A Dear Friend - An Old Book - Starting Something New

Martha Steury is a very dear, dear friend of mine. this was taken, I believe one year ago at her 84th birthday. I met her through my work at The Window. She is one of my biggest cheerleaders. She has always said that I have come to The Window "for such a time as this". She prays for me, encourages me and is my precious friend. I love her to pieces.

For the past several months she has been battling an infection in her knee, which has kept her from coming to The Window and she has become wheelchair bound and has much difficulty in even walking. She is waiting for a surgeon to schedule the surgery that she needs to have. She has been spending a lot of time waiting for "due process" to happen. She is not a very patient woman, but continues to grow in strength, joy and character. She is always talking to the Lord about everyone and everything.

I have been trying to visit with her one day a week - which is a real highlight for me. Today, I just returned home from my visit with her. We used to do Bible Study together once a week with other ladies too but since she's been laid up, we've been mainly talking and visiting. Today we started something new.

We began reading together (or I'm reading and she's listening) hahaha.  The book "Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. A very old but classic book. It was written in 1955 and has been my all time favorite book. I have read the book to my daughters and have read it many times over the years. I also highly recommend to everyone.  It is an allegory - so a very easy story type read but has so much truth in it - that I can read it over and over again and each time I read it - it speaks differently to me because I'm at a different place in life.  As I began to read the first chapter - I was once again overcome with emotion as I read about how the twisted mouth relaxed into a happy curve and the shining eyes and pink cheeks made plain, disformed Much-Afraid almost beautiful. She was so afraid to accept the "flower of Love" seed because it was a thorn but the Shepherd told her that "Love and pain must go together for a time at least. If you would know Love, you must know pain too."

I just love the transformation that happens when Love enters the picture, the life, the circumstances, the experience, whatever it is - LOVE BRINGS TRANSFORMATION.