Friday Foto Friends-Thank You!

I wanted to start out this post with this collage of mostly cactus blooms from our walks in the past week or so.  This is their season to "shine", and so I thought they should be recognized for their beauty while it lasts...

"Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."

Proverbs 31:30

 First of all, I want to thank you for your kind comments on my "Do You Want To Be Made Well" post HERE the other day.  I am overwhelmed with your thoughtful and prayerful words...they have truly blessed me and have helped in the healing process of the past few days...just knowing there are so many sweet friends out there who took the time to comment and also pray.  And I know some of you are also dealing with your own personal health issues, and I want you to know that I am also praying for you.  I have not replied personally to each one yet as the past few days have been busy in some ways, and difficult in other ways as I have continued to deal with the headaches.  But each day is a new day, and God is helping me day by day.  

"Colt", standing way out there on the little sand bar island in Still Waters Pond, all by himself. Parents were coaxing him to swim to shore and work his way around the pond...all a part of the growing up process. Learning to take steps of faith!

To answer some of your questions and concerns, I ended up not going to the Doctor the other day as originally planned. I did call and talk with them about the fact that I have another appointment already scheduled coming up soon for lab work and then discussion of that. I thought I'd like to try and stick it out until then and see if the lab reports show anything that might have a bearing on this.  However, the headache was much worse yesterday morning, and so I called them back and requested to see the Dr. this morning to discuss other options besides taking that particular medicine. And actually, praise God! This morning my headache is mostly gone, but I still intend to keep the appointment. So, again, I thank you for your continued prayers. I will keep you posted on any new developments!

Mr. Canada Goose, honking about any new developments...

Meanwhile, after a very rough start yesterday morning, I eventually began to feel better throughout the day.  I am SO thankful for that because we had a very special engagement planned for the evening that I absolutely could not miss! I will only share a few pictures here because Lily Grace wants to share this story in her post later.  (Don't look for it just yet...it's still in process...hopefully will be done later today or tonight).

Anyway, I was SO excited to finally meet in person my dear friend Debbi, from "Debbi's Front Porch" blog.  If you don't know Debbi, you need to go over there and meet her. She writes about the very interesting city of Charleston, SC, where she comes from. She always has the most lovely pictures of the old homes and streets of downtown historic Charleston, as well as fun walks through some old plantations and parks , and very often she is walking with her sweet little friends "Tracie" and "Amybelle"... 

If you have followed my other blog, The Adventures of Lily Grace, then you will understand this picture better.  Debbi and "Tracie" are the "Auntie Debbi and Identical CousinTracie that Lily Grace has often talked about.  Yes, my friend Debbi is the very kind benefactor who sent Lily Grace to me in the first place.  We had never met before in person, and I asked her last night whatever made her decide to send Lily Grace to me, and she said that she just felt compelled to do it, as if God were prompting her. Well, I believe that... Lily Grace has become a very special little 'celebrity' in our lives and home.

So here we are,  meeting in the parking lot of Corky Bell's last night, where we met for dinner.

And yes, Lily Grace and Tracie came too, along with Amybelle, Tracie's new sister.

And Lily Grace brought Bailey her dog.

And actually our hubbies were both there as well, but preferred not to be included in the blog post, so they shall remain anonymous. (Of course, you all already know my hubby...he's hardly anonymous on here, LOL).  Perhaps something about being seen in public with two ladies and their dolls was too much for them.  Ha Ha! They are both very good sports, believe me!

Here's a few pictures of our "girls":

Lily Grace, Tracie, and Amybelle, kind of crowded into our booth at the restaurant...

And then after we finished eating they exchanged some little gifts .

After dinner we went outside on the dock and did some more visiting, but I will save the rest of the pictures for Lily to share with you later in her blog.  So be sure to be watching for that. Well, maybe a couple more pictures won't hurt:

There I am with the girls and some other lovely gifts...

And this is "Auntie Debbi", holding all three girls and Bailey the dog, and the wind was really having fun with her hair! LOL.

Needless to say we attracted some attention there among the other customers and waitstaff, but everyone seemed to enjoy our fun.  We really didn't care too much what they might be thinking...We were very happy.

Okay, I will leave it at that for now. I've got to run to the Dr. appt.

Tomorrow, Lord willing, is going to be another exciting day, meeting up with some other very special people from Blogland. Pray that my headaches will stay away and I will be able to make the trip. Personally, I think it is just what the Doctor ordered for me...

"A merry heart does good, like medicine,

But a broken spirit dries the bones."

Proverbs 17:22

Do You Want To Be Made Well?

 I don't know if you are familiar with "The Chosen" series...to be honest, I have not yet watched it, but now I believe I will.  Here is a scene that I just found on YouTube that means a lot to me:

The scene of healing at the Pool of Bethesda from The Chosen

John 5:1-9 (NKJV)
A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda

"1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 

3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 

4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 

5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 

6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, 

He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”

7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 

9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
And that day was the Sabbath"

For an interesting article written on this Scripture passage, click HERE.

So why is this so interesting to me today?  Some of you know that I've been dealing with some physical issues lately...nothing terribly serious, at least not as far as we know, but enough to keep me from being able to fully enjoy life as much as I would like to.  I've recently been having some headaches that I have found to be somewhat debilitating.  The Doctor prescribed a medication that is normally used as an antidepressant, but which also, at a lower dose, is good for tension headaches.  So I tried it. 

However, I don't believe he prescribed the lowest dosage available, and the side effects of this medicine have been much too strong for me. Instead of making me feel better, I was feeling like a zombie and actually starting to feel depressed and anxious...just the opposite of what it was supposed to do for me. And so I called his office Monday morning to ask if the dosage could be lowered. The Doctor will not be in this week and I will have to see his P.A. in person before any changes can be made. I can not see her until Wednesday morning.  After spending another day of zombie like behavior, and crying myself to sleep, my hubby said that I was not to take any more of that medicine. And so I didn't take it that night. The next day I felt some better...no zombie feelings, no crying...but still I have a slight headache.  

Then something very very unusual happened this afternoon.  I was sitting here at my computer in my "Room With A View", which looks out over Still Waters Pond. I noticed a very strange appearance in the water and in the air above the water.  At first I thought perhaps the geese had just landed and they were chasing each other around like they usually do.  But on closer look there were no geese, no birds of any kind.  The waters of "Still Waters Pond" were being stirred up like a fountain.  The air was swirling around and around above the waters, and the waters were spraying around in a circle.  I called to my hubby to look so he could see it too as I ran to find my camera.  We both watched in awe as I finally got my (real) camera open and zoomed in, but by then the waters were slowing down and the fountain was disappearing, but I managed to get this picture:

I enhanced the color a bit so you could see the contrast of the spraying water in the air, and if you look just behind those tree branches on the surface of the water, you can see that the waters were stirred up and they look a little more aqua in color.  It was a marvelous sight...something we have never ever seen before here on Still Waters Pond.  Especially during a perfectly calm, sunny and warm afternoon. There was no wind anywhere else, and it wasn't even cloudy.  

At the time I didn't think much of it, except that it was very unusual.  But later, at supper time, I was sharing this with our son who had come home from work.  And as I was telling him about this strange occurrence I suddenly described it like the "angel stirring up the waters in the Pool of Bethesda"...and as I said that out loud it hit me...what if this was like that?  What if this was God's special way of getting my attention to ask me "Do you want to be made well?"...and here I sit saying, "but I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up..."   And Jesus looks me in the eyes again and says to me, "Pamela, Rise, take up your bed and walk."   Now, I know, I am not crippled or lame...but oftentimes things like headaches or frozen shoulders or tummy issues can and do cripple us and keep us from living the life God wants us to live.  And lately that's how I've felt. I've been missing the women's Bible studies quite a bit and some of our other Women's ministries because I didn't feel good. There are a lot of things that I've been missing or unable to help with because of these issues.  Also I no longer do much entertaining in our home or inviting people over because I don't feel up to cleaning the house and cooking for company. Oh, I do the basics to keep things clean enough for our daily living, but you know how it is when company's coming...you want to go the extra mile with cleaning and making sure everything is just right. Sadly, over the past couple of years I've let a lot of things slide, and it's really making me feel unhappy.

"Pamela, Do you want to be made well?",  again I hear Jesus asking.  "Yes, Lord, I do want to be made well."  "Then rise, take up your bed and walk."   Hmmm, so, do I keep the appointment with the P.A. tomorrow morning? Do I keep trying to take medicines that are doing me more harm than good?  

Right now tonight as I write this my thoughts are that I am claiming my healing by faith. Yes, I will keep the appointment tomorrow, only to tell the P.A. that I do not intend to take this medicine in any dosage anymore.  I am going to believe what God is telling me and trust Him for my healing. If I thought He was telling me to request more tests or further medicines, then I would do that. But right now I truly believe God is telling me to trust Him for healing.  So I am putting this in writing tonight and asking you, my praying friends here in blogland as well as others who may read this, to pray with me regarding this. I want to be made well. I want to get back to a full life again.

Maybe this message is for some of you out there as well...perhaps you need that little extra push or visual aid to get your attention to believe God for whatever it is that is hurting you or for decisions you need to make.  He doesn't always send angels to stir up the waters in a perfectly calm afternoon, but sometimes He uses other methods to get our attention. What will it be for you?  "Do you want to be made well?"

Thank you for listening and reading and praying with me. I will also be praying for you if you ask me to. God bless you all, my dear friends.

Tuesday 4: Blast From the Past

 

Blast from the Past


Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.. We are glad to have you here!

1. If you had one million dollars to spend only on yourself, what would you spend it on?

Gosh, only on myself??? That is a difficult question to answer. I can't imagine just buying something for myself with that much money. But what I would most likely do is buy the home I've always dreamed of...a large rustic cabin style home on a lake, with plenty of guest rooms (or extra guest cottage) to share with people who need a place to get away for a little rest and retreat.  Something like this: 

But nowadays one million dollars probably wouldn't be able to buy this...so whatever I could find within that price that meets this idea would make me happy. And I would like to have a housekeeper and cook to help when guests come. 

This might be more affordable:

2. You can do it again. What decade are you going back to and why? What's the attraction?

I assume you mean a decade that I have actually lived in?  Maybe the late 50's to 60's...that's when I was just growing up, but perhaps I'd like to be an adult in that decade. It was a "kinder, simpler" time, and people were good honest God fearing folks, not ashamed to bow their heads in prayer in public places like schools, and we were hard working, proud Americans. There was a lot of enthusiasm for living in this post WWII era, and young families were buying new homes, starting businesses or working a farm or moving across the country to a better life.  We loved God, our family and our country.  And I loved the cars from that era too. I love classic cars and wouldn't mind having one today.   Oh, and ladies still dressed like ladies and guys dressed like men and boys and girls were proud to be exactly that, boys and girls. And people/children didn't spend all their time with their noses in their cell phones or laptops. They actually had face to face conversations, the children played outside all day and were creative with their toys and games. If they didn't have something to play with, they created something. We played "let's pretend..." a lot...used our imaginations and were very physically active.

3. What's the last song that got stuck in your head? Alternatively, what's your current favorite song?   This song is called, "Take Up Thy Cross and Follow Me", and we sang it in our Easter Cantata at church on Easter Sunday. Here is a group of people singing it and doing a nice job with instruments, etc.  This song was buzzing around in my head and I was happy I could find this version to share with you.

My favorite song is very difficult to say. I love so many songs, mostly sacred, gospel, hymns,  etc. The list is really endless, from Handel's Messiah & Hallelujah Chorus, to "Jesus Loves Me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong! Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me, The Bible tells me so."  I guess I would have to say Jesus Loves Me is my all time favorite. It is the first song I taught my babies...and actually sang it to them while they were still in my womb. I wanted them to know that Jesus loved them from even before the first breath they took.  Yes, that is my favorite song. It still speaks to me today. We sing it every Sunday morning in church when the little children go out to Children's Church. It's a sweet sweet song.

4. What items do you miss from the past and wish they were still around?

Well, that's another hard question. You are hitting a lot of soft spots today in my head and heart.  

Of course, they aren't "Items", but I wish my parents and grandparents and all those we knew and loved were still around, but I would never call them back from heaven. I look forward to being with them someday in heaven for eternity.  So back to the original question, what "items" do I miss from the past...

I'm drawing a blank here.  I would love to have lived in the era of lovely horses and carriages, women wearing beautiful feminine dresses and hats and gloves...

Uh, well, maybe not the small waistlines and bustles, etc.... LOL.

However I wouldn't want to bring back outhouses, chamber pots and doing laundry by hand.... I guess that's all I can think of right now. I rather miss the pre-technology era, but then again, I love sitting here at my computer and writing this to you now, and I probably would never have known you without this invention...so I guess we need to be careful what we ask for.

Thank you,  Annie, for coming up with these challenging  questions for Tuesday 4 today. I've had to really scratch my head and think, which is good for me, but not so good for my headache! LOL.  

God bless you all and have a wonderful day.

  

Monday Monday...

Good Monday Morning from Still Waters Pond!

I thought it was a about time you had a "Colt" update!

Look how much he's grown!!!

Every time we see him we are sure he's grown another inch or two!

And he is very much taking on the characteristics of his parents. They are such fun to watch.

But every so often Colt seems to lag behind too far and seems to lose his way.  And then the parents let out an ear splitting call over and over again as they walk back and forth searching for him. It always makes me think about the story of the young boy Jesus, when His parents thought He was lost...

Luke 2:41-52

41 "His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42 And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. 43 When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; 44 but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. 

46 Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. 

48 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”  

49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men."

Yes, young "Colt" is learning more and more how to take care of himself, but he is not yet quite ready to be out on his own. His wings have not quite developed enough to fly, and so he must still "be subject to his parents" until his time comes...

So last evening I was sitting out in the "Secret Memorial Garden", contemplating life and enjoying a cool breeze before the mosquitoes discovered me...and I was thinking, "why am I sitting here behind this big holly tree, which is blocking my view of the pond?"  Good question!  

And so, while our son Scott was at home and up and about I asked him if he could rearrange things a bit for me:

We moved the swing over on the other side of the bench and in more of the shade of the other trees, and placed it so that I would have a better vantage point to view the pond:

And I can still see the birdhouses and bird feeders, etc. so I don't miss any of the action.

Sometimes a little light comes on in my head and says, "Why don't you fix things instead of sitting there wishing it was fixed?"  LOL. Do you ever have those lightbulb moments?

Speaking of lightbulbs, the lightbulb went out over my bathroom sink. Of course we had run out of the correct wattage of lightbulbs to replace it, so hubby put in one temporarily that was 100 watts, when the lamp clearly states only use a 60 watt bulb. Thankfully we decided we'd better get to the store and get some more 60 watt bulbs before we burn the house down. And so we did. Do you know how many different kinds of lightbulbs there are these days?  LED, Halogen, Fluorescent, and in all different wattages that say something different than what we used to understand...oh, and then there are soft white and daylight and undimmable and dimmable...yikes! What a nightmare just trying to find the right light bulb!  We finally decided upon an LED 60 watt daylight bulb.

Woo Hoo! It says it will last 9 years!  Not sure what that little * means...but I am sure there's some fine print some to tell us what 9 years really means!

I'm sure you've heard the joke about "how many _______ (fill in the blank with your favorite group of people) does it take to change a lightbulb?"  LOL!  In our case, it took 2 Steiner's  2 different lightbulbs  and one trip to the Dollar General store to replace one burned out bulb. Hubby says we need to put our sunglasses on to go in the bathroom now because that "daylight" bulb is so bright! LOL.

Reminds me of another Scripture verse in the Bible:   

Genesis 1:3

3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

And the light was good!!

So moving on to other happenings and events...

I am still adjusting to the medicine the Doctor put me on for headaches.  It makes me rather drowsy during the day even though I take it at bedtime. Around 10:00 a.m. I am ready for a nap...and then again after lunch...and as far as my headaches go...the jury is still out on that one.  As far as being "two tents", I think I still have a way to go to become a "Happy Camper".  LOL.   I am calling the Doctor today to see if he could give me a lower dose of this. I think it is too strong for me...but he'll probably tell me to let it get into my system....don't they always say that?  

And my glasses are doing fine, although I am noticing that as I type here on my computer my progressive (bifocal) lens seems to be in a different place and I am having to adjust how I hold my head as I look at the screen...I may need to adjust the height of my monitor or my chair...decisions decisions! No wonder I am "two tents". LOL. 

Okay, I need to wrap this up. Time for our morning devotions and then breakfast and then hubby has a Men's Bible Study that he leads to go to and I hope I can make it to our Ladies' Bible Study this afternoon...instead of taking a nap...Pray for me!!! I want to be there instead of here but here seems so nice when my body says rest...LOL.

Have a blessed day my friends.  May your day be filled with much joy and many blessings and I pray that you are a "happy camper" and not "two tents". LOL.

 

Friday Foto Friends-Porch Sitting Time!

 Here it is Friday Foto Friends day, and I don't have any pictures worth sharing! What's up with that?  Probably because I've spent most of the week just trying to get by with doing the least possible I could do. LOL.  But, thank you everyone for the kind words regarding my headaches, new glasses, etc., etc.  I have started on the medicine that was prescribed for tension headaches. It is actually an antidepressant in a lower dose.  I guess it's supposed to make me feel really good about my headaches! LOL.  Last night was my 2nd night taking it, and actually I am sleeping better, but it's still too early in the morning to tell if I still have a headache or not.  I am working on not being "two tents" (if you read my last post you will understand that. If you didn't get to read it, click on the link so you'll be in the loop! LOL)

When I was at the doctor's office the other day they gave me this little pedometer and told me the goal is to work up to taking 10,000 steps per day! LOL.  So here's where I left off yesterday...which actually isn't correct because I took it off to take a nap and if you leave it sit too long it wipes out your numbers, and then I didn't wear it at all after supper, and we did take another walk...so...it should probably be up around 4500 or more instead of 1500.  I will try to do better today...but it may be a while before I reach 10,000 steps in a day! 

Speaking of walks...when we did take our walk yesterday I kept hearing this sweet little bird song, and so of course I was looking to see what kind of bird was singing above me in the treetops. I actually managed to get a picture of it, and then another when he flew to the ground right in front of me!

These pictures on the ground aren't too clear because he was moving along pretty fast:

And then I realized there were actually two of them!  I believe these are Pine Warblers., and I noticed that one of them had a long piece of pine needle in her mouth when she flew up from the ground, so maybe they are building a nest!  That would be fun to see, but this is out in the woodsy area where we go walking, so I doubt I would ever be able to find their nest. It could be anywhere!

After our evening walk I did a little "porch sitting"...well, more like yard sitting in the porch swing. LOL.  It was so pleasant out last evening, with a cool breeze coming across Still Waters Pond.

The only thing missing was you!  I sat there thinking how nice it would be if our blogging friends could be our porch sitting friends as well...

You know, someone to actually sit beside and swing on the swing, or sit up on the real porch and enjoy a little tea party or just sitting and chatting in person. I miss that. My hubby stuck his head out the door and wondered when I was coming back inside.  I asked him to come outside and sit with me! But he was busy watching a hockey game on tv...I've learned after over almost 53 years of marriage that porch sitting  or swinging just isn't something a man seems to enjoy as much as woman! Once in a while he will come out and sit with me, but only until the first mosquito shows up and then he's "outta there"! 

LOL. But I can't complain...he has many other wonderful qualities and we actually do our best chatting while taking a ride or a walk. I am very thankful to have him and at our age, I don't take that for granted.

But I sat there contemplating how times have changed in our society.  People used to visit one another on their porches and that's where the best conversations could be had. Just relaxing and sitting and chit-chatting about this or that...drinking a cool iced tea or lemonade and simply enjoying being friends and neighbors.

There are "rules" for porch sitting, you know! Of course these mostly apply to when you are porch sitting alone, except for the "conversing" part on the list. One might think you are a bit touched in the head if you are "conversing" with no one...LOL.

However, I will say that I often have the best "conversations" with God while sitting out in my porch swing.  It's kind of like the chorus to the familiar beloved old hymn< "In The Garden"...

1 I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.

Refrain:

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

2 He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

 [Refrain]

3 I'd stay in the garden with Him

Tho' the night around me be falling;

But He bids me go; thro' the voice of woe,

His voice to me is calling. 

[Refrain]

Well, friends, I guess I came up with a few things to share.  I am thankful for you and that we do have this way of conversing with one another. It's almost as good as sitting in a swing together and visiting face to face.  It would be wonderful to actually be able to do that someday, but until we can, I thank the Lord for this time of "porch sitting" that we do have.

Have a blessed and beautiful day! And thank you again for your prayers and kind thoughts! Oh, btw, my new glasses seem to be doing fine. I am adjusting to them better each day.  And I am praying that my headaches will soon be a thing of the past. One day at a time!  God is Good, All the Time God is good!

Wednesday "Treasures" and Delights

 This is truly a "Wednesday Treasure".  This is the 2nd blooming of these Amaryllis plants this spring!

These are a few of the things in which I delight! (My "One Word" for 2022)

Fresh "real chicken eggs"...a gift from a lady at our church we lovingly call "The Egg Lady". She brings several dozens of eggs to share with people at church every time her hens are happily producing. These look like beautiful Easter eggs to me:

Our blueberry bushes are producing! Not quite as many as I would like, but at least they are trying!

These are two different varieties of blueberries.  Maybe I will have enough for some blueberry muffins. Or just eat them fresh on my cereal and yogurt! 

Now here's something extra special:

This comment below just popped up from 12 years ago on my Facebook Memories, right when I needed it most! 12 years ago when our son Matthew Steiner wrote this he had just been (very sadly) diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. He asked his then 10 yr. old son to pray for him, and this is what he prayed (see full message from my Facebook memories below).

Matthew posted this morning: "Last night, I asked Noah to pray that God would calm my nerves. He prayed, "Lord, yesterday dad was a teepee. The day before, he was a wigwam. Help him tomorrow to not be two tents".   That's our 10 yr. old grandson Noah...what a sweetheart! He knows how to keep things in perspective! "

What I found so wonderful about seeing this memory pop up today was that I'd just been to the Doctor this morning, after having a CT Scan for some constant headaches that I've been having lately. Thankfully, nothing serious showed up on the scan, but the Doctor said my headaches are most likely being caused by "tension". Apparently I am being "two tents", as our grandson Noah Steiner called it when he was 10. So I am claiming this prayer for myself today. Lord, I'd rather be a teepee or a wigwam than two tents! Thank You, Jesus, for this blessing today, out of the "mouth of babes". Noah Steiner is 22 now...and I don't know if he's on Facebook because he's traveling somewhere out in the desert of southwest USA, camping out...but he has a camper, not a teepee or a wigwam or "two tents". LOL  

I am very very thankful that the diagnosis is a tension headache rather than something else more serious. The doctor is prescribing some medication that is more specific for this type of headache, so I'm praying that will help.  I didn't realize I was being "two tents".  So please pray that I will be able to relax and just rest in the Lord.  Of course, recalling this memory about our son Matthew brought back some unhappy memories, but I know he is completely healed today and enjoying the peace of heaven. There is no need for him to ever be "two tents" again.    

This is a picture of Matthew with Noah, probably right about that same time.  They both took Tae Kwon Doh together until Matthew had to start chemo.  He fought valiantly for four years until the Lord called him home.

Switching gears on to a little bit of happy news from here at Still Waters Pond:  

I am having to deal with a bit of "empty nest syndrome".  We noticed that the Mama and Papa Bluebird were no longer coming back and forth feeding the babies in the birdhouse. After a full day of no action I realized that the babies must have left the nest sometime when I wasn't looking...Here's what the inside of the birdhouse looks like now:

Apparently they must have made it safely out of the nest and on to their new life in the treetops.  I saw no signs of any traumatic issues around the nest or on the ground, so I am thankful to know they are on their way! But I do miss all the daily activity surrounding the birdhouse.  Hopefully the parents will come back in a few weeks and start another brood. Last year they did three times!

I wasn't sure if this was Daniel Boone (a.k.a. "Bobby the Squirrel") wearing a "coon-skin hat", or our neighborhood squirrel pretending to be "The Thinker". He sat in this pose for quite a while, so of course I figured he wanted me to take his picture. After this he left and was off to the treetops again.

Thankfully our Sand Hill Crane family are still hanging around, and we get to watch the antics of "Colt" as he continues to grow and grow and grow...

However, they are spending more and more of the day wandering around the neighborhood and not as much time in our yard.

We mostly see them in the early morning as they come ashore from their night on the island, and then again in the late afternoon, as it appears "Colt" is taking his evening bath, splish-splashing around and cooling off before they head back to the island for the night.

Other major news:

I got some new glasses after I don't know how many years:

(don't look too closely... I was having a bad hair day as well as a headache)

Here's what they look like on the "arms":  

They are rather plain and simple, if you ask me. I liked my older ones better, but didn't have that option this time. The important thing is to be able to see better. I'm still adjusting to that as well! LOL.

But here's some good things to think about as we close this out for the night:

This came from this little devotional book that I love to quote from now and then:

I need not be "two tents" about my future or my present...when I place my trust in the Lord, I can be confident that He will take care of every need I may have, and I know He will never disappoint me.

Thank You, Jesus, for this promise. I can rest confidently in You.

Amen.