April 18 – “Awash …”

Big news around Galveston early this morning is the huge supercell of thunderstorms that whipped through here last night.  The fire department app on my phone was going crazy with power lines down or arcing.  The whole Island was awash with downpours.  FaceBook was lit up with reports of hail and extremely strong winds.  And several houses in Sea Isle and Jamaica Beach were outright damaged by a probable tornado.  Guess I’ll need to make a quick trip out west to check on the church.  It’ll have to come after my appearance at the dedication of a restored house today, though.  That’s at ten this morning.  I have been outside, but it’s still dark so I couldn’t really see that much.  Looks like we are all OK here.  I know both of us were in the bed when I woke up. 

We spent the bulk of the day yesterday doing yard work again.  It is truly Spring around here.  You might say we are awash with color.  OK, so you might not say that.  It does sound kind of weird.  But the grass is growing like crazy.  Chris’ flowers are blooming all over the yard.  I can’t begin to remember, much less pronounce, the names of all the types of flowers we now have.  Roses.  Pink roses and yellow roses and red roses.  I know there are those.  And Easter lilies are about to bloom, although they should be called Mother’s Day lilies, since that’s when they usually pop out.  There is a virtual hedge of what she calls Mexican petunias.  I’ve heard her use the word amaryllis, but I’m not sure which one that is.  She has a few that are really big blooms, really impressive, showcase flowers.  The periwinkles are back, of course.  The hangy-down vine thing on our back fence has stopped blooming for the moment, but it is still really green.  Our baby pecan tree in a pot on the deck finally started putting out some leaves.  It’s always the last to show up.  Oh, and the tree that our friends the Gerans gave us, the one that arrived at their house in a box in the mail, has put on several leaves as well, so it has officially awakened.  The sycamore trees are doing their part to provide shade.  The satsuma tree in back is full of leaves.  Not sure about fruit this year, though.  There is a persimmon tree in a pot upstairs keeping the pecan tree company.  And the two fruit trees that the city gave us are doing well.  I know I left some things out, but I’m just in charge of the grass and trimming the hedges and trees.  More than I can handle.

Leviticus 26:4 says, “I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit.”

Father, that’s a promise we have sure seen come about the last 24 hours or so.  You’re doing some great Spring work down here.  Really beautiful stuff.  Amen.