It Is In The Eyes & The Soul.......

I call my blog SMILING EYES for many reasons. When I was a child, one of my friends Mother told me I had a great smile with high cheek bones and I even shared this smile with my eyes. I remember that my Grandpa Ward would set us on his lap or next to him and challenge us to remain sober and not smile. Then he would stare us down and we would forever break out with a smile and giggles as we failed his challenge, Grandpa stared at us with a twinkle and a grand smile in his eyes that we could not resist responding to.

On a side note.....I love to tease people but can not get away with it too much because of my eyes, I must have inherited this from Grandpa.

There is a saying that goes something like......Smile and they will wonder what you have been up to. Hmmm I believe this is true.

When we were in trouble at home as children, we did not want to fess up, a smile most generally gave us away, unfortunately we could not win our Mom over with the smile so a punishment was inevitable.

This past weekend we had a SNOW BALL for our Service Unit's Girl Scouts who range in age from Kindergarten through Juniors in high school. There were many girls there with oh so many smiles, one little girl told a leader "this is the Best Night of my life!" Wow what a way to make an adult smile, when a child smiles.

As a parent I am sure there is a joy when their infant smiles for the first time. As a photographer, it is an accomplishment to make a child smile to make a parent happy. Somehow I feel this is related. I am not a parent so my joy does come from making a child smile for their school picture as each year passes. I have been a school photographer for 30 years now and have photographed many children during this time span. I have realized that I have to smile as I take each and every picture. Oh my, I sure am glad that it takes less muscles to smile than to frown or I would have so many more crinkles in my face.

The past two months have been full of emotions for us. We have lost loved ones, shared a wonderful surprise at Christmas and are now learning to accept the loss of our loved ones. There have been smiles through pain, joy and even sorrow. Smiles of thanks and most especially smiles of love. God knew what he was doing when he allowed us a smile as an expression to be shared.

When my Nana died the priest spoke about Jesus laughing and how it was rare to see images of him laughing in the bible or other art work portraying Him. After we left the cemetery we stopped at a Religious store to look for a book. My Mother remained in the car and as Mike and I went through the store we came across a framed picture of Jesus laughing. How fitting to come across this at this particular time, we purchased one for us and one for my Mother. We went out to the car and I saw the sadness my Mother was experiencing, I handed her the picture and she smiled and we all knew God had reached out to give us this smile to help our heavy hearts.

And in this picture Jesus is smiling even with his eyes!

My wish today is that with your mouth or with your eyes, share a smile today!

April Showers.......

Rain, rain go away, come again another day........ I have said that a few times this month but it is April and April showers do bring May flowers so.....

Earlier this month I was in Florida with my Mom and it did rain a few days, what a bummer when you go to Florida for the sunshine! When you stay at a resort where the focus is outdoor activities it is much more of a bummer. Of course there is TV and books and if you are like me I did take work. It is amazing just what you can do via the Internet in my line of work.

This past weekend we photographed our Little League 32 teams and the rain was once again very near. A few sprinkles in the AM and then around 2 the skies opened. We were under cover at the Fair Ground Hog Barns and we were able to photograph with the green outdoors, but rain did appear on some of the children's jerseys, thank goodness for Photoshop!

The area is so green and lush thanks to the great weather earlier this month, today it is once again cloudy and rain is in the air. My day off but I have to tend to The McClure Guesthouse after a week of guests and a dinner there tonight as well as a mini open house on Wednesday. I had hoped to plant some flowers, but in the past it has been advised to wait until Mother's Day so.......... I will!!

It is amazing how much the weather can control our life. We have to stay in when it rains, we can be stuck inside too with abundant snowfall, and have to dress for the cold or hot. Winds can be pushy and tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and extreme heat and cold are all in charge when prevalent.

I often wonder how the birds, insects and other critters of nature can just go with the flow of weather. Where do they go when the winds are strong, the rain is falling in torrents, the snow is deep, the hail pounds all around, the heat is oppressive and the cold is sub zero. How do they do it? I guess it just goes to show that GOD is around and protects his creatures large and small in his own way.

And remember, a sunrise is His reminder and a sunset is His gift that the day is good and tomorrow will be even better! And yes a rainbow is His seal that all is well in our world!

Have a very blessed day be it sunny, rainy, cold, hot or just right for you!

In GOD We Trust.....

It is on our money, in our churches and it was at one time solidly in my heart. Yes I did say "at one time", however this changed a bit, in the past few months. Someone I trusted with my entire being and had good feelings about, broke me. They took advantage of me, my husband tells me I am an open book and easy to read, which allowed this to happen. My feelings at first were to "get even", then I decided to "just let it go" and now all I feel is much pity for them.

Trust is such a solid feeling and when it crumbles, oh my there is much debris all around!!! It is difficult to sweep it all away, to leave no reminders.

So I guess my husband is correct, however now instead of a paperback book I will become a very heavy hardcover book and not remain too open.

And yes in my heart I will always know In GOD We Trust. I thank GOD daily for helping me to renew this feeling and hope that they who tried to break me may be helped by GOD, to become who HE wants them to really be. They really do not have to watch their back because GOD is, they just need to turn around and greet and accept HIM back in to there lives, and I really hope they do!

Just Listen and Watch.....

I love to wake up early and just listen and watch as the day begins. The hush of night comes alive as the light breaks. We live on the lake and it is wonderful to begin my day here. Our living room is situated with windows on the east and the sun porch on the west. The lake is open on the west and through the fence row on the east. First, the hush is broken by frogs and other creature noises, then as the dawn breaks, oh my, the many beautiful songs of the birds begin. Robins, cardinals, blue jays, sparrows, red winged blackbirds, finches and many other types sing with joy as the day begins. Even woodpeckers break the silence. We have two woodpeckers close by and this year they have moved from the east side to the west side. And of course there are the geese and ducks sometimes quite noisy but as the spring turns to summer they are not as prominent, probably many have headed north.

As the sun rises the beauty of God's creation is revealed, the ripples on the lake, the dew drops on the leaves and grass, the beauty as the sun touches the tree tops, how can you have a bad day with such a lovely beginning? Even on cloudy mornings there is much beauty, in the spring, it is lush here and full of life with so much to appreciate. Yes, I thank God every day for this gift, just how can I have a bad day?

The McClure Guesthouse is about to be complete, as we walked through Thursday evening I looked at Mike and asked if he would move back in to our beautiful Victorian and he shook his head yes. But today as I sit here; I think that I do really love starting my days here in the natural beauty God created for us. So, I will share our beautiful vintage Victorian as a Guesthouse, with those who wish to step back in time for a moment.

I recommend that if you ever get the chance, don't sleep in, start your day with God's early morning gift, the beauty and sounds of nature.

REMEMBER WHY

A Star in the sky, Shepherds, Wise Men, you and me.

Just about 3 and half months ago we celebrated Christmas, the birth of Christ what a joyous time of the year and not because of Santa's gifts but because of GOD'S Gift to us.

We are now about to celebrate the joy of Easter.

But today through Saturday is a time for reflection of what happened to GOD'S gift to us. The back stabbing, the lies, the torture and finally the death of Jesus Christ.

My, my it sounds a lot like the world we live in today, doesn't it?

This Sunday Christians will celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, ALLELUIA!

When do you suppose we will celebrate the Resurrection of our World, and return to the Peace, Love and Joy that GOD wanted us to have in our world?

The star in the sky is still there; those of us who attend Church or Synagogue, know our Shepherds; perhaps there are still Wise Men about; and yes there still is you, me and GOD.

This Sunday when you are in church celebrating Easter and all it's meaning or even during Passover when you are in Synagogue take time to think and Celebrate with Hope, for a future full of love, peace and joy with our Lord. I will be doing just that.

Thank you GOD for being there with us and for us, always.

Our Lord Works In Mysterious Ways.

Now I am not so blessed to know and experience our Lord the way my husband and others have been blessed. But I do experience how he works in my life. There is a book out called GOD WINKS and many of the stories are great and remind me that I have had many God Winks in my life.

Close calls where I say "Whew!", a phone call from someone I have been thinking about, new people coming into our business life just when we think "now what are we going to do?" A beautiful bird flying overhead when I am staring outside because I am so disappointed in things that have happened and the bird reminds me there is hope for beautiful things to come. Holding the most handsome baby boy and looking up to see the pride and love in his grandpa's eyes. Speaking out loud about the exact same thing at the exact same time as my husband. Hearing a sermon from Father Robert that answers the questions and hopes and concerns I have been having. A little Chihuahua climbing into my lap to snuggle when I am sad. Many years ago standing outside a grocery store with ONLY one dollar to buy something for supper for my ex-husband and I and his Mum coming up out of the blue, seeing my fear and giving me some money to buy some food. A touch on my shoulder from my friend, not for any reason but it is just what I needed! A smile from a child that I thought might not smile.

Yes there have been so very many God Winks in my life. I DO NOT doubt there is a GOD and that he works and is in my life 24/7! I have had one lady, who taught a class I took tell me that I have a deep faith. And I am in agreement and so very glad. Now I just want you to watch for the God Winks in your life. You will be glad.

CHOICES

When did we first learn to make choices? More than likely when we were very young. I can not remember that far back, can you? Sometimes we make the right choice and sometimes we don't. Hopefully we learn from this either way we choose.

I can honestly say in my life I have made many wrong choices! Wrong friends, answers, clothing, business decisions, ways to tell someone about something ( a lie perhaps?), ex-marital partner and then there are my many wrong personal choices which only God and I know about. Then of course I have made many right choices. Right husband, friends, religion, business actions, answers, clothing, pets, being totally honest, and of course there are right personal choices which only God and I have experienced.

Lately Mike and I have been busy making many choices about: treadmills, business upgrades and upheavals, furniture rearranging, and today we begin The McClure House furnishing choices.

WOW this includes: furniture, drapes, dishes, towels, sheets, lighting, rugs, wall decor, light switch and plug in covers, appliances, sinks, faucets and who knows what else. WHEW!

If I were a shopaholic I would be ecstatic, but I am not. However we want this business entity to be just right so we have to make the RIGHT CHOICES.

Thankfully before we begin our shopping venture today, we will attend church, I hope it is a right choice to ask God to make sure to help Mike and I work together to make the right choices. However, I did say I made the right choice of Husband and I am sure God had a hand in that, so perhaps just a bit of reinforcement for working together will be my request at church, don't you think?

Oh and by the way, my wish for you today is for you to make the right choice!