Just Swingin'

I'm back after a very busy, yet fulfilling Christmas with friends and family.  My daughter-in-law took this picture of me swinging, in this gorgeous wooded area near the Guilford College campus, on Christmas Eve.  Hubby and I attended Ben's Christmas Eve service and were then treated to a delicious meal at their home, with friends and family.

I hope I never get to old to enjoy swinging in the breeze, surrounded by God's beautiful creation.  Taking time to enjoy the moment... a BLESSING indeed!

Now, I'm off to visit all my friends in bloggerville, and catch up on what you've been up to while I was enjoying my Christmas.

Swimming Along

I just love this photo booth shot of my niece.  She had the most fun playing with this neat feature on my new Mac, when she visited during Thanksgiving. 

 The panicked look on her face reminded me of a video emailed to me by  fellow blogger, Julie.  I hope you will take the time to view it, especially if you are a grandparent or have small children at home.   I taught my kids a similar swimming technique when they were small.  They could literally SWIM before they could WALK!  Teaching them to swim at an early age was a necessity, due to the fact that our pool is only 15 feet from the back sliding glass doors (very similar to the one in the video).  I had already buried one child and took every precaution I could to keep my kids safe.   They are never 100% protected but I needed the security of knowing I did everything I possibly could, to protect them.  Swimming is still a favorite activity (good exercise too) for both of them, after all of these years, and that is a BLESSING indeed!

Snack TIme

I got more raisins than you did!

I'm gonna pull this bow out of my hair.

See, I told you!

Sorry!

I'll put it back!

My twin grandnieces are almost 16 months old now and they are two  of the BIGGEST BLESSINGS in my life!   Priceless!

One Last Gift

Another treasure was found on Thanksgiving day (see the post below), a Winterberry bush.  It was growing on Dad's grape arbor, choking out the grape vines. Had Dad lived to nurture and care for the Winterberry, I'm sure it wouldn't have taken over the grape arbor and the two could have grown together, complimenting each other.   

My younger sister from Michigan, taught me about Winterberry.  Each year she loved to visit NC in the early fall, just so she could go to the Curb Market and purchase a few dried branches of Winterberry; carefully taking it home for her fall arrangements.  I'm sure Dad heard this Winterberry story, year after year and decided to try to grow his own Winterberry.  He died unexpectedly and never got the chance to tell my sister that he had planted the Winterberry- just for her!  Imagine her delight, when I walked her to this corner of the garden, telling her I thought Dad had planted some Winterberry before he died.  The bush, at last,  had  grown large enough to produce the bright red berries and finally these two siblings noticed it's growth, intertwined with the grape vine.  A gift from heaven, that will keep on giving year after year, and that is BLESSING indeed!  

Blueberry Blessings

My Dad was a master gardener.   He loved planting a variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers, shrubs and trees, just to see if he could figure out how to make them grow.  He would get the biggest grin on his face, and then with delight, he would take you on a tour of the yard to share his latest success.  You can imagine my surprise on a recent fall walk, to find these blueberries growing in my Dad's yard.  It was almost like Dad stepped down from heaven, grabbed my hand, and guided me to this shrub, that he evidently planted in his final days on earth. I could barely contain my emotions, as I tasted the delicious fruit of this unexpected gift.  During Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity, to share this little blessing from heaven, with my sister. A moment to share a gift from heaven, which will provide lasting memories of a devoted Dad, who planted a blueberry bush for his daughters to enjoy- seven years later... now  that is a blessing indeed!