Thursday, April 22, 2010

Azalea Garden At Bryan Park










































Last week, Doug and I spent the afternoon with Savannah at Bryan Park, Richmond, Virginia. We wandered through the azalea gardens. Each color unique. I wondered how many times we run past the beauty of GODS creation? How many times do we take it for granted?

Let's slow down and enjoy all that HE has given us. Let's savor the sweet smell of HIS presence in our lives!

By HIS mercy and in the grip of HIS grace,

Andrea

57 comments:

Gin Hansson said...

thanks for always dropping by and leaving inspirable messages.

Hugs and kisses... God bless

BLUEBUTTERFLY said...

Andrea, I love those photos, and, yes...I plan to make today slow.

Be blessed beyond measure.

Denise said...

Amen, so very beautiful.

Just Be Real said...

Andrea this is lovely. At work someone did a devotional on the beauty of the different types of smell. Blessings.

Diana said...

They are so beautiful Andrea! I have a red and a pink one! They are a delicious blessing for sure!
Love Di ♥

Terry said...

Howdy Andrea
Blessings to you sweet lady :)
What a gorgeous post .
I love your precious little one checking out those beautiful flowers.
If only we all stopped along the way each day to enjoy God's gifts the world would be a much happier place.
Your photos filled my day with abundant joy.
Thank you so much for sharing.
My Mom has been really ill this past week ,today she was called back into the Dr's. office for another transfusion.
I will be really slow on visiting for awhile as I continue to try and help out my parents.
Remember you are in heart and prayers !
God bless you and yours today .
Big hugs from Texas
Happy Trails

Girly Muse said...

Absolutely gorgeous and a wonderful reminder to stop and enjoy the flowers...

RCUBEs said...

My mom loved flowers and just could grow anything she wanted to grow, blooming plants especially. This post reminded me of her passion. She is the blooming flower in my life that I miss. Beautiful pics sis and Savannah is so cute! God bless all of you.

Vickie said...

So so beautiful! thank you for sharing them with us.

Blessings,
Vickie

Samantha said...

Such a beautiful post and pictures !
Savannah is adorable and the flowers are lovely.
God is so good, hugs and blessings to you dear friend.

Anonymous said...

Oh, azaleas... such a beautiful flower and oh, the colors. I miss Virginia for being able to see the beauty of those bushes bedecking yards everywhere. Rhododendrons, too!
Thank you for sharing your Savannah and the flowers.
loving you, ~ linda

Cheesemakin' Mamma said...

I love these types of flowers. Unfortunately, they don't grow very well around here. But thanks for posting these beautiful flowers on here for me to enjoy :)

One Prayer Girl said...

These pictures fill my spirit to near bursting. I remember the azaleas, hydrangeas, dogwood, and cherry blossoms of my youth in and around Washington, D.C. I miss those sights so much it nearly breaks my heart. Enjoy every moment for me. Thank you.

PG

Heart2Heart said...

Andrea,

Well said and I wholeheartily agree with you. Last night I got to enjoy a magical moment as God showed me snow fall last night because I knew in the morning it would be all gone. What a nice way to show me something special. I just needed to take a look and saw a beautiful gift.

If you get a chance, stop by and participate in some of my giveaways, most of them end this weekend! I'd love to have you join!

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Letherton said...

I stumbled across your blog and wanted to say hi.
Take a minute an check my blog out
I have lots of great giveaways going on.
Thanks :)

ethertonphotography.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

I love this thought: "Let's savor the sweet smell of HIS presence in our lives!" Your pictures of God's creation are beautiful!! God bless!

David C Brown said...

These are blessings, and we should enjoy them from the hand of the Creator. Though He has greater blessings for us in Christ!

Katia said...

Amen! Beautiful pictures, I love flowers. Blessed be the name of our Creator who has given us such beauty. May we always take the time to appreciate all He has created.
Blessings,
katia

Sonya Lee Thompson said...

This is so true. We can get so busy that we miss out on the beauty of His creation, too!

Sonya

Nikki (Sarah) said...

these are amazingly beautiful and Savannah...the prettiest...your words are like fresh water.

Shelby said...

Amen to slowing down and savoring His presence. For far too long I was too busy and for most of the past few weeks I've been in too much of a daze but as things settle, I'm beginning to gain a new appreciation for all that He puts in front of me.

Dawning Inspiration said...

A fabulous idea - to slow down and NOTICE!

Debra@CommonGround said...

What a precious photo, she's such a little doll. The azaleas are just priceless, I love them but never have been able to get them to thrive. I'm planting challenged at times. It's all just gorgeous, AND Amazing about little Amden, God is at work for sure!!
hugs,
Debra

Joyce said...

The beds of flowers look so fluffy, soft and beautiful! xo

He & Me + 3 said...

Absolutely beautiful. I love all the colors. It amazes me how some flowers come in so many different colors. I just love this time of year. Stopping to smell the roses and appreciate the creator.

Rita said...

We do need to slow down and take in His beautiful creation. I love the picture of Savannah smelling the flowers. May I use it on one of my posts and link back to your blog?

chocolatecovereddaydreams.blogspot.com said...

Beautiful azaleas! Plus a great reminder to breathe in the fragrance and beauty of nature.

travelmom said...

Thanks for stopping by, Andrea! This is the time of year I am "awakened" again by the striking beauty of our home, and the constant reminder that all creation bears testimony of the designer.

Blessings,
Lori

Old Time Cindy said...

Beautiful words and photos...
Country Blessings,
Cindy

Kelly said...

I have been there many times! It is beautiful. Do they still have the azeala cross? I grew up in that area.

Savannah is a cutie!

Jeanette Levellie said...

I love azealeas!!! This sounds like a wonderful outing. It's great you are teaching your baby to appreciate God's handiwork.

Love you, dear,
Jen

Nancy said...

Gorgeous pictures of azaleas. Such varied colors. I recall so many walks through flower gardens when I was young. God is such a wonderful creator.

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I love azalea when they are in bloom. Have a blessed weekend.

Danae Hudson said...

Thank you so much for your words. I can't even explain to you how much they meant to me. :)

Beth E. said...

Gorgeous! I miss Bryan Park so much. We used to go there almost every weekend when we lived in Mechanicsville. The Azalea Garden was the highlight of Spring for us! :-)

Donna said...

Andrea,

I too live in Richmond! I have never been to Bryan Park though. I will need to go by there. Thanks for the reminder that we need to "slow down and enjoy all the HE has given us." He truly has given me so very much!

Teresa said...

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!! So beautiful!

LeeAnn@Encouragement Is Contagious said...

Awww Savannah is a beautiful little girl and I love this picture of her smelling the flowers. So precious.

It is so easy to miss blessings like smelling the flowers when we don't stop long enough from our busy schedule...and God gives us such beautiful things so that we can be refreshed along the way when we do stop and smell the roses.

Have a great weekend Andrea!

Lee Ann

Karen said...

Beautiful photos...

Savoring His sweet smell...

Heidi said...

Lovely, such pretty colors! Thanks for sharing your outing to the gardens with us!
Have a great weekend, thanks for visiting the other day, and your sweet comment.
XO
Heidi - Heart and Home

Wanda's Wings said...

It good to see God's beauty!

Andrea said...

Isn't God more than amazing? Thanks for sharing your heart and the beauty of His. And, your Savannah is lovely!

Andrea

Simple Home said...

Beautiful photos Andrea. I'm catching up on reading, so glad to hear that Amden is doing well. Your post about choices was a wonderful one, although I was sorry to read about how your sister lost her life. Thank you for sharing your life with us.
Blessings,
Marcia

Tea with Tiffany said...

I never tire of seeing color in nature. I so love flowers. :) I love the Creator of all colorful things.

koralee said...

I pray I can slow down this weekend and enjoy what He has given us. Love being sent your way..xoxo

JD/ Jill said...

Beautiful photos, and a wonderful blog you have here...thank you for stopping by my blog and leaving the nice comments...Hope you have a wonderful weekend...

Kathleen said...

How beautiful! Having grown up in the Pac NW, azaleas & rhododendrons were common sights. They make me think of orchids.

Enjoy your travels amidst all God's creative wonders.

Kathleen

VKT said...

These photos are absolutely beautiful. My azaleas are beginning to lose their blossoms, but I have truly enjoyed them while I could. God has given us so much to be thankful for.

Blessings precious lady

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Beautiful photos. I love the colourful flowers.

Becky K. said...

Sweet photos. Lovely flowers and child. We are hoping to get to Winterthur before the Azaleas are done.

Becky K.

christy rose said...

Oh my goodness! So beautiful! the flowers and Savannah!! :)

Shadow said...

wow, oceans of colour... stunning!

Saleslady371 said...

Beautiful flowers! I was just visiting the Flower Fields in Carlsbad CA and my heart soared!

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

What a perfect day!!

lso so glad to see the update on mden and how well he is doing. We will keep praying that he outshines every hope and dream for his very precious life.

Love,
Sonja

Karen said...

SO VERY BEAUTIFUL! What a great time you all must have had in the garden.

Aine Willis said...

Beautiful pictures as always. Thank you for always coming to my blog and praying for my niece, Hope. You are a blessing to me. Aine

Barbara said...

What beautiful pictures...I just love spring!