Wednesday Treasures: Thankfulness

Here it is Wednesday already!  "Hump Day" they call it.  When you get over the "hump" of Wednesday, you are on the way toward the weekend.  For working people, that is always a happy feeling. For retired people...well, one day is pretty much like the other, but yet we still look forward to the weekends, when routines change a little bit and there is always the possibility of something "fun" happening.

Last weekend was both fun and happy and I am so thankful.   Thankful for another year of life, thankful for family, friends, our home...and for the love of God in my life...

Thankful for a warm welcome whenever we return home from wherever we may roam...and there is always a warm welcome here for you as well...

Thankful for friends from near and far who took the time and energy to send me a birthday card...I was overwhelmed with the blessings of so many special cards from so many special people...and some of them might be reading this post right now.  Thank you for your thoughtfulness! You are each and every one a blessing to me.  Also thank you to the many who have commented on my posts the past few days...I've read every one but just haven't been able to comment on everyone because of all the activities going on...but I am trying to get around to visit each of you personally at your own posts, which I always look forward to reading as well.  Like daily letters or phone calls with "old friends". Treasures indeed.

I love this card from my sister...it reminds me of our childhood and the happy times we shared in a loving home.  We were blessed, and we are very very thankful for our family heritage.

The last couple of mornings we've had some interesting morning skies.  I always love to see the changes in the sunrise as it comes up over the horizon in the front of our house.  You have to keep watching to get the full glory of the gift of God of the beginning of another new day...

This morning (yesterday) started out kind of gray and cloudy, but within just a few minutes this same sky changed into a lovely blue, with the light of the sun brightening up the clouds and inviting us to rejoice in the beauty of another lovely autumn day...

Still Waters Pond is on the west side of our house, so we don't really have a sunrise over the pond, and yet the sun's rays reflect on the clouds and trees as it rises higher into the sky, and even the western skies begin to wake up and rejoice to see another new day:

Every moment is a little different...sometimes a bit better than the last...so don't quit watching. You might miss something!

Now today, the skies in the east were more subdued, and yet there is a lovely pastel glow growing in the sky as the sun rises more and more...

Each and every day has its own beauty...not like the day before, but new and fresh and full of promise...

Within five minutes the whole sky can change...and so can our lives...so we should always be watching, waiting, praying, and rejoicing in the blessings that God is bestowing upon us in every new moment.

Amazing! Just within the past few minutes while I've been writing this, the skies have changed again:

Each new picture has its own beauty and glory...

Psalm 19: 1-6....some verses I know I've shared many times before, but it always comes to mind when enjoying God's glories in the heavens:  (this is written in the Old King James version)

1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. 

In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, 

and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof."

Yes, Wednesday is a good day to rejoice in the glories and beauties of God's magnificent creation,

and to be thankful.

Those are my treasures for today.

I hope you enjoyed them with me.

 

Friday Foto Friends- Christmas Visitors?

Well, I didn't know if I would have any new pictures to share with you today or not, but after scrolling back through my camera there were a few that you may not have seen yet.  I thought I would entitle this "Christmas Visitors?" because some were definitely welcome, some were questionable, and some were definitely not...

I'll start with the welcome visitors:

One of the fun ladies who comes to our weekly Bible Study decided to gift us girls with some new slippers...These are like Croc shoes, with a fuzzy lining. You can wear them outside if you wish, which is something I often do...I forget what shoes are on my feet when I run outside to take a picture of something interesting flying or walking by...so these were are big hit!  I won't tell you which one is me:

 Oh, well, I guess I did tell you afterall...here we are, the "Three Musketeers". Can you tell which one was playing Santa? These were definitely "welcome visitors" to our home. Love these girls...they are wonderful friends as well as prayer partners. Such a blessing to us.

Here are some other welcome visitors...(as long as they don't eat my flowers)...This deer family has been frolicking around our neighborhood all year...it is fun to watch them come and go in and out of our yard and down the road where we like to walk.  Looks like they like to take a walk together as well. 

Now, this little Pine Warbler truly wanted to come inside for a visit the other morning. Here she is, sitting in the holly tree right outside our bedroom window.

 However, she wasn't content to stay in the tree. She kept flying up to the window and peeking inside while I was trying to get ready to go out for the day.  She was a very pleasant distraction.

Now, this visitor was NOT so welcome!  Sorry it's a bit blurry, but my hands were probably shaking! LOL.  This little lizard somehow snuck into our house this week, and terrorized us by running and hiding under things where we couldn't find it, and left us wondering where and when it would pop out at us again.  Finally, early one morning I discovered it sitting on the windowsill in our bathroom, and it seemed rather lethargic (not enough mosquitoes and bugs inside the house for it to eat, which is a good thing).  So I managed to scoop it into the dustpan and held a plastic bowl over top of it until I could safely deliver it back outside where it belongs!! He seemed very appreciative when I let him go and run into the yard. 

And last, but not least was this young visitor!

These pictures were taken by my outdoor wildlife camera, so don't be alarmed. However, this could have been a very close encounter. If you are on my Facebook page you have already seen this little story, so just "bear" with me while I tell it again...(pun intended)

One evening this week I happened to looked out at the sky from inside our house and noticed that the sky was filled with beautiful, sparkling, glittering, twinkling stars!  I told my hubby that we should go outside and gaze at the stars together. He, being totally not romantic at that moment told me to "Go ahead!" And so, I began to prepare to go outside in the front yard, where the night sky is more visible.

At exactly the same time as I was inside preparing to go outside, there was already someone outside taking an evening stroll through our yard and getting a drink for the road:

AT exactly 7:05 p.m., I opened our front door to the front porch, and began to walk out on the porch and into the front yard.  At exactly 7:05 p.m., this little bear (not really that little) heard, smelled, saw me coming out on the porch:

It looks like he was very friendly, doesn't it? See him smiling?  Now, mind you, I could not see him because it was very dark out there where he was.  The light you see around him is from the infrared lens of the night-camera...there is no flash.  So I had no clue that he was standing there smiling at me so sweetly...

However... I heard a sudden crashing sound into the woods, and realized there was more outside than just the beautiful starry skies...and therefore I rushed back into the house quite quickly...probably just as quickly as this bear rushed back into the woods to escape!

Whew! That was a close one for both of  us!!

After that close call, I decided to do my star gazing from the enclosed fenced backyard...and only for a moment or too. So much for romance! LOL.

Okay, last two pictures...this visitor was neither welcome nor unwelcome...it just came and went...

the FOG on the pond in the neighborhood.

Okay, "That's all folks!"  I hope you have only very welcome visitors to your home this Christmas! But remember to be sure to make room for Jesus in your "inn"...open the door to welcome Him in...He may be coming in the form of strangers, lonely people, or perhaps an "angel unaware"...so be ready to welcome Him in.

Now, let's go over and gaze at Deb's place at Breathing in Grace, and see what our other Friday Foto Friends have been up to this week!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!