Beauty Instead of Ashes

Isaiah 61:3

"and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor." This verse was brought to mind this week as some residents experienced the loss of a mobile home and a 5th wheel due to a fire. Early in the morning, a resident woke up (she knows the angels woke her) and saw fire in the mobile home next to theirs. She immediately woke her husband and they fled their 5th wheel, along with their cat and her purse and only the clothes they had on. After realizing he could not pull his 5th wheel away from the fire, the propane tanks in the mobile home blew up. The couple who owned the home had just left that afternoon for a family emergency a Northern state (they were from Wisconsin). The fire crews responded and put out the fires, but both units were totally destroyed. After getting the couple settled with wonderful neighbors, buying everything the cat needed (cat box, litter, scooper, food, bowls)and a few personal items for the couple, everyone tried to get back to sleep. Our unbelievable family here at Alamo Rec Veh Park responded with outpourings of love and money in order to make beauty out of the ashes. And beauty did indeed shine through. No one was injured, the safe box with passports and money was saved, all was insured, and as the Donna said "I do not have floors to mop, dishes to do, and my suitcase is a plastic bag". The faith and love this couple has for God is amazing - finding joy instead of mourning and praise instead of despair. Yes, it was a huge loss for them, but a gain for the Lord as we bask in the beauty from ashes. 

the mobile home was large - a corner lot spanning two streets

it went burned so quickly after the propane tanks blew up

it was amazing that there was no wind that night -

all that is left of the 5th wheel

The Red Hatters hosted a salad luncheon on Wednesday along with a fun style show. A few years ago, only women attended, but now there are quite a few men who enjoy the salads, as well as seeing the new female fashions for us more mature ladies. There were so many different types of salads that the choosing was almost impossible. The only duplicates were deviled eggs, which were gone almost immediately.

 

 one of the two salad tables

table #2 - too many to even think about

some of our ladies enjoying the style show

 one of the gentleman who helped the models off the stage - he stole the show

 the three gals were from another park and were there to entertain us

 isn't this dazzling

all of the beautiful models

 

 

We had a quilt and hobby show last week - a time to display the many talents of our residents. It was a fun time as we checked out all the displays. I was totally awed by the beautiful quilts created by our ladies. The colors and designs just made my mind explode as I viewed the creativity of everyone. It was a nice break from all the chores and duties of the day. As I admired a lovely table topper/lap quilt made from "ugly fabric" I only saw a beautiful piece of artwork. The kind and lovely lady who spent hours working on it presented it to me as a gift this morning in church!!!! I am truly blessed.

 a unique way to display handmade jewelry

woodcarvers at work

 these are amazingly intricate

my humble contributions

 some of the gorgeous quilts

 and more quilts

 the barn quilts of Iowa - the quilts patterns made from wood, painted, and placed on the side of the many barns - beautiful

the color combinations are unbelievable

 

 

Pastor Lee addressed the subject of love this morning as St. Valentine's Day rolled around again. God so much wants us to see Him and become involved in His Word. Loving Him is the first commandment, while the second commands us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Do we truly love ourselves - or do we beat ourselves up every chance we get??? Sure, we are humans and not perfect, we make mistakes, but we correct them and go on to praise the Lord for the lesson learned. God forgives us, but we need to ask!! We must love God before we can love ourselves or others. Everyone searches for, wants, and needs love. If we have God we have love which perfects us in God's eyes. He loves us before we were even born, before we even loved Him. If God is in your life so is love for yourself and others.

 

Be kind to everyone this week, reach out in love to all those around you with random acts of kindness. If you received an act of kindness and love, pay it forward! The chain will never be broken, love will continue, and God will smile from the heavens above. Remember the song "What the world needs now is love, sweet love"??