Hoping to Preserve and Persevere

I've published in this website so seldom, that I think Google may have removed it from view to everyone except me.  So, this is just a quick post to see if it's still working.  If it is, I plan to use it again.  Facebook is so convenient and so it took the place of blogging here, but I am weary of Facebook and the direction it's taken.  It will be a relief to post here again if it's still working.

Test photo for this test post.

Long Time

It's been quite a long time since I've posted anything on this site although anyone who has read my posts in the past knows that long gaps are not unusual.  This time I hardly know where to start because there have been so many changes in my life.  So, I'm just going to start again without even trying to fill in the gaps.

We now spend some of each winter in Arizona at a 55+ resort and love our time there.  We have a rental available near our own AZ "home" that I've made a website for using Blogspot.  Perhaps you would like to check it out:  https://goldenvistaresort.blogspot.com/.

Golden Vista Resort, #183

Quote:

"Being all fashioned of the self-same dust,
Let us be merciful as well as just." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Celebrating Our Eagle Scout

On Sunday, September 13, 2015, we celebrated the realization of Evan's goal of becoming an Eagle Scout.  Eagle is the highest rank a scout can achieve.  Evan and all Eagle Scouts know the truth of the axiom “It take a village…”  Many of Evan's "village" (family, friends, fellow scouts, and scout leaders) gathered together for the ceremony marking his achievement.

One special note - my sister gave Evan our dad’s Eagle Scout medal.  Great grandfather, Web Thompson, not only had the honor of being an Eagle Scout in common with Evan, but also an interest in collecting pocket knives.  They never met.  Evan was born a couple of months after my father’s death, and we are proud of both of them.  Their medals are remarkably similar even though they were made so many years apart.

Check out this Wikipedia article if you'd like to know more about Eagle Scouts, the requirements necessary to earn the rank, and more:  Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)

View the photos by following this link:
Evan's Eagle Scout Ceremony
(You can click on individual photos when you click through to the album)

Quote:

“Only when we meet the living God in Christ do we know what life is. We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.”

- Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI; Homily, St. Peter’s Square, April 24, 2005

Made it to Thirteen

The Kaz at 13

Today, June 7th, is Kasper’s birthday. Born in 2001 he is now thirteen years old. He isn’t doing so well. The last half year has been rough for the two of us as he became sick last November and was diagnosed with diabetes, which is common to his breed. The first couple of months trying to get the insulin dose right was difficult, but eventually we found the balance point - except that any change in routine can still cause problems. This past month and a half has been the hardest as he has developed separation anxiety and become paranoid about being crated. These most recent behaviors are age related and probably signs that there are more health issues going on; quality of life is deteriorating for him. He still enjoys walks, though they are much shorter. He still occasionally takes off racing around the tables in his figure eight route, but the race is slower and shorter in duration. He still loves people and is as sociable as ever, but often because of hearing loss and dimmer eyesight he isn’t aware anyone is near so his overenthusiastic bursts of joy in greeting them have become more subdued. He sleeps more during the day, but is often restless at night. I make adjustments daily to try to ease his anxiety and meet his needs and I don’t suppose he will be with me much longer.
How grateful I am for the good years we’ve had together. My faithful companion through the worst of times, he’s been there to make me smile and to help keep me going.

❤ Happy Birthday, Kasper. ❤
_________________________

Postscript
❤
Kasper
June 7, 2001 -  June 23, 2014
_________________________
 

In Acceptance Lies Peace

I've experienced and spoken the words - "In acceptance lies peace" - but had no idea where the phrase originated.  How did we ever find answers to questions like this before there was such a thing as an internet search?

A Poem by Amy Carmichael

Where Lieth Peace?

He said, "I will forget the dying faces;
The empty places
They shall be filled again;
O voices mourning deep within me, cease."

Vain, vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in forgetting lieth peace.

He said, "I will crowd action upon action,
The strife of faction
Shall stir my spirit to flame;
O tears that drown the fire of manhood, cease."

Vain, vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in endeavour lieth peace.

He said, "I will withdraw me and be quiet,
Why meddle in life's riot?
Shut be my door to pain.
Desire, thou dost befool me, thou shalt cease."

Vain, vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in aloofness lieth peace.

He said, "I will submit; I am defeated;
God hath depleted
My life of its rich gain.
O futile murmurings; why will ye not cease?"

Vain, vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in submission lieth peace.

He said, "I will accept the breaking sorrow
Which God tomorrow
Will to His son explain."
Then did the turmoil deep within him cease.

Not vain the word, not vain;
For in acceptance lieth peace.

Quote:

"Strive to see God in all things without exception and acquiesce in His will with absolute submission. Do everything for God, uniting yourself to Him by a mere upward glance, or by the overflowing of your heart towards Him. Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. Commend all to God, and then lie still and be at rest in His bosom. Whatever happens, abide steadfast in a determination to cling simply to God, trusting to His eternal love for you; and if you find that you have wandered forth from this shelter, recall your heart quietly and simply. Maintain a holy simplicity of mind, and do not smother yourself with a host of cares, wishes, or longings, under any pretext."
- Saint Francis de Sales

Cross Reference

The cross for a Christian is the place where decisions are made. 


Will we love or will we selfishly live for ourselves?


"Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."
- Luke 9:23 (NIV)

The First Day of Spring

5° actual temperature, -13° windchill

No sign of a thaw and I haven't seen a robin.

Lent Begins

Today is Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) which is the season of approximately 40 days leading up to Easter.  Lent is a time of recognizing our need of and gratitude for our Savior through prayer, fasting, and giving.  This is a video from Busted Halo covering the basics of Lent (and Ash Wednesday) in just 2 minutes.

Resolutions for the New Year?

What is Advent?

Advent is the first season of the church year, leading up to Christmas; it includes the four preceding Sundays.  It is a time of waiting, of anticipation, and preparation for Christ's coming.
I like the thought that I am preparing my home for a Special Guest.  Jesus is coming.

This video, Advent in 2 Minutes, by Busted Halo explains it well.

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Order "Odonata"

(Adapted from an article I wrote for our lake association newsletter.)

We have a great variety of dragonflies here in northern Minnesota.  Technically we have insects of the order Odonata including both dragonflies and damselflies.  In the accompanying photo are three dragonflies and one damselfly (the damselfly is the blue one) but I'll just be referring to them all as dragonflies.  As you have no doubt observed, adult dragonflies come in various sizes and can be very colorful.  They are found in different shades of blue, green, red or yellow and each one is a wonder to watch as they have the ability to hover or zoom around, both forward and backwards, in pursuit of mosquitoes and other insects that they feed on.  In Minnesota we have around 140 species of dragonflies.

As the seasons changed this year from our very hot, dry summer to cold November-like temperatures in early October, I wondered what became of dragonflies in the winter.  It turns out that they winter very well underwater as larvae and as late season eggs, too, as the eggs simply stop developing until the winter season has passed.  Some larvae are even able to survive a mild freezing in ice.  The adult dragonflies live only 4 to 6 months, but some of them do migrate south.

If you want to learn more about dragonflies, here are a couple of links to get you started:
http://www.mndragonfly.org/index.html
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/uniramia/odonatoida.html

Psalm 122:6-7

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:  'May those who love you be secure.  May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.'" - NIV

5:30AM Sighting

I was awake much too early this morning.  As I contemplated going back to bed (while filling my tea kettle with water and looking out the kitchen window) I woke up fully when I saw a marten!  At first I thought it was a fox because of the big, beautiful bushy tail, but it was moving much too low to the ground in an odd, furtive and slinking way.  It slipped in beneath the lattice work under the neighbor's deck, just as I have seen foxes do in the winter.  A few minutes later I watched it make it's way back up the hill, through my yard to the road where it headed north in it's peculiar, stealthy way.  The squirrel population around my yard seemed to go down drastically this spring and now I think I know why.

The Dock is In

Dock In
Originally uploaded by Minnesota Daybreak

The day the dock goes in each spring is always a milestone.  It marks the beginning of another season of activity and beauty.  It's message is, "welcome to the lake".. beckoning us to come down to the water and relax.

Long Lake Living: April Snow (Spring in Minnesota)

Link:  LongLakeLiving.org: April Snow (Spring in Minnesota)
Link:  More Spring Snow Photos

Spring in Minn

May Each Day of Your Week be a Good Day.

In the middle of the night I woke up with an old song going through my head.  I hadn't heard it in years so it took me quite awhile to think how I knew it and as some of the lyrics formed in my mind the calming words became a prayer in my heart.  I wished that I could look directly in the eyes of each person I would ever meet or interact with and silently carry this thought for them. (i.e. what I was able to remember of it; to find the complete lyrics I had to do an internet search)  The song is a prayer or benediction and I eventually remembered that I had heard it repeatedly on "The Andy Williams Show" when I was growing up.  How different television was back then.  Variety shows were popular and we watched his show regularly.  This was (and perhaps still is) his closing song and these are the lyrics:

"May Each Day"

May each day in the week be a good day
May the Lord always watch over you
And may all of your hopes turn to wishes
And may all of your wishes come true

May each day in the month be a good day
May you make friends with each one you meet
And may all of your daydreams be mem'ries
And may all of your mem'ries be sweet

The weeks turn to months
And the months into years
There'll be sadness and joy
There'll be laughter and tears
But one thing I pray to heaven above
May each of your days be a day full of love

May each day in the year be a good day
May each dawn find you happy and gay
And may all of your days be as lovely
As the one you shared with me today

May each day of your life be a good day
And good night.

This is one of many YouTube videos of Andy Williams singing it:

Afton Heights Fire Tower in Itasca State Park

October has been phenomenal this year not only with fall color, but also with unusually warm temperatures, so I've been out with my camera clicking away. If you'd like to see more October photos (and some going back through the summer, since I obviously didn't blog here) you can view them in my Flickr photos:
Minnesota Daybreak's Photostream