Thursday Thankfulness and Friday Foto Friends

It's raining! It's pouring! The Old Man is snoring! LOL.  Yes, we are currently having a humdinger of a thunderstorm and LOTS of good old pond soaking rain! Hooray!  So that is my #1 thing to say I am thankful for today!

2. We are SO thankful the "kids" made it home safely and we had them come over for supper last night. It was SO wonderful to have them and the puppies back home again after almost a month of being away visiting Rose's family in Minnesota.  I didn't take any pictures of them last night, but they still look the same.  LOL.  They did bring us a few little gifties from their journey:

Zucchini fresh from her father's garden...still has the Minnesota dirt on it! LOL.  I am thinking I'll be making some Zucchini bread very soon with that big one!!

These are either hot pads or dish cloths, or washcloths...whatever you wish, made by Rose's sister Sherrie, using the fabric from a terrycloth bathrobe!  

(They are all reversible to the hot pink side).  Really soft and neat! I love things like this, don't you? Especially when someone has taken the time to make them and recycle something that otherwise might have been discarded or given away.  Thank you, Sherrie!! I love them!

And then Benton and Rose brought us this magnificent bear/deer figure...it is so intricately created using a laser cutter. They know we love bears and deer, and this is perfect for us!

I'm still figuring out a perfect place to put it.

Oh, and last, but not least, Rose brought me this bottle of :

It smells so good! She said it is especially good for making a garlic bread...maybe even put some in a homemade loaf of bread?  I may have to try that!

Don't you just love it when people are so thoughtful to bring you something from their trip? I never expected anything, and that's what makes it even sweeter!! But most of all, we are thankful they are back home safely. It's amazing how much better WE feel just knowing they are back home safe and sound and only a mile away from us instead of a three day drive!

3.  In a recent post HERE, I told you that we had received a text from our Grandson Noah, with a wonderful picture of him and his new car.  (Here it is again in case you missed it. It's always nice to see his smiling face again).  He said in his text that he would be calling us soon, and yes, he was true to his word!

He did in fact call us the next day as promised, and we had such a wonderful long conversation with him! That was such a blessing to us!  And yes, this is a "new" car (not brand new, but new enough!). He purchased it after having a run in with a deer on the highway which pretty well totaled his old car, but thankfully he himself was not hurt. (The deer was not so fortunate...but if you've ever driven country roads at night in deer country, you know how easily this can happen!) Where Noah lives in Maine, he is fortunate it was a deer and not a moose! Now that can really do some severe damage!  Anyway, we are very thankful that Noah was fine and that he was able to purchase this pretty new red car.  He has had a good job for the past year since he went back up there last summer, and he is very thankful that he's been able to save some money and also makes enough to afford the payments and the insurance...which, since he will not be 25 until October is considerable.   Also he has received a kind of promotion in his job that has been very beneficial for him as well.  So he is really doing well and sounds SO good.  And he LOOKS so good too! Yes, he has put on a little weight since we saw him last, which he needed to do actually. For those of you who do not know him, he is 6'4" tall and has plenty of room to fill up.  Also, hubby and I had a little 'bet" going on before he called.  From the picture we weren't too sure if he had cut his formerly long and curly hair or if he just had it pulled back really tight.  I voted for the haircut, hubby wasn't so sure.  Of course, being a grandma who asks all kinds of questions, I asked him if he'd cut it, and he said yes he did as it had gotten too hot and too much to take care of.

Here is a picture of Noah with our two sons Scott and Benton, a little over a year ago when he was last here with us.  You can see what he means about his hair being too hot and too much to take care of. It is very naturally curly and when it is that long, well, you can imagine...  

We had a very interesting and positive conversation about current world events and his thoughts on all of that, which we were very pleasantly surprised to hear that he shares much the same views that we have about all of what's going on, both politically and from a spiritual sense. That was refreshing and comforting to us to hear.  You never know what the younger generation is going to think or profess in these turbulent times.  God has been hearing and answering our prayers in this regard as well, and we are very very thankful.  

Psalm 40:1-3 NKJV

1 "I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
3 He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord."

Oh, now here's some fun photos from last evening while the "kids" were still here. Rose and I took a little walk over to the lot next door because we had noticed something running across the pond and around the back of the island (the pond has some very dry marsh areas making it possible for something to "run" across the pond in places).  We wanted to see if it was coming out over there where we could see it... And sure enough, if you have really sharp eyes and look pretty much in the middle of this photo below, you will see a raccoon running along the edge of the pond. From there he went into the woods and we couldn't see him anymore.

But what we DID see was something really funny...there are still some big piles of dirt on that lot waiting to be spread out for the pad/foundation for the new home that will be arriving soon.  The Sand Hill Crane family seem to be having some fun playing on top of the mounds of dirt. Maybe they are thinking about making this their new home???

After a little while they decided to head back toward the pond...

And from there they actually went around and ended up in our yard.

I told them that I was still a bit upset with them for destroying my pot of Purslane/Portulaca the other day.  (If you missed it, you can read all about it HERE)

But I had to forgive them because even after them pulling all of the plant out of the pot, I stuck it all back in the pot, and the next day it was blooming again. I did put it on the front porch where it will get plenty of sun (per Sandra of MadSnapper, who is a kind of expert on Purslane. )  And so far it seems to be doing just fine.  

See?  So, yes, this is another thing for which I am thankful!  I don't have a green thumb, so it is very comforting to me to know that I can do this much. I know, it really is all glory to God! He is the Master Gardener!

To close this out I must show you the beautiful sunrise we had this morning:

If you look really close in this one, which is a close up of the one above, you will see the Sand Hill Crane family flying over above the tree tops. They flew right over top of me while I was standing out there on the porch taking pictures, and I almost missed them! 

It was truly a glorious morning!

And I especially wanted to include the American Flag, which we wave proudly from our home every day.  

America, the Beautiful

"O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!

O 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,

Till all success be nobleness,

And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!"

Amen.

I guess this sums it all up.  We are very thankful for our family, our country, and for all that God has done for us and is doing today. We must all continue to pray for our country in these turbulent times, however. There is so much at stake.  I am not going to get into political issues, but prayer is the most important thing we can do. Amen.

 

Beside Still Waters

A couple of months ago I wrote about "A Dream Come True" (found HERE), which tells you about how our moving to this new home on "the pond" is a fulfillment of a longtime dream for us. It was a big step for us to sell our previous home in the forest, where the deer and bears roamed about, and to trade that life for this different kind of home...definitely not in the woods anymore, but the wonderful trade-off is that is sits beside this little pond. I know you've seen it already...and I guess what we should all get used to is that from now on I will probably be writing about our "Life on the Pond" quite often. I'll try not to bore you with too many sunsets or pictures of birds on the pond, or lily pads bobbing on the surface...but, well...it is what it is...this is our new "normal", so apparently this is what I will be seeing and sharing most often.


This week we've been watching the daily routine of our resident Great Blue Heron, who seems to "own the pond".

Here he is, early in the morning, watching for that special fish to start his day off "a little bit better".

We've been studying about "waiting on the Lord" in our Sunday School class lately.  Perhaps this Heron is a good example of what it means to "wait on the Lord".

Psalm 40:1-3

1.  "I waited patiently for the Lord,

and He inclined to me,

and heard my cry.

2. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

and set my feet upon a rock,

and established my steps.

 3.  He has put a new song in my mouth..

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

and will  trust in the Lord."

 He stretches his very long neck so he can see a bit beyond his immediate location...or perhaps he sensed that he was being watched and became a bit wary...

 After a little while he spread his massive wings and flew to a tree on the other side of the pond...

Zooming in we can see him perched there above the water, where he actually sat for a very long time...

 Psalm 27:5-6

"For in the time of trouble 

He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me;

He shall set me  high upon a rock.

6.  And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing

praises to the Lord."

The next morning I discovered him down at another side of the pond, again patiently waiting for his breakfast...

Psalm 27:13-14

"I would have lost heart, 

unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait on the Lord;

Be of good courage,

and He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

 Looks like he might be seeing something worth going for...

The pond is getting very shallow these days. We've not had much rain for a while, and as this is a rather shallow pond to begin with, it depends on rain to keep it full.

 Already we can see signs of old dead trees and other debris surfacing in the shallow areas as the water recedes.

So we pray for rain for the sake of the birds and fish...and well, to be honest for our own selfish reasons. We love looking at the pond...

And watching the different activities of the Great Blue Heron throughout the day...

In the evening he sat in a different tree, again watching and waiting...

 Something must look pretty interesting down there below, but still he sat and waited...

Psalm 145:14-16

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."

James 1:2-4

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

But let patience have its perfect work, 

that you may be perfect and complete, 

lacking nothing."

 And as the sun went down beyond the pond he was still there waiting...

Our final verses give us the promise of great hope fulfilled:

Isaiah 40:31

"But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint."

Some of you have asked if our pond has a name. To our knowledge, it does not have any particular name. It is just one of many little ponds and lakes in this area,  and some have said it may be more of a kind of "retention pond" than a real  pond. Well, they can call it what they want, but to us it is a real pond, and even though there is a highway on the other side of those trees and we can hear the traffic noise throughout the day, it is still a place of peace and comfort to us...and an answer to prayer, and a dream come true.  

In the earlier post that I wrote (mentioned above)(click here again), I told you about a little book that I have that is entitled "Beside Still Waters".

Well, earlier this week, while reading our morning devotions, we were referred to the 23rd Psalm. And as I read the beloved familiar words of this Psalm, I was struck anew by the first three verses:

1.  "The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2.  He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3.  He restores my soul."

Well, here we are, sitting "BESIDE THE STILL WATERS", and I have this little book sitting on my coffee table, entitled "Beside Still Waters",  that I have read over and over again as I dreamed about having a place overlooking the water someday...and well...I think I know what we are supposed to name this pond:

"Still Waters Pond".

To me it is a place where the Lord has brought us, and I believe He has already been in the process of restoring our souls, ever since we were led to come to this little community and church.   You see, even strong Christians go through periods of time of needing to be restored, comforted, and finding a sense of peace and purpose again.  None of us has "arrived" at that place of perfection yet as long as we are in this body of flesh. And so God, in His love and mercy, knows our needs, and He gives us the desires of our hearts when our hearts desire to draw closer to Him. That is my hope and prayer. As we live in this place, "beside still waters", that we will be drawn all the closer to Him each and every day.

Psalm 23:6

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever."

Amen.

My Response to a Weary Mother

One of my precious blogging friends wrote a poignant message the other day regarding her struggles with her teen-aged daughter, whom she has just recently begun to home-school.  You can read more about this on "Beneath the Surface: Breath of Faith: blog:"Look to The East-Message for Weary Mothers".  

After reading this heart rending message, my spirit was moved with compassion and I found myself remembering the years of raising our three sons...a.k.a. "The Preacher's Kids"...which should explain everything (almost).  This is what I wrote to my friend in the comment section of her post:

"Someday I will find the courage to write the true stories of our lives...the real behind the scenes nitty gritty details of what really happened...not what was portrayed in the perfect family portraits. I have three sons. They are all uniquely and wonderfully made...but NONE of them were or are perfect by any stretch of the imagination. We fought, we cried, we pleaded with them and with God, we could not believe or understand the whys and wherefores of their imperfections and struggles. But GOD, in His neverending love and mercy, reached down and gave compassion, strength, and comfort in the dark days....and lifted our feet up out of the miry clay and helped us to stand firm on the ROCK, in spite of the angry waves surrounding our souls. HOLD ON TIGHT dear weary mother! God is still on His throne, and He has not forgotten you or your child. He's still working on her and your behalf. There WILL be better and brighter days ahead. Just keep looking UP! NO ONE, NOR ANY FAMILY is perfect, regardless of how they may appear. Love ya girlfriend. You are not alone in your struggles."

 Our sons are all adults now.  Somehow we did survive their teen years and lived to tell about it. I wish I could say that all their struggles (and ours) ceased when they reached the magical age of adulthood. But again, that would not be truthful. Oftentimes the aftermath of childhood and youthful traumas, wrong decisions, health issues, carry over into the years when they should be able to move forward into the "promised land" of maturity, successful careers, marriages, and a life of peace and joy.

We, as their parents, are still limited in what we can do for them. Sure, we can provide advice based on years of experience, but it often is not welcomed nor heeded.  We can try to make life a little easier for them by helping to carry some of their burdens, whether it be due to the bad economy, unemployment, unexpected illness, or even yet, the result of their own bad decisions.  But we can't fix everything. We cannot create perfection in our families now any more than we could when they were our little children safe at home in our nest.

What we CAN do is lift our sons/daughters up to the Throne of Grace...the Father, Creator, Sustainer, the ONE and ONLY ONE WHO is able to keep them from falling.
We, as concerned parents, can continue to ~

"Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the Lord,

and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

and He shall bring it to pass."

(Psalm 37:3-5)

And we  can also claim this promise from this favorite Proverb 22:6 ~ 

"Train up a child in the way he should go,

and when he is OLD 

He will not depart from it."

I know there are many parents out there who are still waiting for the fulfillment of this promise in their adult children's lives. We know we planted the seeds early on in their childhood...we nurtured them and tried to do what we deemed best for them in every way possible.  We gave them appropriate discipline, taught them the truth from God's Word, went with them to church, dedicated them to the Lord as infants and rejoiced with them when they took the steps of faith in their own salvation and baptism and commitment to Christ.  And yet, somewhere along the way they took a left turn or a detour that led them down the wrong path and caused them to wander in the wilderness of life. We stood by helplessly watching, aghast at the choices they were making, the decisions that drove them further away from the security of home and family, and wondered where we failed them. 

Where did we go wrong? Nine times out of ten we didn't do anything "wrong".  Yes, I know there are parents who made wrong choices and decisions themselves that may have led to their children's confusion and struggles. We may be (and probably are) one of them.  But even so, God's promises are still true. And it is never too late to pray for our children...to recommit them to Christ...even if they refuse to listen or hear of it.  It is never too late for us to do as the Psalmist in Psalm 40:1-3 ~

"I waited patiently for the Lord;

And He inclined to me,

and heard my cry.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

and set my feet upon a rock,

and established my steps.

He has put a new song in my mouth~

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

and will trust in the Lord."

So, dear weary mother, father, loved one or friend, take heart today. God is still at work in your children's lives, no matter how far they may have strayed...no matter how far YOU may have strayed...God is still God. He is still on the throne. He never gives up on us.  So HOLD ON...Keep looking up! God is not finished with ANY of us yet!!!!

Here is a new song that is applicable to us parents AND to our kids...great message for today...listen and believe it.
"You Can Change Who You Are" by Unspoken