Peace on Earth

It is another late winter afternoon in the Pacific NW; the sky is mostly clear with a few pink clouds here and there. Soon the sun will set, ending another peaceful day. Not more then a few minutes ago, little birds were flying back and forth -- landing for a few seconds on the branches of the big pine outside a window. Now they have gone elsewhere, leaving only memories of their visit here.

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In another window, I see the delicate upper branches of a Japanese maple outstretched against the very pale blue of the winter sky; another window frames a peaceful scene of a field bordered by tall deciduous trees. All of it created by a loving Creator. Peace. Stillness. Serenity.

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It is morning in the NW in a small town on the Columbia River. A husband and father of seven makes his way to a mall in an attempt to bring peace and calm to the situation unfolding there by a troubled soul--he will never return home, he will never be able to hold his wife or his children again, he will never be there to diffuse another tense situation or offer another smile to his colleagues. The sun has set on his earthly life and a town, a county, a state, a nation is left reeling -- wondering with how to make sense of this tragedy; a tragedy which will leave a permanent mark on many.

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Another morning in the SW--land of cactus and majestic sunsets. Soon the peace is shattered by gunfire; soon more families lives will know the immense loss and pain that losing a loved one will bring. Soon more lives will be lost; more people injured, more pain will--again--visit a community and a nation.

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I sit curled up on the dark blue recliner, a soft cream colored blanket tucked around me to ward off the winter's chill. My Bible is open as I read the well known passages from the Sermon on the Mount--the Beatitudes, the so called "Golden Rule"--words, eternal words, from our Savior; the One who came to bring peace on this earth. I ponder over His words -- words of love, hope, peace and mercy: "Therefore all things whatever ye desire that men should do to you, thus do *ye* also do to them; for this is the law and the prophets."

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The sun has set now; the world outside my windows in now dark; devoid of light and any color besides black. And yet, I know that if I were to step outside and look up, I would see the heavens above filled with starlight; white twinkling lights set in a dark sky.

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And I long for the light of His Word, the Words of a loving Creator, to fill the hearts of all those He created; I long for Him to fill my heart, too, with more of His light.

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Kyrie Eleison, Dona Nobis Pacem.

Aimee

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Verse: Matthew 7:12. Darby Translation, 1890.

Comment: My heart is saddened today by these latest tragedies--tragedies, not caused by earthquake or flooding; tragedies caused by the act of man against his fellow man. My heart cries out from the senselessness of it all; of the loss; of our loss. May God be with all those who have lost so much this week; may God be with us all.

Note: Please accept my apology for any grammatical or spelling errors. Sometimes I take the time to correct them, but tonight I'm going to leave the post as is. OK? :)

The WORD on Wednesday: New Year's Resolution I

This year, instead of making my usual New Year's resolutions, I'm doing something a bit different. I am choosing a few verses to focus on, to use as a guideline, a goal for my life this year and to serve as a kind of filter with choices/priorities I make. The first of these can be found in James 4:8a (KJV): "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."

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But how will I draw near to God and Christ? One way is in reading His Word, the Bible. This time instead of trying to read the entire Bible in one year (something I have done before), I am choosing smaller portions to ponder on a daily basis. This year I will be reading the New Testament only, supplementing this with Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament (prophecies given by God, through Old Testament people like Moses, King David, etc.) I will probably only read one chapter a day--the goal being not quantity but quality of reading.

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Another way I am choosing to draw near to God is by Christian meditation---the type King David talks about. I am currently rereading Richard Foster's book 'Celebration of Discipline-The Path to Spiritual Growth' to help me in this (it is one of the books I 'devoured' when I was staying with my ailing mother last year--I absolutely love it! Another one of his is on prayer and I will be rereading it when I finish this one).

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Other ways to draw near to God come to mind: fasting, prayer, reflective and uplifting music (some of my favorites are Jeff Johnson, Michael John Poirier, Jon Michael Talbot, Maire Brennan, Libera) praise, time in God's creation, etc.
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Do you have a goal/resolution for this year?

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Blessings,

Aimee

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Photo: historic church near Oregon's coast.

To you have been following the blog for awhile and are recognizing pictures, never fear--soon new photos will appear:) Now what cartoon character does that remind you of?

A Look Back at 2010: A Bit More of Summer in the PNW

Brrrr! It is freezing here (well at least I'm cold) so here are a few more photos from this past summer trips to warm me up--and remind me that someday it will again be warmer here!

Foster Lake, Linn County.

Love this area and the mountains east of here.

The millpond at Thompson's Mills--a historic site in Linn County.

The beautiful Queen Anne home there.

Mt Angel again.

And last, but not least, another photo of Tillamook Bay in the Garibaldi area.

~

Still not warn? Me either...but all these photos of warmer days have me planning new trips:)

Blessings,

Aimee

A Look Back at 2010: Summertime Sunshine & Shadow

Late spring/early summer brought sunshine and shadows;

not just with the weather.

Mom's health took a definite downward turn

and her last trip to the place she dearly loved

--the coast of the PNW--

was made in May of 2010.

Shortly thereafter begin the time of shadows-

shadows, yes,

but mixed with light and with time by the still waters

where my soul gained strength and found refreshment

It was not always easy this place and time,

the valley of shadows never is,

but there was always some light in the midst of the darkness

and there were always still streams,

if I drew near to the Good Shepherd.

Later in 2010,

as her time drew closer and the shadows became more dense,

I was reminded that Christ had

on His earthly journey here,

also known the loss of a parent--

His earthly step-father

and it brought much comfort in the days that were still to come that

He truly did know my pain.

Still I have unanswered questions,

still I don't see clearly,

still some feeling of loss lingers on,

still I wish the answer given could have been a different one.

But

I know that someday those questions I have will be answered,

someday I will see face to face,

someday there will be no more pain

and someday I will know as I am known.

Until then I seek to draw closer to Him that made me,

and as I do I find that He draws closer to me.

~

Dedicated to the memory of my mother who passed away later in 2010,

and to the memory of others we have lost.

Blessings,

Aimee

~

Some references: I Corinthians 13:8-12; Psalms 23

A Look Back at 2010: Summertime in the PNW

Summer brought trips--only a few shown here.

Trips to farms in the PNW as usual-

a berry farm--

I SO wanted to show you photos of NW berries

but couldn't take looking at them anymore--

fruitcake and Danish cheese in winter are wonderful treats,

but now I am dying for field ripened, summer fresh raspberries and strawberries,

and know I have to wait 6 more months to get some more :(

The Columbia River--Ft Stevens State Park, near Astoria

The Peter Iredale--a well known shipwreck.

Ft Stevens State Park.

On an earlier visit there, I was able to actually stand inside of it.

That was a strange feeling.

Part of the local wildlife--near the lakes there (not in the park)

Near Garibaldi, on Tillamook Bay.

Love that place!

Further south, part of Siletz Bay and the Pacific Ocean beyond.

Inland from the coast and going southeast, I believe, is the town of Mt Angel-

this is their beautiful church.

Also nearby is a Abbey with gorgeous views of the valley.

Photo taken from a mountaintop park.

~

Blessings,

Aimee

A Look Back at 2010: Springtime Gardens

Our spring garden, as usual, had a lot of color everywhere (despite the odd weather)

and a few surprises too -- as there always is:)

Chives--bud stage.

A brunnera--

perfect plant for a woodland or partially shaded garden because of the flowers
and dramatic leaves.

Fruit tree blossoms after a shower.

We had many spring showers...

Bleeding heart--alba.

The first of our two types to bloom.

I love, love, love white in the garden--

especially in shady areas.

Columbines.

Every year, it seems, I add more of these--

some of mine are very frilly

but I like this simpler type the best.

Russian red kale.

Please don't ask me how my veggie garden did this year...

please don't ask any PNW gardeners and farmers about the

2010 growing season that wasn't:(

Our wildflower garden after many 2010 additions--this next year should be even better!

It seemed like we had more birds this year too--I think they liked the new garden a lot:)

Blessings,

Aimee

A Look Back at 2010: Springtime in the PNW

Out and about in the springtime--

these are photos of Ft Vancouver located on the Columbia River--

a beautiful area with a recreated fort, gardens, historical houses and old barracks, an air museum and more!

Did I mention they have wildlife there too?

Love roses just like my grandmother and mom did.

I would love to make an area like this in my garden.

All gardens need areas to reflect, to read and to drink in the work of God's hands,

don't you think?

I have a thing about historical homes. Maybe it is because I am a descendant of people who crossed the Oregon Trail, maybe it is from all the time in Port Townsend, Jacksonville, Astoria, etc--but I LOVE historical homes.

I especially love the towers of historical homes-

I'm sure that is from all the stories I've read and movies I've seen about princesses in towers--

well maybe.

Beautiful flowers -- in the historical Fort Vancouver gardens.

A view towards the Columbia River and Oregon hills--

from near the gazebo/parade ground I think.

A garden of herbs--old Fort Vancouver area.

This is right outside the recreated fort.

And because I like them,

and because I started with a photo of one of them,

I shall end with one.

This one we found on a drive in the mountains--

unfortunately this is

the last photo ever taken of him--

someone that came after us did not see him :( :(

But at least he will be remembered here

and

in my heart.

~

On that not so happy note I will say...

Blessings,

Aimee

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Next: 2010 springtime garden

A Look Back at 2010: Winter Garden

A few garden scenes from 2010 (none from this December--yet)

Pieris in snow--

I am feeling very snow deprived right now so these will help me feel better :)

Magnolia bud-in our Japanese style garden.

Love the pink!

I call this mushroom babies--

for several reasons...

they seem to multiply each year

and I see faces on them

(do you?)

Plum blossoms-I love these!

Each year I look forward to seeing the white and pink blossoms of our fruit trees.

I so believe in edible gardening!

The upper pond.

I love the seasons as reflected in the waters of our ponds.

The bare tree branches in winter,

the blossoms of spring,

the irises and daylilies of summer

and the brightly colored leaves of autumn.

And last, but not least--

more snow of course!

This time on one of our leftover apples.

~

May 2011 be a year of peace, joy and hope for you.

Blessings,

Aimee

A Look Back at 2010: PNW Winter

2010 was a hard year for me, and yet, even as hard as it was,

there were definite moments of sunshine,

some of which can't be seen for they are in my heart only.

Here are some photos of those moments which can be shared:)

Winter 2010:

A very odd weather year.

Here are some photos of our winter...first on the road

Looking towards the Coast Range

Another mountain view

Wetland area---love wetlands and we have a lot of them!

This year I am very anxious to try out my new camera in some of our NW wetland areas:)

River view from above

PNW forest--notice the moss and ferns.

We have lots of both...and mushrooms (you'll see soon)

A flowering tree we passed.

A lot of plants were really thrown off by our spring in winter followed by our

winter in spring weather--

this was in the yard of a farm we passed one day.

Yea, I know I said sunshine..

but above the clouds I'm sure there is sunshine,

and besides, at times in the PNW, we measure a sunny day by the minute:)
Next: winter 2010 garden

~

Blessings,

Aimee

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time

there lived a little girl

(we'll call her The Pink Flash no matter what she is wearing).

And she went around stealing peoples' hearts:

her great grandparents,

grandparents,

uncles and aunts,

her mom,

dad

and

older sibling

(for she was endowed with very great powers from on High to do this).

And this little lass lived

far, far away

in a land of great beauty and grandeur,

and she was very happy there

for it was a land of awesome dogs, chocolate chip pancakes, lions, a special mouse or two and a lot of books.

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But her family here missed her,

and they thought of her often;

so

being the kind soul the Pink Flash is,

she would keep in touch with them in every way she could--

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(Did I tell you she was very wise and knew the #1 reason cell phones

and the Internet had been invented for!)

~

And occasionally,

when her grandparents had been extra specially good,

and the timing was just right,

and the weather cooperated-

they would get their true Christmas wish

which just happened to be always the same one.

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Yes, sometimes this wish would be granted early,

and at other times a little late,

but always it was granted for...

Choose 1:

1) Grandma Aimee is always a very good girl

who never gets coal in her Christmas stockings,

2) Because Father Christmas/Santa Claus, sadly, needs new glasses

and cannot see clearly if Grandma Aimee has been naughty or nice,

3) Providence.

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And with that I will say

Merry 12 Days of Christmas

and good night!

Blessings,

Aimee