What do we celebrate on Thanksgiving? When I was a little girl, the front of the church would have a beautiful assembly of pumpkins and squash and corn stalks. Even then, it warmed my heart. We would sing a song about the harvest being gathered in, and it seemed so big, like a great accomplishment. And I would think of the glass canning jars filled with peaches and tomatoes that lined the shelves of the "turntable" in my mother's cupboard....so heavily laden I could hardly make it spin an inch. Harvest....that was what Thanksgiving was about. Everyone gathered together in … [Read more...]
...the sacrifice of family and even life, for liberty of a people and a nation. Thank you! I pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all. Let freedom ring! Diane To receive bits of inspiration like this in your inbox or reader, subscribe now. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Thanks so much for reading! Please stop by Longaberger … [Read more...]
Joy Day! My favorite day of the week. The day when we count blessings.... ...the good things and the not-so-good things. The day we acknowledge The One who loves us beyond anything we can imagine. Everyday my husband drives through what is called a greenway. The mountainside is immediately on the right and and the gorge to the left on portions of the road. It's beautiful. And true to its name in the spring and summer. He sees lots of wildlife. And dead deer in the fall and winter. Everyday he prays that he won't hit one of those graceful creatures with … [Read more...]
We all do it. We look for the brightest and prettiest....set them up nicely...maybe we even create a tableau to admire. We don't stop there. We place "ours" alongside. And then we do it. We compare. Comparison. It can be our appearance, our house, our blog, our kids, our art...you name it. Theodore Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy." How quickly we spiral downhill. It can almost be a free fall. I found myself there today. It's a ploy of the enemy. And I fell for it. I knew better. I knew what to do. But, I … [Read more...]
Some days my heart is heavy. When I have a day like that, I go for a walk in the woods. There I feel the awesomeness of God and his presence. Concerned about the future? Things wearing on your mind? Trust God. In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. Psalm 25:1 He already knows the future and he's already there loving and protecting and fighting for you and me. Just like I used to tell the kids every week... "I know I can trust God no matter what." What's weighing on you right now? Will … [Read more...]
Joy Day! This past week began for many with fear and trepidation. For some of us touched by Hurricane Sandy, the forecast was fierce compared to the wind, rain, and snow that actually pelted our homes. For others of us, the toll was unimaginable. My heart goes out to all those affected. I cannot imagine being without electricity, water, or heat for a week, or being displaced from my home and facing the ordeal of clean up and renovation or demolition and rebuilding. Together, let's pray hard for continued protection, provision, strength, wisdom, and joy for … [Read more...]
Day 31 Wow! Thirty-one days straight. Sharing my heart and my photo art with you. It's been joyous and grueling. Through this time I've discovered that no post is quick for me. From start to finish, I find that it takes about four hours, minimum. That's a big chunk of time. It's worth it to me if you have been encouraged or inspired in some way. I've said before, this blog is not all about me. Just like my life is not either. As I come to the end of this series, there is one thing I want to know. Is there a sweet fairy godmother somewhere sprinkling star dust or leaving lovingly … [Read more...]
Day 29 What do you think when you read about someone celebrating their 6 month anniversary, or any increment of time other than the once-a-year variety? Maybe you've done a little eye rolling, like me. Then again, why not celebrate goodness in our lives? Really. Are you wondering where I'm going with this? Today is the six month birthday/anniversary of the first post I published at An Extraordinary Day. Shall we call it a Blogiversary? I remember the excitement and the wee bit of fear and trepidation I had as I hit the publish button. My words flinging themselves off into the great … [Read more...]
Day 28 If you knew you were fully and completely loved.... Would it change the way you live? Would you think more highly of yourself? Would you be more confident? What would be different? We have an amazingly faithful, extraordinarily loving God who created each of us uniquely and is head-over-heels crazy about you and me. This week you may feel... anything but pretty... or that no one cares or notices you... or that you can't bear another burden... or that ___________ (you fill in the blank)... or maybe all of … [Read more...]
Day 27 The other day I had the privilege of sleeping until 9 o'clock in the morning. After staying up until 2 something in the morning writing a 31 Days post. Ahem. Always upon rising I walk to the great room window to look out on the world. That day, I could not believe my eyes. The light was exquisite! Immediately, I grabbed my camera, stuffed my feet into my red Sloggers, and dashed out the front door. The last thing on my mind was being concerned that my neighbors would wonder about me wandering around the front yard of another, taking photos in my jim jams. The … [Read more...]
{Day 26} Have you ever seen an eagle in the wild? I've been to several wildlife sanctuaries and have seen birds of prey in huge cages. Those birds were tethered or caged because they had been rescued and were not ready to return to the wild. It's amazing to see such incredible birds up close. And yet, it's equally difficult to see them without the freedom to soar. Today as we were driving along the gorge I spied a magnificent bald eagle. He was sitting on a branch no more than 30 feet from the road. Often I have spotted hawks, falcons even, but never an eagle. My heart … [Read more...]
Day 25 It's hard to believe. 25 days in a row. Writing. Blogging. Doing my best to inspire myself and you to live an extraordinary life. These 25 days have required a lot of discipline on my part. With just 6 more days to go...I am truly glad that I made the commitment and have stuck to the challenge. If you've been following along for a while, you might remember that I had two laptops that crashed. Despite that, I went ahead with 31 Extraordinary Days. I've been writing and editing photos on my husband's laptop in the evenings and his day off. It has been … [Read more...]
Day 24 October is an Extraordinary month. It's the month when my world is aflame with color. Mornings begin with fog and sometimes frost. Many mornings the sun shines bright and warm and the frost melts into gazillions of water droplets. Indian summer comes in the afternoon. The sun sets by seven o'clock and the moon shines clear and bright. As the night temperature drops, the fires burn bright in the hearth....resisting the chill in the air. Lurking around the corner is the season of gray and white. The dreaded frozen flakes may make an early surprise appearance in this … [Read more...]
Day 22 The other day I was scrolling down my Facebook feed with an attitude. If you're a Facebook regular, especially if you have a fan/biz page, you may be experiencing a number of Facebook unpleasantries lately. I confess, I was irritated. And then I scrolled past a post with this quote by Adele Basheer: "What you think, you create. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you become." Who am I becoming? The last thing I want is my curmudgeonly thoughts to produce negativity in my interactions, creativity, and who I become. It's amazing how quickly I can let … [Read more...]
Day 21 This morning I got up early. Living with a mountain to my East it's darker in the morning than anywhere I've previously lived. As I looked off in the distance I saw just a glimmer of light where the mountain dips a bit. Then, I turned away and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. Just a bit later I returned to look out the window. The clouds were pink and violet as the sun was beginning to rise above the mountain. It was glorious. I grabbed my camera and hurried back to the window.... In just those few seconds that it took me to crank open the window, … [Read more...]
Day 20 Today was Tim's day off. Generally we like to do something special....after a few chores are completed....like raking countless tarp-loads of leaves. Oh...no....raking the leaves wasn't the something special! Haha! After the chores we walked to a local Italian restaurant for a late lunch. I had been fretting that I didn't have all my 31 days blog posts planned and didn't know what to do. I wasn't feeling very creative. Then, Tim had a fabulous idea! Since he … [Read more...]
Day 19 "Creepy!" That's what I said when my friend handed me a sandwich bag full of fingers. Yes. Fingers! Later that day I called my friend to tell her I ate a finger. Ewwwww! I couldn't eat more. Not because it wasn't tasty. It was very tasty...almond flavored even. Have you ever eaten a finger? This was my first. Are you still with me or are you grossed out? I hope you're still here because I have a few fingers left to show you. And the recipe to make some yourself....if you're so … [Read more...]
