehemiah 9:6

What is there to say in time like these?  “I’m sorry” just isn’t enough.  “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help” is even worse.  I think it isn’t what you SAY at all, but what you DO.  So many have lost it all….houses, clothes, pictures, books, special mementos, cars, even jobs.  There is plenty to DO…but really, it is so hard to say any words that covers this tragedy.  There are times when a hug says all that is needed.

Praise be to 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”
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

But, not really.  I read a comment on a website today under some pics of the tornado damage.  It was like a slap in the face to me.  It said, “Where is your god now?  If he is so ‘good’,why does he send tornadoes to do such damage?  They were innocent people.”  I would like to have answered this person.  What would you have said to them?  I would have to take a minute to control my temper because when people say things like that, it really pushes my buttons.

“I will tell you where He was.  He was in the wind, and He was in the tornado.  He was in the swirling clouds that were so very powerful.  He made the winds.  They are His.  He was in the bathroom where a gas station worker took cover.  He is thanking God today.  He was in the huge refrigerator in an empty grocery store where a wife found refuge.  Her husband didn’t make it, he dove under a table.   God was with him there.   Their  trailer and everything in it is nowhere to be found.  God knows where it is.  And, He will be with this husband and wife as they search for a new place to live. 

“God is with you in everything you do.”  Genesis 21:22

He was with  the students who panicked when they knew the tornado was imminent.  He followed them to their bathtub where they waited it out by praying.  They lived to pray again.  He was with the grandfather who gathered his 5 small grandchildren into the small frame house and covered them with his body.  Even as the house and all its contents were blown away, the family was untouched.  And, He was buried under rubble of bricks with a tiny baby, still in his crib.  He stayed with the child until he was rescued.

He was in all 5 states as the tornadoes wreaked havoc.  Over 300 died in total, with 3/4 in AL.  I hear on the news this morning that this storm is the worst of its kind in recorded history. 

And, He will be with those who mourn the dead.  He will be with those who look at all they have accomplished in life reduced to a pile of sticks.  Perhaps they will realize that the accomplishments that can’t be seen are still there and available.  He will guide. 

Psalm 33:18
The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his UNFAILING LOVE
, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in HOPE for the Lord;
HE IS HELP AND OUR SHEILD. In him our hearts rejoice, for we TRUST in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord,
even as WE PUT OUR HOPE IN YOU!

We serve an awesome God!

Well, that’s just a little play on words…actually  I’m speaking about our visit to The Polynesian Cultural Center.  The PCC is located on the North Shore of Oahu in the town of Laie, about 40 miles from Waikiki.  I developed an avid  interest in the history and culture of the Polynesian people after my first visit here when I was about 16.  I’m not unusually a history buff, but ancient Hawaii has held my interest for many years.  It was on my second visit to Hawaii while in college, that I first visited the Polynesian Cultural Center.

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a wonderful place to experience,  with about 1,300 employees representing the island people and nations of Hawaii, Samoa, Maori New Zealand (Aotearoa), Fiji, Tonga, Easter Island, Tahiti and the Marquesas (French Polynesia)—spread over approximately 12 million square miles of Pacific Ocean.  Note the map below.

Our Easter recap and pictures…

Our church had a sunrise service, breakfast, and worship service today.  It was a different way of doing things at our church, and I liked it.  Our service was Spirit filled.  The music was stirring and our new pastor challenged us all!     God is blessing our church.  We all had plenty of time to spend with family, sit and talk and eat at the table, and hunt and re-hunt those eggs.  We all went to Pop’s for lunch…with Joy handling the cooking duties.  She does such a great job.  We visited, watched JT hunt eggs and snapped a few pics.  Sadly, sweet Alex could not get out today, so he missed the fun and fellowship.  It’s just never completely right when he is not with us. 

Then, Ian, Don and I went over to Adam and Suzanne’s to see them and sweet little Levi.  They are having to keep him in for 2 months so his lungs can get fully healed and ready to take on this big, beautiful world.  Of course, we made more pics there.  And, I got in a good rocking  with Levi in the same rocker I rocked all my babies in!  Oh, it is just as sweet as everyone says it is!  Such a wonderful blessing!

And, I am now in my pajamas, feet elevated, diet dr.pepper next to me.  And, here I intend to stay till morning.  Except when I have to take ‘ole Finn out.  Here are some of the pics of today…I think they speak for themselves….

 A wonderful day, full of worship and blessings and love.  Hope yours was as well.

“I am the Good Shepherd…”   John 10:10

“I am the Living One.  I was dead.  But look!  I am alive for ever and ever.”  Revelations 1:18

“…Behold, I make all things new…'”  Revelations 21:5

HAPPY EASTER!