Welcome to my "Open Window"...a place of hope, encouragement, and adventure as we journey down the road from "Closed Doors" to the new opportunities God places in our pathway. I hope you will take the time to go back and follow the trail of mixed blessings and fears, failures and triumphs from the past and side-trips in the present. Perhaps it will conjure up some of your own special memories, and be an invitation for you to share with others. I look forward to spending this time with you!
What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!
It's time again for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 and this week our friend Susan suggested the topic of decorating our homes for the holidays, espcially for the 4th of July as it is the USA's 250th birthday. So, lets do that.
On July 4, 1776 we declared our independence from the British Empire and King George III when the First Continental Congress sst forth the Declaration of Independence. We became a free and sovereign, independent nation on September 3, 1783
1. Will or have you decorated for the holiday? If you don't reside in the USA, do you have a special holiday you decorate for on the outside of your home?
This is what is currently on our front door:
I did have THIS on the front door, but because the door is in the direct very hot sun for most of the day, it faded really fast and the bow curled up, and it didn't look very pretty. So that's why the flag above is now on the door. It doesn't seem to mind the hot sun.
This garland is hanging above our dining room window. I always try to hang something there for every holiday and birthdays to make those very plain looking vertical blinds have some color. We don't often open the blinds because of the bright sun in the mornings which really heats up the house, and also because there is a lot of traffic (both cars and walking) outside the window on our street throughout the day, and quite frankly, I don't like people looking in our windows, so sadly the blinds stay closed most of the time.
I don't have these wooden flags anywhere in our house YET, but I may soon if our son doesn't sell them before the 4th. He built/painted these and has them for sale at the Trading Post at Deep Creek, where he works part time. I am surprised they haven't sold yet.
2. What special little touches do you add to the outside of your home? Do you enjoy puttering around in your yard?
Well, right now it is TOO HOT to do ANYTHING in our yard. Thankfully there was another quick thunderstorm last night to water the plants! I do enjoy doing more in the yard when it cools down in the fall, winter and spring, but summer is just TOO hot for man or beast!
3. Are plants and shrubs an important part of your house decor?
I do try to plant things and keep them going...but honestly, this time of year they are lucky if we get some rain to take care of them because I can't do it!
I bought this little rose bush not to plant here, but to give to my friend Opal's husband, in memory of Opal, so that he can start a little "Memorial Garden" for her. That's kind of my signature gift to others since that is something that meant so much to me when our son died. We couldn't get a real American Beauty kind of rose right now. It must not be the season to plant them. But I hope this little bush will be a blessing to him in memory of Opal.
4. On which holidays do you spend time decorating either inside , outside or both?
Probably the fall,Thanksgiving, and Christmas are my biggest decorating times, and then again at Easter, but not as much as in the fall and Christmas. We don't do a LOT of decorating outside, just a few things on the front porch and front yard. Most of our decorating is inside, and I've shown you plenty of pictures during those seasons. I keep saying I am not going to do as much each year, but then once I get started it's hard to stop. LOL.
Good Monday Morning! This is the last Monday in June and it will be July 4th before we know it! With all the hoopla and celebrations going on this week, it appears that we will most likely just be staying close to home with no major activities. Our extended family has other things going on and can't travel up here. My sister Doris is having cataract surgery this week! Her first one...and then will have the other one done in a few weeks, so traveling is not really in her best interest right now. (Praying for her now, because I think it's actually happening today!) And our DIL Rose actually has to work on Saturday the 4th (Home Depot!), so we can't plan anything without her! So I think we will just enjoy a quiet 4th of July here at home and probably go watch the fireworks from a good vantage point that evening. We'll save all the traditional home-made ice-cream making fun for some other time when we can all be together to enjoy it. We could go participate in our town celebration throughout the day, but it will most likely be too hot and too crowded for us old folks, so we will stay home and keep cool.
Today we are under a heat advisory, and it's already been too hot to stay outside for more than a few minutes anyway, and it doesn't look any cooler throughout the week, so I will take the "advice" and stay indoors where it is cool. (Praise God for air conditioning!)
It was extremely hot and very dry yesterday afternoon, so I went outside and watered my poor plants, and then later the skies looked like this:
And lo! and Behold! We actually got a nice thunderstorm that lasted for about 20 minutes, which was a surprise! Maybe going outside and watering things was the thing to do! The "heavens" looked down and had pity on me and decided to give us some reprieve! Thank You, Lord! We'll take whatever rain we can get!!
It's been "good weather" for staying inside and reading and watching TV. I've been "binge reading" these Rhys Bowen novels, which could be considered kind of historical fiction mysteries. They are what I consider relaxation reading, and although they are not what I would consider to be of much "spiritual value", thankfully "the good" in the heroine wins out over the "evil" in those around her, so there's that redeeming value. This author has a LOT of books to choose from at our public library, and several different series as well as some good stand alone novels.
The other thing I enjoyed was watching this little mini-series "Seeking Persephone". The only thing was that due to the intense British accents, I needed to use "close-captioning" to understand what they were saying. LOL. It was a good story, and even my hubby watched it with me, which is unusual. Normally he considers these "chick flicks" and has no interest in watching. LOL.
I am sorry I haven't been around much in blogland lately. It was another busy weekend, with the memorial service for our dear friend Opal on Saturday morning. There was a packed church, with family and friends attending from all over the country, literally. One of the highlights of the service was a video of Opal and a couple of our other choir members singing with her, "He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels". That was one of Opal's traditional songs to sing at Easter, and the other one was "O Holy Night" at Christmas. The video was done last year at Easter, when she had come back to church after recovering from a stroke, and she was still able to sing. I remember then that there was not a dry eye in the church, and yesterday, watching that recording, was another tear jerking moment. My "infected tear ducts" have certainly had a workout these past few weeks. Thankfully they are getting better with the help of the 10 days worth of strong antibiotics.
Have you ever noticed this verse in the Bible before?
Internet photo
I have seen it before, but thought it was mostly a symbolic kind of thing, not an actual "bottle". But in our new Ladies' Bible Study that we will be resuming in September, "Jesus and Women in the First Century and Now", by Kristi McLelland, we learned that the tear bottle is an actual item that "in the ancient Near East, Jewish women collected their tears in a tear jar and poured them out to God in worship as a sign of faith, embodying God's message in Psalm 56:8 where He says He keeps our tears in a bottle." (Jesus and Women, page 6, Kristi McLelland, Lifeway Publishing)
Can you imagine literally putting all of your tears into a bottle, and that God is aware of every tear that falls? I've tried to figure out just how one could physically put their tears in a bottle in the first place...there have been times in my life when my bottle would be overflowing and have to be emptied frequently and refilled...or would I have several bottles to use instead of just one? Seriously, I'm not sure how they physically did this, but apparently they did...and God saw that and still today, He sees our sorrows and griefs, and He knows the depths of our pain...and He comforts us with His great love and compassion...and restores us and gives us the courage to keep moving forward beyond the grief and sorrow.
The Psalmist says "You collected all my tears in your bottle", and "You have recorded each one in Your book." Oh my, what a book that must be! But then He wipes away our tears and gives us fresh hope and renewed strength, and a brand new day to begin again.
Earlier in that same Psalm King David says:
"3 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?"
And later in the book of Revelation...the very last book of the Bible, it says:
Revelation 21:4 NKJV
"4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
I don't know about you, but I look forward to that day...
Well, on a lighter note, I know you all look forward to some pictures of "King" Blackie...so here's some of the latest...
Blackie has gotten rather attached to our computers lately, I guess because he figures if he can get in the way of our doing our work on our computers, he will get more attention...so here he is snuggling up to my hubby's laptop...this was taken right before he pushed it off the little table and right into hubby's lap (thankfully...and not on the floor!)
And here he is laying on my desk, guarding my mouse and keyboard...I don't dare try to touch them or he will grab at my hand with his sharp little claws. He thinks it's a game...
He's daring me to even TRY to touch that mouse or keyboard! LOL.
Yes, "King Blackie" has certainly taken over our household and captured our hearts. He's a rascal and a scamp, but he's managed to even get my hubby to feed him and cater to his desires. It's still amazing to me how far this neighborhood stray cat has come in the past year! Perhaps God knew we would need a happy diversion from all the sorrows and sadness in the world today. Yes, if God is keeping a record of our tears and writing them down in a book, then He certainly can send us some little joys along the way as well...and perhaps He's writing that down in "our book" as well. I hope that someday we will see that our joys far outweighed our tears and we will say with King David in Psalms 30:11-12:
"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lordmy God, I will give thanks to You forever."
Amen.
I hope you have a joy-filled rest of your week, and that all your sorrows will be turned to joy. Amen.
Sunrise, Wednesday morning, 6/24/2026. It was too foggy this morning to take a picture!
Is it really Thursday already? This week sure is flying by! And so is this month! Wow! Someone posted that today is exactly 6 months until Christmas! I am not sure I want to think about that just yet! Someone also told me a week or so ago that they already have Halloween stuff for sale at Cracker Barrel! Now that's just downright crazy! I tend to want to take each month and holiday as it comes. Let's just enjoy today to the fullest while it is here, and in due time we can enjoy whatever holiday, event, or "celebration" that comes up.
Right now we need to focus on the 4th of July and the 250 Years of Freedom events that are happening. I wonder what you are all planning for the 4th? Anything spectacular? We really haven't made any particular plans yet. I need to talk to some family members and find out what they want to do. We may just be staying home and try to keep cool! There will be fireworks in our town, so we will most likely go find a good vantage spot to watch them. Sometimes we see enough from right here in our own backyard. In the past we have normally had a family gathering of some kind, and we make homemade ice cream. That's a family tradition...but I'll save more about that for when we get closer to the day, and also for when I find out if we are going to do that or not this year! So stay tuned. Regardless of whether or not we do anything, we are VERY thankful for our nation and our freedoms that we hold dear, and for all those who have served our country to help keep it free! That is definitely not something to take for granted.
Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts on my previous posts. I have been a bit behind in reading and am trying hard to catch up, but I feel like I'm on a treadmill that keeps getting faster and faster and I just can't keep up. This infected tear duct has kind of bothered my reading ability, but the antibiotics are starting to kick in and I feel like there is improvement now and it doesn't hurt as much. So I am very thankful for that, and glad that I went to the eye doctor when I did. I am also thankful that we live in a small town and that getting in to see a doctor never seems to take a long time...both our primary care physician and our eye doctors are very good about working us in when we have something like this pop up, so that we don't have to go to an emergency room or wait forever to see someone. There are some advantages to small town living.
And just look at all these blueberries I picked off of our own bush! And see how many are still there ripening! Wow! I have really been enjoying these blueberries on my nightly snack of yogurt and granola! What a treat and blessing to be able to grow your own!!
Oh, and look at how the zinnias are blooming!!! What fun to see them pop open and be so bright and cheerful!
"Zinnias were popularly known as "Old Maids" from the 1920s through the 1950s. The nickname is believed to have originated because the flowers bloom continuously all summer, lasting an exceptionally long time in both the garden and the vase. [1, 2, 3]
Why Were They Called Old Maids?
Lasting Beauty: Their incredible longevity and resilience were affectionately associated with the image of unmarried women who stayed youthful and vibrant. [1]
Classic Garden Staple: They were commonly planted by older women and widows in the South who cherished their bright colors and easy maintenance. [1, 2]"
Whatever the reason, they are delightful to see blooming in my garden, and apparently I am not the only one who loves them...
What is that large black object in the middle of my garden...again!!!????
Well look who's here!! None other than our rascal Blackie!
"Hi Mom! Were you looking for me??? Here I am, just taking time to smell the flowers!"
"Sorry, Mom, if I smashed your flowers down again...but they will spring back up, I promise!!"
Back inside, if I want to know where Blackie is, he can usually be found hugging his scratch pad, which is infused with catnip. Not only does he scratch it like a wild cat, but he lays himself down on top of it and guards it so that no one else can get to it. I wouldn't dare try to remove him or that scratch pad right now. He is quite enamored with it. LOL.
However yesterday he was very quiet for a long time and I didn't know where he was, until I went into the kitchen and found him here:
Somehow he managed to pull the seat cushion off of my rocking chair, and laid down on it on the floor and went to sleep. I think what happened was when he tried to jump up on the chair, the cushion must've slipped off and landed on the floor, so he decided to just stay there.
Life is never dull with Blackie around. He does keep us on our toes. (Mostly just trying to find out where he's hiding next!) Did I mention that we are thankful for him? Did you guess that already? LOL.
Today we dropped by the church to see how the quilting ladies were coming along with getting things ready for their yard sale tomorrow. They were busily hanging up all the clothes that we brought them from my friend Maura's house, and it was nice to see just how much there was! The sale was supposed to be Friday and Saturday, but since our friend Opal passed away, her Memorial Service will be held Saturday morning at the church, so the quilting ladies cancelled the sale for Saturday so they can all participate in the Memorial Service.
I am thankful for the dedicated people we have at our church, who are ready to serve in so many different ways, and especially when things happen unexpectedly and plans have to be changed. Many of our ladies will be helping with the food for the reception that follows the service. I will be making a dessert to take. Still haven't decided exactly what, but most likely a cake of some kind.
9 "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."
Galatians 6:9-10
Well friends, that about wraps it up for today. I am thankful for each of you, and your friendship means so much, even if we don't ever get to meet in person...this connection here is so precious. Thank you.
1. Music. What kind of music do you enjoy? Are you musical?
I mostly enjoy Gospel music, Hymns, some contemporary Christian music, Old Sacred classical music, and then of course the oldies from the 50's & 60's (my generation!). I am musical in that I love to sing. I do not play any instruments, but my voice is my instrument. However, sadly, with age, it isn't as strong as it used to be, but I still love to sing in our church choir and will continue to do so as long as I have any voice at all, Lord willing.
Psalm 95: 1-7
1 Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.
3 For the Lord is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
7 for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.
2. Travel. Where have we been? What's your favorite destination(s)?
We are not big travelers. Never really have been. But in our years of ministry we moved a lot to go to Seminary, etc., and then on to different churches throughout the eastern/southern United States. Right now our favorite destination would be the mountains of north Georgia in the fall, but I would dearly love to go back to Maine and New Hampshire some day, where we used to live and where our only grandson still lives. It's just a long and expensive trip for us, so I don't know when it's going to happen.
3. Occupations. Did you end up working at what you wanted to be? Do you wish you'd done something else, if so, what? etc.
I really didn't have any great aspirations for a career. I worked at the occupation God wanted for me...a wife, mother and then a Pastor's wife. However, I did quite a few jobs along the way to supplement my hubby's often rather meager income in the ministry, but my main "job" was being a wife and mother, and that is what I really wanted to be. HERE is a link to a fairly recent post about my "Jobs"for a more in depth look at this subject.
4. How do you keep from being bored?
I've never really truly been bored. I try to keep busy with enjoying my home, reading, writing, and most of all observing God's Creation in nature. I can stay pretty well entertained just watching the birds outside our window. And then taking rides and walks and enjoying whatever I happen to see along the way. Like this huge staghorn fern up in this old oak tree beside the restaurant we went to on Monday to meet my hubby's brother and wife for lunch:
That thing is huge! Apparently it has been trimmed most likely due to having some dead leaves from the winter time...but it is coming back beautifully, and it is HUGE!
Of course, no trip to the Mason Jar restaurant would be complete without a picture of my favorite bear:
He's all ready for the 4th of July, I see!
And I always love to get a picture of this longhorn bull on the wall inside the restaurant...with the reminder to "Eat like no one is watching". LOL. We did.
And here is who we went to see, my hubby's brother Billy and his lovely wife Peggy:
And here's the three Steiner men:
Our son Benton was our driver. Rose wasn't able to go with us due to her work schedule. And there was a picture of me, but it is on my brother-in-law's camera/phone, and he hasn't sent it to me yet, so that's okay. You know what I look like. LOL. And actually, I was looking a little funny because I currently have an infection of the tear duct in my right eye, which makes the eyelid look puffy and red. My brother in law noticed it right away even though I was wearing glasses and I though it was camouflaged. The first thing he said to me was, "Pam, what's wrong with your eye?" LOL. I said "Gee thanks, Billy. Leave it to you to notice my only flaw immediately!" All in good fun. LOL. I ended up going to the eye doctor yesterday and he prescribed some antibiotics for me, so hopefully it will start feeling better soon. I said with as much crying as I've done lately, I can't imagine how my tear duct got clogged up and infected!
I guess that's all I have for this week's Tuesday 4. I'm sorry I'm late. The last couple of days were busy, as you see from above. The rest of the week isn't looking much better. There will be that Yard sale at the Quilter's Shop on Friday, and they had to cancel it on Saturday because we will be having the Memorial Service for our friend Opal, who passed away on Sunday. Oh, I do pray this is the last Memorial service for any more of my friends for a LONG time. It's really been hard to see so many go on before us...but I am thankful that I know where they are, and I will see them again someday. That is our great comfort and hope and prayer.
Thank you for joining in each week. You have made this such a wonderful experience and I know Toni, in whose memory we continue, would be pleased as punch.
This old hymn came to my mind as I was enjoying this beautiful sunrise this morning...
When morning gilds the skies,
My heart awaking cries:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Alike at work and prayer
To Jesus I repair:
May Jesus Christ be praised!
2
To Thee, my God above,
I cry with glowing love,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The fairest graces spring
In hearts that ever sing,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
3
Does sadness fill my mind?
A solace here I find,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Or fades my earthly bliss?
My comfort still is this,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
(I left out verses 4-5)
6
Be this, while life is mine,
My canticle divine,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
Be this th’ eternal song
Through all the ages long,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
You may not be able to see it in this picture, but there is a big Pileated Woodpecker sitting in this tree below:
Now you can see him!
Up, up, and away! There were actually two of them flying around, and maybe even another one in the trees back behind us as we took our morning walk Saturday morning. If you aren't familiar with this prehistoric looking huge woodpecker, you can read more HERE. It's always a thrill to see them.
I guess I am full of music in my mind this morning. Why? Well, this song above in particular...You see, yesterday morning, (Sunday, to be exact, Father's Day, and the first day of summer), when we got to church I was told that yet another of my dearest friends had just that morning "flown away" into heaven. My dear sweet Opal, our former pianist and choir member and very dear friend had left her earthly body, and she entered her eternal home on "God's celestial shore", and she, like that "bird from prison bars has flown"..."to a land where joy shall never end."...
and she had been recuperating so well from the past couple of years since she had a stroke and other complications. She'd been at home for the past few weeks and doing really well. We talked on the phone every week and she was making such good progress. But then, yesterday morning God called her home. Apparently a massive heart attack. It was time for her to "Fly Away"...we sang that song together as she played it on the piano for our church so many times in the past years...and finally it was her turn...like that big old woodpecker we saw flying away...Opal heard her Master's call, and she answered and flew away to glory.
Needless to say, I was a bit of a cry-baby in church yesterday morning. It was quite a shock for all of us, as we all loved Opal. But I can see her healthy and strong again, running through the fields of heaven, and also able to play and sing beautiful music once again. Oh, how I will miss her! But I am SO happy for her! Please remember her dear husband Larry and her daughter and family out in California in your prayers, as they mourn her loss.
I'm so glad I listened to the Lord prompting me to do something special for Opal on her birthday on May 1st. One thing I've learned in the past month regarding friends...listen to the voice of God when He prompts you to make that phone call, write that card, visit that person...we just never know when it will be the last time we will see that person or hear their voice.
So, after an emotional morning, we came home from church and the boys were here for lunch to celebrate Father's Day with us. Rose had to work, sadly, but we are going to meet up with her and Benton this morning and drive south to The Mason Jar to meet John's brother Billy and his wife Peggy for lunch, so I have to get a move on!!
We had grilled chicken thighs, scalloped potatoes, corn on the cob and tossed salad. It was wonderful. So happy our boys could be with us.
And Blackie says hello this morning from my desk...
He's looking out the window into the dark to see what's going on...
And he took over my desk chair...He's a rascal...but we love him.
And look at that rose! It came from the same bush as the other two...totally different! God's gift to us today.
Okay, I must run.
Hug your family. Call your friends. Visit the sick. Send cards to those you can't visit.
Life is short. None of us knows when it will be our turn to "Fly Away". Be ready to meet Jesus every day.
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