SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: a "looking" perspective

10/13/13 Cousins Owen(6) and Lucy (almost 2) rarely see each other----Memphis and Brooklyn are 1,100+ miles apart. But...this past weekend they spent a good bit of time together. What a joy it was to watch Owen "looking out" for his young cousin and for little Lucy to "look up" to him. She not only looked up to him, she tried to "keep up" with him as well. Fun to watch!

Hula Hoop lessons

Lego® lesson gone awry

Tree climbing lesson

Encouragement from the top

Day 1---Golf Cart lesson 

Demonstrating eating Whirley-Pop® popcorn by the handfuls

Smaller hands but just as full 

Pumpkin decorating demo w/ "sticky" cut-outs

Re-arranging "sticky" pumpkin cut-outs.

Decorating Owen with "sticky" cut-outs instead of the pumpkin 

Day 3--Independent golf cart driving. Shoes helped----it's all about the accessories.

SATURDAY SMILES

10/12/13 Somethings just make your heart smile....

Cousin Hugs

Wedding Celebrations--Congrats to Les and Ashley

and tears of joy well up......time to love. (Ecclesiastes 3:8)

PERFECT ARRIVAL

10/11/13 A perfect arrival, in terms of air travel, is early! It was still almost 10 pm Brooklyn time but Lucy was awake and even entertaining, between yawns. Plus. she was up bright and early today and ready for a "tea party."

Thanks Delta Airlines for an early arrival and thank you Lord for keeping those predicted thunderstorms at bay.

A cuppa for Lucy----

A cuppa for Owen

"TEA for TWO"....more tea, Owen? Yes, please.

SAFE PLACE

10/10/13 Everyone needs a safe place. A refuge. Is there such a place in our world anymore? 
Sometimes one needs more than bricks and mortar to provide safety from the enemies of the mind; fear, insecurity, anger, doubt, depression, jealousy, and anxiety.

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, 'Destroy them!' (Deuteronomy 33:27)

God and His Word----a safe place. 

MEMO: RE Complaining

10/9/13 

MEMO

To: All with a tendency to complain

RE: DON'T COMPLAIN

CC: Those who need ears to hear

 Jesus Calling's entry (Sarah Young, 10/9) reminds readers that God wants us to talk to Him about our difficulties. He understands our stresses and strains and our struggles. When we talk to Him, He hears and we gain a new perspective----His.

HOWEVER, complaining to others opens the door to self-pity and anger.

Remember "complaint" is NOT a spiritual gift.

 

Complaining is straight from the "pit".....piercing us with self-PITy!

Soothing.....

10/8/13 Sometimes soothing scriptures & a cuppa can make the night times easier. When one has lived

Psalms 16: 5-8, Psalm 37:23-24, Isaiah 41:10, Romans 12:12 then they just need to once again turn their thoughts back to God and His Word.

But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

Savoring God's Word. Sipping a calming tea. Soothing.

Hopeful Meditation #2

10/7/13 Having prayed earlier in the day for family members remembering the death of their daughter on this date 18 years ago, to praying later with a mom whose daughter is ministering in the Guerrero area of Mexico after the recent devastating floods, I entered Memphis funeral home. A young wife will bury her 42 year old husband tomorrow.  Their two young children are left without a daddy because he was robbed and shot, possibly by teenagers trying to "prove" themselves.

Hope in Him. Can you see it---before the time runs out.

All of these families need hope.
A future and a hope offered in God's word.

....the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness---a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time. (Titus 1:1-2, NIV)

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.  This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. (Hebrews 6:18-19, NLT)

Hopeful = full of hope. That's what
these verses offer.

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS: Simple Fun

10/6/13 Creating something from nothing or using the ordinary in unique ways is what childhood is all about. Never rob child of his/her childhood has alway been my very vocal philosophy.

Decorating the magnolia tree with hula hoops---what a colorful idea!

Popping corn with Shug's Whirly-Pop and sharing it on a make-believe ride to the zoo---another unique idea

Owen tricks the adults. We all thought someone was underneath. NOT!
 Just a pair of empty shoes and some pillows.

FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONTENT

10/5/13 I know the idiom uses familiarity breeds "contempt." A way of stating that less is more---with people, or even as one experiences something a lot. But....I like my word choice better.

After months of fun, with almost non-stop travel activities, it's good to be home.......

and the past few weeks I have been more than content with the ordinary----the familiar. 

My house. My prayer chair. My 3 three squishy bed pillows. My sharpened pencils. My sweet tea. My mundane mornings.

So familiar, so content.

Aging Adages

10/4/13 We all know the old age adages. Especially those of us with our Medicare cards.

Old age....  : 

-is NOT for sissies.

-is better than the alternative.

-comes at an inconvenient time.

-mellows some people, others it makes rotten.

-carries an inflexible mind set by people who don't care what you think.

I know I am aging because.... of doc appts. on my  "At-A-Glance" calendar

• one doc has me keeping a "dizzy data" diary, 
• another doc has me keeping a "tinkle" tally AND
• when I returned to my car AGAIN to get something I needed for my doc appt., I left my purse on top of the trunk.

I think I should have scheduled  a dementia doc---geriatrician on aging, or a neurologist.

I, and others, "could despair" (Psalm 27:13) with all the aging changes.  But God....has us "one anothering." Encouraging "one another" thru funny emails and cards about bathing suit shopping and frying bacon in the nude---just like old age, you know it's going to hurt----you just don't know where. Even scripture to lift our spirits. 

...though our outward man may perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. ..........(2 Corinthians 4:16)

I prefer that encouraging word from scripture rather than the adages of aging.