Next-door Niceness---on both sides

Many in our church know the OT story of Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia. The king loved her more than the others but he did not know that she was Jewish.

The "bad guy"of the story is Haman, a prideful, (think stiff-necked)  advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to him. So Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people.

As we know, Esther is in the court for "such a time as this" (Esther 4:14) and after fasting, she approached the king (a bold move) and told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved. The  good guys won and Jews throughout the world celebrate that with a Purim festival.

Purim (פּוּרִים) is celebrated a month before Passover and women in synagogues all over Memphis come together to make Hamentaschen, yummy little triangle cookies. 

Those fruit-filled cookies are supposed to represent Haman's three-cornered hat. 

Neighbor Jane, shared the cookies & the story of this Israeli tradition with us and other neighbors. How special to share Israeli traditions by just walking next door. She said you can also get these fruit-filled gems at Ricki's Cookies, a Kosher Bakery in Eastgate. 

I cannot imagine any cookies taster than these tri-cornered ones, with apricot filling, made by the ladies of Anshei Sphard Beth El Emeth Synagogue and shared by a "nice" neighbor. 

Perfect with my morning cuppa. 

A New Dance

Steps are still being worked out for my new "spiritual" dance. It's difficult because steps "seem" hard---probably because of my negative attitude.
I learned in Psychology 101 that that "feelings follow actions." So....I needed to take action---to let go of my negativity or Dotsy Downer dronings, as daughter Molly dubs them.

Choosing to focus on "Pleasing God" has helped and the pleasure was increased as "Hubby" provided the new journal for recording these thoughts. A daily reminder to "dance in the rain."
Rain---those hard places of "what if "fear, slick with regrets or drowning in "lack of." We all lack something.

Those challenging places. Storms that need a right response. A new dance step.
Tripping lightly. Not tripping as to fall headlong. (Psalm 37:24)

In my GAC zumba classes, I have discovered that It is so much easier to "follow" the dance when the leader/instructor is talking me through the steps while modeling them as well.  

Physically, I follow the instructions of my teacher---his verbal clues tell me exactly what to do and my feet seems to "finally" respond to the dance floor below them---- especially when my shoes are covered by my peds---those little nylon stockinettes that just barely cover the foot of my shoe and keep my tennis shoes from grabbing.

  

Spiritually, I need to move through life on the dance floor that is given---maybe I can "glide" along trusting the best dance partner to guide me once again, regardless of the bumps or splinters on the floor. A dance revival.....with Him in the lead.

To move and celebrate life. To let my spirit start to soar once again. To dance as I've never danced before.

Pithy Grabbers

So pithy....no more words to grab you until.......someday soon.

Around Town #5

"Around Town" involved late (late for me) night viewing of Macbeth at the University of Memphis Theater and Dance auditorium. 
I thought it was well done and found it so different from one other Macbeth I've seen. Edgy, as it were.
The movement and eery voices of the actors on stage took on roles as he "original witches," zombie like tormentors and even the cauldron with its fire. The unusual sparse set, which intrigued me, provided for all of that.
Yet, it was still Shakespeare's Macbeth and I think has an appeal for a far broader audience than Shakespeare aficionados. The blood, murder and madness is still, there but with a visual twist.

The UM production sent me back to my own 1901 copy of Macbeth. I hope it will do the same for the 35+ senior English students I was "chaperoning."

It's fun to go "around town" occasionally with the younger set---even if it means staying up past my bedtime.

Familial Quotability

These quotes were under hashtag John 15---a life changing Scripture for me in 1975.

AND....since they were referenced as Buddy Liles, for sure I'll go back and see how these pertain to my beloved chapter. 

I see them as quote worthy regardless of one's point of reference, familial or not----hope you will too.

Stiff-necked---Who me??

Stiff-necked, more than an idiom.
With 8 pages of definitions, notes and Bible verses, I have to ask myself, "Is this a lesson for me, Lord?" Am I stiff-necked?
Physically, it's a given. Even as I'm typing now, I have a heat wrap on my neck.

What I don't want to be is....a spiritual stiff-neck.

Hopefully, my prayer warrior friends will intercede with prayers for grace at the first glimmer of the malady in my life---much like what Moses did for the Israelites.

Captivi-TEA

A cuppa captivi-TEA is needed if I'm to serve a little positivi-TEA to others. I have to live it before I can serve it.

Yea, yea, I know----tea blogs were for last year ----but cut me a little slack because "tea thinking" is a part of who I am. And a cuppa captivi-Tea is about one's thought life.

If I'm concerned about thinking positive thoughts about Memphis town, surely I can work on eliminating negative aspects about my self.

Replacement thinking. Sounds like something one would hear from a therapist's couch. Replacing my thoughts with His thoughts is from the "good book" not a psychology book. My thoughts are not His thoughts (Isaiah 55:8) so I need to "bring every thought captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5) out of obedience to the Lord.

This week, partly in response to my husband's request to "quit being so hard on my wife," I have tried "replacement thinking."

• ADD Reality---Always Distracted Dotsy---(similar to my often "Ditsy" typo-label) Replacement Response---God knows me by my "real" name---(Exodus 33:17)

"Dotsy(s)" on the cuppa mark it as really mine! CF knew that!

--Reality (what I think)---It's so-o-o hard being me.

**Replacement Response--I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)

--Ineptness Reality---What I think when unable to conquer my PowerPoint for upcoming Exodus lesson.
**Replacement Response--God's power is made perfect in "my" weakness. Go God! (2 Corinthians 12:9)

--Most common self-inflicted diatribes---I haven't a clue and I can't remember squat.
**Replacement Response--To the man who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, (Ecclesiastes 2:26)

WHOOPS---how pitiful are those diatribes for one whose desire is to please Him---God gives wisdom to those who please Him. 

My "personal pursuit" for 2015 is to please GOD. I'd better bring that reminder front and center---a cuppa Captivi-TEA of thoughts and actions to please Him.

Life's Puzzles

I can't even do a 48 piece puzzle without help from a 4 yr. old. My defense is....it was double sided so I never quite had a clear picture.

Today my journal work on "pleasing God" included an anagram search on the word, "please." One that caught my attention was palese---which is Italian for obvious or clear.

Certainly many life lessons are not always clear to me, especially as I age. Most of the time they only become obvious when I'm looking in my rear view----then I see that God's hand was in it all along. It's that double sided-view that confuses me.

I've always heard that God's view is from the top-side of the tapestry of our life. We just see all the strings and undone pieces as we view it from the underside.

It should be "clearly obvious" to me by now----when I please God, my life lessons whether they look-like or feel-like blessings....or if they are just plain painful---all of those puzzles, even the unsolved ones, are for my benefit. 

Gift From the Heart

12 day reminder from a friend---literally bound in Scripture. 

Called to be light and salt by the One "who is Light" and Love. Thanks to my dear friend for that "lovely" reminder---all 12 of them.

Heart-felt

Valentine's Day 2015.
A day of messages with Texas basketball video games, smiley icons from friends, texts that made me puddle and creative gifts/cards from grands.......

.....my fave flowers from my fave man. All appreciated.

My heart "felt" them all!