Of Squirrels, Oaks and Acorns in High Places

It was peaceful up there that day.

Over our heads was a mostly blue sky

with a few white clouds to add interest.

After a bit of a climb

we paused to take in the serenity of the place.

-

Soon--

a friendly couple stopped to visit with us for quite a long time

as we sat on a bench overlooking the beautiful valley below,

and the mountain range beyond.

---

But later we

spied another visitor (or more likely a resident)

who didn't have time to visit--

A very cute visitor/resident

A very athletic one too

Guess he couldn't stop and visit because
he was on a mission--

a food gathering one.
And we, his amused observers wish him much success always,

because even though he didn't stop and visit,

he blessed us anyway!

~

Blessings from the PNW,

Aimee

A Touch of Germany--in America

I knew where I wanted to go on the Sunday of our recent 4 day holiday weekend-

it was a place I remembered well.

A place where I had spent some happy times

with friends and family many years ago...

a place proud of its cultural and religious heritage-

And a place where a little bit of Bavaria lives on,

in the heart of those whose ancestors came from Germany long ago

and

--for awhile--

in the heart of those who come to visit,

including this great-great granddaughter of German immigrants.

It is Mt Angel,

a town

located in the Willamette Valley

of Oregon,

between the coast range and Cascade Mts.

A pretty place

where you will find...

dancing children-

during Oktoberfest

and

always over the water in this fountain!

Unique public art--

like this decorated pole and...

a glockenspiel

(which unfortunately we had just missed)

Here is a closer look at the paintings on the tower though:)

Lots of flowers--
in window boxes

and in beautiful hanging baskets.

There you will also find a beautiful historic church.

A town resident told us that many places,

including this church,

had suffered damage in an earthquake in the early 1990's and had to

undergo a lot of repair work to make it safe to use again.

I am glad that the repair work was successful!

You can see the church from quite a few places in town because it is so tall

and because it was built on a slope above the downtown district.

This is the church from the rear.

-

I do love historic churches

--from the small, simple, pioneer ones--

to those that are large and more ornate.

--

I also love towns and cities

which make an effort to preserve their history!

-

Do you have a favorite historic church?

A favorite town that celebrates its heritage?

Feel free to share...

Blessings,

Aimee

The Word on Wednesday

For those who mourn --

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die…A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…” Ecclesiastes 3:1, 2a, 4 KJV

-

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted…to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness…”
Isaiah 61: 1a, 2b, 3a KJV

-

“ …for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:13b KJV

-

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4 KJV

-

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away..." Revelations 21: 4 KJV

~

Recently, I was reflecting on how Christ too experienced the loss of a parent during His time on earth. That's right--Jesus' step-father, Joseph, His childhood protector and provider, almost certainly died some time before Christ began His earthly ministry or at the latest, before Christ's crucifixion. And although the Bible does not answer the specifics of Joseph's death-the when, the where, the how-we can be sure that his family would have mourned his loss just as we do today when a loved one passes away.

This knowledge comforts me--

Jesus really does know what my family and others are going through as we say our last goodbyes.

He has stood at the graveside of a good friend and wept.

He has seen--firsthand--the suffering and pain of those around Him.

And, it is clear from the verses above, that while there is still death, pain, sorrow and grief on this earth, that God promises to comfort those who will take His outstretched hand and draw close to Him.

Blessings, Aimee

Notes: My mom is still with us as I write this. She is receiving good hospice care and both my father and sibling are able to spend much time with her. A heartfelt thank you to those who are praying for our family at this time:)
Photo: An angel at a cemetery we passed earlier this year.

Travels in the PNW

Our Labor Day weekend travels brought us to many peaceful places--
to the top of mountains,
into and past woodlands,
past many fields--both empty and those with crops still not harvested,
over and beside rivers and creeks,
to places of PNW history and culture--
then finally,
to a place I knew would speak even more joy, peace and beauty to my soul--
a place also located on a 'mountain' of sorts.
A place where people have gone to for a long time to do the very thing I wished to do
But before we get to that place,
here are some other photos from our 4 day weekend--
hope you enjoy them :)

A small, historic church we passed during our travels

A field being worked-
I love the green contrasted with the gold and blue.
I love a lot about this photo actually-
I have a lot of respect for farmers,
my adopted 'dad' -
my best friend's dad-
was a farmer...
I miss his smile, wit and love of life!

Not too bad of a shot considering it was taken from a moving vehicle!
Not sure I saw the trees and field until I was processing it;
now I like it even more:)
I often find 'surprises' like this!

A view of the beautiful Cascade Mountain range that can be found in
both Washington and Oregon.
I took this photo, though, because I liked the lines formed by the poles --
I love the patterns and lines that are found all around us-
in nature, on buildings and just about everywhere you look!

And the last one for tonight
--maybe--
a beautiful town church as seen from a nearby field.
-
Now this speaks peace to me:)
Blessings from the PNW,
Aimee
-
I want to take a moment
to thank both visitors and those who have been following my blog!
Your presence here is always appreciated,
and my sincere hope
is that you will leave my little place on the web feeling blessed!
Peace always -- A.