My Car

My car is falling apart. There is duct tape on one of the windows because I cannot roll it up all the way. The paint is fading as well as chipping off. The tires in front are one size smaller than the back tires. Do not get me started on the engine. That would be a book in itself. Yet I count myself blessed to have it.

One reason is that everyone that knows me, knows my car. I had a few friends say that they were so glad to see my car at a baby shower the other day because that meant they knew someone there. Some of my co-workers tell me that they are glad when they see my car in the parking lot.  It means they don't have to worry my side of the store. I had one friend tell me that seeing my car parked at the marsh inspired her to paint again.

This old car has made it back and forth to New York, Kansas and Ohio many times. It have been a faithful friend to me. But I am not sure how much longer it will last. I hope for many years to come.

At the end of this month we will be heading up to Niagara Falls. Pray that we make it there and back. I am not ready to give this car up yet.

Tell Me a Story.

"Tell me a story Grammy." Everyday since my grandson could talk we go on a make believe adventure to far away places through the stories that we make up together. He would crawl up into my lap and I would begin the tale.

I always start the story with "One upon a time there was a boy name..." I would say some other names that were not his. He would laugh and tell me no until I say his name. Than we would start the story.

There will come a time that he will not ask me to tell him a story. He will be too old. But I hope he remembers some of them and the times we would just laugh, acted scared or be down right silly. I know I will miss them.

Take the time each day to tell a story. It could be an adventure, a mystery or even better yet talk about Jesus. That is the best story of all times.

Muskrat Sighting

I finally decided to go back to Harford Glen. I had not been there since I was foolish enough to open up bird boxes and scared a duck out of one. Of course that scare the life out of me as well.

As I walked the boardwalk I notice movement in the water. Out popped this adorable baby muskrat. I watched as he went in and out of the vegetation. It was a nice surprise.

 I find so much pleasure in observing God's creatures. They live life one day at a time without any thoughts of what tomorrow will bring. They just go about their own business doing what God created them to do.

How much I need to learn to be like this muskrat. I need to do what God created me to do. Whatever that may be I will give it all to Him.

Turtle Struggle

As the motor boat past I watched the waves go over the rocky shore and caught the plight of a turtle. The wave seemed to flip the turtle on his back.

My grandson and I began cheering the turtle on as he struggled to turn over. Within minutes the little fellow flipped over and was safely back in the water. As he swam away he turned and poked his head out as if to say thank you.

We were unable to reach him to help, but we could encourage him with our words and prayers. There are many people in out lives we can not reach to help. We can however pray for them. We can send words of encouragement to brighten their day.

Who can you help today?

Amie's Shower

Today I want to a baby shower. It has been a while since I have been to one. Amie was showered with many presents and well wishes from family and friends.

The thing I liked the best was the watermelon cradle. What a cool idea. It is amazing what you can do with fruit.

God can do a lot with the fruit of the spirit. What ever fruits you have been blessed with can only be effective when you combined it with others.

It is amazing what God can do with the fruit. We are blessed when we allow our fruits to shine.

Common Yellowthroat

I came across a Common Yellowthroat the other day. Of course to me it wasn't so common. This is the first time that I have seen him around here. It was hard to get the shot. He could not stay still long enough. When he took the time to sing I got the shot.

We are so busy moving around that we forget to slow down. When we take the time to stop and  praise God others may get a glimpse of our Savior through our song.

So today I want to be like the Common Yellowthroat. I will stop once in a while to sing to the Lord so others may see Him through me. I want to be an uncommon Christian.

Mountain Invasion

Today as I enter into my place of solitude with my Lord I came across a Mountain invasion. Every where I looked there they were. I try to make it to one of my quiet places and they had taken it over. There was no place safe from the onslaught of Mountain warriors.

Than I came across the leader sitting at his post. Even though he was wounded in another scrimmage he was a shining example of a great leader. He sat there strong communing with his commander and chief. I knew battles were being won today.

Yet I never felt the presence of God more clearly than I did at that moment. You see the Mountain invasion was the staff from Mountain Christian Church. They had decided to come to the Mariner to have a retreat with God.

Of course I can't think of another place that I would rather be at than here. I walk here everyday to spend time with my commander and chief. With camera in hand God shows me His wonders everyday.

So you go Mountain warriors. I am just glad we are on the same side and have the same leader. I am proud to be one of you.

Oriole Song

This bird caught my attention because he was singing loudly. It took awhile to find him up high in the tree. I read somewhere that the Orchard Oriole was a fantastic songster. It was as if he was singing the praises of his creator.

How often do I want to sing out to my Lord. Of course my voice would not be as sweet as this Oriole but to God's ears it will sound just as fantastic.

Today what song are you singing? God loves to hear it. So sing out loudly so all can hear how great our Lord is.

What is a Skink?

What is a skink? Well  in this case it is a gray colored lizard with a red head. This was the first time that I came across one of these at the Mariner in Joppatowne.

The five stripped lizard that I keep seeing there also is a skink. I  had to look them up to discover this. I am always learning something new.

The Bible is like that. Every time I visit it I seem to learn something new. I can read the same chapter over and over again and find new treasures just like this skink.

What will I discover tomorrow? I hope it is another skink.

Too Young To Pray?

I can only imagine what this baby goose might be praying for. Maybe he wants to fly. It could be for his next meal. Who knows?

Can you be too young to pray? No. You are never too young or too old to pray. God hears our prayers when we come to Him with an open heart.

I always encourage anyone to pray. It is our way to connect with a God who cares for us. When we pray we open a door for miracles that can only come form God.

Even though I am on the old side of life I pray daily. I pray for my family, friends and any one else God brings to my mind. No one is ever too young or too old to pray.

So lets pray.

Chickadee's Lunch

Lunch is served, at least for this chickadee. As these flying ants made their way up the pole the chickadee proceeded to make a meal out of them, and yet they kept on coming.

God takes care of the birds of the fields. He provided a feast and it was overflowing. If He cares this much for the birds how much more does He cares for us.

When we wait on the Lord He sends a feast. All we have to do is pick from the abundance of food.

R is For Rest

R is for rest. Sunday is the Lord's day of rest. Today is Mother's Day. What better day to give your mother a day of rest.

Take the time today to cook a meal, clean the house or do whatever needed to let her take the day off from being a mother.

Many will take her out to eat, buy her flowers and a card. But if your mother lives in another state a phone will have to do.

I just got off the phone talking to my mom who lives in California. I could not take her out but I could spend time on the phone with her. My husband did the same for his mom.

I got my day of rest. I am enjoying it because tomorrow will get here too soon.

Happy Mother's Day

E is For Everyone

E is for everyone. Everyone has a mother. We would not exist without one.

Yet a mother is everything to us. She our nurse, maid and cook.
She is our friend, teacher and coach. Name a profession and a mother has done it.

Today I give thanks to every mother who has been everything to her children. Thank you.

H is For Hero

H is for hero.

 A mother will show heroic strength when she is protecting her children. Just try and get between her and her child and see what happens.

She will give her life for her children. She will fight for them and risk harm to save them.

When you look back at your mom what has she sacrifice for you? How can you show her this Sunday that she is a hero to you?

Thank you Mom for being a hero.

T is For Teacher

T is for teacher. There is no one on this earth that teaches you more than your mother.

From the first day of birth to the last days on earth she is always teaching. She show you how to walk, run and fly. You learn wrong from right and good from bad.

A mother's lesson stays with you for a life time because she does it out of love. She wants the best for you and gives you her best.

I am glad for all that I had learned and pray that I have taught well. I hope that I have been a Godly example to my children and more.

O is For Other One

O is for the other one. This is the mother who did not carry a child in her womb but who carries a child in her heart.

This is the step mom or the adopted mom. It may be the neighborhood mom. We can even put the mother-in-law on this list.

These are the mothers who are there for you when there is no mother in your life. They take you in and raise you with all the love a mother can give.

They are special, one of a kind mothers who make their mission to give themselves to your upbringing.

I want to say thank you to them all. Thank you for being the other one.

M is For Mother

Sunday is Mother's Day. I decided to use my blog to spell out what it means to be a mother.

M is for mother.

A mother stand for love, devotion and strength.
She will lay down her life, give up all she has and face all kinds of dangers to protect her children.

When her children need a shoulder to cry on she is there.
When her children succeeds she is there to cheer them on.
When her children loses she is there to encourage them.
When her children mess up she is there to pick up the pieces.

A mother will be there in the good times and bad times, the ups and downs and throughout their life time. She loves always.

I know this because I am a mother who loves my children and will do all these things for my children. I am a mother and proud of it.

Cardinal Lesson

I watched as a cardinal took a piece of the bird seeds from the post and put into the mouth of another cardinal. Shortly after the second cardinal flew to the pile and proceeded to eat more of the seeds as the adult stood nearby. I had just witness a cardinal lesson. The adult was teaching the juvenile that this was food that they eat.

How many things do we learn from the adults in our lives? We are the combinations of our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. We learn from our teachers, managers and spiritual leaders. So when we become adults we pass on the lessons we learn.

I want to learn from the best teacher of them all. Jesus. Through His words of wisdom I want to past on the knowledge that will prepare others to live a good life. I am ready for Jesus' cardinal lesson.  

Fox's News

The other day on the news there was a story about an Volunteer Fire Company rescuing a baby fox that was trapped inside a storm drain. When I was watching the story I could not help but wonder how the baby foxes at the Mariner were doing. It had been a month since I saw them. So today I took my grandson there and we looked .

We made our rounds checking out the praying mantis' egg sacks and the caterpillars that were all over the place. But no foxes. It was time to head to the car and my grandson wanted to go back the way we came. So we took the long way back to the car. Low and behold there was the fox with her baby. You know that I was excited.

I was glad to see that at least this fox and her baby were safe. I hope I get to see more of them. Until than I will keep looking and thanking God for His blessings.

Pollywog or Tadpole

On my nature walk with my grandson we came across a black mass in the stream at Harford Glen. On closer inspection I told my grandson that they were pollywogs. He went on to correct me and said they are tadpoles.

Pollywogs or tadpoles whatever you want to call them they are a sure sign that spring is here. I love the warm weather and the sunny days. The flowers are blooming and the trees are turning green.

Welcome spring. I can't wait to see what new things you will show me each day.

What Will You Pray For?

It looks like this eagle is ready for prayer.

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. Have you thought about what you will pray for? Will you pray in the morning, afternoon or evening? Whatever you decide we all need to pray.

One good thing about prayer is that it does not have to be fancy. It is a way to talk to God and let Him know what our hopes, fears and dreams are. When we pray a door is open for a heart felt communication with a loving Father who wants to be in every part of our lives.

My prayers will be for my love ones, friends, my church, my country and for whatever God puts into my heart. I will pray in the morning, afternoon and evening because I do not want to forget anyone or anything.

Who is with me?