We have a rose bush that produced numerous beautiful roses this summer. I cut the dead flowers off as is recommended, and new roses bloomed on the end of the cut-off stems. As we moved into autumn, I cut off the dead remains of this next crop of roses as well. To my amazement, the bush produced more roses even though it was now mid-October and the days and nights were much colder.

This reminded me of the promise in Psalm 92:12-14:

            The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,

            they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

            planted in the house of the Lord,

`           they will flourish in the courts of our God.

            They will still bear fruit in old age,

            they will stay fresh and green.

I was thinking about this lately. I am now in my fourth quarter-century.

In my late 50s, I suddenly found myself unemployed and wondering how I could support myself and my family until retirement. I eventually launched into freelance editing and writing (emphasis often on the first syllable). But God provided all I needed and more. In my 60s, that led me to establish a book publishing imprint called Mill Lake Books. This imprint has now published over two dozen books.

Two new books have come out this fall. The first is a collection of my own short stories: The Cabin and other stories. I wrote the first of these stories in my 30s, but several of the stories, including the longest two, were written in my 70s. I am convinced that they are some of the best things I have ever written.

The other book is What Is God Able to Do? The Devotional Meditations of E. May Coggins. This is a collection of biblical meditations that my mother gave in women’s meetings and adult Sunday school classes over her long career. The earliest meditation was delivered when she was a single woman in the 1940s. The most recent was delivered in her 80s. She continued to serve and teach until her sudden death from a stroke at age 84.

Both books are available through the usual channels, bookstores and online retailers such as Amazon.

I do not claim to be righteous, but I and my mother placed our faith in Jesus, and He has promised to confer His righteousness on those who trust Him. As Psalm 92 makes clear, we can prosper only by the grace and blessing and goodness of God. I have been blessed into my old age, and I am grateful.