THE BLESSING OF REMEMBRANCE

Thoughts have been all over the place lately with much going on as I try to finalize some business business and get myself caught up with life.  Face it, I've realized I've spent each day of the past 5 years keeping up with life.  Amazingly, I see that I'm getting there to the caught up area of life.

As I sat here today typing a business email, The Grandbaby was playing with the vintage Cabbage Patch dolls and had a school set up.  As she prepared the room, it was always relating to how her teacher did it.  "My teacher sometimes needed a helper, my teacher...."  Remembering.  You see school is done for this school year and next school year, she will go to "Big School".  Uh huh.  How can that be?  

As I continued typing, she came up to me and asked if she could borrow my phone.  I said yes (kind of fearfully) and she went to get it, coming back to ask how to use the camera.  I showed her and asked her why and she said these words that made me smile and become a bit teary at the same time, "I want to take a picture so we can always remember this day."  (I thought, remember the dolls playing school?)  And then I realized every day is a special day.   Always remember THIS day.  She took the photos and then showed me and said, "See.  Now we can remember."  Mercy.  Least of all, how did she even know how to use my not smart phone at age 5?  

So I've been reminded that EVERY day needs to be remembered....even the bad days and the good days because it takes all those together to make up our life and OUR story.   Yes, let me "remember".

And on a more comical note, it is very entertaining to hear The Grandbaby be a teacher.  She talks like an adult.  "What?  They're going to have a pawty?   That doesn't make sense."  So fun.

Consider....

 

THE WRENS

For you familiar blog readers, you might recall I have a pottery wren house on my porch that is used often by the wrens.  I've actually watched the birds fly away one time but often have watched the mother bird bring in the food and I just simply stand amazed at the process.  ("They're baacckkk..."  June 6, 2015)

I had noticed the mother bringing in food again and knew there were babies.  This morning there were 5-6 spots of twigs from the nest scattered on the porch so I figured those little birds had flown.  I missed it.  :(  The good news is that there were not little birds among the twigs so I'm assuming they all had successful first flights.  The Husband checked the nest for any little ones and it's empty so I will clean it out today and get it ready for the next wren family.  

This process always reminds me of an important fact:

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.  Are ye not much better than they?"          Matthew 6:26

Consider....

THE DUMPSTER

 The Husband began a home improvement project two or three weeks ago.  He demolished our 42 year old bathtub and prepared the bathroom for a tiled shower, fully equipped with multiple handicap bars and a hand held portion of the shower head.  Never knowing what is ahead but expectant of slower moving parts of our bodies, this seemed like the wisest improvement to make.  He did all except the tile and the plumbing.  I will say that The Husband does a really good job with his work and the shower is nice.

I will interject here that we did again see my favorite Romans 8:28 in action as when the demo was done, a water leak in the washer that sits in the back side of that tub wall was revealed.  We never would have known until major damage was done so I was thankful.  I was doubly thankful as that 16 year old front loading washer was going to be gone and replaced with an easy dial top loading washer.  I had disliked that washer for 15 of those 16 years but endured.  There's a sermon in that for another day.

Doing this bit of remodeling merited that we rent a dumpster to dump all the trash.  We determined that during those ten days, we would go through much of our goods and dump what needed to be dumped.  That dumpster became quite a friend and a great convenience for ridding of trash.  The Husband and I found we had grown a lot alike as we both tend to hold on to things as "we might use that someday".  We both had to look at the item, think that, then rethink that.  When the dumpster was full, the stuff in it was not attractive and for the most part had very little good use.  The dumpster was delivered AND picked up in the wee hours of the morning so was gone when we got up the other morning.  

As I lay awake the other morning as I usually do, I was thinking about that dumpster and that trash we put in it.  I wonder how my mental and spiritual life would be if I just trashed all the goods that I don't need or that are not beneficial to me.  Emotions such as fear, dread, anxiety, distrust, and so many more would be wonderful just to dump in that dumpster of no good emotions and be carted off in the wee hours of the morning.  I haven't missed anything I put in that dumpster in my yard.  I'm betting I wouldn't miss any of those emotions either. 

I will give it my best shot to dump all those negative emotions and fill my heart and mind with faith, love, longsuffering, mercy, grace, and so many more.  I think a good cleaning out of the heart and mind is a perfect way to move on forward to whatever life has.  Don't you?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith."                   Galatians 5:22

Consider....

THE STRUGGLES ARE REAL

The past couple of weeks have been somewhat of a challenge to me.  I will readily admit to you, my faithful blog readers, that I'm not always happy and confident.  Really, you say?  Duh.  

The struggles are real.

I note the changes in my life since the pandemic.  We can call it BC (before covid), DC (during covid) and AC (after covid--or at least after being vaccinated).  Am I the only one who's life changed?  I learned contentment in staying home regularly.  Now granted, I've always enjoyed being home but I would also enjoy a restaurant cooking my meal on occasion AND cleaning up my dishes.  Covid taught me that I can cook every meal....and survive.  BC, we ate out Sunday lunch after church every Sunday.  DC we didn't even go to church!  So of course, we ate at home.  Now, AC, we are slipping a bit back into that groove but not totally all the way.  And I have learned to enjoy the eating at home and have a routine of sorts.   BC I actually dressed up on occasion.  DC I became very comfortable in jeans and t-shirts.  AC I'm still comfortable in jeans and t-shirts.  :)  As I tell The Husband, nobody cares how old people look anyways.  

Anyways, back to the last couple of weeks.  I found myself very stressed and had to sit down and take a good look at myself and the order of importance of the things of life.  I actually did that and without elaborating (No, I don't have family problems.), I learned that I just tend to be anxious and let that anxiety take over my thought process and my normal life.  Maybe some things I expect are not as I expected them to be, maybe my hip and back will just hurt, and maybe I'm in a time of trial OR maybe I'm just in a learning time.  Either way, the struggles are real.

I had what I call a "come to Jesus meeting" with Jesus the latter part of last week.  I sat down with the scriptures and just had a little talk with HIM.  I am here to tell you that even though the struggles are very real, just a little talk with Jesus surely is a good remedy for the stress.  And then not only that, but after 59 weeks of no Sunday School, our church began Sunday School back last Sunday with the adults all meeting together and taught by The Son-In-Law.  Now I will say The Girl had given me some scriptures to read last week as I struggled and she had not shared my struggles or the scriptures with The Son-In-Law.  Can you guess what scriptures he taught from?  "His" choice from that whole Bible.  Uh huh.  A couple of THOSE scriptures.  Then The Pastor followed with a sermon that hit me square in the face and the heart so I actually left church rejoicing in the Lord and have done my best to continue that.  

After receiving requests the past couple of days from more than two friends for prayers for their current struggles, I have been reminded that everybody has struggles.  We are either coming out of a struggle, in a struggle, or going into a struggle.  That could be discouraging for some to know, but I have learned that if I never experienced the struggles, how can I have compassion for others in their struggles?  One can't see a rainbow unless there has been some rain.

My thoughts are drawn to the scripture in one of the gospels where Jesus is having a conversation with Peter.  You know Peter?  The one who said he would never deny Christ...yeah right....and Jesus says to him something like this, "Satan desires to have you and sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you....."  I take that scripture to heart during struggles and I want avoid to being sifted.  :-)

Today also was a day when I was able to watch the live preschool "graduation" for The Grandbaby.  I found as I watched her walk across the stage, so grown up, that my heart was so filled with gratitude.  With that said, I think that one good remedy for struggles is gratitude.  

So the point of this post is ___?  Good question but I sure enjoyed sharing these thoughts.  Maybe somebody is in the midst of a struggle and the thoughts will help you along.  Remember, don't just have a "come to Jesus meeting" but just COME TO JESUS!

Consider....

NINE

 Today marks the ninth anniversary of The Girl and The Son-in-Law's marriage.  I was recalling the day early this morning and remembering those little things.  It was while I went to have my hair done that The Girl and The Husband went to shoot baskets.  Yes, that's with a basketball with the wedding manicure already done.  It was a time for just them as they often would do the same thing after suppers.

The Son-In-Law came to The Girl via eharmony....yes, the online dating site.  Don't tell me the Lord can't answer prayers even via eharmony.  

So today seemed a normal day with life carrying on with doctor's appointments, preschool, laundry, and Wednesday night supper as usual.  But in our hearts, it's a day of gratitude for happy times, answered prayers, and joy.

So happy ninth anniversary to The Girl and The Son-in-Law with much love attached!