It all started with an old gazebo tent that suffered damage to the upper frame while being moved. All four sides were still in great condition; gave one to my mother- in-law, sold one, and wanted to use at least one as a garden trellis, but it was hard to find flower boxes wide and deep enough. Also, most large boxes were in the $70.00 - $125.00 range. My husband offered to build one, and it was late in the week, so I asked him if he wanted to wait and see if I found anything at a yard sale. At the time, I just was hoping to get one nice box made to use in front of a stone wall near the entrance to our home.

When we got it home, we starting taking measurements and then it occurred to us that we could make two flower boxes. Taking the selves out, we noticed the wood pieces that held the shelves in. We decided we could cut the bookcase down the middle, in two places, on the other side of those wood pieces and then nail the shelves to the outside.

Now, it may seem strange to pray about finding the right item to use for a flower box, but to explain, I'm learning to go to God with every large and small concern based on the verse, Philippians 4:6, and really try not to worry about anything, especially the small stuff.  After four to five sales, I came across this old bookcase that was selling for $20.00 and I kept looking at it trying to figure out how to make it work as a flower box. It was too big for the area I had in mind, to simply turn over on it's side. It would only work if it was cut in half. The lady having the sale said, "I sell it to you for $10.00, if you're interested." I sent my husband a pic and asked him what he thought. He was good with it, so . . .  SOLD!

You can see we now have two flower boxes, with not much wood left over. Before filling with potting soil, we remembered to drill holes in the bottom for proper drainage.

Here is a view from the back of the bookcase. We used a RYOBI jig saw and safety goggles.

Here is the second flower box on our back porch, filled with Jasmine. Think I will plant some marigolds on the sides.

Can you see the face in the wood grain? To me, it looks like a person smiling while talking into a headset, operating an old phone switchboard. What do you see? 

Very thankful and happy with how well these boxes turned out, I asked God for one and He made a way for two!  And one makes for an interesting conversation piece.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting!
 

A lot has happened since last Tuesday. Susie, Cynthia, Myra, Ethel, Tywanza, DePayne and the Reverends, Sharonda, Daniel and Clementa welcomed a young man to their Emanuel AME church's Wednesday night Bible Study in downtown Charleston, and they didn't make it back home to their families, their beds, their lives like they had originally planned. Things changed drastically, without warning and it left everyone feeling devastated.

Last Tuesday, I felt the nudge to join in on this Tuesday at Ten . . . (I find strength in . . .) phrase challenge by Karen Beth at Finding The Grace Within and wanted to use parts of an earlier post from back in April, The Palms In Psalms Remain Vital and Green but with new pictures of palm trees and added new text.

I wasn't planning on using this pic again, but strangely,  it seemed to have more significance as it was taken in Charleston, South Carolina. With all that happened this week and today being Father's Day,  it seemed timely and appropriate.

​Just like in this picture, storms can come into our lives unexpectedly, devastate, alter our plans and zap us of our strength. However, there is a source for strength that is hard to comprehend until you have experienced it firsthand.

There is just something about palm trees that fascinate me and all I can say is that it must be a God thing. If you ask any follower of Christ, " Where do you find your strength?" They will most likely reply that their strength comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. Okay . . . they may not say it just like that, but hopefully it is plain to see that their strength is of a supernatural kind. And how does one receive this kind of strength?  It is given to those who put their trust in Him and that is exactly what we have seen on the news. We've seen people of different backgrounds praying on the streets of Charleston. We've heard family members of the victims telling the young man, who murdered their loved ones, that they forgive him! That is not normal strength, that is something that goes against how we want to react in our flesh.

I've tried depending on my own strength in the past to cope with out of control situations, but it never played out well. Now, I find my strength in my heavenly Father, for He shows me illustrations through His own creation, the palm trees. They stand tall and can survive hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis and heat. They grow a strong root system, are flexible and don't carry the weight of large heavy branches. The wind can move more freely through their leaves without uprooting them. They find their strength basking in the presence of the sun and even grow stronger after surviving the toughest of storms. Their strength is not their own but rather given to them by their designer, their creator.