Moving

Sunday we had lunch with our Small Group from church.

We had a great time.

We will really miss them all.

Don't we all look smart!!!

Chris & Me

As you all know we are moving this week to Maryland from New Hampshire. The U-haul is hired and the boxes are packed. We roll out on Friday afternoon. Tomorrow or Wednesday we will be packing up the computer so no more e-mail or blogging for a few weeks. Not sure when we will have access but keep watching this space. Hope to see and hear from you all soon.

Blessings
Marie

Ebenezer Lock

Ebenezer Locke

Who!!!!!

Fritz Weatherbee was on New Hampshire Chronicles recently and told us a little of Ebenezer Lock who is suppose to be the man who fired the first shot in Lexington Mass. upon the British Troops, April 19, 1775. He was known for 'firing the shot heard around the world.'

Ebenzer was born March 2, 1735 in Woburn, Massachusetts, the son of Ebenezer Locke, Sr. and Elizabeth Poulter Locke, and the great grandson of William Locke, an orphan who immigrated to Massachusetts in 1635 at the age of fourteen, and later became a successful farmer and extensive landholder in west Woburn. You can still see the original William Locke homestead in Woburn, although much altered over the years, located on the North side of Lexington street, less than 100 yards east of the intersection of Route 3. It is now referred to as the Fox home, for a later resident.

Following the battle, the army took up winter quarters in Morristown, New Jersey, where in April 1777 Ebenezer was discharged and left the army for good. After the war, he sold his property in Woburn and Lexington and sometime in the late 1780's or early 1790's he moved to Deering, NH along with his three sons, who by the way all served at one time or other in the 26th regiment. There he lived with his son Benjamin, surviving to a ripe old age and no doubt spending many a winter's evening sitting around the fire swapping war stores, and telling his grandchildren how he fired the shot at the Regulars on that April morning.

The inscription on the tombstone reads simply "Ebenezer Locke, Died September 12, 1816, Age 82 Years." Pretty simple for someone so famous. Who would have thought little Old Deering had so much history.

Hard to read the tombstone
but double click on the picture and make it larger
and you will be able to see better.

Thanksgiving Dinner

One of the most blessed times at His Mansion
when we all come together as a family
and have dinner together being thankful
for what the Lord has done over the last year.
Many of our residents would not have seen this
Thanksgiving if they had remained where they were at.

Thank you Lord for what you do daily in our lives.

Chris & Me

Mantle Piece Decoration

My best Friend Karen & Me

Our Women staff and residents

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE.

Storms of Life

The Storms of Life

During my quiet time I have been reading about
storms in the bible.
The one that we all know of is when the disciples
are out in the boat and a storm arises
and Jesus is asleep on a pillow.
As God He knew a storm was coming and yet
He chooses to get a pillow and fall asleep.
The disciples panic and wonder why
He is asleep instead of helping them.
Don't we do the same?
Don't we have storms that cause us to panic
and wonder where Jesus is?
Is He in your boat or are you sailing it alone?
It's hard sometimes even when He is in the boat as we
focus on our circumstances and how we feel.
Trust and Obey. That's what it is all about.

Psalm 20

Well folks.
20 days left until the big move South.
This was the Psalm for today.

Psalm 20

(NLT)

For the choir director: A psalm of David.

1 In times of trouble, may the Lord answer your cry.

May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm.

2 May he send you help from his sanctuary

and strengthen you from Jerusalem.

3 May he remember all your gifts and

look favorably on your burnt offerings.
4 May he grant your heart’s desires

and make all your plans succeed.

5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory

and raise a victory banner in the name of our God.

May the Lord answer all your prayers.
6 Now I know that the Lord rescues his anointed king.

He will answer him from his holy heaven

and rescue him by his great power.

7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses,

but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.

8 Those nations will fall down and collapse,

but we will rise up and stand firm.
9 Give victory to our king, O Lord!

Answer our cry for help.

Thanksgiving Week

Thanksgiving is near here so as a foreigner I thought I would give you all a bit of history.

The First Thanksgiving The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, to commemorate the harvest reaped by the Plymouth Colony after a harsh winter. In that year Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving. The colonists celebrated it as a traditional English harvest feast, to which they invited the local Wampanoag Indians. Days of thanksgiving were celebrated throughout the colonies after fall harvests. All thirteen colonies did not, however, celebrate Thanksgiving at the same time until October 1777. George Washington was the first president to declare the holiday, in 1789. A New National Holiday By the mid–1800s, many states observed a Thanksgiving holiday. Meanwhile, the poet and editor Sarah J. Hale had begun lobbying for a national Thanksgiving holiday. During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, looking for ways to unite the nation, discussed the subject with Hale. In 1863 he gave his Thanksgiving Proclamation, declaring the last Thursday in November a day of thanksgiving. In 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt, seeking to lengthen the Christmas shopping season, proclaimed Thanksgiving the third Thursday in November. Controversy followed, and Congress passed a joint resolution in 1941 decreeing that Thanksgiving should fall on the fourth Thursday of November, where it remains.

Rock the Sound & Beardsley Zoo

Last weekend we went to Rock the Sound Concert.

We saw Grits, Jars of Clay and Jeremy Camp.

There were two other bands we didn't know.

Grits

Jars of Clay

Jeremy Camp

Also we went to Beardsley Zoo.

Here are some pictures with Chris wrestling a crocidile.

Isn't he brave!!!!

Thanks Eric. We had a great time.

Strong Tower

It is Psalm 31 today for our reading. Wow!!! More about God being a strong fortress, a rock of refuge. Here is a photo I found of the tower at Glendalough in Ireland. It reminds me of God being my strong tower.

Be my rock of refuge,
a strong fortress to save me.
Since you are my rock and my fortress,
for the sake of your name lead and guide me.
Psalm 31:2-3

Psalms

Psalm 32:7-8

You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and watch over you.

Chris and I have been blessed in the last few days how God is leading and guiding us. When I first came to His Mansion, one of the verses God gave me as confirmation was Psalm 32:8. As we are reading the Psalms each day as our count down, something a student taught me who was in the last phase of the program. As her count down she counted how many days she had left and started at that Psalm and read backwards each day. Great way to get into scripture though a lot of verses about the wicked and the righteous. Challenging.

Read Psalm 32 this morning and was reminded of these 2 verses I quoted above. I have always seen God as my refuge and strength and strong tower. When times are tough I want to be reassured that I have a hiding place to go to that is safe and secure and God is that for me though I have to admit in the last year I have been tested in this area. When we lost our son I did not feel like going to God as He could have chosen something different for us but He didn't. After working through my anger with Him I realize He is my only refuge, strength and hiding place no matter what!!!!

Why not read through this Psalm today and see what God is speaking into your heart.

Blessings
Marie

Butterfly Farm

Blog Land seem slow in posting blogs
so this is why it has taken me a little while to get this up and posted.

Last weekend I went to a butterfly farm in MA
with some dear friends of mine.
We had a great day and her are some pictures.

Peak Time

We have been told that this weekend is the peak time for the leaves here in New England.

I think they have got it right and as Chris says,

"It seems like the trees have been plugged in a lite up."

So beautiful.

God's Handiwork.

The Overlook

Maple Leaves
So Many Colors

Fall colors

The leaves are changing more and more.

Hope to get out this weekend and take some pictures.

Here were some I took yesterday.

What do you think?

Autumn

The leaves are finally starting to change and show their glorious colors. Here are just a few pictures of this autumn in New Hampshire. The last one we will have at present.

A Little Bit of Heaven

Going to Nubble Lighthouse and Perkins Cove to walk the Marginal way is a little bit of heaven on earth for me. Went today with Sue and Gary. Had a great day. Hope you enjoy.

Neices

Here are some pictures of my neices.

My sister Patricia and her husband Shane

had these 2 delights 16 months ago.

They are definately gifts from God.

Alice

Sarah

Belfast Zoo

One of the days we managed to get out we took my neice and nephew,
Shannen and Brandon tot he Zoo in Belfast.
We had a great day.
Here are some of the photos from that day.

Ain't that cute!!

Mama and Babies

Brandon and Shannen

Ireland, Home Sweet Home

Here are some of the locals.

Can you see the cat in the side of the cliff.
I have posted a closer picture so you can see it clearer.

Beautiful Ireland

Here are some more Irish pictures.
Enjoy them.

Back From Ireland

Chris and I arrived back this week from Ireland.

We spent 19 days there and had a great time though

we did have the flu for most of our time there.

We didn't get out a lot and missed seeing some friends

and going places but it was good to spend time with family.

I don't normally like pictures of me but Chris took this one which I really like.
Hope you enjoy the scenery. Will post some more pictures in a few days.