Waiting

How exciting to know that what you’ve asked God for is on its way.  As God works behind the scenes to bring about everything you’re waiting for, your faith is at work preparing for the arrival of His blessing.
(from Whispers of Faith)

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
and he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3

Yellow Roses For An ‘Old’ Lady

Several months ago my oldest granddaughter asked how old I would be on my next birthday.  When I told her, she gasped and said, ‘I didn’t know you were going to be that old!’  To be honest, I hadn’t felt that old until that moment.  When seen through the eyes of a young teen, the age I am now must seem hard to comprehend.  What I didn’t tell her was that it seems like just yesterday I was where she is in life and I, too, thought I would never get to be that age.  And I also didn’t say that time goes so fast – something I heard when I was young and didn’t comprehend – and, suddenly, here I am.

Well, today I am that age!  And in many ways I don’t feel a whole lot older than I did all those years ago.  I just feel wiser!  And happy - and content - and satisfied to be exactly where I am.  I see things so much differently.  I think I feel things much deeper and I hope I love a whole lot more!  I’m glad – oh, so glad – that I have made it to this place in my life.  You see, my friends, today is my birthday and I am so happy to tell you my age.  I have finally reached that age!

(The beautiful miniature yellow roses shown above were a gift from my sweetheart. He knows they are my favorite!)

A Touch Of Class

I love it when I see the unexpected – something I normally wouldn’t see in a place where I wouldn’t think it would be!  While my sweetheart and I were walking through a forest park beside the beach a few days ago I noticed something that seemed a bit out of place.  It definitely added a touch of class in an unexpected place!Who would expect to see a centerpiece on a rustic picnic table in the middle of the woods?     Nothing fancy – just a touch of class in the most unlikely place!    

Blessings

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

And what if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise

When friends betray us, when darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
It's not our home

Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst
This world can’t satisfy?

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

Song: ‘Blessings’
Written and sung by Laura Story

Seen In A Nearby Place

The winds have welcomed you with softness,The sun has greeted you with it’s warm hands,You have flown so high and well,

That God has joined you in laughter,    

And set you back gently into     The loving arms of the earth below.

— Anonymous, known as 'The Balloonist's Prayer,' believed to have been adapted from an old Irish sailors' prayer.

The morning we left for vacation – just minutes after we left home – we saw several hot air balloons high overhead.  It didn’t take us long to realize they were descending and it appeared they were going to land in a nearby field beside a business we would soon pass.  I have dreamed of taking a hot air balloon ride some day – and I intend to do it one of these days.  Perhaps next Spring or Summer.  As we turned to pass the area where the balloons would soon land my sweetheart (and he is a sweetheart!) pulled over to the side of the road so I could get out of the truck and capture it all with my camera.  I loved every minute of it – the sights of the big balloons.  The sounds of the hot air being released to keep the balloons afloat.  The voices of the people riding, floating, in the baskets. And those on the earth below.  My heart longed to stay but I knew it was time to be on our way, headed out of town.  To the lake.  For a long-awaited vacation.  Oh, how I wished I climb on-board and fly away!  One of these days I will.  And you will know it’s me up there.  I’ll be the one with the camera.  And the big smile on my face!  Be sure to wave!!

The balloon seems to stand still in the air
while the earth flies past underneath.
— Alberto Santos-Dumont.

Garden Talk

She stooped over the flowers
and talked about them
as if they were children.

Frances Hodgson

New Determination

    

An ‘interesting’ thing happened with my blog while I was away on vacation. I feel I must share it with you so you don’t have to deal with the same thing when you least expect it.

A man from a country on the other side of the world contacted me to ask where I ‘found’ the photo I had used on a blog post three years ago.  He said he found it interesting that I had used that photo and that the credits at the bottom of the photo had been blurred so they were not readable.  He continued to say the photo was the work of one of the photographers in the firm that employed him.  Before I replied I did some research and found that, indeed, he represented a reputable photography firm in another country and that this did not appear to be spam or an attempt to ‘trick’ me in any way.

I replied in my most gracious manner to say that I did not recall exactly where I had found the photo since it had been such a long time ago but I assured him I did not blur the credit and that I always give credit to those whose work I use when I use other than my own.  I told him that, as an amateur photographer, I do not appreciate it if someone uses my photography without permission, nor would I be happy if I were not given credit for the photo.  I explained that when I do use photography other than my own I always give credit and I use it from free sites – I never use copyrighted photos unless I have been given permission from the owner and have made arrangements to use it.

He followed with this reply:  “I completely understand. I do have to protect our photographer’s images though, so I would ask that either you remove the image or pay for its use. The rate is currently $50 for 2 years website use.  If you choose to pay, the easiest way to do that is through [link attached].  I hope you will understand our position.  Many thanks.”

I responded to tell him that I was not going to pay for use of the photo and that I had removed it from my blog.  I mentioned that I planned to write a blog post about the situation to share with my friends and readers a caution about sources that some of us, in our innocence, may consider safe and legal.  I assured him that the only reason I used the photo in question was for the impact it added to my words.

His final response was:  “No problem.  If you do mention this in your blog, it would be worth pointing out that many of the Image Libraries (particularly some of the larger ones), would not bother to ask whether you wish to pay for the image. They would just have sent you an invoice and a letter from their legal department.  We try to be a little more flexible here, but you may not have been so lucky had the image originated elsewhere. Google images is full of Rights Managed images because that’s often the best way to bring them to the buyer. It is therefore very risky to make use of images without prior knowledge of their origin, no matter where you find them.  I hope that makes sense.”

I chose not to respond again.  Case closed.  Lesson learned.

You can view the blog in question and read the comments I added here. The bottom line, I’m afraid, is that you cannot trust anyone but yourself! You cannot trust sources or credits that are not yours.  From this time on I will ONLY use photography that is mine!  If, for some reason, I want to refer to a photo that one of you have shared that has given me inspiration I will continue to do what I have done in the past – I will contact you and ask permission to use it.  And I will give credit where credit is due!