Final Blessings of a Beautiful October

Paul and his nephew Justin came by last night en route to Seneca, SC, for a Clemson football game this afternoon. God has so richly blessed us by sending wonderful guests throughout this month. We've always wanted our home to be used for our friends and family. We are so thankful to have shared this place with those we love so dearly....

Pictures of an Autumn Afternoon

My soul does magnify the Lord and my spirit will rejoice in God, my Savior, for He who is mighty has done great things, and Holy is His Name.....
I lift up my eyes to the hills...
This is indeed a time of harvest....of seeds sown in tears that are now reaped in joy!

Autumn Leaves on Ft. Mountain

There is a Season....

And a time for every purpose under Heaven.....

Some autumn quotes for a rainy day's musings....

"Come to us, Lord of Harvest and teach us to be thankful for the gifts you bring us...."

"You can't hide your true colours as you approach the autumn of your life."

Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits." Samuel Butler

"October's poplars are flaming torches lighting the way to winter" Nova Bair

These were sights that accompanied me on my school visits Friday. I ended up near Eton and couldn't resist the call of the mountains. As my day ended, I drove to the top of Ft. Mountain.... The leaves were flaming and the quiet stillness that surrounded me once again sang praises to my God.... My heart and soul are quiet and at peace.....

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."

Beauty from Ashes

Thank you, Elizabeth, for taking us to this special, holy place. Brother Joseph Zoettl's work speaks so beautifully to my heart that NO ONE is beyond God's redemption. Brother Joseph spent his life creating beauty from the ash heaps of what man had used or broken and thrown away. What a fitting picture of salvation!

And from these gardens I also saw with new eyes the fact that no THING is beyond His redemption, as well. So many moments of my own life, that I would now so readily discard, have been saved and USED by my loving God for His higher plan. I see more every day that salvation is not merely about going to heaven some day but about the redeeming of TIME -- the moments and hours and days of a broken life--even time so regretfully squandered or spoiled or thrown away. God will, I am totally convinced, use ALL of my own spoiled lifetime....some how, some way....for His glory. My responsibility today is to place all of the broken pieces and moments into His hands and His care.

The Ava Maria Grotto

"The Heavens declare the Glory of God and the Earth shows forth His handiwork...."
My favorite Saints of the Church have to include St. Therese and St. Francis. How at home they would have felt at the Benedictine Monastery's Ava Maria Grotto in Alabama! Elizabeth was excited about showing us the beautiful and tranquil place. My heart was so much at peace there.

St. Francis, with his uncluttered life of devotion and his love of God's creatures, has always inspired me. The gardens around his statue reflected his character. The ordered and simple beauty of the landscape created a setting that was both soothing and uplifting.

I thought it beautiful, also, that so many flowers surrounded the statue of the Little Flower herself (St. Therese) and that a solitary pink rose, in my eyes the single most beautiful flower in the entire monastery, grew next to her statue. My heart smiled when remembering her appreciation of the minute handiwork of our Heavenly Father and her total dedication to Him in the most simple of earthly tasks.

May I be reminded by this time of quiet reflection to constantly guard my own heart and to realize anew the necessity of setting apart times of solitude and stillness in this mad, mad world. May I be grounded in what is truly essential. May I run with patience the race that is set before me, "setting aside the sin and the weights that so easily ensnare" me. May I rid my heart, not only of its sinful leanings, but of its propensity to be weighted down by whatever would take my eyes off His face.....

I think of The Little Prince's reflection, "It only with the heart that one can see rightly....for the things which are essential are invisible to the eye." How much easier it was to truly "see with my heart" in this lovely, God-blessed place.

Refiner of Gold

Oh Lord, may You use whatever pain or loss or separation or trial or any means necessary, to comform me to Your image. May all dross be cleared away so that my humble life may indeed show the reflection of Your love and grace and joy..... May my life become as gold refined in the crucible that becomes your mirror....and as water, still and quiet, that reflects Your face.....

Malachi 3:2-4 (New International Version)
2 But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the LORD will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, 4 and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the LORD, as in days gone by, as in former years.

Autumn Splendor

My soul will never tire of this place. What a loving and merciful gift from a loving Heavenly Father. What a gift, as well, to have been able to share these hills that are now "home" with friends and family from places now far away.

Dad and Bea's Visit

What a wonderful weekend with my dad and his wife! It was such a joy to share our world with them. Bea really appreciates nature and was so upbeat and positive about our treks through the mountains, and Dad seemed to love sharing the mountains with all of us, as well. They were a blessing to my heart!

Lynn and Aubria's Visit

What a delightful time with dear friends!
One of my favorite verses declares that "God sets the lonely in families".....and the Sanders are just that to our little clan. Lynn has been such a faithful mentor and friend since the death of my mother, and has remained faithful and supportive through so many difficult stretches of life's highways during the last seven years. I understand from such a deeper viewpoint just why my mother loved her so....
Aubria has been on the sidelines as a strong prayer supporter of us and has voiced sage and encouraging words so many times during this phase of our life's marathon.
The past week has been such a beautiful respite for us. During the past few days, we were able to fellowship with these dear friends on a whole new level.... To be able to laugh and cry, to truly communicate from the heart and mind, to share our very world and souls, and to realize acutely that the Lord Himself is the basis for our friendship.....This is indeed the stuff of which heaven is made. And this visit was a taste of what awaits us all some day...
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you...."
We love you, Lynn and Aubria!

I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy!

To quote Nellie Forbush in South Pacific:

Loudly I'll sing about flowers in spring,

Flatly I'll stand on my flat feet and say

Love is a grand and a beautiful thing!

I'm not ashamed to reveal

The world famous feelin' I feel.

I'm in love with a wonderful guy!

I am in a conventional dither,

With a conventional star in my eye.

And you will note there's a lump in my throat

When I speak of that wonderful guy!

I'm as corny as Kansas in August,

High as a flag on the Fourth of July!

If you'll excuse an expression I use,

I'm in love, I'm in love

I'm in love, I'm in love,

I'm in love with a wonderful guy!

Baby, Just Look at You Now

I know heaven will be better than this....intellectually......
But my heart simply cannot fathom it.
What absolute bliss! A whole weekend with little Neil! (and of course A and P, too:) This has honestly been one of the happiest moments of my life! Thanks to each of you for the memories that will flood my heart forever! I love you guys!

Somewhere over the Rainbow

I'm learning more every day that God plans and uses mightily the detours He sends into our lives. Yesterday was a case in point. I was headed home after my visit with the Martins. My heart was full from the special time with old friends. Autumn in the mountains surrounded me. I found myself mesmerized by the beauty of God's creation. Trees were just beginning to change their hues from greens to the colorful splendor that will put Joseph's coat to shame. Every direction filled my eyes with God's artistry. I was playing a favorite artist's cd as I rode in my new little auto and I was one, blissfully contented, lady:).....
And then I realized .... I was headed in the wrong direction.....(which is not easily remedied when one is driving on a narrow and winding mountain backroad)......
Yet, through God's grace, the past few years are teaching me to "live in the present", "forget past mistakes", and "press on" to find and follow God's footprints and to trust Him to be my Way, Truth, and Life:)........ The scenes above were the results of a "wrong" path! ........Or was it wrong, after all ?
He is teaching me that there are NO events in this believer's life that He has not ordained.... to mold me and bless me and conform me to be more like Himself. (And, boy, do I have a long way ahead of me!) I truly believe that my primary calling, as the Lord's child, is to keep my eyes on Him and to gratefully embrace ALL that He sends my way. I KNOW that ALL things, whether good or evil, will bring about the HIGHEST GOOD for God's child.....

On this day, a road headed directly OPPOSITE my own plans yielded this heaven-sent view. As I was forced to stop in order to turn around, I was able to get out and truly see God's world anew. Off the beaten path, I was able to literally walk UNDER a waterfall and, in the process, journey OVER the rainbow. Neither blessing would have been part of my experience had I continued traveling along my own chosen path. God had a higher road for me to travel....and His plans were to bless me, and to give me hope........ and a future that is filled, not only with joy,....but with breathtaking surprizes!

Pat, Bill, and Luna

What a delightful way to begin the autumn season! I was blessed to spend Sunday evening and Monday morning in Highlands, NC, with dear friends and mentors from my childhood--the Martins. It was so wonderful to visit with Pat and Bill again this year, remembering days gone by, catching up on lives woven together from eternity past, and learning more about these dear people who so influenced my life. (And, of course, a highlight was antiquing with the expert!)
Pat introduced me to Winnie the Pooh, refinishing furniture, sewing, and Cocker Spaniels when I was a child. All became part of me....She's a gracious Southern lady--wise and witty and the perfect hostess. (My dear mother called her "Friend". Pat was one with whom she was free to share her heart.) And Bill is a tender-hearted and hospitable Southern gentleman with a ready smile and a warm greeting. Like my dad, he is the quintessential Exxon engineer. Both Martins are civic minded, people-oriented, and generous. Once again, I was refreshed, inspired, and uplifted by being with them.
Thank you both for a lovely visit! ( I will think of you both each time I use the beautiful toast rack!)

Morning by Morning....

New mercies I see. Thou changest not. Thy compassions they fail not. Great is Thy faithfulness, LORD, unto me.
Two mornings of hope in the midst of the recent floods here. Our little home is built on rock and nestled in the foothills of the mountains. What a safe haven.....
But one of the many lessons that I have learned in the past few years....No earthly haven is really "safe". My only true hope is in Your Person, Lord.
My heart is full of gratitude this morning for so many things. Your provision and grace, Lord. Your faithfulness. Your unconditional love. Life. A beautiful, healthy and brilliant grandson. Three godly and gorgeous daughters and two wonderful sons-in-love (as my Mom would have said). My home. A wonderful church. My job with Big Brothers/Big Sisters....and countless daily blessings.
I sometimes am tempted to think about "what might have been", but, then, I realize anew that nothing ever happens to Your child without sifting through Your hands. May I truly focus on You and have the faith to accept, with gratitude, everything that You funnel my way....through Your loving hands.

Rainstorm Rainbow

I have just seen a sight unlike any in my lifetime. It's a beautiful day in Northwest Georgia...cumulus clouds in a Colorado blue sky. Still, and sunny, and so very fresh. I was on my back yard terrace. As I was looking at the mountains to the east, a rainstorm blew over the horizon, centralizing over the middle of the Blue Ridge range, leaving the rest of the sky still so sunny and bright. I was enjoying how rare the moment was, when, lo and behold, the entire rainstorm became one big prism of color.... I tried to capture this, but it simply does not show up from my feeble attempts.... Perhaps you can get a tiny glimpse, even though, in reality the entire section under the clouds was one big sea of color.....
I know I took this away from the moment.....My biggest storms, whether engulfing the entire sky, or simply covering my small "corner of life", can be invaded and, in fact, engulfed, by God's grace. The most sudden storm can be made into something light......
The darkness simply cannot win, in the end. Light will be victorious. And beauty will indeed rise from ashes.....

And Some Day We Shall See Him Face to Face

Your mercy, O Lord, reaches to the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness, for the Lord is gracious, and full of compassion, and of righteousness.

Indeed the darkness shall not hide me from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are the same to You.

And then I saw that wisdom excells folly as light excels over darkness....

Drive to the Airport......and Long Island Skyline

Adieu to Portland

Our last day in Portland included a visit to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's home, a stop at village markets in the old port section of town, and a final trip to the beach.....
What a wonderful and restful trip......

Straight from the Bob Newhart Show....the Essence of Small Town Maine

Sandy Beach at Bar Harbor

So many memories.....posting pictures is a way of journaling when there are no words....

Eastern Egg Island

We were totally enthralled with the puffins here. What delights! Just had to post more pictures..... p.s. The last picture is of Andrew Island, which was the summer home of Andrew and Betsy Wyeth. The white salt box house is the back drop of many of Andrew's paintings.

Cadillac Mountain

The hike to the summit of Cadillac and then the experience of picking blueberries there was really uplifting. The view was simply breath taking, especially as the clouds rolled in, leaving the entire countryside in a cold, misty fog..... I've rarely smelled anything so fresh in my life....