"Where Eagles Soar" UPDATED on Saturday, 7-25-2026

Yes, an American Bald Eagle in flight. Nov., 2016.  Read on for more information.

As most of you are aware by now, I've been participating in the July "Photo-a-day Challenge" this month, which was started by our blogging friend Chrissy T., at One Season to the Next.  It has been a fun way to zero in on special photos, kind of like a scavenger hunt.  Well, today's challenge is for something 'far away'.  I have lots of far away pictures that, with thanks to my handy dandy digital camera with a zoom lens, I can bring things up close.  

Today I decided, since it is  extremely hot outside and we are under a heat advisory, that I don't want to go outside searching for the best far away photo. Therefore, it's a good excuse to go back in time and find something extra special that was worth revisiting.  This post goes back almost 10 years, to November of 2016, when we were in the middle of a very important Presidential election.  Don't worry, this is not going to be a political post, but there are references to that event in the original post, and they tie in very well with the subject of the far away photos you will see.  So once again, I ask for your indulgence as we travel back in time to see something "far away".  It's interesting that this original post was also a part of a weekly photo "challenge" of sorts, our "Friday Foto Friends". We are no longer organized as a weekly meme, but many of us still do this on Fridays.  

Original Post written 11/4/2016:

Today our Friday Foto Friends, via our friend Deb at Breathing in Grace, is celebrating a one year anniversary of this weekly gathering of "photo-genic" friends, sharing our favorite photos of the week with you and the world.  Click on the link above to see what others are sharing today.

I only recently joined this pictorial group...and was so happy to become a part of a lovely new family of friends who share more than just pictures.  We've become friends who share our lives with each other with words of faith and encouragement along with our photos...giving each a glimpse into our personal lives and the world as we see it.  With my love of photography, and my desire to make new friends as well, it was a win-win blessing!!

The other day I wrote about our visit with some new friends on Lake George, Florida...and "Walking in the Light of His Countenance". (Click here for that story).  The views from our friends' pier and yard were amazing, and I was so excited to share them with you.  However, those weren't the only pictures I was able to capture that day.   I hope you will be blessed by these additional views God provided for me to share with you.

When we first stepped out of our vehicle at our friends' lovely lakefront home, I couldn't help but notice a large bird in the tall pine tree just above us. At first, we couldn't tell exactly what it was, and some thought it was perhaps a buzzard.  How surprised we were when I zoomed in on him with my camera and discovered that this was actually a juvenile American Bald Eagle!  He just hasn't developed his white head feathers yet!!! What an amazing sight!  I was excited to see this beautiful young eagle, because I knew that he was just the beginning of even more interesting sights yet to see!!  And also, because I had never had the privilege of getting a picture of a juvenile eagle before...so this was another marvelous gift from God!

Well, after our long walk on the pier out to the fishing dock...(yes, it was a very long walk out over the water with no hand rails...but that's another story!)

our friends started fishing...and actually catching fish:

Hubby and I sat and mostly watched them fishing , because we are not experienced fishermen, and hubby was suffering from some inner ear issues (which almost kept him onshore...but he made it out on the pier in spite of the feeling of being unbalanced).

I did try to fish, but I was too interested in watching all the activity around us and just couldn't concentrate on sitting still with a fishing pole...


So, while they were catching fish, I was hearing the eagles calling each other in the sky...

and then I noticed that the two eagles landed in a large pine tree back on shore:

Can you see them up there?  No?  Well, let me zoom in on the tree with my camera...and here is what I saw...

Oh Wow!!!! Isn't that marvelous??? And so, I just had to stand there on the pier and continue taking their pictures 

Oh, look at this one!  They moved closer to one another, and seem to be having a conversation.  Probably talking about the crazy lady standing way down there on the pier watching them...

Then they moved together on the branch and seemed to enjoy being close together...perhaps this is their mating season?

Isn't that sweet????

And then they took off and soared above the lake, back and forth, calling each other and watching us...probably hoping we would give them some of our fish...

In seeking a scripture verse about eagles for this post, of course there was the most well known and beloved verse from Isaiah 40:31

"But those who wait on the Lord 

shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

During these hectic and stressful days preceding the presidential election...those of us praying for our nation need to remember and heed the promises of this wonderfully encouraging message.  If we wait on the Lord...and put our trust in Him...He will renew our strength...give us the wings of eagles to soar above the cares of this old world. 

But I found another, perhaps less known set of verses that I found interesting and maybe even more pertinent to our current situation:

"And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying,

'Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, 

and tell the children of Israel: (and perhaps the children of America?)

'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians,

and how I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to Myself.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice 

and keep My covenant,

then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people;

for all the earth is Mine."

Exodus 19:3-5

Wow!...What a message to America indeed! Oh, how I pray that our people will truly obey the voice of God...and keep His covenant...and remember that we are a special treasure to God. I wonder if this is why the Bald Eagle is our National Bird?  Something to think about...

One more set of verses I found that spoke to me about how special the eagle must be to God. In the book of Revelation, chapter four, and particularly verses six through eight, we see a vision of the four living creatures who worship our Creator Who is sitting upon the throne.  Verse seven tells us

"The first living creature was like a lion, 

the second living creature like a calf,

the third living creature had a face like a man,

and fourth living creature was like a flying eagle."

Verse eight tells us that these four living creatures do not rest day or night, saying:

"Holy, Holy, Holy,

Lord God Almighty,

Who was and is and is to come!"

The Eagle is actually going to be represented in heaven in such a marvelous way...one of the four living creatures chosen by God to be encircling His throne night and day, calling out His praises and worshiping Him without hesitation or rest.  

Awesome! Now I really feel blessed by this special visit with the eagles! To think, these magnificent creatures are a part of God's eternal home...calling out day and night

"Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty, Who WAS, and IS, and Is to come!"  

I wonder if that is what these eagles were calling to each other as they flew around...and if they were sharing words of encouragement to us to keep looking up to God...don't lose hope...don't grow weary...God is bearing us up on Eagle's Wings...right up to the throne of God!!!

Whoa! How can we be discouraged, when God sends us such powerful messages each day through so many special messengers?  I wonder what God might be using to send you words of comfort and hope today?  Are you listening and watching for His messengers?  They could be soaring right above you right now! Keep your eyes on Him, and He will not fail you.

Do you know this little hymn?

ON EAGLE'S WINGS

by Michael Joncas

1. You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord, who abide in his shadow for life, say to the Lord: "My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!"

REFRAIN: 

And he will raise you up on eagle's wings, 

bear you on the breath of dawn, 

make you to shine like the sun, 

and hold you in the palm of his hand.

2. The snare of the fowler will never capture you, and famine will bring you no fear: under his wings your refuge, his faithfulness your shield. (REFRAIN)

3. For to his angels he's given a command to guard you in all of your ways; upon their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (REFRAIN)

For previous posts regarding eagles: Click HERE,  And HERE

The Secret Garden Chronicles: Waiting and Watching Updated for Lent 2026

Good Morning on this first Friday of Lent, 2026.  I haven't been out and about much this week due to all the previously discussed issues we were working through, so I don't have anything new to share today. Therefore, I decided to go back into the archives of previous years to see what I was writing about "Lent".  This particular post goes back to March 25, 2017, when we were still living in our home in the national forest and also where my "Secret Garden" orginated.  I hope you will enjoy this walk back to the Secret Garden with me..

Original Post 3/25/2017:

I bought this beautiful old antique bowl today at the local flea market....

with the idea of using it for a bird bath in the Secret Garden.  So, I've set it up here

And now I'm just sitting here waiting and watching to see if the birds will try it out.  They probably won't while I am sitting here...and where it is placed it can't be seen from the inside of the house...so I may have to rethink this plan.  It is so pretty...I do hope the birds will appreciate it!

Meanwhile, while sitting in the garden my attention was drawn to Lamentations 3:22-26, which speaks a bit about watching and waiting:

22.  "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed.

Because His compassions fail not.

23.  They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

24.  'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul,

'Therefore I hope in Him!'

25.  The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,

To the soul who seeks Him.

26.  It is good that one should hope and wait quietly

for the salvation of the Lord."

What are we waiting for?

We are waiting for God's mercies and compassions...

they are new every morning.

We hope in the Lord..

We wait for His goodness,

because He is good to those who wait for Him...

We wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord...

In verses 40-41, as we sit and wait on the Lord:

40.  "Let us search out and examine our ways,

and turn back to the Lord;

41.  Let us lift our hearts and hands 

to God in heaven."

If we already know the Lord, we have nothing to fear...but it is good to take time to examine our hearts and repent of any lack of trust, lack of faith, and lack of honesty before the Lord. Let Him cleanse our hearts anew and refresh our spirits so that we are able to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

This is a wonderful time...during the Lenten season leading up to Easter...to prepare our hearts for renewal and revival.

I noticed that one of our local churches is having a revival this week...and I wondered in my mind, "Do people still go to revivals?"  And if they do, who goes...the "sinners" or the "saints"?

It's been a long time since I attended a true revival, and it seemed as though only the "saints" were there...but guess what?  A lot of "saints" recognized that they were also "sinners", and there was a lot of soul searching and repenting going on.  So, I guess a revival is a good thing for both the saints and the sinners...we never know when a "lost sheep" will come home to Jesus and be saved...and perhaps there might be some sheep who truly needs to make things right with the Lord as well.

So I'm praying for this church and its revival services. May the Lord do a mighty work that overflows into our whole community, resulting in a true revival where hearts are changed and souls are saved.

While sitting there reflecting on the words of the prophet Jeremiah, the author of Lamentations, 

I couldn't help but start singing this favorite old hymn:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

1 “Great is Thy faithfulness,” O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Refrain:

“Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!”

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—

“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!

2 Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Refrain

Amen!

Oh How Great is the faithfulness of our Lord!!! Yes, we who know the Lord are truly blessed with all that we have ever needed...and beyond!  May we watch and wait for Him every day with hope and faith!  

Back to the Secret Garden....after waiting all that time to see if the birds would try out the new bird bath (note the pictures of the birds above...they were all watching and waiting for me to leave)...I decided to go back inside, but I moved the birdbath to a location where it could be observed from inside the house.

And then I came in the house and started writing this into the computer...and it wasn't long before my attention was brought back to the window...

And there was Mr. Catbird...taking a drink from the new bird bath.  I had put a smaller bowl of water inside the large one, which is also filled with water,  in case the birds were fearful of the deep bowl.  After he took a drink from this one, he then flew over to the other smaller birdbath that is in the garden:

And there he sat and took a bath...even though it sits a little cockeyed.  Then Mr. Cardinal also came and drank from this birdbath:

And so I decided to go back out and take out the smaller bowl from the new birdbath and lower the water level a little bit to see if they will try it out that way.

I'll keep watching and waiting!

Meanwhile...

May your day be filled with the joy and blessing of the Lord!!

For another post on this topic, click HERE

Back to the Present, 2/20/2026:

In case you are wondering whatever happened to that beautiful bowl, well, I rescued it from the Secret Garden before something bad happened to it. The birds never did take to it like I hoped they would, so it came back inside and now, at this house where we moved to from that particular house, it resides beside our bed on my hubby's nightstand:

It actually serves a good purpose for him in that he can roll up his extra smaller throw blankets and put them them there to grab during the night if needed. (no picture of that).   

And meanwhile, as we wait for the return of our Lord...let us not grow weary...

Isaiah 40:31 KJV

"31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; 

they shall mount up with wings as eagles; 

they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

Amen.

Have a blessed day!

Thursday Thankfulness

 Hello from Still Waters Pond!  These photos were taken early in the morning, as the sun was rising behind us in the east, and lighting up the trees in the west with a delightful golden sun!

You can see that Still Waters Pond is starting to fill up again after some nice rains...

And the Sand Hill Crane family had just flown in to say Good Morning!

What a lovely way to start the day!

And this was how the sky looked in the east as the sun was rising up behind the clouds...

A good time to rise up and say a prayer for our nation and the world situation, especially in Israel.

I've been sitting here reading other blogs and appreciating all of the beautiful things you all write and share with us. It is always uplifting and encouraging to connect with you. Perhaps that should be my #1 item on the thankfulness list for tonight.  

These are not really ranked by order of value or importance, but just thoughts and things as I think about them.  Yesterday I had a doctor appointment that I had been waiting on for 2 months to discuss some chronic and frustrating physical issues that I deal with on a too regular of a basis.  I was thankful for a doctor who listened, made copious notes as we talked, and then made wonderful recommendations and  helpful suggestions and a prescription that should help with several issues I am dealing with. She also assured me that there didn't appear to be any serious underlying problem that I needed to be concerned about. So that was a comfort and a blessing.

We are still waiting for hubby's July 1st appointment. Thankfully he seems to be doing a little better as we just take things kind of easy and one day at a time, giving thanks to the Lord for His kindness and mercy and grace.

We are thankful for the daily rain (almost daily, I should say) that is filling Still Waters Pond and replenishing the earth.  It is a comfort to us to know that if we just wait on the Lord, good things will come.

James 5:7-8

"7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 

8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand."

This stained glass ornament hangs in our kitchen window, a daily reminder to me to "wait upon the Lord", and He WILL renew my (and my hubby's and anyone else who needs it) strength. And we shall "mount up with wings as the eagle..."  and the rest of that verse says: "they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."   That is a promise that I am going to claim by faith for both hubby and myself. We are waiting on the Lord to do just that, in His time.

These are just a few of the things I am thankful for tonight. Thank you for being there and visiting with me today.  May God be with you and hear your prayers as you wait on Him as well.  Amen.

Friday Foto Friends and Praises after the Storm!

Good Morning from "Sunny Florida", the morning after Hurricane Helene swept through during the night.  This was our sunrise this morning. We awoke to check things out all around us, and to give thanks to the Lord for His protection over our home and family during the night.

Thankfully, we never lost power except for a flicker around midnight that messed up our clocks, but that was it!  We could hear the rain and wind on the roof throughout the night, but never anything really serious.  I know that people to the west of us and to the north had it much much worse, and many are without power and some have experienced flooding.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to them, but thankfully, as far as I know, everyone is safe.  My song this morning at sunrise was the Doxology:

"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him all creatures here below;

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Amen."

I really don't have any pictures from the storm, because the majority of it was after dark last night. Yesterday was mostly just a cloudy day with a few quick showers and wind gusts, but nothing major.  This was the sunrise yesterday morning before the storm began:

So I want to thank all who have been praying, and please continue to pray for those who may still be in harm's way further north as Helene continues to push through GA., the Carolinas, Tennessee, and even into Kentucky later on. Some of our friends in GA. had already been getting flooding rains from another rainstorm that had passed through in the preceding days, and then this came on top of it.  They were also under severe tornado warnings, and one of our blogging friends, "Sparky" over at My Thoughts Exactly, lives in southeast GA., and she reported on her Facebook page that they may have had a tornado come through their yard last night as many trees were down and they got a lot of rain. I haven't checked on too many others yet, but I hope people will check in as they are able.

Yesterday morning I enjoyed some pieces of that wonderful home made bread that dil Rose baked for my birthday.  Son Benton said he wanted to see a picture of me eating it in front of the fire...so I put a "fire" in the fireplace (without the heat, of course, as it was quite warm here already), and sent him this picture of my breakfast.  I purposely did NOT include a picture of me, because, after all, it was at breakfast time and I don't know of too many people who want their picture taken at breakfast, unless you are all dressed up and go out for "brunch" somewhere. LOL.    The bread is delicious. She added extra honey to the mixture, and it made it really moist and flavorful. I am enjoying it perhaps too much, but, it's only one loaf, and it will soon be gone. Then I'll be back to plain old ordinary bread and not as much of it for a while!

I haven't shown you any updates on the house next door for a while, mainly because things have been moving rather slowly.  It takes forever to get inspections done and also for the workers to come back and finish their jobs...I think there is just too much development going on in our county and it is getting hard to keep up.  Anyway, I was SO happy to see the workers come and finally put the siding on the ends of the house before the hurricane came:

This is the view I can see from our house. Oh, also, they finally hooked up the AC/Heatpump unit and put a power "pole" connection on the end of the house, ready for power, but not connected yet.

This is the other end of the house.  Next will come the skirting around the bottom, and it will look much better.  Someone mentioned before when I shared pictures of the house that they would want a porch and/or a deck on it. Yes, that would be really nice, but that would be up to the new owner to add once the house is purchased.  It definitely needs a back porch overlooking Still Waters Pond!

I  went over this morning and checked on the house/lot to make sure no trees were down on the house. I do keep in touch with the current "owner/developer", as she lives in Jacksonville and can't get down here to check on things very often. We met when she bought the lot and started the process for clearing/developing.  Yes, it is a woman who is in charge of this project, and this is not her only project here in our town.  She will list this for sale when it is completed and ready for occupancy.  Actually, there is a listing for it already on Zillow...Here is a link to it on Zillow in case you are interested. The pictures are of a model with the same floor plan. The color scheme may be a bit different, but you will get the idea.

This morning the only issue I could find after the storm was this big mud puddle in front of the house, but they are not finished with the landscaping, etc., yet, so I am sure this area will be corrected when they do all of the finishing touches.  You can see our house over there on the far left. That's how close of a neighbor I would be if you lived here!    

After I did my walkabout this house and our house, hubby and I went outside to our front yard and raked up a LOT of branches on the ground and on our driveway from the big Oak trees in front of the house.  That was really the only issue we had to take care of, and we are VERY thankful indeed.

I didn't take any pictures of us working out there, but here's how it looks now:

You can see how big those oak trees are, and they are very messy trees.  If it's not branches falling every time the wind blows, its acorns and leaves!  Plus it is very hard to get any grass to grow under them, but I do appreciate the shade, so I'm not complaining (much). LOL.

And here is how Still Waters Pond looks this morning...nice and full of water!  So the Herons and Sand Hill Cranes and fish  and turtles should all be happy.

Well, that's about it for today. I mainly wanted to thank you for your prayers, and to let you know that prayers have definitely been answered. We continue to pray for those who have had a harder time than we did. May God speed help to them and restore their power and get them safely back into their homes soon.  

Isaiah 40:31  NKJV

31 But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.