Make Today Count

"We shall have all eternity to celebrate the victories, but only a few hours before sunset to win them." ~Amy Carmichael

 We only have one life. And believe me, it may go faster than most of us expect. If we aren't aware of what is going on around us, we will suddenly realise that the time has swiftly gone from sunrise to sunset.

 How can we make today count? How do we wish to live our lives? What do we want to exchange our days for?

"Through this toilsome world, alas!

Once and only once I pass;

If a kindness I may show,

If a good deed I may do

To a suffering fellow man,

Let me do it while I can.

No delay, for it is plain,

I shall not pass this way again."

~ Unknown

That one day. That one chance to do good and help another along. We must take the chances "for it is plain, I shall not pass this way again."

Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.
Has anyone's burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?

Then wake up and do something more
Than dream of your mansion above.
Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure,
A blessing of duty and love.

~Will L. Thompson 

When the sunsets everyday, we should ask ourselves "have I done any good?" And the more you think on it, the more you'll realise how many chances you have to help others, whether you took them or not was your choice.

 
This is a lesson the Lord is teaching me more and more everyday. I have to decide what I'm going to do, who I'm going to serve, how I'm going to live. It's a choice we all are making all the time.

". . .Choose you this day whom ye will serve. . .but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

~ Joshua 24:15 (KJV)

 I wanted to share this message with you all because it's SO IMPORTANT! Life is happening no matter what. And the encouragement I'd like to share is that any good deed that you did in a day makes it a golden day to treasure forever. Every day is worth living because every day the Lord provides ways for you to succeed and grow. He is with you every hour of your life.

While I'm on the subject of how we spend our days, I'd like to let you all know that, despite my lack of posts and comments and emails and whatever else, I'm still here. Blogging has slipped farther down on my list of priorities, but be assured that you friendship has not. I often think of my wonderful Blog friends as I go throughout my day and I wonder how you're doing and hope all is going well. And so, while I do take a long time to reply sometimes, I have not left. :)

I hope all has been going splendidly in all you have been doing this year!

 Your friend,
S. F.

Note: All pictures in this post be me and my sisters.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day, m' friends!

I know no finer day to wear the most green possible, cook your version of the traditional Irish breakfast, listen to and sing Irish music, get chills as you listen to the Irish Rugby team sing "Ireland's Call", and to celebrate your Irish pride. :)

☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘ ☘

My great-great-great-great-grandfather was born in Ireland. . . so I'm not sure how much Irish blood that gives me.  . .but I know it's enough to be proud of and wish you all a very hearty HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY! :)

"May your troubles be less,
and your blessings be more.
And may nothing but happiness
 come though your door."
(An Irish blessing.)

Love,

S. F.

The Gothard Sisters - Hummingbird

The Gothard Sisters have a new music video for their song "Hummingbird!" It is very beautiful, happy, and inspiring. :)

The Happy Tag

Thank you so much for tagging me, SW! ♥ This tag is quite fun and brings a bit more joy into your day as you think about all the things that make you happy. :) What you do is list things that make you happy under the 6 categories given.

I tag Kara, Abby, Carissa, Chloe and Sarah.


Books:

The Word of God

Anne of Green Gables

The Wind in the Willows

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

A Child's Garden of Verses
Peter Rabbit

Words:
Love

Faith
Hope
Family
Home
Brilliant
Done

Movies/TV:

Anne of Green Gables
Little Women
Scenes in Hobbiton from LOTR and The Hobbit

Scents:

Just before it rains

Mushrooms cooking

Dirt and grass

Roses and Rosemary

Old books

The library

Songs:
I Am a Child of God

Mountain Rose Waltz by the Gothard Sisters

Fairy Dance Jig by the Gothard Sisters

Sunshine by John Denver

Fur Elise and other classical
Hobbiton theme song

Misc:
Smiley Faces :)
Hugs
An armful of books
Letters from friends in the mail (and e-letters, too)
Sunsets
The tick-tock of a clock
A cat's pur

February 29th

"Thirty days hath September, 

April, June, and November; 

Thirty-one the others date, 

Except in February, twenty-eight; 

But in leap year we assign 

February, twenty-nine."

 ~Unknown

Image from the Internet.

 Happy Leap Year Day 2016! 

Just think, today there was no last year and there is no next year! :)

♥ LOVE ♥

Valentine's Day has passed, but I still wanted to share some of my favourite quotes on love.

“The world is indeed full of peril, 

and in it there are many dark places; 

but still there is much that is fair, 

and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, 

it grows perhaps the greater.”

~ J. R. R. Tolkien

"Love doesn't make the world go round, 

it makes the ride worthwhile." ~ F. P. Jones

And then this acrostic is so perfect that I had to share~

Frosty Mornings

It's that beautiful time of year when you're greeted by a white frost almost every morning. On two of those such mornings, I ventured out and photographed some of the magical fairyland (as it seemed to be.) Here are some of the best: