St. Francis

February 29, 2012

This is one of many versions of a prayer by St. Francis.  It is a particular favorite of mine.  Tonight at church we sang another version of it - another favorite.  This speaks of a life of living for others - of being Jesus to others.  I aspire to live this life; to bring joy rather than sorrow, to console others, to understand, to show light and faith.  I'm not as successful at this as I would like, but continue to try.  With God, all things are possible.

Happy 18th

February 28, 2012

Today Thomas and Laura Hall turned 18.  Wait, what??  How did that happen?  Wasn't it just yesterday that they were 3?  The 15 years since I first met them have flown by.  From tiny little toddlers who used to crawl up in my lap, they've turned into these grown up people with jobs and school and plans.  We don't get to see them often enough.  Happy Birthday Laura and Thomas...the best is yet to come.

Bird of Paradise

February 27, 2012

The Bird of Paradise is an interesting plant.  I think it's beautiful, but it's also a bit creepy.  It's a favorite of Catherine's (and of mine) and I would love to have one in my front garden.  In the category of "boy do I remember some weird stuff", I remember my Mom and Dad randomly singing a snippet of a song about the bird of paradise flying up a nose.  I googled it - the title of the song really was "May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose" and was sung by Little Jimmy Dickens in 1965!  By the way, according to one of the entries that popped up, you can get a ringtone sent to your phone!

Winter Has Been Cancelled

February 26, 2012

Yes, that is new growth.  The bushes, flowers, trees, and grass in Southwest Florida have decided that winter is over and it's now spring.  Wait, WHAT?  Where did winter go?  Or rather, why didn't we have winter this year?  I know that many of you are thinking that's a pretty silly question.  But, here in Florida we look forward to winter - low humidity, pleasant temperatures (in the seventies) most of the time, several weeks (all spread out) of cooler temperatures - sometimes even cold enough for sweaters and jackets, few bugs, blue skies, and sunshine.  This year we've had a few days here and there where it was cold but we've had many more days of heat, sometimes record-breaking heat, and humidity.  And now, it looks like our winter is over.  So, for those of you who are thinking that it sounds like a pretty good deal, here are the drawbacks.  It means we didn't get a chance to be without humidity and that is going to make the summer months more difficult to take. It also means our mosquitos this summer are going to be the size of birds.  Well, maybe not quite that big, but you get the point.  And, we'll live with it because this is where we reside and the perks far outweigh this year's lack of winter.

Living Water

February 25, 2012

This is the book I am currently reading on my Kindle (important because I am also reading a book that I keep on the bedside table and I am listening to one on my iPod while I work out).  I first heard of Mark Hall as the lead singer of Casting Crowns, one of my favorite Christian Artists.  Their song, "The Voice of Truth" is the story of Mark Hall's feelings of insecurity and inadequacy due to his lifelong battle with ADD and Dyslexia.  He told the story of this song in his first book.
I am not a big fan of reading nonfiction, as I find it tedious.  As a rule, I read incredibly fast and have done so since I first learned to read.  In 5th grade I used to get in trouble during that torturous exercise known as "round robin reading" because I never knew where we were when it was my turn to read - not because I wasn't paying attention, but because I could NOT read as slowly as the others and I was almost always several pages ahead of where we were supposed to be.  Anyway, I can't read nonfiction quickly so I find it tedious.
Mark Hall's nonfiction writing style is easy to read and understand.  He speaks to my heart with simplicity, humor that is similar to my own, and self-awareness.  He doesn't preach from a lofty place, but from a human, "I'm not perfect" place that makes it real.
"The Well" deals with the Living Water of Jesus Christ and how we often dip into empty holes of such things as Talent and Resourcefulness instead of relying on Jesus and his Truth.  Mark Hall uses stories from his life and others in addition to scripture to make his points.  In my opinion, this is a book worth reading.

To Kindle or Not...

February 24, 2012

This is my Kindle.  Wayne gave it to me for our anniversary last June.  I had been weighing the pros and cons of having one and hadn't yet decided what I wanted to do when he surprised me with it.  And, I love it!   I've always been a fast reader so when I travel I carry a bag full of books with me (seriously - usually a minimum of 4 and often as many as 10, depending on how long the trip is).  Now, when I travel I carry 10 to 15 books all in this one little book!  And, if I should just happen to run out of books to read (or think of something new I'd like to read instead of what I have) I can purchase a new book and it downloads to my Kindle instantly!
There are some drawbacks.  Even though there's a running percentage that tells me how much of the book I've read, I am very visual and find it less informative to have a percentage than the visual of seeing how much of the book I have left.  I also like to look back at parts of the book I've already read to check on names, etc. and I find that difficult with the Kindle.  I'm getting used to those two things, though, and have decided I LOVE my Kindle.

Right Between the Eyes

February 23, 2012

This picture was taken in early March of 1990 and is one of my favorites from that week.  I love the intense stare - the beginning of a beautiful relationship. As he said to me later, "from the beginning it was like she poked me right between the eyes and I was hers".  This is my Dad, Frank "Larry" Walls spending quality time with his first grandchild, Catherine Michelle Clifton.   Daddy was in Daytona for Bike Week when Catherine was born and came up to meet her when she was a few days old. To this day both Catherine and her Grandpa (who never succeeded in convincing Catherine she should address him as "Grandfather Dear" - said tongue firmly planted in cheek, of course!) will tell you that her birthday is "Bike Week"!