“If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.”
~ Emily Dickinson
ABCs of Jesus’ Love
Visit this page anytime and let me know if you’d like to add to the words describing Jesus’ love along with a verse supporting it. Remember, there is also a print-out of the original list.
This month I have added another “C” Word:
❤︎ Covenant Love ❤︎
“Understand, therefore,
that the Lord your God is indeed God.
He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant
for a thousand generations and
lavishes His unfailing love on those
who love Him and obey His commands.“
Deuteronomy 7:9 NLT
Books
I am not always able to keep up with the abundance of books that promote hope, healing, and freedom, so I haven’t always read every one I post here and on the Books Page. Though many are on my long wish list. 🙂 Many will be from recommendations of online friends. If you ever know of a book that is not listed and that supports this website’s mission, please let me know. 🙂
Battered Hope by Carol Graham
One of you readers, Martha Orlando, highly recommends this book. She writes:
“Carol’s life story is full of tragedies and turns for the worst. Yet, her strong faith and hope in God’s promises see her through life-shattering situations that would crush many of us. Her ability, with God’s help, to overcome multiple obstacles is absolutely inspirational to any who read Battered Hope. Although Carol’s hope was battered, it never shattered!”
Hope Harbor
💞 Links That Inspire Hope and Healing 💞
💞 Bright Hope in Dark Days by Charles Spurgeon – A short devotion – “We need winds and tempests to exercise our faith, to tear off the rotten bough of self-dependence, and to root us more firmly in Christ.”
💞 Grief: Finding Hope in the Darkness by Paul David Tripp – “This article is written to help you make sense out of what appears to make no sense and to point you towards hope even as you are experiencing the darkness of death.”
💞 Finding Light in the Darkness – A Psychology Today article by Diana Raab – “It has been said that we cannot know the light without experiencing the darkness, but at the same time, both dark and light experiences may be considered great teachers. Growth and transformation, in fact, are born out of darkness.”
Nature Retreat
“Our task must be to free ourselves
by widening our circle of compassion
to embrace all living creatures
and the whole of nature and its beauty.”
~ Albert Einstein
This month’s treasures are all recent photos from my brother in Arizona: a bobcat, gambel’s quails, a green heron, harris hawks, a hummingbird in its nest, and a western screech-owl.
🐾 Pixdaus: Nature Photography – Though there are some photos of people, the core focus of this site is the uploading and sharing of amazing nature photos.
🐾 50 States – 50 Natural Wonders – CNN showcases a natural wonder in each of the 50 states. Some are world-renowned and undeniably spectacular, while others are less-discovered gems. Each of their favorite spots, in its way, helps define its home state.
🐾 Daniel Buck Fine Art Photography – Galleries of amazing Alaska photography – Daniel’s “vision as an artist is for his audience to connect with the natural world around them and foster a greater appreciation for the stunning world that we all call home.”
Quotes
All quotes this month are in the compassion category.
❤︎ “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.“ ~ Leo Buscaglio
❤︎ “I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness.“ ~ Mother Teresa
❤︎ “A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” ~ Steve Maraboli
Freed to Fly 
Your brother ‘n laws pictures are gorgeous! Thanks for bring Arizona and it’s wildlife to me. I love the quote you shared by Albert Einstein. Yes, circling our compassion around the beauty of all God’s creations is living in the freedom of Christ. Lovely! Have a peace-filled day Trudy. Hugs!
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Thank you, Lynn. Hugs back to you! They’re actually my brother’s photos. 🙂 We both love nature photography, so we often share photos. I love getting his photos of Arizona. There is wildlife there I have never seen before all year round. And he is so generous about letting me share them here as well. I love Albert Einstein’s quote, too! May God gift us with His peace and beauty through His creatures!
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Lovely photos and thoughts, Trudy! I always look forward to your monthly roundups. Love and hugs, friend!
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Thank you, Lois. Love and hugs back to you! I’m so glad you enjoy these monthly “roundups.” I love the word you give it. Being a farm girl at heart, a picture just popped into my mind of my brother and me rounding up cows out of the pasture for milking. 🙂 Thank you for bringing up pleasant memories. May our thoughts always be directed towards God and His glory!
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I love your end of the month posts. The photos draw me in and the quotes get me thinking. You always have such good resources to pick from. Hope you are doing well. Love and hugs!
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Thank you, Mary. Love and hugs back to you! I’m so glad the photos and quotes inspire you. I know you love nature, too. You always have such beautiful photos. May we keep surrendering our stories to the One who wrote them!
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oh … your brother’s lens, Trudy!
spectacular vistas, for sure!
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Thank you, Linda. Yes, my brother’s photos are spectacular. Especially in these winter months when I hardly see any wildlife, his photos boost my winter-blah spirits. 🙂 It’s so great to see you back here! I see I have another post from you in my email, so I’ll be visiting shortly. May God strengthen us for each day in every way!
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Dear Trudy,
Oh my goodness! I could lose myself in those incredible nature photography links that you shared this month! And that picture of the hummingbird on her nest, that your brother shared, is amazing. One of my life’s “little goals” is to find a hummingbird nest like that. 🙂 I think I might have to wait until Heaven, but for now, what a gift for you to share here! Thank you for brightening my chilly gray day! Love and Hugs to you my friend!
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I’m so glad your chilly gray day was brightened, Bettie. Love and hugs to you, too! I love finding new nature photo links and sharing my brother’s photos. I have never seen a live hummingbird nest either. That would be so neat if God surprised you! But even seeing photos can be an uplifting blessing, can’t they? We have a beautiful day today. My husband and I took a walk to a pond near here. Though my body feels tired and achy, it was so good for my soul to see new buds on trees, robins, red-winged blackbirds, Canadian geese and Mallard ducks. Even just hearing birds sing again is so reviving. I hope spring has sprung and will for you, too. May God revive our weary souls with all the new life and the birds singing His praises!
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The photos are great- I love the variety of God’s creation and your brother has captured these so well. Great set of quotes on compassion too. Thanks for sharing all these great resources. You always find such an encouraging collection of things to share. Love and hugs to you!
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I’m so glad you find encouragement in these resources and photos, Lesley. Love and hugs to you, too! Yes, my brother is really good at capturing God’s creation. May the beauty in God’s creation capture our hearts to trust in the beauty of our Creator!
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Trudy,
Your brother’s photos are just stunning! The ways he captures nature and God’s beautiful creatures are just amazing! I love the bird photos — thank you so much for sharing them with us! I thought of you this week as I wrote my post — it’s about goats, of course, and I always smile to myself at how you probably would have connected with them 🙂 so, so glad to know you, my friend and I love all the encouragement you bring us here! xoxo
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I’m so glad you’re encouraged here, Valerie. Yes, my brother’s photos truly are stunning. They refresh my spirit. I love birds, too. They always remind me of God’s faithful care over us. I’m so glad it’s spring and they’re coming back! How sweet of you to think of me when writing about goats. 🙂 I’ll be heading over to your post shortly. I’m so glad to know you, too! xoxo back! May God help us to remember He is always bigger than any trouble that comes our way!
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Hi Trudy! What a celebration of nature you have here with your brothers photos. They are just beautiful, and remind me of Arizona so much.
I do think it’s true that our real growth comes from sorrow and sadness, but I wish it wasn’t true sometimes. I guess it’s just too easy to coast on our good fortune in the days when everything is going well, too easy to rely on myself. In times of challenge, I have to remember those words of Spurgeon. The light will come, and I will be be closer than ever to the Lord.
Thank you for this enlightening post,
Ceil
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I’m so glad you enjoyed the celebration of nature and other things here, Ceil. Yes, even when we know we grow through the tough times, it is still so hard, isn’t it? Yes, my dear Ceil, the light WILL come, and you will be closer than ever to the Lord. May we surrender our all to Him and let Him lead us!
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I’ll come back often and comment once. The nature photos always bring me back to our creator. I couldn’t have gotten there with out them ….thank you. I needed to read these things….you provided them. 😊
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I’m so glad the photos and information were what you needed, Anita. God knows our needs, right? Nature photos always bring me back to the Creator, too. They remind me God is still in control. May we daily remember He’s got us no matter what!
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Hi Trudy- such great pictures- I love the birds!! so cute to see those little heads reaching up like that! Thanks for the resources too! xoxoxo
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Hi Susie! I’m so glad you enjoyed the birds and resources. xoxoxo back to you! I hope you are coping well. No matter what we go through, may we cling to God and His faithful and tender loving care!
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Unsurprisingly, I love the Emily Dickinson quote you open with, Trudy, and also adore the beautiful bird and animal images you’ve shared! Your brother is a pretty talented photographer, isn’t he? Your compassion quotes are enlightening and inspiring. It’s amazing to think how we, too, have the power to change a life by the things we say (and do) and the words we write! The Charles Spurgeon quote will accompany me for a while, (maybe the rest of the year with “rooted” as my given word!) as I ponder the awesome privilege of being rooted in Christ by faith and the way He strengthens us to withstand wind, storm and tempest as we look to Him each day. Thank you once again for such a rich treasure trove of resources. I am always blessed by the offering here! Love and hugs to you, dear friend. xo ❤
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Thank you for your kind words, Joy. I’m so glad you were blessed. Love and hugs back to you! I knew you would love Emily’s poem. It’s one we must remember as it’s easy for us to feel insignificant, right? Yes, God will use us to change lives even through the words we write. May the storms in our lives root us ever more deeply rooted in Christ!
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Trudy,
Love the Emily D. quote; you exemplify that with your words here. And thanks for sharing those photos…the Green Heron was especially spectacular although all are wonderful. Praying you continue to grow in hope and healing, my friend…love and hugs to you ❤
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Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers, Dolly. Love and hugs to you, too! Yes, the Green Heron is spectacular. My brother really captured its beauty. I always wonder why it’s called green when it looks so blue. 🙂 I love Emily’s quote, too. May you also continue to grow in hope and healing!
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Always enJOY your brother’s images, Trudy! How blessed he was to find a hummingbird nest! Wow! Thank you so much for sharing! Blessings!
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Yes, I so enJOY his photos, too, June. He loves nature and I love that I get the blessing of his photography. Blessings to you, too! May the joy of the Lord be our strength!
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