Winter is Coming, yet There is Hope

Today is the fourth anniversary of my sweet husband's heaven day.  Since last January I have made great strides in my healing.  I am so grateful for GriefShare and my wonderful church, Morning Star.

I don't know how I would have made it through the past ten months without them.  I have learned SO much truth--and now, instead of hiding from my grief, I am walking through the pain and I'm almost to the other side.

I will always miss my Beloved.  We were married for 31 years and shared a wonderful adventure together.

But it is time to move forward now.

Blessings and peace to you, dear ones.  God is good--He is near--He is always near to the brokenhearted.   And there is always Hope in Him. 

The Light Shall Break Forth

I have not forgotten you, nor have all the people who are praying for you.  You are loved and the burden to pray has been heavy this week.  Here is the promise God sends for today, dear ones.

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, 

And your healing will quickly appear; 

Then your righteousness will go before you, 

And the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.  

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; 

You will cry for help, 

And he will say: Here am I.   

~Isaiah 58: 8, 9

He is Able--and worthy of our total trust.  Do not despair.  He is walking with you every step of each day.  When you cry for help, He will say, "Here I am."  ((hugs)) You are His beloved.

Spring has arrived here--though it is cold and snowing in most of my country.  The daffodils are springing forth with shouts of color, the fruit trees are robed in pink and white, like brides and their bridesmaids.  I heard a robin singing today, and so many other spring bird songs.  

May God bless you, dear ones.  You are in my prayers.   

Don't Give Up Hope

Though sometimes the circumstances of life seem dark and hopeless, the darkness must always flee before the power of the Light.

I have experienced more dark days than I ever thought possible.  Yet even so, the Light of the Lord shines into that hard place--and I lift my hands and my face to the Light of Hope.

Here is a promise for all of us who have suffered great loss in our lives.  You know who you are--and so does the Mighty One Who loves you.

Arise, shine; for your light has come, 

And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 

For behold, darkness will cover the earth, 

And deep darkness the peoples; 

But the LORD will rise upon you, 

And His glory will appear upon you. 

And nations will come to your light, 

And kings to the brightness of your rising. 

Lift up your eyes round about, and see; 

They all gather together, they come to you. 

Your sons will come from afar, 

And your daughters will be carried in the arms.  

~Isaiah 60:1-4.

My treasured Friends.  Trust God.  There is always hope and the light of hope will overcome misery, darkness and despair.

I am praying for you, dear ones, as are countless others.

God bless you, Beloved Friends.

Daffy Down Dilly Greetings

These lovely daffodils look astonished to be out so soon.  Our unseasonably warm weather has brought them springing from the earth in all their happy splendor. 

I have been watching the news and my heart is filled with an urgency to pray.  This Psalm of David from the Old Testament of the Bible is for you this morning. 

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
And under his wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
Nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
Nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,
But it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
And see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
And you make the Most High your dwelling,
No harm will overtake you,
No disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
To guard you in all your ways;
They will lift you up in their hands,
So that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
You will trample the great lion and the serpent. 

 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
And show him my salvation.”

~Psalm 91
A Song of David
The Old Testament of the Bible

Take heart, Beloved  Friends, you are not alone.  God is with you, as are our prayers. Call upon Him and He will answer.  He will not fail you. 

Rainbow Sun

I took this spectacular photo several years ago.  With all the disturbing and terrifying news we're hearing all across the world--including our own nation...I had to remind myself that there is hope.

There will always be hope.  Hope is my heart's cry for every person who feels helpless and afraid.  You may live worlds away, or you might be my next door neighbor.   Wherever you are, know you are not alone.  The God of Hope walks with you. 

I don't know what it is like to walk in your world, to savor life from your viewpoint.  But God knows.  He is with you. 

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, 

My God, in whom I trust."  

A Psalm of David.  

(Psalm 91)

Heart of Hope -Guest Heart Thursday

My husband was in surgery for quite some time, when I noticed this perfect heart reflected onto the ceiling of the waiting room.  I couldn't believe my eyes--neither could anyone else in our part of the room.

Turns out it was the sun shining through the window, reflecting off my phone, which was sitting on a coffee table.

I believe it was when I saw that beautiful unexpected heart, that I knew for sure all would be well.  Indeed, the surgeon removed all the cancer and my husband, though still in pain, improves every day.   There is a lot for him to do yet, in this life.  I am so thankful for a heart filled with hope.

For more heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday!
 

Think Pink!

It has been raining "cats and dogs" over the past few days. The deluge has filled our back yard with enough water the fish pond is overflowing! Though I am grateful for the rain, it has a way of, er, damping my spirits.

I was looking through the pictures I took on our walk last week--Sissy and I have so much fun taking pictures together over at the abandonded mega-church and in the forest--and I found this photo.

These amazing pink blossoms stretching up into the blue, blue sky are growing out of a confused rubble of glass and debris. Isn't it wonderful to know beauty can grow in the midst of such destruction? There is always hope. Think Pink!

Touching the Light

This is a photo I took last Fall of a cloud touching the sun. This morning, as I perused my myriad collection of photos, this one seemed to fit the day best.

My heart is full of hope for the future. Sometimes one's hope can be renewed by looking back upon the blessings of one's life. I am surely doing that today, with GREAT thankfulness.

Be sure to drop by Clytie's blogs this morning--she has two wonderful entries you all need to read. Thank you everyone for your warmth, thoughts and prayers for my darling sister. YOU are an integral part of this miracle.

Here are the links: http://clytie-randomhearts.blogspot.com/ and http://clytie-randomstuff.blogspot.com/

May God bless you all--and a very Merry Christmas to you!

Rainbow Tears

My wise and wonderful sister Clytie once told me years ago--you can't have a rainbow without the rain.

This morning I found a most perfect quote given by another dear sister of mine. It suits this day of rainbows.

Almost any rainbow
Finds a place to start,
In a rain stained heaven,
Or a tear stained heart…
--Lillian Everts
.
Take hope--sometimes sadness can result in beauteous joy.

July Moon

I have never been able to successfully photograph the moon until just recently. Here is the moon as it appeared through a veil of pink clouds in the twilight of night. There is a wistful beauty about this photograph I can't quite put into words. Perhaps you can.

To Capture a Rainbow

I have discovered Rainbows are incredibly illusive. I've photographed hundreds of them, and so far, I have not been able to entirely capture their gorgeous colors and sense of mystery.

Rainbows are very special to me. In fact, nearly every wonderful event in my live has been heralded by a rainbow. Whenever I see a rainbow hanging in the skies I am reminded that there is always hope. "Hope is a good thing--perhaps the best of things."