Good friends are treasures. They are hard to find but when you find them, you’ve found a prize. The above picture was taken in October 2019. All 6 of my closest girlfriends were on the trip but two aren’’t in this picture. We had gathered on the porch for a group picture. My parents were up for the day and my Mom took the pictures. The story behind this picture: it was starting to drizzle and Leasa who was behind me, was trying to get me to move down the steps into the drizzle. The picture looks like she’s pushing me because I was resisting. The picture was an “accident” but is hilarious. I always say that picture is so “us”.
We’ve all been friends for a long time and have experienced different seasons of life together. We’ve studied the Bible together, laughed until we cried together, gone on trips and celebrated birthdays. We occasionally get on one another’s nerves, but we let it go. We are not perfect but we love unconditionally. That’s the beauty of true friends. You take the good and the not so good, and put it all together and end up with a truly unique group of sisters.
The Bible says in Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (ESV) True friends love through misunderstandings. True friends forgive and let it go. You can be your genuine self with friends, not worrying about what they think. A true friend knows your strengths and weaknesses and accepts you anyway. An example of this is us girls playing UNO with extra large cards so I can easily see them. See the below picture.
With true friends you don’t have to take yourselves too seriously. Laughter is good for the soul and we sure do laugh a lot together. We’ve taken so many pictures of so many memories: spontaneous shopping days, LONG 3 hour lunch chat sessions and more.
God places special people in your life to share life experiences with: the good and the not so good. Friends you can depend on to be there and pray. Friends who will help you get your mind off “life” and escape for some much needed fun. Cherish those treasures in your life. Friends truly are a gift from God. So thankful
Just returned from a five day camping trip with my Bible study group to Charleston, SC. One of our friends and her husband have a cute little camper that sleeps four, which was all we needed with our Bible study group of four. It was tight, but we made it work. It takes a special type of friends to be able to exist together for a few days in a small space, being in each others hair, and having no place to escape for alone time. (Except for maybe the tiny bathroom ) But we survived and we had so much fun making memories. Sure some “feathers” got a bit ruffled. Anytime you put four girls together in a small camper, packed in at night like sardines in a (very organized) can, you’re going to see all the glorious sides of your friends. I think it equals “sisterhood”. Gotta love it!
I’m actually sitting here eating organic mango homemade yogurt made from raw milk. It was left over from our week as we really didn’t eat much breakfast except for one day. I will get to that in a minute. I nicknamed one friend “Skinny Paula Dean” because honestly she can make just about anything healthy from scratch. Take the raw milk yogurt for example. She also made home made bread, and brought homemade ice cream from home that she had also made with raw milk and home made vanilla extract. Oh my goodness! It was delicious!One morning she toasted homemade bread, topped with smashed avocado, egg and preservative free bacon. It was divine! I believe we ate better at the camper than we did while we were out.
The trees are so awesome at the Battery.
One friend had never been camping or to Charleston which birthed the idea of going. Tami is the most familiar with the area and she made sure our sister got the full experience of this historic gem. We did a self guided walking tour that Tami lead using a book she bought on her last trip there. We shopped in the outdoor market, did a horse carriage tour that Tami interpreted for us. We visited a church and sat in the pew section George Washington sat in. We walked through an old old old graveyard. We toured a magnificent home, a prison/dungeon used in the civil war and walked through the battery. We also took our friend over the huge bridge (where evidently we aren’t supposed to talk- If you know, you know😂) We also saw Folly Beach and the really nice pier there. My favorite part was seeing the Angel Oak Tree. I’m going to write a separate blog on that part. It was incredible.
After our horse carriage ride.
One of our friends documented it all in pictures. She has such an eye for detail and sent the pictures pretty much in the order they occurred but adding others pictures in kind of shuffled the chronological order but the trip is seriously worth it’s own photo album.
Liza and Leasa trying to make the fire alarm stop blaring while Tami’s cooking on the camper top range 😂My sleeping quarters. The table that became a small bed.
The one down fall of an otherwise perfect week was I missed my quiet times in the morning with the Lord. My eyes were so “spent” on communicating with sign language. When I went to sleep at night I read a few verses one night but was tired. Saying a short prayer I went to sleep. I’m thankful that God speaks through multiple ways: through nature, through history, through the Holy Spirits guidance in dealing with situations. I thought on more than one occasion while away, that the people we interact with see our responses and our manners. I hope to be a light to those around me. Do they see Jesus or do they see a tired frustrated person? Life lessons abound everywhere we go if we are willing to let God reveal them to us. It is such a humbling honor to walk with the Lord each day and try to be all He calls me to be. It takes humility and putting others before yourself. It means letting others have their way, but in doing so it keeps the peace.
I’m thankful for my Bible study group who are like sisters. I’m thankful for God’s guidance each day and His gentle correction as we fall short, get up and try again. He is so faithful.
In the next few days I want to reflect on seeing the Angel Oak Tree. That will be my next blog….. Coming soon. I love sharing what God puts in my heart. I certainly can’t do this “on the fly” but when I’m still before God. I pray it’s a blessing to you. If you like it, please feel free to subscribe and pass it along to bless someone else. We all need encouragement. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. I hope it inspires you to never give up in hard situations. God is always there to help us. Surrendering to Him years ago was the best decision I’ve ever made. Be blessed and better yet, be a blessing.
What a fun adventurous morning with friends kayaking down the Catawba River. My friend Leasa and I had been wanting to kayak on the river side of the Wylie Dam. Today was the day. We met our friend Tami and her husbandTerry, bright and early at the dam.
It was a perfect clear sunny morning, only about 73 degrees with a light breeze. Leasa and Tami took one truck to the stopping point down the river. Terry and I paddled around for about 45 minutes until the other two came back. It’s been a while since it’s rained and the water was low. I didn’t realize how rocky it was out there until I was out in the middle of the river. Kayaking with my low vision is a little bit tricky. Being the first one on the water, it was slightly unnerving to realize I could not see where I had gotten in and noticed all the rocks. Oh Lord have mercy and where was Terry? I didn’t see him at first but then I saw his red kayak and thank God it was red. I can see that color better.
Once Terry was close by, I explained I was wearing my old cochlear implant processor. I can’t hear well with it but I can hear some. I could hear water coming over the dam but couldn’t really see it. He told me to follow him. He was my GPS/ navigation system around the rocks. I stayed out of trouble following him. There is just something about the water and being in nature. It was simply peaceful.
Photo credit Terry Peoples
Tami and Leasa finally got back and we all set off down the river. Tami and Leasa would tell me different things we were passing. Tami spotted a few turtles and Leasa spotted a bird. There was even an outdoor church setting along the river. They warned me when more rocks were coming up and I would paddle behind then. Down the river, over the rocks, through a few rapids and under two bridges we went. I did run into a few rocks and it made me laugh out loud. I had so much fun.
Photo credit Terry Peoples
It is neat to know a little bit of the areas history. The Catawba Indians used to trade along the river. There is a really nice paved walking trail called River Walk right beyond where we got out. There are a few signs that tell you the history of the Indians in the area.
I’m thankful for a fun experience with friends today. Great friends who are mindful of your limitations and want you to experience all the aspects of fun times are true gems. God has blessed me with quite a few and I am forever grateful. I can’t wait until our next adventure. So thankful Tami’s husband came along to make sure we girls stayed safe on the river. Leasa somehow managed to fall out of the kayak when she hit some rocks but Terry helped her. Tami and I completely missed her spill. Too bad it’s not on video. Until next time…..
If you liked this blog post please subscribe and share. I’m thankful for this gift to share when God puts something on my heart. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. (Hard cover soft cover, and e-book formats.) I pray it gives you great hope and courage to surrender to Jesus. He is all you really need. All for the Glory of God. Be blessed!
Amazed at the beauty of the lake (Photo credit Leasa P)
Yesterday I FINALLY got to try out the “new to me” kayak. Someone gave me a used Equinox 12.0T two person kayak back in April and I’ve been waiting patiently for someone to go with me. Not knowing the ins and outs of this particular kayak, I wanted someone who knew the sport to come along. Yesterday was the day.
My friends Tami and Leasa were my “Ubers on the water”. With my low vision and hearing combination it’s safer for me to go in the two seater. Tami and her husband have gone for years so we wanted her to come along for our “trial maiden voyage”. I bought life jackets and whistles. Weather was perfect and very few boaters, so all went fairly well.
We put the kayaks in at Nivens Landing in Tega Cay and paddled down to the dam on the south end of Lake Wylie: part of the Catawba River basin. I remember this stretch of the lake pretty well. We used to sea-doo in that area for years. I saw houses that I called “landmarks” to me simply because I could see them and it helped me to know where I was on the lake. We also passed a small island that I had completely forgotten. Tami and Leasa saw a big bird at the top of one tree on the island. There must have been a nest up there. Oh the treasure they have of good vision.
My Ubers 😎
As we got closer to the dam we could feel the suction of the water. I’m assuming the dam was opened .We decided to turn around and head back toward where we got in. Once we reached Nivens Landing, Tami was surprised at the amount of water in our kayak. In her one seater, holes go straight through the kayak and are not plugged. In my two seater all the plugs were in. I’m assuming as water got in from paddling or wakes, there was no place for it to drain out. The thought of that is slightly unnerving and paddling without any plugs in is downright intimidating. We will try it again on the other side of the dam that is popular for tubing and kayaking and decide whether to keep it or not. I’m going to do some research.
It is such a joy to be out on the water. I always feel so close to God in His beautiful creation. Being mindful of my limitations, I watch the surface of the water for wakes and know when engine powered vessels are passing. I also wore my old Niada cochlear implant processor. It doesn’t work well but I can hear some voices and environmental sounds with it. Of course I could also smell gas when boats and jet skis passed by. With my low vision and hearing, I use every bit of the working senses I have so I can enjoy the treasure of nature.
Truth be told, having to go in a two seater makes me feel like a “bird in a cage”. ( Perhaps that should be my next blog topic. You would be surprised at how confining limitations can be.) Going with a partner, I have to match the paddling, speed and direction. Yesterday I just copied Leasa’s paddling and knew which direction she wanted to go. Going solo I would be free!
Today my husband Ron and I looked at some one seaters. We wanted to see the drainage holes and compare the weights. So many pros and cons. As we research we will find the best fit. I believe I have found a hobby that I truly enjoy. Now if I could just get Ron onboard. He prefers things with engines. I’m thankful friends enjoy going and there is always hope Ron will eventually like it. This girl can dream.
If you liked this blog post please subscribe and share. I’m thankful for this gift to share when God puts something on my heart. You can find my autobiography Rooted by the Water on Amazon. (Hard cover soft cover, and e-book formats.) I pray it gives you great hope and courage to surrender to Jesus. He is all you really need. All for the Glory of God. Be blessed!
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