Abba's Art

Tag: Inspiration

  • The Silence of Saturday

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    Fred D
    in

    Christmas and Easter are the favorite Christian’s times of the year. Christmas is filled with joyous celebration . . . tearless. But it’s Easter’s grieving tears and the excruciating pain Jesus suffered on the Cross for me before His joyous resurrection that make Easter my favorite. Easter eve find’s me pondering Saturday’s silent, mysterious void…

  • Thin Spaces and Bottled Tears

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    Fred D
    in

    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…

  • One Nation Under God ?

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    Fred D
    in

    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
    in

    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…

  • Frozen Wonder

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    Fred D
    in

    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…

  • Quintessential Light Show

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    Fred D
    in

    No crowds  . . . No noise . . . No charge . . . A quintessential Aurora borealis display ushered in the Last Frontier New Year.  A friend of mine in Palmer, Alaska sent me this picture. Reason #1,001 to call the Greatland home 😊 “O give thanks to the Lord, for He is…

  • New Year Resolutions

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    Fred D
    in

    If New Year resolutions were as easy to keep as they were to make, 2025 will be a banner year for everyone! 😊 Each year (save leap years) has 365 days . . . bet you already knew that 😊. Each year is a one-of-a-kind, unique collection of opportunities, accomplishments, regrets, joys, and sorrows which…

  • Sentimental Gratitude

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    Fred D
    in

    Having witnessed over 8 decades of the final days of another year ticking off, 2024 is departing with a comforting aura of sentimental gratitude.   Sentimental because I’ve somehow survived to attain the stage of life where the trails seem a tad longer; my steps a tad shorter; other hikers a lot younger; and odds…

  • Christmas Journeys

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    Fred D
    in

    Christmas and Thanksgiving are America’s most family-oriented holidays. The latest Christmas travel statistics predict over 115 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles during Christmas, with 59% visiting family. Some two decades ago a single Dad and his two young sons embarked on a Christmas journey to visit family. Zooming through the skies at…

  • Happy Place

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    by

    Fred D
    in

    Each of us has our special ‘Happy Place’ where our soul is most at peace. For some it’s walking along a beach, feeling the warm sand beneath your feet, listening to the surf’s rhythmic beat. For others, it’s being immersed in a city’s bright lights, activities and cacophony of sounds . . . never quiet…