SUPPORT UKRAINE!

Our "M" Bridge reflects my heart!

I hear the "amens" up and down my street and across our town in homes and churches!

O God Our Help in Ages Past, hear our prayers for Ukraine! Be a light during this difficult/dark time!

AMEN!

ASHLEY BRYAN: A WALK THRU 1152

     From 3 Hadlock Street, Isleford Maine a hamlet on Little Cranberry Island to 1152 in my neck of the woods.....my home is filled with memories of AshleyBryan, 1923-2022.

It's been 3 weeks since Ashley passed away. In my book he is "dearly departed" though the euphemism doesn't make the sadness any less. I miss him so! 

It helps that upstairs or down or almost around every corner, I have Ashley reminders.

From his treasured words designating me as as dancing granny....

.....to the signed prints in the kitchen.....

.....and on around the corner to the entry hall....

.....up to the top of the stairs, where the grandkids have access......

 .....and into the computer room.....and downstairs again.....

....to my cherished  "Stand of Dahlias" oil painting, which Ashley said, "Rang out to him of Dotsy.' 

Ashley painted those dahlias outside his home in Isleford as he did many floral pictures. I know because I have stood and watched him at work there. 

My house glows at every angle with his work. Works which I love because he is so dear to my heart.

Tears well up as I type.....what a friend! So easy to love. A man with a big heart! 

"The heart of a man reflects the man."(Proverbs 27:19)

Just like my patio heart rocks he shared & some we gathered from the shore of little Cranberry when Molly and I visited him. 

Words that describe him best come straight from scripture---He was a man who personified love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Ashley not only knew that verse, he truly lived it. 

Ashley Bryan, a man who had my heart!

TWOS-DAY: WORD PLAY

I KNOW 2/2/22 was yesterday. But.... I saved the word-play for Wordsmith Wednesday because it served me well. 

Recently, started by me, at our home Tuesdays became "Tidy-Up Tuesdays"---a one woman reminder. 

2/22/22 jogged my mind that it would be a great shared adventure for a twosome!

Hubby went along to "share my joy". Double the work was accomplished! 

I loved it! 

Plus, it's biblical. (1 Corinthians 14:40)

Tidying up is a way of accomplishing order as a TWOS-DAY Twosome!

ESCAPE ROOM OF THE MIND: LOCKED IN

Escape Rooms are prevalent in our area. I've been to two different ones. Each time I could not wait to get out. 

Escape Rooms tend to have a cloud of "C" words. Competition! Claustrophobia! Two nouns not favored by me.

Much in the Escape Room is recognizable---books, puzzles, desk, chair, even color of fabrics or area rugs. But not the clue needed to unlock the door.

My mind has been similar to those experiences lately. Much familiar resides there but NAMES seemed to be locked up tight! 

Recently driving by a street off Poplar, I knew it led to a another street, whose name I knew, a 2-story house I would recognize, the occupations of the UM professors I once knew who lived there & their son's face came to mind. But......nary a name of any of the three.

Why are names so difficult to recall these days? Is it on an "age-related disease" list? 

Forgetfulness? Dementia?

Even hubby had an episode recently---unable to recall daughter's name or any of his grandkids. His diagnosis was Transient Global Amnesia and is a temporary ailment.

The good news is that the One who created us knows not only our name, but says "Fear not....(and) summons us by name saying, you are mine." (Isaiah 43:1) He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out." (John 10:3) He also calls the stars by name. (Psalm 148:3)

Our Lord has access to all things and and shares with us according to His will and good purpose. We (I) need to trust Him as my memory is sometimes locked in! 

FRI-YAY

FRI-YAY---a trending word....or wordplay horribly overused these days. 

All our days should be "joy-filled" yay days! But....that's not always the way it is.

If not yay words, there are words to help the seniors keep focused, especially when days have a way of running together---unfocused. 

Yesterday's Thankful Thursday, for me, was one filled with pain. Lots of pain. Physical and emotional. I would have been dismayed had I not seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13) My attitude of gratitude was challenged to the nth degree. But God....in His love and mercy, once again used friends in the faith, who knew nothing of my forlornness, to intervene.

First, high school chum, Doola's "long" text, in response to my "long" text with thx for her "winter 💖" card. Doola can lift my spirit with her art and words in an Illinois' second! *

Next a card from "northern" friend, Pat sent some smiles my way.

Then came a call from my 93  yr. old vibrant friend, Janice. Chats with her are always a treat! Her wisdom keeps me grounded.

Today began as  "Frantic Friday until I was intentionally still! (Psalm 46:10).

Then it became Fri-Yay as I took a "hike" with 3 yr. old Jack, dug in the dirt with sticks, and I sang "Jesus Loves Jack" to him.

BTW, the poinsettia, a gift from "Master Gardener" neighbor Lynda, has graced my mornings at my kitchen window since December! 

SWEET WORDS ON MEDITATION MONDAY

What a way to begin Valentine's Day!

Sweet words from scripture served up alongside a "cuppa" with a tad of honey and a splash of milk, yummy heart-shaped cookies (thx Wynellen) and an open Bible.

The Bible has a lot to say about "Sweet" words. Today let's start as we "Taste and See" that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8) as His words encourage us.

Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and heart to the body. (Proverbs 16:24, ESV) NIV describes those gracious words as sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. 

Other versions use different adjectives: Good words, (Brenton Septuagint); Kind words, (NLT);  Pleasant words, (Berean); speech of the wise, Aramaic; Well ordered words Douay-Rheims. Pleasant/Pleasantness used in 19 versions & kind used in 3.   

Regardless of the translation it's easy to get the idea. 

Today my focus is own "kind" words---spoken from the heart. Heart-shaped.

Like honey--sweet to the taste and good for your health. (Good News Translation)

May the Lord use my words to others as sweet to the spirit & body. 

Words of love on Valentine's Day and every day.

WORDLE

Even Wordle has my Number. 

(Notice I waited a day to publish it so as not to spoil the surprise.)

When one has not had a "calm brain" in an entire week, God has to really step in to get your attention.

He can even use a  game. I had been "keeping on-keeping on" as well as I could........but my mind kept moving with my circumstances. Yes, I started my day praying for my "daily" people, keeping up somewhat with zoom prayer groups, taking hubby to ER & helped him with virtual doc visit, attending Bible study, taking food to a suffering friend, etc. Busyness is a way I cope....it's always been that way for me. At this time in life it seems worse. I know because I can't keep up. I even have a "come apart" when I put my compression socks on the wrong feet. I mix up my meds or forget  to take them. My hand shakes as I type or lift spoon to mouth with my granola. I can feel shakes even when I don't see them.  As brother Buddy said, "Feet moving. Going nowhere."

What's a gal to do? Take time for the "pause that refreshes"---More time alone with Him!

To pause is difficult. It requires being still---even in my mind!

ASHLEY BRYAN ---BELOVED FRIEND

Ashley Bryan---

July 13, 1923--February 4, 2022

If I had an epitaph One of the Kindest Men I ever Knew.

Oh how it hurt to read the passing of one of my dearest friends!

My friend with a life of infinite hope wrote a book by that name.

My goodness I have such stories to tell of our friendship that endured for almost 35 years.

Click the link above to read just one snippet of it!

Click this Ashley Bryan obit link to read my tribute to him, signed Dotsy Liles, Friend in the Faith.

THOUGHTS TO TALK

60,000 thoughts a day. What is one to do with all those ramblings?

Take every thought captive!  (2 Corinthians 10:5) Prior to those words.... "demolish...arguments against the knowledge of God. Demolish and captive are battlefield jargon. As Christians take thoughts captive they compare each thought to what they know about the character of God through His word.

In each and every moment remember this and "encourage other believers" to do the same--- for things that come out of the mouth come from the heart! (Hebrews 3:13) Our heart......where our mind, soul and spirit reside. As Jesus said it this way a couple of times: For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of" (Matthew 12:34; Luke 6:4) Keep your heart mindful of God's words.

Leave behind the words/thoughts of battlefield jargon; crushing, evil, painful, hurtful opinions and destructive.

Gentle words turn away wrath and anger; give life,....a fountain of life....(Proverbs 15:1, Proverbs 10:11)

Let's think good thoughts & "talk" good words daily. 

NO POWER!!

Without Power

No Power; No such thing!

No electricity. Yes! 

Day 3 of that COLD reality in  Memphis.

But God......in His love granted mercy in the midst of 21º temps and limbs blocking our garage and driveway but not hitting our house!. 

A gas fireplace. A gas stovetop. Gracious neighbors.  

Our house knows the One who is our power. That's His greatest mercy.

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. (Isaiah 40:29, NLT)

WHOLE-HEARTED

Synonym Survey of wholehearted on this Wordsmith Wednesday!

(wholehearted (Allen Bible Church graphic)

• abiding.
• ardent.
• authentic.
• bona fide.
• candid.
• committed.
• complete.
• dedicated.

My focus verses this year deal with the love of one's heart. 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul with all your mind and with all all your strength. The second is  this: 'Love your neighbor as yoursel'. There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)

I like the Weymouth New Testament version that uses "whole" as the descriptor....and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole mind, thy whole strength and thy fellow man as much as thyself). (Luke 10:27 WNT, emphasis mine)

It keeps wholehearted ringing in my ears with the whole of its synonyms.