Saturday was a cooler day, so I knew I had to take advantage of it and go walking, I was glad I did, because even though the babies were not visible under the shelter, Mama gator was, so the babies were around someplace.
I walked on to the big nest and no sign of Mama or babies, so they must be gone. As I passed an open space in the shrubbery, I looked across the canal and there was a very large gator sunning himself on the bank! He sorta looked like the big bull gator that was roaring the other day.
And, on the way out, there was another gator swimming up the canal. Squirrels and ibis, anhingas and herons, all were present and busy, so it was a wonderful way to start the day! God is good!
From Quiet Moments with God:
The inward man is being renewed day by day.
Clay pots of all shapes and sizes were valuable tools in ancient households. Large jars were used to store water and olive oil; jugs were used to carry water; and small terra-cotta vials held perfume. Clay storage jars were filled with grain and other foods.Homemakers used clay pots for cooking. At mealtimes, shallow pottery bowls were used as platters and dishes. In the evening the homes were lit by clay lamps.
All these potters who supplied these much needed pots were inportant in the life of the villages.
A modern potter described her craft like this:
Both my hands shaped this pot. And, the place where it actually forms i a place of tension between the pressure applied from the outside and the pressure of the hand on the inside. That's the way my life has been. Sadness and death and misfortune and the love of friends and all the things that happened to me that I didn't even choose. All of that influenced my life. But, there are things I believe in about myself, my faith in God and the love of some friends that worked on the insides of me. My life, like this pot, is the result of what happened on the outside and what was going on inside of me. Life, like this pot, comes to be in places of tension
Through the day we may be buffeted by stress, pulled apart by responsibilities, and pressed by challenges that come at us from the outside. Without strength of spirit on the inside, those difficulties will cause us to collapse under the external pressure.
During this break, feed your spirit with Scripture . This will keep you strong, renewed, and restored within. You can respond with inneer strength and creativity in what could otherwise defeat you.
Remember, your inner life gives you the strength you need to become a useful vessel in the household of God.
Renew thyself
completely each day.
Do it again, and again
and forever again.
Confucius
I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!
Love and hugs,
Amaryllis
