Absolute Value

There are some of us who struggle with self-worth. One of the most powerful tools of Satan used to discourage and destroy us. But I want to express my opinion of the absolute value from God that he has bestowed on each of us.

We are all created by God, in his image…and God doesn’t make mistakes. Even though we feel others may think less of us, God smiles on us because of his profound love for us. I wrote this little encouragement that expresses how I believe we should think us ourselves. I call it Beautiful Package

In many ways, we concern ourselves too much with how others see us. We think we should be prettier or more profound than we actually are, making us anxious on what we believe we are not.

We forget we are made in God’s image and everything he creates has a beauty of its own. Let’s take a sunflower as an example. Although there are several varieties, people seem to think sunflowers are always tall.

Even though this sunflower, planted by one of the many birds in my yard, is barely over one foot tall, its beauty is stunning. It has one flower open and two other buds waiting to open. So I remind you that while you may not be a tall sunflower sharing your beauty in a bright blue sky, your beauty is still not missed by God and he wants the light of your beauty to shine from the inside. Beauty that is on the inside is far more important than beauty that is on the outside seen by others.

Do not stress over what you may see, or not see, in the mirror. Remember God created it all and he said it was good. That was what he said at the beginning, and it is also true for now. We have to accept our beauty given as a gift and we need to share its light with God’s love so that others may feel that beauty. With that mindset, your beauty will be beyond measure. So allow your flower to bloom as you share the love God gave you to share. And while it may not be accepted by some, when given as God intended, it will always bring a smile to his face. For he told us to love as he loves. Allow the beauty he gave you to shine and brighten someone else’s day.

In closing, I remind you that when you share the attributes of God, your light is always bright. Shine your inner beauty and always be kind.

Silly Moon Poem

Last night before the sun was fully gone, the moon was rising in a clear sky and was beautiful as it shone through the tree. I took its picture and thought I would try to write a little poem about it as I work on my writings for book 2 of Smiles from Heaven. See what you think.

The sun loses the last of its light against the tall tree,

You, dear moon, shine your light for all of us to see.

It comes through the branches which softens your glow

Bringing a smile of hope and peace to us below

But you, dear moon, don’t show a face of cheer

Do you sing a sad lament while your eyes shed a tear?

Come now, our dear precious moon above

God has created us all to feel His precious love.

G. A. Neal

Day is Done

The day is done, which once begun

We watch the sinking sun

Our life is spun, with webs that run

With hopes we all are one.

Anita Neal

If we watch closely, nature will speak to us, proving that indeed we are all one. Each day is a gift with beauty to see, even when chaos is swirling around us. Stop for 2 seconds and see the beauty that could be around you.

My prayer goes out to all war torn countries, especially Israel. May you see a glimmer of hope of God’s blessed peace.

Christian Perspective

We who are of the Christian faith have a strong sense of belief that God does indeed love each of us. Our part of the relationship is…to believe it. And with that belief, there is assurance of His love. He never leaves us, never stops caring for us…we are the ones who do that. We are the ones who walk away from His unfathomable love.

Recently I have been faced with the horrors of losing yet another sibling to a dreaded disease – ALS. While my oldest sister was a believer in God, I don’t believe my brother is and it is profoundly heartbreaking. I am praying that deep down in his heart, he remembers God’s love for him.

I am in the process of writing another book of encouragement and this morning after reading my devotions, this story came to me so I am sharing it with you. If you are a believer then you will understand her peace. If you are not a believer, then I challenge you to prove me wrong. For in both scenarios, we could all win.

Renewal

She stared deeply in the mirror at her withering body, her earthly tent. She glanced around her room and turned to walk slowly through her house. It was simple and comfortable, not expansive like some of her friends. She smiled as she walked over to her plants. Their bodies were rich and full, some had buds ready for fragrant blooms.

Fragrant, thought Sarah. Yes, that is what we are told it will be like. Heaven is fragrant. Maybe from the many flowers that are there. It’s a beautiful place filled with love…because He is there.

Sarah’s attention was broken as sweet Daisy wrapped her velvety tail around her frail leg.

“Oh, Daisy,” she said as she picked up her orange tabby cat, “It will be a beautiful place of no more pain, no more disease, and no more fear. Only love.”

“Only love,” she whispered setting Daisy back on the floor. Sarah walked over and sat in her favorite chair. She picked up her bible and turned to 2 Corinthians 5. She read…

For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down, when we die, and leave these bodies, we will have wonderful new bodies in heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God himself, and not by human hands.

Sarah closed her eyes in quiet prayer. “Thank you, Lord, for the promise of blessed renewal. By G.A. Neal

I hope this reminds you of God’s gracious love for each of us and that even when we can’t see Him, or can’t feel Him, He is still there. Breathe in the peace He offers and remember to be kind to those who may not know kindness.

And Then it Was Winter

I did not write this, don’t know who did, but its thoughts needed to be shared. I did add the photos. Some are mine and some are googles.

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, that was eons ago and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams. But here it is…the winter of my life catching me by surprise. How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years thinking those years were far ahead of me…that my winter was far off. But here it is. My friends are retiring, getting grey and moving slower that before. Some are in better health conditions than me, some are worse. I see the great change in them, their winter. Not like their earlier vibrant selves…but like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now the older folks we thought we would never be.

Each day now, I find that getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is no longer a treat but mandatory like when I was a small child. If I don’t do it of my own free will, then I will just fall asleep where I sit.

So, now I enter this season of my life unprepared for all the aches, pains and loss of strength. I no longer have the ability to go and do the things I wish I had done…but never did! But alas, though my winter has come, and I am not sure how long it will last…one thing is certain. When my life is over on this earth, it’s not over…for my Lord and Savior is waiting for me with open arms. A new adventure will begin! Yes I have regrets. I have things I wished I had done, things I wish I had done better, and happy for the things I did get to do, people I got to love, beauties I got to see. It’s all in a lifetime.

So, if you are not yet in your winter season yet, let me remind you…it will get here quicker than you think. So, whatever you would like to do in this life, do it quickly. Don’t put it off too long! We are only promised today, so do what you can today. Say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember and hope they appreciate and love you for all the thing you have done for them.

Life is a gift and the way you live your life is a gift for those after you, so make it fantastic.

And I remind you, regardless of whether your winter is close or far off, to live this gift of life with kindness. It gives you more wonderful memories to reflect back on.

FOTD, July 31, & Encouragement

Cee creates an amazing challenge using flowers with her FOTD post and many of us join in on the fun. This evening, I want to stretch that challenge with encouragement from a weed.

Due to the excessive heat we have had this summer, I have not been able to work much in my yard the last few weeks, and as usual, the weeds have taken over. But Friday I started the weed whacker and took care of business. One weed I left as it was covered in interesting looking buds and today they are opening.

You can see from my thumb how very tiny this cluster of flowers is. I took out my camera with the macro lens and got a closer shot to show you the intricacies.

Here you can see the super tiny flowers bunched together to make the cluster of color.

What I want everyone who reads this to really see and understand is that each of us is just this beautiful, just this intricate, and just this much loved as we were created. If God goes to the trouble to do this for a tiny flower, even an unwanted weed type flower, think of how much more precious you are to God when he created you in His image. So don’t let anyone tell you that you are not loved, that you are not special, or that you are not needed. Because God never makes junk, He always makes a masterpiece.

So smile knowing you are special and remember to smile and be kind to others who may not realize how special they are.

Acceptance of Love

In reading my devotion from Billy Graham’s Daily Devotions this morning, I learned a new concept of Christ’s love that I never thought of before. Billy Graham said…

A gift is not a gift unless it is accepted. God has given you His Son, but ownership is conditional on acceptance. God does not force His gift on us, but He asks us to receive by faith the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. Billy Graham

While I have long ago accepted Christ as my savior, I never really thought about that if you don’t accept Him as a gift, you don’t get to have Him. There have been tangible gifts through the years that I have refused, and I never connected the dots of God’s love, mercy, patience, or guidance as being a gift I would refuse.

A person who deliberately refuses God’s offer of love, mercy, and forgiveness is lost. Most people gratefully receive a gift when given in love. The greatest sin that a person can commit is to refuse God’s love. Billy Graham

I am creating this post not to make anyone feel uncomfortable in their own beliefs but to help anyone realize the beauty, compassion, love, and understanding that is available for accepting the gift from God of his one and only son Jesus Christ.

Remember to always share kindness with others as He has been kind to you.

God’s beauty

As we look around our world, nature in its rawest form is beautiful and majestic and something God wanted to share with us. If you are on Facebook, I encourage you to check out National Geographic: Photographs of the Day, as photographers show you the beauty, the caring, the loving attributes that animals have through amazing photographs. I posted the names listed on the page of the photo hoping these are the amazing photographers. I apologize if wrong but what amazing photographs.

Many say that animals have no soul. Since I believe in Christ and the Bible, it says that man is made in God’s image where He gave us a piece of Himself so that we would commune with Him, a soul.

However, God also created animals and I believe he created in them an ability to also commune with Him. A, D. Williams, an American football player and also a minister said, “If they love, they are aware. If they are aware, they have a soul.”

These photographs I am posting prove that all creatures understand love. Love given to them by our creator. Its an amazing love meant to be shared one day when man and beast alike will commune together in kindness and love.

“In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 12:10.

Kibeir Maazouz

Keka Banerjee

Kibeir Maazouz

Adriano Garcia

A,J, John Arryadanpakal

Ashkor Patro

Nima Gaming YT

If you start with elephants, you must end with elephants. They are the largest animal we currently have and in my opinion, openly show the most affection and care within their herd and outside of it.

Always remember to show kindness and love as the elephants do. You never know what light you may bring to a weary soul.

Words of Hope

All people everywhere have some tangible evidence that they hold onto which guides them to the intangible belief of their hope. For Christains, it is God’s Holy Word – the Bible. Then there are song that are in the bible, the Psalms, and song written about the stories of the bible, that help us stay true the the truths written in this ancient manuscript.

One of my all time favorite artists of Christian music is Michael W. Smith and he sand a song about this magnificent manuscript called Ancient Words. Here are some of the words that show the heart of the song.

Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world
They resound with God’s own heart
Words of life, words of hope
Give us strength, help us cope
Ancient words will guide us home

Ancient words, ever true
Changing me and changing you
Holy words of our faith
Handed down to this age
Came to us through sacrifice
Oh, heed the faithful words of Christ

This song is on YouTube, if you would like to hear it. My goal for this post is to share the knowledge of how very much you are loved. For Jesus did not come to condemn but to love, and to bring us all to the place where we share in the beauty He has to offer.

May you all have a blessed weekend and are fully aware of the beauty and love that surrounds you. And as always, be kind. Kindness has the power to change the worse day into something sweet.

The Mighty Mississip’

Those of us from the south fully understand what the Mississippi River can do during hurricane season where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. But here in the Midwest, we don’t worry so much about hurricanes…we worry about snowmelt. These first pictures are from last summer at the bandstand down at the river where we have weekly outdoor concerts.

But this year is one of the flooding years. They don’t always look this bad but this year may set a record. If you can see that white dotted line across the center of the water…that is the tops of the white chairs from above and the current water level is almost to the bandstand floor level. The water is not due to crest until Monday. The concerts may be late this year.

Picnic anyone?

I was not able to take a picture because I was driving across the bridge, but they were cutting the grass of the baseball field. The building in the thirds set of pictures behind the Bandits sign is the baseball stadium and they have floodgates around it so the stadium stays dry. But I chuckled at the irony of them cutting the grass.

Always remember that life can throw you curve balls. Some you get to hit out of the way and some knock you down. But God is always there by your side to help you either way. Feel His love surround you and reflect His kindness.