“Listen, O Israel!
The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.
And you must love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
all your soul,
and all your strength.
And you must commit yourselves
wholeheartedly to
these commands that I am giving you today.
Repeat
them again and again to your children.
Talk about them when you are at
home
and when you are on the road,
when you are going to bed
and when
you are getting up.
Tie them to your hands
and wear them on your forehead
as reminders.
Write them on the doorposts of your house
and on your gates."
Deuteronomy 6:4-9, The New Living Translation
Wooden gates and doors from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church,
where the Kindergarden Commencement for our granddaughter Grace
was held on Thursday morning of this week.
This church is four driveways from our home.
I have been inside a few times, but never wandered the grounds with camera in hand.
It is an old mission style church, built for the families of the soldiers in the presidio when Father Serra
built the mission trail in California in the late 18th century.
It is gloriously beautiful and someday I'll do an entire photo essay about it.
But these gates and doors spoke to me this week.
Perhaps the scripture above and the one below are part of why they did.
"Yes, I am the gate.
Those who come in through me will be saved.
They will come and go freely
and will find good pastures.
The thief’s purpose
is to steal and kill and destroy.
My purpose is
to give them a rich and satisfying life."
John 10:9-10, The New Living Translation
And surely one of the sweetest gifts of a rich and satisfying life
is a purple hydrangea still glistening with morning dew.
This one was located next to the doors shown above.
May your weekend bring reminders of the rich and satisfying life of Jesus, the gate.
Linking this with my friends Sandy and Deidra at their quiet gathering spaces for our weekend reveries.
