Garment of Praise

Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

Sunrise over the mountains
from Viv & Mike's backyard.

because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor.

About 2 weeks ago, the devotional page I read in C. H. Spurgeon's book Beside Still Waters: Words of Comfort for the Soul reminded me that "We may come sorrowing, but He puts 'a garment of praise for a spirit of heaviness' on us." Plus, "Let your spirit be joyful in God your Savior. 'The joy of the LORD is your strength' (Nehemiah 8:10), and no fiend of hell can make progress against you." Praise is a wonderful way to lift our spirits when it feels like the weight of our world is on our shoulders. It helps us remember that it is not our burden to bear anyway, because Jesus told us that we are to take His yoke upon us and that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Matthew 11:30

Beef burgundy - delicious!

This past weekend, my sisters and their spouses were a true "garment of praise" from God wrapped round about me. I came to Vivian & Mike's last Wednesday and am leaving today. Vivian and I have enjoyed little outings to Asheville and Black Mountain, walking, decorating, and doing small projects. Gayle & Tom, Carol & Ed all arrived on Friday afternoon and the festivities really kicked off. "Chef Mike", Vivian's husband cooked impressive (see photo) and delicious

Ahhh, relaxation

meals and there were serious talks, fun chatter, laughter and relaxation.  Viv & Mike live in a gorgeous location on the side of a mountain and it has been a joy to sit by the fire pit on their deck and admire the view. Here are some photos of our weekend.

Panoramic view from their deck.

Cloudy morning view

Sisters! Gayle, Vivian, Carol & me.

Kerry's sticks were

essential!

Saturday, with our cousin, Kerry's walking sticks in hand, we took a hike to Catawba Falls in Old Fort, NC. It was a beautiful, sunny and slightly cool day; perfect for hiking and not a difficult hike. The only catch was crossing the stream 3 times and getting our feet wet, well some of us did, that is. :-)

In back: Tom, Ed, Vivian,
In front: Mike, Carol, Gayle, me

Waterfall was well worth

wet feet

After our hike, we drove to Silver Fork Vineyard & Winery and enjoyed listening to a live band. For dinner, we headed to Asheville and ate at a restaurant called Storm. It was an unusual menu. Viv ordered the brussel sprouts appetizer which was delicious and Ed ordered the pigs ears appetizer which we all tried and thought were disgusting - after one bite, it stuck to my teeth and took at least 10 minutes to get rid of! Makes a great story and I can say I tried them....once! I played it safe and had steak filet for my meal which was delicious.

While Vivian was at school yesterday morning, I read the Medicare booklet and completed the Initial Enrollment Questionnaire online for Mike. Monday I received an email from District 19 letting me know that the DAP funding has now been released; however, there is only $44,000 left for the fiscal year and it is already earmarked for current DAP plans, so there is no money for Mike through that until possibly the next fiscal year. That's discouraging because last week Emily at District 19 had sent me an email with information about a home in Powhatan called Golden Pond (only about 40 minutes from the farm). On Friday I spoke for almost an hour with the owner of the home and became very hopeful that this might work out if the funding through DAP came available. This home is $66,000 a year versus the $160,000+ for the facility in Virginia Beach. Trusting God to please show us and tell us great things we cannot search out on our own.