O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

 Photography by Lauren Monaco

At church two Sundays ago, our chancel choir sang this beautiful Scottish hymn composed by George Mattheson in 1882.  The lyrics struck a chord with me.

Here's Indelible Grace's version of O Love That Will Not Let Me Go.  The music is peppier than I would like it to be, but it is quite beautiful in its own way.   Take a listen, but more importantly, consider the lyrics together with me.

O LOVE that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O LIGHT that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O JOY that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O CROSS that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.

Happy Mother's Day

Illustration by Lauren Monaco

To Mom, with love

I learned a lot about life from my mother, and inherited many of her traits.  But one thing that I've not acquired is my mother's gift of conversation.  I come from a family of introverts, except for Mom.  Growing up, we relied on Mom to spice up our dinner conversations, especially when we had company (which was frequent as my parents were exceedingly hospitable people).  Mom was able to keep any conversation going from world events to knitting.  Part of it is she's a woman of strong opinions but she's also one who knew how to ask questions.

But what is most unique about her conversational style is her ease of weaving  quirky Chinese proverbial sayings into her everyday conversations.  They add such vividness and color.  She said she acquired these sayings from her mother and from her  studying of  Chinese proverbs.  None of my aunts throw proverbial sayings into their conversations, so I tend to think this is something uniquely mom.  The pictures created in one's mind from her sayings are quite arresting which made her conversations quite unforgettable.  For example, if she's chiding us for being ignorant, she would say, "You are like a frog at the bottom of a well, never having seen much of the heavens or the sun!"  That certainly had a way of putting us in our place!  Now when I overhear arrogant, ignorant talk, the person is sometimes reduced in my mind to a frog in a well, croaking in the darkness of his limited circumference of a well.

I am not about to weave quirky Chinese proverbs into my everyday conversations any time soon, as I think only Mom can do it well in her unique casual kind of way.  I can however present a sampling of the proverbial sayings she's fond of using.   It will not have the same flavor and richness, and I'll probably do a tortured job with the translation.  Some of these sayings are quite pedestrian and others quite elegant.  Some are easily interpreted while others require some deciphering.

Here they are...

Another version of the frog in a well:
As the summer insect cannot speak of ice, the frog at the bottom of a well should not talk of the heavens.

Trying to drive a dumb man to speak (indicating futile effort)

Those who reject iron cannot make steel

Water at at distance cannot save a fire which is near; a relative afar off is not equal to a neighbor at hand.

Adding flowers to embroidery (presents to the rich)

Sending coal in a snowstorm (timely assistance)

A workman who wishes to do his work well must first sharpen his tools

Not willing to pull out a single hair (stinginess)

A tiger entering a cave, looking in front but disregarding the rear (recklessness)

Distant waters cannot quench present thirst

Fresh flowers stuck on a donkey's head

A man with hare's head and snake's eyes (a devious person)

To nourish what is small at the expense of what is great.

Seven hands, eight feet (clumsiness)

Words as myriad as dog's hair

Taking advantage of a fire to stage a robbery

I end now with my favorite of her sayings:

Before my couch the moonbeams bright
Are like the frost pure and white;
I raise my eyes and see the moon,
I drop them and I think of Home 

I raise my eyes, Mom, and I see the moon.  I drop my eyes, Mom, and I think of you!  Missing you this Mother's Day.

Flowers and Meals

One can get pretty spoiled when one is under the weather.  Look at some of the beautiful flowers I received the past few months!  Aren't the arrangements simply gorgeous and glorious?

We were also spoiled with lovingly prepared meals.  If you could only taste the pot roast, fajitas, Spanish baked chicken and rice, chicken stir-fried with peppers and pecans, roast beef, tomato soup, chicken soup, quinoa, Greek salad, chicken and egg salad sandwiches, turkey chilli, lemon meringue pie, apple pie, cookies, pound cake, and even protein shakes!  I didn't think to photograph the food before they were devoured.  That being said, meals don't photograph as well (some would differ, I imagine) for meals are a feast to the tummy and flowers  a feast to the eyes, but both fill the heart and warm the soul for they were given with utmost love by incredible friends and family!

Thank you!  And thank you for all the loving cards, phone calls, emails, text messages, and for driving Miss Daisy around town.  Did I say I got pretty spoiled?

Philippians 3:3, 4, 6, 7a, 8-11
³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy... ⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace...⁸ For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. ⁹ And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.