Brocade Curtains

 

This beautiful tree and the next picture were in a back yard not far from home. They both were stunning. It was a bright, sunny fall afternoon and the sky was a lovely shade of blue with white clouds. I love big, beautiful, healthy trees both in the spring and fall.

 

What is Love? "Brocade curtains . . . boots Ingrid's father wore, and an engagement ring."

 

I don't watch much TV anymore, rarely a new series or show, which is a good thing I suppose. I'd rather read or watch DVDs of my own choosing for my entertainment. But a number of years ago, there was one television series that I loved to watch: Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman. Maybe it was the romance of life on the frontier that drew me to it. Whatever it was, I watched faithfully from its beginning in 1993 to the last show in 1998.

A few years ago, as a gift to myself, I purchased the complete series, and I've enjoying the shows since then. I watched the shows again this year. Thankfully, Jerry liked the show too so he watches with me.

You can just see the small covered bridge on the other side of the tree. What beauty!

The other night we watched the episode "What is Love?" as the cast prepared to perform Romeo and Juliet. Brian, the young boy, was writing an essay about love, and as the show ended his essay declared "brocade curtains, boots Ingrid's father wore and an engagement ring" was love.

But Jerry topped this saying: "Love is trying to explain ice cream to someone who's never tasted it." It brought fun laughter to my face--we love ice cream! A little while after, the thought came to me: "how do you explain faith to someone who doesn't believe."

One of my thoughts is: "believing when you can't see, yet knowing in your heart it is true." Following are words from faithful men and women:

"Faith is not a sense, nor sight, nor reason, but taking God at His Word." Arthur Benoni Evans, 1781-1854.

"Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you cannot understand at the time." Oswald Chambers, 1874-1917.

A peaceful scene indeed!

"Faith is not anti-intellectual. It is an act of man that reaches beyond the limits of our five senses." Bill Graham

"Faith is knowing something is true, but you can't prove it, and you prove faith by the way you live your life and treat others in Jesus name." Jerry

 

"Faith means being grasped by a power that is greater than we are, a power that shakes us and turns us, and transforms and heals us. Surrender to this power is faith." Paul Johannes Oskar Tillich, 1886-1965

 

"Faith sees the invisible, believes the unbelievable, and receives the impossible." Corrie Ten Boom, 1892-1983

 

 

All this because of trying to explain love. I can certainly identify with this description: "Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time." Anonymous

Even an episode of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman can trigger my mind to greater topics. Faith. How do you describe it?

This is another lovely tree I saw in a backyard. When I asked permission to take pictures the lady said: "I just took pictures of it yesterday."