Wise Enough

Greetings readers. We live on the south of the hill pictured. Our side escaped the recent forest fires, but the north side was greatly damaged. All thanks to barbecue wielding fools.  

Fire services from many counties lent their services, and were forced to remain for days. Many neighbours were evacuated too, but fortunately, all their homes were saved. 

Throughout the emergency, squadrons of swallows swooped in from all directions, and feasted on the clouds of insects fleeing the smoke. Only this solitary blue butterfly was wise enough to wait it out in our garden.

While all this was going on, our son, along with hundreds of fellow travellers, was stranded abroad due to flight cancellations, which took days to fix. 

I am happy to report that all’s well now. 

Thank you readers, and followers, for your ongoing friendship. I sincerely hope the times aren’t troubling you too far beyond the evils of the hour. Also, we have many more pics to share, so if heaven permits, I will be back soon.

Peace from Amras. 

This is what our Scriptures come to teach: in everything, in every circumstance, do to others as you would have them do to you.

Jesus

Screenshot taken from local news. 

Advertisement

Easter Day

I’m back. Happy Easter everybody. This day is even more significant than Christmas. It’s been a whole year since our last post. My sincere apologies to all our friends who enquired about my welfare. Due to a combination of health, and complex WP connection difficulties, I’ve been unable to reply before now. So this is my first opportunity to say thank you – may the wind be always at your back.

The Greek church was photographed many years ago, while I was out strolling in the neighbourhood.

I hope to return soon, when I will update you on my current adventures. Until then, Peace from Amras.

Every sacrifice made to help another, honours Christ.

Softly Whispered

 Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness.”

Greetings. In March I wrote a little about forgiving. This is extremely difficult to achieve when we are experiencing the unforgivable. However, if we are seeking sincerely for a way to forgive those who hurt us, perhaps we might feel inspired to pray very simply from our deepest hearts, like David once did, that their wicked deeds shall simply come to nothing.

Rancour is the chain that binds the wingèd soul to pain – and wings that were designed to fly might never span the sky again.

About the pics. The elevated path winds lazily through forested avenues, where celestial streams of golden light dance freely with the drifting shadows – and welcomes all with softly whispered breezes to the golden throne of the eternal crowned sun.

I hope our readers are standing firmly in the sunshine of inner peace. Despite the rising clamour of external events, personal victory is born in silence. 

Meanwhile, winter lingers in my bones, demanding time and effort for every little task. So I will take this opportunity to thank everyone who finds time to spend with our posts. After a recent update, it has become almost impossible to ‘like’ blogs on any device. This nuisance has happened before, but the talents of this blogging community deserves attention. So I will take this opportunity to thank everyone who finds time to spend with our posts. It is an honour, because yours are brilliant. I hope to be back soon, until then, peace, stay well, and be strong.

“Finally, may we indeed, keep in our hearts, that our humble blogs are the spirits that keep the World Wide Web humane. Let us use this gift to flourish as people! Let us cherish one another! And be thankful for one another, because at some point, we touch our respective lives.”  ~ Aina Balagtas https://lyricssentimentsandme.wordpress.com

 

 

Photography ©Amanda Moloney.

Embattled Souls

I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

I see skies of blue
And clouds of white
The bright blessed day
The dark sacred night
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces
Of people going by
I see friends shaking hands
Saying, “How do you do?”
They’re really saying
“I love you”

I hear babies cry
I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more
Than I’ll never know
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself
What a wonderful world

Oh yeah

The words of Louis Armstrong mean more than ever now. May our prayerful attitude be the key that opens those locked hearts roaming our world.

Stay well, and be brave, dear readers. Life is eternal – you know this. Remember the sheer vibrancy of life when you were very small. The immediacy of colours and textures. The power of sound and music. The smells of the kitchen, and the taste of ice cream. Well that same living vibrancy is still here for us, though beyond the deterioration of our senses. Isn’t that an encouraging thought?

So too does the intensity of the love that we knew as infants, before our earthly struggles made dim our embattled souls, still shine like the sun of all stars. All is well in the streets of paradise. When we commit every single day to working from our hearts wisdom; purely and compassionately, then we are already there. We never left.

More pics to come.

 

May my thoughts be ever pure,

From true love my actions spring,

May my ways be strong and sure,

And my heart life’s praises sing.

 

 

Photography ©Amanda Moloney.

On The Surface

I hope all readers are growing in strength of spirit, and remembering that for sudden, the worst turns the best to the brave. When we know one or more who grieve, our duty is to give them what comfort we may. It is fitting to rejoice too, if grace allows, for the sake of those who have departed in righteousness. However, and despite how difficult this might be, I feel that perhaps we should also take a moment to pray earnestly for those about to depart in unrepentant wickedness. 

When my immune system was compromised, in 2004, I was forced then to adopt a form of ‘social distancing,’ as a way of life – which I’ve practised ever since. It has kept me incarnate. I used my scarf for a face mask throughout this time, and it’s worked very well.  Habitual cleanliness should go without saying. I dare say I will continue to live thus when the world has recovered. Although we are born without any choice but eventually to depart, what happens next belongs to the balance of the choices we are making here and now. If we gaze for too long at the the dancing reflections on the surface of things only, then fear will creep triumphantly in. Where there’s faith, there’s no fear. Faith and fear refuse to exist side by side. Faith fosters courage. Courage reminds us that our duty is to each other – and lends us the strength to do right. Even when we are stuck indoors all day long. 

And now, it’s time to change gear, by introducing a little levity…

“Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps ‘I think my friend is dead! What can I do?’ The operator says: ‘Calm down, I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.’ There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says ‘OK, now what?'”

I want to thank all readers and followers. I do appreciate your dropping by – and if I’m slow getting back to you, please bear with me. Finally, before I forget, the above pics were taken in March 2007. Be well everyone. 

Now we know that for those who love God all things are working together for good…

Romans 8:28

Photography ©Francis Moloney.