Showing posts with label inspiring. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiring. Show all posts

Monday, July 11, 2022

Heavenward ...

“Here on earth, God’s work must truly be our own.”

     ~ from the inspiring Inaugural Address of

     President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

       ~ 1917-1963

     ~ 35th President of the United States of America

        ~ 1960-1963

       & U.S. Navy veteran

An inspiring view of SS. Philip & James Roman Catholic Church in the historic downtown of Phillipsburg, New Jersey on an early July afternoon. The cornerstone was laid in 1860 for this magnificent Gothic structure, & the present edifice completed in 1889.

Phillipsburg, a Delaware River Town, was established March 8, 1861 and named for William Phillips, an early settler of the area.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

The Whisper of God ...

 “Let us be silent that we may hear the whisper of God.”

    ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

    ~ 1803-1882

Illuminated by the setting sun, flowering grasses reach up to almost touch heaven in the soft silence of a beautiful summer evening in late August during the golden hour at the rooftop observation area of Trexler Environmental Center.

Located in the Central Range of Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, the center is at one of the preserve’s highest elevations and one of the spots that offer spectacular views at the 1,100 acre preserve.

 Solar panels provide a significant portion of the energy needs of the building.

When the late General Harry Clay Trexler (1854-1933) established the preserve in the early 1900s, he did it to save the American bison, elk and white-tailed deer from extinction and assure the species’ survival.

A conservationist along the lines of Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir, General Trexler understood the importance of nature and preserving wildlife in its natural habitat.

A successful businessman who amassed a fortune in the timber and cement industries and founded the Pennsylvania Power and Light Company, General Trexler began purchasing small farms in the low hills of Lehigh County in 1906. By 1913, he had transported eight bison and 20 Virginia white-tailed deer to the preserve. The elk followed soon after.

When General Trexler died in 1933, he bequeathed the property to the residents of Lehigh County. Today, the Trexler Nature Preserve is open to the public for passive recreation and nature watching.

Sunday, May 31, 2020

His Eye Is on the Sparrow ...


“…I sing because I’m happy
I sing because I’m free
His eye is on the sparrow
And I know he watches me …”
 ~ “His Eye Is on the Sparrow”
 ~ Gospel hymn
 ~1905
 ~ Civilla D. Martin, lyricist, Charles H. Gabriel, composer
~The hymn is most associated with actress-singer Ethel Waters who used the title for her autobiography
~ Mahalia Jackson’s recording of the song was honored with the
 Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2010

The theme of the song is inspired by the words of David in the Psalms and Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew in the Bible: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” (Psalm 32:8); “Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value then they?” (Matthew 6:26); and “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear yet not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:29-31).

A sweet sparrow eyes the beauty of a late May sunset on a gorgeous spring evening at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.