words of wisdom

lessons learned in life

A son took his old father to a restaurant for an evening dinner.

Father being very old and weak, while eating, dropped food on his shirt and trousers.

Others diners watched him in disgust while his son was calm.

After he finished eating, his son who was not at all embarrassed, quietly took him to the wash room, wiped the food particles, removed the stains, combed his hair and fitted his spectacles firmly.

Whenthey came out, the entire restaurant was watching them in dead silence, not able to grasp how someone could embarrass themselves publicly like that.

The son settled the bill and started walking out with his father.

At that time, an old man amongst the diners

called out to the son and asked him, "Don't you think you have left something behind?".

The son replied, "No sir, I haven't".

The old man retorted, "Yes, you have! You left a lesson for every son and hope for every father".

The restaurant went silent.

love this time of year...

The air is crisp, the color is magnificent.  I love Autumn decor, although currently I only have one sad looking pumpkin.  I'm not very crafty, but I enjoy seeing others' ideas.  These are a few of my favorites...

thoughts on childhood

why, oh why can't i

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?

bluebirds: sketched

too much time on my hands

callie: sketched

dreams

Always Have a Dream

Amanda Bradley

Forget about the days

when its been cloudy,

but don’t forget your hours in the sun

Forget about the times

you’ve been defeated

but don’t forget the victories you’ve won

Forget about mistakes

that you can’t change now

but don’t forget the lessons

that you’ve learnt

Forget about misfortunes

you encountered

but don’t forget the times

your luck has turned

Forget about the days

when you’ve been lonely

but don’t forget

the friendly smiles you’ve seen

Forget about the plans

that didn’t seem

to work out right

but don’t forget

to always have a

dream.

love

God's country

I love living in North Carolina. There's the beautiful beaches. The breathtaking mountains. And everything in between. 

My favorite by far are the Blue Ridge Mountains. Watauga County. It's a magical place. Breathtaking views. Songs of rivers and waterfalls. Surrounded by clear crisp air. 

Adventures abound. Back country roads. Peaceful riverbanks. Hidden trails. Family farms. Roaring rivers. Wooden bridges. Starry nights. Bountiful wildlife. Fresh mountain air. Tree farms. Cow pastures. Weathered barns. Powerful winds. Dirt paths. Magnificent waterfalls. Old home places. Dense fog. Country stores. Colorful views. Bright sunlight. Pure exhilaration. And awe. 

Some of my favorite moments...
watauga county, nc: sketched

lessons in suffering

Today, it was a lesson about suffering.

* Peter reminds us of the suffering of Jesus
* Christ is our example in suffering

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21

Jesus suffered for me.  He gave His example for me.  I've suffered.  From physical pain. From emotional pain.  Jesus has been with me thru it all.  I know He always will be.

l'm sharing Jen Hatmaker's words on the subject.

Suffering transcends all class, race, ethnicity, culture, privilege. The wealthiest, most successful man on earth could lose his only daughter in a car wreck this afternoon. There is no corner untouched by grief, no demographic, no alliance. If you haven’t suffered, just live longer.

In an attempt to understand the ordinary grief of human life, I fear we’ve reduced a complicated reality to an unmanageable burden; we’ve put a yoke of despair on people who mourn, assigning accolades to those who “suffer well” and, in ways overt and subtle, urging our brokenhearted to buck up. Then adding insult to injury, we fall into the trap of explaining suffering, as if any one of us could possibly understand its eternal scope.

Here is what we know about suffering from Scripture:

• Sometimes people suffer because of self-inflicted misery. Humans have long been their own worst enemies. We are a self-destructive people. Adam, Eve, Jonah, David, Saul, Judas.

• Sometimes people suffer at the sins of others, which God would never cause, endorse, or initiate. It is contrary to his holy, perfect nature. Bathsheba, Daniel, Tamar, Hosea, The Good Samaritan, Paul.

• Sometimes people suffer through no human fault at all. The best of God’s saints had their night. This is no indicator of divine disfavor. Life is simply hard. 

• Sometimes people suffer because people get sick and die. This happens to every person, family, and community on earth. There is zero immunity from death. Even Jesus wept salty, human tears at death and the grief of his friends.

• Sometimes people suffer because we live on a physical earth involving tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis. Natural disasters are a part of any living, shifting, fluctuating planet. (And the longer we irresponsibly plunder and harm it, the greater it will groan and creak and protest, but that is a different blog.)

• Sometimes people suffer because we have a vicious enemy who hates us and is out to steal, kill, and destroy everything redemptive and beautiful. 

The point is, there is no formula for suffering. There is no one answer. There is no pat explanation. Simply stating that God is sovereign is woefully incomplete theology, as Scripture has clearly identified numerous root causes of suffering, some of which are entirely incompatible with God’s character. We cannot possibly explain sorrow in a 25-minute sermon with three points that all begin with an M.

the world outside my door

I'm sitting here in my den, grateful for a comfortable couch and a warm throw, watching rain drizzling once again. About four or five days in a row and it's in the forecast off and on for the rest of the week, praying for such a rain in California. I know, God is in control.

Since it's such a dreary day, I'll share some pictures of the world outside my door. (That means I took every image either from a window or outside in my yard.)

the world outside my door: sketched