"We Are Precious In His Sight" - Revisited

Tomorrow is Father's Day 2021.  This was originally posted in 2015, in honor of my father.   Thought I would share it again, since I don't really have anything new to say.  Have a blessed and wonderful Father's Day tomorrow...celebrating those fathers that you love, and especially celebrating our heavenly Father, Who is the Father we ALL can trust. 

Original Post June 2015:

Yesterday was Father's Day...and as I posted this picture of me with my Daddy on my Facebook page,  several commented about how "precious" this picture was.  Yes, it was precious to me as well. I have been kicking around these thoughts and wanting to share them, but couldn't quite put it into the proper words.

I know that many people did not have such a wonderful father as I was blessed to have. I sometimes almost feel guilty when I share pictures such as this because I know there will be some who will be sad because of their own  loss of a great father, or because of their "lack" of a great father. I am fully aware that many either did not know their fathers at all, or if they did, they sometimes wish that they didn't because of the abuse, neglect, disappointments and sorrow that they endured because of him. 

All too often, our relationship with our earthly fathers skews our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  For those who have not had a loving, caring, appropriate relationship with an earthly father, it may be very difficult to understand, accept, or even consider that such a loving, caring, appropriate relationship could even be possible with our Heavenly Father.

The word "precious"means greatly valued, loved, cherished, too important to be wasted. 

God said to Israel in Isaiah 43:1-4 

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire,

you shall not be burned,

nor shall the flame scorch you.

For I Am the Lord your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I gave Egypt for your ransom,

Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

Since you were PRECIOUS in My sight,

you have been honored,

And I have loved you; 

Therefore I will give men for you,

and people for your life."

Yes, I know this is talking about God's love for Israel, but I can dare to say that it is also talking about His great love for you and for me.  He has redeemed us through the blood of His precious Son, Jesus.  He has called us by name, and He has told us that we belong to Him, and that we are PRECIOUS in His sight.  

Further on in Isaiah, chapter 53, verse 4-5 He tells us about our Savior, Jesus the Messiah, and this is personal:

"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken, 

smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

and by His stripes we are healed."

Jesus Himself tells us in Matthew 11:28-30...

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, 

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

And Jesus tells us how much God loves us in this most well-known scripture of all:

"For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

What I gather from these verses is that God would not have bothered to go to so much trouble and sorrow and grief on our behalf if we were not worth the cost to Him...if He did not see us as being "greatly valued, loved, cherished, too important to be wasted;"  i.e; PRECIOUS.

It is my hope that in thinking about these verses and so many, many more in God's Word, the Bible, that those of you who may be longing to be loved and cherished may realize that we do have a Heavenly Father Who truly does cherish us...and that He has totally declared us to be PRECIOUS in His sight...so much so that He was willing to send His very own PRECIOUS Son to die for us.

Romans 5:7-8 explains this even better:

"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die;

yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

But GOD demonstrates His own LOVE toward us, 

in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us!"

If Christ was willing to die for us even while we were still sinners...imperfect, unlovely, perhaps not so precious in the eyes of the world, and yet, Christ was still willing to die for us...then that should surely show us that we are extremely PRECIOUS in God's sight.  

Not only did Christ die for us in our sinful state, but He actually made us joint heirs with Him...adopted into His family...children of God:

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

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 means Daddy)

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that

we are CHILDREN OF GOD,

and if children, 

then HEIRS, - HEIRS OF GOD AND JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST,

if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

Romans 8:14-17

This tells me that God loves me so much that I can even be bold enough to crawl up into His lap, and curl up and take a nap, knowing that my "Abba Father God" will carry me through the trials and temptations and sorrows of this world.  I can rest in Him, secure in His love, because He redeemed me with the blood of His very own PRECIOUS SON.  He did that even while I was still a sinner with no other hope of grace.  I was PRECIOUS  in His sight...and I can rest safely in His lap forever. And so can you, my friend. He did this for YOU as well...your HEAVENLY FATHER, Who loves you this much.

If you are feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders, and not sure you are secure in the lap of God, I hope these verses and words will help you find that place of comfort in the arms of Christ.

I love this song linked below....listen and know that you are not alone in this world. AND YOU ARE VERY PRECIOUS IN GOD'S SIGHT!

He Will Carry You, by Scott Wesley Brown

HERE is a link to another post about Father's Day

And HERE is ANOTHER link about Father's Day

And yet another special post in memory of my father, "My Father's Cane"

A Menagerie of Thoughts and Things

Guess who's back?

Yep! Our bluebird couple is back again! They've been staking out their claim on the birdhouse again, and seem to be seriously building another nest inside!

Yes, we had cleaned it out from their last brood, and so it was open and ready for a "new family". I am assuming this is the same couple. (I didn't get a picture of the female. She was busy either sweeping out the house inside, or gathering twigs for the new nest)

I understand that they normally do have three broods per season, so this would be #3. The first batch was destroyed by a predator. The 2nd batch we watched fledge out of here about two weeks ago. Here's the LINK to that on Lily Grace's adventures, in case you missed it.  Can they really be ready for another new family this quickly?  I guess so...So we will be watching and waiting to see what "develops". I will keep you posted.

Meanwhile, this young Red Shouldered Hawk has taken up this territory for his claim as well. He's been quite busily patrolling the trees all around Still Waters Pond, chasing off any intruders. I just hope he will protect our Bluebird family rather than "invite" them to dinner...

Here he is, keeping a hawk's eye on his "claim".  

It is interesting to watch and to hear his keen cry as he swoops through the air, warning off any who dare to usurp his authority. Maybe we should call him the "Sheriff".  LOL.

Oh, hello! He does have a fuzzy youngish face, don't you think?

So, what else is new in the neighborhood you may ask?

Well, Lily Grace  and I have been on a few walks over at our walking trails...

We had a follower trailing along behind us, bringing up "the rear"...LOL

Sorry this is a little blurry. He was caught in the act! LOL. Yes, that is how Lily gets to go on walks, fearlessly helping lead the way through the wilderness!  But lately it's either been too hot or raining and she's had to stay at home. Plus, I've been having a lot of neck issues, (yes, even WITH "My Pillow", although I think it has actually helped), and I am having to leave my heavy camera at home rather than wear it around my neck, and also leave Lily at home rather than carry her.  

(I know there are some who are truly wondering about me right about now...LOL. You're not alone. My son just about fell off his rocker when he read a comment I made on Facebook about Lily Grace and I singing "This Little Light of Mine...".  He literally had to call me up on the phone and ask me if I was all right. Well, what do YOU think??? Of course I'm just fine!!!  And Lily has a wonderful singing voice!)

Today I had the wonderful experience of having an MRI on my neck, trying to determine just what is really going on in there. About half way through the extremely noisy procedure, everything came to a screeching halt, and all was silent and the lights went out. The power had gone off in the building, and they had to come "rescue" me from the machine. The machine was stuck in the high up off the ground position,  so three technicians (all ladies) had to come and help me step down to get off of it. I was surprised to see how high off the ground I was, and there were no steps to get me down...so they just had to kind of "carry" me and let me gently glide down their arms as they held me. That was a great adventure!   Had to go wait in the waiting room until the power came back on...thankfully it wasn't too long...and then we could start the process all over again. Actually, they were able to start where they left off, so I didn't have to endure the pounding all over again for that first session...just for the rest of it. I was sure happy for earplugs! I can't imagine how bad it would have been without them! So anyway, I have an appointment with my doctor next week to find out the results.  He's probably going to say something about "old age"...

Remember a few weeks ago when I was talking about "Fanning Away"?  Well, one of my Facebook friends had commented about remembering the old fans they used to have in churches with pictures of Jesus on them.  She said how she hadn't seen any in a long time. I was thinking in my mind that I had seen one somewhere not too long ago, and sure enough! This past Sunday our choir did not sing, so I got to sit in the pew next to my hubby for a change.  And what did I see right before my very eyes in the pew in front of me???

Yep, there He was! Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, well, the picture of Him there, on the back of one of those wonderful old fans!!

(Interesting that if you look on the bulletin you will see that we sang "Open My Eyes That I Might See, Glimpses of Truth Thou hast for me..."    I love it when God "opens my eyes" to see the special things He has there for me...)

And I thought I was right that these were usually sponsored by either an Insurance Company or a Funeral Home or something like that.   Sure enough! Why this one is from an insurance company in Georgia I'll never know. We are pretty far away from Macon, Georgia here in north central Florida. But maybe someone left it here from there...it looks pretty old. But is sure is beautiful, don't you think?

Shifting gears again...I baked another one of those peach/blueberry cobblers this week.  We've really enjoyed some fresh peaches this summer that we've been able to get at the local flea market. And it's good to throw in a few blueberries to add to the flavor as well.  You can find the recipe on that link above.

Well, I think that's about it. I've been going back through my photos from the week to make sure I didn't miss anything important.  I took this picture this morning when I was having my morning cup of tea. The tag on the teabag says: "Make today's !DEA tomorrow's REALI-Tea"

I like that "idea".  What ideas do you have today that could become tomorrow's "reali-tea"?

Here's some things to think about as we close this for today:

"But you, be strong and do not lose courage,

for there is reward for your work."

2 Chronicles 15:7

I like what this little devotion from "Choose Grace" says:

"God wants to use your hands, your intelligence, and your efforts to build His kingdom,

the place where grace dwells."

I hope you enjoyed this little "menagerie of thoughts and things" today.  

They say "variety is the spice of life."

Have a blessed Thursday evening and also a good "Friday Foto Friends" day.

 

Tuesday 4 - "Let's Talk About You"

 Tuesday 4

So Tell Me....

This week's questions come from Sparky at "My Thoughts Exactly" I hope you enjoy doing them.

Let's talk about you...

(This was taken last year... I haven't been out in the kayak yet this year...but this is a pretty good picture of the "real me!")

1. Music. What kind of music do you enjoy? Are you musical?

I mostly enjoy gospel music, sacred music, hymns, contemporary Christian music (to a degree).  When I was younger I also enjoyed popular music of the 50's and 60's, but once I got married and started having babies I was more into singing lullabies and nursery rhymes. LOL.  Yes, I do enjoy singing and have done a LOT of singing throughout my life. Started out in Junior Choir as a child in church, and then graduated to the High School Chorus and then the adult choir at church.

I used to sing a lot of solos in church, but now my voice is better singing harmony (alto) in either duets, quartets, or choir. I never learned to play any instrument, but wish now that I had at least tried to learn the piano. I was too busy playing outside as a child and couldn't be bothered with piano lessons. No one told me that one day I would be a Pastor's Wife, and the first question that would be asked of me when my husband was being interviewed for his first pastoral position was, "Do you play the piano?".  And when I said no, I was told that "Our Pastors' wives have always played the piano."  I replied, "Well, unless you want to sing Mary Had a Little Lamb or Chopsticks, you don't want me to play the piano!"  My husband still got the job. LOL.


2. Travel. Where have you been? What's your favorite destination(s)?
Good question. We really haven't done a LOT of traveling in the vacation sense of the word. But throughout our years in the ministry we did a lot of traveling to our new destinations.  We started out in Florida, our home state, and from there went to Georgia (Toccoa Falls), back to Florida, then to South Carolina to Columbia Graduate School of Bible and Missions, (hubby) then to North Carolina to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary for a summer grad course, back to Florida, then to Ashland, Ohio to finish (hubby's) Master of Divinity degree and served in a couple of churches in Ohio before moving back to Florida and then back to Georgia, Ohio (to finish his doctorate), Michigan, New Hampshire, Kansas, Maine, and finally back to Florida for good (I think!) (I hope!)  We served in many different churches and places throughout our almost 52 years of marriage.   (This map was a part of our 50th wedding anniversary party)

 My favorite destination now?  Well, we still love New England, and since our grandson lives in Maine, we look forward to visiting there again whenever we can. I would also love to take a road trip someday up to Ohio and who knows where beyond. Hubby would like to see where Custer's last stand took place, Little Big Horn, so maybe we will take that trip someday.  

3. Occupations. Did you end up working at what you wanted to be? Do you wish you'd done something else, if so, what? etc.

To be honest, I didn't really know what I wanted to be.  When I graduated high school, I had plans to go to an airline stewardess school, but changed my mind and went to a community college instead, and there I met my hubby and the rest is history. My career became PHT (putting hubby through) and Mommy to three wonderful sons, and then on to become a Pastor's wife. I never dreamed that was what God had in mind for me when I started out in life, but He prepared me each step of the way and I was very blessed to serve in that way. I also did other jobs along the way, mostly in schools so I could have the same schedule as our children once they were all in school.  I took several courses in college throughout the years, but not enough for a degree. I ended up being a school bookkeeper and my final job before retiring was as a Church Administrator for a large church.  That seemed to use all of the years of training and experience that God had provided for me.

Our family around 1981

Our family 2014

Hubby being ordained to ministry

4. How do you keep from being bored?

Well, anyone who knows me knows that I love to take pictures of just about anything, anywhere. Nature, family, friends, just whatever happens to be happening at that moment. I also enjoy writing, reading, and taking walks with my hubby, spending time with family and friends, and going to church.  When we open our eyes to the beautiful world around us, we can never be bored.

And with that, I will say "Good Night!"

  

 Thank you for joining in each week. You have made this such a wonderful experience and I know Toni, in whose memory we continue, would be pleased as punch.

"In My Heart There Rings A Melody"

 Happy Sunday Morning Friends!

In My Heart there rings a melody....come join in the singing and stay for a great message from our Pastor!

I have a song that Jesus gave me, 

It was sent from heav'n above; 

There never was a sweeter melody, 

'tis a melody of love. 

 

Chorus: 

In my heart there rings a melody, 

There rings a melody with heaven's harmony; 

In my heart there rings a melody; 

There rings a melody of love. 

 I love the Christ who died on Calv'ry, 

For He washed my sins away; 

He put within my heart a melody,

 And I know it's there to stay. 

 Chorus

 'Till by be endless theme in glory, 

 With the angels I will sing; 

'Twill be a song with glorious harmony, 

When the courts of heaven ring. 

 Chorus

Ephesians 5:19 NKJV

"Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 

singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,"

Psalm 96:1

Psalms 40:3

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.

Hope you have a wonderful day of rejoicing and singing praise to our God! Happy SONday!!

Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Psalm 119:130 

"The entrance of Your words gives light;

It gives understanding to the simple."

Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path."

Been thinking about being salt and light...and thinking that lately I have felt like my salt has lost its flavor, and my light isn't shining as brightly as it should.  Oftentimes we get so caught up in the bad news and the darkness of this old world, and we forget that we are supposed to shine as the lights of Christ in the midst of the darkness.  The things we say and do, whatever we choose to write about or share with others, should be a reflection of the Light of Christ shining through the windows of our soul. When we let the filth of this world blow its dust and ashes in our faces and minds, we become cloudy and gloomy and dingy...and our light begins to flicker and falter and eventually, if not rekindled, it will be snuffed out by too much darkness filtering through instead of light.

I've been feeling kind of dull and uninspired lately, with nothing much to say.  And so this morning I had to just stop what I was doing and pray...pray that God would reignite the fire within me and help me to see the light of His love and the beauty He has created all around us and in us once again.  My original purpose here on this blog was to share the story of what Christ means to me and how He lives in my heart and life.  It doesn't mean I can't laugh and have fun and enjoy the fellowship of friends here...but it does mean that I must not allow anything to get in the way of His light shining forth from this city on the hill of my life.  I must not allow my words to be seasoned with old salt that should be thrown out on the ash heap, but to allow the fullness of His flavor and sweetness of His aroma permeate my thoughts and words and flow out to others who may be seeking strength and encouragement along the way.

So today, I want to let my light shine forth for Jesus...and for you, my friends. Wanna sing a little song from our childhood/Sunday School with me?

If you Google "This Little Light of Mine", you will find many different groups and individuals singing this well loved little song.  This particular video was done by a church group during the pandemic last year...very creatively done.  I love how people are finding ways to let "This Little Light of Mine" to shine in the midst of difficult trials and conditions.

Can we add our voice to this song?

Sing along!!!

This Little Light of Mine,

I'm gonna let it shine.

This little light of mine,

I'm gonna let it shine,

let it shine, let it shine, let it shine...

Amen!

Fanning Away

Well, it happened again! The AC broke down last night, but this time it is a different problem. The good news is, help is on the way! If you live in our area, I highly recommend "Frosty's" for AC repair. Once you are an established customer, they will do their best to take care of you no matter when...including weekends! 

(Pulling out all the fans...this woven palm fan is ancient!  It could be more than 60  years old at least. It came with the buffet from John's grandmother's house, tucked in one of the drawers.  No telling how many years it was in there, but it still works just fine!)

So, as I sit here "fanning away", I am very thankful that God has placed these special people in our midst.  We learned about them through our church, as they take care of the church AC.

This lovely fan was a gift from one of our sweet blogging friends, the same sweet friend who sent Lily Grace to me, all the way from Charleston, SC.  Thank you, dear "Auntie Debbi", from "Debbi's Front Porch".  It would be nice to have a cool front porch to sit upon today, but alas! It is just as hot and humid outside as it is inside. 

I've had this oriental fan and ginger jar forever. May have to break it out as well...

Thankful for our ceiling fans, which are running full blast...

And other standing fans:

This one is in my "Room With a View",  humming away and keeping me somewhat cool, but with the high humidity, I am still in a bit of a sweat...

Here's the view from my window. But it's too hot and humid to open the window...at least it is a cloudy day, with rain promised later on...

Thankfully we do have ceiling fans on the back porch too.  The other day we noticed that a family of wasps had taken  up residence inside this fan. When we turned it on, wasps flew every direction! So there was no sitting out there at that time.  We waited until early morning before sunrise and sprayed it good with that long distance wasp sprayer, and by the time the sun came up we had dead wasps laying everywhere under the fan.  Sorry, wasps...you picked the wrong place to set up housekeeping this time!

Here are the "Porch Rules"...and if I could "Feel the Breezes" I would take a nap out there and then read a book, converse with a friend, listen to (and watch) the birds, sip a cool drink and just RELAX! But there is NO breeze to feel on this sultry early summer day here in north central Florida.

Ahhh!! But I have some GREAT NEWS!!! While I've been sitting here typing this post, our friend Frosty came and found the problem and FIXED IT!! It was some kind of capacitor...and he only charged us for the service call since he'd been here recently two times for a different problem.  We are all hoping and praying that we can keep this almost 20 year old air conditioner running a while longer.  A new one would definitely break our piggy bank and then some!!!!

So now I am beginning to feel cooler air blowing on my back  and neck while I sit here writing. 

The humidity is starting to give way to dry cool air, and I can breathe again...

Praise God!

Now tonight I might be able to sleep well and enjoy my new 

"My Pillow', which arrived yesterday afternoon. I did use it last night, and I must admit I woke up without any neck pain!  The rest of my body was a wreck from tossing and turning in the heat and humidity, but my neck felt great, and still does! So praise God again for an answered prayer! 

I believe I will definitely sleep in peace and comfort tonight...

(from the Devotional book, "Choose Grace")

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;

For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 4:8 NKJV

And now I can put away my fans and stop "fanning away".

So thankful they were here when I needed them most, however!

God is good!

 

Friday Foto Friends-A little late!

I'm a little late to the party today.  Yesterday was a long day, as I was helping our daughter in love Rose at "Dixie Cottage" all day,  and I slept in about a half hour longer this morning until almost 6 a.m.! Which got me off to a late start for posting anything this morning as we are on a "strict schedule"... that first cup of tea (coffee for hubby), while checking emails/Facebook/blogger. If I want to post anything in the morning, I'd best have it ready to go before 7 a.m., because that's when we read our devotions together and then have breakfast while watching the news (IF I can stand to watch it, which oftentimes lately I cannot so off it goes...), and then we clean up breakfast dishes and go get dressed and ready for the day...walk, shop, laundry, whatever other important stuff we can dream up.

Doesn't that sound like an exhilarating, thrilling morning to you?

Such is the life of two retired folks who are in a "routine". (I won't call it a rut. But it could be misconstrued as such by those who don't appreciate how hard we work at it.)

And so, I didn't really have anything exciting or new to share with you today and my poor tired brain from so much "routine living" couldn't come up with anything too thrilling to share.  Although working all day at Dixie Cottage is anything but dull or routine...just tiring for this old gal. I will share a few pictures from yesterday later in this post. 

But for now to start the day off right (now it is after 2:00 pm....I've dilly dallied enough)

Here we go:

From our walk one evening this week...this gorgeous "Calico Pennant" dragonfly, sipping nectar or whatever she can get from what looks like dried up weeds. She very gracefully sat still long enough for me to get this great photo.

These wild persimmons are growing all along the trail of our daily walk. But I sure won't make the mistake of trying to eat one again!!

Now, if you've already read The Adventures of Lily Grace this week, you've already seen these next few pictures of the bluebirds in the last moments prior to leaving the nest:

Papa Bluebird has just told Junior that he's not going to be bringing him anymore free grasshoppers. He's going to have to get outside this birdhouse and start finding his own!

Junior begs Papa for just one more grasshopper, pleeeeeze?  But Papa Bluebird, practicing "tough love" flies away and leaves Junior and his siblings in the nest to figure it out for themselves...

Junior sticks his head out the hole and looks around and says, "Where did he go?" "He can't do this to me!"  "I'm not ready to fly on my own yet, am I?"

But after a few moments waiting for Papa or Mama to come back, he realizes that they meant what they said. It was time for him to leave the nest and learn how to support himself.

And so, after a great push off of the walls that were securely protecting him until he was ready to fly...he finally took a giant leap of faith and flew perfectly to the housetop nearby. 

Mama Bluebird and a neighborhood friend, Mr.  Tufted Titmouse, were there to cheer him on.

He looked around him in awe at the beauty and freedom that surrounded him on every side.

One by one all of the baby bluebirds left the nest, and soon they were joining all of the other Bluebird community in the trees and world beyond our little birdhouse on Still Waters Pond.

We haven't seen them since, but I know God is watching over them and they are happily on their way to exploring this great big world!

“Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!”

“You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest."
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

And so now I am back to watching the lizards and dragonflies doing their tricks...

I hope it won't be long before God sends us another bird family or something else to watch and enjoy. You never know what excitement may be coming in the future...so keep your eyes open and ready for new adventures every day!

 And now for those pictures from Dixie Cottage that I promised from my visit there yesterday:

They have set up one room of furnishings and decor that they have labled the "Nautical Room"  (no,  not the "Naughty Room" as Lily Grace thought it was called), but a room for all things coastal and beachy.

I liked the stacking whales lamp...

Of course, most of the decor and furnishings in the whole store are considered more "coastal" in theme, but this room is more concentratedly so.

Lots of whales abound in these seas!

And fish shaped tables

They even have whale shaped salt and pepper shakers!

Back in the main showroom they have many beautiful items for sale. This was just one of the newer ones that my son refurbished:

Somehow I managed to take a "selfie" of my feet. No, those shoes aren't green, but they look it. Just gray, and tired feet at the end of the day.

And so I think I will end this post here as I need to get up on those feet get to work doing something around this house today!!!

How about we conclude with a cup of tea and some thoughts from this lovely little Devotional Book, "Choose Grace", that my friend "Auntie Opal" (as Lily Grace calls her) gave me:

Whatever we do, whether it be routine, mundane, or a new adventure, let us frame all of it in the beautiful portrait of living a life in love with our Lord and Savior, filled with all of our "passion, prayer, intelligence and energy."

So, with love to you through Christ our Lord,

Have a blessed and wonderful rest of your day and weekend.

It's never too late to give glory to God!