~Remembering Dad ~

April 14th was my dad's birthday, he was born in 1937.

Dancing with Dad, 9/14/91

My first memory of him was right around my fourth birthday.
Mom held a party at our house and I was so excited that dad was going to be there.
Since my parents were divorced for two years already, we never knew if he could (or would), make it to an event on a non-custody day.
He showed up and brought me what ended up being my favorite gift. A Yosemite Sam shirt! I hardly remember much about gifts of events from my childhood, but that visit and shirt are burned into my memory as one of my favorite memories.
                                                             It looked something like this:

My weekends with Dad usually meant going to church on Sunday morning. He brought us (my brother and sister went,too) to Woonsocket Methodist Church of Woonsocket,RI.
It was there I first heard about Jesus and how much He loves me. I learned the song, Jesus Loves Me, and got gold stars from Mrs.Edna each week I went. I absolutely loved going to church and learning about God. Dad was friends with the pastor, and they hung out after church.It was cool. After the pastor left the church, Dad stopped going. I missed going, but spent time with Dad at his house on weekends,sometimes overnight. He worked a lot of hours, but it didn't seem he ever got ahead. He just always looked tired.
I would climb up on his lap and hold his worn hand in mine. I didn't care about the tobacco odor, it was my Dad. He played games like Indian sunburn on my wrists and crunched my little fingers in his, not to hurt, just playing. We didn't talk much, he was pretty quiet as he sipped his coffee and listened to the volunteer fire scanner. There were several times he rushed out the door at odd times of the day or night. We knew from the signals what type of call he was going to. The night of the big mill fire in town brought out most of the small town of Millville. We went and watched nervously as the structure burned violently for hours. He didn't get back til much after we were already asleep.
  I think he seemed glad to go on a call to get out of the house and do something he enjoyed.

This is an entry in progress..I will continue this blog as I get my thoughts together about what say next

My other world, photographing my world

I started a blog to chronicle my journey of photography.
I want to take my level from amateur hobbyist to a professional.
I know it will take a while, but I enjoy seeing the world through the lens of my canon,
and hope others will appreciate them as well.
  Here is the link, feel free to leave a comment there, or here.


My photo blog .

A few pics I have taken recently:

Thanks, enjoy the view :)

Love and blessings,
Lori LC

Recent favorite authors

It's not easy for me to say which authors are my favorite at any given time. I often read a book based on the title and cover art work, as well as publisher, but often it is without noticing who the author is.
There are also times where I have read a book and enjoyed it so much that I look up more titles by that author.
I recently read several books by the same authors and am looking forward to reading more of their work.
 The three authors I currently am thoroughly enjoying are:
Loree Lough, Joshua Graham and Judy Christie.
They each write Christian fiction, but in very different styles. I posted links to each author at the bottom of the post. Let me know which author you enjoy most lately.
   Loree Lough has several book series which have characters woven through each of the stories. I have only read her First Responders trilogy; Ashes to Honor, Honor Redeemed, and Man of Honor; and For Love of Eli. She has about 98 award-winning books (5 that earned book-to-movie options), 68 short stories, and 2,500+ articles in print. She is a terrific writer and I am looking froward to reading more of her work.
  Joshua Graham , who also writes under the pen name Ian Alexander, has written several books under the 'accidental' series. He has also written exciting sci-fi and fantasy novels, such as Once We Were Kings and Terminus.  His books, Beyond Justice and Darkroom are riveting!
   Judy Christie has written several books in her 'Green' series, about a small town with big time adventure. She also has a series of books to help us stay calm and carry on, called  'How to hurry less and worry less' for different reading audiences. I enjoy her wit and humor in each book and am looking forward to reading more of her work.

Links to each author:
Loree Lough:
 http://www.loreelough.com/
 https://www.facebook.com/LoreeLough

Joshua Graham: 

	http://joshua-graham.com/ http://joshua-graham.com/?page_id=750 http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Josh... http://www.amazon.com/Joshua-Graham/e/B0...
Facebook	http://facebook.com/J0shuaGraham

Judy Christie:
 http://www.judychristie.com/

judychristie@facebook.com

Winter memories in pictures

View from the foot bridge at sunset.

Viewpoint of foot bridge.

Bird watching me from the feeder.

Common man mills by river side.

Chilly falls.

Snow clouds moving in over sun.

My yard in winter.

Scene from my wintry yard.

Roma Downey's Book, "Little Angels"

Roma Downey on Her Latest Project,

 "Little Angels"

About the Book

Little Angels Prayers for Every Day features more than 50 simple rhyming prayers that cover a typical day and the typical worries of a young child. From waking in the morning to going to sleep at night, from thanking God for a meal to praying for His comfort when afraid, the prayers here will help little ones to see that any moment is a good moment to talk to God. Relevant Bible verses are scattered throughout the book as well!
  I like the colorful illustrations and different daily topics.
Here is my video review:

Roma talks about her books and other resources on this you tube video:
Roma's Little Angels, book description

Roma also has a family friendly web site for you to enjoy together:
http://www.littleangels.com/

 For more info, check out these links:

 Website: http://www.idealsbooks.com  (...'Like' for rafflecopter entry)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IdealsBooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RealRomaDowney

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0k6mqA8jAo

 

Positive-ly terrific family movies..Pure Flix!

 If you are looking for a good movie with values and positive message, look no further than those at Pure Flix! They have a list of family friendly movies you'll be sure to enjoy =)
 Just click on the link below and you'll see the list of DVD& BluRay movies to choose from.

http://pureflix.com/

http://pureflix.com/movie-library2/

Here is the link to their blog site :
 http://pureflix.com/blog/

Facebook link:
 https://www.facebook.com/PureFlix?ref=ts&fref=ts


Let me know which you like best.
Love and blessings,
 Lori LC
I have not received anything in return for promoting Pure Flix, I just appreciate their choices of family friendly movies!

Sushi For One? by Camy Tang, book review

Sushi For One?

by Camy Tang

  Sushi for One? is a story about Lexi Sakai, an Asian American who is torn between family tradition and her own independence. Lexi is going to be the eldest unmarried cousin in her family and her grandmother wants her to find a man and settle down. Lexi wants to be left alone and date at her own pace, which is basically stagnant, but her grandmother will cut off funding to the volleyball team if Lexi doesn’t have a man by then. The list she has of qualities she is looking for in a man grows longer at each date. At the top of that list is for him to be a Christian, as well someone who doesn’t put the moves on her or stiff her with the check. When she meets Aiden, she feels attracted to him, but he thinks a lot of Christians are hypocrites and is not sure he wants to be part of her church. They still manage to get along pretty well and he is the only one who has been able to get close to her without her wincing or running from her memories of the past.

 Lexi is an excellent volleyball player and is in great physical shape, but has a weak stomach and tends to whine when she gets hurt. I really liked the book, until she hurt her knee; It then became a bit awkward and seemed to fizzle a bit.

 I did like the book, and you may also, so I suggest you give it a try.

Here are a few links to connect with more of Camy Tang:
 https://www.facebook.com/CamyTangAuthor
 http://www.amazon.com/Camy-Tang/e/B001JSFASO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
 http://camytang.com/

 http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/49078-camy-tang

A Man Of Honor, by Loree Lough. Book review

A Man of Honor

 by Loree Lough

  A Man of Honor is about a first responder named Rusty Parker and a teacher named Grace Sinclair. They first met while responding to a search for a teenager who went missing the day after her prom.

   Rusty is a mild mannered Harley rider who sports a pony tail, not your typical appearance of a pastor and youth advocate. He has opened his heart and home to troubled teenagers that have had a rough life, and shows them there are people who really care for them.

 Grace also has a heart for teens and seeks to help those who seem to be outcasts among their peers. They both have had their share of heartbreaks and loss, which has made them empathetic to others, as well as on guard when it comes to falling in love.

   Together, they reach out and bring together an unlikely family who genuinely care for each other; Rusty was even willing to put his life on the line for his kids, showing his true character, and love for them. Their faith in God helped see themthrough even the toughest of times. There’s much more to the story than this, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

  

Here are a few links to Loree Lough you can check out :

 http://www.loreelough.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LoreeLoughAuthor

  

https://twitter.com/LoreeALough#

http://www.theloughdown.blogspot.com/

http://paper.li/LoreeALough

 

February 6

Remembering a light that lit many others

 This time last year, February 6,2012, a very special person passed away. Her light did not go out, but was passed on as a torch in a relay. She had many close family and friends. Her twin sister has been one of her biggest torch bearers, along with her young son and husband, parents and close friends. I  didn't have the privilege of knowing Hillary St.Pierre-Ford personally, but got to know her through her Mom and a friend. They often spoke about her strength and love for those around her. She tried to be a pillar of strength and hope til the end. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 2006 at the age of 23 and chronicled her life on her blog called baldiesblog.blogspot.com . Her blog has helped many cope with their own life battles and her strength and warmth will be her lasting legacy. We can only hope we have a positive influence on others and be remembered with a smile.

Pass on the light of friendship!

Knowing someone like Hillary makes me want to be a stronger and not give up, no matter what things look like.
 This is an entry written on Hillary's blog by Vic that really spoke to me:

there is a miracle called friendship that dwells within the heart.
and you don't know how it happens or when it gets its start...
but the happiness its brings you always gives a special lift ,
then you realize that friendship is gods precious gift.


Hillary also wrote a book about cancer to help her son understand it better.It's called 'Z and the cancer meanie'. This is an excellent book to read with children about what people may go through with cancer and treatments. Here is a link about the book:
http://zandthecancermeanie.wix.com/book

"The Silent Sermon"

"The Silent Sermon"

Author: ?

  A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the pastor decided to visit him.It was a chilly evening. The pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.

As the pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, 'Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I will be back in church next Sunday'.


We live in a world today which tries to say too much with too little. Consequently, few listen. Sometimes the best sermons are the ones left unspoken.What silent message would God have you share with someone today?
Author unknown

Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Matt.5:16
God has given each of us the "Three T's.": Time, Talent, and Treasure. Don't waste any of these and remember to use them to serve one another. We need each other...

I found this at  http://cindynavarro.blogspot.com/