Tuesday 4~ What Will We Find?

 What Will We Find....

Hello! Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.
Thank you to our hostess Annie for these weekly questions for us to ponder and share our answers. These questions for this week are kind of fun and interesting, so let's go find out what we will find...

1. What will we find on top of your refrigerator?

Well, you know me...a picture is worth a thousand words, so I will be answering these questions with pictures! Here's the top of my refrigerator. Hopefully you can't see the dust...well, if you look closely, you will definitely see dust. I didn't take time to dust the top of the refrigerator for this picture, so you might as well get the real picture...

2. What will we find on your nightstand?

An alarm clock that also has a phone charger built into it, which is very convenient. A lamp. A box of Kleenex, a flashlight, and that pink round thing behind the lamp is actually a hand fan. It's one of those that you can "fold up" and put in your purse, if you can figure out how to do it. I can't,  so it just stays there and I can grab it as needed.

3. What is in your purse or handbag?

My wallet, keys, sunglasses, a little tiny cosmetic bag with lipstick, fingernail file, eyedrops and other emergency things...ink pen, a purse pack of tissues, notepad. And earlier today my Bible and Bible Study guide were also in there...oh, and my cell phone goes in there when we go out.  

4. What will we find on your coffee table or side tables? How about your kitchen or dining table?

The Coffee Table: That book in the middle front is a photo album called "My Pastbook", which I created a few years ago based on photographs that I had put on Facebook over the years. It turned out pretty good. I need to do a more recent one sometime.  The little book on the right is entitled "Beside Still Waters", by Darrell Bush, which I have written about before HERE. That little book was instrumental in our naming our pond "Still Waters Pond". The bowl in the back middle was created for us by a dear friend who has since gone on to heaven. He created it from a "burl" in a maple tree from New Hampshire. It is made in the shape of an eagle. It is holding a couple of those little wire puzzles that you have to figure out how to put it together and then get it apart again.  You will recognize the game to the left of that as coming from Cracker Barrel, and to the left of that are some magazines. Of course we always have coasters on every table.

The side table between our recliners. Yes, we each have our own remote. Sometimes we play dueling remotes to see who gets to watch what they want the fastest. Or who can mute the commercials the fastest, or which one of us wins how loud the volume needs to be. It can be rather commical at times. I turn it up, he turns it down. I want to watch a certain commercial, he mutes it. I want to watch something on HGTV, he wants to watch sports. One thing we do agree on is we like to watch "What's My Line" old reruns while we eat supper in front of the TV. But I think you need to be as old as we are to appreciate them.

The puzzle and game table. The Chess board was created by my father for my husband years ago, because he knew how much he loved to play chess. Sadly, I don't think anyone has played it in years. Maybe I need to challenge him to a game...he taught me how to play right after we got married, and once I got good enough to beat him, we didn't play it as often. LOL. It's been a long time, and I'm not sure I can remember all the moves now.

The little sign "He leads me beside the still waters" was lovingly created by my sweet DIL Rose for me for Christmas one year after we moved here "Beside Still Waters Pond".  The table itself was built by our son Benton, so that makes it extra special.  It can also be used as a bench when we need extra seating for company when we need to add more tables, like at Thanksgiving.

Current View of The Dining Room Table.

This is my Easter Bunny collection, which started originally with the green one in the middle, which was given to me by my maternal grandmother when I was a child. Then the little bunny laying on his back looking at a butterfly was given to Scott, when he was a "baby", by my mother. She also gave Benton and Matthew the two smaller brown bunnies. 

 The white bunny with the Easter egg was for our grandson Noah when he came to visit for Easter as a young child, and the flowered bunny on the left with the pink ribbon in this picture above was for his mother Nicole.   The little white bunny with the pink flower was added when Rose joined our family, but then she saw the cute little brown bunny next to it, and he was a little scuffed up and one of his ears had broken off. So she took him home and fixed his ear and painted him and said she really loved that little bunny the best, because when she was a little girl she used to raise real bunnies like that. So I guess the white one with the flower is up for grabs...maybe Blackie would like that one??? LOL. 

The gray bunny on the far right is the newest member  of the family. My hubby was the only one who didn't have his own bunny, and I saw this last week at the Dollar General store, and it was perfect for him. 

This is how he looks every morning, with his glasses, a cup of coffee, and his laptop. Perfect!

So there you have the current dining room table display. I will share more pictures on Easter when the table is set and ready for Easter Dinner.  

Speaking of Blackie: Last evening while we were outside doing a little yard work, Blackie came out to follow us around as per usual.  For the first time ever that I've witnessed, since his buddy and our sweet Sunshine went over the Rainbow Bridge, Blackie noticed the little gravesite where Sunshine is buried.

He sat right down on the little stones we set there mainly to make sure no critters came and tried to dig there. He sat and watched us working and seemed to be protecting that place and claiming it as his "territory".

It was a very sweet and touching moment that just might have a brought a tear or two to my eyes.

I will close this post today with these verses about love...some powerful words to ponder as we live out this week, the events of which demonstrate the greatest love of all time.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7, 13 NLT

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

John 3:16-17 NKJV

16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 15:13 KJV

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

I hope you and yours have a blessed Holy Week and Easter.

Sermon Notes: It's Palm Sunday! 2019~ Revisited in 2026

It's Palm Sunday!

Today is Palm Sunday!!  I hope that your church recognized this eventful day in the life of Christ, which begins the Holy Week leading up to Resurrection Sunday...Easter! 

Sadly, today, March 29, 2026, I was unable to attend church due to illness, but here is the message from our pastor and the choir singing "Welcome the King", which was pre-recorded this past week. I am sorry I wasn't able to be there today to actually sing with the choir in person, but I am sure they sounded just fine without me. I hope you will enjoy this song and our Pastor David Miller's message for today, if you wish to listen. I'm sure you'll be blessed.

Welcome the King!

Here begins the original post written back on Palm Sunday back in 2019.  The sermon notes that I have quoted from (below) were given by our former Pastor, Rev. A.C. Myers, who has since that time passed on to heaven. I can well imagine that he is enjoying eternal life with the King of kings, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ...and seeing Palm Sunday and Holy Week and Easter from a whole different perspective now. I wonder what his message to us would be today if he could come back to preach again!  I expect there would be even more conviction and urgency in his delivery of God's Word to us...because I can well imagine that he recognizes even more the consequences of not obeying God's Word and what we would be missing if we don't accept God's free gift of salvation now...before it's too late...

(The Palms sung by the Crystal Cathedral choir)

  Our choir sang the song shown above (in 2019)...We may not have sounded quite the same as "the Crystal Cathedral" choir shown above, but I can assure you we sang it with our whole hearts and souls!

The palm branches that the throngs of people waved as they cried "Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Mark 11:9) may not have looked exactly like these palmettos that we have here in Florida, but they were definitely similar to these...

Listen to how John's gospel  (John 12:12-13) described this scene:

"The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out, 

'Hosanna!  Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!"

Our scripture for today's sermon actually came from Mark's Gospel of this same scene, found in Mark 11:1-10.  and in these verses we see Christ entering Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey colt.  (See also Matthew 21;1-11,  Luke 19:29-38, and John 12:12-19 for more details).

The people of Jerusalem were hailing Christ as the King of Israel...their Savior, the Messiah.  But their expectation of what that would mean for them was not exactly what Jesus came to do.  At this particular time in history, Jerusalem was held captive by the Roman government.  The Romans occupied their country and ruled the Jewish nation with a very powerful and demanding government.  The people of Israel were in hopes that Jesus had come to save them from this evil government and to set them free from the tyranny of Rome.  Jesus did not come exactly the way they thought a conquering king should come...on the back of a young donkey? Where was His white stallion, where was His sword? He had no weapons, He had no saddle...only the clothing of the throng as they laid their clothes on the ground and on the back of the colt and waved the branches and shouted Hosanna...

But what we see instead of a conquering king, we see the heart of God.  Jesus does not come to us on our terms.  He comes on God's terms.  The people wanted a Messiah to rescue them from the evil and oppression of the  Roman government...But Jesus came to rescue their hearts from the evil of sin...He came to change their hearts inwardly...

Our expectations vs. God's answer...

God's answer is always the best for us.

The crowds wanted Jesus to conquer in a worldly way...But Jesus would conquer through laying down His life for their sins...

Jesus comes as our King to bring salvation...not from an oppressive government, but from self hatred, selfishness...to save us from greed, fear and death.

To restore our broken relationship with God...

Jesus gave us life--life of humble service and love...

A little side detail...The colt had never been ridden...and yet Jesus rode into Jerusalem on an unbroken colt...one that should have bucked Him off and been difficult to manage...

But Jesus was able to transform that wild unbroken colt into a peaceful animal.

Jesus rode into Jerusalem as a hero...

Is your life like that unbroken colt? Is life trying to throw you off...we may think that life seems to want to get rid of us...but God has a better plan for us.  Jesus is the only One who can ride into my heart and give me what I need to live...

Back to the crowd at Jerusalem...they were cheering and shouting Hosanna that day...they believed He was the Messiah and coming King, but then they still called for His death several days later...

We've all seen the bumper sticker that says, "Honk if you love Jesus".  Perhaps a better one would be: "Tithe if you love Jesus...any fool can honk!"  Or, how about, "Serve if you love Jesus", or "Humble Yourself if you Love Jesus", or "Love your neighbor if you love Jesus"...

On Palm Sunday Jesus came with a choice...We could join the crowd...cheering and waving palm branches, welcoming Him to our "city",  but that is as far as it goes as far as a relationship goes...On Sunday we cheer and wave our palm branches and proclaim Him King,  but what about the rest of our week...our lives...it's harder to actually serve the King of kings...

What does it truly mean to welcome Jesus into our hearts?

When we make a decision to follow Jesus, we choose to leave the old world behind...we choose to march to the tune of a most fulfilling and different kind of drum.

Jesus is the only way to peace, joy and real life...Jesus came to die for us...

John 15:13

"Greater love has no one than this, 

than to lay down one's life for his friends."

As followers of Christ we are to love each other as Jesus loved us when He went to the cross.

Palm Sunday is a great time to become a true follower of Christ.

There is no such thing as "Spectator Christianity".

Jesus conquered evil when He died on the cross.

People then did not understand He was offering them more than just to stand and cheer as He passed by...He was offering them an opportunity to make something beautiful out of their lives...

Think about the potter and the wheel...we are that blob of clay...a horrible mess...

But God can take our mess and shape us into what He wants us to be.

It is our choice...the invitation is here now...

Will you just be a spectator along the road, cheering Him on as He passes by...or

Will you follow Jesus all the way to the cross?

Our final hymn of the day...

(this is not our church choir singing, but please sing along and enjoy the music)

This is a song of triumph!

Christ is triumphant over death and hell,

and we are victors with Christ.

"Hosanna!!!

Blessed  is He who comes in the name of the Lord!!!

Blessed is the kingdom of our father David

That comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest!"

Mark 11:9-10

Sermon Notes: FUMC, Interlachen, FL, Pastor A.C. Myers, 4/14/2019

Please Note : I want to repeat this disclaimer here...the notes, outline, and content included here are based upon my own personal understanding of the message that was being given. I am not attempting to completely quote or reproduce this message or any other message I've shared previously. Just as each person reading these notes may glean insights and thoughts that seem to directly apply to one's own situation and interpretation, my own delivery of these messages is skewed by my hearing and translation of what is being said. Some may read my notes here and wonder if they were hearing the same message as I...and I say, God speaks to each of us as He wills...there are things He is trying to get across to each individual that may be entirely different than what the person sitting next to you in the pew is needing to hear... That is how the Holy Spirit works! He knows what we need to hear and how to apply it to our hearts. So it is with that understanding that I present these sermon notes to you.

This cross is from our front yard. This photo was taken a few years ago. I wanted to do this again today, but it is extremely windy here today and the palms would just blow away, so I'm glad I have this picture.

I hope you will be blessed on this Palm Sunday, and draw even closer to our Lord throughout the week as we approach Good Friday and then the glorious Resurrection Day on Easter Sunday.

Welcome the King!!!

Memorial Day Weekend and So Much More

 

John 15:13 KJV

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Memorial Day weekend always brings a lot of mixed emotions for me.  Of course we think about those who gave their lives in service to our country...those who sacrificed everything so that we can live in freedom.  We don't ever want to forget them...or their loved ones who also made a huge sacrifice.  I also think of those who may have come back home from war, but they were never the same. So many suffer from PTSD, battle scars and wounds that we may not be able to see on the surface, but they carry them with them deep inside and their lives are forever changed. And then of course those who have physical wounds that have altered their lives significantly as well.  Yes, we honor and remember them, and pray for them and their loved ones who must  also deal with the changes in their beloved that affects their whole lives and relationships.  May we pause to remember them all, and do our part to live in such a way that is worthy of their sacrifices. Living here in our country is a privilege and a blessing that we should never take for granted. Our world is so full of strife and volatility...and if it weren't for those on the front lines making these sacrifices for us, we would not be able to continue to live in such peace and comfort.  

Of course, Memorial Day Weekend also signals the beginning of "summertime" here in America...maybe not literally the Summer Solstice, which isn't until June 21st, but it seems to be the unofficicial kick off for summer vacations and activities.  In many places school is already out or soon will be, and people are ready to head to the beaches, lakes, parks, picnic grounds and all other outdoor activities. We took a ride yesterday morning to go see where our son was set up with his products for a flea market.  The community where he was is also a kind of outdoor activity destination in the Ocala National Forest. There are lakes and springs and a river and campgrounds and woods.  The boats were lined up at the  boat ramps and people were very anxious to get out on the water and enjoy a beautiful sunny day. Cars were lined up at the entrance to the Springs (Salt Springs State Park) for about a mile, waiting for them to open the gates. 

These pictures were taken actually on our way back home, across the big bridge in Eureka, FL., which was built originally to be a part of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, but that project was scrapped in the 1960's.  

Up Up and away!

At the top of the bridge...

Going back down the other side...

Blast from the past, this is me back in 2012, standing under that bridge...

This is what I wrote on Facebook with this picture (below) back in 2012: "You have to come see this very high long bridge out in the middle of nowhere to believe it. Our tax dollars at work (back in the 1960's) before the Barge Canal was scrapped due to environmental concerns."  Click HERE for the history of this project.

Unfortunately not that many people were as interested in going to the flea market as they were in getting to the water.  So it wasn't a great day for sales for our son, but he didn't do too badly.  Here's a few pictures I took there:

He used to do a lot of signs back when we lived there in the forest and he used to be at this flea market all the time.  I think he's decided to wait and go back in the fall when the snow-birds and weekend campers are there, and when it's a lot cooler.

I love these crosses...

There's usually a vegetable stand there, and I decided to buy a watermelon so we could have it today when "the kids" all came over for lunch...it was a seedless watermelon...and VERY SWEET and DELICIOUS!

Here's my piece!  It REALLY was good!!!  Question, do you put salt on your watermelon? I usually do, and I did today, but honestly, it was so sweet I probably didn't need to.

I didn't take any other pictures of the family here with us today...we were too busy enjoying our grilled hamburgers, hotdogs, baked beans, deviled eggs, corn on the cob, fresh sliced tomatoes and lettuce and onions and then the watermelon for dessert. It was all very good and very special, just being together.

I took this picture a little while ago, as I thought about this day and all that it means to us.

You see, for us, this day holds other special memories.  Today, May 25th, 2025, is the 11th anniversary of the passing of our son Matthew from this life into heaven.  So you see why Memorial Day weekend holds a lot of emotion and memories for us.

I know these pictures aren't very clear, but this is on the counter top of the island in our kitchen, and I keep these photos there to remind me of our son in his happier, healthier days, before he was struck with cancer in 2010, and fought it bravely and valiantly for 4 years before Jesus called him home in 2014.

And this photo is on our refrigerator door...this is the last "family portrait" of Matthew and his wife Nicole and their son Noah, taken in the spring of 2014 when they were down here in Florida for a vacation and to celebrate Matthew's 41st birthday with us and all the family. They spent a few days together at the beach before heading back to Maine.  Three months later his battle with cancer was over and he was in heaven, totally healed and never to suffer any more pain.

So yes, Memorial Day weekend has a special significance for us.  

I saw this quote from Martin Luther on the little devotional calendar yesterday, and it spoke to my heart:

Yes, that is so true...the "things" we have held in our hands that are temporal; houses, land, personal "treasures", those are all gone when we leave this world.  But our loved ones, especially our children...they never really belonged to us...they are a gift to us from God...on "loan" from God for us to nurture, love, cherish and teach them to love and believe in God, but if and when God says it is time for them to come "home" to be with Him in Heaven, we have no choice but to let them go.  They belong to Him, not us.  But the good news is, because we have done our part to place our children in God's hands when we dedicate them to the Lord, we know that He will receive them back with love and tenderest care, and someday we will all be reunited in Heaven for eternity.  That is the believer's great hope and prayer. 

That's why this verse in Proverbs 22:6 is so important for every parent to know and believe...

Even if our child should wander away and go his own way for a time, I truly believe that if we have done our part as parents in teaching them about the love of Jesus, when that child is older he will come back to those "roots" that were planted so long ago.  We personally may not live to see it here on earth, but I truly believe the time will come when that "child" will remember the faith that was taught to him/her as a child, and he will come "home" eventually.  That's why we should never stop praying for our children no matter how old they are or how far away they've roamed.  God hears our prayers, and He knows which children are His, and John 10:28-29 tells us that NO ONE shall ever be able to snatch them out of God's hand...

John 10:27-30 NKJV

 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 

28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 

29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 

30 I and My Father are one.”

I hope this brings some comfort to you today.

Thank you for hanging in there with me through this whole long post.  It's been a difficult day, but a beautiful day, and I am so thankful for all that God has given me. I know that none of that which I have placed in His hands will ever be lost.  Praise God!!

I hope that you and yours will have a peaceful and blessed Memorial Day tomorrow. Remember those who have given so much for our freedom, and perhaps also remember those that you love who have gone on before to their great reward and final rest.  We have so much to look forward to someday!!!

Good Night my friends.

Memorial Day Monday

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." 

John 15:13

"Oh beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife

Who more than self, their country loved

And mercy more than life

America, America may God thy gold refine

'Til all success be nobleness

And every gain divine"

We sang this beloved hymn, "America, The Beautiful", yesterday in church. That is the verse that stood out to me as we honored the memory of those who gave their all for our country. It really makes us stop and think about all that we hold dear...how quickly it can be taken away, and if it weren't for the courage of men and women standing for what is right and true and good, and being willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country...what we have could be lost forever. Something to think about, and thank the Lord for these precious heroes.

So how are you spending today? Perhaps some are having a picnic or barbeque with friends and family?  Our church is having an annual cookout at the Parsonage today, but we are unable to participate this year. Hubby is having a "medical procedure" tomorrow that requires extensive "preparation" today, and so we are staying home.  We are sorry to miss out on the fellowship with our church family, but some things just can't be helped.  We did have a nice lunch with our kids yesterday after church here at home.  I cooked a Boston Butt Roast in the crockpot on Saturday and made it into pulled pork, so we had pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, potato salad, and Rose brought some deviled eggs. We also had coleslaw and/or  a tossed salad with some of Rose and Benton's fresh cherry tomatoes from their own garden! It was all good, and there were plenty of leftovers for me to eat to today so I don't have to cook anything and tempt my hubby with tantalizing aromas while he is unable to have anything but liquids.  

The only "picnickers" at our house today are the Sand Hill Crane Family.  They pass through every so often to say hello and check the yard to see if there's anything good to nibble on.  Can you believe how big George and Abe have gotten? They are now two months old, and the are just about as tall as their parents.  I don't think they are flying yet, at least not that I've seen. From what I've read, they probably won't start flying until they are about 3 months old, so probably sometime toward the end of next month.

George and Abe, or is it Georgianna and Abby? Or George and Abby? I don't know. They are both very close in size, so it is difficult to tell if one is decidedly bigger than the other, which would indicate that it is a male. Time will tell...maybe...

Not sure if I showed you the latest pictures of the "Century Plant (Agave)."  I showed them on Facebook, but not all of you are there.  Yes, it is blooming, and the second picture shows you just how tall it really is.

As you can see, it is as tall as the electric pole! Pretty Amazing. It looks like a giant asparagus to me! LOL. 

Kind of reminds me of "The Jolly Green Giant". LOL.

Well folks, I really don't have much to share today. Thank you all for your kind words on my recent post about the "anniversary" of our son Matthew's passing ten years ago. Your kinds words were very comforting to me.  I did not take the time to answer everyone, but each and every message is a treasure to me. Thank you.  These kinds of  "anniversaries" are never easy, as many of you also know from your own experiences with the loss of loved ones.  However, I think it is important to keep the memory alive of our dear ones in whatever way is "comfortable" for us. Sometimes it is just too painful for some to do that, and that is understandable. But we each do what is most meaningful to us.  Thank you again for your understanding.

Okay, dear friends, I need to wrap this up. It is quite warm outside, about 94 degrees, and bright and sunny. I'm thankful for a cool house and that I don't have to go out and work in this heat. My thoughts and prayers go out for those who do.  And also for those who are having bad storms and other serious weather issues. I have a feeling this is going to be a difficult summer.  May God be with each one of you and your loved ones and keep you safe and sound.

Oh, in case you'd like to hear it, our choir sang a really pretty song yesterday entitled "Peace". It was very appropriate for times were are experiencing now in our world.  

Here it is: 

(be sure to go all the way to the beginning of the video to hear/see the song)

"Lord, give us peace..."

Amen.

 

Wednesday Treasures for Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday

 Valentine's Day Love Is...building a new nest...

Yes, that is our same Mr. and Mrs. Sand Hill Crane building a new nest out on that little scrap of a marshy island early this morning...and they are working at it diligently morning and night...so it must be time for a new baby crane "colt" egg to make an appearance any time now.  Last year the first egg appeared on Valentine's Day, and another one right after that.  

These pictures are rather grainy due to it being right before sunset tonight, but they were both right back at it tonight, working away, pulling up lily pad stems from the pond and tossing them into a pile to create the nest.  They took the day off to go feed somewhere else, but came back this afternoon to get back to work. 

They were making quite a lot of noise for a while this evening, and I thought maybe she had already laid the egg...but it's too hard to tell from these pictures.  Hopefully I will be able to see them better in the morning.

Meanwhile, during the bright afternoon sun today, Mr. Turtle was enjoying sunning himself on top of their newly constructed nest.  I have a feeling Mr. and Mrs. Crane will be standing guard over their nest once the egg appears and Mr. Turtle will have to go sun himself elsewhere!

Today was a rather conflicting day...it was Valentine's Day, a day to celebrate the love of friends and loved ones, and Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, when we remember the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us and we realize just how unworthy of His great love we really are, and yet He chose to love us and die for us anyway.  So maybe it isn't such a conflicting day after all?  It really is all about LOVE.  I guess the conflict comes in wanting to celebrate at the same time as feeling a sense of needing to make some sacrifices in order to draw even closer to the One who loves us so much.  

John 15:13 NKJV 

"Greater love has no one than this, 

than to lay down one’s life for his friends."

1 John 4:10  King James Version

"10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, 

but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Romans 5:8 NKJV

8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, 

in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Rather than write a new post regarding the practice of Lent, HERE is a link to a previous post that I wrote originally a few years ago about what I believe about Lent.  You may find it interesting.

Meanwhile, since today was also Valentine's Day, there were other things happening as well.  Our Women in Faith group met for their monthly gathering.  I went with full intention of staying for the luncheon at the end, but I really wasn't feeling up to par and decided to head back home instead where I could have a bowl of soup and take a long nap. I was just very tired and my tummy wasn't feeling great, so that was the best option for me today.  But I was there long enough to get this fun little Valentine game that one of the ladies brought for each of us to enjoy.

It was one of those papers that you have to fold all different ways and make a little hand game. I never did get it right, so here is what it looked like originally:

I thought the questions were cute and fun, and maybe we should try to answer them as a Valentine's Day quiz.

1.  What food do you dislike most?   I like most foods, but probably nothing too overly spicy. I don't eat Sushi or stinky cheeses like Bleu Cheese or Limburger. (Does anyone really eat Limburger Cheese?)

2.  What's your hidden talent?   Not sure...it must still be hiding...I used to be quite artistic, but not so much anymore. Most of my talents aren't really hidden as I try to use them so I don't lose them...I love to sing, take pictures, and write this blog.

3.  Who do you like?  Gosh! Where do I begin? I like all of YOU!!

4.  What's your favorite candy?  Payday candy bar.  (the Original one...not the chocolate one).

5.  What's your biggest fear?  I really can't say that I have any big fears because I know God is in control and He is handling everything perfectly. However, I must say that I really would not want to live alone. I've never had to live alone in my whole life, and I have a hard time imagining that I would adapt to a solitary life very well.  I know God is always with me no matter what, but still, the thought of living without anyone around to talk to or just be close to is something that I hope I never have to do.

6.  What's your favorite animal? I am more of a dog person I think, but I love horses and little kitties are so sweet.

7.  Who's your favorite TV star? As a child I would have said Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy). Now, I really can't think of any one favorite TV star as I really don't watch much TV.  I like old movies, but those would be movie stars.

8.  What's your go-to dance move? I have no clue. Slow dancing with my hubby. What could be better than that?

Now it's YOUR turn! I would love to hear what you have to say about these little questions. Feel free to copy them and answer them on your blog if you wish.

It's getting late, and so I guess I will close this with a few pictures of tonight's sunset on Still Waters Pond. It really was magnificent...another of God's masterpieces...a Love gift for Valentine's Day from God!

Here's the beginning, just as the sun was dipping down below the trees...

The skies became all golden and glorious...

This reminds me of a hymn that I remember singing often growing up: "For the Beauty of the Earth". You can listen to it here and sing along with my pictures if you wish...

1 For the beauty of the earth,

for the glory of the skies,

for the love which from our birth

over and around us lies.

Refrain:

Lord of All to Thee we raise

this, our hymn of grateful praise.

2 For the wonder of each hour

of the day and of the night,

hill and vale and tree and flower,

sun and moon and stars of light, 

Refrain:

Lord of All to Thee we raise

this, our hymn of grateful praise.

And then the skies turned to this lovely shade of pinkish-orange-blueish.  Or "sky blue pink".

3 For the joy of human love,

brother, sister, parent, child,

friends on earth, and friends above,

for all gentle thoughts and mild, 

Refrain:

Lord of All to Thee we raise

this, our hymn of grateful praise.

It was about this time that Mr. and Mrs. Crane were making lots of noise out there on their little island while building their nest.  You can't see them, but they were singing praises to their Creator for the beauty of the skies around them while they work against time to get their little nest ready for their new eggs to be developed and lovingly cared for until the babies are born...and then they really get busy!

4 For Thyself, best gift divine,

to our race so freely given,

For that great great love of Thine,

peace on earth and joy in heaven. 

[Refrain]

Lord of All, to Thee we raise

this, our hymn of grateful praise.

Amen.

May you have a blessed season of Lent as we prepare our hearts for the remembrance of the Passion of our Savior Jesus Christ..."Lord of all, to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise!"