His Strength

When strength is small

it allows room for God's Almighty power to be demonstrated.

Be dependent: "We are weak, but He is strong"!

Look down, look all around you, and look up.

He the Creator of infinite beauty,

upholds with unfathomable strength

and He guides with pure wisdom.

Be humbled and be loved.

damsel fly

Toxicodendron Radicans

It can look pretty, it can be colorful,

and it can be horrible.

Poison Ivy is a plant that is becoming more prevalent in the woodlands of North America. It can be a low growing trailing vine or disguise itself as a climbing vine or a shrub.

It is the sap within the plant that causes the rash in more than seventy percent of the people who touch it. Even those who do not develop a reaction the first time will do so after repeated exposure. These reactions can become more severe over time and even lead to anaphylaxis.

The urushiol within the sap binds to the skin where the itching and redness develop into a rash with oozing blisters that usually lasts from 1 - 4 weeks. The rash only spreads because other areas had been contaminated by the oils; it does not spread by touching the fluids oozing from the blisters.

Objects exposed to the oils should be washed carefully. The oils that may be on objects can last for years. Burning of the plant (even of dead branches) can cause airway injury when airborne particles are inhaled. If ingested it can damage the digestive system and kidneys.

It is interesting that people who are sensitive to poison ivy can also react to mangoes which are in the same plant family.

So... if you have been exposed to poison ivy rinse the area with lots of cold water. Warm water will open up the pores on the skin and increase the effect. Once the rash has developed hot showers can ease the itch for a short time.

adapted from wikepedia

Vacation Prayer

Loving Father, who didst make this earth so fair, open our eyes to see its wonders and our hearts to feel its beauty. In our days or refreshment and recreation, draw us nearer to Thee through the things which Thou has made. May the joy of Thy sunshine, the quiet of Thy forests, the murmur of Thy streams, and the steadfast strength of Thine everlasting hills teach us the deep secret of Thy peace.

Renew in us faith and courage, physical strength and spiritual vision, that we may know ourselves to be safely held in Thy strong hands.

From this life, so near to Nature's heart, may we drink in new strength to help us reach the restless hearts of men. may we go back to the world and its duties, stronger, simpler, sweeter, and thus become more worthy messengers of Him who saw His Father's goodness in the sparrow's flight and His Father's love in the beauty which clothes the lilies of the field.

Hugh L Burleson

fawn in the forest

Each morning my little girl and I would be out early and sometimes we would be rewarded with sightings of deer. This fawn and its doe were unconcerned about our nearness and we could watch them at length.

away with friends

We have been away, camping with friends, a huge group of friends-

which can be daunting for those who relish solitude.

These friends, and others that God placed along the path,

all have stories and not small stories.

They have struggles-

struggles with cancer, struggles with other diseases, struggles with tragedies.

As I spend time noticing the colors of nature the true colors of these people whom we call our friends show through.

They live, they laugh, they grieve, they share, they hope,

and they trust in their Father.

And we are all blessed by this time together.

rocks by the shore

One evening a few of us campers sat by the shore and watched the sun slide away.

The waves splashed over the rocks in an endless cycle of cover, embrace and release

and the stone glistened in the golden light.

it is raining

After a week of thirty-something-and humid the rain feels good

and I and the gardens soak it up.

His Work of Creation

His Work of Creation

Among the many acts of gratitude we owe to God,

it may be accounted one to study and contemplate

the perfections and beauties of His work of creation.

Every new discovery must necessarily raise in us a fresh sense

of the greatness, wisdom, and power of God.

Jonathan Edwards

cousins

The neat thing is that we share faith and genes and names

and relatives and thoughts and tastes

and coffees in dutch mugs

and that 'tis allemaal goed.

Hidden Waters Log House near Tara

days go by and by gone days

And as the days slipping from one into the next and summer is in full swing and the daisies are in bloom and the lettuce gets snipped out of the garden and family goes back home and other family comes to visit and time is spent reconnecting and together my cousin and I take a short break and find a place to stay from days gone by. And as we step into the home axed into existence 160 years ago I feel somewhat panicky wondering if I will have enough time to absorb the wonder of it in 2 short days and nights and I marvel at the enormous logs and the smell of wood smoke and the light quietly reflecting off a well worn floor and the thought of the original family lying buried in the nearby woods

and we slow down and relax

and make a cup of coffee

and we drink it while we talk on the porch

and watch the red winged blackbirds on the grasses

and we enjoy.

We drive by those who live the life of the early days that we teach the children about and wonder about their choices and think of the simplicity of life but also the difficulty of such an existance.