Life Is Miraculous

In a previous story, you will see eggs in a nest. KRK was able to get a picture of the new baby birds that hatched from those eggs! Life is so precious! Every creature and person has worth, and a reason for being here. I know this, as most of you do. There are those that take life for granted, and devalue human existence. People who use and abuse others. These people are so wrapped up in themselves, they believe that only they have purpose.

This type of person has many issues, that need to be dealt with by a mental health counselor. The sad part, they never go to a counselor, because they believe only they are right. They make a lot out of nothing, build a case, and act out. What do we do, when we have to deal with people like this? Very good question, one that I continue to ask myself, especially as of recently. I believe you watch, listen, and ask God to open your mouth only when needed. He will show you what to do, when the time is right. This picture that KRK sent to me, puts life in prospective...it is vital, simple, unique, miraculous, and God inspired.

The Living Water

Amid the dark and dreary colors, is a splash of red! This little cardinal is taking a bath! Thanks to KRK, we have another beautiful picture! This picture reminds me of many things. I sometimes get inspired by pictures, or things that I see. The water represents THE LIVING WORD. We too get dirty, just like this little bird. It's hard not to, in this world that we live in. I'm not talking about physically dirty, but spiritually dirty. If we could see everything in the spiritual realm, we would probably pull up the covers and stay in bed. But there are also wonderful things in the spiritual realm...like God's Holy Angels, who are here to serve us. Then of course the most important person on earth, is the Holy Spirit. Jesus sent Him, when He ascended back up to heaven after His resurrection.

After Jesus was resurrected after His death on the cross, He was on the earth quite awhile before going back to His Father. He talked to the disciples, and taught them more during this time. When it was time for Him to finally leave for good, His disciples were sad to see Him go. So he told them that He had to leave, so that He could send them the Comforter. He also told them that the Comforter would also be their teacher. He said they had no need for an earthly teacher, because the Holy Spirit would teach them in the way they should go.

Never put your faith in people, but in God. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to teach us. Some say, that was a long time ago, so it doesn't apply for today. God is the SAME yesterday, today, and tomorrow. What He has said and done, way back when, is still in effect for us today. The Holy Spirit is still here with us, offering His teachings and guidance. He's the best teacher you could ever find! Bathe yourself in the Word of God, just as this Cardinal is bathing itself in the water. Then listen for that still, small voice. He is here and always will be....offering His help and guidance.

God Cares

It says in the Bible that God knows EVEN when a sparrow falls to the ground, and cares. How much more will He care for us? Much more. Luke 12:6-7 goes on to say, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not ONE of them is forgotten of God. Indeed the very hairs of your head are numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." This is a direct quote from Jesus.

So when things get hectic, and life seems to be sucking you dry, remember the sparrows. God cares for them, He will certainly care for you. Sometimes that may be your DAILY NEEDS...ON A DAY BY DAY BASIS. It's hard for some of us to do that. We like to know that this or that is taken care of, way down the road. But sometimes, we are put into situations, where we can't depend on our own means. That's where faith comes in. We don't exercise that faith, until it's all we have left. Maybe that's why, we have to go through trials at times. To remember, that God cares for us:)

Which Color Do You Like?

My daughter will be getting married soon. I wanted you to see the two colors of cake, and see which one you liked? I'm not sure which one she will pick yet. I like them both:)

Who's Going To Be Sweet 16?

Wanted to wish my oldest grand daughter a Happy Birthday! She will be 16 on the 20Th! She is so looking forward to getting her drivers license, but won't be able to get it on her birthday, because that is also the day she plays in the state tennis tournament. Then if she or her boyfriend win in that tournament, they may not be able to go to prom, the next day. She also told me that this whole week, she has nothing but tests in school. So remember her in your prayers:) I know this will be a wonderful day for you honey, even with all the activities going on. We're so proud of you. Grandpa and I wish you a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Update

Thank you all for your prayers. As you may already know, I did get the job working with the mentally handicapped. Thanks again:)

The Bird House

Let me tell you the story about this little bird house. My Mom had a stroke five years ago, or so. She is angry about having had the stroke, and some of her anger has been towards God. She bought this bird house from a neighbor one day. She then asked me to hang it up for her outside. Me being of rather short stature, and not having a ladder....the bird house got hung on the highest branch I could reach! Maybe just 6 feet off the ground:) (If that!)

Mom kept asking me if a bird had built a nest in it yet. I kept checking, and none had. I told her that I doubted that one would, since it was so low to the ground. Then one day when I was coming into Mom's, I saw a bird peeking it's little head out of the house! Later I checked, and nesting material was also hanging out of the hole. We had a renter! I told Mom about it, and she seemed very happy. Then she told me why she had been so curious as to whether a bird had built in the house. She told God, that if He were real....to send a bird to nest in this lowly hung bird house. It says not to "test" God, but I don't believe this was testing. This was a sincere question, that God chose to answer. He always answers questions like this:)

Still Snowing!

As you can see, most of the trees have bloomed. I'm worried that the cold may have an adverse affect on them. Already all the flowers that had come up, are wilted and frozen. Hopefully this cold front won't kill our budding trees, and permanently damage them and the flowers.

Snow In April, AGAIN!

This morning I was surprised to wake up and see it snowing! On my way to check on Mom, I took a few pictures. My Aunt was outside feeding the birds, and I asked her if she had ever seen it snow in April. She said long time ago, her sister was born on May 19th, and they had a lot of snow on that day! She said they had to bring "the stove" back in to heat up the house. Thank goodness, these days all we have to do is turn up the thermostat! If anyone else has some pictures, please e-mail me!

Life's Road

Along lifes road, there are many turns and unexpected events.
When you come to an intersection, do you turn, or go straight ahead?
After doing one of these, do you wonder if you made the right decision?
Do you follow your heart, or go by instincts?
Or possibly plan it all out methodically?
All in all, with all this said.....
I am reminded of a verse that goes like this:
"In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps"
Proverbs 16:9
I believe if you leave the turns up to Him,
you will end up on the right road.

Prayer Request

I possibly may have found a job! Doing something that I've always wanted to do, since I was a teenager. As many of you know, when I was little, I was crippled. During that time, my teacher that came to my home to teach me, introduced me to another home bound student, Janet. As you may remember, I wrote about her in my blog. She passed away just a few months back. Janet was mentally and physically handicapped, and the dearest person you would ever want to meet! Because of her, I have ALWAYS wanted to help others just like her.

Her Mom encouraged me to volunteer at the Parks Program when I was 13, to help in a summer program for the mentally handicapped. We taught them art, songs, and games. Also once a week, we took them swimming and bowling! When I turned 16, they hired me to work there, and I finally got paid. The Special Olympics participation was the highlight of the summer. Everyone was a winner there! It was so much fun. My dream was to go to college, and become a special education teacher.

The other day, I walked into a place to apply for a job, and as soon as I walked in, it was as if I had come home. I have never had that happen before! As soon as I felt that, I knew God's hand was in it. I filled out the application, talked to the woman who managed the place, and then got to meet a few of the people that lived there. There was even a Golden Retriever, that came up to greet me, that looks just like mine! She sat down in front of me, and gave me her paw just
like Zeke does:) I had to look twice, to make sure it wasn't him!

The lady called me today, and it sounds very promising that I may get the job. I would like to ask you all to pray for me. If I do get this, there will be two
weeks training in another town, a physical, and other things that I will have to do to qualify. I need to be certified to pass put prescriptions, for one thing. I believe with all my heart, God is in this. I have no doubts. I knew, like I said, as soon as I walked in:)

Happy Easter To Everyone!

To my husband, daughters, grand daughters, sister, sister in laws, brothers, brother in law, and to everyone else....
HAPPY EASTER

April Showers?

The saying goes: March winds bring April showers, which brings May's flowers. I think someone may have gotten that mixed up? Here we are in April, having the May flowers, and SNOW! YIKES!
Thanks KRK for this beautiful picture!

A Question For The Country Folks

All my life I have wanted to live in the country, but was brought up in the city. I now live on the edge of a small community, and have all kinds of wild life around me. I just love it! Except at night, when I have to walk my dog! We have coyotes, deer, opossum, snakes, huge owls and hawks, raccoons, and many other critters. At night you hear them in the brush while you're walking, and are hoping that it's a "friendly" critter. Last night I was out with my Golden, and we heard a lot of noise in the field next to our house. He and I were on alert. If it's a deer, they usually walk quietly away. I believe this was a deer, because it looked to be rather large. However, instead of walking or running away, it ran towards us. Then stopped, and snorted at us. It was too dark to tell what it was. So this question goes out to my brothers and sister in laws, who have lived in the country. Would a deer run at you and snort loudly? It stayed there for quite awhile, but Zeke and I went the other way:)

Life Saver

On the news the other day, I heard a brief comment about a Golden Retriever. Most people probably missed it, because it was added at the end. Since I own a Golden Retriever, my interest was peaked. They said a woman was choking on an apple and was home alone. She tried to cough it up, but to no avail. She was almost to the point of passing out, when her Golden saw her and came running. He knocked her to the ground, and pounced on her chest! The apple came flying out of her mouth! He saved her life:) But the news commentator said that he wasn't sure about the dog's motive...because the Golden promptly ate the apple!

The Seed

A successful Christian business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.  Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in and said, 'I have decided to choose one of you.  The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued.  I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown  from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others,  received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.  She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks,  four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by--still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted  the seed to grow. 

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim  told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his  life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young Executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. 'My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,' said the CEO. 'Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!' All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, 'The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!' When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to  his seed - Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, 'Behold your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!'  Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow  his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said, 'One year ago today, I gave everyone in this  room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and  bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not  possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought  me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with  the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!
 
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
If you plant hard work, you will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
If you plant faith in Christ, you will reap a harvest

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

Two thousand years ago Paul wrote to the church at Galatia the same story but with fewer words, 'What you sow, so shall you reap'.
(Gal. 6:7)

We are grass that will wither and die but the incorruptible seed of God's Word will live forever - sow it daily into the life of your  family!
 (1 Peter 1: 23 - 25)

Storms On The Prairie

As I write this, the storm is coming. The winds are very strong, and are bitter cold. Just awhile ago it was warm. I can't believe the temperature change! The rain is now starting. In case we get blown away, I wanted you to see the pictures I got of it, right before it hit! :o)

I have been talking a lot about storms, I guess because we have had so many today. So many times, nature reminds me of the spiritual things of God. Start paying attention to nature, and you will see His hand. God speaks to us through nature, if we just listen.

I have never been frightened of storms, even as a child. For some reason, hearing the thunder soothes me, only because it has always been a reminder to me of God. The reason for this, when I was a little girl, I asked my Mom what the thunder was. She told me that it was God bowling in heaven, and every time he got a strike...thunder. That little story stuck with me. To this day, I wait for the strikes:)

Update

Thank you all for the prayers for my grand daughter's tennis match. She and her partner
lost the first two double matches. But God's hand was in it! She and her friend prayed 
before starting the game, and she had also given her 
friend verses a few days before to read in the Bible. Amazingly, even though
 they lost the first two matches, the 
third set was forfeited to them, since that school didn't show up.
They are going to the state play offs! Congratulations to both of them!
Thank you again for your prayers!

The Tree

When I took this picture the other day, there was a storm brewing. In life, there are many storms. Some bad enough, you need to take shelter. Others are a much needed gentle rain. This little pear tree is just two years old. All of the blooms are gone now. Just for a fleeting moment were we blessed with their sweet presence. The storm may have knocked the blooms off, but the tree has grown stronger.

My Daughter's Flowers

Well, the north has caught up with the south! My daughter has flowers now! I still am amazed what a few miles distance can mean to a flower!

Day Near Done

The sun is setting, the day near done.
Where has the time gone?
Then comes the night,
which seems to last forever.
I sit here and think,
of all the things undone.
If only there was more time.
But tomorrow will be another day.

Memories

My sister in law sent this picture to my sister and other sister in law asking us if we knew where the light fixture on her new home came from. They recognized it right away, I didn't. It came from my Dad and Mom's house. It was the only thing my brother wanted. Now I remember it:) I remember sitting on the porch a lot when I was a kid. I played games out there, or colored in my coloring books while laying on the porch. We would have sparklers on the fourth of July, and this light was the only light we had outside, to light up our yard. Childhood memories, are so important. Always try to hold onto the good ones. I'm so glad my brother saved this light fixture before the house was torn down. It's like holding onto the good things from the past. This old fixture may not mean much to other people, but it did to my brother! Thank goodness he saved it:) I'm glad he did!