# 111 Thankful

I have plenty to be thankful for! And as we start December of another year it is hard to not stop and think "where has the time gone". I am once again reminded how precious our time on this earth is.

I am blessed to have my sons and their families close by so we can visit often. I am not sure what Grandma would do if she could not see the grand kids every few days. I continue to heal and work is good therapy. I guess this means retirement to the rocking chair is out of the question. I am sure one day I may change jobs but I will have to remain busy in some capacity to stay anywhere close to some form of sanity. Winter is a good time to reflect.

Psalm 118

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes.

# 110 Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

This old saying has become very clear to me this week as I continue my  walking program!

One of the photo collections I follow is called "Our Ruins" this was one of my entries. It is a hard thing to see how far out of shape one can get with 3-4 weeks of no or very limited activity.

The rust is everywhere! I guess as we get older this rusting process is more pronounced! I am back at it now with a renewed sense of commitment, but I am sure it will take me several weeks more to get back into any kind of shape. One thing is sure though "sit and be fit" will not work for  me.

Today was my first day back to work.

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron,

    so one person sharpens another.

# 109 The speed of things

This is two pictures of the lake Livingston dam taken about 2 months apart. The top is a lake discharge of 1000 cfs. The bottom is a lake discharge of 56,000 cfs. This is a good representation of how things have gone for me the past few months. One day I am fishing in calm water and the next the flood gates are open! I was actually fishing there the day I took the top picture. I continue to recover and work to get stronger every day. I am still walking a 1/2 mile twice a day and expect to increase that next week.  One more week of home bound recovery and I will head back to work. I am ready to get back to it.

One thing is certain in this life, things will change. Sometimes it will be a big change! When the floods do come I hope you have a strong faith to hold on to. We are all looking forward to the thanksgiving and Christmas holidays ahead. We will also welcome a new Batchelder boy in December to our family, our third grandchild,and first grandson.

Enjoy your week!

James 1

Trials and Temptations

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

# 108 Time

We have all heard all the old sayings about time..it waits for no man, it marches on. it slips away, and it flies. I have spent the last month in and out of the hospital, healing from major surgery and heart problems. When forced to slow down you get a new perspective on time, and how fragile our existence is. I added the picture above showing the ripples in the sand  as the water reseeded from our last rain event, to remind us that even nature takes its time getting back to normal. Yes one step at a time! I am pleased to tell you that I am making steps forward and should be back to work in a couple of weeks. Normal? well in my experience that will come sometime late next year.
Here are a few things I have learned in my "time off"
Prayer is a powerful thing.
My wife is a saint.
I have some very good friends.
I am really sick of TV.
The sun feels really good on your face.

Ecclesiastes 1

5 

The sun rises and the sun sets,

    and hurries back to where it rises.

6 

The wind blows to the south

    and turns to the north;

round and round it goes,

    ever returning on its course.

7 

All streams flow into the sea,

    yet the sea is never full.

To the place the streams come from,

    there they return again.

8 

All things are wearisome,

    more than one can say.

The eye never has enough of seeing,

    nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9 

What has been will be again,

    what has been done will be done again;

    there is nothing new under the sun.

# 107 Make Your Plans

"Make your plans, but don't plan on it"

I made this one up when I was in high school. I even did a search to be sure no one had the same saying and found none. So I guess its an original. For you who follow these posts the humming birds did show up last week and plenty! I have not seen the droves of birds from last year but a dozen or so are always fun to watch. I will be tending to some health issues over the next few weeks so be patient if my posts are not on time. I will do the best I can. 

Proverbs 27:1 

Do not boast about tomorrow,    for you do not know what a day may bring.

# 106 Waiting..Still

Last week I told you to get ready for these guys...things have been slow around our house. I guess  we have been spoiled the past couple of years with lots of birds. Anyway I still cleaned all the feeders and filled them with fresh syrup this weekend. Hope they show up soon! 

Psalm 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

# 105 Humming Birds

This is one of my favorite times of year. The fall migration of humming birds is just around the corner. If you are in Texas get your feeders ready! The next month will be fun bird watching!

 We have been blessed the past few years with hundreds of birds...I can't wait. Even if you are  not a huge birder get a feeder put up and you will be helping feed the humming birds on their migration.

Here is a link to my youtube channel and a video I took a couple of years ago. 

It was a food fight!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSEZ6_leEgY

Matthew 7

16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.