TRUE STATEMENT

To get what you have never had, you have to do what you have never done.

We All Have STUFF!

SURRENDER

Surrender now, pretend no more,

God is here just open the door.

Ego lay down, take a rest,

We've always thought you were the best.

Edging God Out isn't the way,

You seem big and strong,

but you can't stay.

Surrender is strength,

placing all in God's hands,

admitting to him you don't understand.

I'm willing to put myself in his care,

because something tells me, he will always be there.

Surrender, let go, release all the ties.

Step outside the box and you'll see blue skies.

God is just waiting for you to let go, to realize you're

really not running the show.

This is baby Brock. He is 3 months old now and an amazing delight. So using him as an example of the innocence of all of us it becomes hard to believe we could ever have stuff. So what is stuff? Stuff in my opinion, is the illusions we have created over the span of our earthly existance. Not to be minimized because for most of us we have come to know these illusions better than the real innocense of who we REALLY are. We hold them near and dear and to some it becomes such a secret we must not ever reveal. So look deep into the eyes of this sweet little baby. Except see if you can see you. Yes, you. Our natural man becomes our enemy. An enemy to our goodness and true self. Ego is another word we could use to describe the natural man. A great acronym for ego is Edging God Out ! Cool huh? We do often only reveal the good stuff, and then others begin to think less of themselves, or feel like everyone else is better, richer,more talented. We are so good for each other. WE are all teachers, and we didnt even know what a great job we were doing. We are the FAMILY separate and collective. We need each other with our innocence, our pain, our STUFF.

LIFE IS WHAT WE MAKE IT~ALWAYS HAS BEEN ALWAYS WILL BE...

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We weredriving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of aparking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on hisbrakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver ofthe other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxidriver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was reallyfriendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruinedyour car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi drivertaught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run aroundfull of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full ofdisappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump itand sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally.Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbageand spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks takeover their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,so....Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a blessed, garbage-free day!

HOPE

"Hope is both the earliest and the most indispensable virtue inherent in the state of being alive.... If life is to be sustained hope must remain, even where confidence is wounded, trust impaired."~ Erik Erikson (1902-1994)
"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our overconfidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress."~ Bruce Barton (1886-1967)
"A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love."~ Marie-Henri Beyle (1783-1842)
"The pure, the bright, the beautiful that stirred our hearts in youth,The impulses to wordless prayer,The streams of love and truth,The longing after something lost,The spirit's longing cry,The striving after better hopes-These things can never die."~ Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

"Action and reaction, ebb and flow, trial and error, change - this is the rhythm of living. Out of our overconfidence, fear; out of our fear, clearer vision, fresh hope. And out of hope, progress."~ Bruce Barton (1886-1967)
"A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love."~ Marie-Henri Beyle (1783-1842)
"The pure, the bright, the beautifulthat stirred our hearts in youth,The impulses to wordless prayer,The streams of love and truth,The longing after something lost,The spirit's longing cry,The striving after better hopes-These things can never die."~ Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Beautiful flowers

Well, I tried to capture a little of the out of doors at the Balmforth quarters without exposing ALL of the other stuff. This is out by a pond Joel created. He carved this owl with a chainsaw many years ago.

Flowers he planted that have come up voluntarily this year!

This is part of his corn in his square foot garden. However it incapsulates much more than one square foot. Ha

Here is a more frightening view with a bunch of this's and that's including the ol farmer tractor.

And more of the same. Joel uses whatever is handy for the purpose at hand.

See what I mean? Old pallets,wood, and pvc pipe, oh yeah and tires.

Raspberries!!

More Corn.

More raspberries...

Rubarb. YUMMY!!!

Guess what this is? The compost pile. While I was cleaning the yard off the other day so I could mow. I found a waist high contain of old wet coffee grounds that he has collected for something???

More Rubard. Anyone want strawberry rubarb pie?

This is an upside down tomato grower. I think the tomatoes are confused~they arent doing so well. Oh wait~maybe because there is more rain than sun..

Tools of the trade!

An arbor he built out of this and that!

His mothers favorite flowers.

The quakies are really getting tall..

Oops! Got the same picture twice and I didnt know how to remove it. So you aren't really seeing double.

These flowers we planted about 4 years ago in two or three clumps. They have seeded themselves and are just beautiful this year probably because of the rain. Notice I have been weeding. Also I tried to keep it a tight shot so as not to distract from the flowers. The outer perimeter is very interesting. I would have to show you the cow that is grazing in the front yard due to no interested parties in mowing it. Oh well! Got to love it. At least I have grass. For so many years I didnt. So there you have it. Right as I am complaining I am into gratitude. God bless America~~

Love of America

I love America, I love the chill that runs down my spine when I see the flag and say the pledge of alligence. I love that Moroni was a captain in the Lords army and stands at the pinacle of our temples. I have an even more vested interest in that our son Taylor is training in Missouri now for the troops. I can't even imagine him going to war. My prayer is that he will never have too. And I am so grateful for the great patriots of our country who stand in harms way daily to defend the freedom of this great land!! May we all in the coming weeks have a special prayer in our hearts on behalf of all the troops, and for those who have been killed while defending this great land of America. In God we trust. May Old Glory FOREVER Wave!!