p.s.  felisol asked if i took this photo ... yup, i did ... *smile* ... during my walk this week ... it was a peaceful, restful scene ...

pics of the past week ...

this was yesterdays' sunrise ... i always marvel at God's handiwork - His mercies are indeed new every morning ... if you look closer at the picture, you might notice the canada geese in the water ... they have been practising for their long trip south ... it has indeed gotten cooler - fall has arrived and snowbirds are flocking south ... my heart always says "take me, take me ... " ... winter is my least favourite month of the four ...

i made a new friend on thanksgiving ... this is my cousin's latest family member ... a cross between a brindle boxer and a lab ... she is only 7 weeks old, and mostly slept the day away while we all ohh'd and awwww'd over her!

more evidence of the arrival of fall ... our town beach, which had been full of kids and moms all summer, now stands empty ... it always looks so lonesome at this time of year ...

blessings on your sunday!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

²¹ And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
²² He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.

Daniel 2:21-22 (NKJV)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Gratitude produces more positive emotional energy

than any other attitude in life.

~ Hans Sely, father of stress studies.

Count your blessings, by Johnson Oatman Jr., pub. 1897

1. When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,
   When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
   
   • Refrain:
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
     Count your blessings, name them one by one,
     *Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.
     [*And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.]
2. Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
   Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
   Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
   And you will keep singing as the days go by.
3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
   Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
   Count your many blessings—wealth can never buy
   Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
4. So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
   Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
   Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
   Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 -  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

we listened to People's Church in Toronto ... Pastor Charles Price had a terrific message on being thankful ... www.livingtruth.ca ... blessings on you all!

fall colours

the fall colours in our area are muted ones ... no splashy reds or deep orange  ... but still, they are lovely to look at -  they appear for only a brief moment ... so on wednesday a friend and i took a drive to check them out ...

 this was a road we had travelled as kids ... on the way to the cottage ... it relaxes me just to look at it!

 we found a lone daisy, who was smiling at the world - not caring that winter was coming ... it just gloried in the day!

 taken from the car window ... a peek-a-boo view of what was waiting us ...

 we even stopped at an old friends place and visited a spell ...

what a beautiful day it was ... it cheered my heart, and was just what i needed ... fall is a rough time for chronic pain sufferers, and sometimes the only thing i can do for leo (not counting prayer - which  is a constant) is to let him be by himself ... and let God restore my own heart and renew a right spirit within me ... the day was definitely a gift from God ...

blessings on you!

that little blue dot

see the little blue dot in the lower right hand corner?  compare it to the sun ...  that's where we live!!!!  this NASA graphic really captures the smallness of earth, compared to almost anything else out there !!! 

it reminds me of the Psalm that says:

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

i pray that you rest easy in the knowledge that God is way way bigger than any problem you may face today ...

even so Lord Jesus ... come ...

laser surgery completed ...

another laser surgery done ... the doc said it looked good, but the next day, when he tested my eye pressure, it was still "borderline high" ... so i'll go back to see him in november ... hopefully the pressure will get to a more normal place ... thank you for praying for me ... it is nice to be home again ... though i did have a super visit with my childhood friend, who once again opened up her home to me and was my nursemaid for the evening ...

yesterday was my west coast sister's 45th birthday ... amazing how 45 seems so young now ... here is a pic i found of her and maria ... taken on a birthday (who's i don't remember) ... they are only 18 months apart in age and sometimes were mistaken for twins (as you can see in this pic!) ... maria died at age 45 ... my westcoast sister remains very healthy, even though she is a diabetic too (from age 2 she has been taking needles) ....

fall is in the air ... and God's blessings are evident everywhere, if eyes will only see ... blessings on ya!

Psalms 84:11-12  ... For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. {12} O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.

last of the roses

my roses keep blooming ... even though it was such a dry summer ... and i neglected them (except for watering) ... they still flower with a smile ...

though would you believe it is supposed to go down to freezing on wednesday/thursday night? ... after 90 plus temps just days before?  that's the prairie weather for you ... drastic ...

on wednesday i go in for laser surgery number two ... i can only pray for as good a day as i had 3 weeks ago ...

blessings on ya ...

after the darkness ...

And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
and those the LORD has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

~ Isaiah  

just to make you smile

with so much negative and sad happening in our weary world  ... i thought i would try and make you smile with 2 pictures i was playing with ... it's our buddy (who we are growing to love more daily - he is a fun little guy!) ... blessings on ya!

prayers

i just read this quote (attributed to anon) ... and just had to make a little poster ...

wishing you guys a wonderful and God filled long weekend!!!!  blessings on ya!

this is the way ...

have you ever "bumped" into the same bible verse again and again, in a short period of time? ...  you meet the verse in a devotional ... then again in a bible reading ... it seems to cross your path every where you turn  ...

that's been happening to me with Isaiah 30:21 ...



it's a great verse ... a good reminder that our walk is different from those who aren't looking to Jesus ... even if they are good people -  our compass should be set on the bible's true north ... after all, the compass we follow is leading us toward our eternal home ...

just thought i'd share the verse, since it has been giving me comfort ... as well as encouragement this past week or two ...

blessings on ya!

and a note to my blog sister at the⋆silver⋆of⋆His⋆fining  ... your blog admin won't allow me to comment - others may be having this problem too ... since you said your traffic has slowed down ... i like it when there is an email on the comment (which is only seen by me - not when the comment is posted) - that way communication is open ...

blessings on all my blog buds this sunday morning - the day the Lord has made!  yay!

lazer all done

i'm  home again after my lazer surgery ... which went well ... thank you for praying ... *smile* ... i'm booked for the second one september 14th ...

one of my childhood friends was my chauffeur ...  and she also opened up her home to me ... it was super to stay in her lofty apartment ...

i told her that it felt more like a vacation - well except for the hours spent at the clinic and all those eye drops!!!  we chatted until late - and i'm booked in at her place again in 3 weeks - if all goes as well, it will be another "daily miracle" in my life ...

leo and buddy were very happy to see me ...  i really am glad to be home ... now leo has to be the one to put drops in my eye !   it's nice to have a  nursemaid every now and then ...

All that we behold is full of blessings. ~William Wordsworth

happy birthday mom ...

it's my mom's birthday today ... and i find it amazing that every birthday she has, she gets younger - rather than older ... maybe because there is only 18 years separating us! ...

i wish i had more of the older pics of mom's early years ... here is one of the more carefree photos ... taken in finland, before the canadian adventure began ... while mom was still a young woman with her young woman dreams ... some dreams i know she has fulfilled ... some dreams she keeps on working towards ... she keeps on keeping on - i do admire that in her ...

here's the birthday lady in all her youthful glory! 

i'm so glad that God doesn't call us to walk alone ... or do things with our own strength ... He's the One who is faithful - always ... and will work things out, at the appointed time  ...

taking time for grace ...

i was going to take a picture of a wren perched on my hanging planter, i had the camera all zoomed in and set to go ... then this beautiful hummingbird flew in for a drink ... he stayed only 5 seconds ... but i was ready ... here i thought i would take a pic of my usual wren visitor - when all of a sudden, an unexpected and certainly lovelier bird of another variety zipped in and zipped out!  i thanked the Lord for being ready ...

it's good to be focused on the everyday - to be ready ... because we never know if we might by chance meet up with something out of the ordinary ... it made me smile at the unexpected ...

a very sad day for Norway ... and all people of peace ...

my heart goes out to the folks in Norway today ... how truly sad ... what heart break for a whole nation ...

felisol wrote  straight from her Norwegian heart, as she described her initial reactions ... you can read it here, http://felisol.blogspot.com/ ... may  God give them peace ...

thankful heart ...

thank you so much for praying and encouraging us ... that just humbles us to be on the receiving end of such care & prayer!!!

it was all good!!!   the ride in was perfect, even through traffic ... we found the underground parking (first time) which was so close to cancer care (an easy elevator ride!) ... we were put in a examining room right away, by the sweet cheerful receptionist – so that leo could lie down and the doctor was even early!!!! he was such a nice man – and he gave us good news ... he found leo’s prostate to be perfectly normal and in good shape for a guy his age ... yay!!!!!!!!! we are so thankful ... our family doctor sent us to the specialist because he felt something abnormal - so as far as we are concerned we wouldn't be surprised if a healing happened ... 

since we were in the city, leo came to costco with me ... for a quick tour around (those big carts make for great walkers!!!!) ... all in all – it was an uplifting experience for a hospital/city visit !!!!

thanx again for your prayers ... they were truly appreciated! (hugs) 

He cares ... always ...

i saw this little guy singing outside my window ... and of course i thought of that song ... God always reminds me that He cares ... always ...

maria has been home in heaven for a year now click here ... my that time has gone by quickly ... though i miss her MORE today - than i did the weeks following her death ... maybe it's a missing of heaven and all those dear ones who are already there ...

of course the aging thing continues ... on tuesday i have to take leo to the big city hospital (UGH! that will be a real chore for us both - since leo has such trouble walking and isn't comfortable outside our home) ... they want to check for prostate cancer ... so if you think of us on tuesday, i covet your prayers ... leo isn't nervous about any of it, he is just dreading having to go to the city ...  it'll be during morning rush hour too - and the hospital is right smack in the middle of the city ... ! ! !  all i have to say is "sheesh" ...

blessings on you guys!  hope July has sweet moments in it for you ...