FReeper Canteen ~ Sunday Chapel ~ GOLDEN MOMENTS ~ 12 August 2018

Serving The Best Troops and Veterans In The World !! | The Canteen Crew

[Kathy in Alaska]

 

 

 

GOLDEN MOMENTS

Once upon a time, there was a little boy from "the wrong side of the tracks" who grew up admiring a beautiful house high on the hill overlooking his town. Fortunately, he never lacked for any of the necessities of life, but he hated being "poor." He noticed that people treated him differently, and it pained him to see his parents work so hard just to make ends meet. It just didn't seem right that some should be so favored and others should have so little. But his parents has instilled some rather clear "core values" in their son so that he grew up honest, persistent and a hard worker.

All the while, the boy kept looking up at that big old house on the hill. He noticed that, when the sun came up each morning, the windows seemed to turn to gold. And after a while, that house came to symbolize all that he had missed by growing up a "disadvantaged child." (He heard his counselor at school describe him that way once.) So, year after year, he grew more and more determined. Someday, he resolved, he would own that house with windows of shining gold! And life would be good.

After a while people began to take notice that the young man worked hard, learned quickly, and could be trusted with responsibility. They nodded their heads in approval, and reckoned that he would go far. Meanwhile, he just kept working... and looking up the hill.

Years passed. The boy grew to be a man. And those painful lessons of his youth, learned through years of sacrifice and self-denial, served him well. He developed a keen sense for business. And a heart of compassion for those less fortunate. He seized each new opportunity for advancement, saved his profits, and invested wisely. Before long, his ventures began to succeed beyond even his wildest imagination. And so it was that he finally realized his dream. He bought that house high on the hill. The one with the windows of shining gold he had admired so long.

But a strange thing happened as he walked through his new home that first time. Oh, he wasn't disappointed. It was a beautiful house...perhaps even more than he had realized. The rooms were large, the furnishings he had chosen were magnificent, and the view was spectacular. But as he looked down the hill toward the town, it was late afternoon, and the sun had begun to set in the west. Suddenly he spotted his boyhood home. And every window was gleaming like the brightest gold!

Can the destination be reached without the journey? Could this man have fully appreciated his status without the struggle? Or was that struggle really a "gift" in disguise, as much as health or opportunity or natural ability? Were there blessings he could have enjoyed all along? You decide.

And what about our journey...yours and mine? What struggles have stimulated our growth and development? How has pain and hardship been part of a process to make us stronger or better or more open to God? Could that be part of the reason the Bible tells us to "give thanks in all things"?

In his book, Invisible Lines of Connection, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner writes that, "The closer we are to what is happening, the more we believe we are in complete control. The farther away we get, the more we are willing to acknowledge the participation of something greater." May God guide us as we ponder, and discover His leading in our lives, and give thanks."

CAPT J. David Atwater, CHC, USN

 

[Kathy in Alaska]

So glad the smoke has gone. Hope that means the firefighters are getting a handle on the fire.

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

THANK YOU
for your service!

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

I hope you’ve had a nice, do-nothing day. After the crazy week at work, a day of relaxation is due!

[radu]

Well howdy there, JJ! *HUGZ*

I hope things are fine and dandy with you these days.

[radu]

Howdy, PRO.

Were you able to get your work finished at a decent time yesterday? No more holdups like Thursday, I hope.

Has your cool-down moved in yet?
It was pretty nice on the mountain today - - 82 degrees with a stiff breeze from the north - - but 90 down here when I came home.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, mountainlion, and a Blessed Lord’s DAy to you and yours.

More power to all our military men and women in their search for that better life. And we thank them for helping keep all of us safe.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, ML...((HUGS))...and a Blessed Lord’s Day and Shavua Tov to you and yours.

Any relief from the heat? We are expecting/hoping for rain in just a few hours, “they” say.

[Kathy in Alaska]

God Bless our military men and women who have given their all.

Thanks, unique.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Thanks, Military Families, for your service to our country.

John Conlee ~ They Also Serve

[luvie]

Howdy, radu!

Hope your day at the museum was fun today and that it was a bit cooler as you did your work!

It was lovely here and now it’s RAINING!! I’m lovin’ it! Not sure how the kittens feel. They are no where to be seen. LOL!

[Kathy in Alaska]

To our Military -

Thank you for protecting us. Sleep well and safe.
May you be protected. May your families' hearts be at ease.

Thank you to our Allies.

**********************************

To those of our Military and Allies who gave their all,
- May your souls rest in peace. May your families be comforted.
May your/our country always remember.

[Kathy in Alaska]

The Lord's Prayer

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Luv, and a Blessed Lord’s Day to you and yours.

Thank you for the hymns.

[radu]

Howdy, LUV!

It WAS cooler today, at least on the mountain. It was pretty toasty down here when I came home this afternoon.

It was an interesting day at the museum. I cleaned more “stuff” than articles of clothing today.
Not as many visitors as usual but the weather was so nice everyone was probably doing yard work and such. Lots of mowing needed after the rainfall this week.

Glad you’re getting rain tonight. WOOHOO for that!! I hope you get a bunch!

[mylife]

http://time.com/5356601/best-time-to-see-2018-perseid-meteor-shower/

[mylife]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=ioepc2HhSuA

[luvie]

You’re welcome. Thanks for a beautiful chapel...and I hope you have a Blessed Sunday, too. Hope no homework ruins your peace! :)

[luvie]

Awesome that your time on the mountain was cool! Amazing the difference a bit of altitude can make!

Hubby just threw out .3” and it’s still raining...slow and still. Perfect evening. if I didn’t want to get soaked, I’d love to sit out in it! Well, and then there are the mosquitoes.

We put the cat carrier that we had on the front porch for our cats...who never used it.....in the back and hubby said there were at least 3 little sets of shiny eyes in it a while ago. :)

Sounds like it was a great day at the museum even though it was slow. What kind of stuff did you get to clean today?

[Kathy in Alaska]

I went into work for a couple hours today and brought some work home...I may or may not choose to work on it. d:o)

[luvie]

I hope you choose not to. They make you work too many off-time hours. It’s not good for your relaxation! Of course, it is payroll week, huh. Ugh!