Surrounded...

"The next time you hear a baby laugh
or see an ocean wave,
take note.
Pause and listen
As His majesty whispers
ever so gently,
'I'm here'."
- Max Lucado-

Struggles. Hurts. Disappointments. Worries.
They are everywhere.
Just the other day, nearly one thousand more people were notified of losing their jobs here in our very small corner of the world.
That's a pretty big pebble plopped down in these parts,
and the ripples will reach nearly everyone around here, in one way or another.
Just like all families,
we have had pain and difficulties.
Some of it has passed, and some of it still needs some time for us to work through it.
With God's help.
Sometimes not so easy to see. Or feel. Or understand.
But He's there.
The trouble you are faced with today?
Microscopic compared to the miracles He is working on at this very minute.
Hoping you will have a great weekend- and see some of the miracles He's been working on for you!

"It is the normality not the uniqueness of God's miracles that causes them to be so staggering.
Rather than shocking the globe with an occasional demonstration of deity, God has opted to display His power daily. Proverbially.
Pounding waves. Prism-cast colors. Birth, death, life.
We are surrounded by miracles.
God is throwing testimonies at us like fireworks, each one exploding...
God is! God is!"
-Max Lucado-

What'll it be Wednesday...

...mmmmm!
Red, ripe, juicy maters, zippy peppers, and fresh herbs.
Nothing beats the flavor-full taste of just-picked garden goodies.
Already made (and polished off) the first batch of garden marinara sauce.
And now, it is time for something different...perhaps some of my brother's fantastic salsa,
or maybe this Pomadoro Sauce recipe I found in my Taste of Home Cookbook:
4 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 C olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 T minced fresh basil
1/2 t salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
Thinly sliced French bread, toasted (optional- for bruschetta, if you like)
In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, oil, garlic, basil, salt & pepper.
Cover and let stand at room temp for 20 to 30 minutes.
Serve as a topping on French bread, or toss over your favorite pasta, or with grilled meat.
So, what'll it be? Care to share?
If so, leave a comment with your favorite way to enjoy the bounty of your garden goodies-or link your blog with one of your favorite recipes!
Mangia!

Our corner of the jungle...

...Admittedly, it was the "no glue or scissors required" part that really caught my eye.
That, the pleadings of a persistent 3 year old, and the fact that it was on clearance led to some
surprisingly creative fun out of the hot afternoon sun.
Monkey and Elephant have had many, many interesting conversations...
...and Tiger too- when he isn't "lion" around, of course!
(Grrr- sorry, couldn't resist!)

He loves me...

..and you too!

"My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn't know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can't know him if you don't love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God.

My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!"

1 John 4:10-12 The Message

Have a Blessed Weekend!

Zzzzzz...

...seems as if there's been entirely too much partying during afterhours at the zoo!

Learning what we live...

...anyone else remember this poem, by Dorothy Law Nolte "Children Learn What They Live"?

'Children Learn What They Live'

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.

If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.

If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.

If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.

-- Dorothy Law Nolte

The poem was written in 1954. Times were different back then. A whole lot different. Been thinking about this though, how what the example that is lived out for our children helps shape who they become. How about the popular childhood games of "Follow the Leader"? or "Simon Says", or "Mother May I"? Compared with the array of our modern electronic games designed to "stimulate" and "enrich", these (and many other) games seem outdated, almost archaic. Too bad, really. How about the tv gameshow, "Truth or Consequences"? Yeah, that one would never work today, when as a society, we really don't want much to do with either. Truth has been replaced with "political correctness" and Consequences with "blame". There are lots of good parents out there who work hard at parenting and being good examples for their children. It's tough, exhausting work. The kind of tough work that makes you a superhero in your child's eye one minute, and a complete jerk the next.
Parenting is not a popularity contest, to be sure. And it does not always produce harmony with our children. Either for a toddler or teenager- one throws a tantrum at rules and the other rebels in more subversive ways. Sigh.

So for now, we just keep plugging away at this intricate maze called parenting. Praying daily for our children, and remembering The One True Example we are all called to follow.

John 13:34

I scream...You scream...

We all scream for Ice Cream!
(or, in this case, a dreamsicle bar)

...wishing you moments like this!

...without words (mostly)

"Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in feeling creates love."
-Lao Tzu-

Happy Fourth from OIB...

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th,

not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House

in a show of strength and muscle,

but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees,

the potato salad gets iffy,

and the flies die from happiness.

You may think you have overeaten,

but it is patriotism."

-Erma Bombeck-

A little slice of paradise...

...watching kites and gulls
view through the dunes...

...walking in the waves

...wardrobe for the week

"Write it on your heart that everyday is the best day in the year." - Emerson