Happy Thanksgiving to All in the USA and Around the World

 

For my friends here at home in the USA and all around the world in many countries, may November 24 be a day of joy and peace for you. Here in the USA we set aside a day for thanks giving, which is a great idea.

Here is Scripture I find appropriate today and every day: "Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from Him." James 1:17 Written about 2000 years ago and it still rings true to me today.

This is the seventh Thanksgiving without my dear husband, and a few days ago would have been / was our 51st wedding anniversary. My sons and I celebrate Thanksgiving together each year, though there is an important person missing. Every day I thank God for gifts big and small, and recently I have been thankful for the beautiful blue sky and fluffy white clouds. I hope each one of you dear readers has a day of peace and joy.

The ocean near my home, Bounce and Fluffy and dog bed

 I am posting this added info on November 8, as I have had no Internet/Wifi at my house since October 25. AT&T finally fixed it. I okayed 22 of your comments today, to show as posted, it took me this long since I had no Wifi. This post was scheduled to post on Nove. 1 and it automatically posted. I will start visiting blogs again, hurray. And watching TV and visiting rumble.com, etc. Thanks for taking the time to leave your kind comments, sweeties.

Bounce and I often walk from my house (our house) to the bay, to enjoy the fresh air and to experience all the pure beauty of the sea. 

The sparkle of the waves gave me joy and you can see some students on the rocks on some sort of science outing. When I see the waves and feel the majesty of the ocean I do not fail to thank God for His creations. "He hath made everything beautiful." Ecclesiastes 3:11

Above is Fluffy and Bounce taking a nap together. Of course I woke them when I took the photo. Sorry to disturb you guys.

Above is Bounce in his favorite bed, which is actually a pretty shade of blue. He feels very comfy in there and we call him little taco.

Above he was sleeping. It is hard to get a picture of him sleeping, he usually wakes up. 

Have a great day friends and enjoy the beauty around you.

Beautiful Scripture Quotes

 

I like the above art showing the lion and lamb in the clouds. Today I am sharing some Scripture quotes that guide me. Our God is a kind and loving God and these Scriptures show this.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28-30

 

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35

"We must obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29 God gave us the Bible, which is His book of instructions, to help us follow God. I love reading and studying the Bible, alone and in our Women's Bible Study group, and in our fellowship group at church with men and women.

 

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

 

When asked which commandment is the greatest Jesus replied "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself." Mark 12:30-31

Pretty Flowers

 

Three views of my Pride of Madeira, a small bush when planted three years ago and now as tall as I am. Hummingbirds and bees like it as much as we do.

Note above the bit of flagstone patio and trellis I had installed in my front yard. A great place to sit and read, chat with people, and people watch. Bounce sits out there with us, of course.

My Santa Rosa plum tree's blossoms on March 10 of this year. 

My orange Four O'Clock vine from February of this year, it is vigorous and covers a lot of my back fence, one plant has grown to six feet tall and 15 feet wide. It keeps its leaves all year and always has some flowers.

Here is my trellis at night with solar powered lights, a Christmas gift from Lane.

"He hath made everything beautiful in its time." Ecclesiastes 3:11

Do you have pretties in your yard, balcony, patio or neighborhood?

Christmas is here, and camel race I saw near Jericho

 I am happy each time I read John 3:16, where we learn that God loves us so much that he gave his only son so that those of us who believe in him will have eternal life. The gates of heaven are open to all of his followers.

Above is one of the nativity sets from my house. I made the stable decades ago.

More good words from the Bible: "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a son is given; And the government shall be upon his shoulders And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. "
Isaiah 9:6-7

I love the depictions of the wise men and camels on their long journey following the star to what it was shining on, a humble stable and newborn King. While I traveled in Jordan and Lebanon, I saw Bedouins in the desert of Jordan compete in camel races, in years gone by, and these scenes remain meaningful to me. Below is a photo I took of a Bedouin and camels at the race.

In fact, I so loved my time living in the Middle East and studying there that I wrote my senior thesis on the architecture of mosques, "The History of the Development of Mosques."

Here is another Scripture apt for today: 

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.'

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another 'Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about'." Luke 2:13-15.
 

I hope each and every one of you, my blog friends of many beliefs, let joy find you this holiday season.

Finding peace in Scripture

I wrote this post a year ago, holding it in reserve to post in future. I wrote this before the unexpected death of my darling husband, Will, in November of 2016.
These words are even more meaningful to me now, and I hope will touch your heart too and help you if you need to feel peace. I know our Shepherd cares for us tenderly.

 
Sometimes I need help in finding peace or ease, in a stressful situation. This may be true for you too.
One thing I did years ago is to type my favorite Bible verses on a small piece of paper, laminate it, and keep it in my purse. You can buy little packets of laminating paper at office supply stores, 3 x 5 inches or so, that are sticky on one side only, so use two of them a bit bigger than your paper. Easy peasey and cheap protection for your verses.
The verses I have in my purse are about God protecting us and quite a few of them are in Psalms.

"Behold! I send an angel before you to protect you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared." Exodus 23:20

"But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." Psalm 59:16

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:39 KJV 

Many translations of Psalm 91 speak to my heart. Here is the poetic KJV. " I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; ... There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Psalm 91:2-11

What a beautiful thing, that he gives his angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways. 
"The answer to anxiety is the adoration of Christ", Ann Voskamp.