I didn’t mean to leave you in the lurch for the last two weeks. Sorry about that!
The news is that we have finished the drawings and inking of all the illustrations for The Pirate’s Bride, and are in the layout phase. We have been putting in some super long days, and Beau even fell asleep with his head on the desk! Last night Tony printed up a mock copy with all of the pictures in place so we could show Jim, and it was exciting for all of us to see it reaching completion. . .
. . .but then, of course, we noticed all of those little things that didn’t show up before.
So we have a few more little things to fix, but the bulk of it is done. (Yay!) I can’t wait to get it out there, so you can all read it. We are praying that our efforts to make it better don’t get in the way of the message that God is communicating through it. We are complete newbies as far as all of this illustration business, though Beau understands it from the comic standpoint. We just pray it is a blessing to those who read it!
But on Sunday, we put it all aside and went for our regular walk at Lewis Emery Park. And I was so glad we did! What a beautiful, chilly fall day it was! I looked up to the sky as we pulled into the drive, and I saw the moon in the afternoon sky.
As we drove around the bend in the lake, we immediately noticed something was going on. They were waiting in line.
Everything seemed very quiet (too quiet), and then we realized what it was.
The new recruit (on the right side of the above picture) was a little wild, and wasn’t cooperating. He thought it was OK to wander off at the most critical time. (You can see how his corrupting influence affected even the seasoned officers.) We got there just as the commander began to reprimand him.
We felt it was best to just let them to sort it all out, and began our walk. The wind was brisk, but we were glad to see God’s beauty all around us, and Jim declared it was the perfect temperature! (Hmmm)
As we kicked leaves around the lake, I found my mind wandering back to our work. Here at the end, I realized that most everything is really about God. We had just heard a beautiful sermon that morning on what happens in the presence of God.
God made all of this beauty, and His sun highlights it and makes it glow. Our physical world is but a shadow of the glories to come, though. And when I am overwhelmed at the beauty I see around me, I wonder: “How will I take it all in, Lord? How will we be able to stand the full reality and glory of your presence?
My eyes burned from looking too close to the sun, and I rested them while we walked, putting my hand on Jim’s arm and walking with my eyes closed for a few steps. I remembered the sermon from the morning. “In the presence of the Master, healing takes place, and decisions will be made (confusion will vanish.) In the presence of God, darkness becomes light, and all things will be made new (including us!)”
God will strengthen and perfect us so that we can be with him, I thought. There is nothing to fear, for every eventuality has already been seen and prepared for by our loving Father. And for now, our weakness only demonstrates His strength.
We continued around the lake and ran across the core of Park Security. It had been a rough day, obviously, and they were not accommodating when we got close.
It was pretty chilly as the sun got closer to the horizon. It seems to slip down a little faster these days; but then, that was probably just my reaction to the start of daylight savings time.
I always hate to leave the park (even when I am glad to be in a warm vehicle once again!), and so Jim drove around the lakes once more before we left.
The Fullers Four 