A Special Day for Giving Thanks

Good morning to each of you!

I would like to introduce you to Sarah Hale. She wrote, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.

Sarah was a poet, a novelist, and an editor in the middle 1800's. Through her repeated efforts of contacting President Lincoln, Sarah Hale finally convinced the President to declare a specific day of thanksgiving to God for all the blessings we receive. Until the fourth Thursday in November was made a national festival, states celebrated on various dates and other states did not officially regard any certain day.

I hope your Thanksgiving Day was all you wanted it to be.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High.” Psalm 92:1

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 118:1

Juanita

folks7777@aol.com

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Racing Leaves in the Wind

From a distance, the lawn in our grotto area now looks yellow, not due to lack of rain, but because the Jacquemonti birch leaves lay on the ground in a thick cover. The stark white trunks against the background of the rock wall make a sharp contrast. I decided one birch tree would look lonely, so we planted three. The round table I placed in the center of them makes a perfect place to serve drinks at summer picnics. I leave the table there year around. In twenty years, the table might be permanent as the trunks grow into the table, making a conversation topic of what came first: the chicken or the egg, or the trees or the table. Okay, maybe not.

We display three permanent deer in our front yard, a buck, doe and a fawn. I declare them my favorite because metal deer do not prune my roses. They make a great picture in the shady area and appear alive at first glance. My cousin Morris drew a bull's eye in the dust on the buck and forced me to give the buck a bath.

You can see a new duck in our pond celebrating the game this weekend.

We cannot depend on our rusty old weather vane to show us which way the wind blows. We watch, but never see the cocky rooster move in a wind storm. I notice the wind blows from the west today because the dry yellow leaves all run to the east.

Speaking of the wind, our wet American flag wrapped itself around the pole on the pump house a moment ago. The wind came and worked a miracle. The flag now hangs unfurled. I wish our government's problems could be fixed that easily. Blow wind, blow!

“The Lord be with you all.”

Juanita

folks7777@gmail.com

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What is the View of Your World Today?

Tea is ready.  My friend, Patty made delicious chocolate biscotti for dunking.  Perfect combination.

I possess a new view in my world today because my husband trimmed a huge, fifty-year-old cherry tree in our back yard. Every year, this giant sprouted fewer leaves, no cherries, and looked unhealthy. I recommended a severe pruning. Time will tell if this action will produce new branches next year. If nothing else, we now own beautiful cherry wood. I might become a woodcarver, but do I need another hobby?

With the tree dramatically lowered, I can see blue-gray mountains in the far distance covered with evergreen trees. Because we planted so many trees on our property, we must look up to see into the distance. But looking up is good, right? As a little girl, I laid on my back on the front lawn, watched the clouds move and looked for Jesus to appear as He promised. Today, when I discover a beautiful cloud formation or an amazing rainbow, I still anticipate that glorious day.

If you fly, we agree the view from a 747 takes your breath away. Last week, I beheld two worlds as we jetted to California, one below dark, stormy clouds and another above white, fluffy cotton balls. This inspiring scene at fourteen-thousand feet elevation went on forever.

I wonder how Christian astronauts contained themselves as they saw what God created from a different vantage point on their way to the moon. Bill Anders, Jim Lovell and Frank Borman on the Apollo 8 mission to the moon in 1968 read the Scriptures in Genesis, chapter one, describing the events of creation.

 Keep looking up.

Juanita

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To Be or Not To Be Born

Good afternoon, friends. I recommend strong coffee for this discussion today.

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Thursday that for states to enact constitutional amendments that say human life begins at conception is “an extreme and radical step.”

When I hear people discussing life beginning on day one, day ninety-one or day 271, I always remember King David's conversation with his God. I read it again today and want to share these beautifully inspired words with you.

     “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.

     "Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

     "You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

     "You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

     "How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”
Psalm 139:13-17 NLT

Debbie and many others holding their opinion are extremely wrong and uninformed, not because I say so, but they are in error according to God's Word and He says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for instruction . . .” 2 Timothy 3:16.

Why would anyone dare to argue with God, their creator?

Sincerely, Juanita

folks7777@gmail.com

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