2021 "TOP GUN" MOMS!

I thought we could say Good-Bye to 2021 by looking at a Mother's Love in the world of Nature. I hope Ewe enjoy the selections for
"Top Gun" Moms & pray for Ewe to have a Happy & "Spiritually" prosperous 2022!

My Mom can detect my smell from 100's of other pups!

MOM! , I'm Still HUNGRY!

The Harp Seal Mom made the cut this year for one of the "Top Gun" Moms. This Mom is the "Mother of Nursing Moms", feeding her pup 48% fat seal milk continuously for 12 days without taking one break for herself for meals! This Mom will lose an average of 7 lbs. a day, while her pup will gain an average of 5 lbs. per day! It's the kind of Love that "Keeps on Giving"! Welcome to Motherhood!

True Love is found in the Tree-tops!

Did Ewe know that I give birth on a treetop?

Caring for Kids wears Ewe out!

Koala Bear Moms could easily be renamed "Have pouch will Travel"! Rarely leaving the safety of their treetops, these "Top Gun" Moms give birth to blind, hairless, & earless one-quarter inch look-alike replicas of themselves. I may be going out on a limb here, but these moms have to carry & milk their babies, called joeys, inside their pouches, for about six months. Talk about going "Above & Beyond"! Then these super Moms continue to nurture & nurse their joeys inside the pouch, adding a special substance called "pap" to their diet, which prepares them for eating eucalyptus leaves. For several weeks the joeys eat the "pap", which adds necessary bacteria to their intestines, which will aid them in their digestion of the dangerous eucalyptus leaves. After the joeys leave the pouch, they will hang on their mom's back or abdomen for another six months, learning how to grasp leaves with their hands. Talk about being "attached at the hip"!




Bath time is so much FUN!

Mom is such a "HUGE" help!

With MOM around, "Life is Good"!

The African elephant is a great nominee for the "Top Gun" list of Animal Moms. She has to endure a 22-month pregnancy before
giving birth to a 200 lb. blind baby! OUCH! Fortunately, she has help caring for the "little" darling, for the ladies of the herd assist her in raising the calf, in their matriarchal society, a group of females known as "Allomothers," help babysit the young calf, giving Mom a much-needed break. It truly does take a village!



It takes "Gusto" to be a Mom in these temperatures!

Aren't I the cutest thing since "sliced bread"?

I'm exhausted but I still have a "COOL" family!

Polar bear Moms are also on my "Top Gun" list of Super Moms! They have to put on about 400 lbs. of baby weight, or their body will reabsorb the fetus! She will dig herself a "maternity" den, most likely in the snow, where she will hibernate & deliver her baby in her sleep! She also goes without food for the entire 2 months, waking to hungry cubs that are toothless, blind, & adorable. She will stay with the cubs for 2 years before they leave to be on their own.



We are Family! We Hang Together!

I Love Ewe MOMMY! I love Ewe too, Baby!

Motherhood is the GREATEST!

Orangutans are my next choice for my "Top Gun" list of Animal Moms. Orangutans only have children every 8 years, so they view motherhood with anticipation. Their infants are very dependent at birth, clinging to their mother's belly for the first 4 months! This takes extreme dedication on the part of the mom, since she has a "constant companion", wherever she goes, for up to 2 years. This
becomes even more challenging for Mom, since she builds a new nest every day in the trees, & up to 30,000 in her lifetime! The last reason I chose Orangutans is because they will breastfeed their infants for up to 5 years! Now that's commitment!

We stick close to Mama for obvious reasons!

How do Ewe like my little "LAMB CHOPS"?


Sheep enjoy staying in close proximity to their mothers & to one another. Lambs especially bond with their mother's right after birth. They also have the Shepherd to help in their maturing process.

Shepherds Love their Sheep, like Moms love their kids!

Another Shout out for all of the "Top Gun" Moms of 2021!, Thank Ewe God for modeling what sacrifice looks like in the world of animals, as well as in the life of Ewer SON!

"Her children rise up & call her blessed; Her husband also, & he praises her:" Proverbs 31:28

To Resolve,or Not to Resolve?



I said," NO MORE RESOLUTIONS"!

January 1st is a perfect time to take an inventory of Ewer "Life" & set "Goals" for the upcoming year. We often accomplish this through the vehicle of "New Year's Resolutions"! I thought it might be fun to take a closer look at this whole process as we begin a New Year, 2022, together. Before we start, let's see how other places in the world "welcome" in the New Year.



CELEBRATE the NEW Year with FRIENDS!       



HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"If this is to be a Happy New Year, a year of usefulness, a year in which we shall live to make this earth better, it is because God will direct our pathway. How important then, to feel our dependence upon Him!"  - Matthew Simpson

HOW People Celebrate NEW YEARS in other Places:

Every single year, on midnight Germans watch the British show “Dinner for One.” The origin of the tradition is unknown, but it is so popular that even the punch line “same procedure every year” now is a catch phrase in Germany.  




Happy NEW YEAR from Germany!



WOW! Do German's know how to Celebrate or what?

 Ecuador has a unique custom of making scarecrows and burning them at midnight. The tradition says that this destroys all the bad things that took place in the past 12 months. The scarecrow also scares bad luck. This fills their New Year with luck and happiness. 

Those Scarecrows don't look so scary now!


The single women of Ireland wait desperately for the New Year’s night because it is the night that can bring them the love of their life. They place mistletoe leaves under their pillow hoping to catch their future husband.    




This will cause "IRISH EYES" to smile!



On the 31st of December every year, Scottish men parade through the streets holding blazing, round balls of fire. According to the locals, the balls of fire bring purification and sunshine. 



These Scottish men are "FIRED UP" over the NEW YEAR!

A strange and weird Danish New Year tradition is throwing breakable dishes at neighbor’s door. The family with the hugest tower of broken plates, glasses, cups and other crockery is considered to be the luckiest one because it means that they have lots of loyal friends

"Like a GOOD NEIGHBOR, "State Farm" is there"! Happy New Year!

Wearing Polka Dots is what they are doing in the Philippines to welcome in the New Year. They believe that this will bring them prosperity by associating the round dots to coins and wealth.  Also, part of New Year's tradition, is to graze all day on ham and cheeses and all kinds of Filipino food, then top the day off sipping on hot dark chocolate milk. For fireworks, anything loud enough that can blow your ears and fingers off. It proves to be a very explosive New Year!



ALL my Eyes can see are DOTS turning into "COLD CASH"!

In Chile, people are welcomed in the cemetery with light classical music and dim blinking lights making the cemetery their perfect party place. They believe that their loved ones wait for them in the cemetery, and they should start the new year with them.  

Happy New Year to all relatives that are in a "GRAVE" situation!

Finally, it’s a tradition in America to share a sweet midnight kiss with your girlfriend or boyfriend or with anyone you've got with you. This, they say, will make the coming year incredibly beautiful.    

Don't EWE just LOVE celebrating NEW YEARS!
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"He who Aims at Nothing, Hits it!"

Reach out & Touch someone with the "Love of GOD"!

Every year at this time, many of us start the New Year with the hope of improving our lives for the better. We make "sincere" resolutions to change something in our lives that is preventing us from becoming the best that we could be! Webster defines "resolution" as: " the act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem, etc.: the act of resolving something": an answer or solution to something". Here are some examples of the most commonly made New Year's resolutions:



1) Exercise regularly.


2022 is going to be different! I'm going to BIKE more!

EXERCISING more is the "WISE" choice!

2) Lose Weight




I think I "Purr-ty" much overdid it! The DIET starts today!



After dieting, I'll be one "Slick CHICK"!

 3) Eat healthier


Ewe may think I'm "NUTS" but eating healthy is for me in 2022!

I'm going totally "ORGANIC" in 2022!

4) Better work/life balance.


 I'm not going to "Monkey" around with family time!

I promise I won't stay at work as long this year! Does that "SEAL" the deal?

5) Get organized

This paperwork is "RUFF"! I've got to come up with a better system.

I'm drowning in paperwork! I need a new approach in 2022!

Realistically, real change can only take place when there is a change of heart. The only one who can really change our hearts is the Good Shepherd! Resolve to look to Him to make the necessary changes in 2022, & EWE won't be disappointed!


The Lord is teaching me to have more " Self-Control"!

I'm going to worry less about my "Looks" & think more about others!

Sheep are characteristically creatures of habit! "Real" changes
that occur in their lives, will only be as a result of something the Shepherd initiates.


I hope the Shepherd will teach this lamb to "Get Off My Back"!

For a "change", Ewe have to TRUST Ewer Shepherd to "Carry" Ewe!

As Ewe begin the "New Year," live each day knowing that Ewer Shepherd has good changes in store for EWE! Trust Him to bring them about!



"The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." Psalm 119:130


Ewe have to start the New Year off " RIGHT"






Independence Day Musings!

 "Where liberty dwells, there is my country." Benjamin Franklin

Do Ewe think I look Patriotic enough?

"Independence Day" has been celebrated for 242years to commemorate the birth of freedom, as our "nation" officially declared its "independence" from Great Britain in 1776! John Adams, on July 2nd, penned these words in a letter to his wife. "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more. " The day was moved to July 4th to correspond with the much publicized date on the Declaration of Independence. I have gathered some quotes & pictures to encourage Ewe on this very special day in the existence of our country.


We Love the "HOT DOGS" on the 4th of July!

 "One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, One Nation evermore!"      Oliver Wendell Holmes

I Love the USA, but don't EWE think they overdid it?

MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE!

"Action speaks louder than words!"

Never Forget!

It's Memorial Day Weekend, & I thought I would create a Blog to Honor all Veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice. Join with me in celebrating the lives of all those serviceman, who laid it all "on the line" to serve & protect us! God Bless Ewe & Ewer families!



Ewe can't give any more than Ewer Life!

An "Attitude of Gratitude" is always in style!

Thank Ewe for the sacrifices that EWE made for us!

The history of Memorial Day dates all the way back to three years after the Civil War! On May 5,1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans-The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR),-established "Decoration Day", as a time for our nation to decorate the graves of our war dead with flowers. Major General John A. Logan declared  May 30th, as the official date to observe "Decoration Day"! It is believed that the reason for that date being chosen was because flowers would be in bloom across the country.

Take a moment to Remember!

We Salute EWE!

Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington D.C.,was the location of the first large observance that was held in May, of the year 1868.  Presiding over the ceremonies that day was Ulysses S. Grant. After speeches, children from the Soldier's & Sailor's Orphan's Home, & members of the GAR, strewed flowers over both Union & Confederate graves, singing hymns, & saying prayers. Many states dispute over which was the first to observe this practice of honoring their war dead. One of the earliest of these observances occurred April 26, 1866, where a group of woman decorated the graves of the fallen soldiers from the Battle of Shiloh with flowers.

"In everything give Thanks,..."

Our hearts help us to Remember!

About 25 locations have claimed to be the origin of Memorial Day, however, in 1966, Congress, & President Lyndon Johnson, 
declared Waterloo, N. Y., as the official "birthplace" of Memorial Day! A ceremony took place there on May 5, 1866, that honored Civil War dead, by closing businesses ,& flying flags at half-staff. By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30th, across the nation. It was not until after World War 1, however, that they decided to honor all those who have died in all American wars!

" The greatest leader will be the servant of all..."

"Be strong & courageous, do not tremble or be afraid, for the Lord God is with thee..."

In 1971, Congress officially declared Memorial Day, formerly referred to as Decoration Day, as a national holiday, to be observed on the last Monday in May. Also, in the year 2000, to ensure that the memories of the fallen heroes are never forgotten, Congress passed "The National Moment of Remembrance Act",P.L.106-579, creating a White House Commission on the "National Moment of Remembrance". The Commission's charter was to " encourage the people of the U.S. to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom & opportunity", by encouraging & coordinating commemorations in the U.S. of Memorial Day & the National Moment of Remembrance.

"When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I"

We Salute our Heroes & Thank God for EWE!!

When Gen. Logan first ordered his troops to decorate their graves "with  the choicest flowers of springtime", he urged “ We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. ... Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.” Following, about 5000 people placed small American flags on each grave, which became a tradition which is still practiced today. The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause at 3 P.M. on Memorial Day , for a minute of silence to remember & honor those who have died in service to their country. Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada explains: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day."

Happy Memorial Day!