Time Marches On

Yesterday I was at a memorial for a friend who's daughter I had prayed for, for several years, while she was out working on her testimony.  It was a happy occasion, because she is with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8) and it was unhappy because she left behind 7 children.

The grandmother, who is my friend, and all the aunts and sisters are trying to keep the children together.  What hard decisions they must face.  I can't imagine all that must be done and grieving too.  The pressure must be unbearable.

I will be praying for this family forever.  ♡

My last post was in February.  We didn't know what was ahead of us that day.  We had just enjoyed Valentine's day and were looking ahead to the next month when we would celebrate our 43rd anniversary.  But within the next week we were spending most of our time at the hospital concerned for my husband's sister. We brought, his Mom and her dog, to our house to care for them while his sister was in the hospital.

Having my husband's Mother with us turned into a very special time.  I am so glad we had the chance to have her with us.  Because a few weeks later she was in the hospital again.  Then a day or so later his sister was back in the hospital. Between the two there was a lot to look after.  Unfortunately my Mother-in-law was never able to go home again.  We had her funeral in April just days before what would have been her 92nd birthday.

It is interesting how you just never know what is ahead.  One minute you are happy and making happy plans and the next you are in the middle of stress and concerns for others or yourself.  You can't worry about it because it won't change things and besides the bible says:

Matthew 6:34 (NLT) “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

But in-spite of having had so much concern and loss this year, and it is only July, I am excited about my life in general and the blessings I continue to receive daily from my Lord.  Isn't it great to be alive and aware of what we are doing and where we are?

I am thankful and confident I will see these two women again. They are in my future.  I am pretty sure it is not the last time I will say good-bye to someone I love.  Knowing I will see them again makes all the difference.

I hope your first 6 months of 2017 is bringing blessings to you too.

It's a blustery day Winnie the Pooh!

When I went out to the mail box just now and I had an old feeling of joy that I used to have as a kid. The sky is full of light grey clouds and the wind is blowing crisp air. There is special brilliance about the day that is not seen when the sun is out.

I remember being a kid and loving days like this. The crispness of the air and the wind blowing on my face and tossing my hair was a wonderful feeling. Trying to keep my dress down, when I was a kid, wasn't fun but somehow I managed. Girls these days are blessed to be able to wear pants to school.

I didn't want to come inside then or today. I just wanted to bask in the crispness of the air and look into the cloudy heavens, thinking how beautiful every day, no matter if it is sunny or cool, windy or calm, wet or dry, is a blessing from God.

And, once again I had that thought: "If this beautiful world is tainted, what must heaven be like? How beautiful it must be, and it is a beauty we can not even dream of."

I hope you enjoy this day and it is more beautiful than you could ever have dreamed it to be.

John 3:16 New Living Translation (NLT)

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave[a] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

Thoughts From Last Year: Planning for the New Year

Thoughts From Last Year: Planning for the New Year: "I have labored most of this day on my message for the weekend. I am supposed to give vision and bring out what the year is to loo...

Thoughts From Last Year: The Journey

God does might and wonderful things for those who follow him.

Thoughts From Last Year: The Journey: "God is taking us all on a journey."  This past Wednesday marks the one year point that started a new phase of my journey. It wa...

One Month

It has been a month and a few days since I posted here.  A few days after my last post I fasted Face Book and without thinking about it, I guess I fasted Blogger too.  Tomorrow is the last day of my fast.  I am glad I did it.  I wanted to have a clear head for the election.  I didn't want to be overwhelmed and too talky concerning the post and comments about the election so God gave me the idea to fast FB.  I could keep my cool, relax and be more in prayer.  It has been a good month.

Another thing I did this last month is lose 10 of a total of 16 lbs. Can't wait to lose more.  I also signed into Bloglovin.  I have seen the widget for many years but never checked it out.  I am not sure why I did finally but when I realized it was a place to go and see blogs I was so excited.  I love blogs.  That is why I used to be a part of Stumble Upon.  I loved being taken from one blog to the next on Stumble Upon and I love hitting next when I am on Blogger just to see what blogs it will take me to.  But Bloglovin is a whole website devoted to Blogs.  I love it.

Well not much else to tell.  Except for this:  I did a bit of sewing this past month.  I made a pillow cover for one of my throw pillows.

I pieced the edges and they turned out pretty good.  The back is solid green.

My SIL and BIL gave us some wonderful bell peppers from their garden.
I had to make Stuffed Bell Peppers.  On I tell you, they were yummy. 

Well that is all my news.  I hope you are having a wonderful month and getting ready for Thanksgiving.  This is some of the best times of the year.  God bless you and enjoy your holidays and every day between now and the end of 2016.  It will be New Year's day before we know it.  It sounds like I am signing off till the end of the year but I am not.  I just think of this time of year as one big block.  To me it is winterThanksgivingChristmasNewYearsday.   I just want to give a blessing each time I post till the new year.

What Would My List Include?

Psalm 71:6 Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother's womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you! (NLT)

I woke up at 4:27 this morning.  Maybe I didn't wake up so much as I was awakened by God.  I woke up in prayer.  But it was worry prayer.  Do you know that type of prayer?  The kind of prayer where you are concerned to the point of distraction?  I was praying for someone else and a problem I am noodling through with God.

After praying and trying to listen to scripture I went on the "This will take my mind off of everything!" web-site -- Facebook.  There I found a link to a blog called Momastery.  Being my first time at Momastery, I looked it over from the beginning and found a list.  I am attracted to list.  Are you?  I like to read them, and to make them.  I wondered at how honest she was in this list.  I wondered if I could do that and put it on my blog.

But this and worried prayer are not why I chose to write here today.  I chose to write today because I feel the need to shout the name JESUS! I feel the need to say, loudly "THANK YOU JESUS."  My life is an open book to Him and I always know I can be honest with Him since He is not shocked.  He already knows before I talk with Him what I was doing, thinking and feeling.

I will probably write a list.  I probably won't post it to this blog.  But, I will talk with Jesus about it.

Thoughts From Last Year: True Direction

Thoughts From Last Year: True Direction: "...love believes the best so I am going against what I think." If we are going to stick with what is real and true ...