Saturday Hoots and Strolls and Good Medicine

Hoot Hoot Hoot Hello!! 

It's Halloween Eve, and all the little owls out here in "hooterville" have gathered to get ready for the fun that will transpire here in about 24 hours...

They have each found a good place to perch so they can watch for the little ghosts and goblins that will be parading past our front door yelling "Trick or Treat"

Yeah, I'd say there will be a lot of hootin' and hollering going on over here...won't you come join the fun?

It's been five days since my surgery, and can you tell I must be getting bored?  Ha Ha.  I guess I just needed to get up and make myself do something!  To be honest, I have been feeling just a tad sorry for myself 'cause for some strange reason I thought I would be fixed instantly once I had this spinal fusion done to my neck...I thought the nerve pains and muscle spasms would just magically disappear and I'd be up and running and ready to go by now.

Well, 'taint so... I still got them and they still wake me up at night and I'm taking pills and rubbing on lotions and praying they'd just go away and let me sleep. Plus I still can't eat much because swallowing is still a bit of an effort and it just takes so much time to wash down every bite, so I don't have much appetite...you'd think I'd lose some weight...but the scales haven't budged...what's that all about?

Yeah, I'm having myself a pity party. Me, myself and I. But I told my husband about it. Told him I wanted my "mommy to come and take care of me."  Do you ever feel that way? It's not that he's not helping me enough...he's doing a great job...I'm just overtired and wanting to get back to "normal" quicker and maybe I just want someone to pamper me just a little bit more until I feel better, like Mommy used to do when she'd put the little bell beside my bed and tell me to ring it when I needed something when I was really sick.

Or maybe I just need to get outside and enjoy some fresh air and quit my whining.

These were the skies this morning at sunrise.  They weren't looking too promising for a nice day...and it sure felt kind of chilly and cold and breezy...

But by 9:00 it looked like this and hubby talked me into taking a stroll with him.

Yeah, he knew what I needed

This is my newest "glamour shot"...a little improvement over the last one taken in the hospital HERE

I sure won't need much of a costume for Halloween...still got those stitches in my neck (actually just glue with steri strips), and I can see I still look a little swollen...I could probably pass for Mrs. "Frankensteiner" instead of Mrs. Steiner. LOL.  But taking a walk in the woods was just what I needed.

And then we came home and I did a little bit of porch sittin' cause it was just SO pretty out... a perfect autumn day!

This is our porch sitting time of year. I need to enjoy it while it lasts...

I took this picture from inside the house, and you can see the reflection of the flag from the front porch...looks like it is flying out there in the back over the pond too!  

But even after all this enjoying the fresh air and porch and stuff I was still feeling a little bit down. Mostly overtired I think...kind of the "post-partum blues" of surgery I'd call it. Then a dear friend from church called to check on me and it was like the sun came back out and the birds started singing and my heart felt lighter.  It was as if a fresh wind from heaven blew through the phone and stirred the coals of my soul back up into a living flame.

I went into the kitchen and saw this verse on the little display that I have set up for fall. Perfect, wouldn't you say?

And I began to feel more grateful and less pitiful...

More blessed and less stressed...

More Thank-FULL and not so thank LESS.

Yes, the Lord knew what I needed today and He sent it to me in small bites and doses...

"A merry heart does good, like medicine,

But a broken spirit dries the bones."

Proverbs 17:22

It also proved to me how important it is to remember those who are sick or recuperating from surgery, etc., with a card or a phone call when possible. I am trying to get better at that, but I tend to put it off or forget until I see the person all well and they are so thankful for all the cards and calls they got that helped them so much and I'm thinking "there I blew it again..."   But even our posts here and our comments to one another can make such a difference in how a person feels.  I am way behind in responding to comments but I am trying to get caught up by visiting your posts instead as I can.  Right now I can't sit at the computer for a long time and I have to make myself get up and move around, etc., etc., and so I get behind.  But I treasure each and every one of you and your comments are always such a blessing to me.  You are like the "merry hearts" that are good medicine!  Thank you for being here!

And never fear, I will get better. I know it. I'm just wanting it sooner rather than later.  But God has me here, sitting "Beside the Still Waters" (pond), restoring my soul, and making me just relax and rest and get well.  Sometimes our healing comes in little bites and doses too. It's not always instant, overnight, like waving a magic wand over us.  We just need to learn to trust in the One Who has promised to "uphold you with my righteous right hand."  And that's the BEST MEDICINE of all! 

 

Unusual Discoveries...

Have you ever come across something that you saved and you have no idea when or why you ever saved it in the first place...and how is it that you have just now discovered it?

That just happened to me.  I was looking for something else, and I found this cancelled 25 cent postage stamp with a picture of a Barred Owl on it.  I checked the dates for the years that this particular stamp might have been in circulation, and it had to have been somewhere between 1988-1991. I have no idea why I saved this stamp. I do not collect stamps. And back during those particular years I had absolutely no knowledge of or interest in Barred Owls. Nada...None...Never...Not one bit.

However, if you jump forward about 19 or 20 years, as evidenced by the following links, you will see that I became quite interested in Barred Owls... (You can go back and read these posts later at your leisure...)

1. Waiting on the Lord

2. The Last Farewell

3. He Watches Me-We

I found this quite unusual and strange that I saved this stamp so many years ago...but who knows why it caught my interest? I am sure I don't know...and I am not suggesting anything supernatural here. Just thought it was odd.

In my life I have discovered that God often works in mysterious ways. This really has nothing to do with the owl stamp...at least I don't think it does.  Maybe the owl stamp got me thinking about the mysterious ways God works.

 See, I discovered the owl stamp while I was rummaging through our antique secretary desk looking for an unused guest book that could be used to...well...record guests...what else? And why was I doing that, you may ask? Well, I have always made it a practice to have a guest book in my home.  This practice began when we started our life in the ministry, and we wanted to keep track of the many wonderful people who blessed our home with their presence over the years.

These guest books became a type of journal, with memories of joyous times of fellowship with family and friends, and sometimes even signatures of total strangers who became ambassadors of God's love and ministry to us.
There are also many signatures of loved ones and friends who are no longer with us here on this earth, but whom we look forward to reuniting with someday in the great banquet hall of heaven, where our names are written in the Book of all books...the Book of Life (Revelation 20:11-15)

 So, how is all this connected to my search today?  I already have a guest book in use, and it isn't full yet. I really shouldn't need to start a new one.

But God may have a reason. He may want to record a new group of names...the beginning of a new type of ministry...here, in our home. This was suggested to us today by one who hopes to participate in that new ministry with us.

That suggestion reminded me of a Bible verse I was reading just this morning and reflecting on what it might mean...

"And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago;

But now you also must complete the doing of it..."

II Corinthians 8:10-11

and also the following verse:

"Let brotherly love continue.

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels..."

Hebrews 13:1-2

These verses and thoughts go along with a previous post that I reposted a few days ago: "Blessed to Be A Blessing".  It seems as though God is confirming those thoughts today...and by faith we are acting upon this apparent direction.

Tonight I am not certain exactly where this is going to lead, but I am trusting God to guide us one step at a time. If this is indeed ordained by Him, He will show the way...and will provide everything that we need. He may have already provided interesting clues along the way that we did not fully comprehend at the time...kind of like that Barred Owl Stamp that had no significance whatsoever when I first saved it...

Yes, God does work in mysterious ways...

"Jesus answered and said unto him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.'"  John 13:7

Stay tuned for further developments...and pray for us if you are so inclined. Thank you.

The Last Farewell...Revisited 6-15-12 - Random Journal Day #12

6/15/12:  I was just thinking about this story this morning and thinking about how wonderful God's mercies and blessings are to us during times of need, grief, anxiety, etc.  The following stories are true examples of the fingerprints of God on my life...and how He chose to bless me through His creation...
I am going to post this as my Random Journal Day post for this week...it comes from my online journal written just a little over a year ago, following the passing of my father from this life to heaven...the event that took place at the very moment he was entering heaven's gates...A definite "God-wink" especially directed to comfort my heart...Read on....


A couple of weeks ago I wrote a story for "GoodBlogs.com" entitled "The Owls Whoooo Came to Comfort Me".  (See link below)  If you haven't read it yet, please read it now before you read the following story. (I have also posted a copy of the story at the end of this story in case you can't connect to this link)
 (UPDATE 11-24-15...THIS LINK IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE SO PLEASE GO DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE AND READ "The Owls Whoooo-Came to Comfort Me"  first...and then come back here and read the rest of the story.  I am removing the original link that was here since it leads to nowhere.  Pam)

And now I would like to share with you the most miraculous and amazing sequel to this story...

First of all, let me explain that I am not superstitious, nor am I an animalist, or one who believes that animals have a soul in the spiritual sense...but I DO believe that God can choose any way He pleases to comfort and show us His love and power...and that He alone knows the best way to reach into our hearts when we need it the most.  So, that being said, let me proceed with my tale.

Earlier this week I walked through the valley of the shadow of death with my dear sweet father, and had the sacred privilege of witnessing his spirit leaving his earthly body and being joined with Our Heavenly Father as he breathed his last breath. Not that I physically saw any visible manifestation of his soul departing his body, but I was there, along with my sister, holding his hands as the angels came to carry him away from our presence. Even though we knew he was more than ready to go after his 92 -plus long years on this old earth, it still hurt to let him go.  He was a wonderful father and a dear, dear Christian...but it was time to say good-bye. 

When the morticians arrived to take his body away from us I could not bear to stay in the house and watch them cover and carry him out of that door forever from our presence.  As I fled out to the back yard that had long ago been my childhood sanctuary, I cried out to God for some kind of sign that my Daddy was with Him and that he was okay.  At the very moment those words departed from my lips, there was a sudden swoosh of wings escaping up out of the thicket of bushes to my left and I was extremely startled to see the very familiar blur of brown spotted feathers emerge and fly up to the trees above me. I could hardly believe my eyes as there, staring right back down at me with his enormous brown eyes, stood a most beautiful Barred Owl...just like the ones that I often watched in my own back yard some thirty miles away.  (Again I refer you to the story mentioned above) 

Now I was really crying, "Oh Lord Jesus! How amazing! How marvelous! How wonderful You are! How so like You to do something so exactly perfect for me at this very moment!"  Only God could do something this miraculous.  You see, even though others had heard these owls calling in the night in this area, no one had ever actually seen one in my dad's yard before. God knew even before I called out in my grief to Him that He already had the perfect response to my cries.  It was as if this owl was sent directly to me as God's messenger of comfort for that special moment.  Thankfully my sister happened to have her camera nearby so we could capture this event to share with others.

As we stood there watching, the owl kept looking back at us, as if he was giving us a message of hope from another world.  I found myself rejoicing instead of crying, knowing that my father was truly with the Lord...and that even at that precise moment he was entering heaven's gates and being welcomed by my mother, his other loved ones who had gone on before, and most of all, by Jesus Himself. 

After a few minutes passed, the owl became a bit restless, as though he was anxious to be on his way.  We, too, realized it was time for us to move on as we had much to do to begin the work of notifying loved ones, and making arrangements for a funeral service.  Reluctantly we started to move away from this place of peace, and the owl flew ahead of us a little way and landed on another tree, and looked back at us as if to say, "Have no fear...I'm okay...I'm finally home..."

This was the last farewell as he flew away from our presence and departed to his other world...

Not once, but twice in the past several weeks, God used these beautiful creatures to bring me comfort and messages of hope and love when I needed it most.  You can call it coincidence if you wish, and you may even think I'm a little bit "touched"...and I will say, "Yes, I'm touched alright...touched by God's holy presence and His wonderfully, mysterious ways.  If that is being "touched', then I say, Thank you, dear Jesus, for touching me."  Amen.

Postscript:  I am adding a copy here of the original blog written prior to this on "Goodblogs" in case that link becomes broken in the future:

The Owls WhOOOO Came to Comfort Me

By Pamela M. Steiner | Apr 9, 2011 | 7

Lately I've been feeling a little blue.  You see, my Daddy is in the last stages of his life, and each day we know we are getting closer to his departure from this earth.  Even though my Dad is almost 93 years old and has lived a long and happy life, I am still reluctant to let him go.   There is a plethora of emotions running through my mind as I think about just what it truly means to say goodbye to my last living parent.  Oh, there is no doubt in my mind as to where he will spend eternity...and I believe with all my heart I will join him there someday. 
I guess the fact that is bothering me is that soon the home I grew up in will no longer exist as I once knew it.  Once my father is gone from this earth, his earthly home will be dismantled piece by piece and scattered to the four winds...(that being the homes of my three siblings and myself and our progeny...and anyone else who wants a memento of what once was the family estate).   The place where we have gathered as a family for the past fifty four years for holidays, birthdays and special celebrations will be sold to strangers who will quickly put their own personal stamp of character and design on a home that housed all my childhood memories and treasures, and what we once called home will cease to exist.  I find myself wondering if my siblings and our extended families will ever be together again once that silver cord is broken.
So it was with these kinds of feelings running through my mind tonight that I wandered out into my own yard to walk around and touch base with my true feelings. Suddenly I heard the familiar "Who who cooks for you?" call of our resident Barred Owl...calling to his mate to let her know he had come 'home' and was looking for her.  I looked up into the trees through the dusky light filtering through the leaves and saw the first owl land on a high branch...and then a few seconds later the other glided onto a tree nearby.  They both looked toward each other, but then they also looked down at me and sat there very still, pretending that they were hidden from my view.  So I sat down on my patio and waited to see what would happen next.  Once they felt comfortable enough with my presence there, the one owl flew over to the other, and sat right down beside her just as close as two fully grown owls could get to one another, and then they proceeded to snuggle right up to each other, with what appeared to me to be kissing and hugging and greeting each other as if they had been away for a long time. This went on for several minutes, and I stood there in awe as I witnessed their obvious joyous homecoming and sweet love for each other.  I found myself saying over and over again to myself, "How sweet! How marvelous!  How beautiful!"

Then the tears started to roll down my cheeks as I thought to myself..."That's just like 'Bill and Dorothea' (my parents' names)...and how happy they are going to be when Daddy finally enters heaven's gates.  My sweet mother has been waiting there patiently for him for five long years, and when he arrives with a hoot and a call, she will be waiting there with open arms and lots of kisses to welcome him...finally...home! 

And then an astounding thing happened... as I watched them continue to bill and coo with each other, suddenly they both opened their massive wings and silently flew off together to the big trees across the street from my house and out of my view.  But I was no longer feeling blue.  I felt such a sense of peace and joy and comfort, for I knew that my Dad was going "home" and his reunion with my mother would be so joyful...and one day, we too will have such a happy reunion ourselves. 

Lord, I thank you for the owls YOU sent to comfort me tonight.  It was a picture I will never forget...and when my Daddy finally gets his angel's wings and flies out of our sight, I know he will finally be at peace and at home with YOU and Mama. And I also know You will take care of the rest of us left behind...no need to worry about that anymore.  Thank you...and Amen.

I hope you enjoyed reading these true stories of how God ministered to my heart during that time of grief.  A few months ago we moved away from that home where our Barred Owl friends lived, and I have really missed my daily 'conversations' with them.  However, it helps me realize all the more that this was a special gift from God for a particular time of need in my life.  My current home has already blessed me with some new and interesting manifestations of God's grace and love...time will tell what other lessons He has in store for me there.  Oh, and by the way, we do occasionally hear some Barred Owls in the woods surrounding our new home...they just haven't allowed us to see them yet. 

Some of my other blogging friends are sharing their stories from the past on the Random Journal Day linkup.  Go to Beneath the Surface:Breath of Faith and check out the other stories for this week. You will be blessed I am certain!

Thanks for stopping by!

"He Watches ME..." ...(WE)

Can you see the owl in this picture?  If you can, then you are a pretty wise "owl observer"

For those of you who have followed my blog for a while you will know that I have had this "relationship" with the Barred Owls in my backyard and also remarkably in my father's backyard. My Owl Story ,"The Last Farewell"  (check on these links for the stories...)

Well, now we are getting ready to move away from this home and my backyard visitors...and I am kind of sad about that.  I have watched these owls raise their babies, listened to them call to each other in the night and in the day, ("Who- who -who cooks for youuuuuu????"), witnessed their love-wooing, (sometimes quite passionate and somewhat hysterical in tone)  and have had many a long conversation with them, or at least a "stare-down" with them. (I stare at them, and they stare at me...I've always wondered what they were thinking while watching me watching them).  It has been a remarkable friendship from the very beginning.  No doubt about it, they have been the highlight of our sojourn in this community...actually the only "friends" we have had here in the five years we have lived in this particular house! That may sound strange, but that should tell you that it has not been a super friendly neighborhood, at least not in the human sense.

So, we are moving on...and already we are making new (human) friends in our new neighborhood and we haven't even moved in yet!  But I truly am going to miss my owl friends. They have comforted me when I was grieving, they have entertained us and our guests with their antics...we have marveled at their amazing acts of parenting in raising their young ones...it has been a uniquely wonderful experience.  (Check out "The Things I see Outside My Open Window" page on this blog)

The other evening I was washing up the supper dishes and looking out my kitchen window up at the treetops, and there right before me was one of our owl friends, perched on a very small branch perfectly balanced, and I promise you I am not exaggerating, he was literally watching my every move.  I quickly turned out the light in the kitchen so I could see him better, and he never took his eyes off of me.  He sat there for a very long time, and I took advantage of the opportunity to capture a picture, although sadly it was getting too dark and I didn't have the telephoto lens on to bring him up closer, but that's ok...I have the memory of the moment engrained in my mind.  It was as if he was coming to pay his last respects to me since I am going away...it was a special moment.

Ok, you can call me crazy if you want, and you won't be far off...but I appreciated the salute from my old friend.  Actually, I just heard him calling his mate again a few minutes ago...(this is the time of year that they are most likely watching their nestling...the mating time has already taken place...and they take turns guarding the nest, which is nearby).  I will miss hearing their calls and cackles in the night...even though they sometimes sounded a bit eery and loud right outside my bedroom window in the wee hours.  I will miss watching them train their offspring to fly and hunt...BUT, we ARE moving farther into the forest....so I am hoping they have spread the word to their cousins in the treetops to watch out for us and come pay us a visit in our new "Camp in the Woods" house.   I'll be listening and watching...and I'll be sure to let you know when they do!!

So, for now, I say so long to my fine feathered friends...and also say, "Thanks for the memories"...

The Owls have taught me a lesson by their example here...it corresponds with what Jesus was teaching His disciples in Matthew 6:25-28a,  and I want to share it with you now:

"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  So why do you worry ....?"

I know that God watches over the owls and the birds of the air and beasts of the field (and woods),  and as the late singer Ethel Waters used to remind us at every Billy Graham crusade back in the "olden days", "His Eye is on The Sparrow, and I know He watches me!"  Ethel Waters singing "His Eye is On the Sparrow", Ethel Waters-at Billy Graham Crusade 1965

So I don't need to worry about my owl friends, nor do I need to worry about my own future...God is watching me....or as Ethel says at the very end of her song ..."I know He's watching 'WE'".... You and me!
Now that's something to remember!!!!