Abba's Art

Author: Fred D

  • Thin Spaces and Bottled Tears

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    Fred D
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    Celtic Christians have a deep appreciation for nature and coined the term Thin Space . . . those transient, ephemeral moments when suddenly eternity seems to invade time, and heaven touches earth. Yesterday, my morning woods wander was graced with such a Thin Space interlude.  A brief cloudburst had soaked the forest in the fragrance…

  • Great Smoky Mountains Road Trip

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    Fred D
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    Blazing sunshine has pushed temps to near 80, a welcome respite from what has been an unusually cold winter here the Great Smoky Mountains. Energized, my permanent senior sidekick and I decided the day was custom made for a leisurely road trip. It quickly became obvious there were a million+ other individuals who had the…

  • Feral Family Gathering

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    Fred D
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    One of the joys of living in the ‘wilds’ up on the mountain – down in the ‘holler’ – by the ‘crick’ in the Great Smokies is enjoying the impromptu, ‘Stop By Anytime’ visits from the interesting menagerie of our friendly feral neighbors. “All creatures great and small, the Lord God made them all.“ We…

  • One Nation Under God ?

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    Fred D
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    New York advertising photographer Bill composed this powerfully reflective photograph of a US flag made from matches that has just caught fire, Stars and Stripes Forever? (1970). Taking its name from a patriotic march, Stettner suggested it perchance foreshadows “The fragility of the US and the principles that founded it.” The haunting “?” Stettner placed…

  • Volcanoes and Bucket Lists

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    Fred D
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    We’re in the midst of a several day Smoky Mountains liquid deluge. While grateful for the needed rainfall, it dampens my desire to go outside on wander woods wanders or splash around in the creek re-arranging boulders to create reflecting pools. It’s not cold enough to turn the landscape white and snap on a pair…

  • Joy And Sorrow

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    Fred D
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    “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Psalms 30:5 The two recent tragic airline disasters in Philadelphia and DC accentuated the unknown brevity of this life we’ve all been given. The Philadelphia crash was especially poignant to  me. It occurred less than 2 miles from the home where I grew…

  • Frozen Wonder

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    Fred D
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    It’s been a tad ‘chilly’ here in the Smokies lately. Folks here aren’t accustomed to lotsa’ snowflakes and ‘black ice’, or even regular ice other than ice cubes when the thermometer bounces around zero . . . it’s definitely not Alaska Virginia 😊 The magnificent winter wonderland surrounding our home up here in the mountains…

  • What Would You Like To Un-Invent?

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    Fred D
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    Today a friendly blogger half a world away asked, “If you could un-invent something, what would it be?” Pondering that query, a variety of possibilities began ricocheting around in my cranial void: Mondays?                         Calories?                                                 Cats?  . . . just kidding feline owners 😊 At the risk of sounding like an…

  • The If . . . Then Providential Promise

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    Fred D
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    In 4 days our country will inaugurate it’s 47th President. He, his Vice President, cabinet, our House of Representatives, Senate, Supreme Court and other leaders all urgently need our prayers for God’s wisdom . . . not theirs . . . in leading, healing, and unifying our sadly Divided States of America. The following excerpt…

  • Snow-er-cise

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    Fred D
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    Other than the Smoky Mountain’s peaks, unlike the Last Frontier, snow is not a frequent meteorological phenomenon in TN. Yesterday winter showed up and we were blanketed in 4 inches of snowflakes . . . Beautiful! Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no…