A Prayer of Thanksgiving

A Prayer of Thanks...

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. ~ from the General Thanksgiving (BCP)

A Prayer for Quiet Confidence

A Prayer for Quiet Confidence

O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we will be saved, in quietness and confidence will be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ Book of Common Prayer

Sand tufas and the Milky Way by Celso Mollo

“Look down, O Lord, from your heavenly throne, and illumine this night with your celestial brightness”

“Look down, O Lord, from your heavenly throne, and illumine this night with your celestial brightness.”

Found on a wallpaper site from googling "red aurora"

"I Love a Tree" by Samuel N. Baxter

I LOVE A TREE

When I pass to my reward.

Whatever that may be,

I'd like my friends to think of me

As one who loved a tree.

I may not have a statesman's poise

Nor thrill a throng with speech

But I may benefit mankind

If I set out a beech.

If I transport a sapling oak 

To rear its mighty head

Twill make for them a childhood shrine, 

That will not soon decay.

Of if I plant a tree with fruit,

On which the birds may feed,

Then I have fostered feathered friends

And that's a worthy deed.

For winter when the days grow short

And spirits may run low

I'd plant a pine upon the scape

T'would lend a cheery glow.

I'd like a tree to mark the spot

Where I am laid to rest

For that would be the epitaph

That I would like the best.

Tho it's not carved upon a stone

For those who come to see

But friends would know that resting there 

Is he, who loved a tree

-- Samuel N. Baxter (1872-1935)

Sabal Palmetto in Charleston, SC on The Battery

As for me, I would like a Sabal Palmetto over my grave site, please. It must be a Sabal palmetto and not the Sabal "lisa" palmetto. A small stone and a tree and some daffodils all around it. 

Sabal Palmetto in Charleston, SC on the Battery

Just Plane Fun :-)

Call me crazy, but I love taking photographs from my plane trips. I thought I'd post some here since I took a bazillion on my past two trips. :-)

Delta flight over Lake Ponchartrain New Orleans

A collage of plane shadows as we land

Waiting to taxi away from ATL

Heading back to NOLA in the clouds

On the way from DFW to SLC, it looks like somebody's playing PacMan down there!

Our star shining brightly above the clouds from MSY to DFW

CLOUDS!

CHS to ATL

An Evening Hymn

An Evening Hymn

Now, now that the sun hath veil’d his light

And bid the world goodnight;

To the soft bed my body I dispose,

But where shall my soul repose? 

Dear, dear God, even in Thy arms, 

And can there be any so sweet security! 

Then to thy rest, O my soul! 

And singing, praise the mercy 

That prolongs thy days. 

Hallelujah! 

~ text by Dr. William Fuller (1608-1675)
Henry Purcell also famously set this as "An Evening Hymn"

Over the Top 
Image Credit & Copyright: Luc Perrot
Taken in February, the photograph was voted the winner of the2014 International Earth and Sky Photo Contest's Beauty of the Night Sky Category.

The Angel Oak on John's Island, SC

Today, my Mom and I went driving around John's Island, South Carolina and to Kiawah Island, where we used to live before it became one giant golf course. In fact, when we moved there from Columbia, SC, there were still wild horses on the island, two thirds of it was undeveloped, and the Vanderhorst Plantation was still standing and accessible. Kiawah is still absolutely gorgeous, but not a place I would ever EVER want to live again. Too isolated, too expensive, and too....elite for my personal taste. One the way back toward Charleston, we came upon Resurrection road and decided to explore that. It featured a gigantic, plantation style home and a few other houses on the water. It also seemed that the forest around it was filled with blue, beautiful hydrangeas! Cool! I'd nevertheless seen them in a forest before.

After the road ended, we had lunch off of Maybank Highway and then turned back toward Bohicket road turns into Main road. There, along Bohicket road, lies many a dusty dirt road, leading off to either water, farm, or someone's home. The Angel Oak is off of one of these roads. Once down a ways, you park along the roadside and THERE IT IS!!! 

The Angel Oak is by no means the largest of the oldest tree in the US, but one of the largest live oaks around the US and is an astounding gigantic and ancient tree! It's 1500 years old and is about 65 feet tall. It provides 17,000 feet of shade. In a Carolina summer, one greatly appreciates ANY shade! You can read more about The Angel Oak HERE or even HERE (This site has glorious photos!)

I'm not normally a fan of wooded areas (too creepy quiet and isolated for me), but rather, I adore large, open green spaces and beaches or having a view on an edge of a mountain. 

Anyway, The Angel Oak was actually so big that it provided sunlit spots in between its shadows and SUCH a large area that it felt breezy and open. It was SO INVITING! Also, the people there today were all pretty quiet and everyone was amazed so it was a nice, bonding experience of smiles with my fellow humans :-)

I thought that it might be nice to capture some video of this giant oak since pictures cannot do it justice! Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/-6DjxLn11jY