The triple-braided cord

3:46 p.m. Today's project was to spend a quiet day at home with Steve, and get back into the garden. It had been a while since I'd checked on the scallions and tiny flowers, not to mention weeding and thinning out the carrots. A picture of my nephew Jeremy's full-grown beets got me going, but since I planted my winter garden a couple of months after he did, I'd be wasting my time being competitive. But his success does egg me on! I teasingly asked him if he was planning to make sugar or pickle his beets! Or feed them to his nonexistent horse...

While bending over the plants, I was grateful not to have had another attack of the heartburn that kept me up during the night, gasping for air. When will I learn that with a little opening in my esophagus that lets the acid go up into my throat, I shouldn't eat later in the evening, and definitely not overeat as we all did at the Piecemakers'/Mens' study Christmas potluck last night?! There was a great blessing in the fact that Steve went, too, and was very comfortable reuniting with the men, and is excited to begin attending again in January! So we can go on Tuesday nights together like we did before he became uncomfortable about getting sleepy and not being able to follow the discussion. Now that a year has passed, we've made friends with lots of couples through our camping trips, people know about his Alzheimer's and are very helpful. They give him time to get out his thoughts, as well as respect, affection and support. We are part of a fine fellowship at Calvary Chapel Moreno Valley!

Once outside, I remembered that we need to create three more rows in the garden, so we can have a larger, separate area for the varieties of tomatoes we plan to grow. Last summer we were disappointed when the tomatoes completely overshadowed the bell peppers, serrano chiles and watermelon. The tomato vines blocked out any sunlight trying to shine on them! Steve and I went over to Home Depot and picked up 3 cubic feet of garden soil to spread out over the compost aging there. The plan was to have Steve put the 80 lb. package into our wheelbarrow, but he discovered that it was "inoperable," after almost 30 years of use in the yards of our two homes. Poor guy had to actually carry it around from the front driveway to the garden--not easy, but Steve graciously did it.

While he went on his daily walk with the dogs, I did the shoveling duty, glad to see how the partnership of marriage exemplifies cooperation, mutual support, and maximizing each spouse's talents. I design and do "the vision thing" (as President George H.W. Bush called it back in the '80's), and Steve carries out the actions to make the plans reality. Whether gardening or wallpering, we make a good team.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says, New Living Translation, "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

Jesus Christ is the third person in every Christian marriage--indeed, as far as I am concerned, He is First!