Gracie loves animals. And recently she had an up close and personal encounter with a doe and a buck. Near our home is a zoo called Oxbo Park. (I took her daddy to the same zoo many years ago!) The White-tailed deer have become so used to visitors, they will even eat from their hands. Gracie offered them fresh picked crack-grass and they thanked her by eating it and then gently licking her fingers. Then the animals snuggled closer to the fence so she could scratch their heads and then run her hand along their sides. There were a lot of other children trying desperately to get the animal’s attention away from Gracie but her quiet gentle spirit held them close to her.

Later at home, Gracie and I sat on the deck talking about our wonderful day. Out of our woods walked a doe and two fawn. The little girl in my arms longed to feed them and touch the babies. I explained these deer were wild and if we were going to get to enjoy watching them we couldn’t move much. She sat still except for breathing. The mother deer saw us but didn’t run. Instead she gracefully led her young across our yard without fear. Gracie and I felt good because she trusted us not to do her or her babies any harm.

I know the deer at the zoo liked the salt on Gracie’s skin but I watched them watching her and believe with all my heart they also liked her company. As other children screamed for their attention, pushing and jostling each other, they stayed with the little blond girl not saying a word and offering them greener grass than on their side of the fence (for real!) and her hands.

That night Gracie was grateful for all the animals in the zoo but mostly for deer kisses. I thanked God for the moments of watching His creation enjoy each other without fear. What treasure! A little girl’s joy and deer kisses.

His name is Craig. He’s married to my friend Jeannie but he’s my friend too. About two months ago, he was in an accident where one of his vertabrae was chipped and several others cracked. He has a bone graph as well as steel rods to hold his fused vertabrae together.

Immediately after the accident, he had very little feeling below his shoulders. Last week when we talked he has feeling all the way to his toes and is moving most of his parts although some of them are a little slower. He’s had some amazing victories including standing alone for a little while now and then. Balance and strength are returning and are more welcome on his journey to wellness!

Watching him I realize he’s a miracle in process. His body is responding to prayer and physical therapy and it’s coming back to him. His battles are hard and there may be many yet ahead…but my friend is prepared for the battle with the following weapons of warfare:
Faith
Hope
Love
and yes…the greatest of these is love!
His God, his wife, his boys, his family, and his friends love him…and he loves them. He believes in prayer and the plan God has for him as well as the power he knows God has to continue the healing.

Last Sunday Craig came to church in a wheelchair and I prayed he wouldn’t be discouraged. I should have known better. During the first songs, he stood with the congregation for as long as he could. Another reason to celebrate a victory! He’s headed for healing literally one step at a time.

There’s something about this family and this part of their journey I never want to forget. I can’t tell you how touched I am by Craig’s faith and determination. Or of Jeannie’s care for him…as her husband - she treats him like her man and grants him all the dignity she possibliy can…and teaches me grace along the way.

Even in a wheelchair until he regains his strength, my friend Craig walks tall. Very tall indeed.

I love the fragile beauty of tea cups and the stability of coffee mugs. I have a generous collection of both. And I use them. If you watched me closely, you’d learn that I often pick a cup or mug that coordinates with what I’m wearing. Something in the color or design is a match and I find that satisifying. If you are a color specialist you know that my color and style choice reveal someting intimate about my personality and/or my mood.

Sometimes I want a strong cup of coffee in a sturdy, plain colored mug. Other days I want that same coffee in a mug with a floral design. Or I might be feeling sassy and drinking from my Tinkerbelle mug.

Other times I will brew an herbal tea (chamomile or MInt Medley are always nice!) and stir in something sweet with a teaspoon - a real tea spoon - designed to stir tea. The design might be columbine, hydranga, roses, or crocus. I might be feeling feminine, tender, mellow, or in need of some TLC.

Some days I start out with one and end with the other. Or vice versa.

Most days I drink alone. If I do have company, I let my guests choose first not wanting to reveal too much of me by my choice. If I choose the delicate snowflake or the study snowman I might be saying a lot without saying a word. In the company of others, it’s often easier to use the mugs that match my everyday dishes although they reveal something about me too. I have Woodland stoneware (Pfaltzgraf). I chose that pattern because I love the birds, the woods, leaves, bees (at a distance), branches that go this way and that, bird houses, and bugs - again from a distance. I garden wearing gloves and dig with a hand trowel. All these likes are common knowledge to everyone who knows me even a little bit. So those mugs are a safe choice.

Today was a bird mug day. I love those days!

If you see me drinking from my big black mug don’t assume I’m depressed … Jon gave me that mug as a gift and it reminds me of a warm, loving moment. It’s the kind of mug you can sip coffee from or eat chicken noodle soup with crackers on a chilly day. It also makes a nice cereal bowl. I enjoy it’s wide-open roundness.

Now on a day when things aren’t going just right…you might catch me drinking from one of my Winne the Pooh mugs. Like Pooh Bear - there are days I just “a little something about now would be nice.”

If you come to my house and look at my tea cups and mugs displayed in a special-built cupboard just for them, you will see a little bit of me in each design. What an eclectic collection I have - what a contrast in design I am! So are you. I love that about our Creator God!