Happy New Year 2022 - Lebanon Bell
First Day of a New Year - 2022! Time to start something new!
This is Day 86 of the Content Challenge. I have been creating a new post to share with you for the last 85 days in a row! I started just before the Canadian Thanksgiving in October and shared about things I am thankful for. Then I shared about things I learned while reading the book called The Miracle Morning and how I added the Life SAVERS to my morning routine. BTW today is Day 57 of following the LifeSAVERS formula each morning.
Next I shared photos of the many mugs I use to hold my morning smoothie and shared some stories that these mugs reminded me of. Then I moved on to sharing photos of all the fridge magnets I collected on my travels before sharing pictures I took while spending time in the mountains at Banff Gate Mountain Resort. More recently I have been sharing some of my Christmas decorations and telling stories about them.
Time for something new on this first Day of 2022.
As many of you know I love playing handbells and I love to travel. Beside fridge magnets, I have collected or have received gifts of bells. So for the next while I am going to share pictures of the bells I have sitting on shelves and furniture all around my condo.
Today’s is one from Lebanon. It was sitting on my dining room table and when I first glanced at it this morning it seemed to fit the Christmas theme because the Cedar Tree on the bell looks like a Christmas tree. But that’s not why there is a Cedar Tree on a bell from Lebanon. The ‘Cedars of Lebanon’ are mentioned in the Bible. Cedars of Lebanon were known as symbols of power and longevity.
At one time many thousands of square kilometers of forest covered most of Lebanon’s highlands. Today only about 17 square kilometers of cedars remain. Lebanon’s most famous cedar patch has been fenced off for preservation since1876. I had the opportunity to visit this site and to see the Cedars of Lebanon. The Cedar is also pictured on the flag of Lebanon.
When I look at this bell I remember my trip to Lebanon and I am reminded to think about the people of Lebanon and to pray for them. I wonder how they are coping with the pandemic, coping with the influx of refugees from Syria, coping with the aftermath of the explosion of the warehouse on the waterfront of Beirut.
On August 4, 2020 a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut exploded causing at least 218 deaths, over 7,000 injuries, and billions of dollars in property damage. Over 300,000 people were left homeless. The people of Lebanon need our prayers.
You can read more about my travels, including my trip to Lebanon, in my newly published book Travelling Tuesdays. Let me know if you would like more information on how to order your own copy.
#livinglifeabundantly #publishedauthor
