Video shows a huge bolt of lightning strike a sailboat

She called the storm. The gales of wind, the

bolts of lightning, the rage of the sea that 

was both prison and protection.

Heaven and Earth

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A passerby recorded a bolt of lightning striking a boat docked in South Boston in a video obtained by CNN affiliate WFXT.

The owner wasn't on the boat and no one was hurt.

CNN

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“I imagined it, and almost before I realized, 

a bolt of light shot out of the sky. A black bolt of light,

barbed like an arrow. I sank Zack’s boat,” she said with a weak smile.

“Nobody was in it, but they could have been. He could have been, and I

wouldn’t have been able to stop it. No control, just anger.”

Heaven and Earth

Saint Christopher Medal

Althea shifted, crossed her legs with a rustle of silk. The silver dangling over his shirt 

was a Saint Christopher medal, she noted. The patron saint of travelers. 

She wondered if Mr. Nightshade felt the need for spiritual protection.

Nightshade

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By UsnGMan - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18081774

The Catholic Church honors medals as a form of religious protection. These medals often represent one of our many beloved saints, one of which is of Saint Christopher. The Saint Christopher Medal is one of the most popular around the world because of his significance in the Catholic faith.

The Saint Christopher medal is believed to protect the wearer on his or her travels. For this reason, many people wear Saint Christopher pendants around their necks, on their wrists, and some even hang the medals in their cars!

Who is Saint Christopher?

McVan Blog

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There was the usual pile of loose change on the dresser, along with a

Saint Christopher’s medal. She remembered the gris-gris in his glove

compartment and wondered how many other bases he’d covered.

Heaven and Earth

Spring Flowers in Winter?

She'd take cuttings and root them, 

force bulbs so that she could have

spring any time of year she liked.

Born in Ice

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By https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixel_addict/ - 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixel_addict/384732136, CC BY 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17076396

Bring spring indoors early for winter color and fragrance

After all the Christmas decorations are packed away the house looks drab. So instead of letting the winter blues kick in, we make our rooms warm and inviting with flowers. We force the usual amaryllis, paperwhites, and tulip bulbs, but we also force branches into bloom to add even more color and fragrance to our suddenly quiet home. It is very satisfying to sit in our breakfast room early in the morning and observe the daily progress of forsythia buds as they swell and burst open. We cannot think of a more economical way to raise our spirits.

Fine Gardening

How to force Bulbs?

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“My mom goes for tulips.

She—what do you call it—

forces the bulbs in little glass jars 

every winter.”

Heaven and Earth

Women are aging alone more than ever

“I’m happy,” she told him. “I tend to be a happy person, and I learned 
how to be happy on my own. It was good for me, to have that time, 
to find out a little bit more about myself. What I could do, 
what I could do without.”

Chasing Fire

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By Alexandre Godreau alexandre_godreau - 

https://unsplash.com/photos/lbhVDNb5JRU, CC0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61829641

Figuring how to make it work

There are challenges — and rewards — to going solo.

mother nature network

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She waited until she thought that Lulu had had time enough to get home from the bookstore but not enough to settle in too comfortably. 
After she’d waded through the lawn art, adjusted her eyes to the 
virulent colors that Lulu habitually selected to paint her house, 
and knocked on the back door, Ripley was pleased to see her timing was good. 
Lulu had changed out of her work clothes into a sweatshirt that read, 
“Coffee, Chocolate, Men . . . Some things are just better rich.” 
She had an unopened bottle of wine in her hand and was wearing ratty red slippers 
and the faintly irritated look of a woman who’d been interrupted.

Heaven and Earth

Upgrade Your Valentine's Day Flowers

“You want romance? I could bring you flowers.” 

“I don’t have anything to put them in.” 

The Obsession

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Vincent van Gogh [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

(Hint: It's All About The Vase)

There’s a reason why sending flowers for Valentine’s Day never gets old: People love them. As a Rutgers University study points out, subjects receiving flowers responded with more-heartfelt smiles than those gifted candles or fruit baskets—and they even remained happier for the next three days compared to the control group, too.

FORBES

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“Absolutely. You put those flowers in something pretty now. 
They’re too sweet to  stay in that old bucket.”


Heaven and Earth

Valentine's Day Gifts For Someone Who Hates This Holiday With A Passion

“But you didn’t have to bring me flowers. I don’t really go  in for the whole Valentine’s gig.” 

“Yeah, crass commercialism and blah, blah. So what?” 

He made her laugh, and she stopped feeling silly.

Heaven and Earth

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By Marco Verch - Heart shape foil wrapped chocolate, CC BY 2.0, 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57307153

If you really want to shower this person with love, figuring out the perfect gift for any hater starts with a simple question: Why do they hate Valentine's Day? Now, you have something personal to work with. There are so many reasons to dislike the festival of love: outrageous consumerism, corny quotes, high pressure, a reminder that you're forever alone...

Get to the root of why this person hates Valentine's Day and you'll be able to pick out a gift that they can actually use, with some real sentiment to back it up.

ELITE DAILY

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And there were the tulips, the charming explosion of them, taking over her  dresser. The air was sweet with them. 

“Valentine’s Day’s just a racket,” she said out loud, then gave up. 

“But it  really works.”

Heaven and Earth

Valentine's Day Love Stories

But it was Mac who walked in,  behind what looked to be most of Holland’s supply of tulips. “What’re you doing, going into the florist business?” 

“No.” 

He crossed to her, held out the rainbow of spring flowers. 

“Happy  Valentine’s Day.” 

“Oh, well. Wow.” 

Even as her heart went soft as putty, her stomach jumped. “Um.” 

“You say thanks, and kiss me now,” Mac told her helpfully. 

“Thanks.”

Heaven and Earth

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By Public domain image released on German CD "Chip Foto-Video 09-2005
"Original image from http://www.bildtankstelle.de, 
Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=815645

19 True Valentine's Day Love Stories

MSN