He hopped to it when I asked

Today seems as though it is right full of treasures! The sun is shining, it is 79 degrees, there is a wonderful breeze, and the air is dry. I could easily find a hundred or more treasures to share. Two treasures, however, stand out to me this morning. One is very tiny and the other very tall.

The first is a tiny little frog I saw as I was walking out to my garden this morning. His body was approximately one inch in length. He didn't want to be picked up and held but that, of course, did not stop me. He was a cute little guy, small and quick - he hopped away when I tried to show him to my husband. I enjoy frogs, toads, bugs, snakes, etc. I have never been able to understand why everyone doesn't. (I must note here that I do not enjoy all of them ON me. Spiders are interesting to LOOK at but I really don't want one crawling around in my hair!) Most have interesting color patterns and even cute little faces - have you ever looked at the face of an inch worm for instance? I challenge you to find one and look at it's face. They have tiny red lips that form an "O" and then they appear to smile. -- Seriously cute. -- Back to my frog friend, it really amazed me to watch him. Without hardly any effort he was able to hop a good foot in length, and when scared of me (oh, dear!) he hopped nearly twice as far. In my rough estimation, this would be like me jumping about 10 - 20 feet! Frogs are amazing.

My second treasure is a tall one. It stands about 6 foot three or so. It is my son, Ken. I needed some muscle power in the garden this morning and he was there with a cheerful attitude to help me. - Thank you, Ken!! (My oldest son, Alex, is indeed a treasure, too!- I'm a blessed Momma!)

Have a wonderful day, enjoy the treasures God has in store for you.
~Penni

A VERY happy camper

My husband and I had the great JOY of spending five days at a camp in the northern Maine woods.



It was just he and me for 5 whole days (excepting the time we went out to the store to buy mouse traps!).

We walked in the woods.


We went canoeing! I finally got my husband out in a canoe with me after 21 long years of trying to do so! And don't tell anyone....but I think he really enjoyed himself as well. As for me, I was thrilled!!

We cooked over an open fire, hunted mice, read books aloud, etc. It really was a time of vacation - a period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/vacation). There was still the everyday type chores to be done, i.e. cooking 3 meals a day, washing dishes, sweeping floors, etc. but somehow at camp it is so pleasurable to do these things. Each morning I would scrub down the counters because Herman the vermin had visited in the night -- got some interesting tales to tell about that! - and yet somehow it was kind of fun, and almost relaxing. Ohhh and how I LOVED being away from the phone!! I love my family and friends dearly but it was so nice to not hear a phone ring for a whole five days!!!

While there, we had several visitors that made our time away even more enjoyable. I will share about more of them in the future, but first I want you to meet a visitor we had everyday while at camp. He came every morning and left each evening. I assume to return home to his family.

He liked to "sit" on the middle step of the stairs leading up into the camp. Believe me, many times he nearly met his demise, but we watched out for him because he was so darn cute.



Every time we came near him, he would curl up like that. I guess you had to be there, but honestly, take my word for it, he was cute! So much so, that when it was time to leave I wanted to bring him home with us, but he was nowhere to be found! All that time on the step showing off and suddenly he turned shy. I think that he dreaded that long sappy goodbye and was conveniently busy elsewhere. ~smile~ (So you can have a relative idea of how big he was, that is a nail head to the left of him.)

My perspective on life (if you care, and if you are reading this blog you just might) is that it is the little things in life that make our lives enjoyable. Enjoy the fun of watching a caterpillar, enjoy the pleasure of watching the cream swirl around in your coffee cup- what lovely colors this makes, enjoy a chat with a good friend, enjoy the feeling of warm water on your hands while washing dishes, etc. These simple little things add up to a much greater whole= a rich life full of what really matters.

Also, I must add that too often I hear weary, heart broken people lamenting the fact their house, car, spouse, kids, friends, etc. aren't want they want or need. They want/need/deserve better. Sorry folks, but we will never be happy in this world without acknowledging/knowing/serving the One who created it. Without Christ, this whole life is all for nothing. It is just empty pleasure or one heartache after the other as we continue to seek out more pleasure, whether it is pleasure of the flesh or pleasure of a more intellectual side. For myself, I can't imagine how I would ever make it through the tough times in life (and I mean that literally) without Christ. And I am sure that the things in this life that make it pleasurable, whether large or small, wouldn't bring nearly as much joy to me if I didn't know Him.