Time is so funny… Sometimes it drags on & other times it goes by so fast that you miss things. I say it all the time, but it seems like this year has gone by quicker than any year before 💨 Turn around and boom 💥 it’s Thanksgiving! We are hosting our family dinner here in a few days, so we have been busy straitening up, decorating and basically getting ready 🦃
After all these years of living and working and doing, the one thing I have figured out is, you have to be grateful for your blessings 🙏🏻 (Ps: I’m still working on it 😊)
With my hectic schedule it’s easy to push on and take things for granted just to get through this day and to the next… But you miss so many things in that process, the most important things. God, family, friends, rest, health & happiness can be glossed over and left in your wake… Maybe it’s like the spirit that comes over you at Christmas 🎅🏼 you want everyday to feel like that. ⭐️ Thanksgiving can be the same. I’m going to try to let my Gratitude exceed my expectations everyday and see what happens ❤️
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
Aren’t internal clocks great 😊 I was up very late last night/this morning (1:30am), visiting, talking and picking up from our annual Moonlight Pond Tour. And even though I had planned to ‘sleep in’ my eyes 👀 popped open like clockwork at 5am and I was wide awake… My internal clock must be a Timex 😊
It was a perfect night for a Garden Tour! Thanks 🙏🏻 to everyone that came out and made this a success! ❤️
And by all other accounts, it was a great week!
I got to catch up with friends on the river
Successful Pond Tour fundraiser
The weather was great!
A great friend turned 50!
But the 1st thing I thought about when my eyes opened this morning was what happened on this day in 2001… 9/11
A Heavy blow was struck against all Americans that day.
• 2,977 Americans were Murdered!
• 343 Firefighters died saving others! Many that survived are dying from cancer now at an alarming rate! Thank a Firefighter today…
But – We survived! We united! We rebuilt! 🇺🇸
All these other good things that happened for me this week, and every week before, and every day after today has been possible because of the sacrifices of past generations of Americans! We stand up! We fight for the freedom of others! We rebuild when things get torn down! God Bless America 🇺🇸
“Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul …”
I was thinking of the stories of the bible we learn from childhood and how they meld into real time in our lives… It’s Easter weekend and I wanted to share these two stories that I have always loved that tie into Easter.
The cross on the donkeys back is a famous legend. I have heard many people call them ‘Jerusalem Donkeys’. Have you heard the Old legend? – ‘All purebred donkeys are born with a cross on their back. A legend says it is the gift our Lord gave to the humble donkey that carried Him into Jerusalem. According to the legend, the little donkey so loved his Master that he followed Him to Calvary. Grief-stricken at the sight, he turned away but remained at his station at the foot of the cross. The shadow of the Cross fell upon him and from that day all purebred donkeys wear the Master’s Cross on their backs.’
Jesus rode in on a donkey… Then he walked and prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane during the last days of his life. He knew what was about to happen to him and I think he chose a Garden to spend his last days in to give him the Peace, Clarity & Strength that he needed leading up to his arrest and Crucifixion (on Good Friday).
The story of the Dogwood has been a very important story in our lives as well.
The blooming plants and feeling of Spring in the Garden bring Peace & Calm to the mind & Spirit, and in turn aid in ones thoughts and reflection…
There is going to be a LOT of Reflection for me during this weekend, and I hope to do much of it in my garden. I truly find peace and a clear mind outside within the garden. I hope you do too.
Happy Independence Day! Happy Birthday America! 🇺🇸 I am proud to be an American! And, I am Thankful for all the hard work and sacrifice that has been made by so many down through the years to keep us safe and FREE! There is not another country like ours in the world! & I still believe that the American people remain willing to give all to keep it 🇺🇸
Happy Birthday America! “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“Freedom’s natal day is here. Fire the guns and shout for freedom, See the flag above unfurled! Hail the stars and stripes forever, Dearest flag in all the world.”
~Florence A. Jones
Cookouts, family and fireworks 💥 are on the docket…
Today is a Holy Day! 🙏🏻 Memorial Day is a day of respect and remembrance for those true hero’s that made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms!
Thank you to all the men and women who gave ALL, so that we could live and enjoy all our freedoms! Tell your kids and grandkids what this day stands for! God Bless America 💥
The tumult and the shouting dies; The Captains and the Kings depart: Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!
I don’t know about you, but I Love to see our Flag blowing In the wind! Such a beautiful symbol of our great country! Couple that with the sound of the wind and a beautiful Sunset in the background and you have something special… Something inspirational and Dare I say… Zen Like 🇺🇸
I LOVE Tennessee! I especially love the Natural Springs, Creeks, Waterfalls and Rivers ❤️ In some areas of the state a beautiful stream, strewn with little waterfalls flows around and through every holler. I stopped by just such a stream the other day and walked down to the bank and took this short video to share this morning. It is such a relaxing sound and the water is as warm as a bath right now. So, Zen…
Carter's Water Garden 