For His Service

The first surprise is a BABY!  We were at the rescue helping with feed February 13th.  We couldn't find our donkey, Annabelle...and she never, ever misses a feed.  I asked Tom, one of the long-time volunteers to look around the 22 acres to see if he could see Annabelle.   Less than 5 minutes later, a commotion ...   Annabelle, who NO ONE knew was pregnant, gave birth to Lilly.  What a sweet, sweet surprise! Apparently, my running partner knows how hard 6 months of no running has been for me.  So, she surprised me with a Swedish massage.   It hurt... but my foot didn't have the flexibility it needed in order to make running happen again.  So, one hour later, and a few tears, my foot is so much more flexible.  I took the soft cast off three weeks ago.  I have been seeing the Physical therapist for  2 weeks.   Running should resume soon!  Thank you, friend!  I am so thankful!

Once there was a family with 7 kids and a number of pets living in a busy and oh, so loving home.  Even though they were content with the number of pets, they knew they could love one more.,,,,..a very, small 2 lb cat that went from living outside..to living the  BIG life..   At first, the two original cats were like, "She has cool toys..but we just don't know about  her."    Little cat felt a little overwhelmed. She couldn't even eat without being starred down. But, she put on a brave face....recited, "You is kind.. You is smart..You is important..." and soon claimed the dog's bed as her own.  ...  She quickly claimed the people in the home....as her own, too... The other cats started to see her good attributes..and started to like her...almost as much as her toys.  They realized she made a great snuggle buddy. She had been brought in...as part of the family.. No more cold ...

 Noah was nice enough to help me trim all of my rose bushes back.  You can see that they are nearly 6 feet or more tall.  Even though it was January when we cut these back, they were still blooming.  Part of me really didn't want to cut them way back, because they were blooming after all.   But I KNOW they will have healthier, more beautiful blooms if I take the time and energy...and care to trim them way back. As I cut it back, I though of Jesus talking about grape vines.  J ohn 15   15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes [ a ] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; yo...