I John 4:10 on 4/10/09

As many celebrate on this day the death of Jesus on the cross, we need to be reminded in the midst of all the commercialization and degradation of this most holy of seasons what the true meaning of Good Friday and Easter is:

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins"

He said that greater love hath no man than this - that a man lay down his life for his friends.

We weren't born his friends, but his enemies - because we were born in sin - yet he counted us as his friends when He died for us! Isn't that love?

You're Next In Line...

I was reading Sheila Bragg's recent post on ActiveRain regarding our responses to the challenges of life, and she said PUSH! (pray until something happens), which is just how every circumstance of life should be faced. As I was thinking about what she said, it brought to my mind an old Shirley Caesar song - You're Next In Line For A Miracle. This is for everyone and anyone who is going through hard times right now - whether they be financial, emotional, physical or spiritual - just keep on believing in God and know that you're next in line...

Youre Next In Line For A Miracle - Shirley Ceasar

Waterbury's Best Kept Secret...

It has been sitting there for probably as long as Waterbury has been standing.

I have known about all of Waterbury's neighborhoods all of my life - except for this one, and I have to admit, my jaw dropped when I saw it. Not even Country Club, with its half-a-million dollar homes, can compare to this neighborhood. Not even close.

I happened to stumble across this hidden gem of Waterbury's neighborhoods because I was showing one of the houses there to one of my clients - and even they didn't know that it existed.

Nestled along a bend in the Naugatuck River right before you get into Naugatuck, lies the Platts Mills neighborhood. The scenery is absolutely bucolic - peaceful, serene. You can watch the river leap incessantly over the rocks in its onward march towards the Housatanic, the ground carpeted with pine needles lightly browned by age. Seeing the sunlight glint off of the glistened rocks carries you backwards to a time when you could be carefree. I really wish that I had my camera on me when I was there.

You can just imagine in warmer seasons people in the neighborhood bringing out picnic baskets and setting down blankets to sit and enjoy the day. I can see the elderly neighbors easily taking a stroll along the neighborhoods' seven streets, and not even geting tired. Yes, one could actually walk this neighborhood in about all of 30-40 minutes tops, without even breaking a sweat.

The best thing about the neighborhood, besides the gorgeous scenery, is that the houses are absolutely affordable. Not only are they affordable, but they are an eclectic mix - of colonials, and ranches, split levels and capes, and even a duplex or two - and they are not, from external appearances, run down. Just from the house that I showed to my clients (which was vacant, and still intact! - no missing copper, etc.), I would surmise that very little work, if any would need to be done on any house in the neighborhood besides regular upkeep and maintenance.

If anyone is looking for a conjestion/traffic free area in which to raise a family, to send children to the best possible school (I believe either Tinker or Gilmartin are the public elementary schools for this neighborhood), with plenty of yard space for play, and a nice, friendly atmosphere, then the Platts Mills neighborhood of Waterbury, CT is definitely the place for you.