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

Poem Inspired by "Story of A Soul: The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux"

In the middle of reading Story of A Soul: The Autobiography of Saint Therese of Lisieux, I was inspired to write this little poem. The book is very good, although it's taking me quite a long time to read it. I borrowed it from my local library (using inter-library loan) but have since learned that it's available for free download on multiple websites too, should you desire to read it for yourself.

The Little Flower Still Blesses

Oh, to love with such pureness of heart

To see our precious Lord Jesus so clearly

To forgive so thoroughly

To trust so fully
To be content as a little flower
in God's great garden of souls

To be one with the Holy Spirit

and truly walk by faith.

I thank God for your example,

Saint Therese of Lisieux.

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.

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!