A Word from God’s Waiting Room

Wednesday was a beautiful day for a trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  We boarded the bus about 9:30 and paid our $7 fee to enter about a quarter to eleven.  I inquired about a wheel-chair rental for Virginia but was told the organization did not rent them but would check one out to me for free!   Because the Garden is rather massive in size, we took the Tram tour which had a guide to point our interesting areas, plants, sculptures, and a brief background on the founder.  We deboarded the Tram at the Shaw’s (founder) House which had been moved to the Gardens in accordance with his will. 

Because there was not a handicapped accessible entry to the home, Virginia I took a tour of a herb garden, a garden maze, the burial site of the founder, a rose garden, an iris garden (not in bloom now), a water lilly pond, the Japanese garden, tulip garden,  hosta garden and too many others to remember.  There were plants from all over the world; the trees were majestic in their colors, shapes and sizes.  Added to our enjoyment were about 40 Niki sculptures throughout the garden.  They were very colorful; they generated about as much conversation among our group as the beauty of the gardens. 

It was a great trip. However, we should have taken this trip several years ago when we could have walked at our leisure without tiring ourselves.  Following our departure from the Gardens our bus took us to the Sweet Tomatoes buffet.  Now, if you couldn’t find salad fixings to your liking there, you probably aren’t into salads–wow, what a selection of ingredients.  And, there must have been 8-10 choices of soups, several of breads, cookie, brownies.  We’d not turn down another trip to that place. 

We got back to God’s Waiting Room rather tired.  I didn’t really want to take Helena out for some fresh air, but I couldn’t turn her down.  While I was gone, Virginia took a nap.  We slept well last night.  We’re doing o.k. We enjoy your phone visits and an occasional comment to a blog entry.  God is good and when we think about His goodness, waiting becomes more bearable.  We look forward to seeing Linda and friends this weekend.  Our love and blessings.

Virginia and I spend quite a bit of time reading while here in God’s Waiting Room.  We enjoy reading books (about 18-20 per year), magazines, newspapers and, of course, our Bibles.  Since Lewis retired, his reading changed from professional/technical material to both fiction and non-fiction books.  Currently he is reading three (not at one time, mind you): The World War II Memorial, The Grotts/Seybold Family Heritage–Early Illinois Pioneers [Lewis' early ancesters], and The Ultimate Battle [the battle for Okinawa where Lewis served in WWII].  Virgnia is reading Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture at present. 

Reading helps to spend our waiting time.  It also opens new vistas, shows us the experiences of others and we gain the joy of discovering the solutions to a mystery; also the trials, triumphs and happy endings.  A few years ago, after having read about people going back home, we felt should take such a trip while we were still able to make the 1,200 mile round trip.  We felt we needed to say “good-bye.”  Back to Oklahoma we went.  We viewed our parents and grandparent’s grave stones.  We visited places where we were born, gone to school, where we had lived and where Larry, Sherrill and Mark were born.  Some of those houses in which we began our lives together and began our family, no longer existed or were in a poor state of repair.  Of course, it was the best we could afford at the time, but as we revisited our beginnings, the houses were nothing more than shacks.

Have you every lived in a shack?  Ever been on a hike and came up on a shack rather unexpectedly?  Perhaps, you went in, fought the cob webs, stumbled over a bent-up coffee pot or a broken dish, or noticed an an old chair with only three legs.  I have, quite an experience.

A couple of weeks ago, Linda gave us a ‘page-turner,’ entitled, The Shack.  The picture on the front cover reminded me of shacks of our experience.  But, that’s not what’s important, it was what laid between the covers. We thought the book was not only a compelling but inspirational read.  We found in the main character a different perspective of God’s love, his judgment, his forgiveness and the Trinity. 

Should you obtain a copy for your reading pleasure and feel a bit strange when the author (William P. Young) refers to God as Papa–well, that’s not a big stretch from Father, is it?  We recommend it and you can buy it for less than ten bucks.

God is good, He is always good.  We are doing o.k. here in God’s Waiting Room.  Love and best wishes to all.