Friday Foto Friends, Sunshine and Moon And Mockingbirds

 I've been seeing some beautiful things on Facebook the past couple of days that have spoken to me. I shared one of them yesterday HERE, and then I saw this picture (below) last night and had to share it because of what I was actually doing when I saw this picture...read on for more of this story...

"To stay positive amidst chaos, cultivate gratitude, surround yourself with positivity, and focus on what you can control.
Don’t forget, you can control how you view, process and react to events. Most people handle stress and unfortunate circumstances with a knee-jerk, panicked response. Sometimes simply switching off can make a huge difference to how we feel. This doesn’t mean that we’re sticking our head in the sand. It means that we’re limiting what we’re exposed to for our own well-being.
𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙡𝙙-𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙝 𝙖𝙞𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙩. Laura Ingalls Wilder
Artist ~ Prernaverse"

So, what was I doing when I saw this picture?  Enjoying some fresh air and "Sunshine"!  I had just gotten this new magazine in the mail, and thought it would be so nice to sit in the garden and read it:

The azaleas are so pretty right now! I was really enjoying this beautiful spot.

Yeah, that's me sitting out there in the Secret Memorial Garden, with my kitties nearby. You can't see Sunshine in this picture, but she is laying down in front of the bird bath, and Blackie is sitting right there in plain view.  

Hubby took this picture of us from a distance, but here are some that I took during this beautiful time of relaxation and pure peace and joy:

I had just fed the kitties up on the back porch, and then I went down to sit in the garden, and immediately Sunshine followed me!

It was so beautiful, sitting there beside Still Waters Pond, feeling a delightful breeze and the warmth of the afternoon sun.  It was a picture perfect kind of day!

So Sunshine laid down in the shade and was very content to relax there with me.

And soon, Blackie saw that we were having such a good time, so he came down off the porch to join us:

They both just laid there, enjoying the peace and calm and beauty of the afternoon with me.  I never knew having two "wild" (LOL) kitties could be so blissful... (I know, they don't look very "wild", do they?)

After a while they decided to go lay in the grass in the sunshine and watch the birds, who of course, would not come near their birdhouses or feeders while the kitties were laying there!

Just two lazy kitties, laying in the green grass on an almost spring day! It definitely feels like spring here in Florida!

Meanwhile, back over where I was, as soon as the kitties moved away, this Mockingbird came and sat in the Holly Trees right in front of me:

Isn't he handsome?  

It made me think of this song, which I haven't heard probably since I was a child!

Here's the song "Listen to the Mockingbird" sung by Dolly Parton and Stuart Duncan.

Here is the history of the song:  Listen To The Mockingbird

And although this Mockingbird did not sing for me while he sat there in the tree, he certainly gave me plenty of time to enjoy his beauty and give thanks for such a perfect day!

Did you know that the Mockingbird is the Florida State bird? You can read about that HERE

Here's a link to 10 fun facts about the Northern Mockingbird from the Audubon Society, if you wish to read them.

Until I did this little bit of research on this song, I never really knew the lyrics or what they were about. I only remembered the part that said "Listen to the Mockingbird, listen to the Mockingbird".   Little did I know it was written prior to the Civil War.  Here is part of what it says in Wikipedia about this song:

"Listen to the Mocking Bird" (1855) is an American popular song of the mid-19th century. Its lyrics were composed by Septimus Winner under the pseudonym "Alice Hawthorne", and its music was by Richard Milburn.[1][2][3]

It relates the story of a singer dreaming of his sweetheart, now dead and buried, and a mockingbird, whose song the couple once enjoyed, now singing over her grave. However, the melody is moderately lively.

"Listen to the Mocking Bird" was one of the most popular ballads of the era and sold more than twenty million copies of sheet music.[4] It was popular during the American Civil War and was used as marching music. Abraham Lincoln was especially fond of it, saying, "It is as sincere as the laughter of a little girl at play."[5]

Lyrics

I’m dreaming now of Hally, sweet Hally, sweet Hally,

I’m dreaming now of Hally,

For the thought of her is one that never dies;

She’s sleeping in the valley, the valley, the valley,

She’s sleeping in the valley,

And the mocking bird is singing where she lies

CHORUS

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

The mocking bird still singing o’er her grave;

Listen to the Mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

Still singing where the weeping willows wave.

Ah! Well I yet remember, remember, remember,

Ah! Well I yet remember

When we gather’d in the cotton side by side;

‘Twas in the mild September, September, September,

‘Twas in the mild September,

And the mocking bird was singing far and wide.

When the charms of spring awaken, awaken, awaken,

When the charms of spring awaken,

And the mocking bird is singing on the bough,

I feel like one forsaken, forsaken, forsaken,

I feel like one forsaken,

Since my Hally is no longer with me now.

QUARTETTE

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

The mocking bird still singing o’er her grave;

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

Still singing where the weeping willows wave.

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird, the mocking bird still sing o’er her grave;

Listen to the mocking bird,

Listen to the mocking bird,

Still singing where the weeping willows wave.

Hawthorne, Alice, "Listen to the Mocking Bird" (1850). Historic Sheet Music Collection.

I guess we all learned something about the Mockingbird today!

Now, before the day was completely over, this happened...a full moon was rising:

And then there was the Lunar Eclipse!

NO, those aren't MY pictures (above),

But here are my pictures below, and yes, I did get up at 2:30 in the morning to take them!

Oh, How I wished I had a good camera that could take better pictures of the moon and the stars! It was a perfectly clear sky, and I could see all the constellations of the stars, and the moon was just amazing! I stayed up for about 20 minutes, just watching and enjoying every minute of it.

I wish I could show you what I really saw.  It was amazing!  I just stood in awe of God's beautiful creation in the heavenlies, and gave Him glory!

And then I woke up again this morning around 5:30, (actually, I hardly slept at all last night...that lovely dinner we had yesterday at the Mexican place was talking to me! LOL) and here is how the moon looked as it descended over Still Waters Pond:

Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV

 17 ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You."

I hope you enjoyed this beautiful time with me.  And remember, there is NOTHING too hard for our Lord God, no matter what you may be facing today.  You can always rely on Him to take care of everything you need. Amen.