Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Reflection’ Category

End of 2014

/home/wpcom/public_html/wp-content/blogs.dir/430/36784418/files/2014/12/img_1145.jpg

As the sun sets on this last day of 2014, we recall God’s wonders and pray for a blessed 2015.

Happy New Year,
Daisy

Read Full Post »

Rest

I’ve been listening to this song these past few weeks…

I pray it will be of blessing to you, too

 

Daisy

 

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

Read Full Post »

DSC_0013

 

I’ve heard it said many times…  “You don’t appreciate something until you don’t have it anymore.”

like…

…you don’t appreciate good health until you no longer have it.

…you don’t truly appreciate a loved one until they’re gone.

 

Today is a special day.  Independence Day.  The fourth of July.

…and that old saying comes to mind.

For those who have been born here and have never lived
under an oppressive government,
it’s easy to take our American freedom for granted.

The freedom to say, do, go, think, plan, study, buy, eat, whatever you want
is something we don’t even think about.  It is the way of life here.

 

It seems hard to believe that there are countries where you cannot speak freely,
you cannot visit anyone you like,
you can’t travel wherever/whenever you like,
you can’t study what interests you,
you can’t plan to have a birthday party or dinner party,
you can’t just buy something you really like,
you can’t own your own business,
You can’t kill one of your own chickens/hogs/cattle,
You can’t own your own land,
All mail is read before you receive it.
“Courts of law” are just a group of local government sympathizers
You live in a constant state of not knowing what can happen
to you or your loved ones from one day
to the next.
It is the way of life there.

No freedom.  Only oppression.  Persecution.

 

 

DSC_0097
Now, when someone who has lived for years in a regime like that,
arrives in the USA…
words cannot describe what they feel.

It’s as if someone who was born in a prison, with no hope of ever getting out,
was given their freedom.

They can now dream, hope, plan, work, live
in a very different world.

For those who have not had this experience
it is almost impossible to know what it feels like.
Don’t even try to tell them that America is messed up.
Don’t talk about how bad things are here and how wonderful
everywhere else is.
They know it isn’t perfect here, but…
they remember what life was like where they came from.
They are like the grateful children who have been adopted,
and they know their adoptive parents
are good people who have taken care of them and raised them
to think for themselves, work hard, dream, fly.
These are the kids that know their parents aren’t perfect,
but they appreciate them and all they have given them.

 

They are proud to be Americans now.
They love this country.
Some of them have been part of the US military for most of their lives.
They are proud to serve and fight to preserve those freedoms
they once lived without.

They know what we celebrate on the 4th of July every year since 1776.

This is a special day to them.

And every year they remember.

 

Happy Independence Day, everybody!

Daisy

 

IMG_3701

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Do you ever feel like you just need some quiet time?

unnamed

(Photo taken inside  an 1800s church)
There were no microphones here, no Powerpoint, … not even electricity.

Yet,
the people gathered here and worshipped God.
All they had was each other and the Bible.
They read.  They prayed together.  They encouraged one another.
Made me realize once again…
we don’t need all the “bells and whistles” we feel so necessary today.

I guess all we need is a hunger for God.

 

Just thinking…

Have a blessed weekend everybody.
Love to you all,
Daisy

 

 

Read Full Post »


unnamed

 

Now I make known to you, brethren,
the gospel which I preached to you,
which also you received, in which also you stand,

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
and that He was buried,
and that He was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures,
1 Corinthians 15:1, 3-4

Have a blessed Easter week!

Daisy

 

Read Full Post »

I’ve been wanting to start an art journal for a while now.

20140227-104044.jpg

I want to combine journaling, art, scrapbooking…

20140227-104143.jpg

I tried not to complicate it or overthink it too much, (I usually do)…
Just wanted to have fun with it.

I love putting little cards inside small envelopes with pretty pics and a quote on the back. (Like in the picture above)

20140227-104307.jpg

This first entry was on Life…
Embracing that abundant life that Jesus talked about.

20140227-104407.jpg

20140227-104428.jpg

Every day is part of the journey.
Every day should be cherished.

20140227-104542.jpg

Journaling is therapeutic for me. So is doodling, art, coloring, gluing little pieces of fabric/paper/beads…
I was the kid who looked forward to buying school supplies every year. (I still am!!)

Have a fantastic day everybody!
May your journey be a blessed one!
Love to you all,
Daisy

Read Full Post »

Have you been anxious lately?
Worrying about something?

I love the stark contrasts in the pictures that
Scripture gives us…
from anxiety – to delight . . .

 

DSC_0159

“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul.”
Psalm 94:19


I looked up the word “consolation” in the dictionary…
this is what came up:
relief, succor, help, support, cheer;
to soothe, comfort, console, or reassure; bring cheer to,
support or encourage.

Then I looked up the word “delight”.
this is what came up:
a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment;
joy; rapture
to give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to.

 

Happy Sunday, everyone!
Love to you all,

Daisy

Read Full Post »

Recently,  my husband got me a gift…

July 2013 166

 

 

I was very surprised, since it was HIS birthday, not mine.

July 2013 138

 

 

It was beautiful… a dozen red roses, each one a masterpiece.

July 2013 162

 

 

I smelled them, gazed at them, took many, many photos of them.

July 2013 154

 

 

I don’t particularly like the color red.  I own very few items (maybe 2 or 3) that are red.
But…
How can I not like these??
Together they make a truly amazing display.

July 2013 132

 

 

 

July 2013 134

 

 

I didn’t have any place to put them except for this glass jar I bought at an antique store…

I’m learning to look at the details…
They can be beautiful, too.

July 2013 194

 

 

 

July 2013 195

 

 

 

My husband is always thinking of me, how to make me laugh, bring me joy…
Every time I looked over at the roses, I couldn’t help smiling.
Even now…

July 2013 116

 

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before, but one of the things I’ve been
re-learning this year is that, “Actions speak louder than words.”

Let your loved ones know you care.
In our house, we say the words, “I love you” many times a day to each other…
But somehow when we do something totally unexpected,
it speaks so loudly,
and unforgettably.

 

Have fun thinking up ways to surprise your loved ones!

(Let me know how it goes :))

Daisy

 

Read Full Post »

20130818-112433.jpg

“I love You, O Lord, my strength.”
The Lord is my rock
and my fortress
and my deliverer.
Psalm 18:1

Have a blessed Sunday!
Love to you all,
Daisy

Read Full Post »

 

During our time away,  (I posted about it  here) one of the places we were able to visit was an old farm, way up in the mountains. . .

 

DSC_0450

 

This is the marker at the top of the hill:

DSC_0451

 

 

A closer look, so you can read it:

DSC_0452

 

This is the farm house.  We weren’t able to go inside because the park rangers weren’t there, but we were able to walk around and see everything.  We did peek inside the windows. . . everything looked just as if time had stood still back in the 1880’s.

DSC_0468

 

Here’s a view from the porch.  I just love porch swings.  Makes me think of family & friends, children’s laughter, ice-cold lemonade. . .

DSC_0476

 

 

There were several gardens with many, many butterflies. . .

 

DSC_0469

 

 

They were everywhere!

DSC_0470

 

 

Here are some beautiful ones . . .

DSC_0491_2

 

 

DSC_0491

 

 

I love barns.  Maybe I’ll live in a Barn House someday – they’re becoming more popular now.
DSC_0464

 

DSC_0465

 

 

The flowers were beautiful. . .

 

DSC_0485

Wild flowers as well…

DSC_0505

 

 

As we approached the Chicken House, we heard them inside. . . We also heard a rooster several times.
I love the sounds of a farm!  Can you tell I live in the city??

DSC_0479

 

 

The root cellar (I could almost see the veggies stored there, as this was used over so many years!)

DSC_0480

 

 

There were many tiny birds.  So beautiful.

DSC_0494

 

 

A few were perched on the clothes line.  That’s right.  There was a clothes line.  That’s another thing I miss while living in the city.  I never thought I’d say that!  When I was a kid, my Mom would tell me to hang the clothes up on the line.  Inevitably, it would rain before I had a chance to run and take them inside!  I used to wish for a dryer.   Now that I have one, I miss both my Mom and the assigned chore of hanging the laundry on the clothes line.

DSC_0497

 

 

While we were there,  someone was working on the garden, planting & weeding.  This bench was among the fragrant flowers…

DSC_0477

 

 

These are the stairs to go back up to the parking area.  I didn’t want to leave.  I wanted to stay and visit the country folks and have a nice tall glass of lemonade with them.  What was it like for the folks who lived on this farm?  How did they get up & down the steep mountain paths with no car or truck?  How did they survive with no TV, internet, or cell phone?  It was a simpler time.  But it wasn’t an easy time.  These people knew back-breaking work, and plenty of heart aches.  They probably never would have imagined that well over one hundred years later, there’d be “tourists” visiting their farm, admiring their work & perseverance.

DSC_0504

 

 

It was an unforgettable experience.  I can still feel the cool mountain breeze.

These are the kind of places that stay with me for a long, long time.  By that, I guess I mean that when I remember them, when i see the photos, I can’t help but smile and want to visit again.

 

Thanks for visiting with me.  🙂

Love to you all,

Daisy

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »