Monday, Monday!

Good Monday Morning!  I woke up after a restless night's sleep with disturbing dreams to see these beautiful skies:

And I know I've shared this old hymn many times before, but it is worth sharing again:

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!

I was so thankful for the beautiful skies and the peaceful serenity of Still Waters Pond, soothing my mind and soul...

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!

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 found myself looking longingly at the "Secret Memorial Garden", and wishing I could just go spend some time there early in the morning, before the busy-ness of the day takes over... (and yes, that branch hanging down needs to be cut.  There's so much work to be done, and that's what stops me from finding the "rest" that I need for my soul and body.LOL. There's just always something that needs to be done!)

When evil thoughts molest,
With this I shield my breast,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The powers of darkness fear,
When this sweet chant they hear,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Did you all see the full moon last night?  It was amazing! 

When sleep her balm denies,
My silent spirit sighs,
May Jesus Christ be praised!
The night becomes as day,
When from the heart we say,
May Jesus Christ be praised!

Yes, the full moon was glorious, but sometimes a full moon also disturbs my sleep.  I think I just had too much of a wonderful weekend with family and friends and blessings overflowing, and perhaps my mind and body were a bit over-stimulated and my mind wouldn't shut down like it should!

I am reminded of Psalm 4:8, which says:

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

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!

Waking up this morning to this glorious sight restored my peace and calmed my spirit, and I must say I've had more energy this morning than I have had in a while, so I give thanks to God for His peace and grace and love.    May Jesus Christ be praised!! Amen!

So, I know you've heard enough by now about our wonderful weekend, celebrating our anniversary and also the birthdays and anniversaries of some of the rest of our wonderful family together.  It truly was a lovely weekend, and we were blessed with good weather and good fellowship. To top it all off, our son Scott came over yesterday and grilled us some hamburgers and hot dogs. Of course Benton and Rose and the pups came over as well. We just didn't take any pictures.  But we had a good time together and that made our weekend complete. Oh! We also heard from our grandson Noah, who loved seeing the pictures of us on our anniversary that I texted him. He said, "Y'all are cute, and I love you too."  I was surprised he said "y'all", because he's a Maine boy through and through, but I guess he learned the southern lingo from his daddy who was raised in the south, and from us who say "y'all" quite often.  LOL.  I don't care what lingo he used,  I'm just so happy to hear from him!  That truly was the "icing on the cake".  

One thing I forgot to show you from our family gathering on Saturday was this cute gift from my sister in law Peggy. She said she was thinking "FALL", and also thinking about my birthday, which isn't until next month, but they will be away at that time so we probably won't get together.  So she brought me this really cute little Autumn Squirrel couple.

Aren't they adorable?

Lily Grace thought so, and here she's trying to hold her dog Bailey back from chasing them! LOL.  We all know that beagles love to chase squirrels! (What dog doesn't???)

Also, Lily wanted to name the squirrels, so I said she could name them whatever she wanted. The first names that came to her sweet little mind was "Rocky and Bullwinkle".  I told her that Bullwinkle was actually a moose, and also one of these squirrels is a girl and one is a boy. But that did not deter her. She said "Rocky and Bullwinkle" is what I want to name them, and you said I could name them anything I wanted!"  (little bit impertinent, isn't she??)  LOL.  And so Mr. and Mrs. Autumn Squirrel are now known as "Rocky and Bullwinkle".  I'm sure they probably don't mind at all. They are just happy to be safe and warm and dry inside our house and not have to go anywhere else to hunt for nuts! There's plenty of "nuts" right here! LOL. 

I didn't even notice what this gift bag said on it until this morning when I was arranging things on the table.  Dr. Joyce Brothers "became famous in 1955 for winning the top prize on the American game show The $64,000 Question.^[1] Her fame from the game show allowed her to go on to host various advice columns and television shows, which established her as a pioneer in the field of "pop (popular) psychology".(Wikipedia)  I remember hearing all about her when I was a child.  I was about "Lily Grace's" age when Dr. Joyce Brothers became famous. LOL.  Anyway, I love this quote and thought it noteworthy to share:

And yes, today, after a lovely weekend filled with "family happinesses", I can totally agree with her statement.

Of course, I also believe that the "greatest happiness" comes from knowing Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. 

Matthew 19:14  New King James Version

14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, 

and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus also said in John 14:6:

"I am the Way, The Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Without that knowledge and assurance, there really cannot be any true great happiness.

I mentioned having troubling dreams last night...and so I did. Without going into all the details, just to suffice it to say that it appeared in my dream that the world as we know it was coming to a very violent end.  And just before I woke up, I saw a woman singing a song that said "Be sure your children belong to Jesus. There is nothing more important than that."    And with that I woke up and prayed, not just for my own children (although I do know that they do know Jesus), but for many other "children", both young and old, who still have not made that decision to accept Christ as their Savior.  Time is running out for this world.  People need to make sure of their salvation now, before it is too late. And with that I will  close this post, praying that if there is anyone out there who isn't sure about their faith in Christ, it's time to settle that issue now with God.  Amen.