Farewell, Aunt Neva: Tribute and Poems

Adorable Aunt Neva

It is with a sad heart that we bid an earthly farewell to aunt Neva. She is my aunt through marriage but she treated me as though I was her own daughter. She was brilliant, hospitable, funny and kind and will be missed by all who knew her. 

Haiku Tribute to Aunt Neva

Poem I

Farewell aunt Neva

Our hearts ache for your passing

You've left us too soon

Poem II

Your beautiful smile

and gracious soul have blessed us

May you rest in peace

Adorable Neva, Maribel and Drummond

 As you can see, Neva was an adorable child and loved by her family.

Neva in plaid with family

Her beautiful smile is the attention getter in the family photo above. Her beautiful heart blessed her family with great love.

Neva in stripes with family

Although as time passed, family gatherings became rarer, they were always precious. I am very thankful for the time I got to spend with her and hope to see her in heaven one day. May God comfort and bless all those mourning aunt Neva and may He bless you, too.

Note: I'm not sure who took the photos in this post but they are used with a family member's permission. If you know who I should credit the photos to, let me know and I'll be glad to adjust the captions.

Patriotic Moose the Cat Photos & Fourth of July Poem

Moose the cat and I wish you a happy and safe Independence Day! I hope these cute and funny patriotic photos of Moose make you smile and I hope you enjoy this little haiku poem I wrote for the occasion:

Fourth of July Haiku

Independence day:

may God bless America

and may He bless you!

Moose knows that whenever there's camera flash or costumes she will get treats.

She may be 19 years old but she's all about the treats. I hope this Independence day brings you treats too - the treats of God's favor, enjoying freedom, life in America (or wherever you live), and the love of precious family, friends and pets.

My heartfelt thanks go to every veteran and military service member who has sacrificed for our greater good. May God bless America and may He bless you too!

Related posts:
Funny cat fourth of July photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/07/funny-feline-fourth-of-july-photos.html
Funny St. Patrick's day cat photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/03/funny-st-patricks-day-photos-of-moose.html
Hug your cat day: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/06/happy-hug-your-cat-day.html

Farewell Thayden Farrington, Great Man of God

Image source: Thayden's obituary

With a heavy heart, I bid an earthly farewell to a great man of God, father of some of the nicest young ladies on the planet and my brother in Christ, Thayden Farrington. Like Job from the Bible, Thayden remained strong in his walk with God, even after experiencing great personal loss and extreme health challenges. He truly lived the Christian life.

While those who love him grieve his passing, we know that he is with our Savior in heaven, free from the wicked pain of severely metastasized cancer and experiencing joy beyond our human imaginings. My mom pictures him "dancing with Jesus."

His viewing is tonight and while I won't be able to attend physically, I'll be there in spirit, praying for his family and all those grieving his passing. I wrote these two haiku poems in his honor.

Thayden Farrington

a great man of God and friend

We know you're with Christ.

Our hearts mourn for you.

Your passing is the world's loss.

We'll miss you, Thayden! 

 

May God comfort and bless all those who mourn Thayden's passing and may He bless you too.

National Cathedral Photos and Good Friday Haiku

National Cathedral Exterior

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved." Romans 10:9-10 NIV

A blessed Good Friday to all those observing this holy day! Praise God for He is holy and yet so filled with love that He sent His Son to die in our place so we might live forever with Him!

I thought this would be an appropriate day to share my National Cathedral photos and I hope they bless you. If you're planning a visit, entrance to the National Cathedral is still currently free on Sundays but there is now an admissions charge for other days. You can also join their traditional worship services.

Good Friday Haiku

Jesus gave his life;

endured unspeakable pain

for your sins and mine

National Cathedral Interior Arches and Stained Glass

Even with the protective black netting the National Cathedral's stained glass window art is breathtakingly beautiful.

National Cathedral Good Friday Artistic Panels

 Today commemorates the day Jesus Christ was brutally beaten, mocked, and hung on a cross.

National Cathedral's Resurrected Christ Fresco

Praise God the story doesn't end there! Three days later, when we celebrate Easter, Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death and sin and making salvation a sure hope for those who trust in Him.

Prayer Engraved in National Cathedral Wall

The National Cathedral has many artistic and holy wonders to enjoy and this is just a taste of them. May God bless you and keep you, during this holy week and always!

Related posts:
Easter Good News & How to Become a Born Again Christian: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/04/easter-good-news-how-to-become-born.html
Funny Easter Moose the Cat Photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/03/funny-easter-cat-photos-happy-easter.html
Funny Easter Snickers the Cat Photos: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/04/funny-easter-cat-photos-featuring.html
My Hope America/The Cross Review: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/11/my-hope-america-with-billy-graham-cross.html

Source: www.biblegateway.com

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Haiku Poem

Here's a little haiku with big ideas inspired by a great man whose tireless efforts and timeless ideas changed our world and continue to live on today. Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day from my heart to yours. May peace reign in our hearts and homes.

 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Haiku

He had a big dream

That we should all share today

Love - peace - harmony

May God bless Martin Luther King Jr.'s descendants and may He bless you too!

Related Posts:
Memorials and Cherry Blossoms: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/04/cherry-blossoms-and-national-monuments.html
Monuments and Cherry Blossoms: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/washington-dc-cherry-blossoms-and.html
New Year Blessing: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/01/happy-new-year-blessings-butterflies.html

Note: Originally published here 

Red Cardinal Feeds Baby (Movie Clip & Short Poem)

This morning my cat and I enjoyed watching a beautiful red cardinal feed its baby. The baby looks big but still opens its mouth for feeding like a tiny baby bird. The orange flowers you can see through the window our are tithonia (which I used to think were orange zinnias) I grew from seeds harvested from last year's plants. Isn't God's creation amazing!

Hope you enjoy this precious sight! I need to get a new camera as I've learned it's not possible to fix the spots on the sensor of this one but until I do, please excuse the spots.

Hungry Baby Cardinal Haiku Poem

Feed me! Feed me please!

Baby bird opens beak wide,

eats and begs for more. 

May God bless you!

Related posts:
Cute green bird: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/cute-green-bird-video-drives-my-cats.html
Cute cheetah cubs: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/07/cute-cheetah-cubs-and-wild-wednesdays.html
Osprey photos and haiku poem: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/07/osprey-photos-and-haiku-poem.html

Osprey Photos and Haiku Poem

My husband and I enjoyed a walk in the Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary today and we were thrilled to see an osprey family in their nest as well as the lone osprey (above) at the top of a tree. We were extra blessed in not getting rained on during our walk (it was pouring on and off on our drive to Jug Bay). God is good!

This osprey nest sighting inspired today's haiku poem. I hope you enjoy it and the photos!

Jug Bay Osprey Nest Haiku

Far in the distance

A moving, intriguing sight - 

A big osprey nest!

 

I borrowed my husband's camera to get this shot. I think he had a polarizing lens on so it made the colors more vivid. It was neat to see the osprey in the back spread its wings.

Hope you enjoyed my osprey photos and that you have a blessed 4th of July holiday! May God bless and keep you and those you love!

Related posts:
Eagle festival: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/eagle-festival-photos.html
Fishing bird: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/04/fish-grabbing-bird-photos.html
Jug Bay Wetland: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/01/jug-bay-wetland-photos.html
Yellow Finch Feeding: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/08/yellow-finch-feeding-on-black-eyed.html
Cat attracting bird video: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/02/cute-green-bird-video-drives-my-cats.html

Anti Procrastination Haiku (Short Poem)

Mary's "Buttercups": Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, June 2013

Happy June! I enjoyed my "write something every day" challenge in May so I've decided to continue the practice as an ongoing daily habit. I'm also still working on decluttering my home (clutter could be considered a form of procrastination).

Anti-Procrastination Haiku

Don't procrastinate

Do it or decide not to.

Breathe deeply and act.

If I weren't limited to seven syllables in the second line (haikus traditionally have 5 syllables in the first line, 7 in the second and 5 in the third/last line) I'd have made it read "do it, schedule it, or let it go" but this shorter version works too. 

May you have a beautiful and procrastination-free day and may the God of all peace be with you!

Rest in Peace, Snowball (Haiku Poem / Short Tribute)

Snowball: Photo by Carla Wheeler

Rest in Peace Snowball (Haiku)

Snowball, we'll miss you,
your fluffy white fur, happy
barks and friendly smile.

Cute little Snowball brightened the lives of my mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law for fourteen years. He was an important part of their family and even joined in on "signing" holiday cards throughout the years. He was joyful, loving presence and will be sorely missed. I haven't seen Snowball in years but I remember him fondly and hope he's enjoying heaven (I personally believe that pets go to heaven). May God comfort and bless my in laws as they grieve Snowballs passing and may He bless you too.

National Day of Prayer Haikus (Short Poems)

Jefferson Memorial Cherry Blossoms: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, April 2013

Today is the National Day of Prayer and my writing for the challenge resulted in two linked haikus related to the event. It was really neat to watch the activities broadcast live on the internet. Please join me in praying for our nation, leaders, military service members, veterans, families, the homeless, jobless, suffering and whatever else God lays on your heart.

National Day of Prayer Haikus

Praising God today

Lifting up America

in prayer for healing

For peace and kindness

For living the golden rule

For revival now.

May God bless America and may He bless you too!  

Challenge: Write Every Day in May! & Cherry Blossom Joy Haiku Poem and Sketches

Cherry Blossom Joy Art & Poem:
Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, May 2013

In April I accepted a challenge to write every day in May. I remembered this challenge just before bed last night and wrote two haikus (short poems with 5-7-5 syllable format). So I'm backdating this post to last night (because that's when I wrote the poem I'm sharing; the other one's for my hubby) and issuing my own challenge to all who love to write. Let's write something every day this month! We don't have to post it or share it - just write it and feel good about doing so. However, if you do post some of your writings feel free to comment below with the link and I'll check it out.

In case my handwriting is hard to read, here's a typed version of my poem:

Cherry Blossom Joy Haiku

 Pink petals delight

Soft, sweet temporal beauty

Cherry blossom joy. 

May's kind of busy for me but I hope to look into doing a link party or prize drawing later this month so keep your eyes open for those posts.

May God bless you and may your writing be fruitful!

Fruitful Pear:
Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, May 2013

Happy Spring Poem & Crocus and Pansy Flower Photos

Pansy Macro: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, March 2013

Happy first day of spring! It's a beautiful spring day here in Maryland. I celebrated by going for a nice walk. I also took some flower photos and wrote a little haiku poem to share with you. I hope they bring a smile to your face.

Welcome Spring Haiku

Blue skies; birds singing;

 tulips bursting through the soil;

Praise God for springtime!

 

White Crocus Macro: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, March 2013

Purple Crocus Macro: Copyright © by Phyllis Wheeler, March 2013

May the joys of spring warm your heart and comfort your soul and may God bless you!

Happy March Haiku

Photograph by Phyllis Wheeler

Happy March Haiku

March brings spring blessings

Green starts to fill the landscape

Happy March dear friend!

Hadn't written any haikus in a while and then was suddenly inspired to write nine last night and one this morning. God is good!

I love spring. I know it's not technically spring yet but it feels like it is and I'm thankful. I took this photo this past weekend on a walk with my beloved husband and am looking forward to some walks that include cherry blossoms later this month. May God bless you during the lovely month of March and always!

Happy Thanksgiving!

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and

praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness

continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5 NIV

Of all the things for which I'm thankful, God's amazing loving grace reins supreme.

If you don't already have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please check out this link to The Good News of Salvation by Billy Graham. 

Here is a haiku I wrote this morning:

Salvation from sin

Eternal life through Christ's blood

Praise be to the Lord!

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving!