Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Newsletter - 8/15/12


Hello Dear Friends!

Donna at Kemper Park for Letterboxing
We're still doing "letter boxing" and trying to cover the ones in our area nearby. There were two listed for Kemper Park that sounded really easy, so we were excited to stop there on our way into Charlottesville for errands.

We hiked UP the trail a long way and thought we had the location a few times, but never did find either of the letterboxes. Disappointing! But it was a cool morning for most of the time there and we got to see some other things in the park and I had another opportunity to kick the devil in the butt by walking an uphill trail.

I loved the centuries old tulip poplar that they have made into a "play zone" for children and for big kids too since I got Randal to climb through it. He's so accommodating!  View Kemper Park & Saunders Trail photo album.

Anybody else out there that loves cilantro? Boy, I've had a culinary party going on with this herb. I've always liked salsa that had a lot of fresh cilantro in it, but for the past couple of months I've wanted cilantro in other things.

Recently made a 3-quart pot of soup and put half of the bunch of cilantro in it. Yummy good! Although I don't usually make soup in summer, it's just what came to mind. I froze the other half for another batch of something and cut up the stems to add to a crockpot full of lima beans that I was cooking for Randal since I had added salsa to it and Mexican spices.

Did you know that cilantro takes heavy metals out of the body? Maybe I have some heavy metals I need detoxed out of me? Cilantro is one of the main ingredients in a formula called, Heavy Metal Detox, which is used to cleanse heavy metals out of the body.

Daisey Doodles Rogers
Healed of Heartworms with Herbs
Speaking of herbal remedies, my friend, Robin, has sent me yet another success story one of her doggie clients achieved this summer. 

Robin works with pets using natural alternatives for a variety of conditions that you don't want to use drugs for. She specializes in heartworms because it's what made her choose to get the word out that there are other ways to treat heartworm disease than the terribly toxic choices. It worked for her pet who lived to an amazing age even though Bandit was rather old when he had heartworms, causing the vet to say he would not survive the treatment.

So, Bandit's hero and mom was Robin, and Robin is now a hero for hundreds of dogs that have been through the program. Few people write more than a thank you but now and then she gets a detailed story and it makes her life seem so fulfilling. It works for me too since she's a very good friend and when she's happy, I'm happy too! Read the story of Daisey Doodles Rogers on her website.

If you know of any pet owners that need to have this information, send them a link to Robin's website and be a hero for some animals out there too: www.BanditsBuddies.com

One of Christina's Beautiful Creations
I have another beautiful friend who makes designer jewelry so she can be a stay-at-home mom for her son, Elijah. I would be amazed at her talent and creativity but before she became pregnant, she did a lot of painting, needlework and bead creations, so it's not a surprise that she would excel at the jewelry also.

Maybe you've got a gift you need to buy or would like to give one to yourself. If you like jewelry and want a one-of-a-kind look, shop at Creative Art Expressions and be well pleased. There's nobody like you so a one-of-a-kind art expression fits right in with your beauty.

I've not mentioned the Bluebird Cove photo galleries since early Spring when things were beginning to come back to life. Here it is almost the end of Summer. I've been seeing a lot of butterflies. One day I looked out the window and there was a fawn lying in the front yard a bit behind some plants. How sweet! Took a few photos and then the mom came back for a mom and child photo. She actually has two fawns.

Mama Deer and Fawn in Front Yard
Click for larger image.
Bluebird Cove is what we named our one acre property when we moved in and established a Backyard Wildlife Habitat.

We've had fun having a name for it, which was chosen because we saw lots of bluebirds that November of 2000 and we weren't used to seeing them in Alabama since we were in a more wooded environment. The 'cove' part of the name came from us being the last house before the cul-de-sac homes on our street. To me, a cul-de-sac is kinda like a cove, so it sounded good.

Visit the 2012 Bluebird Cove Critters photo album.
Visit the 2012 Bluebird Cove Garden photo album.

Speaking of wildlife gardening, I found a great informational website. It's amazing how long you can be online and still realize there's so much you haven't seen. WildlifeGardeners.org has a forum articles, photos and all kinds of gardening info. You can get to know some folks from your own region of the country and find out what works and what doesn't in the garden ... or troubleshoot a gardening problem in the forum. Visit now!

Squeek, aka Kitty Girl, Soaking Up The Word
Squeek, our kitty, is doing very well at age 16. She has gotten over her previous idea that she'd get a new convertible for her recent birthday.  She realizes that being at home is the best place to be.

She shares my chaise chair on the screened porch. I generally have my morning time with the Lord there while it's still cool and when I leave to get more water or my breakfast, she takes over my Bible while I'm gone.

Any time I leave my open Bible anywhere, she will always choose to lay on it even rather than her favorite spots with her ruggie or basket. She obviously knows where the healing power of God resides! The Word is full of seeds that will bring forth a blade of growth and then dig its roots deep into our hearts to provide more life. That's how we apply the Word to our lives. As a seed that will produce all the promises of God that are stored in it.

I was reading about some seeds that were taken from an excavated Egyptian tomb near the Nile River at Dahshur, Egypt. It was estimated that the seed was at least 4,000 years old and kept so dry that it did not lose its vitality. That's amazing to me! God put everything in seeds that it would take to keep recreating itself. What an awesome and amazing God we call "Father."

White Ibis in Breeding Season
Brookgreen Gardens, Murrells Inlet, SC
I still struggle with wanting to DO something to speed up healing in this body.  I had learned to live with so many health problems, that now that I know I have an alternative to "living with it," I want it all to happen now!

I'm already healed based on I Peter 2:24 and many other Scriptures, but to believe it with my heart and not just my head is the process.  Jesus said, "if we believe with our hearts and do not doubt ... "

I also know that the more I think I have to DO something to make it happen, the less likely it is to happen because salvation and healing and all that God gives us has been provided by grace (unmerited favor of God), not by our works.

My head comprehends the definition but my heart has not yet grasped the immenseness of its effect on my spirit. Most of us were raised in a performance-based society so we're geared to think we need to DO something to get something. We have to earn our own way.

It seems that absorbing the love of God is a lifelong experience for the heart, even though our heads would say we understand His love for us, when we watch what we're thinking we realize we don't believe as much as we think we do about many things. What an exciting journey, but I admit it's also a struggle to stay tuned in when the world wants you to perform. Choosing right priorities will be a lifelong challenge.

Donna at Old City Cemetery - Lynchburg, VA
Thinking about the day I can grab hold and
swing to my heart's content!
Each morning I wake up and say, "Good Morning, Lord!" and then I check to see if I can make fists with my hands. The rheumatoid arthritis has given me fingers that have fused at the middle knuckles, so I've not been able to do that, but I have a long list of things I'm going to do when they are restored.

I'm going to ride a bike, swing on a swing (sweet memories with my grandfather pushing me), peel potatoes and chop lots of vegetables for a stir-fry, go kayaking and whitewater rafting. I'm going to bake and cook with joy.

When the pigment fills back in on my skin, I am going to spend some time on the beach baking in the sun, but mostly I want to dance in a wildflower meadow praising my Lord!  I keep seeing myself do this because after 36 years with this skin problem, I have to fill my mind with something other than what I've been seeing all that time.

One thing I know is that there comes a time in each disease or symptom that taking a step of faith completes the turn-around process.  I wasn't breathing well when I took back the oxygen concentrator, and yet I knew it was time.

I wasn't totally cleared of all excess fluids when I took the scale out of the bathroom and put away all my notes on day, time and weight.  I was using junk mail envelopes and had 51 sheets of records before I knew it was time to stop.

I've been purposely planning activities that make me walk up inclines to reinforce my healing of the heart.  Last weekend we took a trip to Lynchburg, Virginia, and the first stop on our day-trip itinerary was to visit Monument Terrace in the downtown area.  This is a steep climb of 132 or 139 steps (depending on where you read) to the top, with terraces of different memorials for various wars.  I just knew it was something I had to do.

Looking Down From The Top of Monument Terrace - Lynchburg, VA
139 steps from bottom to top - Yay, God! - More photos here.

I expected to make it to each terrace level and then catch my breath before going on to the next, but I was surprised to find that I could climb the steps at a pretty fast pace, get to the next terrace level, take some photos of each particular monument and then continue on up the side of this steep hill.  I was amazed and very excited when I got to the top.  After I downloaded the photos I checked to see the time they were taken so I could see how long it was from bottom to top:  10 minutes.  All praise to the Father!

I will close with some words from my dear friend, Dara, in South Carolina: "We need to sit and relax on His big lap and put our heads on His chest and hear His heart beat for us. That's where I love to be."

Love, Hugs and Many Blessings,
Donna

P.S.  Know somebody who needs to see something in this newsletter? 

Send them the link to the website:  www.TheNatureInUs.com.  


Thanks for sharing!  

View Posts By Topic


Posts Since Last Newsletter

Does God Punish Us?  (DLW)

Meadow Farm Museum - Richmond, Virginia  (DLW)

Nutritious Smoothie Recipes

Amazing Kilimanjaro Adventure For Charity

Balance Is Not The Answer

Aspen Trees & The Body of Christ

Trash Autopsy Can Save You Cash

Historical Forest Lodge - Richmond, Virginia  (DLW)

Newsletter - 8/1/12  (DLW)

Jesus Healed All and Has Healed Me  (DLW)

Previous Posts You May Have Missed











Sponsored by The Herbs Place - Wholesale Prices Always
On Sale Now • Women • Men • Children • Essential Oils • Cleansing

The photo(s) and article are copyrighted. You may use either of them if you include the following credit and active link back to this website: © 2012 Donna L. Watkins - This article was reprinted with permission from TheNatureInUs.com. The link to use is: www.TheNatureInUs.com.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Share This Post