Easter on the Farm, Some Knitting Progress, and Thoughts
It has been a beautiful Easter day at our farm. It has been clear and very warm for this time of the year....in the low to mid 90's.
The Purple Martins have been busy with nest building and feeding. The Bluebirds have been busily tending their young, feeding and guarding, and being a living example of excellent parents.
In the photo above, you can see the father Bluebird guarding the entrance to the nestbox containing his 5 youngsters. They are pictured below.
The younger clutch of Bluebirds are also growing and doing very well, as seen below.
The reason that the picture of the younger Bluebirds is blurry, is because of their extremely protective parents. I must check this nestbox *very* quickly for the reason as seen below:
Yes, the parent Bluebirds are taking turns divebombing my head. (They've never made physical contact, but have come close enough to make me think that they would!) These Bluebird parents are constantly vigilent in providing for their young...just as our Heavenly Father cares for and watches out over us.
Some Knitting Progress
I haven't accomplished much knitting this past week, but have done a little. The Trellis Scarf is continuing to grow, slowly but surely. It has progressed slowly only because I haven't been feeling very well, but I'm improving...and my knitting needles are itching to get busy again. : )
Here's an updated picture of the Trellis Scarf:
Thoughts
In my nursing career I worked in several specialty areas. While working in a very large surgery department, I was blessed with working with a very talented and wise surgeon. Of the many things he shared with those of us that worked with him, I will always remember him advising us to never confuse *who we are* with *what we do*. He was encouraging each of us to not determine our own self worth basded upon our careers. He was preparing for retirement and sharing with us that we each had value far beyond what we did while working.
Many years later when I became quite ill and no longer able to continue working, I often remembered Dr. Hawley's words. It actually took me a few years to fully comprehend, understand, and realize our worth does not lie in our job performance. Our value is far beyond our own comprehension, and high enough that our Lord died for us, in our stead, so that we could have a direct relationship with our Heavenly Father. It isn't dependednt on our works. It is a free gift from the Lord...we only need to accept it.
I find that some of the most important things that we can *do* is to offer a smile, an encouraging word, a hug, a note, a prayer, a gift of friendship to someone with a heavy heart. This is what I appreciate most and what turns a heavy heart into a thankful and smiling heart.
My prayer for each of you this week is that you will know your worth and value in the Lord's eyes. And, that when the choice arises, that you will choose to follow Him and give freely of your smiles, hugs, and words of encouragement. Your heart will be blessed beyond measure. And, I am praying that you will understand the directions given by the Lord in his Word are not to be harsh or restricting, but rather as loving guidance and direction offered by a loving and caring parent that only wants the very best for His children. Just as we advise our own children to stay away from heat sources or busy streets, so He advises us through His Word...because He wants the very best for us and for us to be safe and avoid dangers.
Your Friend,
Shelly
P.S. I want to say a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone that commented, sent emails, or called this past week. You have blessed me bountifully and I am truly very thankful for each one of you.
The Bible passage that I'm sharing today was sent to me by my very dear online friend, Lois. Thank you so very much, Lois!
NIV
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore
It has been a beautiful Easter day at our farm. It has been clear and very warm for this time of the year....in the low to mid 90's.
The Purple Martins have been busy with nest building and feeding. The Bluebirds have been busily tending their young, feeding and guarding, and being a living example of excellent parents.
In the photo above, you can see the father Bluebird guarding the entrance to the nestbox containing his 5 youngsters. They are pictured below.
The younger clutch of Bluebirds are also growing and doing very well, as seen below.
The reason that the picture of the younger Bluebirds is blurry, is because of their extremely protective parents. I must check this nestbox *very* quickly for the reason as seen below:
Yes, the parent Bluebirds are taking turns divebombing my head. (They've never made physical contact, but have come close enough to make me think that they would!) These Bluebird parents are constantly vigilent in providing for their young...just as our Heavenly Father cares for and watches out over us.
Some Knitting Progress
I haven't accomplished much knitting this past week, but have done a little. The Trellis Scarf is continuing to grow, slowly but surely. It has progressed slowly only because I haven't been feeling very well, but I'm improving...and my knitting needles are itching to get busy again. : )
Here's an updated picture of the Trellis Scarf:
Thoughts
In my nursing career I worked in several specialty areas. While working in a very large surgery department, I was blessed with working with a very talented and wise surgeon. Of the many things he shared with those of us that worked with him, I will always remember him advising us to never confuse *who we are* with *what we do*. He was encouraging each of us to not determine our own self worth basded upon our careers. He was preparing for retirement and sharing with us that we each had value far beyond what we did while working.
Many years later when I became quite ill and no longer able to continue working, I often remembered Dr. Hawley's words. It actually took me a few years to fully comprehend, understand, and realize our worth does not lie in our job performance. Our value is far beyond our own comprehension, and high enough that our Lord died for us, in our stead, so that we could have a direct relationship with our Heavenly Father. It isn't dependednt on our works. It is a free gift from the Lord...we only need to accept it.
I find that some of the most important things that we can *do* is to offer a smile, an encouraging word, a hug, a note, a prayer, a gift of friendship to someone with a heavy heart. This is what I appreciate most and what turns a heavy heart into a thankful and smiling heart.
My prayer for each of you this week is that you will know your worth and value in the Lord's eyes. And, that when the choice arises, that you will choose to follow Him and give freely of your smiles, hugs, and words of encouragement. Your heart will be blessed beyond measure. And, I am praying that you will understand the directions given by the Lord in his Word are not to be harsh or restricting, but rather as loving guidance and direction offered by a loving and caring parent that only wants the very best for His children. Just as we advise our own children to stay away from heat sources or busy streets, so He advises us through His Word...because He wants the very best for us and for us to be safe and avoid dangers.
Your Friend,
Shelly
P.S. I want to say a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone that commented, sent emails, or called this past week. You have blessed me bountifully and I am truly very thankful for each one of you.
The Bible passage that I'm sharing today was sent to me by my very dear online friend, Lois. Thank you so very much, Lois!
NIV
Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore
posted by Prayerful Knitter - Shelly at 6:02 PM
18 Comments:
What wonderful bluebird pictures today! I admire them since bluebirds ar NY's state bird, but I have never seen one! Not sure where they all are in the state of NY, but some day I would like to see one! The trellis scarf is looking fantastic too! I really love the color yarn you chose!
So glad you're feeling better, and what a stunning scarf that is going to be!
(((hugs)))
I love the bluebird pictures. Your scarf looks gorgeous!
Thank you for much for the advice. It is easy to confuse who we are with what we do, especially with professions like nursing. I am teacher and it easy for me to forget who I am in my situation (blogging helps). I am very grateful for the summers, not because I hate teaching--I love it!--but during that time I can find myself again.
Thanks. The bluebirds are getting so big!
Your scarf is coming along beautifully! Thanks for sharing the bird pics; I love all the pics you have shared...so beautiful.
It is hard to confuse who we are with what we do sometimes. Thanks for sharing that with us.
Great post. And the bluebird pictures are wonderful.
Thanks for your insight. I hope you are feeling better. I continue to pray for you!
How are the puppies doing? More puppy pictures!
Great photos of the birds. I don't want to put up bluebird boxes (though they do live around here) because of all of the cats.) I may put up a purple martin house someday.
we have some phoebes who have made a nest under the eave by the front door on top of a rain gutter. They patrol it by sitting in the only tree in the front yard the previous owner left us.
Very cute to watch.
love your pictures~!
oh, and we have a frog in our spider plant!!!!
Such a lovely post with very good advice. We need to remember who we are is vastly different than what we do in a given profession.
I love the picture of the farm and all the birds.....we have some building a nest under our deck.
May you continue to feel better each day and may the Lord bless your heart, Shelley!
its always nice to see how God had fashioned us ALL (even the birds) with instinct. your faith and trust in God will surely see you through whatever you are going through...jae
Hi Shelly! I was looking at your blog from one of the knitting lists I'm on - I think six sox KAL? Anyway, when I saw that your favorite movie was Simon Burch, I had to look further! That's my favorite movie, too! I couldn't get to church today because my husband has some sort of crippling sciatica or something like that and cannot really move around well without pain - and the choir is "off" this Sun., so I'm not singing. What a blessing to have come upon your blog! It is absolutely beautiful, mostly because you really get it about the value of being a "human being" rather than a "human doing" as some would say. After all, if God loves us that much, who are we to make human value contingent upon anything, much less what we do for a living?
Thanks for a great blog - hope to check in more often:)
My prayers for good health and God's blessings to you and your family,
Joan in Ellicott City, MD
Correction: I came upon your blog after viewing a comment you made on another person's blog. It was THAT person who is part of the six sox knitalong.
Now back to your regularly scheduled program:)
Joan
Where have you been, young lady? Are you ok?
More Puppy Pictures!
Susan
Thanks to each of you for your comments. I'll be updating my blog tonight or tomorrow.
I consider each of you to be a true blessing!
Shelly
Hey gal have you given up on your blog? I guess I am in the company of Susan....where are the puppy pics??? :-)
My apple tree is home of birds as well. Only my yard is not that large LOL!
Missing you as well! Hope everything is all right.
we miss you shelly!
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