Journey to Heal by Wei Wei

 

My friend, Wei Wei, has published a beautiful book, with photographs of nature taken by her, and words to accompany each photo.

Wei's words and photos in "Journey To Heal" are glimpses of beauty and her book is a delight to read. Her photos celebrate calm moments in nature and she has a gift for poetic words. The story in it has sadness caused by the death of her father, yet the book's words and photos reflect a deep joyfulness and healing. 

I like how the photos she chose often have a bit of mist or fog, ocean spray or clouds. Here is a sample of Wei's words: Take me, take me, to the other side of the mountain ... Take me, take me, to the other side of the cloudy sky.

Wei's book is available on Amazon and at her publisher as an ebook, paperback and hardcover. Here is a link to Wei's publisher: Friesen Press

My walk and some happy moments

On my walk today at 9 a.m. before church on March 19 I enjoyed the quiet. Few people were out. Later I know there will be many people out walking, jogging, bicycling, skate boarding, pushing baby strollers and walking dogs. On my quiet walk with my dog Bounce we discovered the same box full of free lemons we saw yesterday. Each day I took four gorgeous yellow lemons. Doesn't their cheerful color make you happy too? I treated myself to some pretty pink roses, as you can see. On that same walk I gave 3 magazines to a Little Free Library and took one book, set in Istanbul, a city I love. The book is "Arabesk" by Barbara Nadel and is the third in a detective series that is new to me. Along the bay two blocks away I saw people on a walk/run to raise money for charity. When we have moments like these it is wise to cherish them, before the tears come again. Somehow I found this walk and these moments to be healing.

Finding peace in Scripture

I wrote this post a year ago, holding it in reserve to post in future. I wrote this before the unexpected death of my darling husband, Will, in November of 2016.
These words are even more meaningful to me now, and I hope will touch your heart too and help you if you need to feel peace. I know our Shepherd cares for us tenderly.

 
Sometimes I need help in finding peace or ease, in a stressful situation. This may be true for you too.
One thing I did years ago is to type my favorite Bible verses on a small piece of paper, laminate it, and keep it in my purse. You can buy little packets of laminating paper at office supply stores, 3 x 5 inches or so, that are sticky on one side only, so use two of them a bit bigger than your paper. Easy peasey and cheap protection for your verses.
The verses I have in my purse are about God protecting us and quite a few of them are in Psalms.

"Behold! I send an angel before you to protect you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared." Exodus 23:20

"But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble." Psalm 59:16

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:39 KJV 

Many translations of Psalm 91 speak to my heart. Here is the poetic KJV. " I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 
Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; ... There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.  For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Psalm 91:2-11

What a beautiful thing, that he gives his angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways. 
"The answer to anxiety is the adoration of Christ", Ann Voskamp.