It’s funny how time seems to go by so slow while you’re in it and then feel so fast as you look back. However, with all that has been going on in our world and in our little corner of it, I (Mel) can’t really say that time has had that slow feeling at all over the last year. Even with the pace of life seeming to roll at full speed, we know we have been placed in our little spot for such a time as this, and with that knowledge there is a peace, excitement, and greater feeling of purpose than we have ever felt before.
On Wednesday, we will have lived in Texas for a year. We arrived February 17, 2020 for what we thought was a 3 month visit, right before the outbreak of COVID-19 in Seattle, and then in the rest of our country and world. When the virus hit, we at first exclaimed that we “got stuck” in Texas. As the months progressed, we began to realize that “stuck” wasn’t the right word; we were carefully and lovingly placed here. Not too long ago, as we came to that realization, I had a vision of God’s hands gently coming in around our family in Seattle, a place where we had been nurtured in the soil there for a time, then lifting us up and placing us in a pot (our RV) to transport us to our next home. The Master Gardener of our lives planted us in a new garden that would allow our family to grow our roots deeper in Him in the nutrient rich soil of this community. What an amazing assurance we have in knowing we are exactly where we are supposed to be during this crazy and uncertain time in our world. It is a gift we don’t take for granted. We desire to grow and live into all that God has for us to do here; to spread His love that is overflowing in our hearts to all those He has brought into our lives, near and far.
We pray that all our friends, family, and readers find that peaceful assuredness that you are exactly where God wants you to be. It may be exactly where you already are; praise God for that! Or perhaps, there is a place He has prepared for you and longs to lovingly place His hands around you to plant you in that spot, He’s just waiting for you to trust. Wherever that place is in our world He has for you, grow in it and spread His love to all those in your sphere of influence.
And because a blog post isn’t complete without a few pictures, I leave you with current pictures of our friend’s garden, where God has been teaching us many lessons in how He cares for and grows us as we have been learning to tend and care for His creation. With the extra cold snap happening, we needed to cover the few plants growing to protect them. Even in the winter, there is life resting under the soil (and covers), soaking up the nutrients, ready to grow when the sun warms the earth again.



