Month: November 2018

Due to area posing soil issues, a 1.6-mile stretch of the Foothills Parkway in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was left uncompleted and closed for decades.  Modern construction technology intervened, cantilevering the highway over the problematic area, and the Foothills Parkway was recently completed and opened to traffic.

This morning we took Foothills Parkway route to church . . . and went to church twice . . . the pictures testify . . . “O Lord, how great are your works!” (Ps.92:5)

 

 

Wandering the woods today, an old Sunday School song quietly rose up from the shed leaves blanketing the forest floor . . .

“Red and yellow, black and white, all are precious in His sight“

If we’d all count our blessings as Americans, and not the issues that have polarized us, we’d delight in the ‘bury the ax’ harmony Pilgrims and Indians  shared together at that first Thanksgiving together.

Let’s ‘leaf’ our differences at the door before sitting down together around the table today, and count blessings.

From our home to yours . . . HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Climbing Craggy Dome’s 5,930 ft. summit to gaze out over the Smokies’ kaleidoscopic fall splendor was worth every bead of perspiration to get there.   The indescribable beauty of the tranquil sea of speckled colors below attested to our indescribable Creator . . . another soul soothing scene brushed across the mountains. A single orange leaf, dislodged  by a gentle breeze, floated to my feet, and I got to a-thinkin’ . . .

• How many gadzillions of leaves comprised the blanket of color draping the landscape to the horizon before me?
• How many different brilliant and muted hues intermingled to produce such harmonious beauty?

Then it got personal:

• Why can’t earth’s nearly 8 billion residents, with all our varied colors and hues, intermingle together in harmony?
• Could it be that Mother Nature is colorblind?
• Someday, each of our life’s leaves will drift to the ground.  What colors did they display in mankind’s forest?  I pray some of mine were ever-green.

‘Orange’ you glad I asked? Didn’t mean to ‘needle’ you. 😊