abun-DANCE!

abun-DANCE is the "dance" of celebrating life right now! It's dancing to the music of life. Yesterday it was "dancing" with hubby in the booth at Peter's Pancakes in Cherokee NC because that's what we do, wherever we are, when "Ain't to Proud to Beg" by the Temptations plays. And to think I almost said "No" to going because I felt too frumpy to leave the house.

It's special to have traditions that become special memories as you age....especially when extended family understands as well. As Candy Paul says, "It's saying "No" to fear and "YES" to LIFE!

Scripture reminds us, God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7) Even when our mind seems to be a bit wishy-washy at times, God can provide the ability to discern His will for each day & every moment. Music for our soul....enough to have our toes tapping in step with Him.

That's abunDANCE!

FRIDAY FOCUS: HELP NEEDED!

*Today I am once again "Distracted Ditsy" as Siri calls me.

Sometimes acronyms or acrostics help. Not today.

Rhyming is the order of this day. 

• Stay in the Day! Psalm 118:24
• Robust Trust. Proverbs 3 5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

Help cometh from the Lord....

............when we stay in the day with robust trust

................................. in Him alone!

* So distracted with checking things off my list, that I neglected to post this entry! So sad. So-o-o me!

CELEBRATIONS!

Many days are for celebration....birthdays that end in 0 being one!

Aubrey planned months ago to honor his Gayle, with family, friends, food, fun and lots of stories and laughter. 

Did I mention carrot cake with an icing I could have eaten by the spoonfuls.

"Let's Celebrate and be glad today." as God's Word says in Psalm 118:24, CEV.

  

We did just that! We celebrated with a side of singing served to sweet Gayle, our honoree!

DST-ST-??? DST-ST???

The entry is in my head, .....but I've "taken to my bed." (Mama Davenport, years gone by)............I'm back.

Daylight Saving Time.(DST) We all seem to appreciate the "fall back" time awarded us today. (2am each 1st Sunday in November) Who isn't grateful for an extra hour in his/her day when time reverts to Standard Time (ST) once again. IMPORTANT WORDSMITH NOTE-- Notice it's Daylight Saving Time---Saving is singular--NOT plural. There is also NO apostrophe! 

For sure there has been much debate about it---especially when Daylight Saving Time begins again. (2 am the 2nd Sunday of March) 

It's become such an issue that Senator Marco Rubio presented the S.623 Sunshine Protection Act of 2021-2022 passed the senate but is now on hole in the House.

I prefer the "rise and shine" philosophy of 4 year-old Jack............

   "The sun's awake so I'm awake."      (Psalm 118:24)

Simple truth.Simply put. Regardless of the time zone, DST or ST.

FULLNESS!

What are you full of? Oops, sorry I had to end ? with a preposition.

How often have you heard, "you're full of bull" or other choice disparaging words?

Fill in the blank, I am full of __________________!

Would others fill in your blank the same way?

In what ways do you show others your fullness? 

Some companies can outwardly show their fullness* through their products.

Aldi has it stamped in their egg cartons. 

This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

JOY!

A great morning reminder as I reach for my eggs to fill my day with JOY!

*For all grammarians.....fulness and fullness are semantically related to plentitude. You can use fulness instead of noun fullness. Others see fulness as misspelling.

APRIL= BIRTHDAY MONTH

April birthdays in my family include 1 brother,  1 daughter, 1 grandfather, 1 uncle, 2 cousins, 5 sweet friends and hubby! (Romans 12:10)

Hooray! Hooray!

Hubby caught up with me today! Both of us grateful to the increase of years in our lives. (Proverbs 9:11) 

.....In a Mexican way---with chips, salsa, chicken chimichanga & complimentary sopailla.... 

served with "Happy Birthday" in Spanish. 

An April day of birthday blessing. (Psalm 118:24)

ATTITUDE OF GLADITUDE

Remembering the First Noel and waiting to celebrate 2020 "Noel" as only a "twosome" for first time ever!

A reminder....gladness is a choice. Sip a cuppa glad-TEA-tude this Christmas and continue to "serve the Lord with gladness! (Psalm 100:2)

Each day, "is the day the Lord hath made"---so we will choose "to rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24, emphasis mine)

THIS IS THE DAY.......

This is THE day...............

I have to admit that lately I haven't a clue what day it is. Most days all "feel" the same.

Though I might not know what day it is, I do know that "this is THE day the Lord hath made and I will rejoice and be glad in it". (Psalm 118:24) 

Hope you rejoice with me.
** Just had to add what a MS reader commented---Notice each day ends in Y---What a comfort to know that our "Y" Yahweh is still with us at the end of each day. Rejoicing with you.

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS

Maitins to begin the morning. Praises from the song of my heart and the First English Prayer Book.

Finally, a Texas family photo.

Worship Time at ABC with son at the helm.

Church Picnic.....with food, fun, fellowship....

...games, games......

....and more games where grown men joined in the kid's "don't touch the trash can game" fun

...until the sun started to go down and families headed home....

grateful for clear skies, cool breezes & a perfect picnic day!

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24, ESV)

All the people had done just that---and this person said, "A-men!"

SUNDAY FROM START TO FINISH

Congdon's Doughnuts---what a great way to start the day.......

 ....Followed by a meandering birding walk to help cut all those previously ingested calories.

This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24)

Livabili-TEA

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34, NIV)

Livability is the sum of the factors that add up to a community's quality of life including—

1. both built and natural environments, 
2. economic prosperity, 
3. social stability and equity, 
4. educational opportunity, and....
5. cultural, entertainment and recreation possibilities. 

For the community of faith, livability, which includes awareness and aspects of the above list, is anchored in one of the verb tenses of life.

Not past tense---Too full of regret.
Not future tense----Too full of fear. 

But......the pleasant present tense. Livability resides in the moment!

Make the most of each moment. Help others in the household of faith to do the same......

• This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24, ESV) 
• Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity…(Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)
• Enjoy the blessing of each day! (Ecclesiastes 5:18-20, MSG)
• Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV)

.......and encourage your friends in the faith communi-TEA to do the same. 
Liveabili-TEA served to all in God's household.

"Gaie-TEA

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24, NASB)

"Good news, John Parker has a birthday!
Good news, John Parker has a birthday!!
Good news, John Parker has a birthday----He's 6 years old today!!!"

We all sang around the kitchen table at breakfast this morning. It is indeed good news when the day is blessed with family gathered, scripture read, prayers given and a grandson honored on "his" day. 

Lots of cuppas of gaie-TEA to be shared these next few days as we, grandparents, celebrate moments one-on-one with our son and his number 4 son. 

A cuppa gaiety with a baseball cookie because John Parker doesn't like cake, as he is quick to remind us!

There's even celebratory gaiety with a stinky fish, especially when it's caught at Pickwick on Pop's dock.

"traveloci-TEA"

Choose for yourselves this day.....(Joshua 24:15, NIV)

At our house you can tell where we've chosen to travel by hubby's collection of mugs in our kitchen cabinet. Mugs that mostly bring good memories. What you can't see are our places we've chosen to travel in our minds. Things that too often we lug mentally. 

Oh the places we go, even in our minds----or as Dr. Seuss writes, Oh the Places You'll Go. (1990)

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” 

So....today when you pour your morning cuppa, remember that daily we "choose whom we will serve" and even as Dr. Seuss says, "Today is your day"----your day to choose. 

Maine, Summer of 2013
A trip chosen to be with family & to celebrate the 90th birthday of Ashley Bryan.
Both were times of rejoicing!

"Traveloci-TEA" Might make it easier and cheaper but it's only a company. Travelocity takes you only where you choose to go. It can arrange for you to go to faraway places but the luggage you lug there is all yours. So.....remember, "This is the day the Lord hath made" so...."rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)
That's what you need to pack up for your all your trips. Even those you take only in your mind.

Sad to Glad

6/16/12 Death Anniversary Days can put one in a somber mood, at best. My day started in such a mood---because one year ago today Daddy died. But God…..reminded me that every single day I was with Daddy, he “thanked the good Lord for everyday He gave Him.” He saw life as a gift from God’s hand and I should do the same.

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)

My friend, Ashley Bryan, has told me virtually the same thing. Celebrate everyday as a birthday----a birth of a new day! Just last week, our mountain host, Larry Henize, shared that same philosophy. “Everyday is a great day; some are just better than others,” he said. A new lease on life--- daily wisdom from 3 men in their 80s.

"Uncle Larry" celebrating another great day in the mountains---just look at the reflection of those trees in the lake behind him.

Wow…..Do I live that way? Am I daily seizing all of life's moments which the Lord has given me? Does my life reflect such a thankful heart? Those are the questions I began asking myself on this “sad” Saturday.

Guess what? Gladness showed up.

A day in the life of.....

4/12/12 A day in the life of…..a grandmother with a sad heart. This entry sounds like it’s going downhill----but God…………had me open my Jesus Calling yesterday (3/11) after I kissed loved ones good-by. The first line read, “This is the day I have made, Rejoice and be glad in it.” So I began the day being careful NOT to complain (that would be my natural tendency) about the long distance from 6 of my grands. Focusing instead on thanking the Lord for the time I had been given.

Was it easy? Not exactly. Was it right? Yes. In everything give thanks. (I Thessalonians 5:18)

As the day worn on, regardless of a great walk with Ellen and a schedule change allowing a haircut with Pam (thus a long car ride chat w/ Bernie) I fell back into sadness.

But God……..does not give up on teaching me obedience. As I pulled out the egg carton for a dinner recipe, there in the top was another reminder---Psalm 118:24. It was stamped right on the inside of the carton. I couldn’t help but smile on my gifts of the day.

Has Aldi® always stamped egg cartons with a verse? I don’t recall seeing them before.

"The" Wedding is coming….

6/18/10 one week from today! Are we in a panic yet? I keep looking for another coherent thought----without much luck, I’m afraid. Larry says I’m wearing the tile out walking in circles. I don’t think so---carpet maybe, but not Italian porcelain tile. His hyperbole gives you a glimpse of the situation here and it’s not pretty. We’re only the parents of the groom. I can’t imagine what Megan and her mom are doing---they are both still teaching. Schools aren’t even out up east until end of June.

For one thing, a wedding scheduled for after an “eat your way through Mississippi girls getaway,” has most of the previously purchased wedding garb fitting a little snugger. Plus those “have to have” adorable sandals bought in Florida for the “after party,” are rubbing blisters----and they felt so good in the store. Thank goodness for Peggy leading me to Dr. Scholl’s moleskin.

I know this is also a "No Whine" month and the above sounds like a whine so allow me to restate. Josh and Megan are marrying in Brooklyn next week and we are all so excited. Everything will turn out fine---and if there is a snafu, it’s just fodder for laughter and reminiscing at future family gatherings.

As I have prayed for God to be glorified both at the wedding and throughout the marriage, I have thanked him for answered prayers. I have prayed for a spouse of God’s choosing for Josh since he was a little fellow. This morning I opened my grandmother’s Bible to the list of some of those requests that had been dated April 2, 1984: understanding of Josh’s impulsiveness, creative, confident in him, admires him, fun-loving.
Hm-m-m-m, fun-loving---i.e. able to put up with the Liles because we’re a packaged deal. Megan has certainly shown patience and resilience in this area over the last 4 years as she has joined us for visits, holidays and weeks at the beach.

Yes, the wedding is finally coming. We are thrilled---It is a day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

Serene Sabbath

1/25/09 Serene Sabbath---planning to "be still" For those who have asked, son Josh's web site will give you instant updates even when I get wherever I'm going---he has a "magic phone"---iPhone, I think" so he can do all this from any distance---All you need to do is enter your e-mail address and your e-mail password and then he approves you and you'll get the messages. www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/610549/

This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24) Today's verse in the Upper Room (which I try to read along with Daddy) is one of my favorites, Zephaniah 3:17 (between Habakkuk and Haggai---bet that helped a lot didn't it?? 

As a librarian, I commend the use of a Table of Contents, especially when they have a listing in alphabetical order.) The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Maybe rejoice is the word of the day---I think I'll just rejoice quietly. Today's My Utmost for His Highest said, Be in a state of expectancy---my marginalia was ----expectancy NOT expectation.