five special people......

at Colonial Williamsburg.
Erika took her three up to
Lanexa
to visit with Amanda's two.
3+2=5
Wish I could have joined them.

"Children,
obey your parents in the Lord,
for this is right.
Honor your
father and mother,
which is the first commandment with promise:
that it may be well with you
and you may live long on the earth."
Ephesians 6: 1~3

bye~bye september...
you passed on so quickly.

have to see it to beleive it

David is over in Israel.
He is sending,
via his iphone,
daily updates
of all of his comings and goings.

This is my favorite picture...
The Cana Wedding Wine
First Miracle Souvenir Shop.

Trying to process this....
so much to think about in that title.
It shocks me.

you know you're from savannah if....

....you had a Starland Dairy hayride for your birthday party.

Okay,
some of you have wondered,
"why does cathy
always make such a huge deal about her birthday?"
Well here is the answer.....
My mom
was known
for throwing wonderful parties
and for making the best cakes in Savannah.
So there.....
I got it honest.

This birthday was in 1953...
my fifth.
That's me in the very center,
front row,
surrounded by all of my dear friends.
Lou,
that's you,
second from the left
studying the girl sitting beside you.
I am sitting by Jimmy,
my "bestest boyfriend."
Marion Waters is there
along with Suzanne Moore Birch.
I am still studying the picture for further identifications.

I love the second picture....
there is so much to see.
We all look completely sad and dazed...
too much cake and ice cream you think?
I am sitting by my dad,
who,
of all things,
has a pipe sticking out of his mouth.
I never knew he smoked a pipe.
And those birthday hats....
what a hoot.
They all say something different.
My mom,
the one with the huge pompadour,
is holding Trish, my cousin.
And what is that I'm holding?

What fun I have with old pictures!!!!

L'Shana Tova!!!
cathy

don't wait another day

".....Behold,

now is the accepted time;

behold,

now is the day of salvation.

I Corinthians 6:2

Believers

sometimes have a hard time

understanding why

"everybody"

doesn't believe the teaching

about Jesus in the Bible.

To me it seems so

plain and straightforward;

so amazing.

I read and read

and seek to know more about

Him.

I never get finished with His book.

But I have to remember

that the things of God

are spiritually attained.....

"But

the natural man

does not receive the things of the Spirit of God

for they are foolishness to him;

nor can he know them,

because they are spiritually discerned."

I Corinthians 2:14

Without the Spirit of God in your

heart,

soul,

and mind

there is no way

that you can understand His word.

Call out to God.

Ask Him to give you His Spirit

to teach you His word.

He will.

He will be most pleased to have a 

teachable heart

to pour His truth into.

Today is the day of salvation.

Don't wait another minute.

cathy

*picture & kids courtesy of Erika.... 

special people

Loving
this great big old
black sky
loud thunder
zig-zag lightning
heavy
wonderful rain
we are getting!

Above is a collage of some of my facebook friends.
I am so thankful
to be connected
in some way with each of them.
I love facebook!!!
Even with the new changes
It just keeps getting better.

Look at these verses....

Your testimonies are wonderful;
therefore my soul keeps them.
The entrance of Your words give light;
it gives understanding to the simple."
Psalms 119: 129~130

Read your Bible.
Even the simple can understand it
so the verse tells us!

Used the Ipad today to Skype with David in Israel.
Amazing!!!

a very happy orca whale

Mark & Amanda
Jake & Eli
at Sea World this past week.
Love you guys,
all five of you!

Erika & I found a new favorite place to visit in Atlanta.
Uptown,
near the Georgia Aquarium,
is Westside Urban Market.
We ate at Yeah Burger!
Best onion rings ever.
Star Provisions won me over.
Could have stayed in that store forever.
I bought a cool "eleven sign."
They have my favorite meringues
in the bakery shop too!
Can't wait to get back.

A couple of months ago
when Bub and I went to Atlanta,
I bought a real nice pair of reading glasses
and managed to lose them almost immediately.
I was very happy just now
when they turned up
in the glove compartment of our van.
Obviously,
they were found during the recent detailing process.
I thought they were gone forever.

David has arrived safely in Tel Aviv
for all who have been asking.
He is touring the
Holy Land 
for two weeks
with Doug Bookman & company.
It took him forever
to get to leave the good ole USA yesterday.
He spent three hours on the plane at JFK
waiting for an engine repair.

One more thing....
spent all afternoon with Estelle
organizing her front bedroom
for some changes that are coming.
I have to admit,
when I first walked in,
I was overwhelmed,
but soon my "love of organizing gene"
kicked into action and it became fun.

Helping others
always brings blessings!
cathy

*still feels like summer here....I am so glad.
 losing daylight very quickly....makes me sad.

posting from my ipad

In Atlanta, Georgia,
at a Hampton Inn
on North Druid Hills Road.
Erika at Emory with Harry.
All five of us are in the same room.
Amazingly, we slept all night.

Testing to see if I can post from my iPad.
This is a first for me.
(Looks like it posted just fine)

Going back to Savannah
this afternoon
after a little bit of shopping.

Really like my new hot pink stylist.
Makes using my Ipad so much easier.....
Cathy

ps...got home at six!
Love my home!

pss....going to bed at 8:30....
flat out beat I am.

psss....Bubba got my van detailed while I was gone.
What a man!!!!

touring....

...today & tomorrow with
Erika,
Lucy,
Harry,
 &
Gus.

"All our perils are nothing,
so long as we have prayer."
Spugeon

lou & i

We've been friends
since we were three years old.
She lived in the big house on the hill.
I lived in the house on the corner.
The sidewalk
on our block was almost worn out
from our comings & goings.

After high school graduation,
she left for Atlanta and became a nurse.
I stayed in Savannah and became a teacher.

We've keep in touch through the years,
but last Wednesday
over in Bluffton, South Carolina,
we came together,
just the two of us,
for the first time in many years.

We sat and talked for over three hours
and we both left wanting more.
We had barely scratched the surface of our lives.

I will say this...
I love you Loucinda
and I cherish your friendship.
What a friend...
what a great friend you are.
cathy

perseverence

This periwinkle
is literally growing
out of a crack in the concrete
at my Dad's house.
It comes back every year.
Not only does it grow,
but it flourishes.

I think
that living the Christian life
is difficult.
Oh,
it is filled with blessing upon blessing,
but at times it is just plain hard.

The Bible commands us
to do things that go against
our natural human tendencies.
It is hard....
to love your enemies,
to do good to those who despitefully use you,
to return good for evil,
to turn the other cheek.

But we as believers
are called to persevere....
to aggressively take hold of the Christian life.

"Therefore,
having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have access
by faith
into this grace in which we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 
And not only that,
but we also glory in tribulations,
 knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
and perseverance,
character,
and character,
hope."
Romans 5: 1~4

When I saw those periwinkles this morning
 I said, "there is my blog for tonight."
Those flowers grew and bloomed
in spite of dark
harsh
and impossible conditions. 
They found that ray of light
and grew toward it.

Tribulation (suffering for being obedient to God's word)
produces
perseverance (steadfastness)
which builds our
character (Christ - likeness)
which gives us
hope.

And listen to this...
"Now hope
does not disappoint,
because the love of God
has been poured out in our hearts
by the Holy Spirit
who was given to us."
Romans 5:5

 Friends,
Our hope is in Christ alone.
There is no other hope but Him.

friends from my calvary days

That would be

Nacy Fountain Barber

yours truly

&

Beverly Thompson Hathaway.

Beverly and I

 drove down to Brunswick, Georgia,

to meet up with Nancy

who was vacationing in Fernandina, Florida.

I chose the restaurant

where we were to meet

 off of the internet,

sight unseen. 

It sounded great....

The Lemon Pepper Grill. 

Sent everyone directions

to meet there at 11:30.

Always

wanting to try something new & different,

I was very proud of my selection. 

Well,

you know,

 the Bible says

"Pride cometh before the fall."

There was no Lemon Pepper Grill on Newcastle Street,

and no one had ever heard of such a place.

So much for my very cool selection.

Thankfully,

we met up with Nancy,

  quickly decided to have chicken salad on bagels,

and proceeded to enjoy

a 2.5 hour lunch

consisting of non-stop catching up of the last 40 years.

What a joy!

Nancy was delightful

and

Bev & I got all caught up on the drive to and fro.

Plus,

I found a wonderful store

that I just have to get back to.

I thank God for all my friends,

because friends are wonderful,

life-long blessings.

cathy

assurance of salvation

Know then,

for one thing,

that

assurance

is a thing to be much desired.

It gives joy and peace in believing. 

It makes us patient in tribulation,

 content in trial,

calm in affliction,

unmoved in sorrow,

 not afraid of evil tidings. 

 It sweetens our bitter cups,

it lessens the burdens of the crosses that we bear.

It smooths the rough places on which we travel,

it lightens the valley of the shadow of death.

It makes us feel as if we have something solid beneath our feet

and something firm in our hand,

a sure Friend by the way

and a sure home in the end.

Assurance

will help a man bear poverty and loss. 

Assurance

will support a man in sickness.

Assurance

will give you songs in the night.

And, O friend,

when your turn comes to die,

Assurance

will comfort you

 and bid you safely over to the other side.

Mrs. Peggy,

you have shown me the way to face death.

Thank you

from

Heading for Heaven

by JC Ryle

just look at those eyes

Yesterday,

Bubba and I kept the children

so that David and Erika could have a day together. 

I had Lucy and Gus...

Bubba had Harry.

Gus was absolutely great,

but he refused to sleep.

Those big, gorgeous eyes

were not about to close

and miss a thing.

He,

not me,

was completely in control.

I turned the afternoon into a

photo-shoot.

Took lots of pictures

of the little guy

because he was in such a good mood.

Not to be out-smarted,

he managed to be wide awake

when his parents

came home after 8:00 pm.

He even got to spend some time

sitting outside in the cool breezes

watching

Lucy & Harry play.

What

10 month old

can go all day without sleep

and never fuss one time?

August David Cleland,

that's who....

.

"Eye has not seen,

 nor ear heard,

nor have entered into the heart of man

the things which God has prepared

for those who love Him."

I Corinthians 1:9

the happiest day......

of Harry's short little life.
Every one of his wishes came true.
He was even gracious when he opened his new clothes.
You can look at his face and see the delight.
And,
He is quite good on the guitar.....
Start working on
#5
little man.
We love you!

happy birthday harry

We've had you around for four years now
and what a blessing those years have been.

In just a couple of hours we will celebrate with you
and rejoice once again that you are ours.

You don't know it yet but
you are getting the
big "Buzz Lightyear."
Yes the one with sound and lights.
You have wanted it so long
and have been so patient.

And yes....
Your cake has a dolphin on it,
just like you requested.

At four years old,
you are the kind of boy who...
starts at the other end of the house,
builds up a head of steam running,
and launches yourself into my arms,
laughing hysterically
and saying "I love You Gram."

You are the kind of boy who....
upon entering my house
filled with people waiting to eat a meal,
says this,
"Grammie, will you please read me this book?"

You are the kind of boy who
loves lavishly,
hugs frequently,
is often found up in a tree.

You are growing taller and stronger each day.
You love books,
and you have captured your granddaddy's heart.
You like to eat corn on the cob
and you know for sure
that grammie
will always have
some kind of treat for you after you eat your meal.

O sweet little boy,
henry douglas cleland,
we all love you so much
and our lives are so much better because of you.
grammie

the heart of the matter

I have been caught up in an endless cycle of
doctors,
tests,
and then waiting for results.

Made the mistake of mentioning
to my Dr. Mark
that I was having a very infrequent pain in my jaw.

Next thing I know I have an appointement with a cardiologist.
Evidently,
and I didn't know this,
a pain in the jaw
is one of the leading indicators
of an impending heart attack in women.

So bright & early
this past Monday morning
I was in for the dreaded "stress test."
Couldn't eat or have my coffee.
At 10:30 I finally mounted the
"treadmill."
Started walking faster & faster
and uphill at an alarming speed.
Five minutes later I was passed out cold in a chair.

Sure that I had failed the test
and was headed for
immediate open heart surgery,
I made my way home
to await the dreaded news via my cell phone.
At this point I claimed Philippians 4:6
and moved on with life.

Two days later I get the call....
Mrs. Cleland, your heart is perfect...
no blockages, it's running like a well-oiled machine.

Well blow me down.
Why did I faint dead away?
Must have needed coffee really bad.

Okay,
I am done with doctors for a while.
No more tests are needed.
I am healthy as a horse and very thankful.
cathy

next time.....

Jesus is coming as King.

2000 years ago,

as the passage from yesterday stated....

He came to

suffer

&

die.

"but made Himself of no reputation,

taking the form of a servant,

and coming in the likeness of men,

and being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself

and became obedient

even to the point of death,

even the death of the cross."

Why?

God chose

His Son Jesus Christ

to bear the penalty for our sin nature

(that we were born with)

in His body

so that we

could be brought back

to a right relationship with our Creator.

Jesus died on the cross,

was buried,

and rose again on the third day

victorious over

sin,

Satan,

and death.

Forty days later,

 Jesus

ascended back to His Father in heaven. 

As He went up, 

these words were said by two men in white apparel......

"Men of Galilee,

why do you stand gazing up into heaven? 

This same Jesus,

who was taken up from you into heaven,

will so come in like manner

as you saw Him go into heaven."

Acts 1: 10~11

The first time Jesus came as a servant.

When He returns again,

He will come as King.

"Now to the King

eternal,

invisible,

 to God who alone is wise,

be honor and glory

forever and ever. 

Amen."

I Timothy 1:17

*All biblical truth is spiritually attained. 

If you are interested in knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,

pray

and ask God to give you the gift of the Holy Spirit

who is the One

who gives wisdom and understanding of the truth of Scripture. 

 Also,

prayerfully read the gospel of John

 whose writings

give a very clear picture of who Jesus is and what He did.

I pray for all who read my blog.

cathyc 

"let this mind be in you....

which was also in Jesus Christ,

who being in the form of God,

did not consider it robbery

to be equal with God,

but made Himself

of no reputation,

taking the form of a servant,

and coming in the likeness of men.

And being found in appearance as a man,

He humbled Himself and became

obedient to the point of death,

even the death of the cross.

Therefore

God also has highly exalted Him

and given Him the name which is above every name,

that at the name of

Jesus

every knee should bow,

of those in heaven,

and of those on earth,

and of those under the earth,

and that every tongue

should confess that

JESUS CHRIST IS LORD,

TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER."

Philippians 2: 5~11

Hallelujah!

"Even so come quickly Lord!"

happy grandparents day

When I was born I had five grandmothers....
two grands
two great grands
&
one great, great grand.

That's me,
sitting in my great, great, grandmother's lap,
wailing away.

Look at all those corsages....
it must have been Mother's Day, 1948.
That would put me at 3 months old.

Proverbs 17:6 says that
"Our children's children are the crown of old age."

I agree....
cathy

PS...speaking of blessings,
listen to
Blessings by Laura Story.

go dawgs....

Sad night in this house.
Bulldogs lost again.

But...
the moon is beautiful
and life will go on.

So...
that's all I'm writing tonight.
cathy

tire swing fun

Some things about God....

"For His eyes are upon the ways of a man,
And He sees all his steps.
Job 34:21

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways,
declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
and My thoughts higher than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55: 8&9

When what is going on in the world
doesn't make sense to me anymore
(which is almost all the time),
I quote the above verse from memory
and it puts everything in perspective.
God is sovereign (He is in control).
He has had a plan from the beginning of time
and we are just living in this part of His plan.
We can rest in Him...
We can completely trust the
great God
who made heaven
and earth
and all that there is therein.

"I, even I,
am He who comforts you."
Isaiah 51:12

"Turn to Me and be saved,
all the ends of the earth:
For I am God and there is no other."
Isaiah: 45:22

I was going to skip all over the Bible
and write verses about our God,
but I got stuck in Isaiah.

What four great truths
to take to your sleep tonight.

what is this?

Last evening,
we were down at our condo on Tybee Island.
The sun was heading
to the other side of the planet.
It had just emerged from some pretty deep clouds
when I snapped this photograph.

It looks like a Disney princess to me....
What do you think Lucy?
Could it be Cinderella Harry?
Eli, I know you like princesses too...
what do you have to say about this image?
And Jake,  
I know you don't care a wit for princesses,
but what are your thoughts?

I am amazed and mystified.
What say you?

name in the sand

When you

inscribe your name in the sand,

you know

 it is transitory.

The faithful tide

is sure to come back

 to wipe its slate clean....

to make ready

for another day

of frail humanity bending down,

and with a finger, 

declaring their existence

on the

everchanging shore.

The music that I am listening to right now is so beautiful.

cathy

a day on the island

We did nothing even coming close to

labor

on this beautiful,

sun-filled holiday.

Off to

 Hilton Head

for a late lunch at

One Hot Mama's.

Delicious bar-b-que...

with a little

Mexican flare.

Outstanding!

Thankfully,

most of the tourists

were exiting as we were arriving.

The island was

quiet & subdued,

just the way I like it.

At Harbortown we

shopped,

ate ice cream,

and let the children

play

on that wonderful play-ground there.

Back in Savannah,

we had missed a strong blow

and

a torrential rainstorm.

"He who heeds the word of God wisely

will find good,

and whoever trusts in the Lord,

happy is he."

Proverbs 16:20

So true is this verse!

Happy Labor Day

Cathy

sunset coming down

"The eyes of the Lord

are in every place,

Keeping watch

on the evil

and the good."

Psalm 15:3

"who, being loved, is poor?"

Bubba

took this picture

while we were on the beach last night.

Sometimes,

throughout our marriage,

I ask him to answer this question....

"Why did you want to marry me?"

Consistently,

and without fail

he has always given the same answer.

"I married you because of your great personality."

Even now,

after forty-one years,

I still can't figure that out.

I have an idea

that

it is because I make him laugh.

Last night,

 coming home from the beach,

he decided

that he needed to add some

KK doughnuts

on top of the crab legs he had eaten earlier.

I protested,

he prevailed.

After that purchase was made,

I preceded to busy myself

with cleaning the sand off of my sandals

 and putting them back on my feet. 

He was telling a long tale

and I had my head

in the foot of the car

too long for him.

He asked what I was doing

and

when I came up,

I had put my shoes on the wrong feet.

They looked riduculous and we both burst out laughing.

Maybe

that IS why he likes my personality.

Who knows?

cathy

crab legs at charly's....

and a low tide
sunset
walk on the beach....
it don't get much better than that.

It's past my bedtime now,
I'll post more pictures tomorrow.
cathy

what if i told you.....

.... there is a book

that tells you how you can live forever.

You would probably race out to the nearest bookstore

and buy it as quick as a wink.

Amazingly,

there is a book like that,

the Bible. 

The books above

are on the shelf behind my computer.

I have read many of them

and refer to others quite often.

These books hold many treasures,

but,

there is no book like

the Bible.

"These things I have written to you

who believe

in the name

of the Son of God,

that you may

 KNOW

that you have eternal life,

and that you may

 continue

 to believe

in the name

of the Son of God."

I John 5:13

This truth

is spiritually attained.

Ask God

to give you His Spirit

so that you can

understand

& believe

on the name

of the Son of God.

Praying for you

tonight!

cc