Be Still and Know...Then and Now

1. C is for Character: When you read a passage from Scripture, ask yourself and the Holy Spirit: “What does this reveal about God’s character?” 2. C is for Condition: When you read a passage of Scripture, ask yourself and the Holy Spirit: “What does this reveal about the condition of my heart?” 3. C is for Change: After you read Scripture, ask yourself and the Holy Spirit: “How do I need to change so the condition of my heart matches up with the character of Christ?” 4. C is for Communicate: As you are reading Scripture, ask yourself and the Holy Spirit: “Am I taking time to truly communicate with God? Am I listening to Him, thanking Him, and talking to Him, or just rushing through it?” 5. Where is my plumb line? Does my life, my actions, my attitude line up with the truth of God’s Word? O=Observation - Who's speaking & to whom. Where are they, etc. I=Interpretation - What does it mean? A=Application - How do I apply it? Where is my plumb line? Does m...

10-26-2024 - Blog Post  I was trying to post a picture to my Instagram page today and I found out very quickly that there is a significant limit to the number of words one can post, about 400 words or 2,200 characters. I tend to be a bit on the verbose sides so 400 words today wasn’t going to cut it.  I tried to edit my post down, but found the process very unsatisfactory. Then I re-remembered that I did in fact have an ancient blog and that I still had access to it. Now the other reality is that blogging has probably gone the way of the dodo bird....but since I have recently began to navigate things like Medicare and long term care insurance I figured that revisiting my blog kind of fit the definition for the day. I have also been thinking a lot about leaving something behind for my children and my grandchildren. I have kept a journal on and off since about 1972, so recording my thoughts, life experiences and general happenings is something that comes naturally...

  Lengthy…but I do eventually have a point! I’ve been in a bit of an artistic slump/life transition stage for what seems like forever. If you have been following my Instagram/Facebook page for a while (all 200ish of you….LOL) then you know that my postings have been nonexistent over the last few months. Moving into retirement, trying to figure out what life looks like on the other side of 65, and wrapping my head around ALL the stuff that is way beyond my control yet daily impacts my life has really kind of tossed a big old monkey wrench into my life. I would love to say that I’ve got it all figured out, but since lying is a sin…and it is soooooooo clear that I no longer have a clue what is going on in the world anymore, I am embracing the concept of just breathing through the cray cray. I am gradually trying to get over myself and just pick up a pencil (or pastel, or paintbrush) and just do something…anything, just do it!!!! I have taken a few positive steps to ease back into my c...

 I am trying to come up with a basic set of question to facilitate a daily post. So maybe the first question should be: 1. What was/is the highlight of your day or week? This week I went to a funeral of one of the saints of our church.  A sweet, sweet woman who was dearly love by so many. As I sat and listened to the testimony of the woman's life I felt truly blessed that I had the privilege of knowing her.  It was a blessing to know that she is no longer suffering. The next question should be; 2. What should I or could I have done differently today or this week? This falls under the category of a good thing and bad ting.  The new season of Lost in Space comes out this week. I LOVED that show when I was growing up!!! Sadly, I have totally forgot what happen last season so  am having to rewatch several of the previous episodes so I can catch up. This happens quite frequently.  Also, Diana Gabaldon has just published the nex...

 I worked today, printed church bulletins, sent the email newsletter, assembled Welcome Packets and updated the church calendar...toldya it was riveting! Next, I stopped and bought a massaging heating pad, the highlight of my day. So far it's awesome. Watered the garden, the spinach and kale were planted late so the hope of winter salad greens my not happen. What's your least favorite thing about Christmas?  Mine is trying to decide what to stuff the stockings with.  I always feel like I never have enough stuff, but then I  don't want to waste money on junk that will get tossed in a month...the struggle is real.  Spent the better part of the afternoon decorating the christmas tree. It's nearly done.  Pending later...reheating my leftover lentil soup and there may be a grilled cheeses sandwich to accompany the soup...and there might be a cocktail later whilst I stream a few episodes of something mindless on netflix or HBOMax... Blessings R PS: Warned you yo...

I had to go back to work today. Poor me... Reality crashed in and I had to get up and go to work. Those church bulletins aren't gonna print themselves...LOL! The reality that I can't move in with my daughters...BOOM!  I must lean into the reality that she is now a mother herself.  For as much as I may want to, I have to trust the process in place.  All new parents have to learn for themselves how to be parents. I have to trust that the foundation and example set for her is rising up.  Watching my daughters grow into motherhood is/was a profound privilege.  There were moments when I would watch her interact with her own daughters, I was overwhelmed with  love. My baby is now a mother with her own child, I'm still wrapping my head around that one. Subject change: I put up a batch of spice cranberry sauce today and thawed a container Lentil soup for dinner...it was good! Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. ...

I left my house at about 10:30 Thursday evening and have today returned home, Saturday, November 27th.  It didn't feel like 9 days, but when emotions are high and a sweet new baby arrives time either slows to a snails pace or speeds by quickly. This afternoon it was time to tear myself away from my new grandbaby and point my car in the direction of home. I was beyond thankful that I was able to spend the time with my daughter as she settled into motherhood.  There were many moments as I watched with a full heart as she tended to her new little one. It really was a very unique experience, watching my little girl, my baby with her own baby.  How did that happen? The nine months we waited with great anticipation were finally here, we all had different expectations and different perspectives. My perspective was a teetering balancing act between motherly concern as my daughter labored greatly during childbirth and joyful anticipation as my arms ached t...

Why YES it has... Anybody still out there?  Has blogging gone the way of the dodo bird? It took me several attempts to even find the login for this old blog, but fortunately I was able to dust off the old passwords and usernames....so here goes nothing. Much has changed...but I think collectively change is the new normal. My children are all grown and we are counting down the days until retirement. Lake lots have been purchased and the beginnings of a "future plan" is in place for where we will spend our golden years...LOL! Is that even a thing anymore? My children are now parents themselves, which seems a bit odd. But watching them as they parent is a mixed bag of blessings and challenges. As I compose this I am watching my daughter learn how to be a mom to my granddaughter who is seven days old!  I went back to work part time, which was a good thing, but quickly turned into more that I anticipated...so I made a change and now I am much happier working at a small church part...

I was mentally kicking and screaming as the sun came up on our last day. As condo's go, I have to share that being the spoiled woman that I am I found several deficits in my surroundings. Don't get me wrong, I loved our time at the beach, the place where I rest my head is a secondary issue. It was completely adequate, however, compared to some of the other places we have rested our head this was a bit lacking. The back deck, the furniture was very old and kinda dirty, so sitting outside was not an option. Enjoying my morning coffee as the sun came up was not something I wanted to do on rickety dirty plastic lawn furniture. The grill was a fire hazard, there was a dead tree right outside our back porch so it was a bit of an eyesore. The condo was also a townhome, that meant stairs leading up to the main living area and then stairs leading up to the bedrooms. The trips up and down the stairs were not the most conducive to the arthritis in my hips and knees. I managed to c...

Y'all God is sooooooo good! Our last full day at the beach was about as perfect as it could have been. We had blue skies and not a threat of rain at all. We had an entire day to enjoy, sunning, napping, reading, dipping in the pool...it was awesome! Perfection! This little guy was fearless and very bold, he hopped around in the sand just a few inches way from my tootsies looking for birdie tid-bits in the sand. I tossed him a grape and he was less than enthused, apparently ocean fowl don't eat grapes.Later a seagull swooped in and snatched it up and then promptly dropped back down on the sand. Whooo knew.... We had most of our meal at the condo, I had planned very well and spent minimal effort, kept it very simple, mostly fruit and yogurt for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, big salads for supper. But on our last night we went out for dinner. A very dear friend suggest The Indian Pass Raw Bar. HAVE MERCY! Y'all, over the course of that last f...

Day three unfolded the same as the day before. After breakfast, we headed down to the beacht. However after a few minutes..... ...we began to notice some very looming dark clouds off in the distance. We were able to get in a few hours of beach time before the dark clouds lumbered in. We had to rapidly pack up and race back to the condo before the thunder and lightning hit. God is good and the thunderstorm did not last very long. Our evening cocktail and stroll was just gorgeous! I was again basking in the solitude of the beach! Is this not gorgeous, I keep using that word! Outstanding, spectacular, breathtaking, amazing..... Meanwhile back at the condo...I had a few minor issues with the refrigerator. The setting was a bit off and several things froze. The strawberries I had brought with me.....FROZE SOLID! I was regretfully forced to alter my menu and suffer through a frozen strawberry cocktail while we relaxed after our evening stroll! Oh woe...

Day Two.... After a wonderful nights sleep, we hit the beach after breakfast. I had been looking forward to sinking my toes down into the sand for so long. I was good y'all! In a perfect world, our condo would have been just a few steps away from the beach. However, due to circumstances beyond our control (conflicts on the Hubs office calendar, we had to adjust our dates to accommodate his work schedule) plus, the place we had originally wanted to stay at was no longer available for the new dates we needed. There were also some financial constraints (I don't know about y'all, but that money tree in the backyard just isn't producing like it is supposed to!) So ya make adjustments and move forward. Our condo was about a 5 to 10-minute walk to the beach, not perfect, but it was still the beach. My saving grace was the clubhouse and pool. Once set up at the beach it was a very short walk up to the pool and restroom. I could lounge to my hearts content and then hea...

Is there such a thing as a vacay drive happening in this day and age without having some sort of traffic jam? Not on a Georgia highway, that's for sure! I love my husband but sitting in traffic seems to push him to the limits of his Christian charity. it did not last too long.... We began our trip with full confidence that the GPS had us safely in hand. At about the mid-point in our trip, we began to wonder.  Were we headed to the beach or had the mysterious voice in our GPS taken control and decided that the middle of nowhere was a more desirable destination. We were traveling down lonely roads with no other cars in sight in some unknown rural part of Alabama. The roadside was a sea of tall scrub pines, the very picture of a scene from the walking dead.  I kept an eye out for the possibility of the zombie apocalypse, cause if we never returned nobody would ever be able to find us. I was thankful that we did have a cooler full of vacay food in the ...

For the few of you who still read my blog, the Girlchild made it home safely from the beach. Momma, made it through on her knees, but I made it through. The one fact remains steadfast, there is no problem that prayer can not soften, I could not actually know what she was doing, I had to trust in the foundations we have laid for, the foundation she has taken up for herself. God is good and a steady stream of conversation with the creator kept my head from exploding, my accountability sisters were awesome as well. I don't know what I would do without those women in my life!!! FOR REELZ! Life is funny, I am convinced that God has a wonderfully sharp sense of humor. No sooner does the girlchild make it home safely from her first unsupervised vacay, what do we do???? We promptly head out leaving her all by her lonesome while we enjoyed some down time, some much needed down time in fact. So I switch from concern over her being at the beach unsupervised to worries about her having ...