A Morning of Memories

16 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Monday, I sat on my porch savoring the morning flurry of bird’s wings as they enjoyed breakfast at our feeder. My tablet was open to a daily reading and I soaked up the peaceful combination of nature and scripture. One verse brought a chuckle to my heart.

“So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” HEBREWS 13:6

I recalled the first time I claimed and clung to this verse, especially the last part. What can man do to me?

It was 1978 and I was a stay at home mother of two small children. After years of a stagnant economy on the Florida Space Coast, my husband was blessed with a job offer working on the Shuttle program. The downside was that for a time, he would be making less money than he was earning as a gas station attendant.

By coincidence…? I was taking Medical terminology courses at our local hospital and was currently enrolled in a class teaching the duties of a Ward Clerk. ( I figured out the only way to be sure to get some me time was if I was taking a class.)

My husband was definitely taking the job at the space center and on a whim, I asked the instructor if the hospital hired part-time clerks. Part time work would keep us afloat financially.

Before I knew it, I had a part time job working 2 days per week on second shift. I even had a neighbor’s teen lined up to watch the children until my husband got off work.

There is a thorn in this story, though. Although most of the doctors were kind, there was one who was a terror. I think the man lived to yell and belittle people. Every time he made rounds on the unit, I was terrified.

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

That’s where the verse comes in. As the doctor created chaos I would silently repeat…The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can MAN do to me?

It worked and I have called on that verse many times. And the best part? Several months later the doctor went into semi-retirement and no longer admitted patients to the hospital where I worked.

Once my husband got his foot into the door at the space center, he soon transferred to another company that paid more. I continued working for the hospital for 32 years.

I'm a winnerAfter my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Northern Bobwhites

15 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Backyard Birds

To my surprise, I’ve discovered that 130 different breeds of quail grace our beautiful earth. 

Where we live, near Cape Kennedy, close to the Indian River, the quails are Northern Bobwhites. I also learned that Bobwhites need the same habitat as Florida Scrub-Jays. While the Jays build their nests in low shrubs and bushes, the  Bob-Whites weave their nests on the ground. 

Quail are like human tribes that live together, work together, and travel together. Sometimes they sleep in a circle with their tails toward the middle of the ring. That reminds me of western movies that show wagon trains circle up for the same reason.

Years ago, we heard Bob-Whites calling out from the scrub habitat behind our house. We have not heard them for a long time, however, so we were glad to see a juvenile quail wander into the yard and start eating the seeds other birds had tossed to the ground from the feeder. Suddenly we saw a flurry of feathers and surmised the juvenile was in trouble. It got even worse when we saw a blurry show of feathers and figured the worried mother wanted to teach her offspring not to go off on his own.  

Our environmentalist son once told a story about quails where he and his wife take their morning walk. Its a place where there are few houses and many fields. One day they saw baby quails inside a field fence chirping and calling. Then they heard the two-note song of a mature quail. The small birds scurried off as fast as he could go. I doubt if those babies got into much trouble, though, they just wanted to be with their tribe. That was accomplished by staying in touch and honoring whoever was looking after them. 

A Bible verse comes to mind:

“Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” 

Exodus 20:12  

Photo credit Pixabay

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Random Memories of Germany-Part 3

14 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

We arrived in Heidelberg near the end of June, 1980.

It had been a wet month for Germany, and by the time the rain ended, it had rained 38 straight days!  And it was COLD!!  And when our hold-baggage arrived, I realized that I had not packed any sweaters for us, nor did I have any closed-toes shoes – except my bright turquoise running shoes!  So first trip was to the Exchange to purchase some of those things.  When our household goods would arrive, we would have all those things on hand, but we needed them NOW!

As I mentioned last time, we found the church we wanted to be members of shortly after getting into town.

Grace Baptist Church – meeting in a building owned by a German congregation

The pastor had been there at least three years and left within a month of our joining.  Neither Fred nor I can remember whether or not we had an “interim” pastor, or if some of the men of the church did the preaching.  

A pastor-search committee was formed, and both Fred and I were on it.  Since we were so far away from the States, all “interviews” and sermons by pastoral candidates were done either via video or tape.  Not the best, but the only way we could do it.  We couldn’t afford to buy a plane ticket for each person we interviewed.

One candidate comes to mind, and I’ve never forgotten it.  He was from California, and wanted to come interview in person.

Credit Google Search and map-with-no-cal-420-Occasio Winery

We had heard a sermon from him via tape, and were interested in him.  As I recall, he had distant relatives in Europe, and since he wanted to visit them while in Europe, he paid his own way over and back.

He arrived on a Friday and the entire committee – with spouses – took him to our favorite restaurant for supper, Grimingers.  Oh my did they have good food!!  We ate and talked some, but didn’t really get down to the nuts-and-bolts of his coming to Germany for three years.  And so, I offered to have the committee (without spouses!) come to our house after Sunday’s service for lunch and we could talk about the nitty-gritty stuff, i.e. salary, etc.  And I would serve my world-famous French Onion Soup!  (Karen always told me that I bragged about it too much!  But hey, if you’re good, you’re good, right?!)

And so it happened.  However, when he asked us how we would get his entire household goods over there (at least three bedrooms, two baths, living room, dining room, kitchen, family room – all full of furniture), and his two cars, we were taken aback a bit.  We told him we would pay for 2,000 pounds of furnishings – same as the military allowed – and one car.  Then HE was taken aback.  He kind of stumbled over his next words, and essentially turned us down. 

So that was that – back to square one.  We “interviewed” several other men over the next few months, and finally settled on a man from Georgia.

Credit Google Search and Studio 21 Chase Harrington

The committee was in complete agreement on him, and the congregation was to vote to call him the next Sunday.  The Saturday before the vote, Fred received a phone call – from the gentleman from California.  He asked that we reconsider him for the pastorate.  He said that he felt God was trying to get his attention – you see, there had been a house fire, and most of his belongings were destroyed.  Both of his cars had been wrecked.

Yeah, I would say God was trying to get his attention, wouldn’t you?  Fred informed him that the next day was to be the vote on another candidate (the man from Georgia), and Fred would let him know the results.

Amazing, isn’t it?  We think we are trying to do God’s will, but the world just keeps creeping into our lives.

Well, we called the man from Georgia, and he did become our pastor, and he did become Karen’s father-in-law in later years.  But…that’s another story.  Perhaps next week, hm?

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

Live With Joy

13 Jun

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Onisha here, posting an exciting webinar that Janet will be hosting online Tuesday, June 16th at 8 pm Eastern Standard time. I participated in the webinar today and it was inspiring. Janet never allows her blindness to limit her ministry and love for God.

LIVE WITH JOY OVERFLOWING

EVEN IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS

Crisis seems to be all around us.  What if you could experience overflowing joy even in the midst of chaos?  How would that affect your life?  Your relationships?  Your work? Your health?  Janet Perez Eckles has endured devastating tragedies throughout her life including the death of her son, betrayal by her spouse, and the loss of her sight.  Instead of being overwhelmed by these events, she has forged a path straight through adversity and found a profound joyfulness on the other side!  She will be revealing the exact step by step blueprint of how she has conquered fear and now lives with joy overflowing!

Here is the link to the webinar page.  https://bit.ly/jperegister

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Mockingbirds

8 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Photo Pixabay

Mockingbirds live in the lower half of the United States, going a little north to breed. We have always had them in our subdivision in Florida, which is semi surrounded by woods. When I put on my white hat and sunglasses and take up my trekking poles to go on a walk, I usually come near a mockingbird or two.

Many times, they seem to follow me and then fly a bit ahead to the top of a low tree to stage a concert. One day I stayed to the end of the beautiful music, marveling how many different songs the Mockingbird knew. The research I’ve read majors on their singing, and I major on it too. During such a song, they will be sitting like an angel at the top of a Christmas Tree.

What I love, is to see one lift his wings and pop up off the tree and quickly land again. It seems he is so full of happiness that he cannot contain it. That is to me, a sign that God gives his winged creatures joy just as he does His people.  

I believe God gave Mockingbirds the gift of singing as an example for his sons and daughters on earth. He wants all his people to love music as much as He does. He wants us to sing and play instruments as praise to him and all He does for us. Our Lord likes to hear us making praise noises, whether we can sing or not. When we read the Bible, we see how much God loves songs. 

All about Mockingbirds

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Psalm 100 The Passion Translation (TPT)
Praise God100 A poetic song for thanksgiving
“1 Lift up a great shout of joy to the Lord!
Go ahead and do it—everyone, everywhere!
2 As you serve him, be glad and worship him.
Sing your way into his presence with joy!

 

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Random Memories of Germany-Part 2

7 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Last time, I wrote about the pathway between our housing area (Mark Twain Village or MTV) and Patton Barracks in Heidelberg. 

It was a shortcut between the facilities, and one we could walk easily.  We were able to experience a lot of God’s good earth along that pathway.  We saw the garden platz that the Germans used to grow their own vegetables.  But the blackberry bushes were our favorites.  And the berries were free to any and all who would or could pick the berries.  Yummmm!

Credit Google Search and Pixabay

We also enjoyed the pizza that was made at the pizza parlor on Patton Barracks.  And it was a favorite of most of the military there – of any and all ranks!

But I have another memory of that pathway.  It started with us arriving in Germany and getting into temporary housing.  We were there several weeks in that glorified hotel room, and had to eat either in the restaurant downstairs, or on the economy (military speak for the civilian population).

One of the first things we did was to locate a church for us to attend.  Of course there was the base Chapel, but that really didn’t suit us, even though Fred’s father had been a Chaplain in the Air Force most of his career.  (I say most, because he was a Chaplain in the Army during World War 2, before the Air Force became the Air Force)

In finding the church, we found it was meeting in the church building that was owned by a German Baptist congregation. 

The church we met in

 It was within walking distance of MTV, and so when we moved in there, we walked most Sundays to the church.  However, the German congregation met during what we considered our Sunday School time, so our Sunday School met in an English Institute which was a school that taught English as a second language to Germans. It was not far from the church facility.  And then, following Sunday School time, we would all go over the few blocks to the German church building and have our worship service.

All that to say that we found the pastor of that church had been there for his three year term, and had already resigned and was ready to head back stateside.  In the few weeks we were in the church, I got to know the pastor’s wife fairly well.  She was telling me that one time she was doing her jogging along the pathway between MTV and Patton Barracks when a German teenager came upon her with his bicycle.  He began to ride behind her, as if chasing her.  She said she finally turned around to him and said “geh weg!! (go away!)”  At that point, he stopped chasing her.

Well, I thought it was funny.  I told it to Fred, and we devised a skit to retell the story during a “roast” the church had for the pastor and his family before they left Germany.  I had on a pair of shorts under my skirt, and we fashioned a set of “handlebars” for Fred, complete with a sign saying “bicycle,” and when the time came for our skit, I took off my skirt, jumped up, Fred took up his handlebars and began chasing me around the room.  We went on for a few minutes, and then I told him to go away!  

Looking back – it was a fun memory.  We haven’t kept up with that pastor and his wife.  However, the pastor that followed became our oldest daughter’s father-in-law, so we have kept up with them.  But that’s for another story.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Five habits that must go during the pandemic

6 Jun

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged June 6, 2020

June 5, 2020

Finally, a visit to the park. But as hubby, grandkids and I entered, the picnic tables were blocked off. Rope also surrounded the playground. What to do?

But a distance away, across the green grass, under a tree, a bench waited for us. We settled in and a soft breeze caressed our face.

“This is the life,” my granddaughter said.

I agreed. Before the quarantine, we took so much for granted and now, this visit in the warm sunshine became a new-found treasure.

Suddenly, the sun went behind clouds, the breeze turned to wind. Then something brushed my arm.

“Something fell on me,” I said to hubby.

“It’s a leaf. Remember, we’re under a big tree.”

As the wind shook its branches, one by one, a few leaves landed on me.

I tried to ignore them. But with each tickle from the leaf on my skin, I lifted it and between my fingers, I noticed their texture and shape—some firm and perfectly formed, others bigger, dry and withered.

The leaves were a reminder.

Those fluttering leaves reminded me of all that fell in my life—trials, pain, then joy, peace and contentment—each with its own texture and shape to impact my world.

The same thing has happened to many during this pandemic. Leaves of adversity have fallen. Although unexpected, they don’t discriminate. They land on all—rich, poor, black, white, good, not so good. All are affected in some way.

But not all sink in defeat. Those who thrive, persevere, and end up better than before do so not because of what they do. But because they avoid these five habits that turn to dangerous traps:

Trap No 1.      Wake up with thoughts of what’s wrong, what they’ve lost or what they might lose.

Trap No. 2.     Count on government to be the provider.

Trap No. 3.     Ponder about what life was like before the virus, lamenting their broken plans.

Trap No. 4.     Agree with social media posts that emphasize the gloom and repeat the pessimistic view.

Trap No. 5.     Enter into the habit of listening to the nightly news and take to bed what they just heard.

These snares have carried many to anxiety, worry, depression and some, as statistics indicate, to suicidal tendencies.

There’s a better way.

Conversely, those who are riding this pandemic on the vehicle of hope, with optimism and expectation, have developed a healthier spiritual immune system, bounce back from illness, and become stronger.

We can all do the same by learning to read, believe, internalize and trust in these four truths:

  1. When feeling alone with our problems, our uncertainty and insecurities, God turns it to confidence: “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So, we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6)
  2. In the midst of a crisis, pandemic or diseases, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)
  3. I will not be discouraged and will have restful sleep because as I go day by day, God made this promise, “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
  4. No matter what destruction may threaten me and my family, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” (Psalm 46:2)

Our faith has to equal God’s help, ever-present and unwavering. And with full trust in Him, we declare the best will come, His shield will stand and

Let’s Pray

Lord, how often I let the world dictate my view, my thinking, and my attitude. I will change my habits and will embrace a solid belief in what You say rather than the gloom that echoes in the world. In Jesus name.

What habits do you need to change these days?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Please share: 

Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Life During Covid-19 Part 16

5 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

As I said in my last post, plans are made to be changed. We planned to have lunch on Tuesday with friends we had not seen in 4 months. Well, Monday morning my husband woke up with a sniffleszx and sneezing. Of course, my first concern was is he coming down with the virus? I let our friends know we wouldn’t be meeting for lunch, because and I am not sure how this happened, but we are all in THAT age group.

He spent a lot of time outdoors over the weekend, tidying up the yard and installing a backup camera on the truck. It took three mowings to get the grass down. I decided to treat his sniffles as allergy and after two days he began to clear up.

Our lawn a combination of grass and weeds looks much better!

Sunday we attended church. North Carolina ordered churches to shut down (Unlike Florida which suggested it and the churches willingly complied) so our church began to hold drive-in services in March. I was looking forward to seeing friends and curious how it would be done.

Our sanctuary sits on a hill with parking on a lower level. A tent was erected with a pulpit. The congregation tuned their radios to a specific Fm station .

One of our members brought a visitor, and I must say the visitor was very well behaved.

Overall it has been a good first week back. My husband’s health and energy, aside from sniffles, has been great and he has enjoyed getting resettling chores done. Thursday he replaced the front brakes on the truck and still felt well enough to join friends for a night of card playing. I treasure the good days.

In a matter of three weeks, the county has gone from less than five cases of Covid to over 80. I sense a level of anxiety and resentment in their social media posts. The first case in the county was a visitor from New York and now the summer people and part-time residents (Like us) are invading .

I understand how they feel. South Florida’s Covid cases soared as residents from New York fled there to escape the virus and its consequences. I rarely see a New York license plate in our Florida community but I saw two within a week. I admit to feeling a moment of resentment. Our area had been doing well without these “infectors”. Awful, right? I confessed my unkindness to God and asked forgiveness and for my heart to change.

And then Sunday arrived our church was finally allowed to gather. As we waited for service to start, one of the greeters escorted a woman inside and introduced her to the pastor. I made note of where she chose a seat. It was on the other side of the sanctuary.

I felt compelled to speak words of welcome to the visitor and as this was to be our last Sunday before returning to the mountains, it was now or never. I made my way across the room, being mindful of social distancing and began a conversation. I felt a connection and hoped she would choose to attend our church She shared that she had only been living in the area a year. Of course, I asked where she was from…New York. And not just New York, but NYC.

God definitely has a sense of humor as he works on teaching me to love as He loves.

This is from one of the albums I played with my children. I think I am going to re-listen to them. Simple truths.

Ok, the trip down memory lane with the kid’s praise album made my heart ache a little for bygone days. My son was my instant gratification child. I not only played this song, I would sing the chorus to him as well. I think the message remains relevant and it is fun!

We rescheduled our lunch plans with our friends for today. Both my husband and myself have been checking our temperatures just in case our supposition that allergies caused the sniffles is wrong.

I'm a winnerAfter my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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Finally Back in North Carolina!

2 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

We made it back to our home in the mountains! I’m not sure how I accumulate so much stuff over the winter but it seems that I will be spending days unpacking.

Our grass was really high.

I was pleased to see that the pansies I planted last winter are thriving amidst the tangle of grass. Hopefully my husband will set-up the moose fountain that goes on the pedestal.

Thursday I plan to have a full blog to post. But plans are made to be changed. Lunch with friends tomorrow that I haven’t seen in 4 months!

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Jaybirds

1 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Photos by Melody Hendrix

We have so many kinds of birds in Florida that it seems as if the whole state is a huge aviary. We have two kinds of jaybirds. Blue Jay and Florida Scrub-Jay. There are two major differences between them. One is scrappy, and the other is easy to tame with a peanut. The third difference is a matter of life and death.

At times up to 20% of Blue Jays migrate and come back some other time. The oldest Blue Jay on record was 26 years old.  Scientists found him in the same area where he had been born and tagged. He still wore his tag. 

Blue Jays get around and Scrub Jays stay in one place all their lives. Blue Jays can live in a variety of habitats, but Scrub jays must have a scrub area to live in. That means they nest close to the ground or in trees and shrubs that are no higher than six feet. If you walk through it, you walk on sand. The Eastern prickly pear cactus grows in certain spots. In other words, it’s a very dry habitat. It has low scrub trees and bushes. The territory needs to have a burn at least every ten years so that it doesn’t become too tall and tangled for the Scrub Jay’s needs. In former days, lightening took care of the burning chore, but now the environmental people usually do controlled fires. The birds fly away from the property and come back when the scrub has cooled. We are so blessed to have 44 acres of Scrub Jay habitat behind our house where no other houses will be built, and the Scrub Jays will thrive. (I hope).

Florida is becoming built up, however, which in turn reduces Scrub Jay habitat. The environmental people try to keep up with how much land builders can use, but much of Scrub Jay territory falls to construction until there is no place to nest and the Scrub Jays must expire. Our earth has approximately thirteen million jays, but at a recent count, only about 6,000 are Florida Scrub-Jays. 

Except for some brilliant and hopeful environmentalists, The Florida Scrub-Jay is still in danger of losing habitat and changing their status from Threatened to Endangered. The next step after that is Extinction.

God loves all the nature he created and the beautiful things he made, He did not do it for Himself but for His children so that we can thrive, enjoy His ongoing creativity, and learn from it. 

Then God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small.” Genesis 1:26

Thank you, Lord, we deeply appreciate the works of your hands and pray that we may do a good job of looking after all the gifts you have put on earth for us to take care of and enjoy. 

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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