What Is Your Favorite Flower?

Here's our first question for the family journals.

What is your favorite flower? Mine is Lily of the Valley. I love the fragrance and the delicate look. The bell shaped flowers remind me of music bells, upside down ones. They are so dainty and feminine and yet they bounce back every year and grow and spread their fragrance. It only takes one plant and then in a few years you have an abundance of fragrant flowers.

I love what 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 says, "But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere, For we are the sweet fragrance of Christ unto God,...it is an aroma from life to life [a vital fragrance, living and fresh]. If we all have a different smell to God, I hope mine is Lily of the Valley.

Then of course, Jesus is called the Lily of the Valley in a hymn.

In Song of Solomon 2:1 "SHE SAID I am only a little rose or autumn crocus of the plain of Sharon, or a humble lily of the valleys that grows in deep and difficult places." How true. The lilies in my yard are going in the shade in clay soil that is dry in one section and in the back yard woods, it is soggy. Yet, every year these lilies come up and multiply and smell delicious. I'd like to be like the lily in that way. To come back from every situation smelling like Jesus.

Wow! This turned out to be a longer post than I anticipated. I was just going to tell you my favorite flower but then I got to thinking and typing and here I am four paragraphs later! LOL. Your answers can be just one word if you desire.

I was posting on the gardening blog last night http://360.yahoo.com/shadescrafts and realized this morning that I had not posted a picture of this tree.

I have three special friends that purchased this Chinese Dogwood in remembrance of Mom. It is in the back left corner of the yard where I can see it from any room in the back of the house and it is visible from the road.

It is supposed to grow 20 feet tall.

Thank you, Christi, Joyce, and Sue!

Winnie Bears

Here they are! All the "Winnie" bear family together before saying "goodbye". Aunt Sharon did an awesome job of making each one individual and to fit the personality of the individual. She spent many hours crafting these bears with love and prayers and I'm sure some tears. She said that she would pray over them at night and the next morning would know just how to dress each bear. Everyone has a clown on the bottom of the foot, except David's. His fabric clashed with the clown so his is on the vest. Each bear has a heart that says "sing, Silas, sing". That was one of the last things Mom told the family. In each bear's pocket is a "Holy Bible" with scriptures for each of us to look up. Dad's Winnie bear is soft and hugable, just like him.

Cindy's "Winnie" bear is all dress up with no place to go.

So she is sitting on the couch watching TV and making sure Keith is behaving.

You can also find her sitting in the family room above Cindy's head, watching over her as she goes about her day.

Did I say she had no place to go? She's already been for a few rides to see Cindy's friends. Aunt Sharon's bears are becoming famous. Chris' bear has the cutest hat and is most adorable.

David's bear has a vest on and seems to have his personality as well.

Sue's bear is sweet, just like her.

Jim's bear is so colorful and playful, just like him. Right Katie? Mike's is dressed in blues. It seems the perfect color for him. Steve's bear in red seems to fit his joyful personality.So send me a comment, family, and tell me where your bear sits. Better yet, send me a picture.

Thank you, Aunt Sharon! We love our bears.

Your Thoughts and Attitudes Affect Others

You are wherever your thoughts are. Make sure your thoughts are where you want to be. (LM 1:21)

How true. Sometimes when I'm thinking about what I need to be doing, I forget to keep my thoughts on what I'm currently doing so I can do it with excellence not just to get it done. Yeah, there are times when things are mundane and our thoughts run away to other places. I'm not talking about those times. It's the driving time when I'm going some place and end up in a different place because of my thoughts. Come on now! You know you've almost done the same!

This goes right along with your attitude affects the atmosphere. How many times have you walked in a room an run into someones anger. It causes you to react in a way that wasn't where your thoughts were until you walked into that person's presence. We need to be more aware of how we are affecting others by our thoughts.

It's Glenn's Day to be a Star

We hope it's a happy one.

Mark Robison

CLEARWATER, FL – Mark A. Robison, 49, passed away after a short illness on Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 4:26pm at Morton Plant Mease Hospital.

He was born February 16, 1960, in Warren, OH, to Beverly and Gerard Robison of Cortland.
Mark graduated from Warren Western Reserve High School in 1978 and Fairmont University in 1981 with a B.A. in Health and Safety. Mr. Robison recently worked at Affiliated Services in Clearwater, FL. He previously worked as a health inspector in Cleveland and then in Tampa, FL. Mark enjoyed sports, especially football, baseball, basketball, and golf. He played football in both high school and college.

Mark was preceded in death by his grandparents, Edwin and Frieda Winger and Glenn and Florence Robison. Mark is survived by his wife, Estelle, and his parents, Beverly and Gerald Robison of Cortland, OH, as well as two brothers, Keith and Cindy Robison of Lakewood, NY and Glenn and Denise Robison of Liberty, OH. He also is survived by a step-son, Robert Kowalczyk, of Tampa, FL and a step-daughter, Amy Kowalczyk, of Clearwater, FL and three grandchildren.
Mark was an organ donor and will be cremated in Clearwater. There will be no formal calling hours. The family will hold a private memorial service later this week in Cortland and a memorial service at Bridge Church in St. Petersburg, FL in the next several weeks.