Friday Foto Friends...It's Good Friday!

It's Good Friday...A solemn day for believers in Christ...the day that our Lord was crucified on the cross for our sins...Let us never forget...

(Internet Photo)

I am sure that we are all in the midst of our Easter preparations and traditional activities. But in the midst of the "celebration" of Easter, today we  pause and remember that when Jesus died on the cross, He was sacrificing His own life for you and for me, so that we might have eternal life and victory over sin and death. 


This morning when I woke up I remembered that I had forgotten to prepare a post for today's Friday Foto Friends, so I took an early walkabout the neighborhood to see what I could share with you:

It's a cloudy, windy morning, with the prediction of thunderstorms later in the day. 

But I thought the clouds and sunlight trying to peek through was appropriate for today.

Now for some interesting signs of spring and life in our neck of the woods:

If you are a Facebook friend, you may have already seen this picture this past week. I discovered the first APPLE on our little apple tree that we planted about 3 years ago (as a memorial tree for our son)!  Here in Florida it is unusual to be able to grow apples...but this is a Golden Dorset Apple tree, and it is zoned for this area. However, I learned after we planted two of these trees that we really needed an "ANNA" apple tree to cross-pollinate, but there were none to be found.  Then the other little tree we planted died and so that left this one tree to fend for itself.  It always produces lovely blossoms, but never a sign of an apple, until NOW!!  Even without the cross pollination!!  So you can imagine my excitement in discovering this lovely baby apple...

And then even more my delight in finding this whole cluster of apples!!!! There may actually be enough to make an apple pie if they all survive until ripe!! (However, I will probably choose to just eat them if they are sweet and good!!!)

 And just for the record, because we have deer in our yard frequently who like to nibble at anything new, I hung a little mesh bag with a bar of soap in it to deter the deer.  Hopefully it will keep them away from my little green apples!!


Speaking of memorials...I took this picture of our Memorial Garden for our son this morning.  The Confederate Jasmine vines are blooming all over the fence and it smells so pretty...

More Confederate Jasmine...

More Confederate Jasmine at the gate going into the Secret Garden:

And also at the gate coming into our courtyard from the back yard:

The one lone wisteria blossom was peeking over the fence:

Okay, this is the view we had of one of the Swallow Tailed Kites one morning this week!! I guess I should put this picture at THE END!!

And so it is.  The End... of my Friday Foto Friends photos for today...and you can visit our other friends at Deb's Place at Breathing in Grace and see what beautiful sights they are sharing.


But this is not the end of my post...just a few more thoughts before I go...

Jesus said from the cross, "It is finished!"  (John 19:30)  We know that today is Good Friday, and things may look bleak and dark and sad...but friends, keep looking up and forward...because this is NOT the End of the story.....really it is just the beginning...because Jesus did not stay in that tomb...
and because "It is Finished"...the battle is over...and Jesus is Lord!!!!"


One of my favorite songs for today:  "It Is Finished" by the Gaither Vocal Band:

Have a blessed Easter weekend my friends.  Remember: "Because He Lives...I can face tomorrow...Because He lives...all fear is gone..."  (another favorite Gaither song)

Amen.

Friday Foto Friends Birds, Bees, Blooms, and Reflections

Spring is definitely busting out all over here in Florida! Even though the official arrival of the Vernal Equinox is not until next Wednesday, March 20th, someone forgot to tell the flowers, birds, and bees that they needed to wait!

This fat bumblebee was making his rounds around the wild blackberry bushes blooming along the road.  I had to be careful while taking his picture to make sure he wasn't coming in my face to give me a "buzz"...

I love the natural beauty of these blossoms...

And then we have apple blossoms on the little tree in our yard...even though we never get apples, it is nice to see the blossoms...

The azaleas have been putting on quite a show this year! This particular mass of blossoms is better than I've ever seen it in all the years we've lived here!  What is amazing, I don't have to do anything to these hardy old bushes...they just keep coming back year after year.  I wonder what would have happened if I had taken care of them???

Talk about perfection! This Pink Perfection Camellia is doubly perfect!!!

And here's some more getting ready to bloom...

Now, on to the birds:  This is the Female Eastern Towhee coming by for a quick drink of water...

Isn't she pretty?

I love how she is showing off her colors for me.

Here is her mate...this picture was from a few weeks ago. I've never managed to see them both together, but aren't their colors interesting?

Now back to the flowers again...the purple wisteria is opening up and showing off all over our back fence around the Memorial Garden...

Aren't they beautiful?

Here again, I really don't have to do much for these flowering vines to come back every year...we've cut them back a few times, but they grow right back...so lovely...

I paid a little visit to the neighborhood pond to check on the Sand Hill Crane Family.  Here they are on the island where they have their nest.  The two babies are apparently sleeping under the wing of the mama bird, and the father is standing guard over his family...

I wouldn't have known the babies (colts) had already hatched if I hadn't seen them out walking around last week.  I love how they come back to the island every night to sleep, tucked safely under their mother's wings...

Psalm 91:4 (NKJV)

"He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge;

His truth shall be your shield and buckler"

.

Reminds me of this old hymn:

"Under His Wings"

As I sat there looking around the pond, my heart was a bit heavy for one of our neighbors who lives over on that side of the pond:

My friend has lived here on this little cove for quite a few years, and dearly loves this place. She has been a protector of the wildlife as well as all the neighborhood pets and animals, flora and fauna.

A wonderful neighbor and friend.

She has been battling cancer for quite a while, and has now been

taken to a Hospice House.  We know that once a person reaches this stage, they most

likely don't return home to their earthly house again, unless there is an unexpected rally and change of condition.  

So my heart was a bit heavy, thinking about how she loves this place, and I sat there on the little dock and lifted her up in prayer...praying that her remaining days will be sweet and comfortable, and that when the angels are dispatched to carry her home, she will truly be ready and waiting.

 Such an interesting reflection of the clouds on the water...

reminds me of the circle of life..

heaven really isn't that far away,

and we should all be sure that we are ready to go to our heavenly home.

We may not have the opportunity to prepare for our last days...the Lord could come at any moment...or He could send His angels to call us homeward when we least expect it.

So during this time of Lent, it is a good time to reflect on the condition of our own hearts and be sure that we are ready to "go home" when the Lord calls.

Personally, I am eagerly looking forward to that day. I just pray that all my family and friends are ready as well.

Okay...moving on...I do pray that you will have a wonderful day and weekend. Thank you for visiting here today.  We don't currently have a "Friday Foto Friends" linkup, but I imagine that many of our friends are still posting some lovely pictures about their week today...so why not go visiting around and see?

I know I promised that I will be posting updates on "Pamela's Victorian Cottage"...and I intend to do  that soon....believe me, it is still quite a work in progress, and you will be surprised to see all the "home improvements" that have been made this week...but I wanted to get a few more things done before I posted any more pictures. So stay tuned for the next episode. I know you don't want to miss it!  :)   Bye Bye for now folks!!

Friday Foto Friends...Addendum to Yesterday

It's Friday Foto Friends today, and even though we aren't doing the link up over at Deb's place anymore (Breathing in Grace) (and thank you, Debbie, for many years of sweet fellowship there, but we know you need a break!), I still feel like I need to post some photos on Friday!!

If you enjoyed this post yesterday:

https://pamelasopenwindow.blogspot.com/2019/02/sanctuary-in-shade.html

Then you may enjoy these pictures today:

Yes, that Male Cardinal came back and took his morning bath!  I knew you'd enjoy this refreshing break!


Oh, one more photo: the first apple blossom of the season!  We never get apples, but at least we get blossoms!  So we will celebrate the first signs of spring today!!

That's all for now, folks. I'm expecting my cousin and her husband to pop in in a few minutes. They are on their way back to Ohio after being down in southwest Florida on the Gulf coast for a nice vacation.  We are going out to lunch since our kitchen plumbing has been leaking and the plumber was here this morning and it was determined that we actually need a new faucet, so it's not fixed yet...we will go get a new faucet later today and he'll be back on Monday to repair that and a couple of other issues.  So I didn't feel like cooking lunch here in the kitchen today for company...we'll just go out to the local Square Meal and have a "square meal".  Meanwhile, we keep the pans under the sink to catch the drips.

"Rise up my love, my fair one,

and come away.

For lo, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of singing has come,

and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land."

Song of Solomon 2:10-12

Have a blessed and happy weekend!!

Apple Blossom Time...

Good Evening Friends...

These pictures of apple blossoms really don't have anything to do with whatever I may say tonight...but I've been watching them develop throughout the past several days, and it is such a delight to see them breaking open and blossoming so beautifully that I thought I would share them with you.  These are on a little apple tree that we planted a couple of years ago in memory of our son Matthew. (Click HERE For that story)  Now that I think about it and make the connection...Matthew's birthday is coming up in a few days, February 25th...and it appears that this little tree is blossoming in honor and memory of him just in time.  The other apple tree that we planted at the same time is getting ready to bloom as well...but this one is really showing off for the first time since we planted it.  I don't know if we will ever get any apples on these trees, but the blossoms are sure sweet!!

  What a blessing and gift to honor our son for his birthday! Thank You, Lord.

I do have something else on my mind tonight that I've had swirling around all day, and perhaps it is time to just let it out and unburden myself...

When I woke up this morning I was faced with several disturbing messages from different friends in various parts of the country. The first message was from someone who "unfriended" me on Facebook because we had a difference of opinion on a subject.  At first I was a bit angry and frustrated, but the more I thought about it I realized that there was more to this than met the eye. There was a deeper need and hurt there, and instead of overreacting, God led me to pray for this person.  Long story short, my instincts in this were correct...and God is working behind the scenes. The other messages were similar to each other in that they were from friends who have each been suffering from the loss of a spouse for several years, and dealing with the overwhelming process of managing a house and other issues alone is taking its toll on their minds, hearts, and spirit. Again, I am incapable of meeting their needs, but what I can do is pray, and hopefully encourage them to look to the ONE Who can help them.

This morning I had to examine my own heart and seek the Lord's face and wisdom...because I felt inadequate to respond in the way my friends were perhaps hoping or needing at the moment.  I am not prone to depression, and I will admit it is difficult for me to totally relate and understand those who are suffering so deeply. I do understand grief, having lost my son four years ago after his four year battle with cancer, and also after the deaths of both of my parents within five years of each other.  But I've not felt the pain of being so alone. I am blessed to still have my spouse of almost 49 years by my side. I cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to come home to an empty house and an empty bed.  That would be horrible and I don't know how I would react. I pray it will be a long, long time before that happens...and perhaps it never will...I could be the one who goes first. But that is God's business...

The verses that we read in our devotions this morning brought comfort to me in these moments of anxiety and concern for my friends...and I pray they will bring comfort to anyone out there in need of solace at this moment:

Psalm 34:4-7

4.  "I sought the Lord, and He heard me,

and delivered me from all my fears.

5.  They looked to Him and were radiant,

and their faces where not ashamed.

6.  This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,

and saved him out of all his troubles.

7.  The angel of the Lord encamps all around 

those who fear Him, and delivers them."

Isaiah 55:10-11

10.  "For as the rain comes down, 

and the snow from heaven,

and do not return there,

but water the earth,

and make it bring forth and bud,

that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.

11.  So shall My word be that goes forth

from My mouth;

It shall not return to Me void,

but it shall accomplish what I please,

and it shall prosper in the thing for which 

I sent it."

After re-reading what I wrote at the beginning of this post, I decided that the apple blossoms do have everything to do with what I had to say to you tonight. I love how God puts these things together, don't you?  I also hope that this post won't be confusing or burdensome to anyone.  It was a kind of therapy for me to work through a lot of feelings that were troubling me today.

The final verses of Isaiah 55 seem to fit here:

"12.  For you shall go out with joy, 

and be led out with peace;

The mountains and the hills shall break forth 

into singing before you,

A wild Redbud Tree is blooming in the neighborhood

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

And the Dogwood trees are starting to bloom as well...

13.  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,

and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;

and it shall be to the Lord for a name,

for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Thank you, dear friends, for bearing with me in this post tonight. Thank you also for your prayers for those who are suffering from depression, anxieties and fears. I know there are many who are...perhaps even some of you. May the Lord bring comfort to you tonight and give you the peace that only He can give.

Amen.