Monday Monday and the Tuesday 4~Let's Blog!

Psalm 113:4-8

The Lord is high above all nations,

His glory above the heavens.

5 Who is like the Lord our God,

Who dwells on high,

6 Who humbles Himself to behold

The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

7 He raises the poor out of the dust,

And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,

8 That He may seat him with princes—

With the princes of His people.

Gulf Fritillary Butterfly 

I know, it's Monday. I haven't written much since last week..just haven't had the heart or desire.  But I decided it's time to get back with the program. Even when difficult things happen to zap our energy,  life goes on, and we need to seek God's strength to persevere and keep moving forward.  

The weather has been glorious and so we've taken a few little walks.  It's so good to get outside in the fresh air (and away from the TV and Internet) and just breathe in God's beauty around us.  I've seen a few things that have caught my attention and made me smile, like that butterfly above.

And then look at this Beauty Berry bush...some bug must've eaten all those holes in the leaves, making them look so delicate and lacy! 

I think they look really pretty, even if it is a kind of destruction...sometimes beauty comes out of things that were not intended for good.  

It reminds me of this story in Genesis chapter 50, after Joseph had been sold into slavery by his own brothers, and then many years later he is in a position to provide food for them while they have been suffering through a famine in their land.  They were afraid that Joseph would not treat them well after what they'd done to him, but look at what happened instead: 

 

"19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 

20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, 

in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive."

Morning Glory growing wild in the weeds

Isaiah 61:3 

"...To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

That they may be called trees of righteousness,

The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

I love it when God gives us pictures of His love and grace and comfort even in nature. After all, He created it, and it's here for our benefit...to behold His beauty in creation, and to be reminded that He is close to the broken hearted and those who mourn.  Not only that, but what man intended for evil, God turns into good.  As the result of the very sad death of one of His servants last week, Charlie Kirk, who was a strong believer and witness for Christ, there has been a revival going across the world of people who are now more and more committed to continuing that work throughout the world and becoming the hands and feet of Christ on earth. May they stay true to that purpose and not lose sight of WHO it is for, Jesus Christ... and not just a movement in memory of or allegiance to a man that they admired and loved, but for the actual furtherance of The Kingdom of God.  That's my prayer...that God will use this moment in time to draw many to Christ for salvation before His return.   

So now that brings us to the Tuesday 4.  I hope you don't mind that I am combining these two today.  The questions have made me think about the real reason that I enjoy blogging...so let's proceed...

Let's Blog!

Welcome once again friends to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 and how about talking about blogging this week since it's something we all do anyway.
Get yourself a cuppa, come sit down at your computer and let's think about blogging for a bit....

Blog is short for Weblog, a log or diary on the World Wide Web or internet. Your journal or diary can hold personal stories, ideas, opinions of all kinds and can be private or public as you wish. It is an excellant way to document your life or interests.


1. Why did you begin blogging?

Click Here for a link to a post I wrote a few years ago about why I love to blog

To sum it up, I blog to because I love having a place to share my heart with others...and to share the beauty that I see around me here in God's beautiful creation.   My initial beginning was because I was discouraged from writing a book due to many reasons...the cost, the lack of "audience",  and all the other little details that go into publishing a book that maybe only a few people will read.  I went to a Christian Writers Conference, and the only thing I learned there that was helpful to me at that time was someone was giving a class about blogging. I had NO idea what a blog was, or how to do it, or what impact it could have...but I came home and looked it up on my computer and found this blogging program, and well, the rest is history. In my mind, this has become my "book", and it is free to publish, and free to you, my readers!  And every "chapter" is something fresh and new, whatever God leads me to for that day. It has opened a whole new world to me, and I am very thankful that God led me to it!


2. What benefits does blogging offer you?

Well, see question #3 below...yes, I have made some very good friends, both in person and through cyberspace. I consider that a great benefit!  Blogging also gives me a way to communicate with people all over the world, people I would never have had any opportunity to know in any other way, and you have all enriched my life with your stories and encouragement.  I also believe that blogging is a great way to stimulate mental acuity. As we age, finding words becomes more and more difficult, and blogging has helped me to keep thinking and striving to improve in my writing skills while I still have my mental faculties!   I hope I can keep it up for a long time!

3. Have you made friends from blogging?

See question #2 above. Yes, I have met in person several wonderful people, and I think that has been the best surprise of blogging of all!  But even for those I have not met in person, I still think of you all as friends...we share so many personal stories and look into the hearts of one another through good times and bad, in sickness and sorrows...and we lift each other up and encourage each other with words of hope and wisdom and joy.  I seriously wish we could all meet in person someday. I would just love to hug every single one!!  Maybe in heaven there will be a special place just for bloggers! LOL.


4. Where do you get ideas for things you blog about? Do other bloggers influence you?

Well, this weekly Tuesday 4, thanks to Toni Taddeo's influence and our current hostess Annie, have been great about giving us ideas to write about each week. This is really the only weekly meme that I participate in, but I enjoy reading what everyone writes in whatever format you choose.  And yes, your thoughts and questions and ideas do influence me in a very positive way. I've learned so much since becoming a blogger. You've opened up a whole new world for me, and I love it.  

Now, for a great big thank you...for quite some time most of you know that I've been praying for some good new neighbors to move into the house next door to us.  As I mentioned a week or so ago, the new neighbors did finally move in and I met them in passing on the road. Well, today the man and his father actually came over to our door and introduced themselves to us! The daughter is working as a caregiver for an elderly woman, so she stays there during the week.  But here's the good news!  They are a fine Christian family, and I do believe that God has answered our prayers by bringing us some really good neighbors!  Praise God for this answer to prayer!  Now I pray that we will be good neighbors to them as well!  Thank you all for your words of encouragement and prayers for this situation over the past few months!  I knew you'd want to know how it all turned out!! God is so good!!!

In closing, I will share this little quote from a devotional calendar that I have. I thought it was some good food for thought today in particular:

Wherever we are, God has placed us there for a purpose.  We are to use these gifts, whether it be our home, our blog, or whatever talents we may have, for God's glory and honor and to be His ambassador of hope to others along life's way.  And that is why I love to blog in a nutshell.

Now let's go see what others are writing about this week here at https://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/

Some Friday Thoughts

 I saw this on Facebook today, and it really spoke to me.

This is so true. Sad. But true. People just don't take the time to sit down with others and really get to know them anymore. Especially our elders...grandparents, older parents. So much wisdom is being lost when we ignore the older ones around us. Take time to ask them about their youth, their childhood, the things they did in life or wanted to do. Write it down and remember it so that their memory will never fade.  

I tried to do this with my father in his latter years when I was spending a lot of time with him after my mother died.  I did write down some of his stories and have shared them here in blogland occasionally.  HERE is a link to some of those stories. (that one has 3 parts, and the links are within that link)   Here's another one, Christmas at The Cabin There's more, but I won't list them all here.

Of course, those of us here in Blogland probably know more about each other than some of our closest family members and/or friends.  Why? Because we write about our lives and dreams and hopes and sorrows and silly stuff and things that make us happy and things that make us sad and things that are important to us, and we actually read these things about each other and write comments back to one another and share our lives in a special way. Some of us share pictures of everything we do, what we eat, where we've been, where we'd like to be, the people we love, the things we love...and we take the time to look at those photos and ooh and ahh and appreciate what each other are seeing and doing.  I guess that is why sometimes I feel like my best friends are here in blogland, because you probably know more about me than people I sit next to at church, or people I used to work with, or maybe even my relatives, because to my knowledge, most of those people never read my blog.  (Now we'll find out if that's true or not, because some may suddenly pipe up and say "I read it all the time! I just never tell you!"  LOL. )   Actually, one of my nieces contacted me today and said she had read my last blog about the Peach Dump Cake, and she had some questions about that and also about how we were feeling, and that really blessed my heart and made my day!!

I just asked Google about some scripture verses regarding "old age", and this is the list it gave me:

"The Bible contains many verses about aging, including some that offer comfort and others that encourage respect for the elderly:

• Isaiah 46:4: "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you, and I will rescue you"
• Psalm 73:26: "Though my flesh and my heart fail, God is the rock of my heart, my portion forever"
• Leviticus 19:32: "Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly, and revere your God"
• Job 12:12: "Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?"
• Psalm 92:14: "They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green"
• Proverbs 23:22: "Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old"
• Job 32:7: "Those who are older should speak, for wisdom comes with age"
• 2 Corinthians 4:16: "That is why we are not discouraged. Though outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are renewed day by day"
• Psalm 90:12: "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom"
• Psalm 46:1: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble"

I like that list!  Not sure why I have "old age" on my mind so much today...probably because somedays I am really feeling my "old age" more than others...like this morning the steroids I'm taking gave me a spurt of energy so I went outside and mowed the lawn with the push mower.  I mowed for about 30 minutes, and I've been recovering ever since! LOL.   Me thinks I did more than I should have for still being in recovery mode, but it felt good to get outside (at 9 a.m. before it was terribly hot...still hot, just not as terribly as later) and actually do something!  I came in and took a shower and sat in front of the fan and basically died for about an hour or so, and then it was time to fix lunch and take a nap.  LOL. 

Speaking of old,  when we took a little ride yesterday to go to our walking place, I spied this other Century Plant standing tall and blossoming for all it's worth!  Remember I told you about another one HERE a little while ago.

This one is really amazing and is in full bloom! 

Notice all those "PUPS" around the bottom...new plants that will eventually grow and maybe in another 30-40 years they will bloom too!

"The common name "century plant" stems from its semelparous nature of flowering only once at the end of its long life. After flowering, the plant dies but produces adventitious shoots from the base, allowing its growth to continue.[8] Although it is called the century plant, it typically lives only 10 to 30 years.[9] It has a spread around 1.8–3.0 m (6–10 ft) with gray-green leaves measuring 0.9–1.5 m (3–5 ft) in length, each with a prickly margin and a heavy spike at the tip that can pierce deeply. Towards the end of its life, the plant produces a tall, branched stalk adorned with yellow blossoms, which can reach a height of 8–9 m (25–30 ft).  Wikipedia"

Sometimes it takes us to finally be getting towards the end of our lives before we truly stand up and bloom where we are planted...maybe here in Blogland, or wherever the Lord may lead us. The important thing is to let your light shine for God, and leave a legacy behind you that will carry on to the next generation as a witness for what God can do with a life yielded to Him.  Share the wisdom you've gained from life's experiences with others, even if they don't seem to be listening...write it down, put it out there...someone will pick it up and read it and it may change their lives!  

Okay, that's my words of wisdom for today!  Keep writing friends! Your life has much value and is needed in this sad and dark world today.  

• Psalm 92:14: "They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green"

Friday Foto Friends ~ When God Closes A Door, He Opens a Window!

Since I didn't have many new pictures for today's "Friday Foto Friends", I thought I take you on a little trip down memory lane.

Way back in February of 2010 is when this blog began.  This plaque was the inspiration for the title:

Original Post from the very beginning of this blog 

The picture above was taken inside the house where we were living at that time, looking out of the big front window. If you click on that link above you will get a better perspective of how I was feeling and what was happening at that time in my life over 13 years ago!

In these next several pictures you will see our sons Benton and Scott back in the day, planting some flowers in the front yard of that house for my birthday that year.  They were clowning around and having a good time.

They worked hard and made it look really pretty.

They were showing off their hard work and the final results. I was a happy Mama!

A year or so after those pictures were taken, God closed that door and opened another "window" to a different home out in the forest.  I won't put pictures of that house here, because you've seen it many times in the years 2012-2019...before God closed that door and opened another window to the house where we currently live.

But that's not where I want to go today.  I am going back to that original house where this blog began...just for a minute.  This past week we took a little ride to attend the funeral of my husband's cousin Jane, which I already told you about in my last post HERE.  What I didn't tell you in that post was that on our way to the town where the funeral was to be held, we had to go right past the area of this previous home we had lived in so many years ago. And since we had a little bit of time before we had to be there, we decided to take a little ride down memory lane and see how our old house looked since we left it in 2012.

Not too bad, considering that it is 11 years older...but all those lovely flowers and shrubs are long gone...and it looks like the new folks like to sit outdoors in front of the garage door. There is a nice back yard and patio, but maybe they have young kids who like to play in the front yard. I just hope they enjoy this house and are happy and blessed here. That's what really matters.

Of course we couldn't linger long lest the people inside become suspicious of our sitting in front of their house and taking pictures, especially since this was a little dead-end street and we had to turn around in the driveway and get back out of there before we attracted too much attention.  

Anyway, as most of you know, it's never easy to go back to where you've been, even for a little "looksy".  We only lived in that house about five years, but still some good memories were made there. I don't have as many pictures from that time, because it was before I got my digital camera...and so my blog posts from those years were mostly just a lot of writing with few pictures.  But if you are interested in knowing what I was thinking about back in those early days of blogging, just go to the blog archives in the right hand column and check out the posts in the years of 2010-2011.  Sometimes I like to go back and read them and remember where I was then in my life's journey and what caused me to want to start writing this blog.  I'm sure if we all could get together and compare notes about what motivated us to start writing, it could be a very interesting and inspirational experience.  Perhaps it would be a good idea to review those early days of blogging for each of us sometime! I'd love to hear your stories.

By the way, I still have that same plaque hanging on my wall here near my computer to remind me of my writing purpose and theme:

Click HERE for the actual story about this plaque.

Meanwhile, it's been another very HOT day...this whole week we have been under a high heat advisory...so we've mostly stayed indoors as much as possible.  Yesterday I was feeling kind of puny, and I decided to try my hand at making chicken and dumplings:

I made the southern style dumplings as opposed to the fluffy dumplings.  This was the recipe I used. I was not really happy with the dumplings as they seemed kind of rubbery, but the chicken and broth and mashed potatoes underneath were very filling and healing, much like chicken soup!  Today I felt better and ate mostly salads and fruit to make up for those dumplings and potatoes yesterday! LOL.

Well, I guess that's all I have for tonight...since it is almost time for bed already!  

Here's a lovely little prayer/poem  from a devotional calendar that I thought would be appropriate for all this talk of windows and doors and house and home...and may your home be blessed as well...

Amen.

Tuesday 4: Blogging

 

Tuesday 4


Blogging

Thank you to our friend Annie from Cottage by the Sea for putting this together for us each week, in memory of our friend Toni Taddeo.

Today's questions are about blogging!

This is where I sit to write to you each day, my "Room With a View". This is how it looks right now, early morning light...Still Waters Pond is just becoming visible as the sun rises behind us in the east. 

1. How often do you blog? What helps you blog.. what hinders you?

I try to blog at least 3 or 4 times a week, if not every day.  Some weeks are too busy and I just don't have the time to put it all together, but then I feel like I've missed out on the daily communication between friends, and so I try to jump back in and stay "in the game" so I don't miss out on visits with special people that I've met here through blogging over the past 10 or more years.

What helps me blog? Wanting to chronicle daily living, as well as share things that I find helpful to me and I hope may be of some help to others...sharing God's Word with you as He blesses my life through the reading of the scriptures...and so often it seems that what He is sharing with me seems to bless others as well...like it was meant for YOU as much as it was meant for me!

What hinders me?  Well, daily living...getting too busy to keep up with it...LIFE. I try to keep a balance between what I do here and what I am doing in my home and with family. I don't ever want this to become more important than being with the ones who are truly right here in my home/family/church...and yet, I have found that I feel just as connected to many of you in "blogland" as I do to those here in my "real world".  We have formed bonds and connections that are real and true and good...we care about each other and pray for one another and look forward to daily conversations...so I try to keep up the best I can.

2. What benefits do you get from blogging? Are there any?

1.  Making new friends!

2. Learning from my new friends...about life, cooking, cleaning, hobbies, fun ideas, travel, seeing how people live in different parts of the country/world

3.  Keeping my own mind sharp as I try to write and think of things to say and to say them in a way that is clear and concise and hopefully interesting and somewhat entertaining.

4.  Again, this is a journal of sorts of my own life, and oftentimes the things I am writing about are to chronicle events or memories for future generations, or just for me to be able to go back remember. I don't know that my family will ever read any of this after I'm gone, but it's there if they want it.  They can't say I never shared any memories with them. This is how I am attempting to do it since we all stay too busy to just sit down and talk about "the good old days".

3. Have you ever changed your blog theme?

Click HERE for a link to when it all began.  I have kept this same title and theme ever since I started it.  I have added other side blogs along the way, like my current one, The Adventures of Lily Grace, and a previous one that is no longer active but still available to read, Ben's Country Woodshop, which was a blog about my son's woodworking business when he first got started, but now he is busy with a much bigger business and his own furniture and coastal decor store with his lovely wife Rose, Dixie Cottage.  So no time for keeping up with that blog.  

Even though the idea of "Closed Doors, Open Windows", doesn't always come out in every blog post, the underlying theme is still there as we walk through this journey called "life".  When God closes one door, He always opens another...or a "window" into a new world, a new perspective, a new dream, a better understanding of the bigger picture of the life that God can see that we cannot quite fathom yet. But someday it will all make sense to us as we walk by faith and put our trust in the One Who loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own life so that we could one day enter heaven and live with Him eternally...That's really what this blog is all about.

Click Here for a previous post about this same topic.

4. Where do you get your ideas for blog posts?

From Nature, Sunrises, Sunsets, Family, Holidays, God's Word the Bible, Celebrations, World Events, whatever my camera focuses on...I do love to include pictures in my posts, as you all are well aware.  I always say "A picture is worth a thousand words", and then I continue to write about a 1000 words to go along with the picture...so you get a real bargain...two for the price of one!  And sometimes, like today, I get my ideas from YOU, from yours posts and memes and ideas you share may spark a memory or an idea in my little head and I start writing.  I am always happy for new ideas and look forward to the things you share because I learn so many wonderful things from each of you.  

Well, I've rambled on long enough for this post. I hope you are all thinking and writing and sharing your ideas with us.  And thank you, Annie, for keeping this going in Toni's memory. I know she would be so pleased to see us here each week!!

Here's some "food for thought" as we close out today...Candy Corn!! Hey or Nay? Have you tried it with peanuts? It tastes like a PayDay Candy Bar!   

Okay, Bye for now! Keep Writing!

Tuesday 4: All About Blogging!

 

All About Blogging



Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 kept up in her memory.


This week the questions were supplied by Pamela Steiner...(Hey! that's ME!)   Here we go, let's talk about Blogging!

1. Tell us about your blog. When did you start blogging?  My very first blog post was on February 24, 2010.  It was something totally new to me. I had no clue what I was doing, or even how to begin, but I was sitting at home, out of work, frustrated that I couldn't find a job, and also frustrated about being a writer. Somehow I saw something about blogging on the computer and thought I would check it out. 

2. What prompted you to begin blogging? I really wanted to write a book, but I had been to a Christian Writer's Conference and got totally discouraged about trying to write a book. I was a nobody. I wasn't even sure I had anything worthwhile to say.  Everything I had thought about writing seemed out of date and unimportant at that time. But one of the sessions I attended at that conference was about blogging. That perked my ears up. I thought, "Well, if I can't write a book, I can at least write a blog and maybe that will someday lead to a book, or at least it will help me work on my writing skills and make some connections."  Here is something I wrote at that time:https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2010/02/psalm-2714-wait-on-lord-be-of-good.html

3. What was your first blog about and why did you choose that subject/title?  This blog right here, "Closed Doors, Open Windows", is my first blog.  I chose that title because of what I was going through at that time...lots of "Closed Doors" as I was searching for a job, and then as God encouraged me in different directions, I saw the "Open Windows" of opportunity He brought my way.  I also hoped that my blog would be a place where others would find encouragement in their lives as they faced Closed Doors.   Another link Back to the Beginning... that better explains this...

I have dabbled in other side blogs, like one for my son's business several years ago: https://benscountrywoodshop.blogspot.com/, which was all about his woodworking/sign business. But then he got married and he and his wife have a totally new business and they really didn't need me to keep writing that blog. The original posts are still there...it just hasn't been updated in a long time.

And now I also have a new side blog, "The Adventures of Lily Grace", which, if you've been following along, you probably have already met Lily Grace and know all about her. She's the product of the consequences of making friends here in blogland with dear people who want to bless me with special gifts..."Lily Grace" is an unexpected blessing, hence the name "Grace"... and I believe she has become a blessing to others in the process.

4. How has your blog changed over time, and has it done for you what you hoped it would do in the first place?

In these past eleven years of blogging so much has changed in my life.  There have been many more "Closed Doors", but also many new "Open Windows".  My blog has kind of become a photo journal of life's adventures as well as a place of prayer, meditation, sharing my joys and sorrows.  This blog has given me an outlet for sharing my faith and also a place where I hope others have found hope and encouragement. I've met so many wonderful people along the way that I never dreamed I could meet. Some have come and gone over the years...some have even entered heaven's gates...but my life is so much richer for having had this opportunity to meet them and share in their own life's struggles and joys.  

I don't have a huge following, and I don't follow a long list of others, but I've kind of narrowed it down to those with whom there is a kindred spirit, a kind of bond that transcends time and space.  It's a place where God has enriched my life by knowing you, my friends and "followers"...you've become an integral part of my life here in "blogland", and it goes way beyond.  We pray for one another and we laugh together and we cry together. It is a place of mutual love and respect for each other...we may not always agree on everything, but we have learned to look beyond the superficial to what is really going on under the surface.  I dare say blogging has changed my life, and definitely for the better.

If you've ever read my "profile", you will see the "question" at the end of the page that asks, "What do YOU see outside your open window today?"  That's kind of been my theme throughout the years...looking outside our windows to see what God has for us to see. Not just the physical things outside your window, but the opportunities He has for us, just waiting to be explored.  However, today, as I looked outside my open window, this is what I saw:

Mrs. Bluebird looking outside HER open window!! I asked her what she could see outside her open window, and I think I heard her say, "A whole new world for my babies to explore! And I can't wait to show it to them!"  Bless her sweet heart...she is a wonderful example to us of never giving up hope.  Her first clutch of eggs of the season was destroyed by a predator. We don't know exactly what, but something dragged out the tiny babies and destroyed them before they had a chance to even totally develop. So we moved the birdhouse away from that tree to make it safer, and the next batch of babies came along a couple of months later. We had the great joy of watching the parents coax the fully grown beautiful babies out of the nest and letting them fly away to their new life in the treetops.  Not long after, Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird came back and started building another new nest, and here she is, faithfully sitting on her nest and waiting for her third brood of babies to develop for this year!  She is amazing! Such patience and love and trust in Her Creator, fulfilling her purpose in life with the utmost faith and devotion.  She could have given up hope after the first batch was destroyed...but she didn't let that "closed door" stop her from pursuing another "open window"...and she has been blessed as a result.

I, too, have been blessed by not allowing closed doors to hold me back from following God's plan and purpose in my life. I am so thankful for this wonderful open window of opportunity to meet you here. Thank you for being a part of my world outside my open window.

Good Night.

(the current view outside my open window)

Click HERE for a previous post about why I blog.

And HERE is ANOTHER: https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2012/06/to-my-blogging-friends-what-drives-you.html

I hope you will go and visit with our other dear friends over at http://tuesdaysplace.blogspot.com/2021/07/blogging.html.   Thank you, Annie, for setting this up for us each week.    Happy Blogging!

Why Do We Bloggers Blog?

Good Question! Why DO we bloggers "blog"?  I ask myself that question almost every time I sit down here at my computer.  Why am I doing this? Who is this really for? Is it for me? Or is it for YOU, my faithful "followers" (readers)? Is it some kind of personal "therapy"...or perhaps is it for "posterity" https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/posterity:

 "Definition of posterity:

1: the offspring of one progenitor to the furthest generation

2: all future generations

 As I have written in my opening statement at the top of the page, here is my original purpose and intent for writing this blog:

"Welcome to my "Open Window"...a place of hope, encouragement, and adventure as we journey down the road from "Closed Doors" to the new opportunities God places in our pathway. I hope you will take the time to go back and follow the trail of mixed blessings and fears, failures and triumphs from the past and side-trips in the present. Perhaps it will conjure up some of your own special memories, and be an invitation for you to share with others. 

I look forward to spending this time with you!"

In my mind, as I began to write this blog almost ten years ago, it was my hope that this place would be a place where friends could come together to share hopes and dreams, joys and sorrows, tears and laughter, and hopefully be encouraged in the process. I didn't start out with the idea of always sharing so many photographs, but then my brother gave me a digital camera, and that opened up a whole new world to me...and to you...for better or for worse! LOL.  Now I view the world always looking for something that will make a great picture! 

  Like this squirrel in the tree just above the bird feeder. He was scolding me this morning when I stepped out on the deck because all I put in the feeder was "safflower seed", and he does not like that kind of seed!!

He just sat there and scolded and scolded.  I can't help it if the store was out of the other kind of birdseed that he likes.  I promised to go back and get some soon.  Although I reminded him that the birdfeeders ARE for the BIRDS, not the squirrels! They have PLENTY of acorns and pine cones to eat around here...

This "Lonesome Dove" doesn't seem to have a care in the world...

"I'm sitting on top of the world

Just rollin' along, just rollin' along

And I'm quittin' the blues of the world

Just singin' a song, just singin' a song"

 (song by Al Jolson)

Maybe we bloggers blog because we see life through a different kind of lens, and we want to share it with everyone else.   We also like to warn people about the "webs" of life, before they happen to walk through them and get tangled up in a mess...

I guess it wasn't too windy on this foggy morning, and Mr. Spider was able to make his web right there under the rooster's tail on the weathervane.   Or maybe this rooster has been in "quarantine too long" and  needs to get back to work...he's collecting spider webs! LOL.

  On this particular morning I just wanted to step out on the deck and look at the fog on the pond. There's something interesting and enchanting about a foggy morning.  I really wasn't expecting to see anything but the fog....and then these two Sand Hill Cranes came flying out of nowhere and swooped down across the water (I know you can barely see them, but they are there in the middle if you look hard enough.

 And then they swooped back up and around and flew right back around the bend behind the island and up, up and away and out of sight.  I know you still can't see them, but they are up in the air in the middle of the screen, very faint...but they are there. They totally took me by surprise, and I was lucky to get these two pictures... I'm sorry they aren't better for you to see...but again...you are looking at the world through my lens now...so just humor me and pretend you can see them.

One thing about blogging and social media that I've loved is that I've made so many new friends in many parts of the country and even the world. Some of you I have even had the great joy and privilege to meet in person...Like our dear Terri D'Orsaneo from "Your Friend From Florida"  , who just had a knee replacement done yesterday, and she is doing great and hoping to go home today. So wonderful that our thoughts and prayers were answered on her behalf!

And recently on Facebook, one of my FB  friends (and actually a very dear "old" friend that I've known since high school days) had asked the question if anyone else had read the book, "A Land Remembered", which is a kind of historical fiction account of how life was in the early pioneer days of Florida.  I stated that I had not read the book yet, but would look for it at our library when it opens back up. Others also talked about the book and how great it was, etc., etc.  Well, lo! and Behold! This book arrived in the mail the other day...totally unexpectedly, in a box from Amazon!  Some dear soul actually ordered this book and had it sent to me. I think I know who sent it because she's the only one who had my address as far as I know...but of course no one is confessing to this surprise gift...and I can only say, "Thank you, Lord" for Your blessings on me, and for good friends who do neat and sweet things to bless me.  I am now reading the book each evening (I try to discipline myself to reading books in the evening after all my other "work" is done, unless I just can't help it and have to take time out of my so busy schedule to read it all day long...LOL)  It is very good, and I am enjoying it! I am enjoying it even more because it was so unexpected and another wonderful blessing.

I really do love stories like this one, because I enjoy reading the early history of our state...and how primitive it really was back even still during the mid to late 1800's.  When the author describes the forests and the scrub and the rivers, I can literally envision exactly how it must have been, because of the remote areas that we have enjoyed living in, like the Ocala National Forest where our last home was. And really, there are still some pretty "primitive" areas right around where we live now.

Like this area where we currently like to walk. It is actually a planned neighborhood development, but it never "developed". There are very few houses in that area, and most of it looks like this:

 I kept wondering what this particular plant was that was very ugly and dry in the winter with no green on it, and then all of a sudden it started getting green again.  I looked it up and it is called "Scrub Rosemary". It is not the kind of herbal rosemary that you are familiar with, and it is not edible.  But apparently it is endemic only to certain parts of Florida. 

There are actually some parks in Florida where you can take hikes through the  "Rosemary Scrub".  But here where we live we walk through this "free park" every day and didn't even know it was something special. But now I do, and so do you!

Here is a link to more information. https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/endemic-rosemary-scrub 

If you want to see this plant, come take a walk with me, and see it in person, instead of through "my lens".

The most important reason for blogging for me is to share how I view life through the lens of God's Word, The Bible. I don't try to preach, and I am not claiming to be a great Bible scholar or teacher. But as we begin to look at God's world through the lens of His Word, it helps us to understand so much more of what is happening around us...and it takes away the fear and anxiety of wondering why these things are happening. 

And so to close out this little "soliloquy" "an act of speaking one's thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play".(although I am not actually speaking my thoughts out loud...)  Let me close by sharing these words from Psalm 121 for today's meditation:

"1.  I will lift up my eyes to the hills, 

From whence comes my help?

2.  My help comes from the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.

3.  He will not allow your foot to be moved;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

4.  Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber not sleep.

5.  The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade at your right hand.

6.  The sun shall not strike you by day,

nor the moon by night.

7.  The Lord shall preserve you from all evil,

He shall preserve your soul.

8.  The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in 

from this time forth, and even forevermore."

And so, dear friends in Blogland, I am sure you may also have your own particular reasons for blogging...and we each have our personal interests and joys and ideas as to what blogging should be all about. The important thing is to enjoy each other...respect each other...give everyone a feeling of "welcome" when they come to visit you on your blog,  so that they will want to come back again and again.  Today I didn't offer you a cup of tea, but sometimes I do...if you'd been here on Mother's day you could have had some apple pie.  Here I am, being surprised by a candid photo from my hubby while I was preparing the pie to bake:

 But if I knew it was you coming in the door, I would have said, "Come on in and chat with me,  and I will put on a pot of tea"...

So, y'all come! 

Have a blessed and wonderful day my friends!

This is why I blog.

How about you?

A New Author!! - A New Book Review!!

One of the greatest joys I've had in being a blogger has been meeting so many wonderful new friends!  What I am impressed with is the quality of people I have met...beautiful, inspiring, sincere, and gifted Christian women, who share their love for the Lord and His people through their writing and comments.  I started writing my blog as a result of frustration over wanting to write a book and not having the courage to move forward in that effort.  I still haven't gotten to that point of book authorship...but many of my new friends have taken the plunge and achieved their goals for the glory of God.

One such friend I am pleased and proud to introduce today is our friend Cecelia Lester, also known as "quietspirit" on her blog Following My King.  I have followed Cecelia for several years and have always appreciated her honest and forthright blog posts.  To quote her own statement on her blogpage,  "I have a mission statement that I try to follow in my life as well as my writing. "Quiet Spirit writes with the focus to minister to those who hurt, to them who search for God, and those who wish to have a closer walk with Jesus."   I must say that Cecelia has stayed true to her mission statement in every way.

Cecelia has recently published her first book, Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy...Thoughts of God and His Word, which can be purchased HERE on Amazon.com

This wonderful book is the result of Cecelia's journal writing during a difficult period in her life.  As she sought God's guidance for direction in her life, she began writing her thoughts and feelings as she worked through personal struggles, and this book is a reflection of what the Lord taught her during this time.  Cecelia writes that she "felt God was beside" her, guiding her hand as she wrote her thoughts on paper.  

The format of Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy is divided into six sections, each with several devotional journals that end with a place to reflect on your own personal thoughts as to how the Lord is speaking to you on this topic.  Cecelia shares thoughts on such subjects as Time Management, Strength, Humility, Compassion and Mercy, Faith, and Peace.  

I have found that reading these devotionals is a wonderful addition to my normal daily time of meditation and scripture reading. I appreciate being able to verbalize my own personal thoughts as I respond to the questions pertaining to each topic. 

Cecelia stated in her introduction that she hoped that the reader would "gain a greater knowledge of God and His Presence" as this book is read.  Yes, Cecelia, I can testify that I do feel Christ's Spirit in your writing...and I appreciate so much your insights as written through the direction of His Holy Spirit.  

Yes, Times of Trouble Brings Rays of Joy is a book well worth adding to my library and my daily devotional time.  Thank you, Cecelia!  Your gift of writing is a blessing to me! 

A Blog About Nothing? No, That's Not True

It seems as though I should be writing something...but I can't figure out what it is.  That is how my mind has been working (or not working) here lately.  Lots of thoughts go round and round and yet they don't appear to come out here...(Remember the little song, "The music goes round and round, whoa oh oh oh oh oh, and it comes out here"?)  (Tommy Dorsey days...before our time)

Yeah...that should tell you something...my brain is stuck in gear and it keeps going round and round...but nothing happens...So...this may just be a blog about nothing!  Remember the Jerry Seinfeld show...they said it started out as a "show about nothing"...and look what a hit it became!  So maybe there's hope for me yet!

Maybe I just need to get back to my "roots"...

and write about what I know...

This was the Psalm we read this morning in our devotions, and this is what I know best:  

Psalm 145 (portions thereof)

1.  I will extol You, my God, O King;

And I will bless Your name forever and ever.

2.  Every day I will bless You, 

and I will praise Your name forever and ever.

3.  Great is the Lord,

and greatly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable.

4.  One generation shall praise 

Your works to another,

and shall declare Your mighty acts.

5.  I will meditate on the glorious splendor

of Your majesty,

and on Your wondrous works."

Yes, this is where I need to be...back to my roots...God's Word...where it all began... and every day, regardless of what other stuff may seem to be so important out there in blogland...I need to remember that my first order of business is to glorify God through the pages of this blog...to meditate  "on the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wondrous works."  

There are plenty of blogs out there on every topic under the sun...and that's quite all right.  I sometimes dabble in other things too...and like to tell about it...but if I get too far away from my base...God's Word...I begin to falter and lose my focus.  Thankfully:

14.  "The Lord upholds all who fall,

and raises up all who are bowed down.

15.  The eyes of all look expectantly to You,

and You give them their food in due season.

16.  You open Your hand and satisfy the desire

of every living thing."

21.  My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,

and all flesh shall bless His Holy Name

forever and ever."

You know, we have an awesome privilege here in "blogland"...to be able to declare God's "mighty acts"...and to "speak of the might of God's awesome acts."    I fear that someday someone may try to take this wonderful privilege away from us...and before that happens, I want to do my part to

11.  "They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom,

and talk of Your power...

12.  To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts,

and the glorious majesty of His kingdom."

I hope you agree...this is what it's all about.

It's not  a blog about nothing at all!

It's about the most important thing in the universe!

13.  "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and Your dominion endures throughout all generations."

Praise God!!!

Amen!

(Pictures from around my neck of the woods, some from last year's deer families and also some from this year...they are just getting started...so hopefully there will be more to come!)