The Habit of Thankfulness: A Few of My Favorite Things

Aug 15th- A few of my favorite things...
~Driving route 34 to Ithaca
~Spending the day at the Sciencenter and Lime Hollow with my mom and the little girlies
~Thea only wanting to hold my mom's hand the entire day 

The Habit of Thankfulness: A Few of My Favorite Things

Aug 14th- A few of my favorite things...
~The safe return of the Amish girls who were abducted yesterday
~The men and women who risked their lives to find them
~The prayers of many stangers who brought them home to their family

The Habit of Thankfulness: A Few of My Favorite Things

Aug 13th- A few of my favorite things...
~Watching the boats on the canal in Seneca Falls, NY with the girlies
~Lissie attempting to make a gravel angel (to keep her snow angel skills sharp?)
~Watching the workmen restore old woollen mill

The Habit of Thankfulness: A Few of My Favorite Things

Aug 12th- A few of my favorite things...
~Sumac Jelly...it's like a tart strawberry jelly
~Watching Thea carry a bucket that is as big as she is
~The sound of raindrops cascading down from leaf to leaf after the rain

The Habit of Investing

My garden is a collection of native and non-native plants. One plant I have fallen in love with growing is native Canada Goldenrod. The bees love it because of the flowers and my girls love it because of its height. And no, it does not cause allergies this time of year...that is caused by ragweed--a far less showy plant.

This year I was surprised to find these bulges in my goldenrod.

They are galls caused by the goldenrod fly.

The goldenrod fly (aptly named) lays its egg in the stem, 

then the plant takes over from there. 

It provides everything the egg and larva need until it hatches as an adult fly.

 It provides shelter. It provides protection. It provides food. It provides a home. 

It didn't ask for this job, but it does it anyways.

It continues its growth and allows the "intruder" to continue to grow.

The irony is that long after it is has died out and dried out,

it still lives on in a way...through this little fly.

The following spring,

a small fly will eat its way through toward the galls edge

 and emerge ready to fly on its own.

Investing in people is like this sometimes. 

God places people in our lives that we didn't ask for 

and we may not want. 

But we need.

But He knows that through giving of ourselves to others, 

they will grow and so will we.

And after we are gone, 

our investment in them will live on.

What if when people come into our lives,

we take time to invest ourselves into their lives...

...not seeing the bother, but seeing the brother?

We may never see the end result, 

but we know the legacy will continue.

And some else will be ready

to fly,

too.

The Habit of Thankfulness: A Few of My Favorite Things

Aug 11th- A few of my favorite things...
~Clouds rippling across the night sky like sand ridges in the water
~Watching neighbors restore old porches
~Safety for my dad as the car he was driving was hit by a construction vehicle today (the construction vehicle turned right from a left hand lane into him) So glad he's ok! 

The Habit of Observation: Late Summer Flowers

The fingerprints of Our Creator can be seen in all

He has made.

One flower is really many in teasel...

...sweet peas look like little orchids...

...Rows of flowers, like rings on the teasel plant...

....The lattice work of the a teasel done blossoming....

...the starburst of color atop a burdock burr...

...symmetry and contrast of a thistle ...

...unexpectedly finding wild grapes hanging down... 

...the deeper purple of another kind of burdock... 

...The bright yellow hawkweed with its 5 points per petal... 

 ...The amazing beauty in each hook...

...The bright true blue of chicory.. 

 ...Seeing the delicate parts that make up the whole....

Take time today to notice 

God's handiwork today!