Welcome to the newly designed and expanded Grace on Parade.
Each year, my hometown, Tucson, Arizona hosts the world’s longest non-motorized parade. The Tucson Rodeo Parade kicks off the weekend events surrounding La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, translated, The Party of the Cowboys or to locals, the Tucson Rodeo. If you’re in the parade, you either walk, ride an animal or ride in a wagon pulled by an animal. For a couple of years, my mom and aunt loaded us on a city bus (parking was impossible – this a huge parade after all) and we went downtown to see the parade. One year, I even got to ride in a buckboard wagon with the rest of my 4-H club. How fun!
If you weren’t riding, walking wasn’t always so fun. Lots of horses meant lots of you know what. If it was a warm day, by the end of the parade—peew-ie! Hold your nose. The fragrance was, um, not real attractive.
The best part of the parade was seeing the old and familiar floats and entries but spotting new ones too or seeing changes in last year’s entries. The Sahuaro High School Band always wore red t-shirts and blue jeans and the Amphitheatre High School band baked in their formal uniforms. You could always go visit your favorite Rodeo Parade wagon at the Tucson Rodeo Museum.
Like a parade, the Grace on Parade website has expanded and added a lot of new features. You’ll still catch stories and ponderings on God’s grace passed forward through the Grace on Parade blog; however, that blog will only appear once a week. The rest of the week, you can peek over my shoulder to see what I’m writing and to pray for me. You’ll find recipes of food mentioned in my novels, dishes you can whip up to share with a needy friend or your church family, or favorite foods from some of my “besties.”
Finally, you can be a part of the Bible Study Network. We’ll share what over 40 women are studying from God’s words, offer helpful resources and tips for studying the Bible, and give prompts, discussion questions and devotions on our current study. We’ll also share some fun Women’s Ministry program ideas and invite you to tell how your group is reaching out to the women in your neighborhood of God’s world.
God’s grace is still the same, still constant, still there, still gloriously wonderful like the scent of a freshly picked rose or a loaf of fresh baked bread. How awesome that He lets us express His grace using a multitude of gifts, methods and techniques infused through our individual personalities. What a sweet fragrance! Inhale, deep breath, let it out. Ahhh!
So, get on your best walking shoes, grab your camera, sunscreen and hat, and come join the parade. Lavish on God’s grace, so the bystanders can catch that sweet smell as you pass by and want what you have.
Hi. We now know that SRI LANKA has a longer non mechanized parade, so TUCSON’S is just the longest in the COUNTRY, not WORLD. oh well, that’s good enough for us!