The Anvil - 28

Last eve I passed beside a blacksmith's door
And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime;
Then, looking in, I saw upon the floor
Old hammers, worn with beating years of time.

"How many anvils have you had," said I,
"To wear and batter all these hammers so?"
"Just one," said he, and then with twinkling eye,
"The anvil wears the hammers out you know."

And so, thought I, the anvil of God's Word,
For ages skeptic blows have beat upon;
Yet, though the noise of falling blows was heard,
The anvil is unharmed - the hammers gone.

~ Author Unknown

GoOD News ~ Cancer Cure - 24

My mother made it through surgery successfully today for removal of cancerous lymph nodes in her groin area.  i am not able to be with her or help her in recovery as i am many states away and lacking any transportation of funds to do so.  Thankfully my oldest brother has stepped up to help out for the week and, based on his phone call tonight,  mom is doing well and may be discharged tomorrow.

I shared a Col. Joe book on Oxalic acid with my mom last month and sent her a case of carrot juice to get her started, but she is relying on what she knows for treatment, being a nurse and a stubborn Irish woman.  :)  i don't think she has discounted the cancer diet but she doesn't have complete faith that it will work all by itself.  Personally i am not an advocate of current treatments - cut it out and radiate.  i lost my Dad to colon cancer when i was 14 and i lost a brother to leukemia when i was six.  i really know this diet / natural treatment works, but you can't force others to buy into your beliefs.  Even if it is your mother.  Prayers have done the most GoOD for her and i am leaving the recovery and a clean, cancer free future in His hands.  Thank you Father for Your Grace this day.

Spotted Hawk - The Heart of a Friend - 23

i've recently re-posted an email from Nathan dated back in July 2007. 
http://www.photoblog.com/antbrother/2009/12/12/feather-and-hoop.html

i had initially heard Nathan on Zeph's show years ago and instantly felt a connection in my heart to the pure Spirit that flowed from him.  i know over the years he has helped many, many people and, although i have lost touch with him, i know he continues to share that healing Spirit of Jesus with all that are in contact with him.  Words from the past continue to heal and bring meaning back to those he has touched.  i am one such friend, blessed to have shared a bit of time with Spotted Hawk.

Thank you Brother!

Hard Flesh ~ High Spirit - 21

The last couple days have been days of growth inside and out.  Strange how my time picking up pecans while sitting on a five-gallon bucket have given me time to focus.  50 cents a pound.  My impatient humanity has shown through from time to time as well, but the Spirit within comes through and blots it all out making things clear, healing.  The simple process of clarification permeates everything that i have gone through since birth on this rock and shows me  - the purpose, the preparation.  i lay my head to rest tonight covering, protecting and blessing all the brethren and sistren and "idren" under the Wing of The Most High, written in The Book of Life since before the foundations of the world were established. 

Wet Feet and Sharp Chisels - 19

  The wood shop is about to kick into gear again for the next couple weeks - part time.  i have always preferred making gifts for others rather than buying them.  i wouldn't mind disappearing among the wood chips for longer than that but people might wonder where i had gone, perhaps one day more time there may be justified.

   Working with wood is therapeutic for me, as much as gardening, and to be able to create something from wood with my hands gives me great satisfaction.  Often times it is the uncovering process that is so exciting.  Choosing a piece, looking at the grain of the wood and deciding what to do with it are all part of the starting points.  There is always an anticipation of applying the first coat of danish oil to the finished piece, patience, patience - it's not ready yet.  Just another hour of sanding...
i remarked to a friend of mine yesterday that my dad always taught me to do the best that i possibly could no matter what work i may be doing.  The work of our hands is our signature.  i miss those days as a youth, hanging out with my dad in his wood shop, watching him work and asking a million questions.  But for now, i have a GOoD Friend and Master Carpenter to spend some time with while making wood chips fly and sawdust.  Often times the project is already mastered in my mind before i begin - the image is complete and it is just a matter of time before my hands, tools and abilities catch up to that image.  That's the beauty of manifesting an image from your heart - sharing the beauty, goodness and love from within.

God Bless,  ~ ab

47 Bags - 13

  Autumn has an extended season here in the south.  At times i think that gives each of the trees and shrubs time to have their own moment of transition in the spotlight, turning fall colors and shedding their leaves / needles.  The fall season also appears to last longer as winter is slow to show.  This is a time of shedding the old coat and resting, recuperating for the next season of growth.  Roots and foundations grow stronger and energy is rebuilt while we rest in this season.  Nature may slow in its progress visually but it continues to prepare for the next years growth.  What is lost and shed becomes the foundation of the soil for future seasons as the old breaks down and transforms to nourish and replenish. In this season, The Son never ceases to shine.

Preparation.

This Day - 12

Let's rejoice in This Day, another day that we have been blessed to live.  We each woke this morning, blessed before we opened our eyes.  We were given the breath of life and were sustained while we slept.  Protected and watched over by our Creator, our Father, while our bodies continued to heal and grow without our control - that is how He created us and continues to give us life.  Today, This Day, i take simple pleasure in my relationship with God.  One that He has nurtured and guided me through, while He taught me how and who i am to be for others.  God showed me what it takes to have a relationship - to be a friend, a dad, a brother, a son.  He has taught me honor, discipline and focus through faith.