Spring Hangouts

These are a few photos from a recent road trip…
and they all have to do with hangin’…
so here goes…

The first is Spanish moss hanging on a tree
at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science,
Jackson, Mississippi.

I have several other hanging moss pictures,
taken through the car window at 65 miles per hour,
but this one is much clearer to show you on the blog(!)

 Spanish moss is actually a flowering plant related to the bromeliad family.
In the Deep South, where I grew up,
the moss grows mainly on southern live oaks and bald cypress trees.
We don’t have it in our area of Southeast Texas,
so when we see it while traveling,
it always makes me feel like I’m close to “home”!

In a picturesque arboretum in central Alabama,
we came across these turtles hanging out in a quiet little pond.
They and a whole bunch of their closest friends were lined up, sunning on this log.

Then came a funny surprise –
while strolling through the campus of a large southern university.
It seems the campus bookstore sells hammocks,
and students are permitted to tie them in the trees
and hang around between classes!

Although I had already heard about the hammocks,
I was still rather taken aback when we turned a corner
and I saw feet dangling in front of me!

The boy was talking on his phone,
and when he heard us passing by,
he quickly pulled his feet up into the hammock, as a turtle retreats into its shell!
This was the clearest picture I could get before his feet disappeared!

I’m thinking of something else that also fits this category.
We’re hanging it out this weekend in memory of the thousands of brave men and women
who gave their lives in the service of their country — our country –
so that we might live in freedom and enjoy the life we too often take for granted.

I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend.

Let’s be sure to keep in mind our military men and women of past, present, and future.
Let us pray for God’s protection of those who are currently serving in harm’s way –
and offer prayers of gratitude for the soldiers and their families who sacrifice every day
to make possible this free United States of America that we call our home!

♥  ♥  ♥

The Rest of OUR Story…

Do you, or does someone you know, feel abandoned and hopeless right now?
Is there anyone reading this blog who feels your life might as well be over?

Well, it may be the end of a chapter of your life…
but it’s not the end of the story.
I believe that God writes the end of the story — for you, for me, for all mankind!

+

Whether you are struggling with your own salvation
or are trying to help someone else to find their way,
I would like to commend to you three websites that I have found very helpful:

THE FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS

+

KNOW MY STORY 

+

GET UP WITH GOD

I hope these links will be as helpful to you as they are to me.
I refer to them often –
and I subscribe to the “Get Up With God” updates every day.
“GUWG” is on Facebook and other social networking services
and they have a great smartphone app!

He Lives!

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

–Bill and Gloria Gaither

The Rest of the Story…

…continued from Good Friday’s “DARKEST DAY” post…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Today is EASTER SUNDAY!
EASTER JOY!
THE GREATEST DAY!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake!
For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven,
rolled aside the stone, and sat on it…

…Then the angel spoke to the women.
“Don’t be afraid!” he said.
“I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He isn’t here!
He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.
Come, see where his body was lying.

“And now, go quickly and tell his disciples
that he has risen from the dead,
and he is going ahead of you to Galilee.
You will see him there.
Remember what I have told you.”
(Matthew 1,2, 5-7 NLT)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There’s More to Come…

Today was GOOD FRIDAY,
the darkest day in human history.

However — praise God — this isn’t the end of the story!

Stay tuned;
Sunday’s comin’!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This is how much God loved the world:
He gave his Son, his one and only Son.
And this is why:
so that no one need be destroyed;
by believing in him,
anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son
merely to point an accusing finger,
telling the world how bad it was.
He came to help, to put the world right again.
(John 3:16, 17 MSG)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For more on this “developing story,”
I invite you to head over to my daughter’s new blog address
and follow the Scripture link at the end of her post,
“Good Friday”

I’m so happy to have Daisy Girl blogging here at WordPress now!

Giving Up?

Giving up anything for Lent, that is?

If you’re a Christian,
you may have been asked if you’re giving up something for Lent.
Many believers choose to observe this forty-day period before Easter
by making some personal minor sacrifice
to remind them of the Supreme Sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.

I recently came across a clipping I saved from a “Choristers Guild Letter,”
published almost 50 years ago.
I think the editor had some good advice!
I need to be reminded of it every day, not just during Lent!!

WHAT TO GIVE UP FOR LENT

Give up grumbling…
“in everything give thanks.”

Give up 10 to 15 minutes in bed…
use that time in prayer.

Give up looking at people’s worst points…
concentrate on their best ones.

Give up speaking unkindly…
let your speech be generous and understanding.

Give up your worries…
trust God with them.

Give up hatred or dislike of anyone…
learn to love.

Give up the fear which prevents Christian witness…
seek courage to speak to others.

Give up concentrating on Sunday newspapers…
study your Bible.

Give up TV one evening a week…
visit some lonely or sick person.

Give up judging by appearances and by the standards of the world…
learn to give up yourself…
to GOD.

Author Anonymous

Soldiering forth…

This post was inspired by my Canadian-born blogger friend MJ,
who commented on my “Happy Hearts Day” Valentine post.
I was intrigued by her words, as she expressed exactly what I had tried to say myself!

In her comment, MJ said,
“Agree on the sentiment —
let’s carry the good feelings of yesterday with us as we soldier forth today.”

Don’t you just love that??
“…as we soldier forth today.”

In a conversation with MJ later, she explained,
“I’m showing my Canadian side, aren’t I?
Growing up in a Commonwealth country,
we were heavily influenced by our British Sovereign (the Queen).
Soldiering forth = stiff upper lip…”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So here are a few more heart-related photos
that might help us “soldier forth” to keep the love flowing
long after Valentine’s Day is gone.

♥

I hope you have some special smiles tucked away in your heart
to pull out and remember when you need a little extra lift!

I’m blessed with some endearing ones –
the warm and loving smiles of my husband, my children, and my parents…
to mention the most important.

It’s always fun to attach “hugs and kisses”
to little messages we send back and forth…
xoxoxo…

…and here are a few more hearts…
cross-stitched by me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Let’s remember that every day is a day to show love toward the people we care about…
and also toward strangers we meet along our way.

Now I encourage y’all to go over and visit MJ at
Emjayandthem’s Blog
to enjoy her many interesting photos and commentaries on everyday life.
You’ll be glad you did!!

…and let us not forget to “soldier forth”!!!
 ♥   ♥
~ ~ ~ ~ ~