My Paisley Chair

A priceless treasure has been sitting on my shelf! It was not buried in a remote place, no need for a map with an “X” to mark the spot, it has been hidden in plain sight. Overlooked, not fancy or eye catching in the least, it’s been there for quite some time. Gently loved and worn, but not tattered, within the pages of this cherished book, solace for the soul was underlined in green ink.

The timing of finding this treasure, May 26, 2025, is not lost on me. When I look for them, miracles are scattered throughout each day. I am amazed at the divine orchestration of the smallest details of life that bring beauty and meaning to my life.

Streams in the Desert

“Back in the day”, when I was young, a mentor gave me a copy of Streams in the Desert. It was a stabilizing foundation as I started my faith journey. Recently, I noticed quotes from this devotional laced throughout some books I’m reading and decided to add it back into my mornings. My copy long gone, I ordered a new one, which is an updated version using more current verbiage than when first compiled in 1925.  

I was intrigued by the wording in today’s reading referencing “Spring up, O well!” and the concluding poem:

You’re waiting for deliverance! 
O soul, you’re waiting long!
Believe that your deliverance 
Does wait for you in song!
Complain not till deliverance
Your fettered feet does free:
Through songs of glad deliverance 
God now surroundeth thee. 

Curious how this compared to the original, I picked up Ailene’s copy of Streams in the Desert that was resting on my bookshelf.

The Fly Page

If you knew David’s mother, Myrtice Aliene Sawyer Hunt, it would not surprise you that her copy was lovingly covered in plastic wrap and written in her undeniable script on the fly page, Mrs. Leon M. Hunt.

Also included on the page:

“Presented to Mr. H.O. Sawyer
Father’s Day 1966
First Assembly of God
McGehee, Arkansas”

Under the edge of the plastic taped to the book’s cover, in mom’s handwriting, was this note, “Given me by Dad on 27 May 1967”.

May 27, 1967

Immediately I turned to May 26 and read – written in green ink – “Funeral for Mother 2 PM at the church, Bro. Helton & Murray. Trio – Maxine, Sis. Helton & Laura. Songs: Let The Lower Lights Be Burning & Zion’s Hill.”

Overwhelmed!

Leafing back through the pages of May’s devotionals, the margins chronicle the last days of Grandmother Sawyer. Hospital stays, surgery dates, and the day the doctor delivered the diagnosis of cancer are noted in the devotional margins. Noteworthy are the phrases and scriptures underlined in green ink indicating the very Presence of God sustaining this wellspring of our spiritual heritage.

I did not know Mr. & Mrs. H. O. Sawyer. I have heard countless stories of their great faith and seen the imprint and impact of their lives on our family. Seeing what ministered to them, recorded by being underlined in green ink, truths are revealed that sustained them through their faith journey. Trophies of God’s grace and mercy, lives well-lived until the very end, the Sawyers are a testament of God’s faithfulness.

Note to Self: Allow time to sift through this treasure to know the “depth of the love of God” and “riches of His grace” that sustains, comforts, encourages and brings strength.

Spiritual Heritage

“Glory!” is written in mom’s handwriting in the margin by this scripture: Deut 33:25 “Thy shoes shall be iron and brass: and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.”

Spiritual heritage is a priceless treasure, but nothing compared to knowing that our children will walk in the ways of the Lord! God, by Your mercy, grant to us the privilege of seeing Your grace poured out upon our children and their children, that they may carry on the legacy of knowing You!

To my children:

In the closet of my office, on the shelf, rest years’ worth of journals chronicling the whispers of Holy Spirit to my soul. Gleaning from the Word daily – strength, comfort and direction, my journals are a testament to the faithfulness of God. The “song of deliverance” that resonates in my soul: “All my life He has been faithful! All my life He has been so, so good. With every breath that I am able, I will sing of the goodness of God!” “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God to me!”

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Until next time…