THANKSGIVING

Looking back through the years, I have celebrated Thanksgiving in many places. This photo was taken in the late 80's at my family's cabin in the Poconos in Pennsylvania... Thanksgiving that year included: front row- Greg, my son's best friend, Mother, Peter ...back row- me, nephew Jeff, sister Lolly, brother Lee and sister-in-law Peggy. I enjoyed many holiday meals with the Bowman family. Then there was the Thanksgiving that Ellie and I spent in Beckley, West Virginia... we could not find a place to eat dinner so we ended up at a motel's restaurant that was serving a buffet dinner of runny, tough, tasteless food.  Poor planning on our part but it created a "story" to tell :-) This year's meal took place at an old friend's home here in Orlando, with three other friends gathered around the table for delicious food and spirited conversation. Wherever, whenever or whoever ... There is always an abundance to be thankful for and loved ones who contribute to that abundance! {I loved that old plaid shirt!}

The Heavens

The heavens declare the handiwork of God!

THANKSGIVING

Even without the pilgrims, Indians and turkey, THANKSGIVING should be a special occasion no matter where you live! Humanity needs a break from worry,  weariness and war. So take a day and simply be thankful. One of my favorite things to say to myself, is "In Jesus I have more than I need."

I bet this Momma wild turkey and little ones  are thankful ;-) 

Photo taken in New York State

GOOD NIGHT

Tonight I am fed up with our national political fights, prejudice, violence ripping away the fabric of families, justice portioned out to only the privileged thus leaving the marginalized with only the crumbs of society ... yes for tonight it all seems an overwhelming hot mess. So I will go to bed  praying to God who is all sufficient, supreme and all powerful and who showed up on this planet as the Good Shepherd ... kind, protective, wise and compassionate. And I will ask Christ for the strength to face the world tomorrow.... with kindness, wisdom, compassion and a heart to watch out for other's well being.

BEST SEATS!

To those attending football games this weekend... check out these "nose-bleed" seats! From ancient city of Pergamum, Turkey.

DOORS

Going through some old photos, I noticed these doors ... they hang in places from my childhood and places where I have traveled. Ponder this thought - which door best represents your life? How easy or hard is it for people to enter? Which best describes the access you give to God? Oh by the way, post resurrection, Jesus could easily go right through doors :-)

POWER

The Bible talks a lot about power. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul can't seem to find enough descriptive words to reveal the power of the Holy Spirit ... almighty... exceeding... incomparable ... mighty strength ... great ... and those all come from part of one sentence in Ephesians 1:19!

Trying to find an illustration of God's power, I asked a couple of engineers for an example of strong yet flexible power. I am not sure what I expected they would say, but certainly not this. The answer came quickly with agreement from both engineers - spider webs!!! So put on your Spiderman/woman suit and let Christ's power flow around and through you today!

A MORNING VISITOR

This hawk was holding up on my apartment's outside lamp post... carefully surveying for a mid-morning snack!

Strangers

Whenever I move to a new place, there is always a bit of homesickness for familiar faces. Consequently I often think I see someone I know in a crowd of strangers... but indeed they are a stranger that looks like somebody I know.  Sometime ago I started to reframe homesickness into opportunities to pray.  So when someone looks familiar, I pray for the person I think they are!  I know it sounds a little crazy, but it works for me and who couldn't use a little  extra prayer.

A "Walk" for Cancer Research

USA Election day

This is a photo of Arlington National Cemetery, one of our National Cemeteries where veterans and their families are honorably buried. These soldiers and their loved ones sacrificed their lives so that we could live in a country governed by free elections. HONOR THEM BY VOTING,  Tuesday, November 4th.

My Dog Gabe

Gabe had no idea how dog food appeared at our home. He didn't notice me watching his behavior inside and outside to make sure he was healthy. He didn't know how I picked out his groomer or that the Gardners volunteered to be "poochie camp" when I was away. Gabe just considered their place his "other" home. Isn't that similar to our cluelessness regarding God's care for us? We don't see much less understand the many ways our "Good Shepherd" cares for us. Even Gabe knew how to say thank you, with his big curly head in my lap... maybe we should say it more often to our Master and Lord!

Gabe, a Standard Poodle,  standing in my Pennsylvania Yard

BUMP IN THE NIGHT

Coming home from a movie and dinner, I braked for a stop sign and felt a "bump"! My poor "Blue" {that is the name I gave my car, though not very original} had never been in an accident and I feared for her safety. We were on a little traveled side street and the car behind me didn't think I was going to stop and proceeded to hit me. As I got out of my car to check the damage, I was met by a tall young man in his twenties. He was a bit shaken and apologized for hitting me... he was rattled and kept insisting that he needed to get his car off the road less someone would run into him. I looked around and no one was coming in any direction... my guess- for days!!! I put my hand on his arm and assured him he was safe and we could handle this. No damage to either car! I shook his hand and smiling at his "Best Buy" name tag, said "I'll see you at Best Buy! As we both get back into our cars, he said, "Yes, Best Buy, look for a discount!".

I came away, pleased that this senior citizen held her cool in the face of a young man's panic and who knows maybe even a little better service at one of my favorite places to shop! Jesus Christ is so good to me... thanks be to God!