October 10, 2021 a thought for today, One moment is worth more than a thousand gold pieces. Korean Proverb

We had a few more church activities this morning. We as a choir are back to singing during church service after almost two years starting today. We have a short rehearsal just before service starts so choir members have to be at church a few minutes earlier than is normal for each of us. After church service we had our monthly fellowship hour with donuts and coffee enjoying the comradery of friends. 

My photo challenge for October 9 was “I stood here”. Think of how many photos you could shoot that would meet that statement. I instead of trying to find foot prints in some dust in the garage to proof I had “stood” there I elected to use a ladder that I had used many times. I marked the spot with a red hibiscus flower. 

The sermon was thought provoking this morning concerning a camel passing through the eye of a needle. There is a lesson to be learned. 

When I got home, I asked for Bob’s help with my lilac bush. When I planted it a couple of years ago I didn’t take into consideration how large the hibiscus bush I planted as the lilac’s next door neighbor would get. It seems to be crowding out the lilac. I thought Bob might be able to move it for me. It looks like it would take a good lot of effort since it has gotten fairly large. Upon further examination I decided not to move it and to hope for the best. I did however cut several stems and am using them as possible starters. I put three in soil in a pot after using hormone powder on the cuts on the stems. I also put two stems in water to see if they would root using that method. 

I had two photo challenges for today. The first is titled “I do this on Sundays”. I do things pretty much by repetition. My Sunday mornings are in church, this church. Then other normal (for me) Sunday activities. 

The rest of the day, being Sunday, will be on the laid back side. 

The word for today is genuine.  The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life. William Morris. Genuine tragedies in the world are not conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel.  The end comes when we no longer talk with ourselves. It is the end of genuine thinking and the beginning of the final loneliness. Edward Gibbon.  As I grew older, I realized that it was much better to insist on the genuine forms of nature, for simplicity is the greatest adornment of art. Albrecht Durer.  Genuine good taste consists in saying much in few words, in choosing among our thoughts, in having order and arrangement in what we say, and in speaking with composure. Francois Fenelon. To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man, William Shakespeare. To me nothing in the world is as precious as a genuine smile, especially from a child, Rumi.  Every genuine confession humbles the soul. When it takes the form of thanksgiving, it teaches the soul that it has been delivered by the grace of God, Maximus the Confessor.  What dazzles, for the moment spends its spirit; Whats genuine, shall posterity inherit, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Age childish makes, they say, but 'tis not true; We're only genuine children still in Age's season, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.  Amnesty, that noble word, the genuine dictate of wisdom, Aeschines.

The second photo theme for today is “high key”. This was also taken at church. As I was looking at it, I saw how with just a little more light it could be a natural high key. (From Google: High key photography is a style of photography that uses unusually bright lighting to reduce or completely blow out dark shadows in the image. High key shots usually lack dark tones and the high key look is generally thought of as positive and upbeat.)

Sometimes it is good to experience something through someone else’s eyes. Maybe we can visit the *Walhalla Ravine through the authors eyes in this article. The article is about a lady who believes that “The ravine provides comfort in an uncomfortable time”. The ravine is question is called Walhalla. She began by relating that during the pandemic she like many felt “her mind was threatening to become a full-time adversary”. She went on to explain that for “more than four decades....(she had learned)......techniques to quiet the mental racket. Working in the kitchen, the garden, yoga exercises and music as well as other techniques soothed her soul. But with the advent of the pandemic many of those didn’t have quite the same effect any longer. She started taking walks to see if that would help. The first day she began the walk didn’t make many changes. But the next day she began to notice what is and has been there to see. She said her “mind slowed” so she could notice the blossoms. She noticed three deer quietly watching. She listened to the “music of Mother Nature”, birds singing, the sounds of the moving stream, leaves moving with the soft breeze on the tree branches. She now remembers small things that brought tears and joys in the “crinkled” eyes behind a mask of a passing walker. Things that other folks left along the roadside to try to add a bit of cheer. She paid more attention to song on her headphones. Then she recalled walks in the Walhalla Ravine prior to the pandemic like making friends a pair of ducks, laughing at boys on a skateboard rushing past with smiles and laughter. This article ended with the message that in nature we are reminded of time, renewal and our place in the “immense and ....unpredictable”. 

Taco Bell or Subway for dinner. 

Joy

*Walhalla Ravine is one of the most beautiful parts of Columbus. The ravine winds along a residential street. It follows a small creek. It's located along Walhalla Drive which runs from Indianola to High. There's a small creek which runs through much of the side of the street. It's not much else but everything is beautiful, including the trees covering it so it's like you're going through a tunnel almost. It's kind of hidden but Walhalla Ravine is worth finding. It's located along a residential street so be careful when going through it. The trees provide lots of shade if you plan to go for a walk.

Here’s another “left behind” photo