Category Archives: Nature

Nature art and photo gallery collection relating to lifestyle themes.

Restored and Renewed

Restored and Renewed

“The Early Bird,” circa 1979, colored pencil drawing by Felecia R. Weber, OntheWingofaDove.com

Restored and renewed – life worth living…experience a restorative grace that beckons renewal and refreshment.

“The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings.”  J.M. Barrie, “The Little White Bird”

Restored and renewed – life worth living.  Do you ever question what your purpose in life is?  Do you ever wonder why your life is worth living?  Those are tough questions to answer when life begins to seem like one unending day full of mundane events, peppered with annoyances and issues that cause us a lot of grief.  Or when happy and exciting times start to fade into the background, collecting dust and getting shoved behind the curtains.  What does it take for us to answer them in positive ways?  What is it that causes us to reach beyond the ordinariness of our daily grind…to be restored and renewed – full of life worth living?

Now that the weather has suddenly changed from an almost frigid darkness to a warming brightness, I’ve noticed subtle changes that fill me with the hope and restorative power of spring.  I love to feed the wild birds that find their way to the tree in my front yard throughout the year.  The way they flutter around and gather at the feeder can mesmerize me for several minutes at a time.  During the winter months when wild food becomes scarce, it seems mealtimes at the bird feeder are feverishly hectic.  My little flock of feathered friends seem to frantically wait for me to fill the feeder every day.  Now, however, with the marked onset of warmer temperatures, they seem only to pick, taking a mouthful of seed here and there.  No longer desperate to find food, their frenzied chirps have turned into delicate, soothing melodies filling my ears with a restorative grace that beckons renewal and refreshment.

Like the wild birds feeding outside my home, when we are hungry for restoration and renewal deep within us, we hurriedly hop from one problem or crisis to another.  We try to resolve issues that never seem to end; only to become flustered in the process and not having accomplished anything.  It doesn’t have to be that way, for we need only to ask for help.  God is always there ready and willing to provide the answers and to abundantly supply our needs.  I can tell you this from experiences in my own life.  When I begin to flap my wings seemingly to no avail…I stop and, in faith and confidence, cry out to God for help.  He not only provides the answers, (and always in the most amazing ways, I might add), my heart is calmed and filled with a peace that only He can give.  During those times, I truly am restored and renewed – full of life worth living!

As we enter into this beautiful season, may you pause and seek God’s help…let His love provide the answers that you are seeking and cause you to be restored and renewed as well.

A happy Spring season to you!

Peace and love,

Felecia

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Memories of the Past

Memories of the Past

“Memories,” photograph by Felecia R. Weber 2015, OntheWingofaDove.com

Memories of the Past

I Remember When

January 2015

“Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others.”  Rosa Parks

Memories of the past are interesting…two people can experience the exact same event at the same time, yet remember it completely differently.  Why is that?  Similarly, some people, like my late husband, have what can be described as a photographic memory.  They remember every detail about an occasion that happened years ago, while others can scarcely even remember that anything had ever happened at all.

It seems to me that memories of the past are different because people are different.  What we retain and commit to memory has a lot to do with who we are and how we view our world and others.  What we remember about a particular place in time can also be associated with a person, an object or current experience.  That phenomenon keeps ringing true to me when friends and loved ones express to me what they remember about my beloved Steve.

Many of his former colleagues remark time and again on how they remember Steve being a true example of what hard work and dedication is in the workplace.  His close friends often talk about how much they enjoyed conversing with him, especially because he had such a broad knowledge about so many topics.  His love for God and his devotion to serving Him is remembered by many through the constant witness to his faith that he lived.  Family members remember him as the son, brother, uncle, cousin and nephew whom they loved so dearly.

For me, my memories of the past about Steve are a little bit of all of the above wrapped into the most tender, caring and loving husband I could ever have.  Something else about those memories is that they seem to have the uncanny ability to keep him alive, in my heart at least…and for that I am grateful.

May your memories of the past stay alive in your heart too and become wonderful blessings to your present.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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Christmas Eve – I Remember When

Christmas Eve

“Cheery and Bright,” photograph by Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

Christmas Eve – Not even the fiercest winter storm can penetrate the layers of love that have been woven into the joyful threads of a Christmas Eve night.

“Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl.  But it warmed more than your body.  It warmed your heart…filled it, too, with a melody that would last forever.”  Bess Streeter Aldrich

Christmas Eve…I agree with the author; it wraps each of us so snugly that it warms us straight through to our hearts.  Not even the fiercest winter storm can penetrate the layers of love that have been woven into the joyful threads of a Christmas Eve night. The thought of being enveloped within the delight of family and friends gathered round to celebrate the most wonderful gift we’ve ever been given is certainly something to sing about!

These warm and toasty thoughts bring to mind a story written by Bess Streeter Aldrich, entitled “Journey Into Christmas.”  This story does not begin cheerfully, as the main character, a widow, is left all alone on Christmas Eve for the first time in all of her 60 years.   She spends the evening reminiscing about the many Christmases she had spent surrounded by her loved ones.  She vividly recalls how full and comforted she’d felt during those times, even though each one had a different story to tell; both sad and happy ones.  That particular Christmas Eve also turns into a happy one when she is awakened from her reverie by a phone call that brightens her heart like the many twinkling, colored lights adorning her Christmas tree.  Heading off to bed, she hears the joyous songs being sung  by carolers in the street.  Her heart is once again filled with “that old Christmas lift of the heart, that thankfulness and joy she had always experienced…”*

Christmas Eve, a time to be cherished, a time to be enjoyed, a time that I hope for you, will always warm you straight through to your heart.

I wish you a very Happy and Blessed Christmas!

Peace and love,

Felecia

*From “Journey Into Christmas,” by Bess Streeter Aldrich

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Magi – What’s in a word?

Magi

“Gifts of the Magi,” by Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

Magi…wise men, seeking hope from afar…

Wise men seeking hope from afar.

What was it they sought,

as they followed that star?

Majesty, power, greatness and all?

No, what they found was far greater,

and at the sight; to their knees they did fall.

Majesty, wise men, star, night, humble, royal, Bethlehem, a wondrous sight.

Magi – What’s in this word for you?  If you can tell me, please do!

The Magi were thought to be mysterious and wise.  They followed the star that led them to the place in which they expected to find someone so impressive that they traveled afar, bearing luxurious gifts.  But what they found was a most humbling sight indeed.  For as the shepherds were told, “This will be a sign to you:  You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  (Luke 2:12).  No grandeur, no pomp and circumstance, yet the King of Kings was born…and He still reigns.

The Magi sought Jesus by following a star.  May you seek Him in your own way…and may you find Him.

Peace and love,

Felecia

 

 

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Believing Through the Darkness

believing through the darkness

“Lights in the Darkness,” photograph by Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

Believing through the darkness into the light…what a revelation awaits us there!

“In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”  John 1:4-5

If you’ve been busy getting started on decorating your home for Christmas as I have, you will likely agree on how frustrating it can be to untangle the string of Christmas tree lights before hanging them (or tossing them away!).  The title for this post Believing Through the Darkness came to my mind just at the moment I did grab the trash can and was ready to throw my wad of lights into it.  Taking a deep breath, I decided to plug in the darkened bulbs one last time, and you know what?  The tiny lights seemed to sparkle, as though they were smiling at me.

Believing through the darkness, those times when our lives are not so cheery and bright, can be just as frustrating as dealing with tangled lights.  The thing is, we can’t just toss our lives away now can we?  Nope, we have to live them one day, one hour, one minute, one second at a time. Each increment of time can represent the knots in the string of lights that get even tighter when we tug and pull on them trying to get them apart.  The more we think about a problem that has us completely tangled, it wraps around us so tightly that we become trapped under a heavy coating of darkness that seems to smother us.

When I started tackling my mound of twisted strings of lights for a second round, I took one strand at a time and followed it through to the end.  As I cleared one strand, and then another, it felt as though I was following a unique path full of twists and turns with each one.  The same is true for each of our lives…we travel along dark and bumpy roads, yet when we get to the clear, smooth highway just ahead of us, our journey becomes filled with the warm glow of hope that sees us through to our destination.

I eventually got the lights all in order and strung around the tree.  My frown turned into a brilliant smile, as I stood staring at all of those tiny sparkles that dazzled before my eyes.  What a delight it is to see my little tree standing there, adorned with the twinkling array of colors and welcoming me home when I pull up to the driveway…it is the same glow that fills my heart when I think of the true light that fills my life; who’s birth we celebrate during this Christmas season.

May the life that Jesus Christ offers be the true light that guides you on your life’s journey.

Peace and love,

Felecia

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The Power of Life

power of life

Photograph courtesy of my nephew, Zachary T. Weber

The power of life, the force of our being, that which makes us alive…

“The the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”  Genesis 2:7

The Power of Life

The power of life,

the force of our being,

that which makes us alive.

The physical body is only a shell,

but the power of life makes us thrive!

God breathed life into every soul,

each uniquely and wonderfully made.

Sacred, exquisite, a gift to behold;

life is precious and should never be betrayed.

The power of life, all that I do, all that I am…

God’s hand is in it, that’s true.

He gives me all that I need to grow,

to flourish in life…what about you?

Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

May your day be full of the power of life…live it to the fullest!

Peace and love,

Felecia

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Flourishing Through Our Fears

flourishing through our fears

“No Fear In Me,” photograph by Felecia R. Weber 2013, OntheWingofaDove.com

Flourishing through our fears is not impossible; in fact, it is often times the best way to overcome them.

Fear is an emotion that we’ve all encountered in life.  Whether it be an uneasiness about what is awaiting us around the next corner, or some phobia that can be debilitating enough to interfere with our daily lives, fear is real and it affects all of us.  Of course, a healthy fear of something that will do us harm is a good thing, but what about those things that won’t harm us if we stand up and face them?  Can we flourish through our fears?

Flourishing Through Our Fears

Fear is dreadful when it takes hold of us,

causing us to tremble and scream.

The things we fear rob the peace from our days,

and invade our sleep when we dream.

Fear, you may ask, where does it come from;

the emotion full of darkness and dread?

Some say it is nothing, nothing at all.

For others it is all consuming instead.

Facing our fears, and not letting them grow,

in that way they can’t hurt us at all.

Turn them over to God, He will conquer your foe…

and He will help you never, ever to fall.

Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”  Isaiah 41:10

Flourishing through our fears is possible indeed…especially when we remember that we never have to face them alone.

Peace and love,

Felecia

 

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A Quiet Time

Quiet Time

“Quiet,” photograph by Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

 

A quiet time is all I need to rest, refresh and renew.

“Oh that I had the wings of a dove; I would fly away and be at rest.”  Psalm 55:6

A Quiet Time

I need to get away, I need to rest.

A quiet time will spawn in me my best.

I need to stop and take a break…

a walk in the woods or a swim in a lake.

It doesn’t matter for how long, a day or a week;

it is just a quiet time; that is all I seek.

Too much busyness fills my days, to do, to do, to do.

A quiet time is all I need, to rest, refresh and renew!

Felecia R. Weber 2014, OntheWingofaDove.com

Wishing you much rest today…and perhaps a chance to get way!

Peace and love,

Felecia

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