Category Archives: Family

The Return of the Ents

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The Ents…those wonderful, wise, slow-talking trees from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy…When I was growing up and reading (and re-reading) those books, I had a love/hate relationship with the Ent trees.  I always thought, “They are very smart and give good advice.”  But in the same breath I would wish that they would hurry up and say what they were going to say and get on with it.  (Pages and pages of talking trees)  In my life, I am much the same…sometimes I know that I’m probably learning something very wise and valuable, but I’m so impatient that I just want to learn it fast and be done with it.  But anyway, I saw this wonderful tree in the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, NC the other day, and immediately the Ents came to mind.  Whatever lesson you and I have to learn today, may we be patient and try to take it in graciously.  🙂  Blessings on your day, Lisa

 

What We’re Aware Of

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The people in this village on St. Lucia were not aware of our small boat out at sea, and if they did see us, they probably thought, “Oh, another boat.”  We saw the village, the little dots of houses built into the hillside, but we thought, “Oh, what a nice little village,” took the picture, and gave the people there no more thought.  Yet all of the people on the boat had lives they were living and dealing with, and all of the people in the village had the same.  But we all get so wrapped up in what we can see, what we’re living and doing.  Somehow, it’s comforting to me to know that so many other people are going through similar things like me in this world.  I may not know them, but they’re there.  And God sees us all, and is guiding us through the maze, through the things we can’t see and aren’t aware of, to a beautiful ending.  Blessings, Lisa

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“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.  Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.”  – Isaiah 26:3,4

 

The Imperfect Can Sometimes Rock

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When it comes to old castles, our family likes them less perfect, and more, well, imperfect.  The perfect castles tend to come complete with tour guides and the admission cost that tends to come with them.  (Although I’m mixed on that…those admission costs could help in keeping these wonderful old castles intact for another generation to enjoy.)  But we love to explore these wonderful rocks on our own sometimes, and just imagine.  🙂  Don’t miss the beauty in the imperfect.  Blessings, Lisa

“Grace makes beauty out of ugly things.”  – U2, “Grace,” ATYCLB

Layers of Beauty

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Beauty, the beauty that is all around us if we look, is usually in layers.  The obvious, the subtle, and the hidden.  I always get excited when my busy self slows down long enough to discover the subtle and occasionally, God’s hidden gems.

Reencaheragh Strand, Ireland

Reencaheragh Strand, Ireland

In this picture, the obvious beauties are the cliffs, rocks and sky.  The subtle are the far hills, the green fields.  The hidden are the tiny tide pools in between all the rocks that we explored, the way the sun makes diamonds on the water, the unexpected fishing boat that appeared later that day around the cliff.  But everyone sees it differently, and even that is a treasure.  🙂  Praying for God to truly open my eyes today to the beauty of all kinds today.  And praying that for you as well.  Blessings, Lisa