Circle of Love by Joyce Schafer

There are flowers everywhere! Having moved into our “new” old home in the summer, I had no idea what pleasant surprises awaited me this Spring. I had carefully dug up some of my tulips and lilies to take with me but this spring I was surprised to learn that the former owners loved these flowers as much as I do. They are popping up all over the place!

Last summer we had removed a jungle of old vines and discovered an unsafe cistern in our back yard. With all the grandkids running around, we knew this was not a good thing so the cistern was filled in with lots of dirt. Over the winter the dirt settled and we were left with a sunken hole in the center of the mound . We were planning on filling in the hole again and then I was going to make a flower bed so that the grandkids would stay out of it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered flowers popping up in a horseshoe shape around this hole. A couple of days later another row of the same Spring bulbs showed up in the center of my backyard- just perfect to be moved and to make a complete circle. This will be my “Circle of Love Flower Garden” to keep my little ones protected.

When I think of all the adversity (not to mention dirt) these bulbs went through to grow, I am reminded of a lot of Christians I have known over the years. They have suffered greatly but have kept their faith alive and have continued to grow and like my flowers they have become a “Circle of Love” in my life.

1 Peter 1:24-25 “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever…”

Mother's Day by Joyce Schafer

May 10th is the day set aside on the calendar to honor mothers. Over the years I have been honored on Mother’s Day in various ways.

It started with an “I love you, Mommy” and a fistful of dandelions from a toddler. I have never understood why anyone would spray their yard to kill dandelions. These flowers hold so many precious memories for me.

Then, when the kids were in grade school, I was honored with lots of handmade gifts on this special day. I especially loved the handprint pictures and the flowers in milk cartons.

The teenage years were a bit more hit and miss in the honoring department. I remember one Mother’s Day coming home from a weekend trip and finding flowers from my teenage sons. I felt so honored and proud of my boys. Years later, I heard the rest of the story. My little darlings had bought the flowers at a gas station because they had stayed out way past their curfew and figured if I found out about it, the flowers would soften the punishment. Why do these kids feel the need to tell all and spoil our illusions once they are out of the house?

The Mother’s Day gifts of flowers, cards, and eating out are nice, but they are the world’s view of how to honor mothers. God’s view can be found in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” It says nothing about once a year in May to do this, but this is something we should do every day.

How do we honor our mothers every day? I think all mothers want the same two things from their children – Love and Respect. I also think all mothers should be treated this way not only because it is the right thing to do, but more importantly, because God commands it.