Blue Ridge Mountains - "He founded the Earth"

 

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding He established the heavens;
By His knowledge the depths were broken up;
And clouds drop down the dew.

Proverbs 3:19

Joy In The Present

 

Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?"  For it is not wise to ask such questions.

Ecclesiastes 7:10 NIV 

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  

Psalms 118:24 NRSV 

A Tether of Love

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd, I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father."

John 10:14-15 NRSV

Thought for the Day:  Even when I choose my own way, God still loves me.
The Upper Room - July 1

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams

 

Annabel Lee

by Edgar Allan Poe

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of Annabel Lee;

And this  maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea,

But we loved with a love that was more than love--

I and my Annabel Lee--

With a love that the winged seraphs of Heaven

Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsmen came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in Heaven,

Went envying her and me--

Yes!--that was the reason (as all men know,

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we--

Of many far wiser than we--

And neither the angels in Heaven above

Nor the demons down under the sea

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee'

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling--my darling--my life and my bride.

In her sepulchre there by the sea--

In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Dedicated to my daughter

Crystal Michelle Fallin

June 19, 1984 - August 18, 2019

Crystal Expressions

 

These are just a few of the different types of greeting cards I have designed using my daughter's Art.  Birthday Cards, Thinking of You, Hello, Thank You, Christmas Cards, Motivational and inspirational cards, Encouragement cards, etc.  These  cards have been mailed to nursing homes, veterans, foster children, assistant living residents, hospitals, school, shut-ins, Ronald McDonald House, Care ministry lists, throughout the US, Canada, England, Germany, Belgium,  France, Scotland, and so on.

Artist Crystal Michelle Fallin

 

For her birthday, I honor my daughter today through her art.  This is a collection of Crystal's colored pencil artistry consisting of creative drawings of her own unique interpretations of classic Disney characters.  The collection includes Chateau de Chambord and Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and "A Beautiful Life" mermaids inspired by Ariel from The Little Mermaid.  Her art graces the covers of Greeting and Handcrafted Cards, Notebooks, Journals and gifts for children and the young at heart.

I use her art to touch the lives of others for encouragement, kindness and love to those who are ill, isolated and lonely, to connect on an emotional level with people in need.  The groups and organizations include but not limited to:  The Angel Card Project; Cards for Hospitalized Kids; Blessings in a  Backpack; Small Acts Big Change; Smiles for Seniors; Braid Missions; Kind Cards for Cool Kids; Postcards for Kindness; From the Heart - UK; Random Acts for Cardness - Card Showers and Smiles for Kids, Three Wishes for Ruby's Residents, etc.  

Crystal Michelle Fallin

June 19, 1984 - August 18, 2019

The Lone Tree of Wanaka

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior, I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.

Isaiah 43:2-3 NIV

Great and Unsearchable Things

 

Call to me, and I will answer you, and tell you great and unsearchable things which you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3

Jackson Hole - I Am the Gate

 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  They will come in and go out, and  find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;  I have come that they have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:9-10 NIV

Oxbow Bend - He will endure as Long as the Sun...

He will endure as long as the sun,

as long as the moon, through all generations.

He will be like rain falling on a mown field,

like showers watering he earth,

In his days the righteous will flourish;

prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.

He will rule from sea to sea

and from the River to the ends of the earth.

The desert tribes will bow before him

and his enemies will lick the dust.

The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores

will bring tribute to him;

the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts,

All kings will bow down to him

and all nations will serve him.

For he will deliver the needy who cry out,

the afflicted who have no one to help.

He will take pity on the weak and the needy

and save the needy from death.

He will rescue them from oppression and violence,

for precious is their blood in his sight.

Psalms 71:5-14 NIV

Glacier National Park - Wisdom laid the Earth's Foundation

 

By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations;
by understanding he set the heavens in place;

by his knowledge the deeps were divided;

and the clouds let drop the dew.

Proverbs 3:19-20 NIV

Shores Waterfront Park - The Tire Swing

 The Tire Swing

An old tire hanging
From the big ash tree,
Was always swinging
With my friends and me.

With an old piece of rope,

We hung it high,

All in the hope,

We could touch the sky.

We swung on that swing,

From dawn to dusk,

To that tire we would cling,

With all our trust.

Swinging up high,

Into the air,

Straight up our feet would go,

Without a care.

The days we spent,

In the shade of that tree,

Swinging for the sky,

So happily.

By Juan Olivarez 6/27/10

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Matthew 19:14 NIV

Chugach Mountains - The Stones will Cry Out

 

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.

"Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Peace in  heaven and glory in the highest!"

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples!"

"I tell you,"   he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."  

Luke 19:37-40  NIV

Let's Go Down to the River

 

Let's Go Down to the River

As I went down in the river to pray

Studying about that good ol' way

And who shall wear the starry crown

Good Lord, show me the way

O sisters, let's go down

Let's go down, come on down

O sisters, let's go down

Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray

Studying about that good ol' way

And who shall wear the robe and crown

Good Lord, show me the way

O brothers, let's go down

Let's go down, come on down

Come on,  brothers, let's go down

Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray

Studying about that good ol' way

And who shall wear the starry crown

Good Lord, show me the way

O father's, let's go down

Let's go down,  come on down

O father's, let's go down

Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray

Studying about that good ol' way

And who shall wear the starry crown

Good Lord, show me the way

O mothers, let's go down

Come down, don't you wanna go down?

Come on mothers, let's go down

Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray

Studying about that good ol' way

And who shall wear the starry crown

Good Lord, show me the way

O sinners, let's go down

Let's go down, come on down

O sinners, let's go down

Down in the river to pray

As I went down in the river to pray

Studying about that good ol' way

And who shall wear the starry crown

Good Lord, show me the way

public domain

To A Butterfly

 To A Butterfly

I've watched you now a full half hour
Self-poised upon that yellow flower,
And, little Butterfly! indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless!-not frozen seas
More motionless!-and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!

This plot of orchard-ground is ours;

My trees they are, my Sister's flowers;

Here rest your wings when they are weary,

Here lodge as in a sanctuary!

Come often to us, fear no wrong;

Sit near us on the bough!

We'll talk of sunshine and of song,

And summer days, when we were young;

Sweet childish days, that were as long

As twenty days are now.

By William Wordsworth 1807

Lower Tonahutu Trail

 

Big Meadows

Hiking Big Meadows at Rocky Mountain National Park.