Sunday, May 23, 2010

An elegiac memory dedicated to our mother Mary

I rest in the swing of the small pergola that overlooks the lake where Gilead exists. This refuge for my little sister Sylvia is filled with beauty as only God can produce! The early evening's light casts images of that beauty onto the lake’s water.  The surrounding trees pulsate across the windswept water. The imperfect reality of nature is camouflaged by the shimmering surface of the lake.

In the quietness of this moment I looked back into time and see our mother. She was a rare adult/child who carried the pain of adulthood covered with the playfulness of a child.  She, like the lake, could pass from the heat of the sweltering day into the shimmer of childhood.  In her dependence on others for help to provide for her children, she performed illusions much like a magician.
She could take the simplest objects and turn them into the wonders of the world. Her magic was as dazzling and elusive as the trees that I now see in Gilead’s reflective surface! Only the bright sun of another day can reveal the reality of those wonders.  Even though the reality of Gilead’s illusions shall pass into the light of day, our Mother’s magic touch, as the reflections on the lake, bring peace to my aging soul! 
David Allan Britt

Saturday, May 22, 2010

My beautiful niece Annette wrote this



We are all guilty of getting caught up in the busy demands of life. For me, my Aunt Sylvia's home (Gilead) is a retreat by the water's edge, a place where I love to go and recharge my batteries. Somehow the serene beauty of nature puts everything into perspective. It is a welcomed escape from all that weighs me down. 


Find what makes you happy and what gives you peace. Make the most of every day and take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures that life has to offer. Be blessed!

Dearest Annette, I am so looking forward to your visit and I'm so blessed to have you in my life!

Dear Reader, please visit Annette's website for her husband Kevin:

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Failed Vegan


Didn't want to leave the impression that I had managed to stay on the straight and narrow path.  After being a pretty faithful vegan for two months, I fell back off with a crash.  Which is too bad because I felt so much better while I was eschewing meat (as opposed to chewing meat).  Anyway, I'm a meat eater.  It's what I crave when I'm hungry.  So I guess I'll just have to find a way to eat less of it or eat it in a healthier way.  At least I'm keeping better care of my house than I used to, so I guess I have to forgive myself for the ways in which I fail to be the person I had hoped to be.