Longtime and Cherished Friends

What a blessing to know that "family" is not limited to those to whom we are born. God Himself puts us in His Family, and by doing so, close friends do become our sisters and brothers! Daniel, Carole, and Sherry, you were each such a blessing to me yesterday, and I'm proud to call you "relatives"! How I look forward to a day when all of us will live in closer proximity to each other!

Maggie Valley Weekend

What an absolute blessing! The weekend was "nearly perfect" in every way. Visiting with longtime friends -- Marcia, Lori, and Sara Rogers, viewing breathtaking scenery, shopping and walking in the crisp autumn mornings, and sipping hot chocolate by the crackling fire in the cabin fireplace in the evenings. My heart is full and my spirit is so very thankful for being able to fellowship with Christian friends in this splendid display of God's creativity! Thank you, Lord!

Final Pictures of a Glorious Day

Old Friends, Dear Friends

The Rogers Girls have been friends for 30+ years. What precious gifts from God!

And the Earth Shows Forth His Handiwork

From the majesty of the mountains to the smallest details in nature, our world declares our Lord's glory.

Happy Birthday Yaya!

I was blessed beyond words yesterday with a phone call from my dear cousin Ann's daughter Alisa! What a true gift from God Himself! To experience anew the faithful love of my dear Mother's family was, quite literally, a taste of the Heaven which is to come!

Aunt Lila, how I miss you this morning! You've always been an inspiration to so many of us...... Your continual quest for learning and experiencing the beauty in life has been passed on to generations! Your love for reading and putting down the depths of your heart in written words were such inspirations to me, personally, and actually one of the underlying foundations for my writing this blog of my soul....

I've always appreciated your gifts of hospitality and kindness (which were passed on to your daughters and grandaughters), Aunt Lila. And I have grown to truly cherish your downright determination and indomitable spirit more and more during the last few years....These, too have been inspirations to me to "keep on" when I've wanted so much to cave in to others or run away from life, instead of embracing the life and the people God puts on my path, day to day....

I know how much you loved "your twin"....and this means so much to her daughter! Your special bond was beautiful to see, Yaya. Your hearts beat as one, and I know you shared many of your hearts' joys and sorrows without the necessity of the spoken word. The bond was strong and enduring....... and full of laughter and joy, despite the deep valleys endured by you both,.....and full of shared wisdom because of those valleys. I know that you and your dear Fred were guardian angels over Mother during the early days of your marriage....and just maybe Fred is allowing Mother to share in guarding over you, as a returned grace, these days....

How special it will be some day in the distant future, to be able to visit all of you in your next door mansions throughout a beautiful eternity to come! I know you will both have many, many visitors from children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. You see, all of our lives have been deeply touched and shaped and molded by the love and lives of the Stokes Twins!

I love you very much! May your 90th be a very special day!

Oh, Glorious Day!

Thank you, Vondeana Green, for helping us remember this phrase! There is just no way to describe Appalachian Autumns short of superlatives! My soul and spirit are refreshed, revived and renewed! I don't think I'll ever be able to take my new home for granted....and, Lord, may I never even border on complacency up here. As I type this blog, I'm looking out our upstair's window on the entire Blue Ridge...ablaze with the breaking of the dawn amidst a cobalt blue sky. It is, in fact, "Glorious!"

Cloudland Canyon on a Sunday Afternoon

What a way to spend an evening! I am so thankful that we live here. My dear friend Lynn said that even though, yes, we will have a new heaven some day, I have already begun my experiences with my "new earth". My heart literally overflows with the beauty of it!

Baby Bluebirds out My Window

What a gift from God on this gorgeous Sunday morning! Just outside my window, a flurry of baby bluebirds coming back for a last good-bye! Delightful blessings from above! Thank you Lord for a beautiful beginning of a crisp autumn day! Can't wait to see what You have in store!

Weeping May Endure for the Night...but Joy Comes in the Morning

The old song..."His Eye is on the Sparrow"...rang in my heart this morning as I viewed this gorgeous autumn sunrise coupled with the antics of a precious sparrow on my little terrace-of-a-backyard....
Your mercies ARE new every morning...and I KNOW You care for me.....

The World Comes to Dalton.....

Yesterday had to be one of the most sobering days of my life..... You'd have to understand our dear Dalton to truly understand how disturbing the morning's events actually were and the impact on my heart....
Dalton IS Mitford of the Jan Karon novels. It is the quintessential mountain hamlet, peaceful and friendly........ a small city with a huge heart. I've felt peace here and quietness of soul like in no other place in my life.
So yesterday morning was shocking and horrifying.... This happened about a block from our Big Brothers/Big Sisters Office on Crawford Street. Staci, my precious young Boss, and I were the only ones there (save our loyal office mascot, Staci's Schnauzer Molly). For an explosion to rip through the quiet of this city, followed by the screams of sirens, seemed surreal....
We watched in disbelief as police car after police car showed up on the scene....along with the Dalton Fire Department....and crowds began to form on the streets outside our office. Staci kept abreast of the unfolding events via telephone and the computer.....
To think that I was about to go to the post office (directly next door to the explosion) at that very time to get a mailbox key, but had an unexpected interview that kept me from doing so. Instead, this was the scene as I arrived.
I could sense God's protection and care and felt an undergirding peace...but at the same time I could see man's brokenness showing it's desperate face, even in the quiet North Georgia Mountains.
I was deeply touched by the love of Staci's family as they continually called her....making sure she was safe....
Lord, thank you for your care...and for being our Rock of Safety and our Fortress.

Our New Baby

I've tried and tried to download the picture Annie just sent of our new Baby, but, alas, it just won't copy. I've cried for about 30 minutes now as I've gazed upon the precious hand waving to us from Anna's Blog (acosmicdance.blogspot.com), and cannot fathom the miracle of this new life from God. How Psalm 139 takes on new meaning when I literally look upon the knitting together of a precious life before my very eyes. My heart wants to burst with joy unspeakable.... Thank you, Lord, for your amazing Grace.....

Prater's Mill Festival

Autumn is not quite here (as far as the foliage and temperatures) but Prater's Mill Festival is getting the season off to a great start. Paul and Elizabeth came for the weekend, and what a blessing to have them in our home. Life is peaceful and sweet these days. I feel as though I'm living in Mitford.......(and by the way, if you haven't read the series....the books are just wonderful!)

Paul and Liz's visit

Prater's Mill Festival with Paul and Elizabeth

What a blessed weekend with Liz and Paul! Praters Mill was wonderful!

Thoughts of Baby Rambo on a Glorious Morning

I've been dwelling of Phillipian 4 and Isaiah 61 this morning. What absolutely inspiring, comforting, and encouraging words! One verse "jumped off the page" at me today. Isaiah 61:9, "And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the LORD hath blessed." I wrote beside that verse in my Bible..."for Baby Rambo, Oct. 1, 2008". It is my heart's prayer for this blessed child, and any future grandchildren that the LORD may send our family.