“If it was a snake, it would've bit you.” That's what my mother used to say after I found something that was lost. I can't even count how many times it happened where I ran around frantically trying to find something only to discover it was right in front of me all along. For instance, I'm running around looking for my glasses and they're on my head or, this is really bad, I was talking to a friend and looking for my cell phone only to realize I was talking on it! I can't believe I admitted that. What I'm trying to say is that we can get so distracted by what's going on in life that we can't see what's right in front of us. I know a couple who were terribly hurt by their church, the pastor in particular. The couple were faithful servants and went the extra mile constantly to help out. A situation arose where the couple was falsely accused and their character attacked. The pastor believed a lie over the truth. The couple was devastated. As a result, they left the church. Their hearts were broken To many of us, the church represents God but we forget the church is run by men and women who are fallible. God is the only one who is perfect. When the couple left the church, their faith was shaken. It left a big hole inside of them. More than 10 years went by. They were getting older and decided to move closer to their daughter. Covid was still rearing its ugly head and the real estate market was out of control. Even so, they won a bid on a beautiful home near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I visited there last year for the first time. When I stepped out onto their back deck, I was amazed by what I saw. There before me was a breathtaking view. There were acres of prairie with Pikes Peak standing majestically in the background. I could hardly take it all in. Out of all that beauty, there was something that caught my eye. On the other side of their fence I saw a building and three crosses on a hillside. The building was a church. I knew immediately this was no coincidence. With God, there is no such thing. God hadn't forgotten about them. He never stopped loving them. I watched as He drew them until one day my friend asked me if I would go to church with her. Her husband wasn't ready. We went that Sunday and the next. We came home to find her husband watching the service live online. It took another few months and her husband went with her. Since then they've attended faithfully, gotten involved and made some new friends but most of all, they dared to trust God. What once was lost is now found. The moral of the story is that God never gives up on us no matter how far we wander. We may feel lost but He knows exactly where we are. Nothing is beyond the scope of His love for us, not even putting a church in our own backyard. If it were a snake…

From the time she was a little girl, I had my granddaughter, Lana, beside me in the garden. At first all she wanted to do was play in the dirt but it didn't take long for her to catch the passion of watching seeds spring to life. Every year she would help me plant and water the garden and I loved the joy on her face as she picked the products of her labor…now, she didn't eat the vegetables, she just loved growing them! In the past two years, life has changed. I no longer have the big garden and Lana has moved far away. Last year before she moved, I was desperate to hang on to our tradition so I bought a couple of big pots and tomato plants. I had her plant them before she left and for the first time, the plants didn't make it. For me, it felt like a mirror to my soul. This year I had decided not to plant anything. I adopted the attitude that it was no use. It would never be the same without sharing it with Lana. That attitude showed me I was still grieving. Grief is something that never goes away. It's important you recognize it because you can make steps to go forward and not stay stuck in one place. I didn't know how to do this but God who is so rich in mercy, showed me the way. It turned out that Lana came up for a couple of weeks this summer. I had her for three days. While she was here, I got those big flower pots and checked my seed supply. Among the packets, I found a little plastic bag with the words “watermelon seeds” that contained two seeds that Lana had saved a few years before. She got all excited and insisted we plant them. I didn't have the heart to tell her they probably would not grow. She planted her precious seeds and went back home with me promising I would water them. Shortly after she left, I went on a trip and was gone for two weeks. My sister faithfully watered them but sadly nothing happened. I felt bad as I had hoped to be proven wrong and we could've shared a “garden” once more. I ended up stirring the dirt around and sprinkled a few flower seeds on the top. In just a few days, I saw a sprout. It was definitely not a flower. It was a watermelon! One of Lana's seeds had come to life and with it the part of me that had been grieving came to life also. It gave me hope. It's been a month since that seed came to life. I forgot how fast things can grow. I've taken pictures of it to send to Lana and it's obvious how it grew overnight. This morning I looked out and a flower had appeared on the plant…a promise of something yet to be. I couldn't wait to tell Lana! Will we get a watermelon? I don't know but that's not what's the most important. I'm holding to the fact that God knew the heart of a grandmother who was grieving something she thought was dead but brought it back to life in a new way. A good way. As I was writing this, I forgot to mention that I wrote a children's book for Lana so she would remember all the time we spent together in the garden. At that time, I didn't even remember I had those watermelon seeds. This is the closing paragraph: “We had lots of good vegetables from our garden this year. I hope I can help GiGi next year. Maybe we can plant watermelon!” Coincidence? No. It was a hug from God showing how much He loves me and Lana. That's what I want Lana to remember. That's the legacy. Update: Since I wrote this story a few months ago, we did get a couple of watermelons! It has been a joy to share this with Lana. I told her I would try and find a way to ship one to to her!