Friday, July 27, 2018

Sabbath Music - Give Me Jesus


Do you know the pure loveliness of spending the day with your Heavenly Father?  Just "be-ing" is a good, good thing.  I enjoy our worship service on Friday evening that ushers in the Sabbath.  I enjoy the Bible study and prayer.  I enjoy the fellowship with other believers before and after the service.  But my very favorite part of the Sabbath is time alone just "be-ing".  The best part of the being is being with Him.

Being still. Enjoying the quiet.  It's here that I have time to hear His voice speak to my heart.  Nothing to distract me.  Just me and Jesus.  This song today is perfect for how I feel about the Sabbath - my special time alone with Him.  I hope you will be still and find the joy of His beautiful presence.  Enjoy In the Morning When I Rise - Give Me Jesus.

Good Shabbos, Gail-Friends

 * graphic used by permission of Garden of Bright Images, an inspirational group on Facebook.



Thankful Thursday - Flower Friends



Flowers always make people better,
 happier, and more helpful; 
they are sunshine, 
food and medicine for the soul.
                                                       ~ Luther Burbank.

Welcome to Golden Cottage.  I'm so thankful for my beautiful flowers. . . and for my wonderful gardener (Rabbi Jem aka Mr. Green Jeans).  This photo is of the front door and I think you can see how talented he is at keeping the green things growing.

Here are a few shots of the flowers currently blooming in Golden Garden:

New Zealand impatiens
The peace lilies love living here

Mexican petunias reflected in a birdbath near Golden Pond in the backyard.

The regular impatiens are flourishing as always.  Abundant blooms in white, coral, and red last all year if the weather  stays warm.
 I don't know the name of this flower, but it is so pretty.


The elephant ears around Golden Pond are huge this year due to the heavy rains every afternoon.  We are so thankful for rain because it keeps the garden a brilliant green.  These have grown even taller since I took the photo below.  They are probably a good twelve feet high now.

The best husband in the whole wide world.

And look at this fabulous bloom.  Isn't God amazing?


I think this is a firecracker.  The blooms get much bigger and brighter.

Our grapes are putting on fruit, and the vines are escaping our yard via the fence so the neighbors will enjoy them, too.

The flower friends give me so much JOY!

Hubby bought me another birdbath. Isn't he the sweetest husband in the world? I'm so thankful for him. I haven't decided where to put it yet, so I'm enjoying it on the back porch.  It was a great bargain - $14.99 at Aldi.  The other one (with birds) cost $50.00).


Our grandson visited this week and wanted to play chess with his PawPaw.  He won, again. . . and he's got his poker face down pat.  He can even sing and fiddle around with toys while he plays.  He's amazing.

He got us tickled again this week when he said, "Today is the 24th, right?"  We assured him it was.  He got really excited and said, "I have to go home and get to bed early so I'll be ready for tomorrow!"

"Why? What's happening tomorrow?"

" It's $5.00 sushi day at Publix!"

That cracked us up.  He loves sushi and especially the Publix kind.  Ahhhhh, that boy . . . a constant source of JOY!

Next week, I'll show you some birds new to Golden Cottage and a few from our birding drives in the area.

I'll leave you with these thoughts:




What are you thankful for this week?

Friday, July 20, 2018

Sabbath Music - Bo Ruach Elohim



That blessed time of the week is drawing near as I write this post.  I've had a busy week, and am looking forward to His Sabbath rest tonight and tomorrow.

I have a lovely song for your Sabbath - Bo Ruach Elohim is Hebrew for Come Spirit Come.  I pray you will welcome Him into your mind, heart, and home and enjoy a blessed time of rejuvenation and renewal as you rest and worship Him.   Bo Ruach Elohim (Come Spirit Come)

Shabbat shalom, Gail-Friends.

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Thankful Thursday -Playing Catch-Up!


I need to catch up, Y'all!  I was looking through my photos and realized I'd forgotten to share some things.   Here are a few photos from our 4th of July celebration with the kids.  Jem put out  116 flags this year.



After this photo, PawPaw taught him to salute with his right hand.  My bad for snapping the picture too soon.

Jon-a-FUN having fun with blocks.  Give a boy any kind of stuff and he'll make a gun.

Two of my loves

He knows GiGi always says, "Kiss the Cook!"
We enjoyed a great day.  I just wish I'd taken more photos.

Earlier in the week, I snapped a photo of a bouquet I'd made.  I used some greenery from Golden Cottage Garden.  The lighter green is from our snow on the mountain bush.  I think the arrangement turned out nicely.  I'm so thankful for fresh flowers.

I love finding art in unexpected places, especially if it is whimsical.  I found these murals at the Trader Joe's in Ponte Vedra Beach while we were on a trip to Jacksonville, FL.  Aren't they great?

A chicken driving a golf cart.  Such imagination!

You've got to love this crazy cow on a fishing trip.


Now she's surfing!  Wonderful painting!

I'd love to have this mural painted on my patio wall.   Maybe one of these days I'll reproduce it.

This is downtown Jacksonville on the St. Johns River - my old stomping grounds years ago.

And the one below is my favorite -- the old lifeguard station at Jacksonville Beach.  I have many happy memories of summers at that beach.  And yes, this mural was in the ladies restroom.  It spanned three of the walls.  So gorgeous with the pink-tinted clouds.  I love it.


The flowers in Golden Cottage Garden are busting out all over.  Our peace lilies are loving the regular afternoon rains here.  One has nineteen blooms.  I'm always thankful for Mr. Green Jeans (aka Rabbi Jem) who works tsoo hard to keep our garden beautiful.  When I thank him, he always says, "I love you." <3 br="">


Isn't this garden flag the cutest thing? I found it (with the metal yard stand) at a thrift store for just $1.00.  I bought four of them at that price (three for friends).  I always say, "Thank You, Father" when I get a good bargain.



I'm always thankful for lots of children in our Shabbat service and I love watching them make the "shin" with their hands under the tallit.  These are abundant blessings.

Jon-a-FUN has been playing chess with Jem and he's getting much better at maintaining his poker face.  He loves it when he gets to say, "Checkmate!"  He did it again this week, much to his grandfather's chagrin.


I'm not bragging when I say that our grandson is brilliant.  I wish you could hear his dissertations on the things going through his mind.  Usually, his long speeches are about scientific things - such as USB ports, the reason mosquitos are attracted to some people more than others, or the mechanics of robots.  This week, he gave a long speech about Spam.  Yep, Spam.  He went on and on about the different types and the fact that some are low fat.  Then he talked about the Spam can and how the rectangular (his word) Spam is rounded on the corners in order to fit that can.  He's very serious in these monologues, but I just cracked up when he got to the Spam.  He is a delight and a pure pleasure in our lives.  I can't believe he's almost nine years old.  Those wonderful years have flown by, and we're so thankful to have him close by so we can see him often.

Well, Gail-Friends, I think I'm caught up.  Next week, I'll have some photos of some new birds we've seen on Golden Pond and of our gorgeous garden.  The veggies, fruits, and the flowers are flourishing.

What are you thankful for this week?


Friday, July 13, 2018

Sabbath Music - Psalm 23

 

That blessed time draws near, friends.  How beautiful is that time with Him.  I look forward to it.  A day with no distractions.  Time to let go of cares, work, and the things that occupy my mind during the week.

I have time to sit on my porch, listen to music, read, pray, watch the birds and butterflies, draw, paint, write poetry, and most of all, to hear His voice.  Ah, that still, small voice within my heart.  It can get crowded out by the hullabaloo of life if I don't spend time with Him.

I'm thankful for this blessed day.  It's a great and wonderful gift, and I treasure it.

Here's a song for your Shabbat meditation:  Psalm 23  by Jeff Majors.  It is so lovely, Gail-Friends.  It begins with a shofar blast (so beautiful), then a harp solo.  I hope you enjoy the song and the images, too.

I memorized this psalm as a nine-year-old girl and it has stuck with me.  When I wake during the night, I immediately begin quoting this passage in my mind.  I usually go right back to sleep.  If not, I pray for whoever Hashem brings to mind.


Shabbat shalom, dear Gail-Friends, and may your Sabbath rest be sweet.



I sometimes share my posts with these friends:
  Spiritual Sundays  GRAND Social      Modest Mom Monday Link-up      The Art of Homemaking Mondays
   BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTY     Share Your Cup Wednesday Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up     
    Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday 
Sunday Thoughts Link-Up
 OVER THE MOON LINKY PARTY!

Friday, July 6, 2018

Sabbath Music - Hava Nagila




One of the many things I love about our congregation is the dancing during praise and worship.  This song is a standard almosst any time Jewish people get together.  Hava Nagila (Let us Rejoice!) is very old Jewish folk song and I have two versions for you to enjoy on this Sabbath.  Let me know if you just had to get up and dance when you heard this one:  Hava Nagila with Dancing

This version starts slow, but picks up.  It is in Hebrew with both Hebrew and English lyrics so that you can sing along:  Hava Nagila

Did you learn a bit of Hebrew?  Good!

I sometimes share my posts with these friends:
  Spiritual Sundays  GRAND Social      Modest Mom Monday Link-up      The Art of Homemaking Mondays
   BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTY     Share Your Cup Wednesday Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up     
    Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday 
Sunday Thoughts Link-Up
 OVER THE MOON LINKY PARTY!

Thursday, July 5, 2018

Thankful Thursday - Our Great Country


During our last Erev Shabbat service, Rabbi Jem spoke about the founding of our country and the history of the 4th of July.  We thanked God for life in America, and we sang the song I Vow To Thee My Country.  The song is a British anthem, but I love the lyrics because they speak about the love of God and country and our commitment to preserve them.

I'll be honest, my patriotism soured during the Obama years as I saw everything I loved trampled under the feet of ungodliness and the push for socialism.  I watched our society decline quickly.  He scorned our love of God and the Bible and praised his Islamic beliefs.  He embraced the immorality of homosexuality, transgenderism, and abortion.  He pushed for a socialist society and scolded America for colonialism.  He disdained the American flag and kissed the ring of a Saudi Arabian king.   He taught disrespect of our police force and encouraged violence against them.  He almost destroyed our economy with his dismantling of our auto industry.  He made dirty deals with Iran and other countries, putting in place tariffs and taxes that made companies leave our country behind.  He attempted to put in place a socialist healthcare system that caused many doctors and healthcare professionals to leave their businesses.  I could go on and on because the list of his destructive actions is long.  This graphic outlines his agenda:



During those eight years, there were times I almost lost hope, but my husband's unfailing faith in God and this country sustained me.  His knowledge of history, and his experience with God and the patriotism of likeminded people kept him grounded in the belief that America would rise up and recover from the ruinous attempts of Obama and his cohorts to destroy us.  God heard our prayers and HE has turned things around by giving us President Trump.

I love the America I grew up in.  I think my generation was the most blessed in the history of the United States because we experienced a very different society from what we've seen over the last thirty years since Ronald Raegan left office.  President Trump is also of that generation.  We're called Baby Boomers, born following World War II, we experienced a booming economy and a faith-based society.  We were taught by The Greatest Generation, parents who'd experienced war and the Great Depression.  Those two events grounded them in faith in God and country, and thankfully those ideals were passed on to us.  We grew up in a society that loved and respected God, our country, our military and police, our teachers and others in authority, each other, and ourselves.  We were taught to
work for a living, provide for our families, and discipline our children.



Now, it is up to us to cling tightly to those ideals and pass them on to our children, grandchildren, and anyone else with whom we interact.  We have so many avenues today that we can use to proclaim our beliefs -- social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, blogs like this, and even writing and publishing our own books are just a few.  Let's take advantage of those things to share these society-preserving beliefs with others.

 
Obama, and his ilk, greatly underestimated Americans.  Our patriotism and love of American ideals run deeps.  His attempt to turn us into globalists, socialists, and blind followers of nonsense failed miserably.  America is awake and, with God's help, we will make America great again.

 

 

I sometimes share my posts with these friends:
  Spiritual Sundays  GRAND Social      Modest Mom Monday Link-up      The Art of Homemaking Mondays
   BLOGGING GRANDMOTHERS LINK PARTY     Share Your Cup Wednesday Wordless Wednesdays    Classical Homemaking Link-Up     
    Favorite Things Home and Garden Thursday at Delightsome Life  Paula's Weekend No Rules Blog Party Friendship Friday 
Sunday Thoughts Link-Up
 OVER THE MOON LINKY PARTY!