Mother's Day Evening

It's Saturday night...Mother's Day Eve...and it's finally raining!!  It's not a big thunder-boomer torrential rain, but a nice gentle rain that is exactly what we need to help refill Still Waters Pond and water the grass, trees, flowers and beyond... Praise God for the rain!!! We rejoice to finally see it coming down, and I hope it rains all night long!

I do a lot of this...yes, drink a cup of tea, but what I am focusing on is the verse on the cup:

"Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God." Job 37:14

I thought this tea bag had a rather profound statement also:

Yes, "In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous".  Aristotle recognized that there was something marvelous in nature, but I don't know if he fully recognized WHERE that marvelousness of nature came from...from our Creator God Almighty Himself! Yes, He created all of nature for us to enjoy and marvel at.  I do a LOT of that. For instance, this is kind of funny, but it's God's creatures doing what they do best...

Yesterday afternoon those pesky Muscovy Ducks were up on our back porch again, looking for the cats' food.  I've learned to try and make sure the ducks aren't around when I feed the cats, and I also have started staying out there with the cats for a few minutes while they eat so I can be sure they get to eat their food before the ducks show up.  So far it's working, and by the time the ducks show up the cats have finished their food so the ducks are beginning to realize there's nothing there for them.  

However, the Sand Hill Cranes also spend a lot of time in our yard looking for things to eat in the ground, and sometimes they find some extra bird seed or other tasty bits out there.  Yesterday while the cranes were out there foraging around, the duck found himself somewhat "trapped" on the back porch and unable to leave because the cranes were keeping a close watch on him.  If the duck jumped down on the ground, the cranes would chase him off immediately because they are protecting their "baby", young "Trumpet", who is just about ready to start flying any time now.  But still, the parents are very protective, and if you look at these pictures, you will see the duck walking across the porch looking for a way to get off the porch, and the crane is staying right up with him, blocking his exit from the porch to the yard.

Notice the head of the Crane following alongside the duck as he moves across the porch:

Do you see him? It was quite comical. The duck would move forward, and so would the crane.

He is keeping a very watchful eye on that duck!

Finally the duck has enough of it and just takes off and flies out over the cranes and out to the pond.

See him flying below? And also do you see young Trumpet there below?

So, once that duck is gone out to the pond, the Daddy Crane turns his attention to the other duck, who had managed to sneak off the porch down at the other end and was high-tailing it back out to the pond before the crane came after him!  Meanwhile, I was standing inside taking these pictures and cheering on the Cranes!  I love it when they manage to chase away the ducks, because really, they are the only ones the ducks seem to be afraid of. They pretty much ignore me and just wag their tail feathers at me. LOL.

Yes, God's creation is fun to watch.  We are thankful we have this opportunity.

Now, look who's here!  Yes, that's Lily Grace, and she's wearing her "I'm Mom's Favorite" t-shirt, which was a gift from a friend a few years ago when our sons each showed up with t-shirts saying the same thing. 

And you will notice that she is standing beside a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  Not just any flowers, but these are special flowers to me...do you know what they are?

If you guessed "peonies", you are correct! Why are they so special you ask? Well, because peonies don't grow here in Florida, and I haven't seen them since we lived in Ohio many years ago.

Well, today we went to the "Deep Creek Farm" where they were having a farm market today, and there was a young couple there selling cut flowers and bouquets for Mother's Day, and they had these beautiful peonies! I couldn't believe my eyes!  Apparently they had ordered them from someplace up north to have them here, and well, I couldn't resist. 

I don't usually buy cut flowers, but this was something extra special to me and so I bought this Mother's Day bouquet gift for myself. 

I really can't begin to tell you how much I am enjoying this bouquet. It brought back such sweet memories from our time in Ohio so many years ago, and the special bouquet I made for my mother for Mother's Day. (click on that link for that story).   It didn't have any peonies in it because I think they were already done, but it was made up of lilacs and apple blossoms and tulips, and I mailed them to her in Florida from Ohio.  Of course they were mostly wilted by the time she got them, but she could still smell the lilacs and said they were so beautiful she cried.  Lilacs were her favorite flower, and they don't grow in Florida either.

And I actually bought myself another "Mother's Day" gift while there at the market.  It's okay, because hubby and I went shopping the other day to see if we could find something special for him to give me for Mother's Day, and we couldn't find anything at all.  (Instead HE ended up with two new shirts, which I told him we should put away and save until Father's Day! LOL)

But I saw this today and again, it just spoke to me and it was something that I really loved. It wasn't expensive at all. A lady makes this jewelry from some kind of poured acryllic material, and no two are ever the same.  

What do you see when you look at this?  I see a Mother and child, or perhaps the Madonna and Child...Mary and the baby Jesus. Either way, it just spoke to me and I loved it, so there you have it! 

Here is her card, in case you are interested in seeing what she makes. I guess she doesn't have a website, however, just an email and phone number. But she had so many beautiful necklaces and earrings and other things. And very inexpensive! I don't know how she does it!

So now tomorrow will be a sweet day with our kids here after church for lunch.  Normally Scott would probably grill some chicken or something so I don't have to cook, and Rose and Benton would bring extras...and they are bringing some of the dinner, but I am going to put some boneless pork ribs in the crock pot early in the morning so we don't have to grill because it may be raining tomorrow. We also picked up some fresh sweet corn today at the store, and so we will cook that and make a salad. It will be easy and fun and wonderful just having them here. That's the best gift to me of all.  

Mother's Day isn't always an easy day for many of us, I know that. There's no need to list the reasons why...we all know what they are...some may be very personal and even painful memories. To me, it is a day to honor all women, especially those who have had some hand in either raising us or encouraging us or have been a special part of our lives in one way or another.  

The Proverbs 31:10-31 "woman" is the ideal that we look up to, but many of us may feel like we come way short.  Of course the whole passage is great, but like I said, we may not all be able to reach those heights. These are a few select verses in that passage that speak to me as being goal-worthy.  Here they are:

10 "10 Who can find a virtuous wife?
For her worth is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
So he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good and not evil
All the days of her life.

17 17 She girds herself with strength,
And strengthens her arms.

25 Strength and honor are her clothing;
She shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She watches over the ways of her household,
And does not eat the bread of idleness.

30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised."

Whatever your current situation in life, whether you are a mother or wife, Aunt, or Grandmother, a daughter, sister or a dear friend...you are a blessing. Your life is so valuable to God and to everyone who knows you. Of all the things listed above, be that woman who fears the Lord. That is the most valuable goal we can have in this life, and if we do that, every other relationship will be as it should be.

Have a blessed and beautiful day my friend.