HOPE2

I hope to travel to my daughter's next spring.

I hope to be healthy all winter.

I hope to visit with my mother as much as possible.

I hope to see you before you leave.

HOPE to.  We do have high hopes for everyday accomplishments, activities, lifetime goals, heartfelt meetings.  

I hope to get up earlier tomorrow and go for a walk. 

I hope to get to bed earlier tonight so I can sleep better.

I hope to continue eating healthy and keep my weight off this time.

HOPE to.  We believe there is a way to our ideas and goals. 

HOPE2 is the description I had put on my friend's photo (it was the second beautiful, water outdoor photo I wanted to use). But as I typed it in the search bar, it occurred to me that the word and the number had more meaning. 

What made me call this picture Hope2? Its the story of the rainbow from Genesis 9 where God says, "I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth." I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 

Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Now that's hope!

The rainbow is the sign of the covenant, the promise from God to his people, to us.  The rainbow is the sign of hope for the moment, for tomorrow, for the future.  HOPE.

HOPE2 -  photo. (Used by permission. Photographer: Jill Meadows)

HOPE2 - Hope, too. In addition to love and faith and trust and mercy and grace, there's Hope, too.  

Romans 15:13

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

HOPE2 - Hope to.  To want to do something, plan to do something. To think there's a chance you could accomplish something. To have belief but not complete assurance to do whatever your goal is.

What makes our hopes and ideas and goals happen?   

Romans 12:12, NIV: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

Do you go through your day hoping and wondering why things don't happen?  Hoping is like throwing seeds in the wind - they might get planted and they might grow. 

To have the HOPE of the rainbow, invite God into your life. Believe that He loves you, and has given His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you, so that you can live eternally with Him. 

HOPE TOO, HOPE TO. Do you have love and God and His Hope, too? 

HOPE2. 

Here's a little about the photographer, Jill Meadows.

"Every post I post is for my best friend, she has cancer. Indirectly, my posts are for her. I cant go see her."

This is HOPE, too!

Jill's blog is backyardphotographer.net   You can find more of her beautiful outdoor photos in the Upper Peninsula on her Face Book page here. 

Jill is intentional. She seeks out God's beauty. She always finds it.  And we thank her for sharing her sights with us.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Where ever you hope to go, be blessed!  SB

Jill Meadows

sent

25 weeks aIt's a photography blog. Of only photos of the UP.  

BLESSINGS IN A CUP

As soon as the leaves start to change to fall hues (which could happen as early as August here in the U.P. of Michigan), a great deal of excitement starts.  Its not that we want summer to end, but all that the autumn season brings is so enjoyable.

We are so blessed to live in an area where the changing of the leaves from green to golden yellow, orange and red is a welcome sight, especially because we know the season to follow can be so long and dreary.  Every year is different, and it seems that there are other sights that make the colored leaves really stand out even more:   the blue sky above, the white birch within the trees of color, the bright sunshine, and the dark pine that proudly stand along side the maples.  The oak tree leaves are not as colorful, and hang on till there is often a lot of snow on the ground, but their brown leathery shades are part of the fall colors, too.

Fall also is the beginning of hosting tea parties for me.  The weather has changed, the days are cooler and shorter, and though we're all trying to enjoy every day outdoors, we're also spending more time indoors.   My list of expected guests is ever growing, so here is the first tea of the fifth season of having tea parties.    When asked why I continue to invite friends and strangers for tea, here are the answers.

• I like to share my creativity with others - handmade invitations, themed tablescapes, creative take home favors   
  
• I enjoy trying new recipes especially from Tea Time Magazine and other places around the web such as my Pinterest boards   
  
• I love to serve others

• #1 reason: I love to create a time when every one can leave the cares of the world behind, meet new people, participate in delightful conversation, and enjoy a respite afternoon while drinking tea and eating delectable foods.

Today's tea was all these reasons, and one more.  Having guests in for tea brings me such a blessing as well - that the people I meet out and about are asking to come to tea, which tells me that I have succeeded in offering an event that ladies want and need.

Once I set the date, I review the notes of people who weren't able to attend last month's tea, the one's that have spoken to and asked to come to tea, others I've met along the way, and always, one or two that have come to tea before. 

Here's the menu I chose:

The recipes for the salad (South by Southwest, with my own variations)

pumpkin scones, 

chocolate oranges

and pumpkin pound cake can be found in my Pinterest Boards: Tea Party and Healthy, and the cloth pumpkins are in the Fall board.  

The Apple Brie scones recipe is in the September issue of Tea Time Magazine.

The tea I served, Peach Rhubarb, and the take home teas are from Tea Forte, one of my favorite tea sources.  

From the moment the first guest arrived, excitement and conversation filled the house.

The "tea time attire" requested was evident with each of the guests - so much beauty.  They found their places around the table, and in no time a buzz of conversation, networking, sharing, laughing and enjoying one another began.

Looking back, I can smile with contentment, knowing I've been able to meet my goals, and again have found blessings in a cup.

Thank you ladies for a delightful afternoon - you have been a blessing to me: Janice, JoAnn, Bonnie, Rosie and Kathy.   

If you or someone you know, would like to come to tea, just leave a comment.  I'd love to meet you and welcome you to my home.  If you are joining me from far away, keep coming back and sharing in my afternoon teas.

Thanks for stopping by, and until we meet again, may you find a small blessing in every day! SB