Dream Along

Recently I've been pondering dreams. My dreams. Things I still want to do in this life. This may be why, while shopping at Wegmens (who has everything and more than a grocery store should), I picked up some magazines I normally would not have purchased.

This city girl loves the country, and I'm so glad I've lived in the country for 28 years. One of my favorite things is sitting in the back yard early on a summer morning and hearing a rooster crow. With our house being right on a major thoroughfare, most other seasons of the year I can't hear the rooster. But a refreshing summer morning, especially on Saturdays and Sundays, I hear one. And it makes me smile!


I've often mentioned to Jerry that it would be fun to have a few chickens and a rooster. I've always said this knowing it would never be. But recently I've been considering why not? Of course, I know nothing about having chickens or a rooster, so when I saw this magazine, "Chickens from Hobby Farms" in the store I picked it up.

Do I have any chicken and rooster friends out there? Are you familiar with raising them and keeping them on your property?

Just a dream . . .

One animal I know I will never raise is a cow. I know when something is out of my reach, and a cow definitely is. But it didn't stop me from picking up a magazine about them! (Countryside & Small Stock Journal)

I love taking pictures of cows and calves. A pastoral scene is so inviting and comforting. I'm definitely going to read the article titled "Management on a Small Acreage." I know, I only have one acre, but I can still dream.

I should plan a vacation at one of those farms where you can work the farm. Last year at the South Mountain Creamery (see Milk Time, October 24, 2012 post) I bottle-fed calves for the very first time! What a thrill it was--a day to remember!

Every day at 4 p.m. you can bottle-feed calves. The creamery is in Middletown, Maryland, just outside of Frederick. A worker drives up and places a bottle outside each stall. You just go from one to the next one and so on. After feeding four calves my arms were reminding me that I'm a city girl with no muscles.

They also have the cutest little ice cream cones at their shop!

I also picked up Blue Ridge Country magazine while shopping, and the article "What are Photos For?" caught my eye. The starting sentence in the article says: "One thing they're for, upon looking back, is showing you 'What's Beautiful to your Eyes and Heart.'" And so it is. As the author, Elizabeth Hunter said: "These photos are a road map to my life. They show you what's beautiful to your eyes and heart . . . Taking the photographs, I understood, was offering and acknowledgment, a bow to the wonder of it all."

I've been taking pictures all my life. I love the feeling and memories I have when I see old snaps and remember when I found the scene and snapped it. And, once I went from film to digital, another whole world opened up to me. The joy of snapping God's creation, and knowing it's His creation, brings a feeling of joy and thankfulness.



Last, but not least, I picked up the magazine: "Pennsylvania." With a covered bridge on the cover how could I pass it up? A few years ago, Jerry and I visited Bedford County, not far from Breezewood, where we go occasionally to eat and shop. The country store in Bob Evans is full of treasures!

We took the driving tour there of nine covered bridges, including a side trip to Gravity Hill (which is a very interesting place).
                                                                                                                                      

"Have you ever wanted to defy gravity? Located in the suburbs of New Paris, PA (South Central Pennsylvania)... Gravity Hill is a phenomenon. Cars roll uphill and water flows the wrong way. It's a place where gravity has gone haywire. There is no fee to venture onto Gravity Hill. It is, quite simply, a road in a remote corner of Bedford County." www.gravityhill.com



No matter how old we are, we can still dream. We should dream. God has opened the door of His universe for our enjoyment, and in it we see the greatest of His creation. So dream on my friend. You are still living. God is still providing.

Now, let me get back to those chickens and you start dreaming!

There's a Reason

Recently I was down with a virus and it afforded me some time to listen to CDs I hadn't heard in awhile. I want to share the words of three songs Kim Hopper sings on her CD "I Just Wanted You to Know."
Brothers and sisters in Christ; co-laborers with me in the Lord's work, let your hearts be encouraged for all your effort and sacrifice down here on earth, until we go home to heaven.

Well Done, Well Done, by Cindy Morgan

"One step then two, then a million more, Sunday morning you, walked the old wood floor,
To lift a song to heaven, and let the praises ring, Let Him use your life, and heard the choir sing,

"Well done, well done, dear faithful one, Though the mountains were steep, Now the race is run,
See the Father smile, Father and the Son, Well done, well done, dear faithful one.

"When pain is deep, and grief is great, And it's hard to make it through the day,
Walk onward soldier for the gospel truth, For the crown and the glory, is waiting there for you.

"One fine day, when time is through, And you journey on to a land brand new,
To shout Hallelujah, as you step through the gates, And feel the Saviour's arms, and hear the angel choir say,

"Well done, well done, dear faithful one, Though the mountains were steep, Now the race is run,
See the Father smile, Father and the Son, Well done, well done, dear faithful one."

"That Sounds Like Heaven to Me" by Paula Stefanovich, is where I set my sights, knowing I'll soon move on to a mansion on high.

"Lord, I thank you for this world of so much beauty, The glory of your handiwork I see.
The magnitude of what you have created, All the splendor ... well it still amazes me.
But you've prepared another place for those who love you. A Holy city, on a hill so far away.
And when I think about that land, I can't get use to, Living here, where I know I will not stay.
With all the stories of heaven I've been told, Every now and then Lord I just want to go ...
Where the crystal river flows, by streets of pure gold, Mansions bright and fair, none can compare.
My eyes now long to see, my loved ones waiting for me, Through all eternity ... that sounds like heaven to me.
A place where hate and suffering won't be found, Lamb and lion, side by side, lay down.
Oh, the beauty that my eyes shall behold, I can't imagine that the half has not been told.
Where all the saints bow down, and give up their crowns, Lay them at your feet ... sounds like heaven to me.
Around your throne of grace, every tongue every race, Will kneel in unity ... that sounds like heaven to me.
A celebration rings ... giving praise to the King ... And all the angels sing ... Holy ... Holy.
Around your golden throne, praises go on and on, You reign in majesty ... that sounds like heaven to me."

When you find yourself ill or recouperating from surgery, it's a perfect time to immerse yourself in our Lord. My short time of feeling bad was turned to the happy knowledge that I'm a child of the King, and one day soon will receive a glorious presense in heaven.

Until that time, I'm sure your words match mine as this last song so aptly says . . .

"I Just Wanted You to Know" by Kyla Rowland

"Where there is fear, Lord you will hide me, When wind of danger around me blows,
I feel your arms of grace surround me And I just wanted you to know.

"There's strength in knowing you are near me, And peace that you alone bestow,
I love you more today than ever, And I just wanted you to know.

"You make dry ground, where once were oceans, Where once were mountains, you make them low,
Where there were stones, now there is water, You satisfy my thirsty soul.

"For all the times I've seen your glory, And watched you conquer my every foe,
My love for you is overflowing, And I just wanted you to know."
March on faithful one. Be strong and courageous, for we serve a great King!

And if by chance you don't know Jesus and don't have the hope of a loving Savior or heavenly home, God's Word can show you the way. It's real. It's true. It's available. You just have to ask to receive Jesus, and accept His free gift of salvation.

It's amazing!

I saw the clouds in the top picture one morning after letting Aspen out. Little dots of clouds all over the sky. The eagle snaps were taken the other week at Conowingo Dam. The barn below I found out riding around.

Who Are You Thankful for?

Although I've become lazy in recent years in accomplishing this practice, "November Joy" is an action I highly recommend! It began many years ago in my heart and always brought a smile to my face. When I would turn the calendar over to November, I began to consider those people who made a different in my life that year. Then I'd write them a note thanking them for being in my life.

Many of us see Thanksgiving as a "family" celebration, and that's a good thing. I encourage you to expand that view and show thankfulness to those folks in your life who've brought a smile, helped in a time of need or just made you feel good. It could be a phone call, a visit, a gift of food or an item you make, even an email message. Anything to say, "Thank you for being in my life!"

Right after I decided "November Joy" would be my next blog post, I pulled up an email from Linda, an old friend. She wrote, "Last night on the CMA awards, Kenny [Rodgers] sang a song that reminds me of our life-long friendship." I pulled the video up on You Tube and was teary-eyed before it was over. "You Can't Make Old Friends" is the song he sang. I encourage you to pull it up and listen.

It is beautifully sung with his friend Dolly Parton. Allow me a moment to endorse this thought. Linda and I began our relationship in elementary school, and by God's grace have remained friends to this day. We had a few years of no contact after high school until her son and my daughter ended up in the same third grade class. We've been through thick and thin, sorrow and happiness, fun and somber moments.

Old friends. I'm fortunate to have three friends that were in my early school days: Linda B, Paula and Linda D. And many other girlfriends through all seasons of my life. Friends are one of my greatest blessings, and I don't take it lightly. You need to be a friend to have friends. Thank you dear ones!

Please indulge me as I once again share one of my favorite poems on friendship by the poet Edgar Guest, 1881-1959:

"I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me;
I'd like to be the help that you've been always glad to be;
I'd like to mean as much to you each minutes of the day,
As you have meant, old friend of mine, to me along the way.

"I'm wishing at this time that I could but repay,
A portion of the gladness that you've strewn along my way;
And could I have one wish this year, this only would it be:
I'd like to be the sort of friend that you have been to me."

So, what do you say? Has your heart been touched to consider "November Joy" as you go through this month of thanksgiving? Have I encouraged you to say thank you to the special people who have made a difference in your life? And what about your old friends?

Who are you thankful for? Why don't you find an old swing like the one below and consider how to celebrate "November Joy!"

In closing, I want to thank my God for my 35 years of salvation on November 14th. A new life was born, and I'm eternally grateful to be a part of the family of God because of what Jesus did for me. I celebrate my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! 

Fall Parade and Seasons Change

"Our lives often have seasons. There are times when we are active in what God is doing and even see people put their faith in Christ. But there are other seasons when we are laid aside while others do the laboring. Ultimately all of us will come to a final season when we will die. We do not know the order or the length of our seasons, but what a comfort to know that Jesus is Lord in every season!"

                                                     November 3rd devotion. The One Year Christian History devotional

October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet, And everything was grand.

Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band.

George Cooper

The fall show of color was lovely this past weekend. Not as bright and beautiful of falls past, but lovely just the same. I was glad to be out running around to capture some of the beauty.

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

"When the leaves are gone, we see more of the blue."  Adelaide S. Seaverns

"They come and go so quickly, Spring and Fall . . . as if they had not really come at all. Perhaps we could not take too much of beauty, breath-catching glory, ecstary without relief; and so . . . God made them brief."  Ruth Bell Graham

"Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within the reach of every hand." Mother Teresa

"They're coming down in showers, The leaves all gold and red.They're covering the little flowers, And tucking them into bed.

They've spread a blanket fair, All up and down the street.

And when we walk in the cool air, They ruthle 'neath our feet!"

Lacy McKay

"Sometimes in the winds of change you''ll find your direction."  Unknown

"Nature gives to every time and season some beauty of its own." Charles Dickens

"Red, yellow and russet colored leaves

Float silently downward filling our

yard with ankle deep splendor."  Connie Hooper

"Tall trees swaying in a frisky wind It's time for the forest fall dance to begin,

Throwing their limbs to a bright blue sky As the wind goes whistling and laughing by.

Dropping their leaves of many colors bold, Littering the ground with red, brown and gold.

Now a short pause from the Playful wind Then it starts the dance all over again.

The wind is like young boys and girls Running through leaves, making them whirl.

Come outside and join the dance, too! Laughing wind and trees are inviting you.

Raymond Bottom

"Nature can not jump from winter to summer without a spring, or from summer to winter with a fall." Unknown

Sing to the Lord of Harvest, verse 3

"Bring to His sacred altar The gifts His goodness gave,

The golden sheaves of harvest, The souls He died to save."

John S. B. Monsell, 1811-1875

Sam's bucket got in the act too!

Happy Fall! You know what's next!

Cushion of the Sea

"There is what is called the 'cushion of the sea.' Down beneath the surface that is agitated by storms, and driven about with winds, there is a part of the sea that is never stirred. When we dredge the bottom and bring up the remains of animal and vegetable life we find that they give evidence of not having been disturbed in the least, for hundreds and thousands of years. The peace of God is that eternal calm which, like the cushion of the sea, lies far too deep down to be reached by any external trouble and disturbance; and he who enters into the presence of God, becomes partaker of that undisturbed and undisturbable calm."  Dr. A. T. Pierson

After putting down the two inch Christian History book I couldn't get into, I picked up a friend. It's been over 30 years since my friend, Jeanne, gave me a copy of Streams in the Desert. It was my primary devotion book for a number of years as I learned how to deal with and overcome the trials of life through the many readings in this book. Jeanne's been gone now for several years, but my heart will always remember her when I pick up this book.

The top quote is from the October 20th selection in Streams in the Desert, accompanied by a most loved verse from Philipians 4:7: "And the peace of God, which transcends all our powers of thought, will be a garrison to guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

The first verse of a poem, title missing, by Harriet Beecher Stowe expresses it so well:

"When winds are raging o'er the upper ocean,
And billows wild contend with angry roar,
'Tis said, far down beneath the wild commotion,
That peaceful stillness reignth evermore."

Ah, the cushion of the sea. Do you have it? That undescribable feeling of well being that can't be pushed away. It's yours for the asking.

The other week we drove out to Western Maryland to get some snaps of the fall colors. I was a little disappointed in the colors, and had to enhance them to bring them out. The first two snaps I've enhanced. The snap directly above is sitting on my front step. I love the colors in it!

One sign, below, that we found on a mountain road delighted me--not that bears are killed, but that there are bears! We drove up a mountain to an overlook I remembered and as we were driving back down the other side the sign caught my attention immediately! The paper recently reported that 94 bears were killed in Western Maryland during bear season this year. I didn't realize we had so many bears in Maryland, and that's only the ones killed. I'll have to find a good bear watching place out there! I'm still looking for a wild bear to snap! It's one of my life's dreams.

The beginning of my third year of retirement is here. I've noticed I'm still learning to slow down, realizing I don't have to be active all the time or do things quickly. There's plenty of time for everything.

I'm so glad I picked up my friend and was reminded once again, of the peace of God that is ever present, deep down in my soul! I've enjoyed reading from it several mornings now, and think it's time to reread this devotion book and find the encouraging words each day! Even the encourager needs to be encouraged!

For the Love of a Chip

Yes, that's me, doing my thing as an Utz representative! Utz and I go way back to my growing up years. I've never found a chip I liked better!

It's been over 20 years since I visited the Utz factory to see how my favorite chips were made. When we arrived at the plant, we glanced through some brochures provided by the company. One of the brochures began with the history of the first potato chip.

"The year was 1853. The place was 'Moon's Place,' a popular resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. There, an Indian cook named Aunt Kate accidently dropped a very thin potato into hot fat. As Aunt Kate fished the crispy morsel from the fat, restaurant owner, George Crum happened by and tasted America's first potato chip . . ."

There are four steps in making potato chips: potato selection, preparation, frying, and, inspection and seasoning. Attendants on the production line observe all the chips and pick out the dark ones. It only takes 30 minutes from raw potato to packaged and ready-for-delivery chips.

I wrote an article about my experience and shared it with the company. The president, Michael Rice, wrote a nice note back to me and said, "I asked one of our sales supervisors in your area to deliver an Utz logo can to you." A special touch!

They are strong community supporters, and right now they are supporting breast cancer research. If you've never, which I can't believe, tried Utz potato chips, now's a great time to do it!

Early in our marriage Jerry and I were in North Carolina. Jerry went into a store to pick up some potato chips for me. "They didn't have any Utz," he said, "so I bought these." Being the young, immature girl that I was, I quickly told him, "I only eat Utz!" I guess he's gotten use to me by now.

All through my life, Utz potato chips have been my friend. Just a plain, old, regular potato chip. A simple delight to make a day go better. You just have to smile!

Limitations

I love hearing and singing Southern Gospel music. I have been exposed to hundreds of songs and singers I'd never heard or seen before when we started watching the Gaither Homecoming videos. We still enjoy watching them to this day.

One of my favorite groups is The Booth Brothers. They were introduced on the Freedom Band Homecoming video in 2002. I immediately was drawn to their singing style and have enjoyed them ever since.

I enjoy reading the Singing News magazine that comes out monthly. The stories are inspiring, and I can find out where my favorite groups are playing. I also get emails from Singing News keeping me up-to-date on happenings, and I can pull them up on their website.

That's where I saw a video of the Singing News Fan Awards show. And that's where I heard Michael Booth's speech accepting the award for favorite tenor in 2013. It's his words that caught my attention, and that I pass along to you here.

He began by talking about his limitations in singing. Then he said, " . . . God is not affected by our limitations . . . matter of fact, I believe He uses them in ways that we can't imagine . . . so I just want to tell God thank you for limiting me so that I know anything that is effective has come from Him, and I can give Him the glory for it and have confidence in Him alone."

I certainly know my own limitations, and it's all God who gives me the words to write to encourage hearts. After writing for over 20 years, I'm still amazed at words I write and know it was God who gave me the words.

What are your limitations? Can someone do it better? Do you feel inadequate with your gift(s)? I've recently begun writing folks in my church family, beginning with those families I haven't written to before, to encourage them in their Christian walk. These are some of the words I'm sharing: "Thank you for serving God with your gifts. Every one of us are important for God's work to be accomplished. I encourage you to stand tall for Christ, displaying His love with courage and using your gift(s) for His glory."

No one can do what God has called YOU to do. You've been given the ability to work for Him with just the right skill and talent to bring the results He needs done. As Michael said: "God is not affected by our limitations."

On the CD that is pictured below, I was introduced to a new song to me. "Sweet Will of God." I just love it when I hear a song that touches my heart and soul. Thank you, Michael, for letting God use you to encourage and inspire His people.

Limitations? You've been given everything you need to fulfill God's purpose in your life. To witness for Him and serve Him. As Michael said: "I know anything that is effective has come from Him and I can give Him the glory for it!"

Fall is in the air!