Sunday Evening Meditation

Psalm 25:1-5

1 To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

2 O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

3 Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;

Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

4 "Show me Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day."

I thought you'd enjoy seeing that we not only have Bluebirds here on Still Waters Pond, but we also have "red-birds", a.k.a. the Northern Cardinal, and in this case, the male Cardinal. His mate is around there somewhere, but she didn't make it into the pictures.  This male just seemed to be waiting and watching and perhaps listening for God's instructions. "On You I wait all the day."  A good lesson for us today from God's Word.  Be patient and wait on the Lord for instruction...follow God's leading and teachings and you will not go astray!

Last evening I thought I would outsmart the Sand Hill Crane couple and go way around the shore of Still Waters Pond to where I could see their nesting place and wait for them to land for the evening.  They usually fly in around sunset and land on this little scrap of marshy floating island, (see below) where they will spend the night and also where they are building their nest for this spring.  

As I stood on the shore...this close to the water's edge! Yes, if I lost my balance I would be in that water!...

I looked around and across to where our house is and our shoreline, and what do I see?  Mr. and Mrs. Sand Hill Crane had landed on our shoreline, and they were enjoying taking their time and finding things to eat in the weeds along the shore!

So I stood there on the other side (I zoomed in for these pictures) and waited patiently for them to get tired of eating there and fly on over to their nest...

They seemed to be enjoying a leisurely stroll along the shore, and they were in no hurry at all to get back to their nest!

Meanwhile, I'm standing over there waiting and it's getting kind of chilly...I had run out of the house without a sweater thinking it was still warm out since it had been quite warm during the afternoon...

But no, they were in no hurry.  I took these next pictures with my cell phone, so I couldn't zoom in as well, but I liked the way the sunlight was changing the colors as it was setting in the west beside me.

I almost think they knew I was over there watching them, and therefore they weren't going to fly over that way as long as a strange human with a camera was there waiting for them!

Finally I gave up and decided to head back to the house before it got dark.

I didn't take another picture, but when I got back around to the house to go in the back door, they saw me and came right up on the shore into our yard and waited for me to go inside and get them some birdseed! Yes! That's what they were waiting for, the stinkers! LOL.  So I threw them out some seed and they were very grateful and stayed there and ate it until it was too dark for me to even think about going back outside to see where they would go next. Besides, it wouldn't have shown up in a photo anyway!  But perhaps I did what I was supposed to do.

Psalm 145:14-19

14 "The Lord upholds all who fall,

And raises up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,

And You give them their food in due season.

16 You open Your hand

And satisfy the desire of every living thing.

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways,

Gracious in all His works.

18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,

To all who call upon Him in truth.

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He also will hear their cry and save them."

No, I am not trying to say that I am taking the place of God for these birds. But perhaps I am doing what God wants me to do for them.  Perhaps I am His ambassador here for these creatures of His creation. Or maybe it is simply an example to us of how God cares for us.  When we fall down or are feeling sad or blue or in a difficult situation, we can rely on God to provide for us.  "The Lord is near to all who call upon Him...and He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them."    If God provides food for the creatures of the earth, how much more will He provide for us, His beloved children who are calling upon Him in truth, and who are looking expectantly to Him for help in time of need?  Yes, as surely as we take care of our own, even sometimes in exasperation because our own don't always perform the way we want them to...yet because of love we take care of them...God also cares for us, even when we don't always perform the way He wants us to...because He loves us.   He will "hear their cry and save them."   Amen!

Now just for laughs as I close this out for the night, this afternoon I looked out the window here in my "Room with a View", and saw "Blackie" the neighborhood cat sitting on a little container on the back porch that has an old rug on top of it...just sitting there giving himself a bath and then relaxing and looking around like he owned the place.

I had to chuckle, because everytime I look out on the porch, Blackie has chosen a different place to sit! We have three wicker chairs, and he goes from one to the next and back again, depending upon his mood I guess. I told my hubby he reminds me of Goldilocks, trying out each chair and then the "bed" to find the one that is "just right".  

And speaking of beds that are just right...I guess it's time to say good night!

Isaiah 26:3  NKJV

3 You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

Friday Foto Friends

Good Morning Friday Foto Friends.  I've been a little slow this week it seems...just haven't had much energy for writing.  I am feeling better, and am very thankful for that. Hubby is still coughing, but I think he's also getting better.  I made it to choir practice tonight.(Writing this on Thursday night). We are practicing for our Easter Cantata, which will be performed on Easter Sunday morning.  I've missed some practice, so tonight was important to get back in the "groove".  Praying that my voice will hold out, as I do have a solo part, and I am still sounding a bit rusty.  Prayers would be appreciated!


Let's see, what pictures can I share with you from this past week?  Well, right now we are "grandpuppy sitting" for our two sweet little grandpuppies while our kids, a.k.a. "the Newlyweds" are taking a little mini-vacation.  The white pekingnese is an albino, and her name is "Sugar". The tan pekingnese is named "Spice".  They are both sweet little "sister" doggies, and we are having a good time.

 We looked at another house this week, with a "park-like" setting...and I again fell in love with it...

 This one wasn't on the water, but it had plenty of woods and pretty things to compensate...

Plenty of places for secret gardens and bird feeders and beautiful places to take walks...

Or sit and watch the birds and nature

But alas! Someone else also fell in love with it and was able to make an acceptable offer before we could.  And so another one bites the dust.  You may wonder why we are even looking if we can't make an offer yet...since we haven't sold our house...but we still want to look because good houses in our price range don't come available very often in this area, and when they do, there's always that hope that we could possibly make a "contingency offer" if the seller is willing to work with us.  Plus, we have hopes that ours will sell soon, and when it does, we won't have a lot of time to go searching...so at least this way we can rule out the not so good houses and get a better idea for where we would want to live.

So for now, the search goes on...and when the time is right, God will bring all the right pieces together to make it happen. It is a lesson in patience for me for sure...and I fear that I am not learning this lesson very well. 

I thought it was funny that these people had this "Frisch's Big Boy" in their house. Or do you remember him from Shoney's?  I know the "Big Boy" was pretty popular back in the 60's...Here's a link to the Wikipedia info on the Big Boy.  Seems like everyone knew the Big Boy Hamburgers from somewhere or other...

I also found it interesting that they had this "bear rug" in this house...which made me think that this house was meant for me...but again...not to be... not for me...

But one, actually two blessings have come about this week...we've had two different offers of a place to stay if our house should sell before we find another one to move to! Both totally unexpected and very gracious offers...so we give praise and thanks to God for we know He is watching over us and He does have a plan for our good.  We just have to be patient...

So back to my house and neighborhood...

Look who showed up in our yard this afternoon?

Yep, Mrs. Gobble Gobble doing the turkey wobble...

(She does look rather wobbly, doesn't she?)

And then, she just laid right down in the sand in our front yard and started rolling around in it... I think you call this "sand-bathing"...Maybe that's her way of picking off the fleas and ticks and mites...
Here is a LINK to some interesting information about turkey behavior that you just might want to know!

She didn't seem to be too embarrassed to bathe in front of our house...

Shortly after this she got up and literally flew away as my hubby went outside to take a walk.  She started up running and then lifted in the air and flew right down the road. I was sorry I couldn't get the camera to click fast enough to capture that. I was trying to keep the puppies in the house when hubby went out the door and I couldn't do everything at once.  (I'm getting old).

And last but not least, here are a couple of our local Swallow-tailed kites giving me the look over  as I was taking a walk the other morning. Yes, these are two different birds, in two different trees, but within sight of each other. I think they are mates.  Pretty neat, huh?

Okay, that's all folks. 

On a more serious note, Prayers are needed for some dear ones in our "family circle".  Our dear friend Sharon, who has been battling lung cancer for over a year, is having some setbacks and is losing her eyesight.  She is also making some serious decisions now regarding where she would like to spend her remaining days.  This will be a huge transition for her if she decides to go "home" to Minnesota where all of her family resides.  Up to now, her family has been taking turns coming here (to Florida) to care for her, and they have done a remarkable job. But I think she is wanting to be back "home" where she can be with all of them. Thank you for praying as plans are made to make this transition.

My oldest brother Russell is battling leukemia, and he will start a new series of treatments next week as the previous treatment has not been doing what they hoped it would do.  He is definitely in need of our prayers.  Thank you again.  These dear ones have been on my heart pretty heavy this past week especially, so that is probably why I just haven't had the energy to do much writing/reading. I know you understand that.

Here's some words of hope and encouragement and a "Plea for Help from the Sanctuary" 

found in God's Word:

Psalm 20

1.  "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;

May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;

2.  May He send you help from the sanctuary,

and strengthen you out of Zion;

3.  May He remember all your offerings,

and accept your burnt sacrifice.

4.  May He grant you according to your heart's desire,

and fulfill all your purpose.

5.  We will rejoice in your salvation,

and in the name of our God

we will set up our banners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.

6.  Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed;

He will answer him from His holy heaven

with the saving strength of His right hand.

7.  Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;

But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

8.  They have bowed down and fallen;

but we have risen and stand upright.

9.  Save, Lord!

May the King answer us when we call."

Even though King David was pleading for salvation in the time of battle against human enemies, we can also apply these same truths as we fight the enemies of our bodies and souls.

Praise God, Our God will answer us when we call!!

Hope you have a blessed Friday and weekend.

I will catch up with you later. We have to go out of town for most of the day Friday, so I won't be able to visit you until later.

Be sure to check out our other Friday Foto Friends who are gathering HERE at Deb's place at Breathing in Grace.

Friday Foto Friends...Fridays are better with friends

 Greetings to all my wonderful Friday Foto Friends...and all friends everywhere! Hope you have had a marvelous week...and hope you took pictures to prove it!  That is what Friday Foto Friends is all about...sharing our favorite pictures from the week of whatever we did, wherever we went, and whoever we were with.  You are always welcome to join us. You can link up with the group every Friday over at Deb's place, "Breathing in Grace". Click on that link to take you there.

Meanwhile this week I got inspired by a photo on Facebook that was on the "Tea for Thought" page:

Internet Photo from "Tea for Thought" Facebook Page
"Share it with someone you love"

 Some of the rest of you also enjoyed this and we kind of started talking about having a "Teddy Bear Picnic/Tea Party".   One of my friends asked me if I knew this little song, "Teddy Bears Picnic", and so I looked it up, and here it is, sung by Anne Murray.  Since listening to this, my hubby and I have both had this cute little song going around in our heads and we find ourselves singing it as we ride along on a country ride or even when we were taking a walk. It is a catchy tune and once you listen, you'll be singing it too:

 And one thing led to another.  I noticed that one of our blogging friends, Mary at "Visits with Mary" had a cute picture of a teddy bear on her header that was all dressed up with pearls and lace. (I hope she still has that header up when you go look. If not, Mary, could you post a picture again so they can see?) 

Anyway, that inspired me to dress up one of my teddybears:

 Then I noticed that another of my friends (Annie from "Cottage by the Sea") had also posted a picture of her teddy bears ready for a picnic on her Facebook page (sorry, no link for that picture, so Annie, if you want to share it on your blog they can all see it!),  and again, that inspired me to get a few of my TeddyBear friends together for a tea party:

These cute little teddies are always ready for a tea party:

 And this cute little Kitty says that "Life is One Big Tea Party"

Oh, my dollies didn't want to be left out.  Here they came with their teddy bears and picnic baskets, ready for the party!  One even brought a cake! Now they can all enjoy the party!

So that was fun.  Maybe you will want to have a little tea party with your teddies or dollies or maybe even with some real people friends. Whatever you do, have fun, and "Share it with someone you love".

Matthew 18:2-4 (NKJV)

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Now on to other pictures from the week.

Today we took a little ride (as we hummed "Teddy Bear Picnic") and discovered this little creek in the woods alongside the road.  This is known as "Gum Creek", and it runs through the woods in one of the areas where we are looking for a new house whenever we ever sell our present home.

 You will notice that the water seems to look rusty red. This is caused by "tannins" in the water, which are caused by the breaking down of organic material like bark, leaves, and roots, and are a part of the natural process.  The water in the soil becomes rich with tannins and seeps into the ground water. It is a natural phenomenon that is found in many parts of the world.

 Here is another interesting phenomenon...this vine, (which is a weed vine), is growing on our fence.  The vine is sending out shoots of roots, looking for something to grasp onto.  I think these scroll-looking curl-e-ques are kind of pretty...

 I don't really want this vine on my fence, because it will tangle and choke out the vines I do want, like my wisteria and confederate jasmine vines, but right now it is interesting and pretty, so I will leave it for a little while...

Speaking of interesting and pretty, this beautiful red amaryllis flower just opened right up, without even sending up a tall stem like it normally does. I received this plant/bulb for Christmas from my son and his wife, and planted it right away.  I was surprised to see it blooming before it really got very tall. But I love it!

It looks right at home among my African Violet plants on the window sill in the sun porch.  So wonderful to see such lovely color in the drabness of winter.

Well, friends, I hope you have enjoyed this little picnic/tea party/ride through the woods and back home again.  As many of you are aware, we are trying to sell our home and move to a community about 30 miles away, near our son and daughter in law and the church that we attend. We've had some disappointing prospective buyers who didn't show up or others that came and went and never came back. We've seen a few houses we'd like to buy, but can't do anything without selling our house first. And so we wait, and we pray, and we take rides and dream and sing little songs and visit with friends and stay busy while we wait.  We know that when God is ready to move us, it will all fall into place.  We are trying to be patient...

Reading in the book "The Way of Abundance" by Ann Voskamp, here's a few thoughts about "Abundance", (my One Word for 2019)

"Sure, life and people will try to tell you loudly that you need to be like a rock, that you'll need to harden up to live in a harsh world, be impenetrable, unmoved.  But no one can really live the abundant life that way.  Rocks don't breathe. Because they're dead."  (Ann Voskamp, pg. 33)

"Questions for Reflection" (page 34)

• "Where might God be working to soften your heart today in the midst of your work?
• Where might there be hardness in your heart that is hindering your growth into the abundant life?"

Hmm, I stop and think about this.  This week had some "hard places", and I had a difficult time staying pleasant in the face of frustration and downright rudeness.  I had to stop and check myself for wrong attitudes.  Instead of getting angry and frustrated, I had to realize that God was working on my behalf...He has this situation all timed out perfectly, and when the time is right, everything will fall into place. I need to be thankful even when there are bumps in the road and disappointments along the way because it is all apart of His protection and provision for me. There is a bigger picture here that I can't see right now, and I need to trust God enough that even this is a part of His plan for my "growth into the abundant life."  

Okay, friends...let's go enjoy this Friday with friends. God bless you all abundantly above all you could ask or think!

Hold the presses! Just as I was about to hit "publish" for this post, I looked outside and saw this beautiful sunrise, so I grabbed my camera and ran down the road to the neighborhood pond to capture some pictures before it became covered with the clouds:

I knew you wouldn't want to miss it!  Praise God in the mornings...Praise Him in the evenings! Praise Him ALL day long!!!  Okay...go have a marvelous day my friends! Yes, Fridays are better with friends!