Friday Foto Friends~A Special Day

Happy Friday everyone!! Even though I don't work outside of the home anymore, I am still always happy to see Friday roll around for some reason! And especially today! But I'll get to that in a few minutes.

This morning we decided to take a ride to a park and location that we've never been to before. Our kids had told us about it, and so we thought we'd check it out.  There's a boat ramp that leads to a lake, and also a very nice park (that even has restrooms! That's always a plus! LOL)  

Here's the boat ramp and dock, which, as you can see, has practically no water  up to the ramp.

The drought that we've had has taken its toll on the lakes around here as well as our pond, but this white Egret didn't seem to mind...

There you can see the lake out there beyond the trees...

Oh, the Egret decided to fly to a different spot to fish...

I hope he finds whatever he's looking for!

I found something else to look at...this beautiful Pickerel Weed growing in the water.

Update Saturday morning: Do you see the lizard in that picture above? I just noticed it this morning!  He photo bombed my picture! LOL.

And in the picture below, do you see the little butterfly on the flower?  Sometimes we have to sit back and take a second look at things to see the full picture! Isn't that like life? We don't always see everything that God is doing the first time, but after we have time to think about things, we can more fully see the Big Picture that God sees!

And this cluster of pink eggs belongs to the Island Apple Snail, which is considered an invasive species of the Apple snail..: "Because of damage to crops, the channeled apple snail is listed as one of the world’s worst invaders. There is also concern that the snail’s haphazard appetite for large amounts of aquatic vegetation could alter aquatic ecosystems. In Florida, an additional concern is the possible displacement of the native Florida apple snail."  I noticed some other clusters of these snail eggs there, but wasn't aware that they were considered something invasive. I'm sure the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is well aware of them, but it makes me want to report them to someone! Oh well...some things need to be left to the experts!

There is a beautiful hiking trail at this park, but we didn't come prepared to go hiking in the woods. The insects (mosquitoes in particular) are still too bad for doing much hiking in the woods unless you have appropriate insect repellent and/or long sleeve and pants, so we declined to walk in the woods.

This is where we were. I'm sorry it's too small to read, but you get the idea. This LINK will tell you more about this area if you are interested.  It might be interesting to visit again in the fall when it's not so hot and buggy!

This is the kind of trail it would be:

The Park is called "Owen's-Illinois Park", and is a lovely place for a picnic, with a beautiful playground for the children, and as I said, clean restrooms!

The whole park is shaded by a canopy of these beautiful old live oak trees, which makes for a most lovely setting year round.

We enjoyed just walking around in a very peaceful setting...

The goldenrod is already blooming!  So pretty!

After we left the park we drove down the road a little further to a lovely old community called Windsor:

"Windsor was named by English cotton planters who settled the town in 1846. New residents from both northern and southern states were attracted by the development of citrus culture in the area. By the end of the Reconstruction era, Windsor was prospering, and in 1884 a post office was established. The town had a population of over 400 in the mid-1880s.[4] In the 1890s the town boasted a doctor, three stores, a real estate office, a grist mill, two sawmills, and factories producing boxes, cedar baskets and fertilizer. Severe freezes in 1884, 1895, and 1899 devastated the orange groves and as a result Windsor's population declined. The post office closed in 1936.[5]
Events
Windsor is known for its annual Zucchini Festival in May.[6]"

Update:  I had to look  up the Zucchini Festival to see if they still have it, and yes, apparently they do still do this every May! HERE is a link to their Facerbook page about this event. We may have to to next year!  "The festival is held the 2nd Saturday of May each year. It is the major fundraiser for the Windsor Fire Department... Windsor FL. and hosts our famous FRIED ZUCCHINI!"   Sounds like fun!

I was amazed to see some of these beautiful old historic homes that remain from it's heyday:

This house was amazing.  It had two octagon shaped porches on each end of the long beautiful front porch:

Here is another gorgeous old home.  I wasn't able to stop and take a picture since I was driving and there was no good place to stop and take the picture, so hubby took the picture for me as we drove by.  His eyes are still a little sensitive and he's not real comfortable driving  right now.

Next to that house above was this lovely old church building. I did pull over and get out and take some pictures of it.  There's no sign to indicate what kind of church it was, but it is so quaint and beautiful...

I was also noticing this very old and large pine tree next to it.  My prayer would be that it doesn't ever fall down on that church building. It's much too close for comfort.  UPDATE: On second look, I think that might be a cedar tree instead of a pine tree. The bark is wrong for a pine tree. Either way, it's too close to the church building! I noticed in the description of the town that they used to make cedar baskets in this community back in it's hey-day. Makes me think there probably were a lot of cedar trees here at one time. 

I was trying to zero in on that tiny little stained glass window above the back door:

Here's what I have been able to enlarge.  Is it the dove of peace, which would be symbolic of the Holy Spirit descending down at Pentecost, at least I think that's what it is. As far as I could see there were no other stained glass windows, but I couldn't really see the other side of the building.  I wish I could go inside and see if anything has been preserved.

All in all, it was a lovely ride in the country this morning, and thankfully we made it back home before the rains started. We were hearing thunder all the way and there was some light rain, but the worst of it waited until later in the afternoon.  

Thankfully we were able to get Blackie back inside the house before the storm started. He headed straight for the couch and hid behind the pillow and went to sleep. 

I guess he felt safe there from the thunder and lightning. Bless his sweet heart. 

I decided it was a good afternoon to bake this "Sock it To Me" Cake".  (click the link for the recipe).

It makes a good coffee (or TEA) cake! Not overly sweet, and nice and moist!  

Also, I was happy to see this rose blooming! It's been a while since it bloomed because it's been so hot and dry, but with all the nice afternoon rains we've been getting, the bush is starting to look healthy again.

So now, why is today such a special day?  Well, because today is the day our first bouncing baby boy was born, 55 years ago today!!  He now qualifies for the senior discount at some places! LOL.

And YES! He was a BIG bouncing baby boy! LOL.

Here is his hospital picture. He had a lot of hair, and the nurses in the nursery were having fun styling it differently everytime they brought him to me! LOL.

Here we are at home a week or so later..yes, that's a week old baby...LOL He just kept growing and growing!  And the 2nd picture was at 3 weeks, with his daddy.

This was at 3 months...

 3 months and then at 12 months...

And then his 1 year birthday! (Little did I know...or I may have just found out, that I was already expecting our #2 son at this time!!! Oh boy! Things just got more and more exciting and interesting!)

And here he is nowadays...with his sweet wife Rose. (and my niece Debbie in the background. )

And another recent photo... He really hasn't changed much, has he? LOL.

So, we aren't getting together today to celebrate because he and Rose had the day off from work and they wanted to take a ride somewhere and do something different...however, they kind of got their plans rained out too, but they still had a nice day and they went out to supper.  We will celebrate with them on Sunday after church, when our son Scott can be here too.  I will be baking another cake for that day. He said he wants devil's food with white icing. Sounds good to me! LOL.  We also plan to pick up those delicious ribs from Hog Wild again for lunch.  So that's easy!

I wanted to thank you all for your kind comments on my post yesterday about Dolly Parton.  And I also wanted to mention the horrific avalanche and mudslides and flood in Nepal and Tibet this past week. The death toll keeps rising and it was truly a major disaster.  My heart goes out to those who have lost family members  and for the rescuers who continue to try to find survivors.  There are so many disasters happening around the world lately...so many earthquakes in various places as well as floods and other serious natural disasters.  

One can't help but think about the passage in scripture where Jesus is talking to His disciples and answering their questions about the "end times".

Matthew 24:3-14

"3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for [a]all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, [b]pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

If this doesn't describe much of what we are seeing in the world today, I don't know what does. 

But a little later in his discourse, he goes on to say this:  (Matthew 24:36-44)

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of [f]heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what [g]hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what [h]hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Jesus says that no one knows the day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, "but My Father only." But he warns us to be prepared and ready, because none of us knows when our Lord is coming..."Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
Dolly Parton had no idea what day and hour the Lord would call her home. Others who have recently passed away, whether young or old, sick or healthy, did not know either. The important lesson for us to remember is to be ready at all times. Make sure we have made things right with our Lord and with our fellow man. Don't harbor grudges or unforgiveness in our hearts. Say "I'm sorry", and mean it. Repent of our own sins and take care of things that need to be accounted for. The signs of the times are very strong that Christ could return at any time, but even if He doesn't, our own souls could be required of us at any moment. Never put off to tomorrow the things of the heart that need to be taken care of today.

Well dear friends, I guess that about wraps up this day.  Maybe too much to contemplate, but this is what I felt led to write.  Be sure to tell your loved ones that you love them every opportunity you can. None of us knows when it will be our last opportunity.  

Be blessed my friends. 

 

Thursday Thankfulness and Dolly Parton

 I woke up on Tuesday morning and put out the flag as the sun was rising as per my normal routine. I always like to look at the skies and see what interesting cloud formations appear at that time. Every morning is different...some are ordinary and not too interesting, but so often there is something to take my breath away.  This was one of those mornings. I saw this cloud in the sky that to me looked like a child praying over our country and our American Flag.  It was one of those goose-bumply moments, and I shared it on Facebook.

A little later in the morning I started seeing notices on Facebook that Dolly Parton had died that morning. I don't know about you, but even my sister commented to me when she saw this cloud, "Maybe it was Dolly!". Yes, I had actually thought the same thing! I didn't want to say it out loud because people would think I was a little crazy, but since my sister went ahead and said it on Facebook...I knew that I could say it too. Let people think what they want. They've certainly been coming out of the woodwork to say all kinds of things...some beautiful and positive and some, well, downright ugly, even from some "Christians". That really disturbs me that people who call themselves Christians are so quick to judge and act like they are God and they express their opinions as if they have an inside track to God's heart. What I would like to say is this: No one knows the heart of any person EXCEPT for God. What has transpired between the heart of any man or woman and Jesus Christ is strictly between them. 

I love to think about that thief on the cross...the story is found in Luke chapter 23:38-43

38 And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

39 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”

40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? 

41 And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” 

42 Then he said o Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

43 And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

Even though that thief had lived a life of enslavement to sin, when he was dying, he recognized Who Jesus was, and called him "LORD", and asked Him to remember him when he came into His kingdom...and Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

There was no time to do any great works or make up for all of his misdeeds. He was literally dying right then. But Jesus saw his faith and knew his heart that he was sincere, and He granted him pardon right then and there.  

That's what I love about Jesus. He looks at the heart of man, not on the outward appearance.

1 Samuel 16:7 NIV

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. 

People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

When it comes to Dolly Parton, I see a woman whom God blessed abundantly, and she knew that and expressed it often. She was also a person who did not hoard her wealth, but shared it freely with so many less fortunate ones. She used her talents and gifts  and blessings to bless others.  Was she perfect? No. But then, neither am I, or you, or anyone else out there. Did I agree with everything she said and/or did? Probably not on some issues. But what I see is a woman with a big heart who loved God and loved people and wanted to make things better for those who were less fortunate.  I believe she expressed her faith in God through her works.  

I love this song that Dolly sang at the Christian Music Association Dove Awards back in 1990 .  And as I watched her singing this once again, I believe I could hear Dolly singing it from heaven as she met Jesus face to face:  "He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive and I'm forgiven, heaven's gates are opened wide! He's Alive! He's Alive! He's Alive! Sweet Jesus, He's Alive!!!!"

Dolly Parton singing "He's Alive"

Right after I saw that unusual cloud, I saw these two Sand Hill Cranes fly over together...and again, at the time I didn't know the significance of what was happening because I hadn't heard the news, but afterwards I thought, well maybe that was the angel escorting Dolly into heaven...

Who knows? God knows. And that's good enough for me.

RIP Dolly Parton

I know this is a little different from my usual kind of Thursday Thankfulness post, but it was on my mind and I just wanted to share these thoughts. You may feel differently about this than I do, but that's okay. Everyone is entitled to their own thoughts...but these are mine and I am thankfuly that through Jesus Christ, we all have this hope of eternal life.  It's best to make that decision now and not wait until we are on our deathbed, because life is so much better when we know Jesus.  

Amen, and have a blessed day.

Tuesday 4~Rainy Days and Mondays

 Rainy Days and Mondays

Welcome to Tuesday 4
Many seem to have trouble with Mister Linky but, I don't so sign up below!
We've had a lot of rain recently and it got me wondering about some things.


Could we discuss it please?


1.Do rainy days and/or Mondays really get you down? If so why?

No, not really. I actually enjoy rainy days, when we have them. We just haven't had enough of them this year to even begin to get tired of.  And Monday's don't get me down either, especially now that I am retired. I actually enjoy them as a day to begin a new week with a fresh clean slate.


2. Does thunder and lightning frighten you at all?
How about your dog or cat and what do you do to help them out?

I have a healthy respect for thunder and lightning. Here in Florida we are the lightning capital of the country, I believe, and lightning is quite dangerous and should be treated as such. This was on Facebook a few days ago:

 I do love to watch it from a distance, however, and I even took some pictures this past week that I already shared on my last post, but just in case you missed this one, here it is again...   I took this picture from our front porch, but be assured the lightning was quite far away from us. However, they say it can strike up to 10 miles away, so we still have to be careful.

Regarding my cat Blackie, he does not like thunder and lightning, and I've noticed that he will find a place to hide his face and head when there's a lot of thunder going on.  I may have shared this photo before, but it's been a while. This was Blackie hiding his head under the couch when we had a lot of thunder and lightning...

3. If you are at home on a dark, rainy day what do you do with your time? Some find it a good day to cuddle up with a cuppa and read or watch TV.. what is your preference?

Oh yes, I love to spend a dark rainy day reading if I have a good book to read. If not, sometimes I like to bake cookies on a rainy day (or something else that smells really good).

If you click on this link, I think it will take you to a lot of old posts for things to do on a Rainy Afternoon.  Apparently I've thought a lot about this over the years, because there are quite a few different posts there! LOL.I'd forgotten about a few of them, so I was glad I went back and checked them out!! Some sweet memories there.


4.Ever been caught in a downpour or has rain ever ruined your plans?

Oh, yes, I've been caught in plenty of downpours over the years. Living in Florida, that can be quite often throughout the summer months, but sadly, not this summer.  I'm sure rain may have ruined some plans sometime or other, but right now I can't think of anything in particular that's worth writing about!

Update...I just remembered a time when I was caught in a downpour. I was only about 7 or 8 years old. I had been at our Summer Recreation program at our school and I was waiting for a neighbor lady to pick me up to take me home. I waited and waited and she didn't show up, so I thought I could just walk home. We lived about 3 miles from the school, out a very long country road, but I had to pass through a less desirable part of town to get to the highway that led to our long country road. All of a sudden it started to pour down rain in a bad thunderstorm. The only shelter I could see was a little overhang over the door of a saloon.  I knew I shouldn't go there, but it was the only shelter I could see, so I stood under that covering for a minute, and a man stepped outside and asked me if I wanted to come inside. I knew I couldn't do that or I would be in big trouble, so I yelled, "NO!" and I started running away in the rain. I kept running and probably had gotten about a mile when the lady who was supposed to pick me up pulled up on the highway beside me and told me to get in the car. I was soaken wet and scared and crying by that time.  She took me home, and I don't remember much after that because I'm sure my mother was at work so I don't know if the neighbor left me alone at my house or took me to her house to dry off. That's all a blur. I just know my parents were very unhappy with me for leaving the school before the neighbor picked me up, but they were all very thankful that I was safe, even though very wet and scared. I didn't know it then, but I know now that God was certainly watching over me even when I was being disobedient and foolhardy. I am very thankful for His guardian angels who certainly had a difficult job in guarding me! LOL. 

Bonus question: Why do Mondays seem to be so unpopular with so many?

I suppose Mondays are unpopular for people who hate to see the weekend come to an end and to have to go back to work or school and get back to the "grind". There have been times in my life when I hated to see Monday come because I didn't particularly like my work or else I just was enjoying the weekend so much I hated to see it end.  But for the most part, I've been thankful to have a job to go to and/or I also enjoyed being at school back in the day so I could be with my friends. I guess it's all about attitude and perspective.  I am mostly a happy person, so I make the most of whereever I am.  

I cheated a bit and asked the computer to give me some Bible verses about rain, and here's the results:

Top Bible Verses About Refreshing Rain

Psalm 68:9
"You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary land."
Psalm 72:6
"May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth."
Hosea 6:3
"He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rains that water the earth."
Acts 3:19
"Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord."
Deuteronomy 32:2

"Let my teaching fall like rain and my speech distill like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants."
 

That gives us some more "food for thought" on the subject of rain.  I hope you are having a blessed and refreshing day wherever you are, rainy or not! It's hot and dry here right now (Monday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.), but upon looking at my phone weather app, it says we are expecting rainy conditions around 6:00 p.m., so I will wait and see if I can get any new pictures at that time before publishing this post.

A little later:

Well, Glad I waited! We did indeed get quite a powerful thunderstorm around 5:30 p.m.  It was quite windy in addition to the heavy rain and thunder and lightning.  We had just put Blackie back out on the porch after he finished his supper, and then there was the rumble of thunder, and he was right back at the glass doors looking in the window to the living room with a big eyes and his ears back, which said to me "Please let me in quick! I heard a big noise out here!! A storm is coming! Hurry up! Let me in!"

I'm sorry I didn't get a picture of that, but I was too busy opening the door and letting him inside.  Just in time, too. The storm really broke loose with a lot of rain and wind.  

And look where he was...if you can't tell, he's in my lap! And just as I was talking to our son on the phone (he called us to ask if it was raining at our house...he lives about a mile away), the power went out!  Yep! The lights went out, the TV went off, and of course the computer shut off as did the air conditioner. Thankfully it wasn't dark yet, but we had no idea how long it would be off.  And so we just sat there and watched the rain and prayed the power wouldn't be off for too long or we'd be getting hot.

Thankfully after about 45 minutes the power came back on and so did everything else. The rain died down and the wind stopped blowing and there was no more thunder or lightning. We survived the big storm, and after a little while Blackie went back to the door and said he was ready to go back outside, and so that's where he is now.  All's well that ends well, and so I will bring this little story about "Rainy Days and Mondays" to an end. It was quite appropriate that it did in fact rain for us on this Monday evening!  Good Night, and see you in the morning when this Tuesday 4 post will go live!!

Thanks Annie, for another great meme for this week!

Weekend Reflections

 It's a lazy Sunday afternoon after a busy week.  Blackie has the right idea...find a comfy spot and take a nap.  He likes to be near me while I do my "work" here in my little "Room with a View". I enjoy his peaceful companionship, especially when he decides to sleep on a chair away from my desk and keyboard and mouse, where he often likes to perch himself and stop me from using either of the above tools.  This is a much better compromise.  We'll see how long it lasts. LOL.

So today has actually been more of a day of rest for me. I woke up not feeling too great and having my persistent chronic tummy issues that I tend to have after enjoying too much good food.  So we decided it was best for us to stay at home rather than go to church where the restrooms are difficult to get to in a hurry, and especially without interrupting the service and drawing too much attention to oneself. TMI.  Sometimes "discretion is the better part of valor".  (which means it is often smarter to be careful and avoid danger than to take foolish or unnecessary risks. [1, 2]) Maybe that's overstating the situation a bit, but perhaps you get the idea.  LOL.  I'm sure God understands why I chose to stay home from church and doesn't blame me a bit.  

Anyway, being able to go visit our family yesterday and enjoy a wonderful time together makes having tummy issues today worth it all.  Yes, we traveled about an hour and a half away to meet up with our extended family for lunch at a fun restaurant where we have met many times before because it is very accommodating to our rather large and noisy group:

This is a gathering of both sides of our family, including my sister and her family and hubby's brother and his family, and our son Benton and sweet Rose. Scott was not able to make it as he lives a bit too far to make that trip back and forth.

Our waitress was very kind to take these pictures for us from both ends of the table.

It was wonderful to catch up with each other and find out all the latest "news" from each family. There was some exciting news, and some I am not permitted to divulge just yet. LOL.  We each shared our joys and hopes and even some of our aches and pains. And we celebrated several August birthdays and three August anniversaries.  Birthdays ranged from 21, 24 (updated! I left that one out before! Sorry Nicholaus!), to 55, to 60 and 72.  Anniversaries ranged from 21 to 28 to 57! (Guess who?)  It was all good fun and a wonderful time of celebration. God has been very gracious to our families and we are very thankful.

This was what I had to eat...the "Seabreeze Salad" , with Mandarin oranges, grilled chicken, dried cranberries and candied pecans over a bed of lettuce greens, with Zinfandel Viniagrette dressing. It was supposed to have bleu cheese crumbles, but I don't like those so had cheddar cheese instead. It was very good and quite a large salad.  I almost ate the whole thing. 

Regarding the weather here in our neck of the woods...it is still hot and steamy, but no rain today or yesterday. Some of you may have already seen my cloud and lightning pictures from Friday evening on Facebook.  Here's one of the most unusual looking cloud out in front of our house:

And here's a video of some of the lightning in that cloud:

And this video is of the same clouds a little while later, and much more lightning! Be sure to watch for it!

We had all those clouds and lightning and not one drop of rain at our house. It was all to the southeast of us.

All in all it was a good weekend, even if I haven't felt that well today. Oh, and the dear man with cancer that we were visiting and took food for his family on Thursday night did pass away early Saturday morning. Although my heart breaks for his family, we rejoice for this dear one because we know he is present with the Lord and that he is no longer suffering and he is fully healed in heaven.  

This is the hope and promise for every believer in Jesus Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 NKJV

Assurance of the Resurrection

1 For we know that if our earthly [a]house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our [b]habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as [c]a guarantee.

6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Amen! Yes! What a glorious day that will be!!!!

And so with that wonderful thought in mind I will bid you all good night. I pray you have a blessed and beautiful week.