The End of California Visit 2012

How did this happen? Time has surely flown by quicker than usual. I can hardly believe that my time visiting my grandparents is over. It has been such a blessed trip and I cannot thank God enough for everything He has done for me on this trip.
So, do you want me to brake down this trip for you? I think I shall!

I first flew into California with my mother and two of my little brothers, Samuel, and Daniel. Daniel was ADORABLE! He loved looking out the window and clapping his hands. I do believe he is the cutest 1 year old ever.

I don't know how anyone could look out the window of a plane to a view like this and say there isn't a God. He must exist. After all, a view like this couldn't have created itself ;-)

We celebrated my little brother, Samuel's, birthday while in California. It was a ton of fun and he even bought a fish named "Mr. Purpy". He really loves his fish.

While I was in California we visited several organic farmers to interview them. That was quite a bit of fun! We even went to a farmers market. I really enjoyed watching all the people search for their favorite goodies.

I also had the opportunity to visit with my cousins and go to Yosemite. Yosemite was just breath taking. Nearly all of the falls were dried up but it was still AMAZING! My favorite view of Yosemite is from the very bottom of the valley looking up at the majestic mountains. Ah, yep...thats the best view ever. And, I also got to take a bunch of pictures of a little fawn and a herd of deer grazing near the road. The fawn was just adorable! I have never gotten so close to a deer before so that was quite a treat! To see the rest of the photos from my trip to Yosemite (including that cute little fawn), go to: Rejoicing In Life Photography  

I also had the opportunity to volunteer in the NICU. I had an amazing time. I learned a ton and really enjoyed learning more about the people that worked there. I loved holding the babies while singing softly to them, praying for them, and thanking God for them. The time I spent in the NICU was so blessed. I really can't say thank you enough to God for that opportunity.
It is really my hope that I left there leaving hope and a lot of joy. Each of those people in there are unique and precious to Christ and I learned that they really loved working together and form a sort of work family. It was sweet to see.

I'll post more details about my time volunteering in the NICU later. It will have to wait for another post. It's a rather long story. ;-)

So, now I'll be heading home in just four short days. You can imagine the packing I had better do! Haha... I honestly have never been more excited to get packed into a car with a fish and my grandparents.

Be Still My Soul

There is this lovely little song that my baby brother, Daniel, loves to listen to. It is part of an albumn called "Lullaby Scriptures, Hidden in my Heart". It has actually become one of my favorite things to listen to. Often this song comes to mind as I am taking a walk through the garden or holding one of the precious babies in the NICU.
"Be still, my soul. Be still and know that He is God." I just love that. It always calms my soul to listen to this song and be reminded of the wondeful promises of the Lord. 

Nature has a way of bringing that song to mind... Maybe its the peaceful sound of the breeze, or the songs softly singing their song.

The babies living in the NICU have a way of reminding me who God is. Maybe it is that as I sit and watch them slowly drift off to sleep, I watch their eyelashes flutter, I watch their chest gently rise and fall, and I feel their tiny hand holding my finger, I have slowed down enough to let myself be reminded. I love those kids. I love that God has brought them into my life and that He is teaching me more about Himself through them.

A Warm Cup of Tea

It was a chilly morning with fog resting on the hills and a light rain coming down. I decided that this called for a warm cup of raspberry tea. It's one of my favorite ways to spend a rainy day.

The Little Things

It is important to me to take time to stop, listen to the music of life, take a deep breath in, and look around. What amazing things I find when I do this! God has given us such beautiful gifts each day if we simply choose to look for them. Often we do not have to look far.
I was rather bored one day. I had finished as much math as my brain could handle, I had cleaned the house, and I needed something to do while grandpa napped. So I decided to take my camera and see if there was anything interesting laying around for me to take a picture of. Much to my delight there was! You may have seen some of these pictures on my photography blog already but let me share with you what really made me interested in these photos.

Upon a glance this is simply a purple flower...but if you take the time to stop and look closely you will notice some very fine details. First, the vibrant orange pollen. Now look at the little bits of orange coloring in the center of this little flower... it makes the pollen "pop" a little more. And that lovely blue has a way of pulling more color out of those soft purple petals while the blurred green background sets the perfect stage to show case this little flower.

This vibrant yellow flower is just a puff of delight to me! The way it seems to capture the light in it's very petals amazes me. My grandmother tells me often, any garden with a dash of yellow is always the pettiest and I find that to be true. Yellow is a very cheerful color!

The white rose. Notice the traces of pink throught it's petals, the way the petals seems soft, and light seems to elluminate each petal. So much beauty and detal in each petal is what I see in this photo.

This is a from one of the beautiful trees on my grandparents property. The tree's branches are often completely covered in this pink fluff and makes for a beautiful thing to behold.  Look at the way the light hits the petals and how soft they seem in this picture.

Isn't it wonderful?! Look at how many different shades of pink and red are contained in just one flower!

The flowers in this photo are less than pefect, you can see the time and the hot summer have had their toll, and you can see a tiny creature working dilligently to provide its family with food for the winter. What I liked about this photo is that it reminded me of how fleeting life is and the words of James in the Bible.

What makes each of these photos important to me is how great our God is. I see God's handiwork in each of these photos and that is what makes them important to me. He thought about the colors blending together and how they would seem pleasing to the eye. He also thought about the importance of pollenating the plants and how we would need a little bee to help us out. He thought about the wonderful aroma of the roses and how their petals offer us many healing benefits. He thought about each and every single one of those things and so much more and I don't want to take it for granted.

Have a great evening friends!

To God be the glory,

Bethany Joy

Volunteering @ CRMC: Day One

I started my day by reporting to Mrs. McCloudy, she sent me to Mr. Cruz, and from there I went to Ms. Rose, the unit clerk. It was a wonderful first day! I learned many things about the NICU that I hadn't known before, I learned how the doctors on the floor wanted everything done a certain way, I learned many little random facts about the hospital (for example, they don't like card board sitting around), and I got to see many precious babies. I learned that Ms. Rose has a sense of humor...quite a funny thing she is! She was great to work with. She made things easy to understand but kept things moving along. At the end of the day she was happy with the work that we got done and we both look forward to seeing each other again soon. 

I also got to learn more about their codes...All hospitals have "codes"  that they use to announce things over the intercom without disturbing patients. I remember my mother telling me about it when she was a nurse. Now I get to memorize each and every single one and the "plan of action" too. SO much memorizing! I also have to learn where everything is... The good news about that is that I will spend most of the time in one unit (the NICU) so I don't have to remember quite as much.

I met two other volunteers, both already knew each other because they attended the same medical school. Both were Asian and quite silly! We worked together for about 15 minutes before they had to leave for a class at their medical school. Almost the entire time they were giggling about something. Most of the time I couldn't understand what they were saying but nonetheless we enjoyed working together.  

My favorite part was when Ms. Rose and I were doing inventory and we went down to L&D (Labor and Delivery). The mommas there looked so sweet...holding their babies for the first time. The looks on their faces were priceless.

After I finished doing inventory we made some family care packages (with blankets, hats, and a note), some crib cards, and that completed my day. I was very thankful that everyone was so friendly and helpful. It made my first day very enjoyable. :-)

Thank you everyone for praying and offering words of wisdom and encouragement. I appreciate it! :-)

To God be the glory.

Bethany Joy

Rose Petal Blessings

It has been a wonderful week here in sunny California. My grandfather and I trimmed the rose bushes a couple weeks back and now they are covered in the most beautiful array of colors! Tomorrow the gardner will bring some fall looking flowers and plant them along the walk way. I am looking forward to seeing what he has planned. He has done a wonderful job caring for the rest of the yard.

Today, I was delighted to collect the rose petals that had fallen from the roses and set them aside for me to dry later. I look forward to using them for teas, tinctures, and balms later. I enjoyed playing around with the roses this afternoon and taking a few pictures.

A California update: Most Beautiful Love

What a blessed daughter I am! The life that the Lord has given me is good. Over the past three weeks I have had the most wonderful opportunity to be with my grandparents. I was supposed to be here caring for them however, they have been so well that I have not needed to do hardly anything to help them. I think the Lord has placed me in one of the most wonderful spots. Here in the sunny land of California, in the rather busy city of Madera/Fresno, I have the opportunity to sit and watch as my grandparents live their lives and unknowingly show the most beautiful example love. 

When my grandfather was in his hospital bed rather exausted from the hip surgery, my grandmother bent over and tenderly ran her fingers through his gray hair and whispered a sweet prayer of faith, love and healing. When she had said amen she told my grandfather that she loved him and then he replied in a deep but most sincere and loving voice "I love you too.." At first I wanted to take a picture of this most precious moment but before I could reach for my phone it dawned on me.. You can't capture such a love as that with a phone camera. This love has been tested and tried, it has gone through many battles and come out stronger and closer not only to each other but to their dear Savior. That moment I had te honor of witnessing is a moment I will forever cherish. 

Let us never take for granted the blessings He has given us. Lord help us recognize the blessings you scatter through our day. In hospital rooms, at our office, or when we are simply sitting on the couch resting, never take these moments for granted. 

To God be the Glory.
Bethany Joy