IT'S BEEN WAY TOO LONG.......

Yes, my faithful blog readers, it's been way too long since I shared.  Life overtook me in full force, boggling my mind and emotions and taking thoughts of this blog far away from my thoughts.  There's been a surgery of a dear friend, an earthly loss of a dear friend, more sinus mess, busyness, and fatigue.  I'm sure there has been other issues, too, but they are too numerous to name.

As the weather here this past weekend took a turn for the warm in February, I was able to relax a bit on my front porch Sunday afternoon with my camera and The Grandbaby.  Both of those things give me great delight.  To get back into the "blog groove", I decided this morning I would share some of that delight with you.

Balls and bubbles are popular activities on my front porch.  This day, though, bubbles were the most fun....She usually wants to use the "geen" bottle even though they are both the same bubbles.

My favorite photo of the day.....simple simple joy.....

Of course, this girl doesn't like bubbles on her hands so she needed hand wipes...

...and decided the porch floor needed to be wiped of the wetness....duh.

Being the teaching "Neema" that I am, I encouraged a more useful wiping of the storm door.  This could be a good thing to learn before spring cleaning time.  And yes, for all you fashion divas, I realized the red hair bow didn't match the pink outfit but let it go....let it go...

She liked the process.  Ah, the joy of youth...

There was tricycle riding, sliding, smiles and wonder...a nice hour of fun and relaxing.

The night before this, The Grandbaby and The Son-In-Law enjoyed a daddy/daughter date at the local favorite chicken restaurant.  The Girl took some photos before that...I'm sure she won't mind my sharing.  Actually, The Girl did a great job at her photography.

Ya reckon she has on enough bracelets?  I think The Girl is learning that one picks their battles and bracelets ain't one to pick.

"For God has given us these times of joy"....Psalm 81:4

Ahhh...........

AFRAID?

Some definitions of "afraid" are feeling fear and anxiety; frightened; worried that something undesirable will occur or be done; and unwilling or reluctant to do something for fear of the consequences.

I wish I could tell you I have never been afraid.  I have.  As have most of us who live and breathe.  Fears come to us in many ways.  I used to be afraid to stay alone after dark.  I've been afraid before surgery(s).  I been afraid of a possibility of something that might happen.  Do I get an "Amen"?  Am I alone in these fears?

I think it's just in us as humans on this earth to be anxious and afraid.

There have been several instances during this past week that have caused me to be anxious, fearful, discouraged, and all those other words that describe such.

I have been reminded that I can overcome this problem often lately with devotions and scriptures that I have encountered.   The Lord always knows what I need help with.  Even today, I passed a church sign that said, "The Bible says 365 times to not fear."  I've heard that before actually, and wondered who in the world counted those times in the Bible.  Be it the true count or not, I like to think there's a reminder of that for every day of the year.

The scripture that jumped out at me today was in a book of the Bible I rarely read.  It goes like this:

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."  Deuteronomy 3:6

Afraid?  Nah....     

Consider.......

JUST A THOUGHT...

There's no big long dissertation, just a couple of simple scripture thoughts for today that maybe someone needs to hear.

"Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:"              Jeremiah 32:17

"Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh:  is there any thing too hard for me?"                                 Jeremiah 32:27

Consider.......

2019...REALLY?

Was it 19 years ago we were "concerned" with the year becoming 2000 and feared what that change might do to our world?   Amazingly, it did nothing but keep time moving along and now here were are and it's 2019.  I had thoughts all week of posting blessings of 2018 and it's not too late for that.  I will go ahead a reflect a bit.

This time last year I was spending days and a few nights in ICU with a sick dad.  After weeks of recovery, I'm happy to say he's doing pretty well for an 84 year old.  A year ago, things were not easy but God supplied.  Doesn't He always?

The Husband, The Girl, The Son-In-Law, The Grandbaby and I have not had a year of all sweet smelling flowers but we've not smelled any septic tank smells either.  I had another surgery that I didn't want to have but am living well without the appendix and right now, can't complain of adhesion issues.  I did do a visit yesterday to my doctor to be certain some chest pain was not heart related and thankfully, it wasn't.  I am thought to have a sliding hiatal hernia--doctor said it was definitely something going on.  Do we doubt it?  I explained to her that I feared I had become paranoid and her reply was that if anyone deserved to be and should be paranoid, it is me.  So there you go.  There has been respiratory problems, ear infections, gout, and retina problems with the family but God supplies.

2018 found us with losses and gains and with all these assurances that still God supplies.

2018 brought a Christmas miracle for dear friends who longed for a little one to join their family.  That longtime prayer was answered in the form of a sweet little baby girl.  Yes, God supplies.

There were birthdays...

VBS...

cooking fun...

new friends...

matching clothing, a hat parade, and designer ties.

There was the wisdom of the neighborhood widows...yes the one in the white jacket is 100 years old.  In my kitchen.  How many folks can say they have had a 100 year old in their kitchen?

The Husband and I actually got our picture made when we were dressed up.

The Grandbaby went to preschool and continues to bring us joy.

(Notice the right hand...she's "directing" the music....yes, she LOVES music and sings, sings, sings....)

Most of all, I am blessed by love.

Yes prayers were answered--not always in the way I wanted or expected but answered in just the right way.  Many more prayers remain for the answering and they, too, will be answered--maybe not always in the way I want but answered in just the right way.

Many I know and love continue to struggle and fear for upcoming "events" in their physical lives, many of us have concern for the country in which we live, many struggle with decisions that must be made, and many struggle with worries that they want to control.  It's as I heard said a long time ago, "Everybody's got a problem."  I realize more and more how true that simple statement is.  Now I know that for every problem, my God has an answer.

I will end with one of my newest favorite Bible scriptures from Isaiah 41:10 and it goes like this:

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God:  I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Join me in the upcoming year in prayer for us all that we might all be the shining light in a dark world.  Shine, shine, shine on.  God supplies.

Consider.........

SILENT NIGHT

It's almost Christmas!  My time does fly.  

This is a short post today because I have a short time.  I have just read the daily devotion in my email inbox and as a gift to me, it was written by one who has become my favorite of the devotion authors. It spoke so well to say much that I feel and agree with, I wanted to share.

The title of the devotion is "How to Find Hope on a Long Silent Night" by Alicia Bruxvoort and is today's, December 21, 2018.  You will have to type this in, I am sure as my computer technology is not strong enough to give you a link.  Here's the site:

https://www.proverbs31.org/read/devotions

Give it a whirl....and consider....

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

Now that vacation is done and I am back in the normal world I live in, I find myself surprised that Christmas is not so very far away!  I feel like it's just kind of slipped in on me this year.  After I considered the closeness of it, I determined that if I was going to follow through with a new Christmas tradition for The Poppa, The Grandbaby and me, I needed to get hopping so I purchased a gingerbread house kit.

I have always the best of intentions as a mama and always intended to make a gingerbread house with The Girl but just never did.  I would love to be one of those mama homemakers that do all this fun stuff but the time just slips away.  Ain't it funny how that happens?

A date was made for The Grandbaby to visit on this past Friday morning to construct this house.  Imagine my delighted surprise when The Poppa opened the box and the gingerbread house was already constructed!  It just needed to be decorated.  Am I blessed or what?  I could hardly contain my excitement at this unexpected wonder.

After The Grandbaby asked her popular question, "What we do-ning, Neema?", we got prepared.  Protective covering for the table was in place packages of candies were opened, and the icing (already prepared, too!) was kneaded well.  The decorating began and went like this:

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Concentration...

The question after we were done was expected also.  "Can it go to MY house?"  I said that it certainly could and it decorates "her" kitchen table for the season.  A success, I would say.

This past Sunday was also the Christmas program weekend at church.  I was designated to sit on the pew and keep the angels quiet until their time to appear near the end.  I enlisted the help of The Poppa for this as well.  Sometimes angels just look like angels and don't act like angels.  You know what I mean?  All in all these angels were pretty good.

The program was The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, a well known play and I can say that our church kids have some kind of acting talent!  I enjoyed watching these kids whom I'd see grow up from babies as they performed so well.  They are good kids.

I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures of my little angel along with her angel buddies.   Yes, this little angel's mama has worn this angel robe or another just like it many times as a child.  Take a look.

The fact that we use vintage angel robes pleases me.  I hope they last a very much longer time.

This would be my little angel on the right with her a few days apart in age buddy.

 The little angels........

Sweet Mary/Lucy....what an amazing job as Imogene Herdman....

Wanna put our fingers in our mouth?  And keep them there for the rest of the time we are onstage?  Sure, let's do it!

Boy, that is a scratchy halo.  Angels can't be angelic all the time.

In fact, it might be fun to crawl around on the floor.  Let's do it!  And yes, that's my little angel crawling around onstage.   Ahhh.....

I need to check out this baby Jesus....

Even though this picture was a little fuzzy, I love it so much.  It's exactly as we should be with Jesus...on our knees in awe, worship, and wonder.  Well maybe, we could intersperse the awe, worship, and wonder with a giggle or two!  

As Gladys Herdman would say, "Shazam!"

FRIENDS OF THE HEART

My "friend", Mr. Webster, defines the word "friend" as a person whom one knows and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection. 

When I consider my friends, I realize I am blessed with so many, longtime friends and short time friends.  

A few weeks ago the news came that one of our company's past employees had been diagnosed with brain cancer.  This diagnosis came suddenly and a quick surgery followed.  This was quite a blow to him and to all who know and love him.  He is married to one of my very oldest friends.  His wife and I went to school together from first grade and lived in the same neighborhood.  (Yes, there was no kindergarten back in those days so it was since first grade.)  We rode the bus together for all our school years and had a circle of girlfriends who did the same.  Yes, those were good times.  As I saw her as we visited her husband in the hospital, I thought of how we looked different and had not talked in a long while but that mutual bond was still there.  We exchanged phone numbers so we could keep in touch.  The next week was my birthday.  One of the texts I received that day was from her.  She had remembered my birthday after all these years.  Obviously her memory exceeds mine and I was totally impressed.  As we texted a bit back and forth, I mentioned how I found it amazing that she remembered.  Then in the back recesses of my mind, I thought, "May 24".  I texted and asked her wasn't that her birthday.  Wonder of wonders, it was!  So here I am and can't remember things I did yesterday but remember HER birthday.  As I considered that, I realized we were "friends of the heart".  

Last week, I went to Christmas lunch with my Lunch Bunch.  We are five women who have been going to lunch often for 25+ years....sometimes monthly, sometimes every other month and lately with stresses of aged life, less often.  We had a wonderful time together and I realized the blessing again of these "friends of the heart".  They are the friends who know your fears, share your joys, make you food if you are sick, and know without being asked if you need your toilets scrubbed....and are willing to do it. 

For the past few years I have received an anonymous gift from someone in my church at our after Christmas program gift exchange.  These gifts always have a bird involved.  Now for all of you that don't know, birds speak to my spiritual heart.  They amaze me.  Obviously, this friend giver knows this about me.  Last night I received an advent calendar with red birds at the bottom.  Here's some gifts I have received from this anonymous giver.

I have an idea who it is.  She would be a "friend of the heart"....one whom I know prays for me and those I love.  I hope she is blessed by the giving as I am blessed by the receiving.  After all, God does love a cheerful giver...especially one who loves birds as I do.  So, a grateful shout out to you, cheerful giver!

I consider the friends that I don't have room to mention--those I've met through my work, through volunteerism, through church/worship, through my girl's friends and college life, and all the others in between.  My life is very blessed with "friends of the heart".  All of my friends remain in my heart and touch my life more than anyone can imagine.  

One of my many Christmas wishes is to be the "friend of the heart" to others as they are to me.

Consider.........