Friday Foto Friends-Preserving Family Heirlooms

 Hello Friday Foto Friends!  I hope you are enjoying this beautiful new year! It's hard to believe we are almost into the middle of January already! They say that time really flies the older we get, and I guess that must be so, because this "old gal" can't keep up with it.

I thought I'd share a few more special "Christmas gifts" with you. You may have already seen this picture on my Facebook page.  These are our kids (aka "The Newlyweds") along with my hubby, and he is showing a special gift that our son made for him.

Here's the story.  When my father in law died in 1995 my mother in law was given this beautiful big American flag because he was a veteran and was given a veteran's burial.

When my mother in law passed away this past year, she had specified that my hubby, her oldest son, should receive the flag. Therefore, we have had it for a while, but we had no way to display it or keep it covered to keep the dust off of it.

And so our son the carpenter created this beautiful case for it as a Christmas gift, however what we all didn't realize was that this flag was a bit too large for the standard size case.  

Oops! Back to the drawing board, and he was able to create a larger case. This was a close call, because this wood is actually very special, and there wasn't much left.  

My Mother in law had written this note to keep with the flag.

You see, there is a history to the wood that was used to build this wonderful gift, along with some other special Christmas gifts ...

This is my hubby's maternal grandfather, Granddaddy Martin:

And yes, those are his glasses in that case...

He also was a carpenter, and in addition to building houses he also built some special pieces of furniture.

This is Granddaddy Martin's old tool caddy, that has been passed down to his great-grandson.

Sad to say, I don't have any pictures of the piece that I want to tell you about.   Granddaddy Martin had built a tall chest of drawers out of red cedar many years ago.  It was given to us after my husband's grandmother passed away.  Unfortunately, due to its age and years of being in and out of different temperatures the wood had developed some cracks and the drawers were stuck and extremely difficult to open.  We tried to repair the dresser, but it became apparent that it really wasn't going to be repairable. It was decided that that old chest of drawers might serve a better purpose if the wood could be repurposed into some special items for family members.

And so, this past Christmas, since it was the first Christmas since "Nanny" (my mother in law) had passed away, we thought this would be a good time to make some special family gifts from Granddaddy Martin's cedar chest of drawers.  Hence, our son made the flag case for my hubby.

Not wanting to leave out my husband's brother, our son also created something special for him from the cedar wood:  I'm sorry this picture isn't real clear, and actually I turned it around upside down

because the shelf is still sitting on the floor, waiting to be hung on the wall.

But hopefully you get the picture.  It is a wonderful shelf to set a few things on and to hang a jacket or robe or towels, or belts, whatever... and it is a keepsake made from Granddaddy Martin's cedar chest of drawers!

Not to be left out, my son also made something special for me:

Yes, this beautiful new cedar bird feeder!  It is so pretty that I hate to let it get messed up with bird seed. I am thinking I will save it for when we move to our new house (sometime in the future...who knows when? God knows!!)...

and even then I may just have to decorate it and keep it inside...not sure that I want birds pooping on this...

But, then again, maybe the birdies do need a new place to dine...this old bird feeder is getting worn out...

All I can say to close this out is that I feel abundantly blessed to have a part in preserving some of our family history...we have such a rich heritage of love and family.  These are a just a very few things I am thankful for as we begin a new year.

What about you?  I hope you are also feeling "abundantly blessed". God has been so good to us.

I am looking forward to seeing what you've been doing this past week. Let us hop on over to Deb's place at Breathing in Grace and check up on the rest of our Friday Foto Friends.

Until next time...here's some verses about "Abundance" (my One Word for 2019)

Isaiah 55:1-3

1.  "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, 

Come to the waters;

And you who have no money,

come, buy and eat.

Yes, come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

2.  Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good,

and let your soul delight itself 

in 

ABUNDANCE.

3.  Incline your ear, and come to Me.

Hear, and your soul shall live;

And I will make an

everlasting covenant with you...

The sure mercies of David."

Oh my! We need to keep reading...skip on down to verses 6-7:

"6.  Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.

7.  Let the wicked forsake his way,

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

Let him return to the Lord,

And He will have mercy on him;

And to our God,

For He will ABUNDANTLY pardon."

Some wonderful thoughts for the New Year.  Praise God!!!!!

The Trees of the Field Shall Clap Their Hands

"For you shall go out with joy,

and be led out with peace;

The mountains and the hills 

shall break forth into singing before you,

And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

Isaiah 55:12

If you've been keeping up with me here lately, you know that I am in the midst of a huge life change! It would be most appropriate to state that this is definitely an event that fits the title of my blog, Closed Doors, Open Windows perfectly!  If you go back to the very beginning of when I first started to write this blog, way back in February of 2010, you will see that the driving force behind my writing was the fact that I was in between jobs...one door had definitely closed in my life, and I was diligently searching for another to open as quickly as possible.  It didn't happen quite as soon as I thought it should...but in God's perfect timing He opened the window of His choice, 

The next five and a half + years were not always filled with joy and laughter...there were many trials to face during that time, not only in my work, but in the realm of my whole life..., (click on each link to go back in time and read the history), Read here about "The Last Farewell", "How Could I Not Want This Day to Come?".  But there were some wonderful blessings and times of joy as well...Read "Blessed to Be A Blessing", "An Offering of Praise".  

And now, today, a Monday, is the first day of my true retirement from working.  (Actually, last Friday was my last day of work, but today is the first day that I didn't actually have to set my alarm and get up and go to work).  The full reality of that probably won't hit me until I realize that I won't be earning regular paychecks anymore, and we are going to have to watch every penny to survive.  But I know that God is in this. He will provide...and so I am not going to worry about that today. 

(No, I didn't see him this morning...but I always have to be ready
just in case.)

So this morning, as soon as I was able to reasonably slip out of the door and get outside, I took at little "walkabout" our house and neighborhood, with my trusty whistle for protection from any strolling bears

or other "wildlife", and my camera ready to capture the beauty of this first morning of the rest of my life.  It was a rather chilly morning for us here in Florida, but the air was brisk and refreshing, the sun was shining...and I was FREE to wander!

Even though there wasn't much activity this morning, I found enough beauty to fill my senses with the joy of God's wonderful creation and the gift of this new freedom...it's all good. I was a little too late for the sunrise (and it was too chilly at that hour even for me), so this is the earliest picture I could get of one of my favorite spots in the neighborhood... and definitely "all the trees of the field" were clapping their hands for me today.

And all the holly berries are bursting forth in color, ready for the holiday season to begin...and also ready to feed the myriads of birds and wildlife as they store up food for winter...

 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, 

but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, 

That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

So shall MY word be that goes forth from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, 

and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."  

Isaiah 55:10-11

And this beautiful pink camellia is blooming...this was a plant that I thought had died last year, but I kept nursing it back to health over the summer, and now it is rewarding me with the earliest blossoms before all the other bushes that appear much healthier!  This must be its way of thanking me (and GOD) for rescuing it from an untimely death...

 "Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the Lord for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."  Isaiah 55:13

And there is this lovely Christmas Cactus plant blooming already...another one that I thought was about dead...and it, too, is the first to bloom of all the others!

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are My ways higher than your ways, 

and My thoughts 

than your thoughts."  

Isaiah 55:8-9

Yes, today is the beginning of a new adventure...an "Open Window" of opportunity...for what? I don't yet know exactly what God has in mind for my future...but I know He holds my future...and therefore I do not fear.

"Ho! Everyone who thirsts,

Come to the waters;

And you who have no money,

Come, buy and eat.

Yes, come, buy wine and milk

without money and without price.

Why do you spend money for what is not bread,

And your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to Me, 

and eat what is good,

and let your soul delight itself in abundance.

Incline your ear, and come to Me,

Hear, and your soul shall live;

And I will make an everlasting covenant with you..."

Isaiah 55: 1-3

(This photo was not taken today, but it still speaks volumes)

Yes, today is the beginning of a new day...an Open Window into the rest of my life!
Praise God, and Here I Go!