“Yet I call this to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s faithful love
we do not perish,
for His mercies never end.
They are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness!”
Lamentations 3:21-23
“May the GOD OF HOPE
fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in Him,
so that you may overflow with HOPE
by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13
God’s Plan Is Greater Than Ours
“If we look back on each of our lives, how many times did God have another plan than we did? Seasons of pain and suffering. Times of loss and heartache. Days of darkness where we wondered if God was really with us at all.”
(Over the past couple of months, this 2015 post has been visited often, raising it to the most popular post so far in 2020.)
Nature is a Retreat of Hope
“Adopt the pace of nature.
Her secret is patience.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thank you to my brother John for these stunning photos.
(🙂 Please respect copyright laws. 🙂)
I’m taking a break from posting. I hope to return the first Tuesday in August. Meanwhile, please feel free to email me if you have a prayer request or just want to connect with me. 🙂 (My email is in the right-hand column.)
God bless and strengthen you
through whatever troubles
you are going through!
Freed to Fly 
Once again, Trudy, I will greatly miss your lovely and loving presence here in the land of blogs! Enjoy your respite, and know I will keep you in my prayers.
Blessings!
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Thank you for your love and kindness, Martha. And for keeping me in your prayers. Blessings to you, too! May the God of Hope fill our hearts with strength and peace through whatever comes our way!
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Watching the hope video now…
Desi is a treasure! How fun that they adopted him. Hope you’re doing well, Trudy, and are enjoying your blogging break. I’m posting less these days myself. Blessings to you, friend!
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They were excited to finally be able to adopt Desi. It was a long process. 🙂 Thank you, Lisa. And as you post less these days, I pray for refreshment and revival for you! I sure hope you can start seeing your grandkids more again soon! Blessings to you, too! May God give us strength for each day and hope for tomorrow!
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Those verses from Lamentations have been on my mind a lot lately! Thanks for sharing so many beautiful photos – I especially love the owls and the raccoon.
I hope you have a lovely break. I will miss you, but hope it’s a refreshing and restful time!
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Me, too, Lesley. We need that assurance that His love will never fail us and His mercies are new every morning! Isn’t that raccoon so cute?! Thank you for wishing me a refreshing and restful break. I need it. 🙂 I think a lot about you and hope you may soon meet again face to face with the children you work with. They need someone like you who cares and understands so deeply. May our hearts open wide to see, hear, and receive the mercies God sends us!
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God’s creation is so lovely! Thanks for sharing!
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Amen! His creation surely reflects his beauty, doesn’t it, Amy? May we take time to sit quietly in it and listen to His voice!
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Those pictures are fabulous. I’m still wanting to find an owl in the wild to photograph! And the message of hope is timeless so can see why this post has been so popular even years later! I’ve been thinking about announcing a break too, and take the pressure off that I’ve been feeling (which isn’t helpful with creativity)! I hope you have a refreshing summer Trudy!
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Often when my brother sends me an owl photo, I think of you, Lynn. 🙂 I’m still hoping you will find one to photograph! And will share it. 🙂 We need to take the pressure off what we’ve been feeling from time to time, right? And lately, there is such an added stress in the air and world. I hope you, too, may have a refreshing summer! May we take deep breaths in nature and let the Creator speak peace to our souls!
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So much goodness here again, Trudy! I’m pondering the wisdom of the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote and hoping to adopt it as a spiritual practice. The hope video is lovely and I’ve shared it on Facebook. John’s images are stunning as always. He really does have a great knack of showing the varied beauty of the creatures he photographs while revealing something of their behaviour and character as well. Although you will be greatly missed, I hope and pray your blogging break will rest, refresh and restore you in every way. I don’t think it will be too long before I follow suit because the onset of summer usually finds me desperate for extra rest. Take good care of yourself, my friend. Sending blessings love and hugs! xo ❤
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Thank you so much, Joy, for your kind words and your prayers. I’m so glad you found comfort here. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote is truly a good practice to follow. 🙂 Thank you for sharing the hope video. I’ve been too overwhelmed lately, and I know I need to get out into nature in the summer while I can. I do need the rest, refreshment, and restoration in many ways. I hope the same for you! I’m trying to give myself more self-compassion. I am much harder on myself than Jesus is to me. He is so tender and compassionate, isn’t He? I will continue to pray for you. Blessings, love, and hugs to you, too! May our bodies and spirits find rest in our loving and compassionate Savior’s arms!
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Dear Trudy,
Oh, I will keep you in my prayers during your time of pausing here. I am so grateful that Jesus knows when we need that space to rest and be refreshed with Him. May you find such gifts in nature, and such beauty in your moments over these next few weeks. You are such a gift to so many, and I pray that the gift of God’s compassion and comfort would flow back over you. Love, and hugs and prayers dear friend! xoxo
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Thank you so much for your caring words and prayers, Bettie. You remain in my prayers, too. Have you had any infusions yet? Oh, how I hope and pray they will work this time with minimal side effects! Love, hugs, and prayers to you, too! May God hold you tenderly and carry you through!
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Lovely post Trudy, enjoy your respite.
Bless you,
Jennifer
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Thank you so much, Jennifer. Bless you, too! May we open our hearts more and more to Jesus’ love and compassion!
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Amen!
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❤️🙏🏼
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Lamentations 3! Oh yes, each and every day!
His mercies, His presence, His love are the rock that keep us steady in these unsteady times.
Thanks for sharing this favorite Scripture, friend …
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Yes! That verse has become even more special to me in these unprecedented times, Linda. Yes, He is our steady Rock in these unsteady times! May we keep standing on the promises of our Rock of Refuge!
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Beautiful verses and photos, Trudy. Have a restful break from posting over the summer. Take care!
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Thank you so much, Adele. I hope you have a restful summer, too. I always love your nature photos and your appreciation of nature. May our hearts be open in awe to the beauty of our Creator we see in nature!
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I hope your blogging break is everything you need it to be, Trudy. You will remain in my thoughts and prayers, of course! Hugs, dear friend.
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Thank you so much, Lois. I seem to have so many overwhelming, confusing thoughts lately to sort through. You will remain in my thoughts and prayers, too! Hugs to you, too! I did read your post and loved it. And by the way, I would had fun watching those College Biology lessons, too. 🙂 I hope you have a relaxing summer! May we bask in the sunshine of God’s love!
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Thank you for whispering hope into my soul. Your place here is always restorative and encouraging. I am praying that you find peace and sweet rest throughout the summer months. See you in August.
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Thank for your caring encouragement and prayers, Mary. I’m so glad God whispered hope into your soul here. I pray you, too, have a restful and peaceful summer. May God speak peace and inspiration to our souls through His creation!
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Amen!
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❤️🙏🏼
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