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A TIME TO BURN

The hills are burning, wildfires billowing smoke, turning the sun blood-red. There’s beauty in burning. Fairer sunrises. Fiercer sunsets. And after a season of fire, winter rains fall, then comes spring.When I was a child, a field burned along the road my school bus traveled each morning and afternoon. I recall the night the fire happened. The loud ring of our telephone mounted on the wall. A man asking my dad, “Can you come help us stop the blaze? The fire crews can’t help. They’re all busy. It’s burning everywhere.”I was so scared. So worried for my dad that night. Shovel […]

By Paula August 14, 2012

LIVING WATER

I turned on the faucet to do dishes and no water came out. I went to another faucet and found the same. Stepped outside into 100 degree heat to see no sprinklers running. Walking over to the pump, I discovered no pressure. The pump on our well was dead. We live in the country. Without a pump there’s no way to water the farm. Chickens, dogs, cats, and horses rely on us to keep their thirst quenched, especially in the summer heat. The yard and garden and trees need water, too. Inside the house you can’t flush a toilet without […]

By Paula August 6, 2012

You Can Grow Love

This week I noticed one of our cherry trees wasn’t getting enough water. We use a drip system and the dripper had become buried under the dirt. After a bit of digging and mending, water is once again dripping. The cherry tree should perk up in no time.I love our cherry trees. Love our yard. Love watching our barefoot boys chase dragonflies across the lawn. Love the sparkle of dew on the grass in the first light of dawn. Love the sound our sprinklers make in early evening when the swallows swoop low to snatch mosquitoes.My love for our trees […]

By Paula July 31, 2012

Love Redeems

Four young men gave their lives protecting their girlfriends in the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Laying their bodies over the women they loved. Amid the coverage of this American tragedy, I long to see these four men’s faces plastered all over the news. I want to hear about their lives. See their baby pictures. Meet their parents. Walk through their high school days. Relive their dreams. Retell their love stories. See pictures of these couples when they were smiling.Don’t tell me about the shooter. Tell me about the ones who saved.One man with evil in his heart tried […]

By Paula July 24, 2012

HOLD ON

Yesterday, we were heading home from picking up our new puppy. While Scott was driving, the baby yellow lab fell asleep with his head on Scott’s leg. In the middle of this, Scott asked me to look at a post on facebook. When I turned on my iPhone, the first thing that popped up was the sign, “Hold On, God is doing something…” Often these God posts roll across my facebook news feed. They sometimes make me smile, but rarely does one arrow through my heart. Staring at Scott with the puppy, it hit me. God was definitely doing something here. […]

By Paula July 18, 2012

The Covenant

I’m listening to a baby scream as I sit down to blog. Cruz doesn’t want to take his nap this afternoon. I would love a nap and another trip to Tahoe. This picture was taken by our friend Angie last Sunday at that blue, alpine lake high in the mountains. That was then… This is now…Today our hands are heavy with the kids down here in the valley. Most days hands grow heavy. Scott and I often fall into bed at night too tired to kiss goodnight. Four little boys can do this to a marriage. And our three older […]

By Paula July 7, 2012

Unfailing Love

Where do I start?The day Cami was born?The day I married her dad?The day I met Scott?I really think the story begins the day I met Jesus, but I can’t tell you which day that was. Growing up Catholic, God always seemed to be there.But without a doubt I can nail the day I knew Jesus loved me so much He died for me: December 21, 2000. The day I was born again.I can also tell you the first scripture that filled my heart when we settled on this land here in the shadow of the Sutter Buttes. “I will […]

By Paula June 27, 2012