circling, Circling, CIRCLING!!!

I think in circles.

I talk in circles.

I walk in circles trying to figure out why I have entered a certain room.

So....I've decided to try to do some positive circling.

I'm using this little book, Praying Circles around your Children by Mark Batterson to guide me as I "pray circles" around my children and grands.

Is it a "perfect" book for prayer? NO. No "method" is perfect. Prayer is about one's own communication with God.
 Did I follow all of his suggestions? NO. No, but I was prompted by some of his ideas and affirmed by others as I agree with the importance of praying for one's children and grandchildren.

Some of the "brilliant cut" gems are:

• Diaper spelled backwards is repaid. (What fun it has been to watch this happen to my kids as they entered parenthood!) 
• You will never be a "perfect" parent but you can be a praying parent. 
• Regardless of childrearing philosophies, we can all teach 3 words----please, sorry, and thanks. 
• Pray for favor for your children. (Luke 2:52)

My goal is to keep "circling my prayer wagons" around my kids and "grands" until the Lord calls me home.

**Am now reading Batterson's, The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Greatest Dreams and Biggest Fears. Two encouraging points were, "God's answers are NOT limited by our requests and we pray out of our ignorance but God answers out of His omniscience." (p.19)

Life is short---

Life is short----it is indeed! That's scriptural. "A mere handbreath." (Psalm 39:5)

Mother, who had such a sweet tooth, always finished that adage, "Life is short".....with the wise words of...."so eat dessert first." Which was fine for her because she was 5'8" and weighed 108 at her heaviest.

Maybe that's scriptural, to an extent, as well, according to King Solomon. (Ecclesiastes 8:15)

For the last few days I've tried to "live out" my mother's "sweet tooth rules/dessert first" wisdom. 

Making a hospital "run" Thursday with a friend, I sought butter rolls at "Miss Peggy's Homecooking (on Cleveland) and when those were unavailable, I made a bee-line for the Trolley Stop Market (on Madison) for the "cake lady's" caramel cake from Westside Bar-B-Que, located in New Albany, MS.

The next day, friend Beth served an unbelievably delicious amaretto freeze, topped with REAL whipped cream. I could eat REAL whipped cream by the spoonfuls. I blame that on Mother as well---it's all she served. Of course, back then, we didn't have Reddi-whip or Cool Whip---only dream whip in a box that never graced our pantry shelf.

 Saturday lunch with hubby at Stoney River (Saddle Creek in Germantown) ended with key lime pie. That was his fault---key lime is his fave and even the crust was delicious in their version. However, I commandeered the REAL whipped cream that topped it off!

Yesterday, the sweet tooth saga continued with bread pudding at Second Line in Overton Square, their only dessert. Though it didn't offer whipped cream, fake or otherwise, this warm pudding with caramel sauce and sugared pecans was topped with homemade ice cream. Oh my!

Can one OD on sweets? This morning I decided to "come off" my sugar streak as I savored a Dove dark chocolate morsel---which is "healthy."

Looking at the wrapper, I saw this message, Quote your Daddy!"

So....here it is......

"I thank the good Lord for everyday He gives me." (Clifton T. Adams, 1922-2011)

That's oh so scriptural (1 Thessalonians 5:18)----regardless of the number of days we are given or the circumstances we are in, we can always say, "Thank you, Lord." 

Thank you Daddy, a man of few words,  for that memorable quote!

Mind Minder

Scripture is a great "minder" for the mind. 

Mama Davenport often used the word "mind"as a verb----in the imperative form.

"Mind" the cracks so you don't trip, she would say. Her intent was for one to be careful about something or pay attention to it.

On the old British TV series, "Keeping Up Appearances," Hyacinth Bucket (snobbishly, she pronounced it Bouquet) was always nagging her husband, as he drove her around, to "mind the pedestrian." "Watch out for "was her meaning for "mind."

So....for me, a mind minder is one who pays attention to their mind as if to watch out for it. In capturing thoughts, that can be a positive. If it becomes "worry/anxiety," one needs to turn it over to the Lord. Just yesterday in my Jesus Calling devotional,  I had read about "pockets of darkness" and thought that was an apt description of my mind.

After writing yesterday's Dotsy Details' blog entry, I flipped the page on my kitchen table Jesus Calling DayBrightener to the day's entry (6/10) & read:

"Rest in Me, My child. Give your mind a break from planning and trying to anticipate what will happen..."

What a great reminder to rest in Him and allow Him to "mind" my mind.

I give my mind to Him and He becomes my "mind minder."

MEMORY LEAKS!

Sometimes a character in a book will resonate with a reader on a personal level. Such was the case for me with Aunt Love in The Scent of Lilacs.  Though Aunt Love could spout scripture with chapter and verse reference from days of old, she had trouble coming up with names. (Even more with 2022 Escape room /Locked Mind--almost 6 years after posting this entry!)
"I don't know what's the matter with me," she says. (p. 204)
Her niece Jocie attributed it to "memory leaks" ---though you wouldn't notice her condition by just looking at her. According to her, Aunt Lucy had been "misplacing more and more of her mind lately, but that didn't stop her from pulling out appropriate Bible verses to attempt to keep 13 year old Jocie in line." (p. 8)
Oh, how I can relate to Aunt Love's "mental malady." 

I kept "forgetting" to take a picture of the book....
....until  I was headed to the book drop---oh my!

But God....reminds me to "be anxious for nothing" (Philippians 4:6) and just like Aunt Love, I might be able cite chapter and verse, I just need to "remember" to use it in my own life,

FAITH FOUND....in a garden!

Dorothy Frances Gurney's poem is often quoted/displayed in many gardens.

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,--
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.

Though I didn't see this quote on the recent Master Gardeners' Spring Tour in Collierville, I saw other displays of "faith" that caught my attention.

Look closely to see FAITH written horizontally on the cross.

As one who often seeks and finds refuge by leaning in faith upon the Lord, who is the cornerstone of my faith, it encourages me to see others who testify to their faith in unique ways.

Maybe they, like me,  have been met by the Lord at their  point of need and this simple garden display attests to that.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

This display touched my heart in this garden---finding this "faith display" was my  reward that day!

SOUL SEARCHING

Years ago I learned that one's soul is comprised of the mind, the will and the emotions.
On my own, I began to see how God's love encapsulates my soul. Holding it tightly.
Or maybe it's vice versa----maybe my soul, as a believer is a vessel for His love.

Recent reads have offered other definitions of one's soul. Roger Rosenblatt, in his book, Boy Detective, speaks of taking his "two souls on a walk"---one for the senses and one for the mind. I disagree that they never connect but that might just be a point of semantics. According to him, the mind's soul is the point of deepest thinking and our heart's soul, the point of deepest feeling.
Certainly his lyrical allegory of "two souls leading parallel lives, though never meeting, yet connected---move side by side as they move into eternity, like legs on a walk." was an interesting, albeit different, perspective. (Rosenblatt, p.8)

Gregory Boyle also added knew depth to my "soul searching" in his book, Tattoos on the Heart The Power of Boundless Compassion. Boyle's experiences (and successes) as the head of a ministry to gangs in LA is beyond my wildest imaginations. I have no point of reference other than "breaking news" segments on TV. However, I gained many jewels from this eye-opening book. An easy read of case studies, of sorts.

• Choice is not to focus on the narrow but to narrow our focus. (p.3 1) 
• Kinship is not serving the other, but being one with the other. Jesus was not a man for others; He was one with them. (p. 188)
• As we belong to one another, we let others feel their worth! (p.196)

My favorite reminder was from the lyrics of "O Holy Night"---"Long lay the world in sin and error pining----til He appeared and the soul felt its worth."
Soul-ful words worth searching for and remembering as  one soul reaches out to another.

Mor-TEA-fication

Some teas I never like to "sip!" Mor-TEA-fication is one of them.

Lately, I'm holding Siri and auto-correct responsible!

Certainly I'm entitled to transferring that "blame"......since after all this time she (Siri) still refers to me as "Ditsy," instead of Dotsy.

Of course, I guess I will have to eat a little humble pie since I should take responsibility and "check & edit" Siri's mistakes.  After all, my emails and text are rarely pithy. A truly wise person (especially in the digital realm) uses few words.
Except for my parenthetical addition, that's scriptural! (Psalm 17:27)

But this cuppa mortification still tastes bitter!! I'm just sayin' !!!

Smell-Bound

I am enthralled by the familiarity of a library, or a small bookstore. 
I like the feel of a book in my hands.
I like the "smell" of a book----new or old, BUT not on my iPad. Though I have downloaded books for ease when I travel, I rarely read them. I end up adding to the coffers of Hudson News (booksellers) airport locations.
Books stack up in my life. Stacked beside my bed and on my reading chair, beside the kitchen table and ALWAYS in the car, in case of a traffic jam.
This recent "stack"alone has taken me through the "old" west, into Old Testament times, inside Nazi Germany, in the halls of Harvard with the first American Indian to attend the school, to a small town, to a ministry for gangs in a large city, behind the scenes of vaudeville and into the mind of a celebrity battling bi-polar depression, etc.

Know that this stack is NOT recommended reading. Some books I haven't even read yet. Some I have skimmed and scanned quickly through because the writing was too disturbing for me.
One book I put down after two chapters---which is rare for me.
As I have aged, I take to heart the old adage, "so many books, so little time" and following the wisdom of King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 12:12) knowing that the "making of books has no end and ....can become wearisome" so if a book doesn't keep me "spellbound" with smell and writing and topic-----I put it down!!

HERITAGE TRIPS: COMING AND GOING

Heritage---something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth; something one person gives to another---an inherited lot or portion.(dictionary.com) 
A man's lot in life. His heritage can greatly influence his ensuing life.

Godliness passed down from generation to generation is not a guarantee but it certainly enhances the "chances" of a continuance of a spiritual heritage.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,...(Proverbs 13:22) 

Eleven years ago,son Buddy started "heritage trips" with his "first born" son. This year was his last "trip" year as he brought son #5 to Memphis to "show" him all his special childhood places and included a day on Liles Lane at Pickwick (fishing, shooting, swimming) and exploring the lake with extended family. 
It involves an air flight---just daddy and one son. That, in and of itself, is a big deal when you have 4 brothers who remain at home.
For me, I love the anticipation of this time.

"Coming"-----"the BEST part!!!

Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. (Proverbs 17:6)

The "going"----NOT so much.

So......I have to remember to cherish all those "in-between" times. 
But I.....still "puddle" when any of my "grands" leave!!

But God......reminds me, "What a blessing to see your children's children." (Psalm 128:6)
It is a BIG earthly blessing!!!! 

NO DOUBT!!!

Out, out "doubt" spot! (With apologies to "The Bard")

Don't let "doubt" cover you. Stain you. Touch your heart in any way. 

Doubt can start with a tiny spot? A simple, "Why, God?" question. Then it can spread.

Doubt can be like rot---attempting to erode God's Word which you know is true! 

It must not enter your mind. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

As Geraldine Brooks so eloquently writes of doubt, "Excise it at the first speckling, the first stain, the first stench of decay." (TSC, p. 121)

Never doubt God's goodness in the midst of your ongoing struggle.

Believe---whether it feels like He's there or not. (Mark 9:24)

Even in the midst of pain, God is there.........

.......There is no doubt of that!