By the Dawn's Early Light

I was just fixing my hot chocolate and opening the curtains as I was waiting for the sun to rise. For some reason, it made me think of the line in the Star Spangled Banner, "by the dawn's early light." Any of you that know me well, know that I will "google" anything that hits my fancy of the moment. You guessed it, I googled our national anthem. I found several interesting facts that I'm sure I learned in history class at some point, but as I've aged, I had forgotten. One of the most interesting thing I learned was that the Star Spangled Banner has more than one verse. But part of the last verse really made me think. It is... Then conquer we must, when our cause. it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust" And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! For whatever reason, the most important line in the entire song is never sang. It is a profound statement that puts our minds at ease, removes our worries, shoulders our burdens, guides our footsteps: In God is our trust. How many people would have a better life and live in a better world if they just placed their trust in God. It is still a battle that we are fighting today, 195 years after Frances Scott Key wrote those words. They have taken prayer from the schools, they are fighting to remove In God We Trust from government buildings and currency. Many people do not know that In God We Trust was not even printed on paper currency until 1956, though it was on certain coins in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In 1776 Thomas Paine wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls." That is as applicable today as it was then. If we as a nation spent more time on our knees placing our trust in the very God that helped us form this nation, you have to wonder what a different place the world would be. So each time you see the dawn's early light, give praise to the one that created it and remember to always place your trust in Him.

What happened to common courtesy?

When I was growing up, it was common courtesy to hold the door open if you were going out and someone was coming in. It was common courtesy to say please, thank you and excuse me. The older I get the more I notice that courtesy has taken a back seat in our lives. In the hustle and bustle of busy days, we get so focused on what we are doing that we forget the things we were taught. I have had a day full of people who cut you off on the highway, walk in front of your car when you are driving through a parking lot and leave their buggies in the checkout line so that you have to move them to get your purchases on the counter. If everyone made a concentrated effort to be polite at least once a day, the world would be a better place. We would still be busy, but we would smile more because someone exercised some common courtesy to us that day. So hold the door open for someone, give them a smile or let them go in front of you in the checkout line. You will make someones day.

My random thoughts

There are times in my life when random thoughts run through my mind and I like to sit down and put them on paper. Many years ago, I was going through some rough times and I was thinking about all the blessings I had that many people in other cultures and other situations would never experience. I started thinking abou the happy moments of my past and some of the things that always made me feel good. I sat down at put them into a poem. I'd like to share it with you today. Hope you enjoy: Reflections As I sit here and reflect on the good things in my life. It’s easy to forget my cares, my worries and my strife. For I’ve been blessed in many ways by the Lord above. He’s put a roof over my head; gave me a family to love. Sometimes he gives us blessings that our blinded eyes can’t see; The warmth of the sunshine, a dew drop on a leaf, The soft mew of a kitten as she snuggles by your side; The white caps of the waves as we watch the ocean tide. The enchanted sounds of children as they learn to sing, Sitting on a front porch with grandma in a swing. Walking down a dirt road; throwing rocks into a creek. Watching as an eagle flies across a mountain peak. Listening to a blue jay as it sings among the pines. Going to the river; dropping in a fishing line. Walking through the woods; stumbling on a buck or doe; Stopping in a garden just to smell a fragrant rose. So be sure and look around you with fresh thoughts in your mind. And behold the many blessings I’m sure that you will find. And when you thank the Lord above for the blessings He gives you, Be sure to thank him for your friends, for they’re a blessing too.

Happy October

A fresh new day; a fresh new month. I love the start of something new and October is no exception. Lovely autumn days and cool nights. There is nothing like watching the changing of the leaves. Their vibrant colors reaching rich hues of orange, yellow, and red. Fall is a time for change. Observe the leaves. They start out summer green, all fresh and crisp. Silently the muted colors will start to appear. One by one, each individual leaf will go through the process. As the gentle winds of fall breeze through the trees, they will start to fall. Growing up we had several beautiful oaks and maples in our yard. Mom and Dad would rake the leaves into huge piles just so we could jump in them. We would run, yelling like Geronimo, and dive it. Laughing and rolling in the leaves was one of my favorite fall memories. I remember the smell of the leaves as we watched Dad burn them when we were done with our play. I remember long walks in the woods on Sunday afternoons, the crunch of the leaves under our feet. Happy times. So don't regret the falling of the leaves. Let them drift your memories back to happy times.

For the love of family

It has been an amazing day. We had family visiting from out of town so we elected to play hooky and do the "tourist" thing. We started the day with a leisurely breakfast at "THE" pancake place in Gatlinburg. This was followed by a beautiful day of exploring Dollywood, savoring the fine foods, enjoying the shows and shopping.

We then returned to Gatlinburg to walk up and down the streets, checking out the many shops. I found this beautiful angel to watch over my kitchen. Everywhere we went we could see the signs of fall. I picked up some of my favorite milk chocolate orange creams from the Smoky Mountain Candy Kitchen. We finished the day with a drive to The Chimneys followed by a filling supper in Pigeon Forge.

I must say that it was a very relaxing way to spend "over-the-hump" day. Never knew Wednesday's could be so fun.

So thanks to our family for inviting us along today and making it a time to remember.

Oh, what a beautiful morning

Today is one of those Kodak moments you want to freeze in time. The weather is absolutely perfect. It's one of those moments where everything seems a little less stressful. One of those calming days when you can stop and see the glory around you and appreciate the wonder of God's handiwork. Our Sunday night sermon was on one of my favorite verses, Psalms 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God." Human nature is to worry. We'll get behind in our jobs because we worry about the bills that are due. We'll eat chocolate and drink Pepsi's because we are stressed about being behind at work. We'll worry about our health because we ate the chocolate and drank the Pepsi. And on those rare beautiful moments, when life is serene and happiness surrounds us, we worry because we don't have anything to worry about!! We wonder if it's the calm before the storm. We wait for the next dilemma to arise or the next calamity to hit. We are a nation of worriers. When in reality, all we have to do is be still and know that He IS God.

Moody Monday

Do you ever have one of those days where you just wake up in a "Mood"? Not sure what mood you're in? I call that the "blah" mood. It usually happens on Monday. It is my belief that Monday is the worst day of the week. Weekends are a time of relaxing and enjoying life, but Monday's are a day for facing reality. It' back to the same old/same old, day in/day out grind. But does it have to be that way? Is Monday really a day of the week or is it an attitude? If you face those Monday morning blahs, try this simple technique. Don't focus on the negative things you have to accomplish in the week, but reflect on the good things that happened over the weekend. Find your joy where you can. Turn your "blahs" into bliss. For me, I think of how good it was to listen to rain as it hit the roof top over the weekend. I think of the blue, clear skies and the gentle soft breeze that blew the rain away. As I sit here and look out the window, I watch the weeping willow limbs swaying in the wind. We need to be more like the weeping willow. It's roots are deep and it is very strong. However, it knows to keep its strength, it needs to go with the flow and bend so it does not break. So may your Monday's be blessed days and your life be like a weeping willow that stands straight and proud and accepts what it cannot change and just moves in the way in needs to go.