HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE! Hamburgers, hot dogs, watermelon and homemade strawberrry ice cream are on our menu for today. What makes it special is our kids will be with us. But, before that, we will worship God with thousands of other Christians. It's almost time to go now. Have a great day and a great week.

GOD BLESS AMERICA

A M E R I C A

A

is for the Attitudes

that conquer any quest

M

is for the multitudes

who know just why they're blessed

E

pluribus unum

from sea to shining sea

R

for all the Riches found

where everyone is free

I

for individuals

who sacrifice their all

C

because our Christian faith

will answer every call, so one more

A

for attitudes

That live inside of us

God has blessed America

Cause God is who we trust

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

© 2001 William Heffner

I like this poem by William Heffner. I especially like the last part. "God has blessed America cause God is who we trust." Let us pray that once again the United States of America will be considered a Christian nation. And let's pray for a president who recognizes that fact.

I hope you will visit our Spiritual Sundays blog for more spiritual/inspirational posts. You can click HERE to go to that blog. 

THIS IS LEAH

If you have been following my blogs for awhile, you know that I made porcelain dolls when I lived in Stockton, CA over 20 years ago. When I first started blogging 2½ years ago, I did a post about this doll that I had named Leah. Since she is all dressed up for the 4th of July I thought I'd repost about her.

Here's Leah with two other dolls I made. Notice she doesn't have glasses in this last picture. It was taken before I had her eyes checked and found out she needed glasses. LOL 

Leah lived in my doll room for several years, but about 17 years ago she moved to India to live at the Kulpahar Kids' Home. The lady that founded the Kulpahar Kids' Home (along with another lady) was back in the states and when she got ready to go back to India, I gave her this doll. When I named the doll Leah I had not met Leah Moshier, in fact did not even know that she existed. After I met Leah, I looked at my little Leah doll and it even reminded me of the real Leah. I had the strong feeling that this doll should belong to Leah. 

When I made little Leah, I dressed her in red, white and blue. She is the only doll that I didn't dress in pastel  or "muted" colors, which are the colors I like best. 

When we visited India in 1999, little Leah looked right at home there. I am glad she likes her new home. Of course it isn't her new home now. She has lived in India longer than she "lived" in the USA. Sort of like the real Leah. The real Leah has been in India for over 60 years and will celebrate her 92nd birthday in October. She is still active in the mission. 

Leah sent me this picture when she returned to India after I had given her the doll. 

If you haven't visited my doll blog, and would like to see some of the other dolls I made, you can click HERE to go to that blog.

AIRPORT BREAKFAST

We hadn't been to the Deer Valley Airport restaurant in quite awhile and had heard that it had recently been remodeled, so we decided to drive out there this morning for breakfast. For those not acquainted with Deer Valley, it's in far north Phoenix, a small airport where you can sit in the restaurant, eat and watch the planes, mostly very small ones, take off and land. It's really quite interesting and the food is pretty good. One of the new things in the remodeled restaurant was this beautiful mural. Of course I had my camera with me and couldn't resist taking a picture and sharing it here.

Notice the small model airplanes hanging from the ceiling? Someone donated their collection of model airplanes to the airport several years ago. There are hundreds of them hanging everywhere in the airport -- very interesting.

Hope everyone is having a good summer. I can't believe the 4th of July is almost here. It won't be long till Christmas. LOL

HOW SAD

HUMMINGBIRD

Hubby was in the front yard planting some flowers when he noticed a hummingbird going over to the fountain by the front door and drinking from it. He told me to bring the camera and if it came back he would take a picture. I grabbed the camera and turned it on and lo and behold, it said the card was locked and it wouldn't allow any more pictures to be taken. I finally found another card that wasn't locked, inserted it in the camera, and went out front to wait for the bird to come back. Sure enough it did so I took a couple of shots. Here they are. I love hummingbirds. I think they are so cute.

P.S. I finally figured out how to unlock the card. It has a little sliding thing on the side of it. It accidentally got locked. Next time I'll know what to do -- if I don't forget. LOL

Let's Pray

First of all I want to wish all you dads out there a Happy Father's Day. I was trying to decide what to share for Spiritual Sundays and ran across this illustration written by Patsy Clairmont from God Uses Cracked Pots. The article is about a mother, but could easily apply to fathers as well.

During a prayer time, as I cried out to the Lord for help with my temper, especially with my son, an idea formed I believe was heaven-sent because it made a difference. 

I was to pray with Marty before I administered any form of discipline. Sometimes those prayers sounded strange and strained as I almost shouted, "Dear Lord, please help this miserable little boy and help his miserable mommy who wants so desperately to raise him in a way that would honor you."

By the time I said "amen," I was almost a reasonable person. I was able to see past my emotions and do what was in Marty's best interest.

Sometimes he needed a firm hand, but he was dealt with in love instead of anger, and the moment drew us together instead of tearing us apart. Many times all he needed was time and a mother's tender touch.

But one day that boy really ticked me off! I remember heading across the room for him like a high-speed locomotive, steam coming out all sides. I had one goal and intent--get the kid, get the kid, get the kid!

Just as I loomed over him, his eyes the size of saucers, he held up one hand and yelled, "Let's pray!"

Marty had learned a valuable lesson in life. "When Mommy talks to Jesus, we're all a lot better off."

I think what Marty learned is a lesson we all can profit from. Not just in the disciplining of children, but in every area of our lives, we're a lot better off when we talk to Jesus.

Please join us each week for Spiritual Sundays where you can share something on your blog by linking there or just go there to read what others have shared. Click HERE to go to that blog. Or, you can just click on the birdies.

THERE'S A STAR SPANGLED BANNER WAVING SOMEWHERE

For some reason this song has been running through my mind for awhile. I don't know why. I haven't even heard or thought about it in ages. So, I looked it up online. I looked for a video of the song but haven't found it yet. I'll keep looking. The song was written in 1942. I remember hearing it often as a child. Just thinking about the song and singing it in my head brings a lump to my throat right now.

I can remember when it was "cool" to be patriotic. We got a little of that back after 9/11, but it didn't last very long. I'm looking forward to the day when we have a president again who is patriotic; one who is proud and not ashamed of America. I love this quote from Ronald Reagan, "Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came because the US was too strong."

THERE'S A STAR SPANGLED BANNER WAVING SOMEWHERE

There's a Star-Spangled Banner waving somewhere

In a distant land so many miles away.
Only Uncle Sam's great heroes get to go there
Where I wish that I could also live some day.
I'd see Lincoln, Custer, Washington and Perry,
And Nathan Hale and Colin Kelly, too.
There's a Star-Spangled Banner waving somewhere,
Waving o'er the land of heroes brave and true.
In this war with its mad schemes of destruction

Of our country fair and our sweet liberty,
By the mad dictators, leaders of corruption,
Can't the U. S. use a mountain boy like me?
God gave me the right to be a free American,
And for that precious right I'd gladly die.
There's a Star-Spangled Banner waving somewhere,
That is where I want to live when I die.

Though I realize I'm crippled, that is true, sir,

Please don't judge my courage by my twisted leg.
Let me show my Uncle Sam what I can do, sir,
Let me help to bring the Axis down a peg.
If I do some great deed I will be a hero,
And a hero brave is what I want to be.
There's a Star-Spangled Banner waving somewhere,
In that heaven there should be a place for me.

I kept looking and found this video. Not the best quality, but it's not bad. It has the sound of an old record played on an old fashioned record player. Since today is Flag Day I thought this would be a good time to share it.

When Hubby came through the room and heard the video playing, he paused and then he mentioned that when he was a kid he went around singing that song all the time. He said he thought he sang it pretty good. I'm sure he did. I think all the kids were singing it in the '40s. Those were the days.

The First and The Last

The following is a quote from Ron Dunn taken from a book entitled The Book of Wisdom.

"I am the first and the last," Jesus said. He is present at the beginning and at the end. He is there at the moment of birth and the moment of death. He is there when we set out on our Christian journey and He is there when we finish our course.

When the kings of the earth sleep in the dust of the ground and their power has vanished like a wisp of smoke, when all the enduring monuments of the world have turned into the mists that the morning sun drives away, when all the great men of the earth lie silent in their graves, Jesus will still be here.

It was the known presence of Jesus that calmed the apostle's heart. Christ does not say to us, "Fear not, here is a million dollars," or "Fear not, here is a miracle drug." He says, "Fear not, it is I." Jesus' presence always banished fear, and it still does...

Jesus said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

The one constant in the believer's life is the presence of Jesus. Teilhard de Chardin was right when he said, "Joy is not the absence of pain but the presence of God."

I chose to share the above quote today for Spiritual Sundays in part because of the many problems that are a part of the daily lives of so many. I love that last sentence in the above quote. "Joy is not the absence of pain but the presence of God."

For links to other inspirational posts, click HERE to go to our Spiritual Sundays blog. You may want to share something by linking there or you may just want to read what others have shared.

Star Spangled Banner

Thank God for men like this former Marine. Be sure to stop my music before viewing the video.

I did a Spiritual Sundays post on my other blog, but thought this graphic was so nice I decided to link it there too.

SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS - MEMORIAL DAY

I Am a Soldier
By Neal T. Lesh

I am a soldier born to follow or lead.
To serve my country in time of its need;
To protect our great nation with my heart and my soul
To preserve our new freedoms was one of my goals.

I joined in the struggle [a new nation to forge]
And fought with my brethren to run off King George
Severely outnumbered, Red Coats everywhere,
To continue the fighting was so hard to bear.

Finally it was over; fighting came to a close
From the ashes of tyranny a new nation arose
I returned to my family no longer a boy
But a man and a soldier with a heart full of joy.

I am a soldier, keeping rifle at hand
In defense of our people as we open new land
I have sworn to protect with all of my might
A republic of freedom based on that which is right.

I am a soldier who is sickened at heart
At a nation in danger of breaking apart
More than just vanity has brought us this far;
Fighting brother on brother in a great civil war

There will never be peace in the land of the free
If we fail as a nation in the wisdom to see
That our constitution provides for each man's equal due
Not just for the many at the expense of a few.

I am a soldier, who has fought the Great War,
In the trenches of France with a passion to score
In the name of what's holy in the name of what's right
Against enemies of liberty, I carried my fight.

From the beaches of Normandy to Iwo Jima’s sand,
Soldiers died by the thousands in some far distant land
They had shared noble reasons for the lives that they gave---
For the land of the free and the home of the brave.

I am a soldier, not a demon, as some people believe
For it's not in my nature to kill and cause grief
I would rather take up a far greater cause,
Turning sword into plowshare without even pause.

It's a much better world when we sleep and devise
 All those wonderful musings where our hopes come alive
I am a soldier with conscience and I wish that I knew
How to use all my power to make dreams come true.

I am a soldier standing guard through the night
Supported by others who join in the fight
To do what it takes we work as a team
So others can share in America's dream.
 
There are those in this world full of anger and hate
Who'd tear down our country; they now stand at our gate.
That so many people have died at their hand
Should send out a signal throughout our great land.


I will take up this battle for the families who cried
For  the loss of their loved ones who needlessly died.
Yes, I am a soldier and I’d die if need be,
For your right to be happy and your right to be free.

Dedicated to all who lost their lives as defenders of our country and our way of life in the attack on the Pentagon, Washington, DC. September 11, 2001 

I am so thankful to God for all those who have served to gain and to preserve the freedom of our great country and I want to share this poem about soldiers with you today for Spiritual Sundays. Click HERE to go to our Spiritual Sunday blog to share or be blessed by what others have shared there.