But I Really Need A Big Wood & Metal Bucket!

This post was created for Cee’s Oddball Photo Challenge

Take a gander at her other submissions here

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/03/20/cees-odd-ball-photo-challenge-week-4/

Y’know, I could very easily be a hoarder…I mean collector of odd items. 🙂

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So when I saw this big old square bucket at a market in Haarlem I thought “that would look really cool on our dining table.”

Never mind that our dining room is decorated in turn of the century  Victorian fashion…well except for all the other junk my mom and I have put in it….

Honestly the only thing that kept me from buying it was the knowledge that I would have to use it instead of my suitcase as my one carry on. It makes me think I should maybe never vacation in the States. Who knows what I would come back with?!?

Let the Change Inspire You!

This post is written in response to Ese’s quote & Shoot Challenge from last week: INSPIRATION

Find other sources of inspiration at

http://esengasvoice.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/ese-s-weekly-shootquote-challenge-inspiration/

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”  ― Maya Angelou

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
― Maya Angelou

 

Never let the changes in life get you down.As you walk them with faith, changes are just placed before you to light your path to the greener pastures.- JEL

Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Found In Nature

This post was created for Cee’s black and white Challenge. When you are finished here take a peek at Cee’s other subscribers over at

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/03/12/cees-black-white-challenge-made-made-objects-2/

Here are my picks of the week.

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“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” 
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

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“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity… and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.” 
― William Blake

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“There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep sea, and music in its roar:
I love not man the less, but Nature more” 
― George Gordon Byron

What Grows In Your Garden…

The seeds for this post came from Ailsa at Wheresmybackpack.com

Her travel theme this week is: Gardens; So let me begin by encouraging you to stop on over at her place when you are done here to see some absolutely gorgeous grow spaces.

http://wheresmybackpack.com/2014/03/14/travel-theme-gardens-2/

Gardens are places where things grow intentionally, cultivated spaces. Unlike a happenstance forest a garden does not spring forth by accident. What grows there grows by choice of the gardener. My heart is a garden. Life does not accidentally happen to my heart. I choose what seed I let fall in that soil. I choose what weeds get pulled out. The condition of my heart like the condition of my garden is entirely up to me.

“The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don't want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don't have a soul.”  ― Thomas More

“The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don’t want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don’t have a soul.”
― Thomas More

“Gardens are not made by singing 'Oh, how beautiful!' and sitting in the shade.”  ― Rudyard Kipling, Complete Verse

“Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful!’ and sitting in the shade.”
― Rudyard Kipling, Complete Verse

“God made a beauteous garden With lovely flowers strown, But one straight, narrow pathway That was not overgrown. And to this beauteous garden He brought mankind to live, And said "To you, my children, These lovely flowers I give. Prune ye my vines and fig trees, With care my flowers tend, But keep the pathway open Your home is at the end." God's Garden”  ― Robert Frost

“God made a beauteous garden
With lovely flowers strown,
But one straight, narrow pathway
That was not overgrown.
And to this beauteous garden
He brought mankind to live,
And said “To you, my children,
These lovely flowers I give.
Prune ye my vines and fig trees,
With care my flowers tend,
But keep the pathway open
Your home is at the end.”
God’s Garden”
― Robert Frost

A Jolly Book

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It is time for SYW once again and this week Cee has come up with four humdinger- homerun-questions (is triple hyphenation linguistically correct?). I especially love the new question she is giving us!

Describe yourself in a word that starts with the first letter of your name.

Jolly.

If 100 people your age were chosen at random, how many do you think you’d find leading a more satisfying life than yours?

Not very many. I feel like I am living out my purpose and while I have not accomplished everything I set out to I am on my way. I have learned more than half the fun is in the journey anyway.

If you were a tree, would you become a book or furniture? Please describe.

Oh most definitely a book. It would be a big book for sure and for certain, no short stories or poetry compilations please! Just a flat-out adventure that goes on and on until it comes at last to a satisfying end leaving room for a sequel.

You are trapped in an elevator, who would you want to be trapped with?

I am assuming we can choose more than one person; So I would choose to be trapped with a really good storyteller to while away the time with, an optimist to keep our spirits up. A pizza delivery guy who just happened to be delivering Hawaiian pizza to the 15th floor and of course an elevator repair man/ acrobat who can climb through the ceiling tile like you see in the movies to fix what’s broken.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I am grateful that God helped me to accomplish so much last week. Every week it just seems like the work expands along with the blessings. Here are some of the high lites from last week.

C.cada choir

C.cada choir

 

Special Touch Bowl-A-Thon

Special Touch Bowl-A-Thon

 

 

 

I am loving this discipleship class

I am loving this discipleship class

 

Hey go on over to Cee’s place and see what her other subscribers have said!

http://ceenphotography.com/2014/03/10/share-your-world-2014-week-10/

 

Spring Ahead

We lost an hour this weekend. Did you notice? I did!

Me facing the effects of spring ahead.

Me facing the effects of spring ahead.

I started the weekend by meeting with one of my graduated interns (I have taken on at least one intern a year for the last seven years). He visited on Friday after his girlfriend(my current intern) ratted me out by telling him I haven’t been taking my days off. Truth be told who has time to take a day off when daylight savings time is almost over.

Evidently his visit effected me more deeply than I realized because on Saturday morning I woke up at 4 A.M.  It made me feel like this.

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But I did have to finish my sermon before choir practice. So I walked the dogs and then chopped at the keyboard until the sermon was finished.

By 8 I was at the church warming up. I’ve noticed that warm up has become more and more important as I age.

After  three hours of singing I was off to the Special Touch Bowl-A -Thon.

Bowlers at Special Touch

Bowlers at Special Touch

 

We raised $4400.00 for people with disabilities to go to summer camp. We have another Bowl-a-thon scheduled next week and our hope is to clear $10,000.00.

After that I visited some friends for a fellowship gathering. The sunset was lovely.

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At this point I was pretty tired. I was just sure I would sleep well. Four A.M. came and I was up (which was really three because we sprung ahead remember) once again. Sunday was two services…excellent services I might add but springing ahead has left me a bit unhinged.

So today I am taking my intern’s advice. It is almost eleven and I am still in my pajamas. I think I will watch TV and eat cookies. After all spring is here!