Friday Foto Friends: Something Beautiful, Something Good...

Good Morning Friday Foto Friends.  It feels good to be sharing some beautiful pictures from nature and God's amazing creation today. It's been a difficult week in the world, and I've been taking things pretty seriously, so I needed to just stop and chill...and let the beauty of God's world around us give me peace and help me regain a sense of balance and perspective.  I promise not to visit anything negative here today.

We took a little ride the other morning down by Big Lake Kerr.  It was a gloriously clear, sunshiny, chilly, but beautiful day.  These two Sand Hill Cranes were out for their morning walk. What a thrill to be able to watch as they strolled along the shore:

Are they smooching here?  Could be...I like that thought, so yes, I'll say they are...

They were actually finding their morning treats in the shallows of the lakeshore...

 Soon they retreated to the protection of the reeds along the shoreline. Time for me to leave them to their foraging.

As we headed back up the road away from the lake, a deer bolted into the woods ahead of us. We slowed down and searched to see if we could still see her...and yes...she was there watching us from the protection of the woods. Can you see her?

Later that evening we took our weekly ride up the road a ways to the little town where we attend church so that we could attend choir practice. One of the perks of that ride is that we usually get to see some beautiful sunsets if we time it just right.  Almost missed it:

Lately the power company in our area has been exchanging power poles to larger, taller ones.  This was going on outside our house one morning this week.  My thanks to these brave men who work so diligently to keep us powered up. Without their dedicated service we would not be able to sit here in our comfortable warm, well-lit homes and write messages to each other on our computers or have lights to see what we are doing...or power to cook our food and keep our food cold in the refrigerators, power to wash and dry our clothes, and on and on and on.  Thank you, Clay Electric!

Today (Thursday) we took a ride with some dear friends to meet another dear friend for lunch. This was a place quite a little distance away, but it was well worth the trip.

 The restaurant where we met had this goldfish pond, and the fish enjoy being fed leftover bread crumbs from the customers. Not sure if that is all that healthy for the fish, but they sure seemed to enjoy it.

This was the view from our window seat inside "Red's" Restaurant, along the Withlacoochee River. I'm sure it is a much prettier view in spring and summer and fall, when the leaves are on the trees.

 And this was the view inside the restaurant, with this lovely old stone fireplace. It was a little too warm for a fire yesterday. But the Rooster looks pretty neat!

We had a very good visit with our friends, one of whom lost her husband last year after his battle with cancer.  She wanted to show us what she was making as memorial gifts for their grandchildren and family.  She used different shirts, jeans, sweatshirts, and neckties that belonged to her husband and created these wonderful teddy bears.  What a wonderful, touching gift for any who knew and loved her sweet husband.  And yes, my friend is a very talented and "crafty" lady. She creates so many beautiful things, and this was a kind of therapy for her.

Here's our whole gang...the other couple on the left are good friends of ours as well as we all used to belong to the same church in Ohio many years ago when my hubby was the pastor there. We have been friends for almost 40 years. What a blessing to still have such wonderful friends. We do miss our dear friend who passed away, however. He was a wonderful, godly Christian man. We know we'll see him again someday in heaven.

Here's we three "musketeers"

And now for a blast from the past, there is a picture of us three girls you need to see on the following link:  

Click HERE for another time when we all got together. many moons ago, in another time and another place! (be sure to scroll down in this post link so you can see the pictures I'm talking about. It will be worth the trip and give you a good laugh)

And now, for "Something Beautiful, Something Good"  Sing along with me:

Bill Gaither – Something Beautiful Lyrics

"Something beautiful, something good

All my confusion He understood

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife

But He made something beautiful of my life

If there ever were dreams

That were lofty and noble

They were my dreams at the start

And hope for life's best were the hopes

That I harbor down deep in my heart

But my dreams turned to ashes

And my castles all crumbled, my fortune turned to loss

So I wrapped it all in the rags of life

And laid it at the cross.

Something beautiful, something good

All my confusion He understood

All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife

But He made something beautiful of my life"

Okay, friends...that's it for this week. I pray that your week has been filled with "something beautiful and something good".  Isn't it wonderful when God makes "something beautiful of (our) lives?"

Now let us head over to someplace beautiful...Deb's place at Breathing in Grace, and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have been doing this week. Have a blessed and glorious week my friends.