Morning Visitor inspires Meditation

1/9/12 Morning visitor was an eye opener in several ways. A reminder to fear not. A sign that God is in control. A grateful heart hint. A fret not, Dots memo!
Morning visitor was a red bellied woodpecker---not a red headed. God knows the difference so I figured I should too!
25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:25-27)

SABBATH SNAPSHOTS/Wise Men Worship

1/8/12

Twelfth Night (1/6/12) ended the season but not the
"reason for the season."

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)

Wise men still do worship the King!

THREE KINGS DAY

1-6-12 "Three Kings Day" is celebrated on January 6th, twelve days after Christmas. Also called Epiphany, it's a Christian feast day, that celebrates the revelation of the Son of God as a human being in His son, Jesus Christ. It is often viewed as the last day of the Christmas season.
For centuries, churches have celebrated the twelve days of Christmas, beginning on Christmas Day and ending on January 6.

9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod (the King), they returned to their country by another route. (Matthew 2:9-12)

Hooray for the three kings who bowed down and worshiped and who did not heed Herod's instructions.

"O" No!----"O" has caught up with me.......

1/5/12 More bookstore browsing. New intriguing titles (I Remember Nothing)....because they reflect the state of my mind! (or lack there of)

Table of contents lure. The "O" Word. Before reading further, my mind was flooded with "O" words. Partly because....... I live with a man who communicates in "initialspeake"---HH for hard head, OP for old_ _ _ _, POW for piece of work, etc. He's been speaking text-talk since before there was such a thing.

And partly because........I used to "read" dictionaries when I was in elementary school. Some words came right to mind. Overkill, oxymoron, oreos----which lead me to obesity---which lead me to oatmeal, which lead me to oatmeal cookies---which lead me back to obesity.

Knowing Ephron, an "O" word could be anything from obscure to obscene---but knowing her age, 70 last year, I assumed the "O" word was OLD. Indeed it was. (Ephron, p. 127)

So much can be said about that "O" word---a lot of which is not pretty. Aging is good for wine and antiques. For the rest of us, it can be a pretty frightening prospect. Memory loss being tops in my book. As Mother used to say about aging, if you're not ailing now, it's just a matter of time. Life does have an expiration date."

As we age the awareness of our own "someday" or "expiration date" increases---which has both good and bad aspects. Someday keeps getting sooner and sooner so one doesn't need to put off that which is important----the Lord, family and friends.

Old, yes. Obsolete, not totally.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

HAPPY BIRTHDAYS*---a thing of the past

1/4/12 Daddy would have been 90 today. This time last year I would never have assumed that his 2011 birthday celebration would have been his last. But then, none of us really ever know, do we?
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)
Eternal purpose---sharing with those we know and love. (*Birthday pic from 2006)

That's why we need to "eat sandwiches" with zesto. What ever moments are given, even the ordinary ones, need to be savored. This becomes all the more urgent as one becomes conscious of the brevity of life.

The last sandwich I had with Daddy was a pimiento cheese on rye. I furnished the pimiento cheese and he furnished 1/2 a loaf of rye from the Canton Pike IGA. Being at Mother and Daddy's growing up, one could always count on the availability of pimiento cheese and rye bread. In fact, if any of us dated someone who didn't like Mother's pimiento cheese, they were pretty much off the "list." Funny memories conjured up by a sandwich preference.

How grateful I am that I could not only share a sandwich but that I could share the Lord with Daddy, as well!

For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? (Ecclesiastes 2:25)

No reruns in life. Opportunities wasted can never be recaptured. Possibly the real reason for the description of aging and death at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes is to encourage us to make the most of our lives now. To fix a sandwich to share with someone.

How will you, reader, make use of today?

I'm going to Holiday Ham for some pimiento cheese to share with both hubby and friend, Ann. That, with a small can of tomato juice (as my brothers know) is a great way to remember Daddy.

Dance First? Think First?

1/3/11 Titles have a way of grabbing me when I'm browsing bookstore shelves, especially if "dance" is mentioned. The result is usually perusal of the table of contents.
I choose not to read summaries because too often they can spoil a good read. Fiction books are often too short a read for a purchase but I jot down those titles to check my "local" library's stock. Being a faithful library patron, as well as a frugal shopper, I'm probably not a bookstore's favorite customer.
I also don't buy quote books since quotes are readily available on line. But.....I will thumb through them to grasp words to "google" if one jumps out at me. I did just that on a recent book store browse.
In Dance First, Think Later, (which I think is a Beckett quote) there was a phrase in the forward that had me thinking....."eat your sandwich." It was a metaphor for enjoying the ordinary---a making the "most of life's little moments-type" analogy.

It's what I've been thinking about lately as I'm trying to regain my enthusiasm for "dancing" through all the regular, sometimes mundane, routines of life. It's more than just wanting to see God's Hand in my life. It's wanting to grab hold of that hand and allow Him to keep me dancing to His music----the songs/melodies He's picked because they suit my rhythm best. The rhythm He gave me!

As God would have it, Katherine's recent devotional gift speaks directly to that desire. Practically Holy is a daily guide to "Finding God in the Everyday." The everyday of "sandwich eating."

That's what I've been thinking about. Hopefully, now I will be able to "dance" as I eat and am nourished by all those sandwiches God brings into my life everyday.

Dotsy's "Verse" Quandry

1/2/12 Yesterday's calendar box read, January 1. I know that's New Year's Day---but it certainly didn't feel like New Year's Day. There was no "Rose Parade"---a MUST for me. No big bowl games. I observed it with church attendance, a long afternoon nap and the requisite black-eyed peas. Yet, somehow the day was off-kilter for me.
New Year's Day is a time for selecting my year's verse, for selecting passages for Allen Bible Church and for organizing my prayer plan and starting a new journal. None of that got done.

Why not? I honestly don't know. Maybe my structure doesn't fit His plan for my new year. Maybe it's to be more about His ways than mine. More of Thee and less of me comes to mind.
With what shall I come to the Lord? (Micah 6:6a)

For today, I'm "trying on" Micah 6:8. If it fits, maybe it will become my year's verse.

He has told you, O man, what is good;
and for what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? (ESV)

Just 3 aspects of life that are biggies in one's walk with God---justice, kindness, humility. Three infinitives, to do, to love and to walk---all requiring humility of spirit.

C. H. Spurgeon states, .....humility here prescribed involves constant communion with God (the preposition "with", speaks volumes to me)..... this humility implies constant activity (walking in humility is good spiritual exercise).....humility here prescribed implies constancy (it's continual, not just sometimes) and delightful confidence. (because "your" is the pronoun for "my" God) (Sermon #2328, 8/22/1889) Parenthetical additions are my THOTS. What are yours?

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

1/1/12 The New Year's card that I received from my local Hallmark store was a painful reminder that I hadn't gotten my act together enough to create my New Year's cards, much less address them and mail them. It was another one of my good intentions gone awry.

Knowing our Colorado trip would be the pictorial focus of a "greeting" card, I knew Christmas was not an option. New Year's salutations it would be----or so I intended!

I have too often been a gal of good intentions only. Where is the resolve for action?? Preacher son, Buddy, often encourages his congregation to be intentional about ________and the blank is filled in by chosen, worthwhile pursuits. It seems as if their intentionality possibly has more of a sense of "completeness" about it. To hear him explain it, the chosen activity includes an understanding of why said activity is of value. (Implication--completion is important because of the value of the choice.)

Maybe my cards had a misplaced value. Maybe my resolve for accomplishing the creating and mailing of them was not as strong as my desire for rest and relaxation. Hm-m-m! Food for thought along with my black-eyed peas, which has me wondering how any child of mine doesn't continue the practice of eating them on New Year's Day.

Regardless, I extend greetings for a Happy New Year 2012 to all friends and family----with or without the card or the black-eyed peas!

TAKING STOCK....

12/31/11 Taking stock. Isn't that what we do as a year draws to a close? The financial, political and entertainment industries certainly do. Experts in those fields want to know what worked and what didn't, as they plot the ups and downs of our economy, our votes and our selections. Data helps them to plot new courses and declare new resolves for the coming year.

Previous journal entries reminded me that I, too, need to take "spiritual stock." What good does it do to claim a verse for my year without being intentional about making it a reality in my everyday walk. January journal entry for 1/10/11 included my spiritual passage for the year's focus.

14...encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15...always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. 16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks;.......(I Thessalonians 5:14-18)

Always (adverb) "got me" as did the everything (noun) and everyone (pronoun). You see, I have a tendency to want to "pick and choose" things for which I am thankful (though some progress noted), & those with whom I am patient----just ask my family.
And then there's that adverb. Always. Always certainly indicates real consistency. Am I always seeking good for all (not just some)? Am I always rejoicing? (regardless of circumstances or blizzard road conditions) Am I always praying? (am I inhaling and exhaling praise) Now that I've taken stock, I resolve to do better because.....

......the last part of the verse reminds me that these mandates for living are God's will.

Bounty of Bonhoeffer

12/27/11 Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Ronnie Stevens quoted him often so I have DB quotes marginalia throughout my old NAS Bible.
Lo and behold there on the tall bookcase by the fireplace in the Carney's Colorado house was Bonhoeffer---a collection of his writings. Just a little "light" reading while I held a sleeping baby---knowing movement needed to be kept to a minimum, it was the perfect choice.
A choice morsel from Bonhoeffer that seemed to speak to my heart this first holiday season without a parent or a parent-in-law:

“There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve -- even in pain -- the authentic relationship. Further more, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain.”

Thanks Bonhoeffer. I needed that.