bike riding ...

yesterday was a GREAT day for bike riding ... t-shirt and shorts weather ... lovely! after doing the housework, i went for a few rides around town ... soooon, there will be green shoots on the trees and the grass will be vibrant ... not quite yet ... but soooon ...

the pic of my bike was taken at the town dock ... i sat and enjoyed the quiet beach area, still slumbering in it's early springtime state ... but soooon to be filled with the laughter of children ...

soooon ...

which reminds me of a chorus for your sunday morning ...

Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
Soon and very soon we are going to see the King
Hallelujah, hallelujah, Amen!

Vance Havner quote

Vance Havner writes:

God marks across some of our days…

“Will explain later!”

"When before the throne we stand in Him complete, all the riddles that puzzle us here will fall into place and we shall know in fulfillment what we now believe in faith - that all things work together for good in His eternal purpose. No longer will we cry "My God, why?" Instead, "alas" will become "Alleluia". All question marks will be straightened into exclamation points, sorrow will change to singing and pain will be lost in praise."

(copied from the Barnabas Blog)

back to work ...

the morning was serene and lovely ... i woke up before the alarm ... and i was rewarded by this sunrise that the digi captured so well ... i don't know how i got the sun to jump across the horizon like that - but that is what it did ... no playing with the images!

today was my first day back to work ... for the season ...

the drive was peaceful and my day was filled with activity ...

poor leo's day was much longer ... he really misses our faithful feline's company ...

"Let the saints be joyful in the glory and beauty [which God confers upon them]; let them sing for joy upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their throats and a two-edged sword in their hands." Psalm 149:5-6

some more thoughts on our faithful companion ...

this was our fearless feline with leo ... a few Christmas ago at the cottage ... he was such an interactive cat ... always following us around, like a dog ... wanting to be "in" whatever activity we were doing ... and he slept on top of leo most days ... this is my fav pic of my two guys ...

and this one is my favourite with the boy ... he liked to have devotions with me ... cuddle up and just read along ...

leo told me that our poor little guy was evening purring on the table in the vet's office ... just before the end ...

will we get another cat? too soon to tell ... our fearless feline left big paw prints to fill ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If we treated everyone we meet with the same affection we bestow upon our favorite cat, they, too, would purr. ~Martin Buxbaum

Cats have an infallible understanding of total concentration - and get between you and it. ~Arthur Bridges

Who among us hasn't envied a cat's ability to ignore the cares of daily life and to relax completely? ~Karen Brademeyer

our fearless feline ...

we are so sad today ... we put our fearless feline down ...

he got sick ... and we made a choice as to how to treat this problem ... he was almost 14 years old and has had a good life with us ...

we just didn't want to see his health deteriorate ... but most important - we did not want him to suffer ...

so now we are heartbroken and crying ... we loved him ...

since this is making me cry more ... i'll end here ... my face will be so puffy tomorrow ...

our loveable big bruiser made our days so much brighter ... he was the sweetest of companions ...

lovely, sweet, routine day ...

terrible things can happen ... yet, life goes on, doesn't it? our spirit seems to adjust, even tho' we lose more of our innocence along the way ...

today was a beautiful sunny day, here in my world ... it must have hit 20C (68F) ... i savoured my last days of freedom - before i head off to the salt mines in the park on monday ... i did the normal and lovely routine things ... shopping for groceries ... coffee with friends ... riding my bike ... i was thankful for the normal ... the sweetly mundane ... so very thankful ...

i hope your day was peaceful too, as you went about your day ... thankfully, blessedly peaceful ...

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear." 1 John 4:18

sadness of the day ...

"The whole point of Heaven is to relieve us of the suffering, pain, death and tears brought into the world by the evil of humanity. That is why God says that in Heaven there will be no more sorrow, pain, death or crying.----David Brandt Berg

"There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.--Job 3:17

cloud watching

what do you see in the above pic? i see a dog, sitting and begging ... though he seems to have a smile on his face ...

i took this pic the other night ... my blog bud, jel, has some really GREAT cloud pics posted ... this was just one of those whimsical ones ... :o) ... clouds are so relaxing to watch ...

guess what? i got my bike out today!!! YAY! i went for about a 5 mile ride ... it was wonderful ... i was definitely praising my Lord for the health to peddle those wheels and just "fly" around town ...

hope your weekend has been a most blessed one ...

I just keep trusting my Lord, as I walk along,

I just keep trusting my Lord, and He gives a song;

Tho' the storm clouds darken the sky -o'er the heav'nly trail,

I just keep trusting my Lord - He will never fail!

He's a faithful Friend, Such a faithful Friend,

I can count on Him - to the very end;

Tho' the storm clouds darken the sky o'er the heav'nly trail,

I just keep trusting my Lord - He will never fail!

the God who is always there ...

i'm glad that our God has ears to hear ... eyes to see ... and still speaks to listening hearts ...

He calms the storms of life ... He gives joy during the night season ...

He makes my heart sing ...

shopping is fun? yes, shopping was fun!

i must be one of the world's worst shoppers! unless it involves bookstores, i really prefer to leave the store hopping to professionals!

but today was one of those rare days when i "sort of" felt like going into the city and willingly entered a number of stores ...

i went by myself ... that way when the mood struck to head for home - well, i could just head home!

i had a most excellent time ... and i was amazed ... *grin*

with my little list in hand, i must have hit 8 or 9 stores! WOW!!! and it didn't kill me either!! another WOW!! i actually found things that were needed ... and maybe some things that weren't ... it was just a fun day ... *huge grin* ...

2007 has brought unexpected joy into my life ... especially in areas that needed some lightening up ... and for that ... i am grateful!

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

a passing ...

johnny hart, the creator of the BC comic strip died the other day ... apparently he died at his storyboard - still doing the job he enjoyed, making others laugh and also trying to get folks to "think on these things" ...

i was quite surprised when he went against the grain and drew comics that talked about God, creation and even - dare i say it - the life of Christ ... which also included the death & resurrection ...

i applaud one man's mark on our pop culture ... and one man's efforts to make people think about who JESUS was ... who JESUS is ...

rest in peace, johnny hart ...

Christ Arose!

i'm just thankful that the cross wasn't the end of the story ... resurrection was in God's plan from the beginning ... and salvation for us was the ultimate prize ...

i am so very thankful for the price Jesus paid for my soul ...

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

~John 3:16-21

the greatest gift ... one life, for another ...

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.
~ Galations 2:20-21

things that keep me occupied ...

a return to winter ... the cold and wind ... have taken the springtime snap out of my step!

but there is always a silver lining ... i got a late birthday present in the mail - a parallel bible, which will hopefully shed more light on my walk ...

then yesterday i thought i would lighten up my appearance too - with some highlights ...

just some of the things occupying my world this week ...

Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.

~Mother Teresa

comfort

In Time of Sorrow
May you see God's light on the path ahead
When the road you walk is dark.
May you always hear,
Even in your hour of sorrow,
The gentle singing of the lark.
When times are hard may hardness
Not turn your heart to stone,
And may you always remember
You do not walk alone.

(A traditional Celtic Blessing)

April!

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!
~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"