Friday, August 12, 2016

Three Things That Should Be Illegal ...

I got home late this afternoon after helping with all my kids for the past couple of days.  The drive home
took 3 1/2 hours -- normally an hour & a half drive...
bumper to bumper traffic heading southbound on the interstate.
Maybe the traffic was my distraction today... I sure was heartbroken to leave them.
Lucy & Tag both were so sad --- Tag hugged me and whispered
"you can't go... you take such good care of us" ---
and when Lucy hugged me, she whispered in a broken voice
"I miss you already... I wish you could stay"
Simply. Heart. Broken.

Jacqueline has bronchitis
Lucy has bronchitis and strep throat (Tag says "struck throat")
Tag has pneumonia (Tag says "men-own-ya")
Michael had a back procedure yesterday in the middle of all of this


And so, Granny has come to the conclusion that three things should definitely be illegal ---

*** Four year old boys should NEVER have pneumonia
(no need to elaborate on this one)

*** Mommas should NEVER be sick the same time their babies are sick
(Mommas need rest too when they're sick)

*** Dancers should NEVER be so sick that they're expected
to lay on the couch to recuperate
(their legs are made for dancing & stretching not for laying still)


I love these kids
heartbroken when I left them today
sure pray they all get better soon









Tuesday, August 9, 2016

August Gifts --- Everyday Thoughts

August 8 ... 3 Gifts in Summer
 

Living in the Land of the Free ...
celebrating our country's freedom on July 4th ...
with fireworks (albeit from Walt Disney World live stream)




Summer salad with a glass of iced tea
and
beautiful flowers









August 9 ... A gift hole, whole, half


Dan & I hiked Diamond Head in Hawaii two years ago.
At the top of the crater ...
the hole ...
the view ...
totally worth the hike
His whole thoughts of me ...
I am His
I am His child


My better half for almost 33 years!



I hope you'll find the joy and gifts that God has for you
in every moment of every day.

Be blessed, my friend!

I'm going to be out for the next few days ---
taking care of 3 of my precious gifts ---
God bless!




















 






Monday, August 8, 2016

Gifts in Water and in His Word ...



August 6 ... 3 gifts in water

We moved to our current house about 16 years ago. Our daughter was starting her freshman year of high school, and we did not know anyone else in our subdivision. Our little corner is almost 3 acres and is a little secluded. Dan & I decided that we wanted to be "the house" for youth activities & friends to come enjoy. Our above ground pool has gotten tremendous use of these past years ... and this year it has brought great enjoyment to Lucy & Tag when they visit.


Another "gift in water" ... is my Granny's dipper. I've always loved to drink water even as a little girl. My Granny had her water dipper hanging over her sink... that dipper was there to give a cold refreshment to whomever walked in her back door --- and it was her measure to water her flowers throughout her yard ... every morning and every evening.


Perhaps the greatest "gift in water" ... is simply the cleansing --- our physical body as well as our spiritual body.  My body always knows when I haven't drank enough water throughout the day. I always feel so refreshed with a glass of ice water.
I still remember my spiritual cleansing ... my baptism.  There was a creek behind my home church and we always had baptisms there. We would walk across the old graveled parking lot and down the little slope to the banks of the river. My Uncle Don would assist our pastor --- I was locked arms with the pastor's daughter ... her daddy held her and my uncle held me as we were spiritually cleansed through the suffering of our Savior.





August 7 ... 3 gifts in His Word


His Word is our direct link to learn more of Him ---
His ways --- His road to our salvation


His Word gives us examples of saints of the past --
and how to live in our world today


His Word gives us promise ---
 and that's perhaps the best gift of all


 

And here's 3 of my gifts from God who are in need of prayer ...



Jacqueline has bronchitis
Lucy has bronchitis and strep throat
Tag has pneumonia
It's certainly hard to see them so sick --- Tag has been sick for a couple of weeks now ... and Lucy & Jacqueline have been on & off sick for a while now.

Thank you for your prayers ...

Praying you have a blessed week,
my friend!












Thursday, August 4, 2016

Outside ... Inside ... Upside Down

~~~ August 5 ~~~

A gift outside ... inside ... upside down


I stand in awe of God's wondrous creation.  It completely astounds me how He simply
 breathed ...
and created ...
and it was good ...
Just to take a simple walk down my driveway to pick up my mail can turn into one
of my most favorite parts of the day.
Trees providing a canopy to highlight a small little speck of His breath that He has provided for my family to enjoy ...
Squirrels scurry up & down and all through the covered woods to find their food along with a little playtime of chasing their critter friends all around the cover of fallen debris...
Deer families are brave enough to come up to our sidewalk to feast on our roses & shrubs (much to our little grands' enjoyment yet at their Grandad's dismay).
Birds singing ... butterflies fluttering throughout ...
sweet family times in our backyard pool ...



My "inside" gift is one of tradition ... the four walls of every place where I have ever lived ... all of which have cultivated the one thing in life that matters most ---
relationships
I can look back at each place I have ever lived in and I can recount how my relationships have grown within each of those walls.
I have precious keepsakes throughout my house from my childhood through today -- soon will be 52 years worth of memories ... the good, the bad, the challenging, the growing.
All of which has made me who I am today.



As I think about the "upside down" gift, I just have one question ...
Have I ever mentioned my FAMILY in my posts???
When you're "young & in love", you certainly do not think about how your life will change once you say "I do" ... well, I didn't think about it, anyway.
From the first time I saw this "new guy" at my high school, I had the biggest crush on him --
and it continues ...


and these people contribute to my "upside down" ...



 
 

I hope you can enjoy some time today
as you think of your gifts

outside
inside
upside down












 



Wednesday, August 3, 2016

A Gift at 10am ... 1pm ... 10pm

Today's "3 gifts" of Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts ...





A Gift at 10am, 1pm, 10pm ...

10am ... By this time I have completed my gym routine for the day. I push myself to make a little extra progress each day. As a teenager I wasn't the most comfortable in gym class -- often sat out during any type of group sports yet always wishing that I could be more "athletic" or at least coordinated in class ... It wasn't until I was close to 40 yrs old that I was diagnosed with asthma ... my doctor asked if anyone had considered asthma as the culprit of my lack of physical education commitment ... not back then. Although it's been over a decade, I feel my lungs getting stronger as I journey into this stage of my life.

1pm ... My husband has given me the blessing of being a stay-at-home wife after many years of working -- Dan is my most treasured gift at all hours of the day. By this time of the day, I have had long talks with my Father and continue my growing in Him.  I see His creation that He has carved out for us ... and it is good.

10pm ... The day is behind me -- and "tomorrow" is in front of me.  I am ready for rest to prepare for His plans for another day. I am thankful for my little corner of the world where there's no traffic or noise to surround ... just the sounds of God's creation settling in for a restful night.



Everyday blessings are closer than we think ...
perhaps not wrapped in the package that we have anticipated

but they are certainly wrapped in
His purpose for each of us










Tuesday, August 2, 2016

To Choose Joy ...


Is it just me ... or does it seem that our world has turned upside down?
From the news on tv to my Facebook newsfeed... daily negativity...
where do we turn to find something positive?



And this verse keeps coming to my mind...

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things


One of my favorite inspirations is Ann Voskamp of A Holy Experience.
(She's on all the social media outlets if you're interested in following her)
At various times, I've started her yearly "COUNT 1000 GIFTS"...


... so when better to begin {again}

than now ...


August 1 ... 3 gifts of white ...

Snow ... although I'm enjoying our summer season, I am always amazed by fresh fallen snow --- fluffy & pure perfection --- how awesome that no two snowflakes are alike --- nowhere in this vast world that we live --- from the beginning of time, God has made each snowflake unique

Pearls ... sentimental of the pearl necklace Dan bought me soon after we got married --- I know he sacrificed for that necklace because we sure did not have much back then

White chocolate ... I simply love white chocolate


August 2 ... 3 gifts eaten ...

Egg whites ... one of my most favorite foods

Salmon ... since my childhood of having canned salmon

Breakfast ... I've always loved breakfast food --- Dan & I have made it a priority over the past several years to have breakfast together as often as possible







Re-training our minds & hearts can be a daily challenge in this world of ours ...
but I am choosing joy as often as I can

Negativity certainly exists in the world today ---
but we have the free will to choose the things we think about


What's on your list of 1000 gifts?