Happy Father's Day

It's Father's Day! (Well, tomorrow is, but I am writing on Saturday). Just thinking about the wonderful fathers in my life.  I am very thankful for the good men God has placed in my life who have watched over me, my children, and even my grandchild.  God has been very good to me to place Godly men in my life and I am most grateful.

This is one of my most favorite pictures ever...my Daddy and me taking a Sunday afternoon nap.

My Daddy with our whole family.  We were all blessed to have such a good father. 

(I'm the little redhead at the end)

This is another favorite picture of my Dad and me, as I made my "debut" into society. 

Yes, I was one of those...a "debutante", but in our small community it wasn't real hoity-toity like it is in the big cities. However it was a very special occasion, and we young ladies were taught all about proper etiquette and how to hold a teacup and make polite conversation with the lovely ladies of the Women's Club. We learned how to make an appropriate curtsey, and even received an invitation to attend the Debutante Ball in London and be presented to the Queen, but of course none of us were able to go. It was just a nice souvenir to remind us to be proper ladies in society.

At least I learned how to hold my pinkie finger up while sipping tea.  And oh, yes, we had to wear gloves.  LOL.

This picture with my Dad is the most important one of all...the day he truly gave me away in holy matrimony to become the help-mate of my handsome groom forever and ever, until death us do part!

It will be 51 years in August!

To get a better glimpse into the true "character" and fun side of my Daddy, here we are,

Daddy walking with his two favorite girls...(my sister and me)

And then someone snuck up behind us to take our picture, and look at the reaction of my sister and me...I guess I totally forgot all about being a "proper society lady" that day! LOL. You can see my sister and I are two peas in a pod, and Daddy's right there with us.

And here's my favorite picture of him, after winning a horseshoe game...always the champ!

Now, I would be remiss if I did not include my father in law in my memories of good Fathers.

Here he is with his two sons, my hubby on the left and his little brother in the middle, on one of their favorite vacations to Daytona Beach.

And here he is many years later on Christmas, with his three grandsons surrounding him (along with my mother in law and hubby and Ringo their dog).  Christmas was always fun with Granddaddy and Nanny!

And now on to my dear hubby who is one of the best fathers ever.

Here he is on Christmas morning with our three sons. Notice they all have very special hats and guns for the occasion! And pajamas too!

And here he is with our three sons, grandson, one daughter in law and his mother (and me) many years later.

Now, one of our three sons grew up to be a very remarkable Daddy too.

Here is our son Matthew with his baby Noah, about 20+ years ago...

They did many wonderful and fun things together,

like taking Tae Kwon Doh together:

Going hunting for moose...and they got one!

But most importantly, Matthew taught Noah about Jesus and made sure that he knew Jesus as his personal Savior, and was even privileged to perform Noah's baptism:

This was the most important thing he could have done with his son, and especially because Matthew didn't have very many years to spend with Noah, only 14 to be exact. Cancer claimed our son Matthew's life when Noah was only 14 years old.  So it was very important to Matthew to instill as much Godly teaching and setting the right example for him as he possibly could because he didn't have much time.

And now whenever we can his grandfather spends special moments with Noah.

Helping him tie a necktie for his uncle's wedding....

Talking about life and what comes next after his graduation from high school.

Sadly, Noah lives 1500 miles away and we aren't able to be together very often anymore and that is hard for us. But we pray that the teaching his father instilled in him and his own relationship with Christ will carry him throughout his life.

Now here is my hubby sailing away into our pond on the kayak...he just had to try it out since I was having so much fun with it:

Unfortunately, he decided it really wasn't much fun for him. This kayak wasn't built for a man of his "stature" and he did not feel too secure in it, so he headed back into shore pretty quickly:

But I was very proud of him for trying. He is still and will always be my hero!

Now I am sadly well aware that not everyone reading this has had such a good relationship with their earthly father or father in law or husband. Many have had very difficult experiences that brought great sorrow and pain instead of comfort and joy and peace. Thankfully we have a Heavenly Father Who loves us so much that He was willing to send His own Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us so that we might inherit eternal life.  He is our "good Father", and He will never disappoint or fail us. I love these verses:

I John 3:1

."Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, 

that we should be called children of God!"

Romans 8:14-17

14.  "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

15.  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, 

but you received the Spirit of adoption by Whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."

"Abba Father" is like calling God our Daddy Father...a close relationship that is filled with comfort and hope and love.  This is not the austere Father that is sitting on the judgment seat, but the loving Father who is sitting with open arms, ready to receive His children when we are afraid or lonely or 

broken-hearted.  

Here is a song that speaks to the truth of Who God is...

"You're A Good Good Father"

by Chris Tomlin

Good Good Father

Chris Tomlin

I've heard a thousand stories of what they think you're like

But I've heard the tender whispers of love in the dead of night

And you tell me that you're pleased

And that I'm never alone

You're a good good father

It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are

And I'm loved by you

It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

I've seen many searching for answers far and wide

But I know we're all searching

For answers only you provide

'Cause you know just what we need

Before we say a word

You're a good good father

It's who you are, it's who you are, it's who you are

And I'm loved by you

It's who I am, it's who I am, it's who I am

Because you are perfect in all of your ways

You are perfect in all of your ways

You are perfect in all of your ways to us

You are…

So whether or not your earthly father was a good father, there is One Who loves you very much, and He is a Good Good Father...and He will never let you down or hurt you in any way. I hope you already know this wonderful Father, our Heavenly Father Who is waiting for us to join Him one day in heaven forever.  

Have a blessed day dear friends.  

Friday Foto Friends is Here Again!

It's time for Friday Fotos, Friends!  It's been kind of a busy week and yet not really that busy, but for some reason I just haven't had much time to spend here in Blogland or on Facebook. I think I've kind of been burned out by all the hype going on and just needed to pull away and focus on more calming and peaceful things.  It seems like many of us are suffering the same kinds of feelings and we need to allow ourselves to escape for a spell for sanity's sake.  So here are a few random photos from the week:

The baby Tufted Titmouses have flown the coop, left the nest, disappeared...I'm sure their parents have taken them to someplace of safety to teach them to fly and survive on their own.  But this was the scene at their house this morning...looks like they moved out in the early hours and left behind some of their nesting materials...

I will keep a watch out for them to see if they show up at the bird feeders with the parents anytime soon.

Speaking of showing up at the bird feeders, we have had a LOT of Blue Jays flying around and showing up at the bird feeders this week. Seems like another new family has moved into the neighborhood...

And here's another new youngster who discovered the secret bird feeder on my window.  Only a few privileged birds have discovered it, and this young Cardinal is one...she stayed there quite a while feasting on the seeds while none of the others knew where she was...   There are a lot of very young Cardinals out there, and I think she was hoping they wouldn't discover her secret stash.

This is right in front of my desk and computer, and I just sat here and watched and enjoyed the show.

Thursday morning I decided to take another ride around the pond in the kayak.  I know, it's hard to see me way out there. I need to teach my hubby how to use the zoom feature on the phone/camera...but you get the idea...It was a gorgeous morning.

And while I was paddling around, I spied this beautiful male Wood Duck in the pond.

But he promptly flew away as soon as he caught wind of me sneaking up on him.

So I just had to concentrate of taking pictures of all the other beauty around me as I paddled about:

See the bee in the lily above? I had to be careful as most every lily had a bee in it! But I guess that is a good sign! The honey bees seem to be alive and well here on Still Waters Pond!

This Pickerel Weed was really blooming even better this week, so I tried to get a little closer to get a good picture.

Did you notice what I did NOT notice until I put this picture on the computer?

Yes, that is a dragonfly right there beside the flower...and he stayed there for both pictures.

Now I wish I had zoomed in a little closer to get a better look at him, but this was good enough.

I guess he gets the prize for being the best photo bomber of the day!

I wanted you to see how pretty this location is where that Pickerel Week is growing, right under a lovely maple tree along the shore. The sun was really bright so the lighting isn't the best, but it was such a pretty spot and a very pleasant place.

Oh, I managed to pull up two water lilies today without tipping myself over! (and without getting stung by the bees!)

Now, here is another story from the week.

We were watching this beautiful Great White Egret fishing in the pond one day.

She was busily watching for a fish to catch and being ever so patient.

And then this Great Blue Heron flew in nearby and started fishing in the pond for his lunch as well.

All of a sudden the heron caught this fish! He did it so quickly we barely saw his head go down to snatch it from the water:

And then he sat there and devoured that fish whole...right down the gullet.

Well, we looked back over at the Egret, and she had this very jealous look on her face as she watched the heron catch that fish and eat it right in front of her! It was as if she was saying, "The nerve of him catching that fish in my pond and not even offering me a bite!"

As soon as the heron finished his meal, he moved on to other places looking for his next snack.

And what was so funny was this egret hurried right over to that same spot where she saw the heron catch that fish and started fishing there herself! Isn't that just like us?

We see someone else has better "luck" than we do with life and we get jealous and want to do exactly what they did to be successful.

But sometimes that just doesn't work out like we hope it will.  We weren't all meant to be herons. "Keeping up with the "Herons" in life isn't always such a good idea.

Maybe we should learn from these messages:

Matthew 6:33-34

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 

and all these things shall be added to you.

34.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about its own things.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Matthew 7:7-11

7.  "Ask, and it will be given to you;

Seek and you will find;

Knock, and it will be opened to you.

8.  For everyone who asks receives, 

and he who seeks finds, 

and to him who knocks it will be opened.

9.  Or what man is there among you who, 

if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10.  Or if he asks for a fish,

will he give him a serpent?

11.  If you then, being evil,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father who is in heaven

give good things to those who ask Him!"

I hope you are having a good week and that God is taking good care of you!  It's been a long few months, but God has taken very good care of us. I am very thankful for the ways He watches over us and our loved ones.

Have a blessed day and weekend friends! 

Watching For God's Presence In Our Midst

What a surprise to see this male Wood Duck  paddling around right in front of our house yesterday!

Normally the Wood Duck couple stays on the opposite side of the pond, pretty much out of my good viewing distance.  But yesterday this fellow stayed up close, nibbling on the fresh grasses and vegetation around the edge of the pond all by himself for a long time.

The fact that there was no sign of his mate nearby makes me wonder if they are nesting at this time.

Isn't he the most beautiful duck you've ever seen?  I know I think he's absolutely gorgeous!

I had to watch him from a distance, actually from inside the house, because I knew if I dared to open that door he would fly away.

So I patiently stood by the glass door and watched and enjoyed this special treat!

I love how God sends us special little gifts to bless our day, don't you?

The key is, we have to be watching and aware of the gift when it happens.

Because if we don't pay attention to the special "Presence" of God in our lives, that moment may slip away from us and we will miss out on the beauty and the glory of what He was wanting to share with us in that moment.

Here are a few Bible verses that lead us into the Presence of the Lord:

"You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Psalm 16:11

"And He said, My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."

Exodus 33:14

"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:13

"Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God."

Matthew 5:8

"When You said, 'Seek My face,',

my heart said to You, 'Your face, Lord, I will seek."

Psalm 27:8

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  

If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,

I will come in to him and dine with him,

and he with Me."

Revelation 3:20

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Psalm 23:6