Are you a sky watcher? When I lived in Michigan, Autumn always brought what we termed "El Greco clouds." One September I spent the month touring the beautiful country of Spain. While there I visited Toledo where I discovered works by the painter from Crete, El Greco. I was fascinated with the cloud formations and unique lighting in his paintings. As we would look westward, in Spain or Michigan, at twilight I would notice that same etherial lighting and magical cloud formations, just as El Greco painted them in the late 1500's and early 1600's. The beauty would make my … [Read more...]
This weekend we hopped in the car and drove to New York State to attend a wedding. The daughter of one of my closest friends was getting married. The weekend weather forecast was perfect.....for Friday. The wedding was scheduled for Saturday afternoon. We checked the weather bug on the iPhone many times. Thunderstorms, 15-25 mph winds, and 100 percent chance of rain for Saturday was forecast...every time we looked. We awoke on Saturday morning to dark, heavy clouds, loud claps of thunder, and driving rain. My heart was as heavy as those clouds. As with every wedding there … [Read more...]
Happy Labor Day! What does the holiday mean for you? An end of summer hurrah? One last day or two at the lake or beach? Maybe a gathering of friends with a fire or cookout? A chance to knuckle down and get a DIY project done? And maybe even for some, it's no different than any other day. There is a bit of history behind Labor Day and why we celebrate it which I won't get into that here. Instead I am thinking, if we have work...be it for someone else or we're our own task master...we are blessed. Recently I heard that the "real" unemployment numbers are more … [Read more...]
Thanks for joining me for another Joy Day! A day where we count blessings. A day where we celebrate God's overwhelming goodness. A day when we take a look around us, with His eyes, and really see. My birthday was a few days ago. It was a great day. And, because it was also Tim's regular day off, we enjoyed the whole day together. Our day concluded with walking "downtown" to the wonderful little Connections Cafe for Sharon's yummy grilled-to-order pizza. I choose mine topped with grilled veggies, Tim choose his topped with mushrooms & spinach. This is the most … [Read more...]
The other evening Tim and I went for a stroll. I no doubt needed a power walk. But, I can't leave home without my camera and then that power walk ends up becoming a stroll. Yes, I married a man who has incredible patience with me and my camera. On this particular night I came across these lovely yellow wildflowers. I haven't yet discovered what they are. I think they might be a variety of Coreopsis. Do you know? As I was going through my photographs this stunning bit of yellow inspired this post. Years ago my dear friend Kaye gave me a book, Creating a Beautiful … [Read more...]
Always be joyful and never stop praying. Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 CEV the Bible Have you had one of those weeks that if you had read that verse, "Whatever happens, keep thanking God..." you would have said, "Are you kidding me?!" I did have one of those weeks. I'm really trying to "keep thanking God." But, seriously, it's not easy. Since beginning this blog and faithfully publishing a Joy Day! post each … [Read more...]
Other than going away to college or getting married, have you ever packed up your home, said good-bye to friends and neighbors, and moved far away? Our first big move was away from our sweet saltbox which we had built and thought would be our forever on earth home. Nine months ago we made our fifth move. This time, leaving behind friends we had made over twelve years. This week a man who greeted us and helped unload our moving trucks at our last house came with his wife to visit us in our "new" home. They were en route to see a U.S. Open Tennis Tournament and decided to take a day, … [Read more...]
Have you ever participated in a group event where there was a trust walk or a trust fall? Even if you know all the members of your party, and are fairly certain that they will look out for your best interest, do you find it difficult to trust that they will lead you, or catch you, or keep you safe? Trust. Just five letters. A small word filled with the potential power for goodness, tenderness, and love. A word that could be equated with safety. Today our relationships and authoritative entities are wrought with a lack of trust. We say trust must be earned. Many are … [Read more...]
Earth laughs in flowers. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Hamatreya" Queen Anne's Lace Abundant along the roadsides, this lovely lacy flower has a bit of folklore attached to it. It's said that Queen Anne, wife of James I of England was a great lace maker and one day pricked her finger with a needle while making lace, spilling a drop onto a nearby flower. Thus, the lore behind the tiny purplish black or deep red floweret gracing the center of the flower. The plant was introduced to the Americas by early settlers who brought with them seeds for their gardens and medicinal uses. In … [Read more...]
It's Saturday night. Our time to worship HIM. Worship. It's about Him. It's not about me. The congregation sings a song I know so well. A song I sang with the kids' worship team at my old church. It seems that every other week lately we've been singing a song to which "my" kids and I made up motions and led a multitude of other children in singing worship to our great God. "My" kids because I loved them (still do). "My" kids, because we were a team. A family. We celebrated, cried, prayed, and had fun together. We had the best of times every Wednesday night and Sunday … [Read more...]
I heard the whisper of God this past week. Why else would I have had the huge urge to completely clean out a storage room? Especially as I could close the door and no one would see the room, it was a perfect storage area. Monday night I had no idea why I wanted an empty room. But, I was a woman on a mission. It seemed that since that storage room was next to the laundry room (that's another upcoming story), that it would be the best place to put the clothes drying rack. Before the urge to empty the room, it had been called the “Christmas Room” as it was filled with all things … [Read more...]
Five things. Heart-bending. Mind-grabbing. One of my favorite bloggers, Emily P. Freeman whose blog Chatting at the Sky I always read, wrote a guest post over at A Holy Experience. She addresses one of my big issues. Fear. Maybe sometime I'll chat about that. But right now, I want to draw attention to this. Emily wrote: But if we have forgotten how to live, it’s only because we have also forgotten we’ve already died. The life we hold on to isn’t really ours. And it’s hard to fear a thing if the worst is behind … [Read more...]
Last evening I stayed up a little late before going to bed. Now just for the record....I was NOT Pinteresting. Hee hee. I was sitting in the stillness of the sunroom, contemplating words on the illuminated screen before me, listening to the sounds of the night, observing the sky lighting up in the distance, and glimpsing an occasional firefly dance past my window when I heard the strangest sound, from what I assumed was a vehicle, making its way down the street in front of my house. If I were a caller on Car Talk, Ray or Tom would probably have had me make the noise in order … [Read more...]
Today we're going to have fun! Fabulous yellow made in the sunshine bright and cheerful fun. For quite sometime I've been reading "Gussy Sews," a fun and uplifting blog written by the very creative and inspiring Maggie, aka Gussy. Once a month Maggie invites her readers to join her and link up for an Inspiration Workshop. This month her prompt is Yellow! Yellow! It's one of my favorite colors! It's sunshine and daisies and daylilies. It's lemons and corn on the cob and summer squash. It's the color of happiness and sunsets. At least it is in my world. Haha! So let's have some fun together as I … [Read more...]
Joy Day! A day to say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!" Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!" Psalm 66:1-3a The Bible tells us that God created us in his image. Have you ever attempted to explain that concept to a child? The best way I know to do that is to stand her in front of a mirror and ask her to tell me what she sees. Inevitably she'll say..."I see me." That reflection we see in the mirror is our image. It's … [Read more...]
Have you ever thought that you shouldn't pray? Today I was reading my Streams in the Desert devotional and I came across this statement: "It is better not to pray until your entire being responds to, and understands, the power of prayer." ~ P. C. M. What? Not pray? Aren't we supposed to communicate with God? And isn't the vehicle of communication prayer? Thinking on this a bit more, I came to the realization that communication goes two ways. Have you ever stopped to chat with someone and had them … [Read more...]
Not long ago I was walking in my neighborhood when I noticed a ground cover plant that has been a favorite of mine for using in container gardens. I love its variegated leaf and that it fills out nicely, as well as growing long cascading vines, over the summer. When I lived in Michigan I would over-winter it in my garden to have for my containers from year to year. One year it grew like crazy over the winter and I discovered that my container vine was also a fabulous ground cover. Lamiastrum g. 'Variegatum' This spring I had been looking for it in all the local greenhouses and garden shops. I … [Read more...]
