What is one of your addictions?
Submitted by Paperheart.
burtsbees lipbalm. i can't go to sleep without it. i can't leave the house without it. this is how many i found in my purse just now. scary, eh?
Books: Show us a great children's book.
Once upon a mountain top, three little trees stood and dreamed of what they wanted to become when they grew up. The first little tree looked up at the stars and said: "I want to hold treasure. I want to be covered with gold and filled with precious stones. I'll be the most beautiful treasure chest in the world!" The second little tree looked out at the small stream trickling by on its way to the ocean. "I want to be traveling mighty waters and carrying powerful kings. I'll be the strongest ship in the world!" The third little tree looked down into the valley below where busy men and women worked in a busy town. "I don't want to leave the mountain top at all. I want to grow so tall that when people stop to look at me, they'll raise their eyes to heaven and think of God. I will be the tallest tree in the world."
Years passed and the little trees grew tall. One day three woodcutters climbed the mountain. The first woodcutter looked at the first tree and said, "This tree is beautiful. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the first tree fell. "Now I shall be made into a beautiful chest, I shall hold wonderful treasure!" the first tree said. The second woodcutter looked at the second tree and said, "This tree is strong. It is perfect for me." With a swoop of his shining ax, the second tree fell. "Now I shall sail mighty waters!" thought the second tree. "I shall be a strong ship for mighty kings!" The third tree felt her heart sink when the last woodcutter looked her way. She stood straight and tall and pointed bravely to heaven. But the woodcutter never even looked up. "Any kind of tree will do for me." He muttered. With a swoop of his shining ax the third tree fell.
The first tree rejoiced when the woodcutter brought her to a carpenter's shop. But the carpenter fashioned the tree into a feed box for animals. The once beautiful tree was not covered with gold, nor with treasure. She was coated with sawdust and filled with hay for hungry farm animals. The second tree smiled when the woodcutter took her to a shipyard, but no mighty ship was made that day. Instead, the once strong tree was hammered and sawed into a simple fishing boat. She was too small and too weak to sail to an ocean, or even a river. Instead she was taken to a little lake. The third tree was confused when the woodcutter cut her into strong beams and left her in a lumberyard. "What happened?" The once tall tree wondered. "All I ever wanted was to stay on the mountain top and point to God..."
Many, many days and nights passed. The three trees nearly forgot their dreams. But one night, golden starlight poured over the first tree as a young woman placed her newborn baby in the feed box. "I wish I could make a cradle for him," her husband whispered. The mother squeezed his hand and smiled as the starlight shone on the smooth and the sturdy wood. "This manger is beautiful," she said. And suddenly the first tree knew he was holding the greatest treasure in the world.
One evening a tired traveler and his friends crowded into the old fishing boat. The traveler fell asleep as the second tree quietly sailed out into the lake. Soon a thundering and thrashing storm arose. The little tree shuddered. She knew she did not have the strength to carry so many passengers safely through the wind and the rain. The tired man awakened. He stood up, stretched out his hand and said, "Peace." The storm stopped as quickly as it had begun. And suddenly the second tree knew he was carrying the King of heaven and earth.
One Friday morning, the third tree was startled when her beams were yanked from the forgotten woodpile. She flinched as she was carried through an angry jeering crowd. She shuddered when soldiers nailed a man's hands to her. She felt ugly and harsh and cruel. But on Sunday morning, when the sun rose and the earth trembled with joy beneath her, the third tree knew that God's love had changed everything. It had made the third tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God.
That was better than being the tallest tree in the world.
So the next time you feel down because you didn't get what you want, just sit tight and be happy because God is thinking of something better to give you.
]]>Show us a great wedding photo.
Show us something that's ridiculously cute.
What is one of your addictions?
Submitted by Paperheart.
burtsbees lipbalm. i can't go to sleep without it. i can't leave the house without it. this is how many i found in my purse just now. scary, eh?
I decided to go private with my blog.....
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What's the best way to spend a rainy day?
Submitted by Vee.
At home, in your pj's, with a good book, in bed, with someone to cuddle and be goofy with....
What was the highlight of your summer?
Submitted by ladym.vox.com.
Without a doubt, the highlight of my summer belongs to things working out how they're supposed to.
Meeting the boy, doing something out of character and asking a near stranger to take me on my first motorcycle ride, for having faith in him and us, getting engaged and planning our new life together. Pretty dandy, I'd say!
]]>How well do you know your next-door neighbors?
Not very well at all. I've run into a couple of them in the elevators but at most we'll say hi, which floor, and have a nice day as we step in/out of the up down machine. I do know random facts about my neighbors from observation and random conversations I've had with a couple people in the complex. My downstairs neighbor loves Halloween and makes goodie bags for everyone at the complex each year. My upstairs neighbors I assume are either overweight or always angry since they're always stomping around. My nextdoor neighbor is a teacher and just had a baby. There's a retired sheriff who lives on the 3rd floor. A SUPER tall Asian couple who live in the complex. I swear they're both over 6' tall.
The boy on the otherhand lives in a gated community and they all seem much friendlier with each other. They wave to each other from their garages, as they drive past each other on the street, say good morning as they stroll through the neighborhood. I rather like the community feel.
]]>What magazines do you subscribe to, and why?
What timing! I just subscribed to Martha Stewart Weddings this morning! My other subscriptions over the years have lapsed and I haven't renewed any of them. I used to get Instyle, US Weekly and Martha Stewart Living.
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