JOMC

Just One More Chapter!

Read it on Goldie's shirt as she reads sprawled on the porch!

Readers in S's prayer chair.

Readers on the floor in the bookstore.

Readers in the grass. 

Readers in a library. 

Readers old and young together, in NYC, no less.

Readers together in bed.

Reading. Reading. Everywhere.

Granddaughters after my own heart through the years.

Just One More Chapter!

BOOK DAY!

National Book Day is today! 4/23/2026! 

A great day for readers to explore their library.

Today book marks were given out!

Some libraries had tables set up for children to create their own bookmarks.

However, Scripture warns, "Of making many books there is no end"! 

In other words, be selective in your choices. These days I choose short story collections while hubby chooses many with 1,000 pages. A first grader I know chooses easy books to mostly chapter books.

Some prefer reading alone.

Others enjoy being read to whether by a sister or a friend!

Many folks join Book Clubs. One year, my friend Jerrie H. belonged to 4 different books clubs and none were on-line ones.

National Book Day gives all readers a day to celebrate---enjoy it!

TERSE VERSE

Today's verse might not be terse but the words from a praying friend were just what I needed to start my day. A "lifter-up of my head" as it says in Psalm 3. My entire body seemed spiritually lifted as it the Lord were "strengthening my frame" for the day ahead. (Isaiah 58:11)

I rise spiritually; Lucy, age 13 in Long Island NY, rises physically.

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear;  then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. (Isaiah 58:8)

*Click to read Journeys blog from 2015

WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY‼️

Reading books…..Making play dough……Learning to tango, play Bananagrams & get to know cousins better❣️

Lucy, a budding equestrian,  loves horses!

Terrific Tubing in an ice cold creek!

Fly Fishing Fanatic

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth.

(3John 1:4)

THROWBACK THURSDAY #2 2018

...A 2nd blog entry just for me---as Lucy reads Llama Llama Red Pajama Feb. 2013, age almost 15 months. It's my way of preserving these precious moments since I don't "do" FB or have an automatic time line.
What a difference 4 years 9 months QUICKLY makes in a child's linguistic ability.

Listening, even to the whispers, one can tell she understands story line changes. Mama, baby, run, are all words she repeats. The first time I heard her read this before the recording, her voice inflection on "run" indicated she understood that sense of urgency. which the author intended.
It's more than just baby talk.

I smiled the entire 55 seconds I heard her "read" it (again) on this cold housebound Thursday.

Food, Frolicking & Fun: Ageless Traditions

Somethings just say Halloween---

for our house it's a big pot of chili simmering....
(just as it is in in Prospect Place)

and our porch light turned to "ON."

It's also a clear glass pumpkin of candy corn

and this year .....

a jar of goodies from"Boo Boo" was added.

Trick or treating continues for our family from Harry Potters at our church

"Fall Fests"..... 

........trunk & treating in Richland Acres, .......

to a "Trick or Treating Lady Butterfly" to stores in Brooklyn

......to Summerfield subdivision in Allen, Texas..... 

1 bushman, 2 ghosts and 1 "old" Tony Romo

Our neighbor hood doesn't have so many trick or treaters anymore---most are  legally "too old" to trick or treat, but one (aka M&M) discovered he's never to old to have a little fun....

even though his "plug" fell off & deflated him a bit. It was all worth the laugh!

FUN is AGELESS!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2013!

11/28/13 So much to be thankful for---family all together, a rare occurrence.
Unbelievable food. "Adult kids" did all the cooking & table setting, under the tutelage of Josh & Megan----even pushing me out of the kitchen with the command, "just enjoy your grandchildren!" A command with a reward!

Love & gratitude to all our family and friends ! 

An "attempt" at a group picture at the end of the day....

Lucy wouldn't get in the picture, but she liked her Elmo hat.

Psalm 145:1-7---Our scripture reading before we asked our blessing.

1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.

5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6 They tell of the power of your awesome works and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

"I'm late. I'm late......"

11/2/13 "I'm late. I'm late for a very important date......" said the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. A storybook rabbit who understood that "time is of the essence." Alice chased him thinking that the very important date must be a party.

Lateness seems to be the character trait of many. Excuses vary but usually have a commonality...running out of time.

Well tomorrow all of us get an extra hour in our daylight. Some will sleep through it, some will overwork in it and some will miss the opportunity completely because they forgot about the Day Light Savings time "fall back" instructions. 

"Time is the Measure of Life Itself" was the intro Donna Taylor wrote in her monthly newsletter. I paraphrased some valuable "time-life" snippets I gleaned from her:

• Time is God's gift and should not be wasted. (Ephesians 5:16)
• Busyness that robs us of time....can rob us of important things left undone because we ran out of time.
• Twice a year when we adjust our clocks and watches for DST, maybe we should check our inner clock and see if it needs adjusting.

Evaluating our time usage my keep us from being late for important events. I dare not run in to church in the morning saying, "I'm late, I'm late......" because it's important not to give up meeting together...so we can encourage one another. (Hebrews 10:25) 

**Fun pictures that just appeared in my email---so 

"timely" and adorable that I just had to share them!

• 
  

  

  Lucy, our own Alice in Wonderland

  

   A very important event---experiencing the Sweet Rewards of learning to say "Trick of Treat" at local businesses 

Delayed, Delayed, ......

7/28/12.....Cancelled. That’s what the Atlanta airport board said for Delta Flight 929. The flight that was to carry Josh, Megan and baby safely to New York. Tonight all were suppose to be in their own beds in Brooklyn. At least that’s what they were telling 9 month old Lucy this morning as we dropped them off at the Panama City airport.

Disappointment----was my first thought for them. Yet, if air traffic control is shut down because of flooding, then certainly Atlanta is the safer place to be. My son’s comments were positive---they were heading to purchase a few necessities and get a hotel room. Lucy had been a “trooper” all day. Acceptance.

As the “mom”, I want everything to go smoothly for them. Setbacks in life can certainly be disappointing, even distressing and yet in the midst of all the frustration is where life lessons are learned. “Character building” is the term often used.

Replacement b/c travel pic was fuzzy & Lucy is in her beach travel dress---just prior to flight to Atlanta.

Their FB post was upbeat. Welcome to Atlanta, little Lucy.

BEDTIME PRAYERS

4/18/12 Remember those first prayers you uttered? Mine were:

Now I lay me down to sleep.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die, before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.

God bless Mother, Daddy, Bobby, Buddy, myself and everyone in the whole-wide world. A-men!

(I probably added Buster our dog, when he became a family member.)

 Scripted? Yes. Ineffectual? Not necessarily. Scripted prayers can be an effective beginning point--- giving us words when we have no words. Whether it’s age or inability to form deep cries of our heart, “script” can help. Scripture being just that---a great guide for praying. All ready written out in God’s word for our use---to encourage us in developing a deep prayer life.

For me, praying scripture is different from a prayer “model” as scripture is often used to incorporate verses or an entire psalm within my own prayers.

The Lord’s Prayer is a model. We’re even instructed to “model” that in Matthew 6:9. “This, then, is how you should pray:”

Pray over one’s infant who’s lying in a crib or “sitting” on a grandparent’s bed, before he/she can even talk is important---soothing for both baby and adult. 

Whereas “Now I lay me down to sleep” gets a toddler started, the Lord’s Prayer becomes an outline for “prayer” for the older set, though possibly used more often in group settings, than at bedtime.

As a youngster, my “scripted” prayers were at mealtimes (“saying grace”) and my bedtime prayers were at night. Nowadays, though, as I pray before falling asleep, it’s more of a thankful reflection of my day. My “biggie” more consistent bedtime prayers occur in the morning before my feet even hit the floor.

Bedtime prayers have no prescribed words, as they vary with each pray-er. Nor is there a prescribed time. The important factor is having bedtime prayers. How will our children and grandchildren ever learn if we don’t join them bedside and show the way!

Saying Good-bye

Preparing to "eat" from great-great grandmother, Mama Davenport's, heritage snowball bush!

4/11/12 Bye-bye! They're on a plane, heading north to Brooklyn----this house is entirely too quiet and I am too incredibly sad! Yet, how grateful I am for time with family---even if it's short. Looking forward to "Big Water" when all 15  of us will be together again.