Christmas Cactus

As I walked out of the terminal yesterday, pulling two 50 pound suitcases, I was instantly hit with the colder weather.  Fortunately, I had on a sweater which gave me some warmth.  I headed to lane 5 to get on the shuttle to Loveland.  I had left Texas with 70 degree weather and now I was back in Denver where the temperature was 37 and the wind was blowing.

I enjoyed the hour ride by looking out west toward the snowy mountains and thinking about those pioneers that had ventured out to Colorado back in the 1800's.  As I got to my car and headed home, I observed that there were no longer leaves on the trees.  When I left about two weeks ago, there was still colorful foliage.  The trees were now barren and it looked like winter.

As I walked into my house, the first thing that I saw was my beautiful Christmas cactus.  It brought a smile to my face.  I love this cactus because it belonged to my mother-in-law and it always reminds me of her sweet spirit and the strength that she had to live and thrive on this earth for 93 years.  She was such an inspiration to others.  The red blooms reminded me of how much she enjoyed wearing red.

After being out of town with limited access to wi-fi and a computer, it feels good to be able to sit down and to allow my fingers to type.

To All Ye Pilgrims

Today as I celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends, I thought about the first Thanksgiving.

I came across this announcement which was made by William Bradford, Governor of Plymouth Colony in 1623.

"Inasmuch as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as He has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience; now, I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November ye 29th of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor, and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Wednesday/Hump Day!

Enjoying today's weather before it turns colder!

Capturing the views of the mountains, the full moon, blue sky and the last of the autumn leaves!  This view gives me the peace that I need to enjoy my Wednesday.

Promises

Wow!  Here it is November 15th and the temperature is 75.  Another beautiful sunny and blue sky day.

As I walked along the Poudre River and saw the reflection of the sun sparkling along the river, I thought about the message that I heard on Sunday regarding promises.  God's promises and how He does take care of us through all our troubles and tribulations.

The pastor's statement was "when it comes to tough times, what we do with the promises of God can make all the difference.  If we believe God keeps his word, we will be confident and courageous. Life may not be easy, but we know God is for us and is with us."  It was so comforting to know that God never breaks his promises.

So what does the word promise mean?  Webster says that promise means "a statement telling someone that you will definitely do something or that something will definitely happen in the future."

Promises - we have all made promises to someone.  We either followed through with the promise or we didn't.  How many times have you been hurt by someone, who promised you something, but it didn't come about?  I would say that it has happened to all of us.

As I finished my walk, I walked away knowing that my life is like the river flowing along.  There are rocks along the path and those rocks (just like someone making promises and not following through) will either stop the river or redirect the path.

People may not keep their promises, but God always does.  He is always there to help us through those tough times.

"I will lead my blind people by roads they have never traveled.  I will turn their darkness into light and make rough country smooth before them.  These are my promises and I will keep them without fail."  Isaiah 42:16

SuperMoon

I know that winter is here because the days are shorter and the nights are longer.

It is 6:15 p.m. and outside it is pitch black except for the SuperMoon.  The temperature is still lovely. The meteorologists are saying by this Thursday, the high will be in the 40s and there is a possibility of rain/snow.

With the moon shining so bright, I decided that this would be a lovely evening to enjoy the moon and the stars.

As I put on my jacket and headed out into the cooler temperature, I was in awe of the moon and the clouds that surrounded it.  NASA is saying that this is the closest full moon to the Earth since 1948 and that we will not see another supermoon like this until 2034(18 years from now).

I walked through the quiet neighborhood and the only noise that I could hear was the hooting of the Great Horned Owl.  It was sitting on top of the street light.  As I walked past the light, he swept in front of me into the pasture to find his dinner.

I enjoyed my thirty minute walk in the dark.  I took the same path that I take during the day and came away with a different outlook.  How often have we walked the same path and kept the same shades on?  We never allow ourselves to see anything different.

The next time that you are outside, look around and observe your surroundings.  There is so much that God wants to teach us, if we would only allow Him to.

"To him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever."  Psalms 136:5

Veteran's Day

Today, November 11th, we celebrate Veteran's Day.  It is an official holiday that honors all military veterans.  

I researched this holiday to find out that it was actually known as "Armistice Day".  It was a holiday that marked the end of World War I, when the armistice with Germany went into effect.  The United States holiday was renamed Veteran's Day in 1954.

As I reflect on Veteran's Day, I think about the men and women who have willingly served this country.  They fought wars so that I could have the freedom that I have.  

The men that I would like to acknowledge are my father, grandfather and father-in-law.  My father was in the Navy in the 1950s and was stationed in Cuba.

My grandfather was a private in the army in World War I.  He was shipped to France to fight against the Germans.  I never met my grandfather as he died in 1937 due to complications from the gassing during the war.  

My father-in-law was a 1st Lieutenant of the US Army Air Corp.  He was stationed in the Western Pacific on the Island of Saipan.  He served on a Boeing B-29 Superfortress with twelve other men. He flew thirty-five missions over Japan as a bombadier/navigator.  After the war, he rarely spoke of his service.

Each of these men wanted to serve their country so that their children and grandchildren could live in a country that would give them opportunities to become a person with integrity, ambition, independence, loyalty and optimism.  

Thank you to all veterans!

My father-in-law.

Thanksgiving - A Great Heritage

With Thanksgiving only two weeks away, I am thinking about this holiday.  It is a time of reflecting upon the past and a great reminder that God is faithful.  The simple things are brought to mind and everything else fades into insignificance.

The meals and the memories of family and friends helps us to forget about ourselves and to have the spirit of love, joy and thankfulness for all that we do have.

This is a holiday that reminds us that almost 400 years ago, 102 passengers sailed from Plymouth, England and were traveling to Virginia to begin a new life.  Some of the passengers were escaping the jurisdiction of the Church of England and some were entrepreneurs that wanted a new beginning.

The 90 foot Mayflower was headed to Virginia, but due to stormy weather and navigation errors, the Mayflower was forced off course.  On November 21, 1620, the Pilgrims reached Massachusetts where they founded the first permanent European settlement.

Thanksgiving should remind us of our great heritage and when and how this country came about for a group of people who wanted to begin new and to have freedom to live their lives.

As we prepare for that great meal, remember to thank God for His mercy, His abundance, His protection and His love for those that took that leap of faith to begin a new life.

Don't wait until Thanksgiving Day to let others know how thankful you are for them.  Begin today and tell someone daily what they mean to you.  That is what Thanksgiving is all about!

Devil's Backbone

Another beautiful day in Colorado!  I keep wandering when is this weather going to change.  A year ago at this time, we had already had our first snow.

I will continue to enjoy the dry humidity, warm sun and the nice temperatures.

There are so many hiking trails that are only miles away from my home.  Kenny and I ventured out today to enjoy one of those trails.

Everyone was out on the trails today.  There were runners, families, people with their dogs and bicyclists that were enjoying the autumn weather.

We hiked a 3 mile trail in the Devil's Backbone Open Space.  The geological features are very unique. The "Devil's Backbone" is an eroded formation that looks like a backbone.  We took a trail to the "keyhole", which is a hole that has eroded through the backbone formation. The view was spectacular in that you could see the valleys and mountain ranges to the west.  We were able to look out and see the Front Range of the following mountains:  Long's Peak, which is a t 14,251'; Mt. Meeker, 13,811' and Mt. Lady Washington at 13,281'.

This was a great way to enjoy a Saturday!

Sense of Humor

Today has been a quiet day.

I read this quote and I wanted to share it.

"A sense of humor can help you overlook the unattractive, tolerate the unpleasant, cope with the unexpected, and smile through the unbearable."  Rabbi Moshe Waldoks

Enjoy your weekend!

The Moon & Venus

There is something about the cooler air in the early morning.  As I woke up at 5:30 this morning and looked outside, I was amazed by the galaxy of the stars.  I could see Orion's Belt and the Big Dipper and so many others.

The reports are saying that the November night sky will be a spectacular gathering of planets, moon and meteor showers.

This evening as I stepped out on the balcony I could see the beautiful white crescent moon with Venus right below it.  With the naked eye, I could barely see Saturn in the southwest sky.

As a child, I remember laying in the cool grass during the hot summer months and looking up into the sky trying to count all the stars, as well as name them.

Throughout history stars have been used as a navigational tool to guide the ships through the oceans and to guide the pioneers/hunters as they traveled from the east coast to the west coast.

As I look into the evening sky, I am reminded that God is all powerful.  "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?"  Psalms 8:3-4

A beautiful sight to end the day!

Penn Station

This morning on Facebook, a picture of Pennsylvania Station(Penn Station) from five years ago popped up.  The caption read "Penn Station.  Everyone watching the board to see what track their train will leave on.  Tonight I got on the wrong train. Fortunately I figured it out before it took off."

Five years ago seems so long ago, but then it seems like it was yesterday.

I had just moved to New York City.  I was living in a hotel on Long Island.  I was commuting daily on the Long Island Railroad(LIRR) into the city to the Elizabeth Arden office.  Taking the train was a new experience for me.  I was accustomed to driving my own car in Houston to get to wherever I needed to go.

The train is the best way to travel in New York.  The office was about 29 miles from where I was living.  Because of traffic it would take 1 1/2 to 3 hours to get into the city(Manhattan). By train it only took about an hour.

Penn Station sits beneath Madison Square Garden and Penn Plaza.  It was built in 1910 and today it serves more than 600,000 commuter rail and Amtrak passengers a day.  It is the rail station for Long Island Railroad(LIRR); Amtrak; New Jersey Transit; NYC Subway and NYC Bus terminal.

If you are ever in New York City, you need to experience Penn Station.  It is fun watching all the different people coming through the station.  There are restaurants, retail stores and drug stores to service the public.  Everyone is in a hurry!

Let's just say I am thankful to be in Colorado, where the pace is a little bit slower!

Lucky Penny

Coming out of the grocery store this afternoon, as I was carrying my grocery bags to the car, I saw a penny in the parking lot.  Just like a kid, I had to pick up that penny.  As I picked it up, I said "lucky penny".

The saying is "find a penny, pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck".  Finding pennies is considered good luck because years ago people thought that finding metal was a gift from the gods and meant to protect you from evil.

Even as an adult, I still reflect on the rhymes that I learned as a child.  For a moment, I had no worries, but to pick up that penny.

The rest of my day has gone well.

The next time you see a penny, don't pass it by.  Stop and pick it up and know that your day will go well.