Healing, Growing, Flourishing

Adam's feeling so much better than he asked me to take him to his "office" yesterday, also-known-as Lou Mac Park. He sits there when the weather is fine and meets people coming and going -- visitors or neighbors or tourists or whoever. He chats with them all, and he studies his sermons and lessons.

So I dropped him off for a couple of hours with Sandy for company.
Then this morning he decided he'd get up on crutches and mix a batch of his bread.

Don't worry; he's not putting any weight on that foot.
You know what love looks like? It looks like about 15 get-well cards, coming in the mail.

On the way back from the park, I noticed a few plastic pots by somebody's trash can, so I stopped. I need more pots for the tomato plants I'd bought. I asked the kind couple, who were working in their yard, if I could take the pots away. They were happy for me to ... and they offered me more nice pots, and then gave me two tomato plants, three cucumber plants, a massive clump of pretty mint, and a little volunteer crepe myrtle. Wow! What sweet people!

What a joy to find such kindness in strangers. We exchanged names, and now they're neighbors and friends :)

That's the mint up there, in one of the pots they gave me.
And this is a pretty pot of geraniums, given by a friend. I love the bright red.

This morning and tomorrow morning, Julia is taking her yearly standardized testing. We use a simple CAT test -- easy and quick. She doesn't need the test, and I certainly don't need it in order to know how she's doing. I teach her every day. But the state requires it, so we do it.

She's been sketching again, leaning toward realism that can seem like a photograph. I showed her this remarkable website full of art, as a little inspiration. But she'd drawn this "old geezer" already.

She insists she won't be majoring in art because she can't make a living in it, but I think it's sad that someone this talented (as is true for many people in many areas) can't feel safe studying what they love and are gifted in.

I'm sure she'll always do art. But how I'd love for her to pursue it and achieve the highest level of excellence possible for her. I'd love to see how far she could go.
We're off to Bible study tonight, and a Christian Seder supper Thursday night. Adam will be busy!