Another Sunrise

Every day starts afresh.

Every day begins anew.

God has given me another sunrise.

Dawn begins to peek through.

Another chance to do all right,

To be what I need to be.

Another chance, oh Lord, please keep guiding me.

Thank you, God, that I’m your child.

Secure, for your arms surround me.

Your comfort and Your love, all the while

My cares...You are keeping,

And my struggles now gone.

When Your sunset is setting,

If I have stumbled once more.

Thank you, Lord, another sunrise,
You have given. 

Reflecting on a Smile

"If I ever become crazy; if I ever lose contact with reality; if I ever turn against you because my brain cells are becoming abnormal, please remember that once upon a time I loved you, but senility took its toll, and it made me different. Then remember way back when I smiled at you, and you had smiled at me, I hold that smile, forever, tucked deep inside of me."

Reflecting on my mother and my grandmother a thought or two occurred. Both of them became senile.  Would I someday too? 

I wonder if they knew what was happening to them. I wonder if they worried about their minds. I wonder when my turn may be, would I worry too?

 Whenever my mother looks down from Heaven's gates, I can feel her radiant smile.
 I send my mother and my grandmother a smiling heart. Looking up, have they caught it?
Back on life's journey I tread...reflecting and remembering. I pause; I wonder, and slowly
I smile.

When the Trail Bit Me.

As Ruedi labored on Memorial Day's meal, my sister, Diana, and my middle daughter, Robin, and I pounced on an opportunity to do a little trail blazing.

There was an itsy bitsy hesitation on my part...just a little one.  Last year, when a small rock at George's Cove, or a piece of wood, decided to roll with my body balancing precariously on top, I toppled cracking a rib. That was an ouch!
I became squarely "squirrelly" about  unstable trails. Nevertheless...

Conditions had to be met, so I said, authoritatively, to my tribe, Diana and Robin, it's imperative that I have a maintained hiking trail, and the tribe unanimously agreed. Tracy Marina Trail had been suggested by my knowledgeable neighbor as being "well kept".  Finding the trail, the tribe embarked on its hiking destination: to the wilderness and beyond!

As we began trekking through the forest, a thought occurred to me. I don't see evidence of recent travel unless one considered the Last of the Mohican's racing through from North Carolina on their way to visit cousins in Oklahoma. Not only thorns and thistles and major logs across its paths, there were a million little rocks eager to roam and roll upon contact of said hiker. As I hiked through dry creek beds, slabs of rock began moving erratically to the wind or to my heavy breathing.  I began to tremble.  There was nothing to tell me that below my feet laid solid ground. The trail took a cliff like upward turn. By now Diana and Robin were quite a distance ahead of me, as I tested every teeny, weeny step, horrified of those menacing pebbles moving under my feet.

Glancing at my watch,  I almost kissed it. It was time to turn around and head toward liquid refreshments and ribs. Before I could take a breath of relief, Diana and Robin raced by me. They marched to theirs thoughts of filling empty bellies  resulting from their obviously furious pace of hiking. Facing downward from whence I came, I heard the sounds of the avalanche screamed into my ear, its sinister words whispering, "impending doom". I soon realized I was the most likely candidate to be the avalanche itself.  Would these cotton pickin' pebbles stop moving?

Stinging sweat seeped into my eyes. I couldn't see, as makeup mingled with my sweat totally blinding me. Fear caught my throat choking me, as I visualized hurling down the side of this mountain at break neck speed. Okay, it was only a hill, a little one, but I was going down, and it wasn't going to be pretty. I knew it.

The tribe had abandoned me, and I was alone.  They left me.  These doggone, crazy pebbles and rocks were sarcastically laughing from their hiding place on the trail. I grabbed three leaf vines, branches and hugged the bigger rocks. Precariously, step by step the trail began to level out, and I could advance standing straight on solid ground.

There was the car.  Oh thank you, car; I forgave the pebbles and my tribe. Later, as I tasted delicious, tender spare ribs and sipped a glass of dry white wine, I realized, with renewed confidence, I am a true trail blazer.  :-)  Oh, yea, okay, maybe next time...!

My Name Says It All!

Who Am I?

I’m proud of my turf. I am friendly to people that visit my turf as long as they realize it’s my turf.

They are respectful to my turf because I demand them to be.

Any creature who thinks he can mark my turf, take over my turf or challenge my jurisdiction over my own turf, well, may he soon rest in peace.

I’m amicable, and I like to socialize. Don’t step on my toes, and I’ll let you keep yours.

No one attacks my family and lives.

I am an

American Bull Dog.

My name says it all.

I would perish in a heart beat to protect my family and my turf. Don’t mess with me.

　

A few years ago, Ruedi and Diana and I hiked the hill from our back yard through the Corp of Engineer's property to the lake. Upon our return we lost our way and landed not quite a mile at some neighbor's house. It is tricky terrain, and looking at the sun's, stars or moon's position would not have helped us at all. My having no sense of direction whatsoever, it's easy to misplace which way is straight up.

Today, I'm trying to teach our "Killer Dog" to wander down the hill for the lions, tigers and bears and leave the poor Chihuahua alone at the top where our road is. It's not Schatzie that hungers for the Chihuahua; it's this Chihuahua that thinks he can rough and tough it with Schatzie. He wants to take her on, so not a good idea.

In the last five years, I have picked up a fear of traveling downhill vertically. I hug the tree, vines, fighting the temptation of bumping down on my hind side. I felt ashamed, for our native Americans would have scampered down with bare feet. Luckily, I found a rope that someone had attached to a tree trunk a long time ago. Painstakingly, I furthered myself another 50 feet.  Schatzie looked down at me, as she stood of the edge of the vertical drop off , glanced back up to our asphalt driveway toward her little friend and barked, “Adios, Amiga.”
She left me with the lions, tigers and bears.

The Choice

Reprinted
June 11, 2013

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(Originally posted on Sunday, December 28, 2008)

The Choice.

God created animals; God created man. God gave man the unique ability to make a choice: a choice to love God; a choice to accept; a choice to refuse but undeniably a choice. For God to have true companions, He gave us freedom to choose.

Before sin touched the lives of Adam & Eve, we saw how they had been designed to fit together perfectly. Bodies curvaceous, strong and lean... no flabby fat for these two...only joyful love making ...tireless bodies, moving to the music of two becoming one...

Lucifer, the cast out angel by God, was livid, venomously livid. It sickened him to watch Adam and Eve singing praises to their Lord...their voices melodious in perfect harmony... full of grace and worship.

Lucifer knew the difference between the beasts of the field and Adam and Eve, God's companions. Adam and Eve loved their Heavenly Father. It was their choice.

THE DAY A CHOICE WAS MADE.

Eve chose to disobey God; she chose to accept Lucifer's scam. Using her womanly charm, Eve convinced Adam; he chose as well. They made their choice. What Adam and Eve chose was to open Pandora's box, and, to their horror, inside lay Death. Death is the penalty for sin, in the worse, most horrid, torturous way. A total separation of God...our God who cannot look at sin...

DEATH and DESTRUCTION HAND-in-HAND

The Prince of darkness prepared his army, as Adam and Eve fled. From the Garden of Eden to Pandora's Box, the children of God were led. As the lid closed, God's tears rained down. A choice, a done deal...how tragic...how sad...

Quickly, the soldiers of darkness struck, showing no mercy. Lucifer smiled and danced his victory dance. A sibling murdered his brother: a victory dance. No sin was left untouched: Corruption, chaos, greed, once more, a victory dance! Incest, slavery, rape...Lucifer is light on his feet. Innocent children, abusive parents, no security blanket to keep the children safe...

Anxiousness and fear of abandonment and worse yet, pain...a victory dance again... Gone was the perfect union of a married man and woman. Mayhem, fornication, confused sexuality quickens Lucifer's steps. Blatant gluttony and alcoholic binges, marital affairs to add insult...desperate despair and ultimate sadness and abject loneliness while Lucifer gloats...

Hatred for fellow mankind, war, selfishness and incredible DISBELIEF...Mental illness and crippling diseases all ending in death... Encore, Lucifer, encore, more dancing please..! The woes of the people mounted, their cries "Where is God; where is our Lord?" How quick for them to forget...It wasn't He who walked away, but they, yes, on that fateful day.

IT WAS THEIR CHOICE.
 
God never stopped loving us. We made the decision not to trust His wisdom; we left His embrace. God never, ever abandoned us; His love stayed steadfast. His tears, his compassion never ceased. Who would pay for Lucifer's ransom? The penalty of sin was steep. Who would pay the price for God's people? The Holy Son of God, perfect and blameless and cherished by all the angels...God's only son, Jesus, left His Heavenly throne and lifted the lid of Pandora's Box. And as the lid closed, God's tears rained down.

ALWAYS THE CHOICE

The price for sin was paid in full. Salvation is at hand! Jesus conquered Death, and Jesus rose again. Eternal life is our choice. God stands outside our door. Will we choose to answer His knock? God's gift to us was CHOICE.

The earth remains corrupt and vile. The Prince of Darkness can claim you as his. Damnation forever is Lucifer's goal, for he holds God's children in utter contempt.
Open the door; open the door; the choice is yours to make! From the old rugged cross, the Lamb of God, the King of Kings, our Heavenly Father tenderly waits!

YOU HAVE A CHOICE.

Driving Miss Daisy the Swiss Way

Looking cocky, the Swiss Mountain man snorted, "Do you really think you can drive up our driveway?" What sounds simplistic isn't. When once in awhile we can capture a snow fall or freezing rain, our very steep driveway becomes a mini mini glacier. When we know weather is coming, we'll park our vehicles up at the top where our driveway meets the road. Our bungalow can't be seen from the road. All one sees is our lonely mailbox and our driveway disappearing down the hill.

In Switzerland, it snows; here it sputters although we have had our moments. (See the picture of our snow in January 2010!) The sun had softened the snow enough for Ruedi to bring the cars back down; later the freezing weather gave us two big ice patches on the driveway. Since he drives those big old buses, I drive the vehicles for "fun".

*****

So with a smile I stomped on Daisy Mae's pedal (our old beat up 1996 suburban) to shoot up the driveway. On the second ice patch, Ruedi hollered so loudly I let up on the accelerator. When one is "sledding" down backwards on our skinny little driveway, one has to be mindful of the boulders on the left and the deep, deep ravine on the right and the lake far down below. Missing the house as a braking device, I slowed down to a stop.

*****

With a smirk on his face, the ice man again asked, "Are you ready for the expert to take over?" That sounded like in invitation to me, and once again I put the pedal to the metal. Upward bound did Daisy Mae charge the incline! By the time we made it up to the road, I believe Ruedi was praying in his native tongue. Don't mess with a Tennessean who lives in the Ozarks. :-)