Thursday Thankfulness~Friday Foto Friends

 Might as well combine the two days because I know I won't have time to do another post tomorrow...unless it is late in the day.  Besides, a lot of what I am thankful for is in the pictures...well maybe, maybe not. Let's see how this unfolds.

This is a good place to begin, right?

(This is sign is another of our friend Barbara's from Sweet Tea and Sandals. We have it on a table as you come in the front door of the store as a good reminder!)

This huge flock of geese landed on Still Waters Pond the other evening.  Have you ever heard a "gaggle of geese" before?  Click on the video below if you'd like to hear what they sound like...I think they were all "talking" at once, trying to get everyone in order after their long flight, making sure no one was missing...

After a while they settled down and by nightfall I couldn't hear a peep.  I think they took off again before dawn, however, because there was no sign of them in the morning. They have places to go and "people to see".  We felt honored that they chose our little pond to land and rest a while.

 Up on shore it appears that we have a new "lawn ornament" in the butterfly garden, keeping watch over the bird feeder...

She just makes herself right at home there. I've noticed that she often arrives way before sunrise, but usually is gone after a couple of hours of bird watching. Then sometimes she reappears at night, tripping the motion detector light on our back porch.  I guess she feels safe here...

And here is one of her friends from the neighborhood, sitting out there this afternoon, just watching and waiting...Isn't she beautiful?  I don't know if these cats actually belong to anyone, but I do know that one of our neighbors feeds them. They look healthy.

A few weeks ago I told you about the damage to our church property after Hurricane Ian passed through HERE.  You will recall that a large tree fell onto our very old log storage building, landing on the roof and causing considerable damage.  Thankfully no one was around at the time and no people or vehicles were damaged, as this is also our church parking lot.  Well, now the demolition of the building has begun, and I've been trying to get some pictures throughout the week to mark the progress.  Here's a few pictures so you can see what the extent of the damage was:

The big tree was cut up, and you can see that it was rotten all the way through.

Do you see the little Wren above?  He was hopping around and inside the logs, looking for bugs I am sure.

This 100 + year old building was built from palm tree logs, which are very strong and dense.  

This is a picture of the logs, and how they were cut to fit together.  The logs themselves still look pretty good. I do not see any rot in them:

Inside the building was this old pulpit.  I am hoping someone has decided to remove it and not let it be destroyed...

It's a miracle it wasn't crushed:

This is the other end of the building, which was added at a later time, and it was not under the tree when it fell.  But I think it is still going to be torn down.  

Another view of the section that was crushed:

I am still amazed at the strength of these palm logs:

This pulpit, from whence the Word of God was preached for many years,  reminds me of the Word of God that is everlasting...

Isaiah 40:6-8

6 The voice said, “Cry out!”

And he said, “What shall I cry?”

“All flesh is grass,

And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades,

Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;

Surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands forever.”

Amen!

Now, for a little story from this morning's time spent at Dixie Cottage. No pictures of this...you'll have to just picture this in your mind's eye.  

Hubby and I were having a quiet morning at the store for the first hour. Then it seemed as though everything broke loose at once! First we saw one large van pull into the parking lot, and it turned out to be one of our new vendors and her husband coming to add some more items to her little booth.  We had not met before, so after introductions were made, we had a little bit of business to discuss while she worked on her booth. Just as we were talking another couple of people came in the door, and it turned out to be another of our vendors, also coming to add some things to her booth.  However, this particular person had previously discussed with my son that she had a little problem with this new vendor not following all of the "rules" for what they were allowed to bring to sell at the store. The new person had not totally understood all of the rules, but that is what I was discussing with her and explaining what needed to be changed. Everything was fine until this other person started saying negative and rather snarky things under her breath, but loud enough for the new vendor to hear her.  I was caught in the middle of a tense situation.  I tried my best to diffuse the matter by talking to each person individually, but it was getting very uncomfortable. (picture "cat fight" in your mind...I was trying to keep it from getting there...) On top of that someone came in to pick up a sign that she had ordered, and she was being a little bit difficult in that it wasn't as big as she thought it would be (it was exactly what she ordered), and the lettering wasn't as dark as she thought it should be (again, exactly what she ordered), and I could see she was going to be a little unpleasant, but I then had the pleasure of telling her that her sign was free because she actually is a person who finds estate sales and good used furniture for us that we purchase from her to restore and sell in the store. When I told her the sign was a gift, she changed her whole demeanor and attitude and the sign was just perfect! LOL.  

Anyway, meanwhile I could feel the tension growing in the building while the  ladies were working on their booths and both sputtering things as they worked...  I whispered a prayer to the Lord, "HELP ME!"  All the while, other people came and went...I helped a customer find something he was looking for...my husband was keeping the one lady's husband occupied in conversation,  Finally, the 2nd lady was ready to leave and she actually had a piece of furniture that she had purchased from the store that needed to be loaded in her truck.  (Where is our strong son when we need him???)  My hubby and I got the dolly and loaded the piece onto it and managed to get it to the door and out onto the sidewalk, but we weren't too sure how we were going to get it up into the back of her truck without damaging the piece of furniture.  This lady also came over and apologized to me privately, but not to the other lady, but at least she knew she was wrong for her attitude and said so.  Anyway, with all of this happening at once, I honestly was feeling so stressed and was really not sure how on earth we were going to get that furniture in the back of her truck. Then I looked around and this very tall (at least 6'6") big African American man stepped out of nowhere and asked if he could help us.  My husband and I both just gasped with joy and said "Oh, yes! Please! and thank you!"  He took over with my husband (and also the other woman's husband joined in to help as well) and they got that furniture in the back of that lady's truck with no problem.

I went back inside and tried to make amends with the new vendor lady and we talked and I felt like we had everything cleared up and she was okay and calmed down and seemed to be at peace with the situation.  I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the big man had walked around through the store and then was headed out the door.  I felt badly that we hadn't really had time to wait on him or ask him if we could help him with anything.  So before he went out the door I called over to him and asked him if there was anything we could help him with, and he said, "No, I just wanted to see what this place was."  And I said to him, "Well, we thank you for coming, and I really believe you were an angel sent here by God today."  He looked at me with a rather strange but I would say knowing look and smiled and went out the door.  And that was that.  And after all this crazy stuff was settled and we came home for lunch I told my husband that I honestly believed that God sent that man to help us just at that moment because God knew we needed some divine intervention in more ways than one. Do I really believe he was an angel? Well, let's just say he showed up out of nowhere at just the moment we needed him most, and then when everything was taken care of he just disappeared out the door.  I do think he was driving an old pick up truck, but he was nicely dressed and had the look of someone extra special. An angel? Could be...what do you think?

Hebrews 13:2

 "Do not forget to entertain strangers, 

for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels."

Some things to ponder tonight.  And I am very thankful for God's power to take care of us in difficult situations as well as during the easy peaceful times.   

I shared this video on Facebook last night.  Our choir is going to sing this song on Sunday morning.  I can't get this message out of my head. It's very meaningful and comforting.    I hope you will enjoy it. 

Here are the lyrics to the song by David Haas:

 I will come to you in the silence

I will lift you from all your fear

You will hear My voice

I claim you as My choice

Be still, and know I am near

… I am hope for all who are hopeless

I am eyes for all who long to see

In the shadows of the night,

I will be your light

Come and rest in Me

… Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine

… I am strength for all the despairing

Healing for the ones who dwell in shame

All the blind will see, the lame will all run free

And all will know My name

… Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine

… I am the Word that leads all to freedom

I am the peace the world cannot give

I will call your name, embracing all your pain

Stand up, now, walk, and live

… Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine

… Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine