Still in Thanksgiving Mode

This picture was taken on Thanksgiving Day. It is not a very good picture but you can see the whole bunch. We had such a good time on TG even if the power went out for two hours and delayed the turkey, the ham was ready to eat and we had ham and all the fixings. After two hours and about an hour more the turkey was done and we had turkey too! After the lights came back on the grandkids asked "Can we turn the lights back off?"

My heart overflows with thankfulness this morning.

I am thankful to Jesus Christ for the full life He keeps filling. The spiritual life that blooms in my heart today is only because of His Love for me. I am nothing without Him. My life would be depression - unending sadness - without the HOPE that He has put into my thoughts and into my heart. This hope fills me now and will remain with me past my last fleshly breath.

I woke up on Sunday morning troubled. We, as Mom's will do that won't we when we are troubled about one of our children? Most of our hardships come from an unwillingness (or rebelliousness) to learn about and know Jesus Christ. An unwillingness to give up selfish pursuits. Chasing after the fleeting FUN of this world.

I also have been duped into doing that too. I will long for the STUFF this world has to offer only to find even a stronger discontent when I have what I wanted in my grasp. The most complete joy I've experienced has been had when I've been basking in the sunshine of what Jesus Christ's sacrifice accomplished for me. If only I could take what I've learned and just stick it into my loved ones hearts, but I can't, only God can do that. So I wait and pray. Prayer is my heart-tugging-rope that goes directly to my Savior's interceding heart.

Yesterday, I spent the whole day with my sister Millie! It was a good day. We read Psalms together. We listened to Christmas music. We put on smelly lotions. I picked up a pair of earrings that I am sure she would have picked out for herself if she were with me and stuck them on her ears. I tried to find burgundy (her favorite) but all those colors were not cool. We called our sister Kotya. Millie moved her hand up towards her ear as if she wanted to move the phone to a better spot over her ear.

Millie did a lot of yawning yesterday, and according to Adam (her husband) the Elders asked him if she was doing that yet because they believe when someone like Millie who has been sleeping and sleeping will be getting up soon after they begin yawning. She did a lot of yawning yesterday!

I went in to visit her the day before yesterday too and she had two pigtails on! This is not any hairdo she would have been seen in public with. It made me smile and I told her "Mil, you better wake up girl, somebody is dressing you up kindda funny!"

A Psalm Millie and I enjoyed together:

LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; he who swears to his own hurt and does not change; he who does not put out his money at usury, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. Psalm 15. (NKJV)

A nearby verse that caught my attention is in Psalm 12.

The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men. (NIV)

Isn't that the whole truth and nothing but the truth... so help USA - God.

After visiting with Millie my husband and I went to Anchorage Native New Life Fellowship meeting and enjoyed all the singing. If you have never been there, go! A great place to go for an evening of singing and testimonies, every Monday night at 1145 'C' Street. Sometimes you can even hear gospel singing in the Native tongue. My brother Don, who led the singing, reminded us all that we have a spot in our heart that is God-shaped and can only be filled by God. That is the TRUTH! We all need God - our all-powerful, always present and all-knowing Creator. Without Him in our lives - life is hopeless, with Him in it, our lives are filled with overflowing thankfulness and joy and living that satisfies!

Thanksgiving Prayer

I hope you all have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Friendship

It is good to have a friend ---to be considered a friend, that's even better.

Once upon a time...

I had a "best friend."

I enjoyed her company so much. We talked and laughed about life. We shared things dear to our hearts. As time went on, I heard that she had been saying untruths about me. This was something I never, ever considered would be done by her. When it got back to me, my heart was stunned. I am still a friend to her to this day, but never best...

While my daughters grew up and were dealing with friendship issues I advised them all that this best friend stuff is only a myth. It's best to be friends to all, than to think of one someone special as your very own best friend. (I spoke from experience!) Better yet - cultivate friendships with your sisters and your brothers. Whatever you do ---or don't do, they will always be there for you, or should be! [knuckle bumps on top yer head if you don't]

This past summer my grand-daughter Ashlee cried into my shoulder, "She took my best friend away from me." Awww, there was that phrase back again in our families lower ranks. How would I explain to her that if her "best friend" could be taken away so easily - was she truly her best friend at all? So young, and already having friendship ouchies. I could only hug her and console her, "You just keep on being a good friend, Babe."

I am blessed to have growing friendships with my daughters and sons, and my daughters husbands and my sons wife. One of my daughter-friends I have been really missing while she's been away. Thank heavens for phones to laugh and cry into when we are apart! It is an incredible blessing when families can remain close and share life's ups and downs when they come along. This makes families the best and my family is one of the BEST, and that is no myth!

Whenever I think of the people
who have made a real difference in my life,
I think of the person I can talk to,
really open my heart to,
because she understands me...
And I think of the person
I have fun with,
just doing whatever, whenever,
because we have fun being together...
I think of the person I can count on,
the one that I turn to so often,
because I know she'll never let me down...
And I think of the person who inspires me,
who always can keep me believing in me
because she does...
And whenever I think
of these wonderful people
and all that they've given to me,
I know how lucky and blessed I have been...
...to have found all of them in you, Mom.

Written by Karen Ravn

Thank you, My Marie ...my friend. The card is beautiful.

Oh, BTW, Dad got his! LOL! (Happy birthday and all that CRAP!)

Watch!

This picture was taken on a beautiful, summer day.

I am still reading The Signature of God." I know, I am a slow reader. Grant Jeffrey writes about the biblical critics beliefs that the Bible's stories are unbelieveable. Some say that it is a book of myths. This reasoning is seriously tested each time a new archeological find proves that the stories in the Bible are true.

"The Italian excavation actually uncovered most of the critical evidence relating to the Biblical story. But even more exciting is the fact that all the evidence from the earlier digs has disappeared over time. We only have records, drawing and photos. But the Italians uncovered a completely new section of the wall [Jericho] which we did not know still existed. I had my photograph taken standing next to the wall where the mudbrick collapse had just been excavated!" Dr. Bryant Wood, Director, Associates for Biblical Research.

Unfortunately, the Italian archaeologists, the Palestinian Authorities, the Associated Press and most of the world doesn't realize any of this. It is a sad commentary on the state of archaeology in the Holy Land, when the purpose of an excavation at a Biblical site is to disprove the Bible and disassociate the site with any historical Jewish connection. christiananswers.net

I was talking with my son Kris about the fact that I have never doubted anything written in the Bible. If it's there - I believe it. If I don't understand it now, someday I will.

I believe the miracles recorded. The words of all the prophets through the years. I believe that Jesus Christ is THE SON OF GOD. I believe the story of Moses. I believe that the ten commmandments were given to show all peoples that we are far from living right, according to God. I believe that the evil one convinced Adam and Eve that God had lied to them, that the tree He forbade them to eat from was just like any other tree. I believe that the Apostle's wrote EYE-WITNESSED accounts of what they observed when Jesus was on the earth, when He died, when He showed Himself to them after He conquered death, and before He returned to His Father in Heaven. I believe that King David and his son King Solomon existed.

I've never needed the Bible to be proved to me, but I love it when I read of new archeological discoveries which point to an old Bible story. That is fun.

"It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a Biblical reference. Scores of archaeological findings have been made which confirm in clear outline or in exact detail historical statements in the Bible. And by the same token, proper evaluation of Biblical descriptions has often led to amazing discoveries. They form tesserae in the vast mosaic of the Bible's almost incredibly correct historical memory." Dr. Nelson Glueck, Rivers in the Desert

While some faulted him for mixing politics with archaeology, Dr. Glueck said any effort to halt the destruction of the Jews and America was a higher, easily justifiable cause. The Cincinnati Post

Read the Bible.

Believe.

Time for considering what is and isn't Truth is short.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning— lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!"

WEBCAM that works for me!

I've been trying to get the webcam to work for me this afternoon. I tried different settings on my firewall and virus scanner but nothing changed not being able to view the webcam. I finally shut down IE and opened Firefox and it worked. So I took the URL that it displayed and tried it again in IE and it worked. So if you were like me and could not get the webcam to open for you, try this address:

Elephant Webcam at PAWSWEB.org. I haven't seen Maggie or any elephants yet because I think they are probably eating dinner or resting for the night.

I am so happy for Maggie.

I was looking through old pictures and saw one of Annabelle, the elephant we used to have up here before she passed away in 1997. I don't have one of Maggie though. This picture is from PAWS.

I've moved a desk out of this room to the main floor and set up my old computer on that. I decided to hook my laptop up to my flat screen and wireless keyboard and mouse. It feels so good to be on a regular size keyboard again, but I've had to make adjustments in my typing since I am so used to the laptop keyboard now.

Anyway, are we bloggers ever really gone when we say we are gone? This blogger is not ever really gone! I always manage to sneak a peek here sometime during my time away. Thanks to those the keep peeking back!

"I was looking back to see if you were looking back at me..." or something like that. (An old song.)

P.S. I heard from "Tamara" at PAWS and she said that the elephants usually start in for dinner about 4:30 p.m. and then head out doors after their bath, and foot care in the morning about 10:30 a.m. Someday I hope we can get to California and check out the Performing Animal Welfare Society's Wildlife Sanctuary. It would be fun to meet all the other awesome elephants, and tigers, and bears, and monkeys and lions and mountain lions. PAWS also has a Black Leopard, Paka (small African wildcat), and Bobcat. They are all cats. Beautiful too. Stop by and visit them. You can also contact Tamara for a small group tour. Thanks for your efforts, Tamara.

Organization

I'm busy organizing.
No time for blogging.
No time for creativity.
Only time for organizing.
No time for pictures.
No time for fun.
I'm too busy.
Okay?
I gotta run.

Snowboots or Snowballs?

Doug asked me if I saw that it was snowing when he came in from the shop and I looked up and it was snowing! I had just been talking to my daughter and told her that we didn't have any snow on the ground. Now we do.

I love the huge snowflakes and can't resist going outside to enjoy them when they are gently falling so I got Chewy into his jacket and we went out the door. I don't really like walking clear around the lake but we did! It ended up being much longer than was comfortable, especially for Chewy. He grows big snowballs all over himself when he runs in the snow. He ends up wearing REAL snow boots.

When we got home I had to crunch the snow off and then set him in front of the woodstove to melt. He was not a happy ChewChew!

I took some pictures while we were out. Enjoy.

Sadly, all the snow brings traffic accidents and the Alaska State Troopers said that there were approximately 45 today including the horrible death in Anchorage of a pedestrian that was hit and dragged under a truck. The roads were horrible for driving today.

Nature has no mercy at all. Nature says, I'm going to snow. If you have on a bikini and no snowshoes, that's tough. I am going to snow anyway. Maya Angelou

WEBCAM for Maggie Viewing

PAWS - Performing Animal Welfare Society, the wildlife sanctuary that Maggie now lives at has a WEBCAM that people can check in on her with. It has not worked for me yet, but maybe it will work for you. I've tried it at night each day so I am wondering if it works only during the day when it is light outdoors. I will check it out tomorrow again. I hope it works for you.

See Maggie.

Things That Creak, Groan, Wiggle, Howl!

Picture is of those noisy pipes.This morning I saw a BIG mouse on my back deck. As usual, during the fall and winter months the mice come to raid the bird feeders. I am thinking this mouse probably has brought mousie friends over by now too. As I walked along the back deck (to see if my son was down at the shop) this mouse ran right along beside me just as if he was my puppy! I had my sandals on and bare feet under those so I felt totally vulnerable. SHOO!

It's been getting colder at night and I've heard different noises. The heating pipes have been creaking and groaning as they move the hot water to heat our house. While I was playing games the other night the pipes in this rooms closet started to make louder noises. I stood up and moved away, watching the pipes and wondering if they were going to explode.

My husband was sleeping by then so I quietly crept into our bedroom and gently tapped on his foot - enough to wake him but not enough to wake him. If you can understand that ---we must have a lot in common! He lifted his head and I quickly said, "The heating pipes are making strange noises!" He says, "Yeah, I will check them tomorrow." He turned over and tried to go back to sleep. I went back to my computer.

My game induced reverie was rudely interrupted when the pipes now sounded like they were not only creaking and groaning but now were also wiggling? AND getting even louder too. Again, I stood away from them - never know but they could possibly burst and spray me with hot water, I thought to myself. This time, Doug got up quickly and came in to check on them. He fiddled with them a bit then ended up shutting the heat down and quietly said something about the in-floor heating gear going bad? Or a seal? Or something that is in a bad pump? I don't remember, whatever it was - it has to be fixed.

Sometimes noises that I don't understand or know where they are coming from can kind of give me the creepies. These creepies can be spiritual, the enemy of Christ's heirs (me) would love to keep me in fear, but I don't have to be afraid. I have Christ in me, He has defeated all the enemies of God, including fear. I am so thankful - as I used to be a very fearful person, afraid of the spirit-world.

Last night as I played (later than I should have been) I heard a loud howling. It was not Chevy (my big dog) and I can't believe that it would have been Chewy (my little dog), now I am thinking that maybe ----it was that BIG MOUSE!!!!

This morning, I've informed Dougie that he needs to do some serious mouseketeering.

Here is something you may be interested in and want to do:

"For nothing is impossible with God." Luke 1: 37

This is the verse at the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church which will be happening on Sunday. We need to be in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ who face increasing persecution in other lands. Read more about them at Mission Network News and be in prayer everyday for them. Sunday, November 11, 2007 has been a day set aside to be in prayer specifically for them. We are so blessed in USA to be able to worship God freely. May God help us to be good stewards of His Word.

"Imagine Christians in Bhutan, Sierra Leone, Finland, China, Mongolia, Bulgaria, Germany, Cuba, Venezuela, Australia, Belarus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Uruguay, Denmark, Sweden, USA, UK, Vietnam, Laos and many, many other nations praying together — not only for the persecuted church but with the persecuted church. Surely this is a day pleasing to God himself when his children unite in love and prayer." Johan Candelin, Global Co-ordinator, IDOP.

Christian's in persecuted worlds have seriously decided and have chosen to follow Jesus Christ, the Truth. They will do so - even to the point of death, something that no people ever want to face. They have overcome fear to cling only to Christ and many will face death for their choice.

May God bless and strengthen them and fill them with joy unspeakable. Someday we will meet these strong followers of Christ and their families. Right now, we should be praying for them every day. Read the news from persecuted churches at Mission Network News and pray while you do.

Marriage Monday - Submission

Submission, is it a dirty word?

Submission in the Christian family structure is beautiful. Submission cannot be a dirty word in a Christian setting. I have read the passage in Ephesians and love the word picture of Christ loving the church, us. If all relationships were filled with the Holy Spirit, it is not a difficult thing for a woman to be submissive towards her Christian husband or even another Christian. To submit in such a loving relationship is like watching the give and take of a windmill in the wind; the sand sliding on the beach, ever changing, but remaining the same as the ocean rolls; the clouds dancing to the highs and lows of the atmosphere; a flock of chattering birds following the edge of the lake; a well-trained dog on a leash. Beautiful. It is no wonder that we are encouraged to do so. When done properly it is like poetry and what a testimony to the Savior that we know.

Hupotasso --- hoop-ot-as-so the Greek word for submission --in an ungodly situation ---ends up with a woman jumping through hoops for an a*****e! Excuse the awful word-picture definition - but that is exactly what I imagined when my lips formed the pronunciation that e-Mom has posted on her Marriage Monday blog. Perhaps I have seen one too many times where a Christian woman has married an ungodly man that I have to say - in this place - that woman will have a horrible life as she jumps through hoops trying to please him with his ungodly demands, his ungodly ways.

Christ and the Church and submission. This truth - lived out vividly for me through the husband I have been so blessed to know and love for 34 years. He is the one that taught me - he should love me like Christ has loved the church. "Christ died for the church," he's said so many times. (Many times I have probably made him feel like he was dying too! Sorry Husband.)

We, as the Church, submit to Christ. Christ loves us and it's not difficult to say yes to Him. I, as Doug's wife, submit to him. Doug does not demand me to submit. He does not ask me to submit to him by doing stuff for him, or to have dinner prepared and hot for him when he gets home from work. He does not ask of me anything - but I do like to do things for him that I think that it would make his day great. It is the same as when we want to do the things that please Jesus Christ. There have been situations when my heart said... be quiet, listen to him, he has the final word. You know what? I totally trust that his decisions will be best for me, because he loves me! I see that submission can be a rest to me by leaving those decisions in his hands.

My heart aches for the Christian woman who has found herself in a situation where to submit will include continuing physical and emotional abuses, not only towards herself but also her children. These women have, either knowingly or blindly believing themselves to be loved, married an ungodly man. In these situations, submission is a "dirty word." Why? Because this woman's life will include submitting to the dirty things of this world which her husband has not given up.

I don't believe a Christian woman has to stay with an ungodly man - but that could possibly be another subject for another Marriage Monday.

Check out the other Marriage Monday Blogger's that have posted blogs on submission by going HERE.

Maggie

I am so happy to say that Maggie was moved out of Alaska. I worried about her whenever I would see her at our twenty-five acre Alaska Zoo. It is too cold here during winter for her. When an ol' girl gets cold ---- IT HURTS!!! It? Yes, it --- or everything hurts. I can only imagine a girl that is not endowed with fur would be in bad shape since she was meant to live with sunshine. (Maggie came to Alaska from Zimbabwe, Africa as a baby.) Now she does live in the sun!

Also watching Maggie's every move were Ruby, Seventy-One, Mara and Lulu, four African elephants living at PAWS that everyone hopes Maggie will eventually bond with. KTUU Alaska's News Source.

I watched the evening news with tears as they loaded Maggie into her specially built crate and she trumpeted. Thankfully the Air Force stepped up to help move her after her caregivers finally decided to let her go. Maggie made her journey successfully to sunny California on Doug's birthday, November 2. She is now getting settled in. The PAWS organization will be reimbursing the Air Force for all costs incurred from moving Maggie, which are estimated to be between $200,000 and $300,000.

To all those who made her move successful, including the active supporter of animal rights, Bob Barker, THANK YOU. Mr. Barker came up to Alaska to visit Maggie and with his promised $750,000.00 contribution towards "Operation Maggie Migration" his generosity has helped to make her move even possible. Today I joined the thousands that screamed this during his long-running (35 years) television hosting of "The Price Is Right," (Mom's favorite CBS television game show)--- "I love Bob Barker!"

30 acres for Alaska's elephant, that's more land than our zoo even owns. We will miss her but - wow! Thirty acres with nine other elephants she will get to know. The only thing I've read negative about this move is that Maggie does not like the artichokes, which they have a lot of in California.

I am so happy for Maggie. Yes, we will miss her when we visit the Alaska Zoo, but then for Alaskans .... California is not that far away to visit and ---it's warm down there too! Read more about Maggie's move.

Here is a video of Maggie's journey.

Alaska had another elephant that Maggie (African elephant) hung out with before. Her name was "Annabelle" (Asian elephant) and she passed away in 1997.

Live a long and warm life - Maggie!

Halloween At Our House

Awww, they were all so cute but tired by the end of their adventures. Enjoy!