What's Happening at Golden Cottage?

 

Y’all ! Time is flying by! Right? But, I’m back. I just realized I haven’t done a Golden Cottage update since January.

We had really cold weather in January through mid-March – and our yard was hit hard. This is a rare photo here in central Florida – that's  FROST, Gail-Friends !

 

 Mr. Green Jeans (aka Rabbi Jem) worked so hard to protect our plants. He brought all of the potted plants and flowers onto the back porch to protect them. Put rugs down on the floor. Covered them with sheets. He did this three times, y’all ! All of them survived. And the plants in the yards were covered with sheets or wrapped in blankets. Most survived, but sadly, some didn’t. Some – time will tell. Like our plumeria tree. But, we have hope!

Our dog Lucy was happy to wear her sweaters!  And Toonie was happy to stay in the warm house.  (He usually prefers to stay on the back porch all day long.)
 

 

 

We had to have beautiful camphor tree taken out of our front yard.  We noticed that Lucy, was eating the camphor berries.  I Googled it and found that the berries are very toxic - damaging to the liver.  Our beloved dog, Zoe, died of liver failure, so she had probably been eating the berries, too.  (We miss her so much.) So, we had the tree removed.  Everything looks so bare now, and I grieved the loss of it.  I miss the tree's shade in the mornings and watching the birds visit there.  So, my sweet Jem bought me some new plants and flowers to cheer me and brighten up the yard.

 

I love gardenias because they remind me of Mama's bush beside the house where I grew up.  They smell wonderful.

 

We celebrated Valentine's Day with more flowers (roses are my favorite cut flowers)  and a visit to a Mexican restaurant on Merritt Island.  Their food is great and the presentation is beautiful.  Our meals came with edible flowers.  Jem ate his - but I decided to wear mine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Oh, and I must tell you about the vest I'm wearing in the picture above.  It's a heated vest that I bought for Jem.  It was so cold that day, he let me wear it.  We've both gotten a lot of wear out of it during this cold winter.  It is wonderful.  We bought one for our son-in-love, William because he works outside sometimes.  He said he didn't think he get much wear out of it, but he REALLY has worn it a lot.   

Our daughter, Amanda, sang with a local band, Gold Tone, at an Irish pub in Cocoa Beach. This was soooo good. The music was a combination of Celtic tunes and popular songs. I particularly enjoyed the combination of instruments, including the hammered dulcimer. It was lovely, y’all. I love dulcimer music. I remember one time when Amanda and I went to Barberville for a dulcimer workshop. She’d never played the hammered style, but she sat down and played it like she’d been playing all of her life. Yep. She’s talented like that.  

 

We visited the annual Merritt Island Birding and Wildlife Festival.  This year, it was in Cocoa Beach.  We met this author of several bird books.  He was very interesting to talk with.  

 

 

 

This is a little owl that was captured by a local wildlife rescue team.  He's missing one eye.   

Also in March, Amanda, our grandson Jonathan, Jem and I went to an event called The Heavens Declare, presented by Science Partners.  I'm so sad that I didn't get photos.  It is an astronomy workshop from a creationist perspective. The presentation included an inflatable planetarium that shows "the Gospel in the Stars".  It was educational and very interesting.  The only bad part is that you have to crawl into the planetarium on your knees and sit on the floor once inside.  Trust me -  this is a bad idea for a seventy-five year old lady like me.  Jem didn't go in.  He said, "I don't think it's a good idea."  So TRUE, y'all!  Now, we BOTH know our limitations.  I'll never do that again.  But, if you ever hear of this workshop, go to it and you won't be disappointed.

Last week, we visited Jacksonville University.  Jem and some of his Shangri-La shipmates presented a plaque and scholarship to a Naval Reserve student. The young man couldn't attend, which was sad.  He's greatly admired by his unit because he's an outstanding student, both scholastically and physically. He was an enlisted man who decided to go back to school and become a Navy officer. He is married, with two young children.  So, this $5000 scholarship will be a blessing.   The USS Shangri-La Reunion Association awards this scholarship every year.

 

 

 

The event also was to place a memorial plaque dedicated to the crews of the USS Shangri-La from 1944 to 1971.   The bell is the original ship's bell from the Shangri-La aircraft carrier.

 

We really enjoyed our visit to Jacksonville.  It was good to visit with these friends and others we met up with.  We also enjoyed our visit to the Chamblin Book Mine where I found four wonderful books.  I'll share them with y'all next time.

 

Blessings to You All, dear Gail-Friends!

 

 

 

A Prayer for America

 

 Heavenly Father – we praise You and thank You for protecting, providing, and guiding us through another week. And we thank You for Your Holy Shabbat. May You be pleased with our rest and our obedience to Your command.

We praise You that You hold the universe in Your mighty hands. We praise You for Your mighty works and for Your mercy on us. We are tiny compared to Your universe . . . and yet, You think on us and care for us. How blessed we are to have Your Spirit to comfort us and Your Word to guide us. Thank You for preserving it over thousands of years. Thank You for those in Israel who guarded, protected, and preserved it. Thank You for life in America. Thank You for shedding Your grace on our country.

Thank You for our Messiah, Yeshua – our Passover Lamb. Thank You for the blood that atones for our sins. This week, as I read the Torah portion about how much blood was required for atonement, I am once again humbled. I’m reminded how important the blood was. Sin is costly. Thank You that we don’t have to bring an animal and shed its blood. It’s easy to gloss over it – take it for granted or lightly, but Yeshua’s sacrifice was difficult and costly – just like the Temple sacrifices. It cost a lot for a man to bring his best, precious animal to sacrifice. But that’s what You required. Thank You that Yeshua, Your only precious son who was willing to give His blood for us. Our Passover seder brings it to our remembrance each year. We need that reminder. We praise You that He is risen from the grave. Our Passover Lamb – our Risen Lord and Savior. Haleluyah to Your Name, Adonai. Forever we will give You praise.

This week, we pray for our president, his cabinet, our lawmakers, and our military. We pray for our senators to have opened eyes and ears to see and do the right thing as they vote on funding for the DHS. Open the eyes and ears of Democrat voters to see how demonic it is to punish TSA workers and ICE agents by denying them payment for their work to protect our citizens. Bring them to their senses, Father.

We pray for the war with Iran to stop. We pray for all affected by this war. For all of the countries involved. For the military. For those who’ve lost loved ones. For those who’ve lost homes through the bombings. War is horrible. Help and comfort them all, Father.

And we pray especially for the peace of Jerusalem. I pray for the Israeli leadership to return to Your Torah. I once heard Netanyahu say that he depends on the Torah observance of the Hassidics to protect Israel. Open his eyes, as well as President Trumps eyes, to the fact that Adonai holds countries and leaders accountable for their sins against You. I read that just this morning in Leviticus 4.

Father, I ask forgiveness for my country and its leaders who have thrown Your Torah behind their backs. I did so when I was ignorant of Your laws. Church leaders taught that it was no longer applicable. They were wrong. Many people are ignorant of Your Word and wonder why their lives are such a mess. I was one of them. My reading of the New Testament letter of I John taught me the truth. A close study of the words of Yeshua in the gospels opened my eyes. When I began to obey Your laws, my life turned around. I am blessed beyond measure. I will thank You and praise You forever.

On this day, Father, grant us Your peace and rest as we turn away from the world and draw near to You. You are our God. You are our Lord. You are our King. You are our Deliverer. Haleluyah forever.

May Your face shine upon us. Blessed be You, our loving Father. Thank You for drawing near to us on this, Your holy day. We pray, and believe, in the mighty name of Yeshua our Messiah and Savior. Amain. 

 

Our God Reigns!

 

When I was growing up, there was a very popular song played on secular radio called "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands".  When I read this article on Facebook, the song came to mind.  Sometimes I get discouraged when I see the evil, horrible, disgusting things happening in our country. Then I'm tempted to give up. To stop telling people the TRUTH about what's not being reported on the propaganda machine (mainstream news).  To stop contacting my representatives about current agenda items in the House and Senate.  To stop taking a stand for righteousness in my city, country, and state.   But then, God arises!!  Hope comes!  Strength comes! Because I remember the battles Adonai has fought for me personally, and for my beloved country.  Listening to this song energizes me to continue in battle for America:  LET GOD ARISE!

Then, I remember this encouragement from His Word: 

"There is a reason the Books of First and Second Kings disturb modern Christians, and it is the same reason they disturb modern governments. Those books prove beyond argument that God does not merely watch history. He interrupts it. He removes kings. He raises shepherds. He humbles empires. Scripture says plainly, “He removeth kings, and setteth up kings” (Daniel 2:21). That statement is not poetry. It is policy. Every throne on earth exists on borrowed time, and every ruler answers to a higher throne whether he acknowledges it or not.

 

The modern world teaches you that power flows upward from the people. God teaches you that power flows downward from Him. Pharaoh learned it. Nebuchadnezzar learned it. Ahab learned it. When a king defied the Word of God, he did not lose power because of political opposition. He lost power because heaven revoked his permission to sit there. “For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another” (Psalm 75:6–7). Every rise and every fall is a spiritual event before it is ever a political one.

 

This is why the prophets terrified kings more than armies did. Ahab feared Elijah more than he feared Syria. Herod feared John the Baptist more than he feared Rome. Why? Because a prophet carried something no army could carry: the authority of the Word of God. One sentence from heaven outweighed ten thousand soldiers on earth. When Elijah said dogs would lick Ahab’s blood, no military strategy on earth could prevent it, because the outcome was already decided in the courtroom of eternity (1 Kings 21:19).

 

Nothing has changed. The same God who ruled in the days of Kings rules now. Nations still rise. Nations still fall. Leaders still think they are in control, but heaven still holds the leash. The question is not whether God is involved. The question is whether you recognize it. Because the same God who removes kings also saves sinners, and the same authority that topples thrones can rescue a soul. History is not random. History is ruled.”

Anonymous (found on Facebook)