Grandma’s Garden
“The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.”
Grandma had planted many pretty flowers in her garden, but it got unusually hot this summer. Her assortment included a large variety of flowers, including petunias, marigolds, roses, pansies and more. Because it was so hot, the flowers needed to be watered nearly every day.
Grandpa and I took turns doing the watering. Sometimes I had fun "accidently" spraying Grandpa and sometimes I sprayed myself.
During the hot spell, Grandpa and Grandma decided we would go to the coast for a day or two. I have heard it is a lot of fun to go to the beach. There we could play in a sand box a million times larger than the one Cyclone and I have at home. There we could cool off, play in the water and run on the sand. All of us were looking forward to a break from the heat. We all had our own reasons. Grandma and the girls wanted to do some shopping in the little stores in town while Grandpa wanted to do some clam digging. Cyclone and I wanted to make the world's largest sand castle.
We were all excited and ready to go experience the ocean. All of us pillows packed our swim suits right away. I don't think Grandpa and Grandma even have swimwear, but they still find a way to have fun. As I thought about the adventure that was ahead, I wondered if the coast would be as much fun as camping in the mountains. I was sure ready to find out.
That night we went to bed early as we needed to get up early the next morning. We had a long trip ahead. What I did not know, as I lay in bed pondering what it would be like at the ocean, was how fun and exciting the trip there would be. It is not like traveling through the desert where mile after mile the scenery seems to change very slowly. Before we were even close we came to a large river with ships on it and we saw boats with fishermen and their fishing rods. There were a lot of trees everywhere and sometimes their branches made a canopy over the highway. It seemed like we were going through a tunnel.
As we got near the coast, the ocean came into view and the excitement grew even more. Cyclone wanted to stop and run out onto the beach as soon as he saw a place to pull off the highway near the ocean. Bella wanted to know when we would get to the motel as she wanted to put on her swimsuit and run in the sand and water.
After getting into our room we were soon all set to go to the beach. Grandpa told us to be careful as the waves can come in hard at times and you need to be watchful that they don's carry you farther out into the water. Once we arrived at the beach we were in for a shock. The wind was chilly and the water was cold. It was not like California, Hawaii or Florida. Most of the people walking along the beach had regular clothes on and they were looking for sea shells and agates. Finally, Cyclone and I had our sand castle just about complete when the tide came in and started eating away at it. Within a short while the waves that came in had dissolved our structure and there was just a little dimple in the sand where it once stood. Cyclone and I had learned a lesson about tides.
The two day trip was very short, but we knew God had blessed us by leading us to go to the ocean. The ocean is huge and a wonder of God's handiwork. I found out that the ocean is colder as it gets farther and farther from the equator. That was great as it gave us some relief from the inland heat even though it was just for a couple of days. Grandpa and Grandma said we could go back sometime soon. I will look forward to that experience.
As we headed back home, all of us pillows were tired. We had a lot of fun, but we were now exhausted. It was going to be fun to be home in our own little bed.
As we came into the driveway we were in for another big surprise. Instantly we saw Grandma's flowers had wilted. When we got out of our car we instantly felt the heat. Grandma's flowers were a sad sight. Grandma felt sad and a little sheepish. In our excitement, we had all forgotten to water them before we left. It was what it was, but Grandpa said he thought most of them would come back alright if he watered them again right away. Grandma was accepting of the idea that some of the flowers might not survive, and besides it would not be long before they would fade away naturally.
At that point Grandpa and Grandma reminded us of what it tells us in Isaiah 40: 8 “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.”
Dear friends, our trip was short and Grandma's flowers were wilted when we returned. That is the way with these things. I am glad God's Word will remain forever and so will those who receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
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