FOTD – June 29, ‘Shroom

Cee reminds us that Flower of the Day doesn’t HAVE to be a flower – Don’t forget that my FOTD challenge accepts gardens, leaves and berries as well as flowers.

So today I give you something I have never seen before, not that I have seen everything, but this was neat.

***There were actually three of them.***

I tried to find out what type of mushroom these were but found no information in the internet. They are transparent and no bigger than my thumb. The baby one to the right you can see has the umbrella look, where the bigger one has spread out it umbrella and split looking like a flower. This was in the flower bed outside of my office.

The next one came from my yard. It was much bigger, standing nearly 8 inches tall and 3 inches in diameter. With us having so much rain, it is really bring them out.

This looks like some of the water towers I have seen with the flared out bottom and the dome looking top. And yes, I know I need to cut my grass…if it would quit raining.

Come join in on the fun of FOTD and as always remember to be kind.

Amazing Stonework, June 28

Good morning friend’s. It is Monday morning and time again for you pics of amazing stonework in your area. While my original concept was buildings, My goal is to highlight the artwork created by builders of long ago, so share your beauties with us. Remember to attach the tag above so that others can follow you as well. Enjoy.

Today’s building is the old Capitol Theater here in Davenport Iowa. It closed in 1977 after a 57 years run. But there has been work going on it for a couple of years so hopefully this beauty is being restored to live once again.

I want to combine Amazing Stone work with Ludwig’s Monday Window as this building has wonderful windows.

Even though the window is more modern, the stonework around it is beautiful. The details cut into the granite (?) is quite amazing. The building corner that this was originally built for theater,

Other details along the front of the building show more intricate details.

Since entrance into the building was not an option, I did find this picture in an article showing historical theaters of the area. I wanted to share as well. Hopefully this building will get fully restored to re-share it’s beauty with us.

And remember, even buildings has stories to tell and tell stories is how we keep history alive. Combining history with kindness can prove that we were, still are and can always show love to each other.

Weekend Encouragement

Its Friday again friends – wow what a week. I hope your week was good and hope this encouragement can help with anything you may face for the weekend

I am enjoying this much needed rain we are getting but I hope we don’t get too much. We are such a silly lot, complain when we don’t get enough and then complain when we seem to get too much.

The encouragement I am sending today comes from various sources that I read and I am combining three of them as they all spoke of a central theme – the various gifts God gives us and how we choose to use them.

The opening statement in Jesus Calling by Sarah Young said “Open your hands and your hearts to receive this day as a precious gift from God.”

There are many forms of gifts we are given and we know from our reading and studying God’s word that each of us has been given a gift unique to us. He takes great delight in reminding us that He is always there and He rejoices when we reflect His beauty in our actions and gifts.

I am taking a writing course in poetry, not what I thought it was going to be, but the lesson I am learning is how sad life can be without God in your corner. God opens doors often to show his great love for us but we have to be willing to open our hands and hearts to accept it. Billy Graham’s devotion had a statement that made me chuckle but only because I fully understood what he was saying where those who don’t know Christ are still floundering on the dry beach gasping for air.

“While the IRS keeps a record of how we spend our money, that is nothing compared to the records God keeps with how we spend/use our gifts.” Billy Graham

The majority of God’s gifts probably are not of monetary value. In some instances they are, but most are gifts to help further His kingdom. And these gifts affect how we walk our in Christian lives. In Oswald Chambers Devotion this morning from Utmost for His Highest, he made a statement that sometimes we can not be effective in our walk until we have been through the Fires of Sorrow.

As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people. Oswald Chambers

And that to me is a true gift from God, the ability to stand strong when chaos is swirling about you, knowing He has got your back; the ability to still see the world through a glass half full instead of half empty; and the ability to show comfort and kindness to others when there have been times when you yourself were not show these things. So I remind you to take courage and peace in knowing God is holding your hand.

And as you feel the love and peace of God surrounding you, remember to be kind. Acts of kindness can have a profound ripple effect.

Puzzled

I am taking a course to help my writing. Today it focused on poetry, something I dabble in but am not great in. But I was taken back by the samples of poems we studied and how very sad they all were. Then the other people in the class also seemed a bit sad but loved the sadness of the poem. I was confused. The leader of the class wanted us to focus on gratitude and how we wrote about being grateful.

I understand that for some that may be difficult but for me, I just look up and around at all the beauty around us and am very grateful. Yes, there is ugliness all around as well but I think if we look more intently, we can see more beauty than ugly. I also understand that I am now safe and comfortable but I do know what it is to suffer, to be oppressed and to be the victim of abuse. I just chose to look past that and am blessed in being able to be at a point in my life where I can be grateful.

For homework, we had to write a poem about what draws us to write. So while we all have a life to live, I wrote about the beauty life can be. And thought I would share my poem with you.

Ode to Life

I step out the door, take in a breath and listen to the energy of life

The force of it comes wielding our way like a sharp unstoppable knife

I close my eyes, taking in the smells as they deftly assault my nose

Fresh mown grass and lavender compete with the sweet red rose

The tinkling of the wind chime is what I hear first

Then the hawk calls out with her shrill short burst

The bees hum softly while quenching their thirst

And birds at the feeder are fighting to be first

Life is shared on all of creation, a gift with love that is never easy

Some parts are harder than others and some parts can make us queasy

But each part has its own beauty, a beauty we find hard to see

For it is the creator intension that we should all live free

When life gets hard, we want to back away

Confrontation, not something we want to stay

But confrontations now will make us strong

Giving us wisdom to survive the throng

So come let us step outdoors, breathing in this beautiful life

Understanding some days are good and some are fully strife

If we focus more on the good, our faces will begin to smile

And the beauty of life around us will help us conquer this trial.

Anita Neal

In all of life remember the power and beauty of being kind. That in itself is a gift.

CFFC: Ground

Cee’s CFFC challenge is ground. Since it is garden time, I give you raised ground – for those of us who don’t bend as well as we use to.

Here we have the garden after the corn started coming up and before the squash took over.

This was taken last week…now it is even higher. I broke rule #1 – don’t plant too much in a small space! Ah well, its been fun.

If you plant a garden, remember to plant kindness. It will grow into a garden of love.

Amazing Stonework, June 21

Good evening friends. It is time again to share the beauty you find concerning stonework. It can be actual stones, fancy blocks, or concrete. When I started this challenge I was wanting to share old architecture across the world. To me it has a different class to today’s modern streamline structures. So, share the beauty of old that you see.

Today I want to share corners. Inner edge corners and outer edge corners and this week I have two different buildings. Both have very intricate details in concrete as they swoop around in their perspective direction.

***This shows concrete, stone and brick***

The details in all the levels and the corner pieces. I cant imagine what it would cost to build something like this today. I was not able to find a date for this building.

Amazing details here as well, especially at the inner corner. Come join in the the fun and share the beauty that you see. Remember to include the badge from above and the tag for Amazing Stonework but most of all have fun.

And in closing I remind you of the power of kindness. Let it move with you wherever you go.

Monday Encouragement

On Mondays and Fridays I send out a little encouragement to remind us that even though this world can give us troubles, we have an advocate to help us traverse these trials. I pull in scripture with pictures for these encouragements because they help me visualize better. Today I want to remind all of our deliverer.

Good evening friends. What a glorious day today we had here in the midwest. It was a true reprieve. Webster describes reprieve as : to give relief or deliverance for a time. And today with the little bit of rain we got Sunday and the front finally moving through, it gave us a much needed but short reprieve – after all it is June and legally summer for the northern hemisphere. It was 72 when I left the office today – 72!! This time two weeks ago it was 92 . Thank you, I will take this short deliverance from the heat.
Deliverance is an interesting word. We think of getting something delivered to us or delivered away from us that makes us relieved in some way. I like to think of the quiet but powerful deliverance we get from God. The Psalms are full of the messages of deliverance from the troubles of this world. God protects us – I picture a cleft in a rock or a cave with Jesus standing protectively in front of that opening. Nothing harmful is getting past Him to us.

We are delivered…for all time. Hard times, difficult times and sad time still come but we are given peace to survive them.

The only thing is, it requires trust. And for some, that can be a hard thing. Sometimes our lives blow up in our faces so much we have little trust to give. But if we can get there, it is the most surprising thing to feel and comprehend. There is not anything you can compare it to here on earth for it is not from earth – it’s from heaven.

So trust in Him, believe He loves you, even when we may not seem loveable – He still loves us. He loves us when we feel on top of the world and when we are shattered and scattered across the floor. He is always close at hand, you just have to reach out to Him and he reaches down to you.

His hand is always reaching for your hand, regardless of where you are in your walk with Him. At the beginning, in the middle…wherever you are.

So be encouraged that you don’t have to do this alone. You have an advocate to walk beside you. There are even times He will carry you because you just don’t have the strength. He will never leave you.

Remember his profound kindness to you and try to always be kind for others who are struggling.

And the War Goes On

Since the fall of creation, the planet and its many species have been at war with each other. Some fight to establish dominance, some fight to protect their homes. When we think of war, we think of people for they are the most ruthless and demeaning of all but I want us to think of smaller territories…basically the back yard.

Since March I switched from the suet feeders to the seed feeders. I have been enjoying the various birds that come to my yard and through switching feeds around, I have settled on Saffron seeds for two reasons. One squirrels don’t like them and various birds that I consider take over birds (Grackles & sparrows) are generally not a big fan of Saffron. Yes, I lose some of the other birds I enjoy watching but the ‘war’ seems to be less intense. While sparrows are cute and cuddly, they come in swarms and deplete the feeders before anyone else can have any so, sorry guys but you are pigs.

What I did not expect to see was the war between the Blue Jay and the Robin. While I do have a ring of peanuts for the Blue Jays and the Woodpeckers, I have a platform feeder with Saffron for the Robins and the Mourning Doves. The rest of the feeders are tube feeders filled with Saffron.

I did some research and found that Jays and Robins generally have strong animosity towards each other but will nest in the same tree. Coming from the south, I am well aware of tactics of Jays and always thought the Robins to be the gentle bird. Not in my yard. If a Jay dare show his face in my yard, the Robins come out of nowhere and run them off. Its quite comical. The obvious leader of the Jays in this area is quite large and beautiful. He is a large male that is a good bit bigger that the Robin – no matter, he runs from the Robin.

***Is he around…not back there…not on the ground…***

I write a lot in my blogs about being kind to all kinds but you can’t train out instincts of nature. One day we will all get along, but not today. So until, that day, try to always be kind. You will be surprised of the encouragement you will spread.

Weekend Writing Prompt #214, Unkown

Sammi Cox tells us with her challenge that Weekend Writing prompt is a word prompt to get your creativity flowing. How you use the prompt is up to you. Write a piece of flash fiction, a poem, a chapter for your novel…anything you like. Or take the challenge below – there are no prizes – it’s not a competition but rather a fun writing exercise. If you want to share what you come up with, please leave a link to it in the comments. Word Prompt is:

Unknown

The hawk’s next meal is unknown to him as he soars effortlessly on the summer breeze. He sends out his shrill call to his mate or fellow hawks as they all float in the upper air drafts of the sky while scanning the earth floor below in search of an unknown victim that will be their next meal.

While all life is precious, the rules of nature are always at play. So it is always important to share kindness wherever you can, for some are victims and some are just plain lost.

Always Be Kind.

First Line Friday: June 18

The café began to feel like her only real home. Carrie looked out at the lights as they blinked on the sign, Lou & Rachel’s Café. The pain and fear were still very real. She glanced down at the ugly scar that snaked across her left forearm and down her hand.

“Your awfully quiet tonight,” said Rachel. “You okay?” Rachel was well aware of what this day was. It had been six years to the day that her sister’s family had been in a horrific accident with Carrie being the only survivor of six in her family and two teenage boys whose car exploded upon impact.

“I am old enough now to have processed what happened and begin to heal from it. But I can still see in it my mind, hear the screaming of tires, the breaking of glass and that horrid smell of burning flesh. Will I ever be fully healed? I sometimes wish I had died as well so I don’t have these memories.”

“Emotional and psychological healing takes an infinitely longer time and in some cases you just learn to live with the memories by pushing them out of your mind. You will get better. What does your therapist say?”

“She is pleased with how well I have done so far but she knows there is still a lot more healing to do. Thank you for taking me in. I cant imagine doing this alone.”

“Have you thought any more about the community college?”

“Some. My therapist is good friends with the Dean of the College, so they understand my situation. Due to my injuries, I may never be able to play the violin again but I could teach. I just don’t know if that is enough or even a wise thing to do. Or do I really want that?”

“Well, as I am sure what others have told you is that at least you could be back in music. But I fully understand if that is not enough or if its is too hard to separate from what you wanted for your life. I will be here to support whatever you need.”

“It’s funny but the love and warmth of this little café has helped me heal better than I think anything else could have.”

“That is because of the love of this little town. They loved your family and only want the best for you. They too will support any decision you make. You have a lot of love here. Plus they are always here for my cherry pie. It is to good to be true,” she chuckled.

“You are right about that,” she chuckled herself. “I know the love of this town. I can feel it. I just got to get a direction.”

“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It will happen when its time. Just breathe.”

Carrie smiled at her aunt as he walked back into the kitchen. She knew the love here was strong and was so thankful for the café being her new home.

Thank to Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie for a fun prompt for Fridays. Come play along and share your creativity with us.

And as always, I remind all to be kind. Its a amazing tool to help others heal.