Patsy Clairmont's Blog

Trees and autumn are almost synonymous in my part of the country, for with the loss of summer flowers, midwestern trees fill the land with year-end color. The brilliant foliage keeps our landscape exciting and even, at certain bends in the road, magnificent.

The Trouble with Trees

My mom always felt trees made property more valuable and beautiful. Don’t tell my mom, but I’m of the opinion that some trees are nothing but t-r-o-u-b-l-e. I know; I’ve owned a few. They are what I affectionately refer to as “trash trees.” You know, the ones that produce ugly stuff that looks like cigar debris or tobacco wads. These unsightly castoffs from the tree are tossed around by the winds, leaving an ugly path throughout the neighborhood that causes neighbors’ lips to purse when they pass you, the owner of the tree, in the grocery store.

And what about the trees whose roots are like tentacles, looking to choke out the life of your septic system, part your driveaway like the Red Sea, or disembowel your sidewalk? One year I planted some bamboo trees for a privacy screen next to our deck. What I didn’t realize was that bamboo has a sneaky habit of sending out leader trees underground that pop up in neighbors’ yards. Those are the same neighbors who didn’t desire a privacy screen, a bamboo tree, a koala bear, or now us as neighbors. 

Many trees produce lovely flowers, fruit, and fall color without negative fallout. Of course, before planting a fruit tree, one should realize they are labor-intensive because of the pruning, the fruit felons that attack the tree, and the autumn debris. Yet I think a few fruit trees are worth the seasonal struggles.

The Rewards are Sweet

Yes, trees offer many rewards: sipping iced tea under the shade of a wonderful tree; tying a swing to a high branch, and trying to touch the clouds with your toes, or taking a nap in a hammock stretched between two tree trunks. And I surely wouldn’t want to miss out on the flaming red and yellow maples in the autumn. They are fall’s fireworks. 

Trees add stability, beauty, and value, which is probably why Scripture encourages us to become like well-watered trees, trees that are lush with foliage, deep in roots, and continually bear fruit (see Psalm 1:3; Jeremiah 17:8).

Branch Out through Scripture

Branch out in your life by spending time in the scriptures. Turn to the concordance in the back of your Bible and look up all the verses listed under “tree” and “fruit”. I think you’ll be encouraged and instructed … I was.

Some of My Favorite Trees

Saucer Magnolia

The short-lived, stupendous flowers are followed by delightful, oval-shaped, mint-colored leaves that deepen for autumn interest.

Japanese Maple

This tree is a miniature way to add a little frill and a lot of color-depth to your garden.

Barlett Pear

The fruitless version of this tree has beautiful flowers in the spring and colored leaves in the fall.

Apple

The gnarly trunk and limbs add a sense of history to the landscape.

Flowering Plum

This plum-pretty tree develops dark leaves and in spring, dainty flowers.

Dogwood

Bark up this tree and find lovely pink of white spring flowers looking back atcha.

Weeping Cherry

Cheers me up somehow.

Blue Spruce

A great refuge for birds, this tidy tree lends gently coloration and a wonderful shape to the garden.

Birch

Has a great parchment look.

Crab Apple

Well, it just fits my personality

Palm Tree

Pass me a coconut dah-ling. On windy days, palms look like feather dusters sweeping the sky.

Excerpt from Stepping Stones, A Garden Path

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I tried to resist. Honest, I did. But the next thing I knew I had dragged boxes, bags, and tangles of vines and dried fruit into my living room.  It was Fall in my mind, which meant pumpkins, sunflowers, & bittersweet for starters. 

Someone should have alerted the weather station as to my intentions. They seemed to think it was still summer and predicted high temperatures in the 90’s. I thought that rude. Not to mention stressful for my porch decor. Have you ever seen a scarecrow sweat? Sad. It wilts his straw.  How about a pumpkin blister up in sun spots? Scary. Or have you smelled fried sunflowers? Don’t. Nasty.

I Don’t Like to Wait

I’m not a good “wait” girl. Never have been. I’m in a hurry to dig out sweaters, flannel shirts, and cocoa. It just seems right once I see a single leaf turn colors to announce autumn to the neighborhood. It is the most abbreviated season, don’t you think? We need to extend it. Besides I’m almost certain I saw a fly-by crow in a hoodie.

Impatience adds to our stress. And I’m pretty sure with the way things have been going none of us need that. So if I could suggest a September tip it would be—Breathe. Breathing, deep breathing,  improves mental acuity, and it can help lower not only our blood pressure but the tension in our shoulders and the rubber bands in our jaw. And breathing exercises help us wait.

What Scripture Says

The Scripture uses the word “wait” repeatedly. Why do you think that is? Yep, because we forget. Waiting can be sacred work, for on the other side of wait, we find patience, hope, and most important God’s palpable presence.

“Wait I say on the Lord.”

Psalms 27:14a.

Blessing, Patsy

P.S. There’s a reason pumpkins don’t grow on trees. Imagine one of those falling on your head, you’d be seeing candy corn till Spring. But listen, when the leaves turn the color of pumpkins, reach for the rafters, pull down your orange sweatshirt, and skip on over to the mill for cider and doughnuts!

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If you are a panic-attack sufferer, you will need to roll up your sleeves and commit to the task of your own well-being. Others can offer advice, comfort, and medication, which can all be helpful. But until you take an active role in your own restoration, dramatic change will be unlikely.

I wanted the Lord to heal me in my sleep so I could rise up righteous in the morning. Instead, He has been teaching me i need to be involved and responsive in the healing journey.

Healing is a Risk

Healing is a risk because to be healed, we must trust. Those of us suffering emotionally have a broken trust factor that makes healing difficult. We’ll consider that factor in the next chapter, but first let’s talk about survival skills. How can we manage the dailiness of life in the midst of panic flushes?

A question I have been asked over and over is “How did you deal with the panic?”  panic is like a circle. A panic attack has a beginning and must come full circle once it begins. The size of the cycle depends on our response to the feelings of panic. If we fan the flame of fear, our circle enlarges, increasing the intensity of our emotions and the duration of the cycle.

Internal Dialogue

The following are a few of the favorite lines the tempter spews in our direction during a panic to increase the severity of our attack:

“This is the worst panic you have ever had.”

“You are going to lose control.”

“You are losing your mind.”

“You are going to die.”

“You will never get well.”

Lies, Lies, Lies

Lies, lies, lies! But how can we know their lies? Let’s test them

“This is the worst panic.” Whatever we are feeling at the moment seems the most intense we’ve ever experienced, because we are closest to it. This is the worst headache this is the best movie this is the most scrumptious dinner; this is the brattiest child; and so on. When we tell ourselves this panic is just another cycle of discomfort, we help to neutralize its momentum.

“You are going to lose control.” When we buy into the lie that we must be in control to be safe, we increase the panic’s ability to hold us hostage. Most of life is uncontrollable (weather, unforeseen circumstances, people’s responses, taxes, etc.), and yet generally speaking, we remain safe.

“You will lose your mind.” This lie tells us our panic is caused by a weakened mind. Instead, panic is fueled by our fragile emotions, which feed the mind inaccurate information. Sometimes the mind has been fed wrong information from the outside, and then it conveys the misinformation to our emotions, which overreact. We are not going to lose our minds; we just need to change them.

“You are going to die.” Have you? I rest my case.

“You will never be well.” Each time we experience a panic attack, our tendency is to negate any growth we have had. If we have an attack after going for a while without one, we think it’s a sign we are right back to square one, which is usually not true at all. 

Defuse the Lies

Once I learned to defuse the lies, I began to make progress. First, I changed my thoughts during a panic cycle. That’s not easy! It feels like trying to ignore a screaming child who is seated beside you on an airplane. But with effort and practice, you can learn to block out the bad information by a repeated act of your will and focus on things that help you settle down.

I would tell myself, You have been through this before, and you will make it through this time. I would insist that my muscles relax as a way to reduce tension and be an active participant in my own get-well program. At first, like a rebellious child, my muscles resisted my command, but as I persisted, they obeyed.

Healing Strategy

Learning how to implement your own healing strategy will lessen the panic attacks’ frequency and intensity. At times you will suffer setbacks, and a more insistent panic will sneak up on you. Remember the enemy likes sick surprises. Don’t indulge his lies or his tricks, but draw on your resources.

Call upon the Lord. (Remember who’s in control.)

Calm your body. (Relax.)

Collect your thoughts. (Renew your mind.)

Carry on quietly. (Restore your schedule.)

Those of us who have been or are being held hostage by panic are people given to extremes. Finding balance will not be easy for us, but it is possible. For instance, if you talk too much (and you know if you do), develop listening skills. 

If you make yourself and everyone else nervous by your anxious rushing about, take ten-minute quiet breaks to slow yourself down. Your body and mind will contest this discipline at first and thank you for it later.

If you are a couch potato, set realistic activity goals for yourself each day. Note the word realistic, because with our extremism, we will tend to either overwhelm ourselves and feel defeated or trade in our “couch potatoeness” to become busybodies.

When we hide our insecurities behind grabbing, gallivanting, or other emotional indulgences, we impede our progress and coddle our weaknesses. A true retreat is when we find emotional relief. That happens when we disarm the terrorists who hold us hostage. Panic can be conquered by implementing a new strategy, facing our fears, and resolving our inner disharmony one issue at a time.

–Excerpt from Under His Wings-

Download this checklist, Panic to Peace: 10 Ways to Soothe Your Soul

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Good Morning! Oh, wait, it’s already past noon. Well, anyway, happy Monday! No, no, that’s not right either it’s Friday the 7th of July. Nope, try again Patsy, it’s AUGUST. August? That means the last month of summer, and I was waiting for vacation to start. You know, trips to Disneyland, neighborhood barbecues, beaches, concerts, date night with hubby, etc.

I bet you find yourself from time to time in a muddle and/or a puddle. Or maybe you’re double-dipping and just not sure which came first the puddle or the muddle. All you know is this is not your idea of fun. Mine either.

Survival

I’m grateful God gave us instinctive survival skills (like Joseph), the potential for do-over attitudes, even after being swallowed by circumstances (like Jonah), and community spirit to try, try again (like Nehemiah).

I don’t think many of us are going to sport 2020 tattoos. In fact, collectively we’d probably say we want to paddle our skiff away from this calendar year as quickly as possible. But then we know the year didn’t cause the mess we are in, so we tend to do what Adam and Eve taught us to do—we blame.

Blame

Blame is a bad use of good energy. And a barrier to progress. It’s the devil’s most common ditch-digging tool because it potentially leaves us in a pit, depleted, divided, & disillusioned.

Accountability- that’s a whole other conversation. Accountability means having the hard, necessary conversations, making difficult choices for the right reasons, and walking in personal integrity, while not judging someone else’s intentions.

No doubt about it, blame is easier.

Caution

My caution for you and to myself is not to let my insecurities and emotions rule my choices and thought life. That means making sure I have carefully installed my security system, God’s Word, to guard my heart and my mind. Safety is first an inside issue between the Lord and us. To understand the love of God and his counsel we must know his Word, which reassures us, directs us, and protects us. Let’s stay as far away from judging and blaming as we can because they ignite dissent in our ranks. God’s bottom line is love. Always has been. Always will be.

Blessing

May the God of peace and mercy, grace and love overtake us in these difficult days, Patsy

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How can the days feel so long and yet the months scurry? 

Covid-19 has certainly been jarring to our world. It’s changed our plans, highlighted our loneliness, increased our anxiety, impacted our economy, exposed our frailty…

In and through this journey Jesus remains who He has always been. Savior, Shepherd, Counselor, Healer, Companion, etc. 

Remember Hagar from the Old Testament? She and her son were thrown out of Abraham and Sarah’s caravan into the desert alone.  No flashlight, no funds, no food. It looked hopeless for them until she met “the God who sees.”

The Lord is not in hiding nor is he blind to our suffering. He not only sees, but he has a master plan that’s locked in place. At no point has he been unaware, taken aback, shocked, unprepared, or helpless. He has a history from before “the beginning” of being Able, Strong, and Sure. We are the ones with weak knees, unfaithful hearts, and wobbly convictions. God’s response to our frailty is Jesus.  The One who rescues and heals us from our sin and the sin of others.

Covid-19 is a constant threat, inconvenience, and disruption, however, it doesn’t determine our destiny. That’s locked in place. Jesus sees. He remains our Sovereign, Compassionate, Provisional God. 

Dear ones the Lord is here and near to the broken-hearted, the weak, the sick, the lost, and all those who call upon his dear name. He offers us strength for the long day and dark nights. 

So let’s buckle on our armor (and our mask, when appropriate), rise up into our gifts, calling, and our courage. Let’s spread our Christ inheritance of joy, hope, love, and light. Hard times and desert places is where he does some of his deepest heart work. 

Braveheart’s let us raise Christ’s banner and sing his praise!

Love, Patsy

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I came across something just recently that delighted me. First of all, let me tell you that I’m a magazine girl. I like being able to go in and out of an article quickly. I like to learn that way as well as learning in a hefty book full of teaching. But when my mind is tired or not wanting to focus, the ease of a magazine just hits the spot. It’s like my hot bath or cozy jammies. It refreshes me and settles my noisy brain.

So when I came across Eden and Vine, I knew I would have to share it with you …you’re going to love this. Eden and Vine is more than a newsstand magazine, it’s a coffee-table magazine. It’s full of beautiful photography and well-written articles. Eden and Vine is dripping with gorgeous.

This ad-free “magazine” has well-written articles too. I loved the great mix of charming, deeply moving, and practical. The contributors are learning how to walk out their truth and they share their stories, their insights, their homes, their recipes, steps to nurture the heart of a child, how to live with grace, ways to deepen your prayer life, and so much more.

Eden and Vine is not something you will just toss to the side after you read it. It’s something you’ll go back and reread again as well as share with others. I look forward to its quarterly arrival. I think you will too. Take a look for yourself and meet their writers: https://bit.ly/EdenAndVine

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Hey, girlfriends would you like to join me for some writerly fun? Our mutual long season of “time out” has reminded many of us of the immense joy in and necessity of community. So I thought, let’s get together on Facebook and talk about pals, paper, and potstickers. Huh? Potstickers? (keep reading).

I’ve decided to form a community of creatives. And no, you don’t have to be a published writer to join in. You don’t even have to want to write. Really. Yes, this is an introduction to writerly ways, but it’s applicable to communicating in your preferred form of creative expressions, whether with a pen, plants, paints, piano, poetry, photography, pansies, popcorn stitchery, or your tasty version of potstickers.

I’ve found that principles have diversity and inclusiveness woven into their fabric, which is what we want. Strong threads of meaning to strengthen our character and to remind us that our unique contributions matter. And while I won’t be sharing what to do if you play the piano off-key, I will be sharing keys to more exciting verbiage. I won’t critique if you drop a note singing, but I will share notes on how to drop extra words to make your sentences sing.

I thought I’d throw some challenges your way to see what we can discover about ourselves that will help us laugh and grow. Two of my favorite activities!

This community will be a Facebook Group and will include succinctly written challenges that you can post in the group, or you can choose not to show a soul. I won’t make house calls at midnight to thumb through your work with a red pen. Promise. This is written exploration without intimidation.

Along with the writing challenges you could benefit from:

Video interviews with some of my expressive friendsInteresting articles hand-picked for life enrichmentDiscussions about great authors and artisansMotivational materialsA time and place to post your blog locationsAnd so much more!

If this rings your bell, join us. The doors are always open, at least for a season. You can come alone and make new friends, or arrange to meet up with your old friends, for wildly inventive sessions. It costs nothing to join, so hop on over to Facebook, request to join, and introduce yourself!

With love, Patsy

Are you ready? Click here!

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Guards with bloody hands gambled for His clothes. Rulers sneered. And the people stood by and looked on.

Darkness rumbled thundering judgment, the sacred rent in half, while the stench of death filled the land. The screams of suffering went eerily silent.

It was earth’s darkest hour.  

Hope drained.

The grave was sealed, as was the fate of mankind now without

a Sent Savior,

a Daring Deliverer,

a Holy High Priest,

a Living Presence.

All was lost. The Light extinguished.

Grief spread reducing faith to ashes, hearts to stone. Mind-numbing despair nailed open doors shut. Embodied Joy crucified by bitter lies dipped in hyssop.

Weeping, disbelief, blame, anger, accusations, confusion, could be heard in the anguished wails of followers.

What now?

Oh, God what now?

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I must confess I am smitten with the Genesis creation account. It fills me with wonder and awe. I close my eyes and try to imagine the holy dynamics of those first birth pangs as darkness and disorder are called into form and light. 

To help my finite brain wrap around that moment…

I think of a kaleidoscope that one moment holds a pile of shards and the next, with a vivid spin, is a stained glass window in Notre Dame.

I cannot read about God looking upon the disorder without remembering the chaotic shambles of my life and how He re-formed me and brought the light of hope and help into my darkened existence. And then in His mercy began placing my shards in a new order for a holy purpose.

How can it be He died for me. Genesis 2:1-2

Lyrics

Hymn by Issac Watts 

I sing the mighty power of God, 

that made the mountains rise,

That spread the flowing seas abroad, 

and built the lofty skies.

I sing the wisdom that ordained 

the sun to rule the day;

The moon shines full at God’s command, 

and all the stars obey.

Art



By NotTheRealShaneFontaine – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

This photo (above) is of a sculpture over the front doors of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. by Fredrick Hart. He died in 1999 at the age of 55.

If I remember correctly he was an unknown until the Cathedral in an attempt to find an artist held a completion without names or educational info.-they strictly judged by gift. Hart won and the rest is history. I visited a art store that carried his work in DC and was smitten with this sculpture that I had seen at the church. It is his depiction of man’s struggle against the currents of life to become. 

Prayer

Creator of Heaven and Earth, our nothing is everything in your hands. May we respond to the pressure of Your love as you shape and design our lives. May we face the scrutiny of Your light understanding love and mercy are always Your intentions. “In the beginning,” the sign over the door into each  new day, may we enter with thankful hearts. Amen

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“Second Wind; A Fresh Run at Life” by Charles Swindoll.

It’s a slim volume with a massive message that I still remember today, over 35 years later. Of course, I do, since I read it over and over because it fed my spirit. The best attributes of its content is Charles Swindoll’s way with words and his handling of truth. He knows how to tickle laughter out of a line while holding hearts at attention with his story-telling style and his teacherly gift. 

I had the fruitful experience of having heard Chuck preach every winter for five years when my hubby and I were snowbirds from Michigan to Texas. And for the first three Sundays each season, I wept at the sheer privilege of sitting under his tutelage. He’s such an orator of the finest ilk. I had to pinch myself at the thought that I could be taught by the person who had dramatically impacted my early years of development as a believer. His passion for Christ and his devotion to God’s Word continues to inspire me.

Chuck’s musical laughter is hospitable in that it invites us to gather around and join him, like a campfire circle. He stirs the embers of our faith by his reminders of God’s love. And Chuck’s ability to dip into his life, music, and history to help us grasp eternal truths warms the heart. 

So what was the line that has survived inside of me for years from this book? It’s actually something that was said to him…
“The problem with life is that it’s so daily.” So funny. So true. So profound.

When I read that line I was battling depression and anxiety…again. I was weary from my struggles. It was exhausting work not to give in to the lies in my head and to keep participating in the daily grind. Somehow though, like a key when it is slipped into a lock, I realized as I read those words, that made me laugh and then tear up, that everyone battles something in the dailiness of existence. That gave me courage.

“The problem with life is that it’s so daily.”

We all know that in a vague way but reading this succinct statement woke me to its truth. We are warned in this life we will have trouble but we are to be of good cheer. The cheer is not us waving pom-pom’s at our problems, nor is it us shutting down and giving up, but it’s embracing that “greater is He who is within us than he who is in the world.” In eternity our winter struggles will permanently melt but until then we should not be surprised by the fact that life is tightly stitched with difficulties. There is comfort in knowing we aren’t the only one grappling, but also, we have responsibility, for when we believe in the commonality we will have to give up some of our poor-me drama (for those of us prone to our own why-me exclusiveness). 

We are not the only ones who suffer. 
We are not alone. 
Trouble is common …
and oh boy, is it daily.

Carry on!

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