Goodbye Lost Acres....

There was once a place called Lost Acres.

 A family lived there. There was a mom and a dad with children. The children grew up and then  brought their children there to play.  It was a wonderful place for everyone. Old and young. 

There was a play structure for the children to run and play. Beyond the playground was a horseshoe court for the men to play horseshoes while the children played.

 

There were meandering paths to explore.

The birds liked Lost Acres, too, and made their nests in some of the bird houses the dad, Jim, built for them. 

There were benches to think and pray.

 You could look   f a  r  across the Sandy River Gorge and see another farm with its neat rows of trees and plants.

There was an inviting front door. Usually the dad/grandpa would swoop open the door and welcome you in with a friendly, "Well hello ------. So glad you're here!!"

  

There were many beautiful plants and flowers that Kathy and Jim planted. 

Day Lilies

Wild roses

Even the butterflies had their own special bush. 

There were berries to pick when you were hungry. Grapes, too.

There were buildings with vines crawling up their sides. You could pretend you were a princess locked up in a tower.

There were sour crab apples to try to eat and perhaps give you a tummy ache.

                           

There were cupids

Frogs--real ones---and pretend ones on fountains.

Most of all, there was love here. 

One day, Kathy became very sick and she died. Now Grandpa Jim was at Lost Acres all alone.
For a long time, Jim was sad. But God was with him all the time, even though he was alone.

 He didn't like living alone at Lost Acres so he decided to sell this beautiful place so someone else could enjoy it.

One day, Jim met a lady who was all alone too, and they got married. But they needed to find someone to love Lost Acres like Jim and Kathy did. And they did. Someone new bought it.

Jim and his new wife, Shirley, visited Lost Acres one more time. It was kind of sad. It was too quiet. There were no children there anymore. The flower beds needed to be weeded and pruned. It needed new people to live there.

So Jim said goodbye to Lost Acres. He knelt and prayed and thanked God for the gift of Lost Acres. He thanked God for the joy and happiness Lost Acres brought him.  He prayed for the new owners. He prayed they would know great joy, peace, and serenity here. And then, he stood, looked around one last time. And said goodbye.

Goodbye Lost Acres. You were loved......

Snakes and Fears

I was sunning myself in my lovely back yard, studying a new book for my weekly prayer group when I glanced to my left. My eyes spotted something new under the Alaskan Cypress ( I think that's its name!). I saw a green, garden hose-like-something underneath its branches. It looked like a tail with a larger front. Could it be a snake? I'd not seen any that color! I peeked a little closer and indeed, it really looked like a green snake! I must tell you I am really afraid of snakes. Something in my past must have provoked that fear, I don't know. What I do know is I don't even want to look at a picture or any resemblance of a snake. Even the harmless garter snakes. I bravely backed away from the serpent and asked for help from my husband, Jim. He came out and even though he doesn't like snakes either, took his role as a protective husband and scoped it out. "It looks like it has blue spots on its back. Wow! I've not seen any like this before (he has lots of experience with snakes from his acreage in Corbett)." He continued, "I think its a harmless green racer." 

"Would you take a picture of it?" I asked with trepidation. "I want to put it on Facebook and see if someone knows what it is." He willingly got a little closer with my trusty iPhone and snapped some photos. 

I promptly sent a photo to my friends to ask them what they thought. There were several comments--all very helpful. Such as, “If you look it up I think it is a smooth green snake, a breed that is not as common as it once was, harmless…like a garter snake. Shy….” as well as others. One even helpfully sent a wikipedia explanation and link to read more about the snake. I didn’t care, actually, for I just didn’t want it in my yard!

I had to leave for some time and again, bravely walked out to the “snake site”. It was still there!! When Jim came home, I asked him to check it again. He willingly walked out to the tree, gingerly poking and prodding it and said, “I think it’s dead.” Examined some more and said, “No, I think it’s a fake snake!” Then he made sure it truly was an inanimate object and sure enough, it was rubber all right. 

That really didn’t calm my fears that much. I backed away as he showed me. “See, it’s a toy snake. Who put it there?”

“I don’t know, but get it out of here!” I said, backing away. 

I told you, they all scare me. Real or not.

I was reading this morning my daily reading from the Old Testament in the Bible.

As for God, his way is perfect:

The LORD’S word is flawless,

he shields all who take refuge in him.

2 Samuel 22:31

I know I was talking a bout a snake and my fears of even a fake one. But I have other fears that I deal with too. I’m sure you have some too. Those “what ifs” come to my mind more that I’d like to admit. Such as, “What if it rains tomorrow when we’re having a get-together outside?” Such as, “What if he/she has an accident on the way home?” Big ones like, “What if he dies today?” I wish I could say I always trust. Always am calm and accept whatever life throws at me. But I wouldn’t be honest. I will say, though, it’s getting easier each day as I walk the road of life. Not by myself, but with my Blessed Savior, who promises to be with me. No matter what! 

Back to the snake story. One of the last comments sent to me on Face Book was, “Is it real?” Renee didn’t know how obvious her statement was!

We have to face snakes and fears and then ask that wise question: “Is it real?” If so, we face it with a friend or husband—or loving Savior, Jesus. And if it isn’t real, go on from there and trash the rubber snake—fear. And briskly wipe our hands and go on from there.