“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 lifeis 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.
Dt 6 is one of my favorite verses. I made a painting of it, but it is still not finished.
I went for a quiet walk with you here today, before I ever left my study, and it was so sweetly moving, soothing, restoring. Thank you for sharing it.
Love the missions in California. Hoping my daughter ends up in that part of the world for college. The style, the beauty, it just speaks to me. The scriptures you chose were perfectly paired.
Visiting here from Still Saturday. This is all so lovely. Hydranga are my favorite and with the dew, well they are glorious. And I have something about doors, windows and porches so you have hit on two of my favorite things. What a special place you have to wander so very close to your own home. Blessings on this weekend. So glad I came to visit. Love your words and your photography here. Blessings.
Thanks for stopping by, Elizabeth, and for leaving such kind words. I love architectural things like windows and doors, too – so glad someone else finds them appealing.
Well, there are lots and lots of fine schools in this part of the world, that’s for sure. We’ve got two right here in Santa Barbara – Westmont and UCSB. Thanks for stopping by, Shelly. Enjoy your weekend.
Four drives down. I’m glad you didn’t wait any longer to explore. I love walking back in time and the connections it brings.
The photos are wonderful and the connection to scripture fits beautifully. What a blessing to have it set up right before your eyes –and soul.
Blessings.
Thanks, Joanne, for your kind words – and just for stopping by, too.
I’m so glad you wandered
and shared:)
thanks for the beautyrest
for my eyes and heart,
Jennifer
You are very welcome, Jennifer.Thanks for stopping by.