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!!!!!

Seeking The Lord - Reposted for those Who Are Seeking

"Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near."

Isaiah 55:6

"Ho! Everyone who thirsts,

come to the waters;"

Isaiah 55:1

"Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,

"This is the way, walk in it,"

Whenever you turn to the right hand

Or whenever you turn to the left."

Isaiah 30:21

"...He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul."

Psalm 23:2

"Surely goodness and mercy 

shall follow me

all the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Psalm 23:6

Dear Friend,

Are you seeking the Lord today?

He is very near...do not turn Him away.

Turn your heart to the Lord

and seek His face,

and He will hear you and answer you.

He has promised this in His Word.

Just put your trust in Him,

and He will guide you each step of the way.

Have a blessed and glorious day!

God is with you.

(Pictures taken at a lovely spot on the shores of Lake Galilee, near Hawthorne, Florida)

"It Is No Secret!" - Reposted

This is a repost of a blog that I wrote about this same time last year.  Somehow, it seems good to repeat it again this year.


Original Post written 10/24/2015:
I'm not alluding to the song, "It Is No Secret What God can do..."  even though that is a wonderful old song and certainly true.  But what has been impressed on my mind lately has to do with darkness and light...hidden and revealed. Read on~

Luke 12:2-3

"For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."

Luke 8:16-17

"No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light.  For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light."

Proverbs 28:13

 "He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."

Photo via Internet

I started this post a couple of weeks ago, and then just let it sit on the back burner and simmer a while. Not sure if I am ready to tackle it again or not.  It is a deep subject. Maybe I should just let God's Word speak for itself. I certainly cannot do it any better than that.  God's Word encourages me to press on:

Isaiah 58:1

"Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins."

Isaiah 55:6-7:

"Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.

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." 

Isaiah 58:6-9

"Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the heavy burdens,

to let the oppressed go free,

And that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light shall break forth like the morning,

Your healing shall spring forth speedily,

And your righteousness shall go before you;  

The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard, 

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; 

You shall cry, 

and He will say, 'Here I am.'" 

Isaiah 55:10-11

"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 55:12~

"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..."

So be it, Lord, I pray, even as You have spoken.

Amen.