Monday Monday, With an Unexpected Twist

Happy Monday of Thanksgiving Week! Let's pause for a moment from our "to-do lists" of cleaning house, baking pies, thawing turkeys, general preparations for the Thanksgiving feast and/or company coming or preparing to go somewhere else, and let's just enjoy some time enjoying God's gifts of beauty in His creation around us, okay?

This lovely golden butterfly was busily fluttering her wings as she flitted from flower to flower in the Butterfly Garden this afternoon.  Even though this picture is a bit blurred, it's because she was so busy enjoying the sips of nectar from the flowers that she barely could stay still long enough to rest her wings even for a moment. I thought to myself, I know just how you feel, Mrs. Gulf Fritillary!  Sometimes my wings are all a flutter too, as I rush from one thing to the next and don't take time to rest my "wings" for even a moment as well.

Oh there! That's better! She's taking her time and drinking in the sweet nectar that will sustain her in her flight around the garden and beyond...

This is exactly why I planted this little butterfly garden...so that we could enjoy seeing these most delicate of God's creatures drinking in the beauty of what He has provided...

The afternoon sunshine is warming her wings as she rests for a moment...

I'm so thankful that I took the time to venture outside with my camera at just this moment, aren't you?

Oh, and look! Mrs. Gulf Fritillary is not the only one enjoying the afternoon sunshine and sweet dessert from the flowers!  There's a Cloudless Sulphur butterfly taking a drink from the Cape Honeysuckle flower.

 Well, now I'm going to have to change what I was writing. I just got a phone call from the daughter in law of a dear friend of mine that I've known and loved for over 40 years, telling me that my friend passed away this morning. I've had to just stop what I was doing for a little while and let myself grieve over this news.  

Evelyn and Me in 2017.

I am posting these links below about my friend Evelyn Ward, so that I can have them all in one place for my own future reference.  If you click on each of these different links, you will begin to understand why I am feeling the way I do right now.  I am missing my dear friend, but I know she is in heaven, and she's there rejoicing at the feet of Jesus.  She's also seeing her dear husband Howard again, 

Evelyn and Howard at our son's wedding in 2017

along with other loved ones who have gone on before.  I know she hadn't been in good health for the past few years and she was ready to go "home", but Oh, I will miss her beautiful spirit here on earth. I cannot even begin to tell you, but if you read these posts, you will get an idea.

Click here for a previous post about my friend

And click HERE for another post

And this one is very special

And this video is especially special, because it shows my friend Evelyn playing the organ at our house, (our former home back in 2015)  and my mother in law Vivian is there singing along...and you can hear me singing in the background, and at the end of the video another mutual friend of ours joins in. Her name is Connie, and she passed away earlier this year.  Well, today those three ladies are all singing together in heaven's choir, I am certain. And if there are organs in heaven, Evelyn has already found one and is playing it. She loved music, and could play the organ, piano, guitar, and she could sing! 

Even though Evelyn was actually quite a few years older than me, she never looked it or acted it, and we became very good friends right from the moment we met...we were definitely what you'd call "Kindred Spirits".  God sent her to me when I needed such a friend so very much, and thankfully our friendship lasted all these years, even though we didn't see each other more than maybe once a year, but lately it's been a few years because of distance and health issues.  

Well, it's bedtime now, and I didn't really get to write about what I was planning for tonight, but God had other plans. 

This was last night's sunset on Still Waters Pond

I dedicate this song to my friend Evelyn Ward tonight:

Beyond the Sunset

Sung by Pat Boone

Beyond The Sunset

by Virgil Brock

Beyond the sunset,

O blissful morning,

When with our Saviour

Heav'n is begun.

Earth's toiling ended,

O glorious dawning;

Beyond the sunset

When day is done.

Beyond the sunset,

No clouds will gather,

No storms will threaten,

No fears annoy;

O day of gladness,

O day unending,

Beyond the sunset,

Eternal Joy.

Beyond the sunset,

A hand will guide me

To God, the Father,

Whom I adore;

His glorious presence,

His words of welcome,

Will be my portion

On that fair shore.

Beyond the sunset,

O glad reunion,

With our dear loved ones

Who've gone before;

In that fair homeland

We'll know no parting,

Beyond the sunset

For evermore!

My friend Evelyn loved Jesus and served Him in so many wonderful ways throughout her lifetime. I know she is hearing those "words of welcome" from Matthew 25:23

"His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; 

you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord."

I don't know what things she will be "ruler of" in heaven, but I'll bet there's music involved for sure!

Hug your friends and loved ones a little tighter this week at Thanksgiving if you are blessed to be with them.  Every day we have is a gift...use it wisely.

Now I wonder if maybe that fluttering winged butterfly was trying to tell me something this afternoon...

2 Corinthians 2:14 NASB

"14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place."

Good Night my friends.

Rest in Peace, my dear Evelyn.

  

Wednesday Treasures

 Well friends, it has been an interesting and wonderful day.  Yes, it has also been my birthday, and it started out beautifully with the sunrise

And I kid you not, these crows sounded like they were literally singing "Happy Birthday" to me, along with some Blue Jays and Mockingbirds and other birds in the treetops.  Seriously, as soon as I stepped out on the porch to put out the flag, the birds flew into the trees around me and started singing back and forth. I stood there in awe and thanked them for their wonderful songs and praised God for His kindness and love.  Actually the birds were praising God, The Creator, for His wonderful provision for them each day, but it still sounded like "Happy Birthday" to me.  

Psalm 104:12 NIV

12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;

they sing among the branches.

That's a Crow sitting in that tree below.  He and the one above were just two of several who were flying all about this morning.

And literally, while I was standing there enjoying the sunrise and the birds singing, my cellphone rang, and it was my sister calling to sing Happy Birthday to me!  She was also watching the sunrise at her house a couple of hours south of me, so we watched the sunrise together while we talked and she started my birthday off on the "right note".  

I really appreciated this beautiful start to my birthday, as last evening I had a little upset that kind of spoiled things for me a bit.  If you recall a few days ago I told you HERE that I was excited to see a rosebud on the Memorial Rose Bush in the Memorial/Secret Garden.  I mentioned that this was the rosebush that was planted in memory of our son Matthew, and it had not bloomed in over a year, so I was really excited to see that it was getting ready to bloom, and I was very much in hopes that it would bloom in time for my birthday.  In my mind it was like a gift from our son, and it was such a special little joy to me to think of it.  Well, I've watched it and watered it every day and monitored its progress.  The other night it looked like it was definitely going to be ready to bloom for my birthday.  So last evening I thought I would go out and take another look at it to make sure it was okay.  Well, you can imagine my shock and dismay when I got there and the rosebud was gone!  It looked like it has been snipped off the end of the stem...and I couldn't imagine how that could have happened. I looked around on the ground and finally found the little bud laying there in the grass.  To be honest, I cried.  I just couldn't understand how that could happen, and I still don't know, unless a squirrel or bird or something knocked it off...it was very strange.

This was how it looked several days ago.

And this is how it looked last night:

Here is the tiny little bud. I brought it inside and put it in a little bit of water just to see what would happen.

I don't think anything is going to develop at this point, but at least I tried.  To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. But I woke up this morning and was determined to not let that spoil the day.  I went outside and noticed that flowers in my Butterfly Garden were all blooming beautifully, and they were a soothing balm to my soul.  

1 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!

2

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!

3

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!

(a little "knock-out" rose was blooming this morning, which made me smile. It's not THE memorial rose bush, but it was a sweet blessing all the same.)

4

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!

5

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!

6

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!

This may not be a big beautifully cultivated garden, but it sure brings smiles to my face when things are blooming. God knew what I needed to see today, and I thank and praise Him.

Of course, you know that Florida is currently under a major hurricane watch/warning...Helene is expected to barrel up the Gulf Coast and head towards the "Big Bend" area of the Panhandle in north Florida tomorrow.  We are already getting rain bands periodically, and tomorrow we expect some heavy rains and winds here in our area. Thankfully we live further inland and hopefully the brunt of the storm will not come this far east, but we will get plenty of rain and wind, I am sure. Yes, prayers are appreciated for all of our state and even into south Georgia and beyond.  

But today, although it was cloudy and breezy, the rains didn't start until later in the afternoon, so our plans to go for an early lunch at our favorite "Corky Bells" on the St. John's River were not to be deterred.  The "kids" came  over and went with us and we arrived there before noon and got a front row seat/table to watch the wind and waves along the river.

This was the view from our table:

This was the sun in the sky around noon:

OH, here's some familiar faces...a little windblown...

And more familiar faces, also windblown!

After eating we went down on the dock and took a few more pictures:

You can see we were about to get blown away!

Here's a few pictures from inside the restaurant as we were leaving:

We didn't see any live gators today because of the rough waters, but these will have to do: 

Then we headed back home, and unbeknownst to me, our sweet daughter in law Rose had baked a beautiful PUMPKIN cake for me, with a buttercream frosting. It was SO good!!!!!

Of course, that meant we had to go through this ceremony of singing Happy Birthday all over again...

And of course I had to blow out the candles again...

And then I opened up a bag of some sweet presents...Rose had baked this loaf of homemade bread this morning!!!  I actually loaned her my bread machine a few weeks ago, and she has been having fun experimenting with it.  I was thrilled to get some of the fruits of her labor!  It smells SO good!

This girl is a girl of many talents.  She also crochets dishcloths, and gave me this beautiful package of several! I think they are too pretty to use for dishcloths, but that's what they are for...I don't know...they are so soft and pretty...I was thinking of using them for a face cloth...but I don't know...what do you think? I just hate to mess up pretty things. But they will be used with much love and appreciation for the dear young woman who is our precious daughter in law.

With that, I think I will close this post for tonight, with a picture of this sweet little church and the "Pumpkin Patch" all lit up for the night.

Again, I thank you all for your prayers on behalf of all of us in the path of this storm, and I pray that you are safe and sound wherever you may be.

A good thought for tonight:

Amen.

Tuesday 4 ~ Roses

 Roses

Here is another of Tuesday 4 invented by Toni Taddeo and kept alive in her memory. While June is the month of roses, they do bloom all summer long and well past September in many places.

1. What is your favorite color of roses? Do you have a favorite kind of rose?

My favorite rose is this "Don Juan Rose" that we planted in memory of our son Matthew.  We originally planted it in our Memorial Garden at our former house, and then when we moved here to this house we brought it with us. It did great the first few years here, but sadly now has stopped blooming and growing. It is still alive, but I think I need to try and transplant it to a spot that gets more sunshine and see if that helps.  But here is one of its blossoms back when it was still blooming:

HERE's the Link to that story of that rose.

2. Do you ever buy flowers for your home?

I rarely ever buy cut flowers. I prefer either flowers grown in a garden (if I could grow them!), or wildflowers from the fields and woods.  I do not like "hot-house" roses that you buy at the grocery story or florist. They do not smell like a real fresh rose should smell.

3. Are there any roses in your yard or neighborhood? If not what kind of things grow around you?

Here's a link to our current Memorial Garden, and how it looked when the rose bush was still blooming.    

Right now things have been too dry recently for many flowers to grow and bloom.  We are now starting back into our rainy season, and so things should start looking better again. However, I do not have a green thumb, and gardening is not my forte'.  Plus I can't get out in this heat and do any weeding right now, so things are looking pretty sad.

And here's another link to my butterfly garden, when things looked better.

4. What do you see when you look out your front door? How about out your kitchen window or back door?

Here's how it looks out my back door right now:

Still Waters Pond, "Butterfly Garden" (above) and Secret/Memorial Garden below:

And here is how it looks out my front door:

That is "Magnolia Cottage" hiding behind that magnolia tree across the street.  This is what I would see from my kitchen window if I were to open the blinds, but I don't open them because the sun gets too bright on this side of the house for most of the morning hours, and also I don't like looking at the street and people looking back inside at me! LOL.

These are my 3 large kitchen windows from inside my kitchen.  Since I don't like the view outside, I enjoy the view inside.  

Okay, that's it for this morning's Tuesday 4.  I hope you enjoyed looking out my "open windows" today.  And may we always take time to smell the roses...especially the ones we can grow in our own gardens.  Praying mine will come back and start blooming again.

Psalm 16:5-8

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You maintain my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Yes, I have a good inheritance.

7 I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;

My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.

8 I have set the Lord always before me;

Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.