FFF.-08.31.12

Here it is, the last day of August, 2012.  We are past the middle of the THIRD quarter, already!  I'm so glad I've gotten into the habit of recounting each Friday the highlights of the week, for I know if I didn't do that, the year would fly by in a blur.

1.  Road trip:  Last Saturday, my hubby and I took off after my work at my part time church was done.  We went for a drive in Missouri to the Trail of Tears park.  It was a peaceful, cooler day that we enjoyed very much.  My favorite part was taking photos at the scenic park overlooking the Mississippi River.

Beautiful man-made Lake Boutin.

This is a public beach, yet no one was taking advantage of it!

The mighty Mississip!

Look how low the river is - you can see the natural dikes and islands.

This is a photo of the Bald Knob Cross in Alto Pass, IL, taken from 12 miles east of Jackson, MO. That's over 47 miles away!  Pretty good for my little camera!  Below is a close-up:

 

I love that cross standing proud for many Illinoisans and Missourians to see!

Here is a view of the Mississippi from another overlook.  It almost looks like a bowl of water plopped amongst the trees ...

 Of course, the Trail of Tears park is a memorial to a sad time in American history.  It commemorates the forced evacuation of the native Americans from Tennessee.  Above is the grave of Princess Otahki, who died while waiting to ford the Mississippi.  An iron cross has been erected over her grave.

2.  I'm glad we had that wonderful restful day to get a little breather from the stress of daily activity.  We needed it because the coming week brought challenges with both our churches.  Challenges are usually brought about by change.  Why do people fear change so much? You can't get to where God wants you to be by staying in your same little rut!

 

 

3.  God always gives us what we need.  I was going through my daily feed at Blogger (I usually just read blogs that offer email subscription but that day felt prompted to look at all the blogs I follow.)  I'm pretty sure that the Holy Spirit was my prompter because without Him I would have missed the wonderful post by Lisa Lewis Koster, Time to Play Offense!.  You must read it!  Her description of the original Greek word used to describe the Sword of the Spirit gave me chills.  I feel fired up!  (I'm trying to limit my use of the exclamation point, but I just can't help it.)

4. $5 shirts at JCPenney.  Okay, now I go from the spiritual to the shallow ... but cheap shirts are a favorite - I just can't help it.

5.  Favorite post to write:  I do love writing about my childhood days.  I figure God wouldn't let me have such vivid memories of all that I've experienced if He didn't mean for me to share them.  Frau Siebert was fun for me to write and reminded me of the lesson I learned - no one wants to hear a whiner!

Psalm 90:12 says "teach us to number our days."  What better way of keeping track of our days is there than to participate in Friday's Fave Five!  If you'd like to learn more, visit Susanne's blog, "Living to Tell the Story."