Cindy in PA

One Thousand Gifts (574-587)

2012-02-13T17:45:00.003-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

We have lived a celebratory life these past couple weeks. On Tuesday our daughter was married at a courthouse and afterward we went out to dinner. On Sunday our granddaughter was baptized at our church and afterward we went out to breakfast.

Events celebrated and food. It has been a full couple weeks which led me to tell Wonderful Husband that life can now settle down a bit and the old saying, "Eat less, move more," will be our focus for a while.

#574 - 587 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

574. our daughter and Andy's wedding

575. the many women from our church mailing cards of congratulations to the happy couple. (We call it a card shower.)

576. our granddaughter's baptism

577. people congratulating the three of them after the service

578. celebrating other's milestones

579. snow on a Saturday with no worries about going out

580. emails from friends that make me smile

581. a new fellowship opportunity at my church on Thursday nights

582. Paula, Carole and Carol witnessing our granddaughter's baptism

583. God spotlighting all the women surrounding me with their wisdom, love and grace

584. my co-worker's mind-blowing (to me) story about possibly reuniting with her ex-husband. Compared to her, my life is b-o-r-i-n-g. Ha!

585. hugs from Wonderful Husband and the love I feel in his arms

586. our son calling to hear about the baptism and catch up on life

587. a mailing business that will box up birthday gifts more efficiently than I ever could

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Do you overload on food during celebrations?

A Perfect Day For A Wedding

2012-02-11T16:26:00.001-05:00

The weather was unseasonably warmish, sunny, and delightful on Tuesday, February 7th.

A perfect day for a wedding. (But really wouldn't every day be perfect for a wedding?)

Our daughter Young Sweetie married Andy, our son-in-law.

On our way up the courthouse steps, I glanced to our right and saw a wall of glass and a small group of women behind the glass smiling and waving. I waved and then told Young Sweetie, "Look to your right and wave." She did and their smiles increased while they enthusiastically waved to her.

It was my first time attending a courthouse wedding and the judge who officiated is also a member of our church.

The ceremony was beautiful. Wonderful Husband and I had a few tears...but didn't go into full boo-hoo mode. Phew!

We pray for the newlyweds to keep God first and each other second, and are thankful to be able to witness the beginning of their lives as husband and wife.

A perfect day for a wedding!

One Thousand Gifts (563-573)

2012-02-06T17:31:00.001-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

#563 - 573 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

563. meeting Sue for hot chocolate. It's been nine months since we last got together. We're committed to meeting again in the spring. Of 2012 :)

564. a Shamrock shake. With whipped cream and a cherry on top.

565. a visit to the florist. Beautiful colors and textures on a winter's day. A case filled with happiness!

566. our daughter's pre-wedding party. The trifecta of family, friends, and food.

567. Girl Scout cookies (Lemonades, please!)

568. sending a card to Melanie. Yes, our hope is in the Lord.

569. continually re-visiting my word from 2011. Grace.

570. mothers of adult children. We are unsung heroes!

571. asking Paula for prayer on my behalf. Anxiety eases. Amen.

572. intercessory prayer. A blessing to request/receive and give/pray for others.

573. receiving encouraging words from my sis-in-law

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Was your week filled with as much sugar as mine?

One Thousand Gifts (553-562)

2012-01-30T18:18:00.002-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

I have been working since December 1, 2010, and in all that time I have been the first to arrive at work twice and had to shut off the alarm.

The first time, I set off the alarm and it took a few minutes for the alarm company to instruct me how to shut it off. My ears were ringing for quite a while afterward and my nerves were jingly-jangly too.

The second time was last week and knowing in advance I'd be the first to arrive at work I prayed before going in. I asked God to help me key in my code and for the alarm to not go off.

All went well with no shrieking alarm yet I must admit my nerves were jingly-jangly anyway.

Do you pray for small things to go well?

#553 - 562 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

553. not setting off the alarm at work

554. every sunrise I see in the morning

555. every sunset I see on the way home from work

556. the startling, icy sting of a cold glass of milk on my fingertips

557. fellowship with our daughter and Presby women at the Funcheon (Fun Luncheon. The word Funcheon makes me smile.)

558. two women sharing their hard eucharisteo. One's husband left after 16 years of marriage and how God helped her to forgive him. The other's soon-to-be ex-husband committed suicide and how she felt God's presence during and His comforting presence after while raising their two sons.

559. sending thank you cards to those two courageous women for sharing their hardships and faith

560. worshiping at the 11:00 a.m. service at our church

561. praying to God for two weeks of energy, wisdom and stamina while celebrating our daughter's pre-wedding party, wedding, and our granddaughter's baptism

562. celebrating God's gifts and blessings showering down upon our family

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Thanks for stopping by!

One Thousand Gifts (536-552)

2012-01-23T18:57:00.002-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

This past week was filled with moments of joy and moments of sorrow. Isn't that one way to define life as being filled with joys and sorrows?

#536 - 552 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

536. scripture that says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

537. the return of my van, newly repaired from "the deer incident"

538. Mary Beth and Debbie. Meeting for dinner at Giuseppe's, catching up on our lives.

539. Randi, my giveaway winner and mailing her gifts off this week

540. solving a problem (I hope) with the comments section of my blog. I am becoming skilled in troubleshooting technology....this should be described as a miracle!

541. a whispery, fluffy, three inches of snow on Saturday

542. thermal underwear, a hooded coat, and winter boots which kept me warm and toasty while shoveling snow in 25 degree temperatures

543. the neighbor's dog rolling around in the snow. I can only describe him (or her) as a joyful dog!

544. our granddaughter (Youngest Sweetie) in her snowsuit. I don't think she was very impressed with her first snow experience. Ha!

545. oatmeal with blueberries

546. our son telling me about the sermon at his church. Love that I will be able to listen to it online!

547. good use of technology

548. sending a sympathy card to a family whose daughter/sister died of brain cancer

549. praying for others

550. the CaringBridge website. Another example of a good use of technology.

551. accepting an invitation to join a fellowship/small group beginning in February

552. Dr David Jeremiah's ending of his sermon, "Don't worry about anything. Pray about everything."

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Do you participate in a small group?

I Can't Make This Stuff Up

2012-01-20T19:29:00.002-05:00

I normally live a boring life. I pay the bills in our family and I am quite good at "living within my means."

Last Sunday after church and grocery shopping, I decided to scoop up the bills that had arrived during the past week and pay them online.

I went into the study and looked at the water bill....

(As a bit of a history lesson, our previous water bill which arrives quarterly was $221.26.)

Here is what our water bill from October 1 - December 31 looked like:

Need a closer look?

Really?

$9,769.32????

OK.
So our township made a whopping mistake.
I did call and they sent a corrected bill.
Much better.

Yet even our local government seems to have a sense of humor when on the left side of the bill, I read the message.....

That's right people!

Conserve water.

I can't make this stuff up!

Have you had a mistake on a bill that almost made your blood pressure fly through the roof? Please share.

One Thousand Gifts (522-535)

2012-01-16T19:05:00.000-05:00

While Ann Voskamp has challenged everyone to take the Joy Dare 2012, I am continuing my journey toward counting one thousand gifts. I will occasionally use her prompts from the monthly scheduled list because some of them turn my focus and stretch my observation skills. I was a bit concerned though that if I followed her scheduled prompts only, I would miss encountering my everyday blessings.

#522 - 535 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

522. watching/babysitting our granddaughter on New Year's Eve

She did nap but was awake at midnight!

523. neighbors that set off a great fireworks display at midnight. I love watching them from inside our house, the noise is muffled and the view is awesome!

524. my word for 2012: fellowship. I struggled to find it and will live it this year.

525. blogging my first review and hostessing my first giveaway

526. the writers at (in)courage. So much wisdom and encouragement which I read daily.

527. our daughter letting me borrow her car while my van was being repaired. She is a cheerful giver!

528. a text with a picture from Terri of her first grandchild

529. the amazing miracle of birth

530. God's timing and His continuing gift of hope in my life. My hope is in the Lord!

531. beginning to read Philip Yancey's book, Disappointment in God. (I appreciate his provocative titles and his walking through scripture.)

532. a ~~new~~ show I just discovered. "Person of Interest." Loving it!

533. Wonderful Husband. He brings love and wisdom to my world!

534. fellowship with friends of faith at breakfast on Saturday. We laugh, cry, and hold each other in prayer.

535. receiving a save-the-date postcard for our nephew's upcoming wedding in August. Already thinking about buying a new, cool, summer dress...

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Are you taking the Joy Dare 2012 challenge or writing a variation of it?

Card Ministry {A Review and A Giveaway}

2012-01-16T18:19:00.000-05:00

I've been writing letters, notes and sending cards for years. I remember that before I could spell, my mother would write my words, and I would copy them in my own handwriting. These were thank you notes to my out-of-state relatives for Christmas or birthday gifts.

I send cards in response to prayer requests, send sympathy cards, birthday cards, and just thinking and praying for you cards. A few years ago my friend Charlotte had a conversation with me about my card ministry. I never tried to define my card sending before and admit that I like her words "Card Ministry."

(In)courage and DaySpring sent me a free Hope & Encouragement Card Pack from Holley Gerth's line to review and I knew I would love them because I had previously purchased the pack and have sent them to family and friends.

Holley's words are loving, peace-filled, encouraging, and there is a scripture verse in each card. I also received six of her thank you cards which I decided to send to my two (adult) children because even my children need and deserve tangible gratitude from me.

That's the beauty of sending a card. A card is a tangible gift from the heart that tells the recipient that they are of value to me and in the case of these cards of value to God too. Every card I read from this pack brought to my mind a particular person who would benefit from receiving it on just a regular, ordinary day. Because even on an ordinary day, receiving one of these cards will bless a person in an extraordinary way.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

Giveaway:

DaySpring is supplying me with one (1) coupon code for $20 off your DaySpring purchase.

(Please know that shipping charges will apply to the winner’s order. For the coupon code to work properly, there must be a $20 minimum purchase. The coupon code will expire December 31, 2012.)

Bonus:
I will mail the 10 card pack of Hope and Encouragement cards from Holley Gerth's line to the winner. You deserve to get something for free and I hope you will love them as much as I do!

To Enter:

Must be 18 or older.
Leave a comment sharing either why you send cards OR a time you received a card that touched your life.
Please make sure there is a way for me to contact you.
One entry only please.

This giveaway closes Friday, January 20th at 10:00 p.m. ET.

I will use a random generator to pick the winner.

I am linking this post to the (in)spired deals review page and kindly encourage you to go and read what others thought of their card packs, or sending and receiving cards, and maybe they're having a giveaway opportunity too.

Disclaimer: Through signing up at (in)courage for the (in)spired deals review, DaySpring sent me a free Hope & Encouragement Card Pack from Holley Gerth's line to review. I also received 6 premium thank you cards and an accordion card organizer. The opinions contained in this review are my own.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll be back to visit.

Good luck and God bless!

Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV

One Word for 2012

2012-01-10T19:19:00.000-05:00

(This is the third year of my choosing a word to focus on. I chose Hope in 2010 and Grace in 2011.)

This year I wrote a list of nine words and prayed about them.

Three words drew my attention: fellowship, community, and assembly.

I finally decided, with God's nudging, that my One Word for 2012 is:

Fellowship

fel·low·ship /ˈfɛloʊˌʃɪp/ Show Spelled [fel-oh-ship] Show IPA noun, verb, -shipped or -shiped, -ship·ping or -ship·ing.

noun
1. the condition or relation of being a fellow: the fellowship of humankind.
2. friendly relationship; companionship: the fellowship of father and son.
3. community of interest, feeling, etc.
4. communion, as between members of the same church.
5. friendliness.
from Dictionary.com

Social situations exhaust me. In my empty-nester season of life, I am happiest at home where it is quiet and soothing and I can recharge myself for the next day or event.

Yet through the years I have come to realize that life is about relationships.

Deepening relationships with God and with people.

Relationships with people take face-to-face time and energy.

I make the commitment to God.

I need to invest myself in being in fellowship with people too.

I believe God places every person in my life for a reason.

Some fit like a glove, others not so much. Yet I become a better woman from each type of person. Spending time and listening to them teaches me things I hadn't thought or experienced personally. Sometimes the lesson is in my personal reaction or thoughts and how God can shift them (my reactions/thoughts) to appreciating who I usually refer to as my "Christian challenges." :)

In 2012, I will focus on fellowship.

Opening my heart and home to people.

Dedicating time to God through worship and studying scripture.

Sharing my time with people,

and with a generosity of spirit, socializing with others.

2012 is my year of fellowship.

Do you choose a word to focus on each year? Would you share it here?

One Thousand Gifts (511-521)

2012-01-02T14:39:00.001-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

"In the beginning God created..."
Genesis 1:1a (NLT)

Over and over I read "and God saw that it" (light, land, seas, vegetation, plants, trees that grow seed-bearing fruit, sun, moon, stars, water creatures, birds, wild animals, livestock, small animals, human beings) "was very good."
Genesis 1:3-31a (NLT)

For the first time in my life, this new year seems to be a year of mystery.
In past years, I would be anticipating upcoming events.
I have no idea what will unfold in 2012.
God knows what is coming.
I will place my trust in Him.

Happy New Year!
In 2012, I embrace:
moving forward in counting toward one thousand gifts;
documenting the easy eucharisteo and the hard eucharisteo;
striving to be a better wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, grandniece, niece, aunt, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, friend, and co-worker,
with help from God.

#511 - 521 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

511. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit

512. a new year

513. a new calendar

514. a fresh start

515. holidays off from work

516. time intentionally spent with family

517. our granddaughter's loud cries, such healthy lungs :)

518. a couple days in the mid 50s...warmed my soul

519. a new, smaller purse (hoping I'll be able to find stuff easier ;)

520. Wonderful Husband installing new knobs on kitchen drawers and cabinets

521. the year of 2011. God stretched and strengthened me using my (our?) chosen word of "grace." He knew what the year held and how much I needed His grace and needed to extend grace to others.

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Do you choose a word to focus on during the year?

I admit I'm struggling this year...still praying for it.

2011 in Review

2011-12-31T17:56:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year's Eve!

I arrived at work on Wednesday, backed my daughter's car into a parking space, and looked up to see this magnificient, swirling, cloud-laden sky.

Just lovely.

As I sit in the quiet on this last day of 2011, I am tired. I'm sleeping well but think that too much sugar, not enough veggies, not enough movement (read: treadmill), and a year of fulltime employment have exhausted me. My thoughts have been swirling around much like the clouds pictured above.

New Thing

I am 50 years old and have braces.

I've had crooked lower teeth for years and noticed in the past couple years that I was experiencing pain in one of my upper front teeth. It was shifting into my other front tooth and soooooo I "treated myself" to a visit to the orthodontist who gave me the options of Invisalign or regular braces. The reason I chose regular braces is I will have them for a shorter period of time (estimate from 10-14 months) and the orthodontist said that I would have better success with braces.

At my last appointment, he asked what I wanted for Christmas....I told him straight teeth in the new year.

No pressure! :)

New Experience

I am a grandmother.

The old saying is true, "If I had known grandchildren were gonna be this much fun, I would have had them first!”

Our granddaughter (Youngest Sweetie) is 7 weeks old and I think of her as my "free entertainment." She is amazing and becoming more alert. She loves looking at the lights on the Christmas tree, the Nutcrackers, and a framed picture of herself. She is a blessing!

Life Happens

A deer ran into the side of my van the night before Thanksgiving. The damage was a big dent in the passenger side door and a crinkle down the slider door. (I don't know the damage to the deer but am hopeful that it was stunned and now lives in an open meadow not near a road.)

The day before dropping my van off to be repaired, I hit the garage with my passenger side view mirror. Wonderful Husband immediately went and found the duct tape and off we went to run an errand.

If people were avoiding driving near me because of the dent, I think they really gave me a lot of space after seeing the duct tape!

2011 was my year of van body work. And P.S. I dropped the van off on December 19 and it might be ready on January 6. Fingers crossed!

God Spoke/I Listened

The One Year Chronological Bible - reading the Bible and following Wendy Pope's blog/vlog. A blessing! New in 2012, Wendy is teaching through the Psalms and you can check out her plan here.

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. I spoke about my experience from reading the book to my Bible Study buddies and how I began counting toward 1,000 gifts this year.

The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ by Kelly Minter. Terri and I continued our weekly phone calls and after catching up on life, we'd talk about a chapter or two. I love this book based on Colossians 3:12, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

Jesus Calling A 365-Day Journaling Devotional by Sarah Young.

Some Books I've Read

A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth

Good Hope Road by Lisa Wingate

Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace and Learning the Hard Way by Shauna Niequist

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Words of Wisdom

"Hope comes in more concentrated doses if you are getting it from someone IN the moment, versus in the memory." Quoted from Annie at Annie Blogs. You can read her entire post here.

After reading Annie's post about writing more about her life in this season of single-hood, I wonder if I should write more about my life in the moment of emptynester-hood and grandmother-hood. I struggle with how much my story intersects with my family and the fine line that I need to walk in protecting their privacy when including them in my writing.

And then my mind turns to silly technology issues like how to post two pictures side-by-side on this blog. My thoughts continue to swirl like the clouds. Ha!

Won a prize

An e-book called Notes to Aspiring Writers: Your Dream, God's Plan by Brooke L. McGlothlin.

Do you have a New Year's Resolution(s)?

Mine is the same one I've kept for the past four years. I am a card sender. I will continue to send cards of encouragement, sympathy, hope, etc., to people who I see in need of reminding that they are thought of and prayed for. (I love that my Bible Study buddy, Charlotte, calls it my Card Ministry.)

2010 was the year of hope for me.
I learned to place my hope in God.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13

2011 was the year of grace for me.
God covers me with grace, and I made great strides in sharing grace with others.
So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.
Ephesians 1:6 (NLT)

I'm not sure what word to focus on in 2012. I'll have to let you know.

I pray you have a Happy New Year and pray personally for less swirling thoughts in 2012!

Blessings!

One Thousand Gifts (503-510)

2011-12-26T11:17:00.000-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

Christmas day is over. The gifts are now unwrapped, under the tree. I am thankful for each gift and realize I lead a blessed life. I am free to worship God and celebrate the birth of Jesus.

And I remind myself that Christmas is not just one day, Christmas is a season.

Our son arrived on Thursday and Christmas morning my in laws came over and so did our daughter, granddaughter and Andy. We opened gifts, ate breakfast casseroles, then sent them off to meet up with them again at Wonderful Husband's sister's home at 4:00 p.m.

A phone call to my mom in Texas to wish her a Merry Christmas, baking the pineapple stuffing, then off we went to eat (again) and visit with family.

We arrived back home around 8:15, tired yet thankful for all the blessings we have on Christmas day and every day.

#503 - 510 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

503. freedom to worship God

504. celebrating Jesus' birth

505. celebrating our nephew's Christmas birthday

506. sharing time and grace with family and anticipating a new Christmas tradition next year

507. watching our granddaughter sleep through both Christmas celebrations. Next year will be a different, more active story! Ha!

508. Wonderful Husband, our son, and Terri who know my love of books and boy-oh-boy will I be busy reading for a while :)

509. new technology with a wireless mouse and a Kindle Fire

510. this year of counting toward one thousand blessings and the inspiration from Ann's book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are

Christmas 2011

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Grace and Joy (2011)

2011-12-24T07:50:00.001-05:00

For a child is born to us
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)

And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord's strength,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
Then his people will live there undisturbed,
for he will be highly honored around the world.
And he will be the source of peace.
Micah 5:4-5a (NLT)

...but the angel reassured them, "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all the people. The Savior --- yes, the Messiah, the Lord --- has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
Luke 2:10-11 (NLT)

May your Christmas be filled with grace and joy!

Seasonal Laughter

2011-12-21T20:00:00.000-05:00

Have you seen this in your daily travels?

Any kind of vehicle with antlers?

I saw one for the first time on my way to work.

I burst out laughing!

I wished I'd had my camera ready but alas...I was waiting for my traffic light to turn green.

Today at work, I looked outside to see this SUV zoom by and after waiting a bit of time (see how mature I am?) I walked outside to take the picture.

Thank you mystery person for decorating your vehicle and making my heart happy!

Have you seen antlers on cars where you live?

One Thousand Gifts (493-502)

2011-12-19T06:30:00.000-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

This past week was jammed-packed with three Christmas celebrations. I am an introvert and it takes a lot of energy to participate in large social situations. So by Sunday, I was exhausted, napped, and recouped some of my energy.

Christmas cards have been sent. Groceries purchased for Christmas casseroles, meals, and side dishes. Packages are wrapped and under the tree. I can't take all the credit for wrapping since Wonderful Husband did a lot of wrapping himself.

#493 - 502 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

493. celebratory time shared with co-workers, friends, and family

494. naps :)

495. car insurance that covers repair work on my van that was hit by a deer

496. a patient and kind husband, who doesn't call me an idiot when I do something stupid

497. our daughter who lets me borrow her car while my van is being repaired

498. a niece who is expecting her third child in June

499. our son sending us a Christmas card

500. our nephew who was born on Christmas day

501. Wonderful Husband who wraps gifts

502. Jesus' birth. The greatest gift of all!

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

This week I'll be baking pumpkin bread and cookies. Have you finished your Christmas baking?

Christmas Celebrations 2011

2011-12-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

This week has been filled with celebrations.

My Christmas lunch with co-workers at the William Penn Inn on Tuesday.
Beautiful ambiance.
Wonderful food and my dessert choice was creme brulee.
Yum!

Outside the entrance to the William Penn Inn.

Inside the foyer.
Love the red and the statue!

On Thursday, I took a vacation day from work and joined my Bible Study Buddies for a class where we watched one of Beth Moore's video on "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman." We had lunch which was a full turkey dinner with all the fixins and then an ornament exchange.

A month ago I tried to find where I could purchase Old World Ornaments. No luck in the New Hope stores I had stopped in. I was very disappointed.

Nutcrackers on our mantle.
Our granddaughter, Youngest Sweetie loves to stare at them.

I chose an Old World Ornament box from the table, wrapped only with a gold bow, and inside was this:

When Youngest Sweetie came over to visit, I showed her this one and hung it very high on the tree.

Well as high as a short person can reach that is.

After the ornament exchange, I asked who brought the ornament and if she would please tell me where she had purchased it.

Who brought the ornament?

Her name is Grace.

FYI - "Grace" is the word I have focused on for this year.

(Now I can tell Wonderful Husband where to find Old World Ornaments for future gift ideas. Pine Wreath and Candle in Peddler's Village. Hey! They've been around since 1964. Where have I been?)

Which leads me to Saturday and Wonderful Husband's Annual Family Christmas Party. A quick estimate of attendees was 30. And I can't begin to tell you what decibel level we reached....let's just say L O U D!

The dessert table!

After this week of festivities...I am sooooo full of food that I'm asking God to help me with some self control for this week leading up to Christmas!

Have you been calorically overloaded with celebrations?

My plan today is to reintroduce myself to my treadmill. It's been a while so I hope "she" doesn't hold a grudge!

One Thousand Gifts (476-492)

2011-12-11T13:00:00.001-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7 (NLT)

#476 - 492 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm overflowing with thankfulness for:

476. the sun battling through the gray clouds. Go sun!

477. sending a prayer-filled card to our niece-in-law, who's husband (our nephew) died two years ago

478. meeting Maria for coffee on Saturday

479. a hairdresser who works her "magic" and makes my gray hair disappear (for a little while ;)

480. our son who enjoys being a teacher. I'm proud of his hard work and him caring about the students.

481. the Children's Sermons at our church

482. bright-red ladies' coats at our church. They make me smile.

483. our church choir's beautiful voices singing praises to God

484. packages mailed to Terri and my mom

485. beginning to mail Christmas cards to family and friends

486. receiving packages on my front porch and seeing the mailman gently placing them behind one of our posts to camouflage their presence. He was awesome!

487. Wonderful Husband's appreciation and patience in waiting for me to cook meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans for dinner. He'd been mentioning it for a while...finally it came to fruition! Good things come to he who waits! lol

488. our one month old granddaughter's smiles. Some say it's gas, but not me :)

489. our daughter adapting to motherhood so very well. I am proud of her.

490. bloggers that make me laugh and make me think

491. my warm, black coat on cold days

492. Wonderful Husband who likes to Christmas shop, such a blessing for me!

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Do you have days of overflowing with thankfulness?

One Thousand Gifts (469-475)

2011-12-04T18:15:00.001-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

Years ago I went a bit crazy and bought a lot of boxes of half-priced Christmas cards. The reason why I say "a bit crazy" is because I haven't bought any new Christmas cards in over five years. And although I haven't run out of my supply completely, this year I decided to purchase new Christmas cards.

I know my friends and family haven't memorized my cards but I was feeling a bit stuck in the redundancy of sending them.

It took me a while to decide on which boxes I liked and I just broke open a new box yesterday. You see, I used to mail a lot of cards out on December 1st with our family update letter enclosed. Now my kids are adults and the update letter has gone by the wayside. I've reduced my list of card recipients too.

My Christmas card tradition is simplified and for that I am thankful.

#469 - 475 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

469. sending new Christmas cards

470. a simplified Christmas card tradition

471. online shopping over Thanksgiving weekend. (Note to self: Do this again next year.)

472. going to niece-in-law's baby shower with my daughter Young Sweetie

473. watching Little Sweetie and yes, our granddaughter is already an Eagle's fan at three weeks old. We're hoping the Eagles improve by the time she's older. Ha!

474. all shipping/mail workers during this busy time of year

475. laughing with Wonderful Husband who had forgotten he'd given me Mariah Carey's Christmas CD last year and almost ordered it for me again!

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Have you simplified any of your Christmas traditions over the years?

One Thousand Gifts (452-468)

2011-11-25T13:41:00.001-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

Days leading toward the Thanksgiving holiday were tough for me. I didn't update last week's list because I lacked energy, enthusiasm, and felt like I'd "hit a wall."

Yet I believe in God's perfect timing and the Holy Spirit working overtime within me. (And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. Romans 8:26a NLT)

I read through many people's lists who had linked up to A Holy Experience last week. I read blogs that I follow and the themes were thanksgiving. I read my One Year Chronological Bible.

I watched Dr. David Jeremiah's sermon yesterday, "The Powerful Promise of Thanksgiving." He reminded me of Colossians 4:2, "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." (NLT) He also said, "Gratitude is not thanksgiving until it is expressed."

So this week I am returning to express my gratitude to God who helped me turn a corner during my seasonal doldrums.

#452 - 468 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

452. God who never gives up on me

453. Paula who "introduced me" to Dr. Jeremiah's teachings

454. my van being drive-able and my being fine (after a run-in with a deer)

455. bottle feeding our granddaughter, Little Sweetie

456. family, near and far

457. a $10 download fee for the Relevant 2011 Keynotes (could be the best $10 I've spent this year)

458. an uncle meeting his niece

Uncle with Little Sweetie

459. a sunny, blue-skied Thanksgiving Day with mild temperatures

460. my mother-in-law with her great-granddaughter

461. four generations gathered for Thanksgiving

462. turkey, stuffing, gravy, onions in cheese sauce, cranberry sauce...and pumpkin pie with Cool Whip. Yum!

463. a brother-in-law's healing from hip replacement surgery

464. reading What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey. Finished reading it. Loved it!

465. God's patience, grace, and protection this past week

466. our son extending his stay by one day

467. our daughter bringing Little Sweetie over (again) for more play time. Yea!

468. a visual reminder of what I am through Christ (You Are Loved - Black Wall Art from DaySpring)

This post is linked to A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

How was your Thanksgiving?

I Live

2011-11-25T13:27:00.000-05:00

in Bucks County. An interesting name for a county and there is a reason for the specificity of my location in this post.

Here's the official story:
"Founded in 1682 by William Penn, Bucks County has had a long and distinguished history. Penn named the county after Buckinghamshire, the Penn family home in Englandpost." BucksCounty.org

Here's my unofficial story:
Named because we have lots of deer. I mean even one of our local high schools' mascot is Bucks (meaning deer, not money;)

We've lived in Bucks County for 16 years. We have seen a lot of deer running through fields, standing along roadways, and unfortunately dead along roadways too.

-------------

It was a long week leading up to Thanksgiving. I'd been a bit weepy, sad, numb, and couldn't come up with an update to my list of counting toward one thousand gifts. I was in a spiritual / emotional slump. Gray days with rain from drizzle to downpours obviously hadn't improved my mental state.

After a long eight hours of work on Wednesday, my excitement started to build toward: Thanksgiving and four days off, only being responsible for a sidedish at my sister-in-law's house, and our son already being at our house. I wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and left work with a bit of a bounce in my step.

I had two errands to run and while driving 40 miles an hour on a busy road, with cars in front of me and behind me and oncoming traffic just as steady, something hit my passenger door and actually rocked my van!

I drove about 100 feet and pulled into a convenience store parking lot to survey the damage. The traffic pattern never changed, cars weren't stopping, no dodging or weaving, and I noticed the truck that was behind me just zoomed on by where I was parked. I felt confusion, fear, and after seeing the damage, sadness.

I drove back to where it had happend. Nothing in the road or near the road. Traffic moving as usual.

Darn deer.

I'm hopeful that it was just stunned and ran off with a slight hangover. I don't know.

Yet after a week of a blah and weary attitude, I realized that during the hard eucharisteo of a damaged vehicle: My van was still drive-able and I wasn't physically injured. Pretty amazing once I started thinking about it.

I am thankful that the damage is what it is and thank God for his protection.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Romans 5:3-6 (NLT)

What do you think?

One Thousand Gifts (449-451)

2011-11-15T05:16:00.001-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

Our granddaughter was born on her due date of 11-11-11. She entered the world at 8:57 p.m., weighing 6 lbs. 1 oz., and measuring 20 inches long.

She is healthy. Her mom is healthy. Her dad is a great birthing coach. (And he's healthy too :)

I am in awe of the miracle of birth. God's hand leading us to this point in time. His grace covering us. His love for us. He created Amber and knitted her together (Psalm 139:13) and numbered the hairs on her head (Matthew 10:30).

I never knew that grandmotherhood would be so prayer-filled, exhilarating, and exhausting.

#449 - 451 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

449. a healthy, feathery-light, long-lashed granddaughter

450. a family of three

451. God blessing us with the gift of new life

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes on Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Thank you for stopping by.

A Grandmother

2011-11-11T22:11:00.005-05:00

It's time to update my profile description to include "Grandma."

Our daughter (Young Sweetie) gave birth to our granddaughter, Amber Riley, at 8:57 p.m. on her due date of 11-11-11.

Amber weighed 6 lbs.1 oz. and measures 20 inches.

Hey! I'm not the shortest person in the family anymore!

Welcome to the world Amber!

Congratulations to Young Sweetie and Andy!

Thank you Lord!

I am exhausted :)

One Thousand Gifts (428-448)

2011-11-07T17:38:00.000-05:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

I carry a small notebook in my purse to write down my list of blessings while I'm away from home. I called my orthodontist on Monday morning and asked to come in to have some "donuts" placed on my back brackets because I was wearing blisters into my inner cheeks. (Very painful.) The woman at the front desk was wonderful because she slipped me in for a quick appointment before I went to work.

I arrived on the run into the office. Had the quick procedure and by the way it was Halloween and all the staff were in costumes. I felt a bit under-dressed and was also thankful that it wasn't my first visit since it would have startled me. Ha!

I was walking out the door and saw a woman with her arms filled with her purse, books, and balancing a cup of coffee above it all. I was going to say that I would get the door for her when she looked at me and asked, "Is this yours?" She was holding my small notebook! I said, "Yes," and she handed it to me. I thanked her and marveled to myself that I obviously had droppped it in the parking lot and I was the first person she saw upon entering and it was mine.

God's perfect timing!

#428 - 448 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

428. the woman who returned my notebook

429. a well-timed orthodontist appointment that brought relief to my mouth

430. my braces. Five months down, five to seven months left to go!

431. my first business trip for work to Baltimore, MD

432. Wonderful Husband coming with me and sharing the drive

433. Wonderful Husband sightseeing: Historic Ships in Baltimore- USS Constellation, USS Torsk, Lightship Chesapeake; the Baltimore Aquarium; and the American Visionary Art Museum

434. friendly hotel personnel

435. God and my belief that every conversation I had on the trip was ordained by Him

436. a beautiful chandelier in the meeting room at the Sheraton Hotel

437. being open to new work relationships and sharing dinner out

438. assisting a nursing mom with privacy by letting her use our hotel room

439. having the same mom show me pictures of her child "that I was helping"

440. a 60 year old woman who was inspired to become a triathlete after seeing an 85 year old cross the finish line on TV

441. being told the secret to the automatic faucet in the restroom, instead of waving my hand like an idiot, there was a sensor in the center of the spigot. (Please note: After thinking I had the secret to wet hands, at the rest stop in Delaware I'm still waving my hand like an idiot since the sensor was located in the center of the barrel of the faucet.) Argh! And don't get me started on motion sensored paper towel dispensers!

442. assisting 40 people who took our two day course

443. watching them learn, ask questions, and earn 14 continuing education hours

444. two awesome speakers with approximately 40 years of clinical research experience between the two of them

445. Daylight Savings Time and receiving an extra hour of sleep

446. hard eucharisteo: less daylight and driving home from work in the dark

447. our daughter shopping online (for us) for my niece-in-law's (her cousin-in-law's) baby shower gifts

448. our daughter not going into labor while we've been traveling outside of PA. I know it's hard for her since she's soooo ready, yet I'm thankful that we are in town from here on out!

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Grandma and Snow (Showers)

2011-11-04T20:56:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday (October 29) we had snow in PA. Lots of snow. Crazy for Autumn and I hope not an example of the winter ahead snow.

I have mentioned my Bible Study Buddies mutliple times on my ongoing list of counting toward One Thousand Gifts. Last Saturday I was invited to Maria's home for a get together with some of them and breakfast was included. Yum!

Sorry of the blurriness. I forgot my camera, had Maria's son take the pictures with my phone and although the pictures looked crystal clear on my phone, by the time I copied them to my computer...fuzziness appeared. (I'm the one in the center, hands clasped in front.)

Have you ever heard of a Grandma Shower? I hadn't and these ladies pulled it together and there were gifts and it was awesome! Someone asked the last time I had a shower in my honor and I had to think back to my baby shower 25 years ago. YIKES!

The gifts included:
lots of books - plastic, cardboard, and regular paper pages,
swaddling blankets and a Comfort in the Word quilt,
some toys,
and diapers and wipes (what?) Ha!

We prayed before digging into breakfast, Maria thanking God for bringing us all together in life and thanking Him for me too. They are such a great group of godly women. I was blessed to study God's word with them for five years. I told them that the drawback to working full-time since last December is that I don't see them on Thursday mornings. I miss them.

I drove home carefully in the snow and arrived home at noon. Here's what the heavy snow looked like from inside my house. The burning bush struggling to remain upright under the heavy, wet snow. Wonderful Husband went out later to brush the snow off and it did spring back up.

This is what snow looks like on beautiful fall colored leaves in our neighbor's backyard.

We're watching our other neighbor's tree to see if it loses another section of branches due to the weight of the heavy snow and the blowing wind.

It was a fun and crazy day in PA. (See, I am a poet!)

I am thankful for my Bible Study Buddies gifting me with supplies for grandmotherhood. A Grandma Shower is a wonderful idea for a first time grandma.

And snow showers in October? That is just bizarre!

One Thousand Gifts (417-427)

2011-10-31T17:32:00.000-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

#417-427 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

417. sending an email to my brother for his birthday before leaving our vacation in North Carolina

418. smiles and good mornings exchanged at rest stops. Love the friendliness of strangers/fellow travellers.

419. mailing a birthday card to my mom. Another year wiser ;)

420. my brother and mother whose birthdays are one week apart, makes it easy on my old memory :)

421. returning from vacation to a steady (not overwhelming) workload

422. my Bible Study Buddies throwing me a Grandma Shower. Such fun and received so much love!

423. preparing for a business trip to Baltimore, Maryland

424. the beauty of snow in October

425. hard eucharisteo, shoveling the heavy, icy-ness. (Good exercise though :)

426. snow clumped on a bare tree

427. reading The One Year Chronological Bible when Jesus is about to be betrayed. Remembering the sacrifice he made for me/us/all.

(Jesus said) "Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth."
John 17:17-19 NLT

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers.

Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Contrast

2011-10-28T21:45:00.000-04:00

contrast - to compare in order to show unlikeness or differences; note the opposite natures, purposes, etc.

We were in North Carolina last week for vacation. I was lounging on a chair beside a swimming pool, the temperature was delightful, a palm tree and pine trees were nearby, and the blue sky was amazing.....

This week I am back at work, standing in the parking lot, dressed for the brisk temperature and although the sky is mostly cloudy, the sun peeks out for the picture. I admire the beautiful, red leaves.....

I drive past New Britain Baptist Church and read the words on their sign:
"When you're reluctant to change, think of the beauty of Autumn."

North Carolina and Pennsylvania are beautiful and different during Autumn.

Amen.

One Thousand Gifts (396-416)

2011-10-24T11:01:00.002-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

We had a wonderful vacation in Calabash, North Carolina. Since we were 30 minutes from the South Carolina border we went twice to visit the "friendly neighbors to the south."

The first time we went to Barefoot Landing. Had dinner at the Fire Island Grille and dessert at Maggie Moo's Ice Cream and Treatery. Both were delicious!

We went across the border the second time to see our niece Julie. She's lived in South Carolina for five years and works at a restaurant. Since she was working Saturday night, we went and had dinner at the restaurant and snatched a few bits of conversation with her. Once again we had a delicious meal and the "dessert" was seeing Julie. (Less calories!)

This week my list of blessings is compiled from our vacation. Thank you North Carolina for your blue skies and temperatures from 80 to upper 60s during the days!

#396-416 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

396. seeing a black squirrel with a white-tipped tail. (Very intriguing, whereas before I've only seen our regular brown squirrels.)

397. a middle school boy scuffing his shoes on the way to the bus stop. A reminder that although I was on vacation, everyone around me wasn't.

398. a bagel shop with HUGE, delcious multigrain bagels

399. the humor of Wonderful Husband meeting fellow golfers who were transplanted from our Pennsylvania area. Small world indeed.

400. being called "young lady," "hon," and "sweetie." I love the south!

401. purchasing two blank journals at New Life Christian Bookstore in Shalotte, North Carolina

402. laying out beside a beautiful pool with the wind dancing through the palm tree fronds

403. seeing fields of cotton along the highways

404. still seeing some wild flowers beautifying the highways

405. a turtle-filled pond

406. a heron stalking minnows

407. cold sand on my feet

408. wild, wind blown hair

409. crisp mornings, cool days

410. reading Jesus Calling and The One Year Chronological Bible at the beginning of each day

411. reading The Secret Lives of Dresses and What's So Amazing About Grace? throughout the day

412. visiting with our niece Julie at her work

413.driving our kids crazy on our way home with my text messages each time we crossed a state line. (Example: Bye North Carolina, Hi Virginia!)

414. arriving home safely in less than 12 hours (including multiple necessary stops!) Ha!

415. a day off from work on Monday. Putting off reality a bit longer.

416. time spent with God during vacation. A habit that must continue now that I am home.

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers.

Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Sunset Beach, North Carolina

Beach Thoughts

2011-10-21T11:39:00.001-04:00

Wonderful Husband and I are on vacation in North Carolina.

We went to Sunset Beach on a coldish (66 degrees) and windy day. I wore flip flops since I couldn't imagine getting sand in my sneakers and I wanted to feel the sand on the soles of my feet. I was thankful for my sweat jacket. Brrrr!

While walking into the wind, I started thinking about how the beach and ocean make me sentimental. Or do I mean nostalgic? Or retrospective? Or introspective? Or all of the above?

The ocean seemed wild, wave upon wave crashing toward the shore. Life feels like that to me sometimes. Wave upon wave crashing on me. I'm feeling overwhelmed.

I saw the signs saying 'No Lifeguard On Duty.' Ah, but God is always on duty isn't He? I'm thankful for that knowledge.

The wind was blowing the sand. I remember being on a beach in Wildwood, New Jersey where the sand felt like it was pelting my skin it was blowing so hard. It was a bit painful. Life can be that way sometimes too.

Wonderful Husband and I walked a while into the wind. The sand was cold on my feet, the sun was warming the rest of me. A sand piper would run toward the waves, then run away when the waves came too close. I do that sometimes. Run toward something then veer away when danger/change comes too close, too fast.

When we turned back with the wind at our backs, I watched my shadow and my hair was blowing wild. It felt wonderful with the wind at my back. It pushed me gently forward. I felt like I could do anything. Accomplish anything. Be anything.

We exited the beach and instead of washing our feet in the cold faucet, we sat in the gazebo and brushed the sand from our feet before stepping back into our flip flops. Beach time was over for the day. It was time to pull my head out of the clouds or was it the sand?

Praying for:
Renewal physically, mentally and spiritually while on vacation,
asking God to turn my thoughts toward grace and blessings,
today and when we return to reality/home.
Amen.

One Thousand Gifts (387-395)

2011-10-17T10:48:00.000-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

I saw the oddest thing while driving to a grocery store in North Carolina.
A man had parked his truck in a field.
Maybe it was his field, maybe it wasn't.
He was walking alongside an enormous tortoise.
Maybe it was his tortoise, maybe is wasn't.
It occurred to me that I have only seen tortoises at a zoo or on television.
And I think the ones on television were at a zoo too.

Oh how I wished I'd had my camera with me!

I'll be paying close attention while walking outside in case there has been a tortoise takeover near Calabash, North Carolina.

Have you seen surprising wildlife nearby?

#387-395 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

387. visiting with our son in Virginia

388. safe travel to North Carolina

389. a cool evening with a breeze

390. a beautiful sunrise

391. Wonderful Husband "working" on his golf game

392. wireless internet at the condo. We've always been told that it's available and this time I call it our wireless miracle! Ha!

393. catching the sun's rays at the swimming pool. Warm day, cool water. Perfect!

394. six days off from work

395. fully embracing vacation mode

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers.

Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

An Autumnal Feast

2011-10-14T17:34:00.000-04:00

I love autumn in Pennsylvania.
The trees show off their beautiful colors. Fire engine red, pumpkiny orange, school bus yellow.
Some trees try to embrace all three colors.
Here is an example outside the window at work...

Can you see the railroad track behind the tree? The trains race by at times with horn blaring during my workday. Do the people speeding along notice the beauty of the foliage?

I hope so because autumn in Pennsylvania is a feast for the eyes. And this feast has no caloric consequences.

Autumn is such a gift!

One Thousand Gifts (382-386)

2011-10-10T17:28:00.000-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

Our church is in the middle of a renovation. We are land-locked (real estate-wise) so the only way to build is up. We've seen the education building mostly renovated, kitchen included. We've worshiped in the gym while the sanctuary was renovated and now in order to connect our two buildings, a bridge (skywalk) is being added and will be fully enclosed. No worries about rain or snow ever again. At least while walking from one building to the other.

Front of church.
Originial edifice built in 1872.

Back of church on left, education building on right,
connected by the steel beam of the bridge.

Education building with scaffolding.
Originally built in 1940, enlarged in 1965 and under
renovation since 2010.

Thank you for allowing me to share our church's history and our present. I am learning to adapt to change (in my old age), and admit that updating the building to run more ~~green~~ efficiently and removing the old, unsafe materials is good too.

Watching the renovation unfold, hearing compliments being said to the architect, builder, and workers....I give God the glory and thank Him for His grace during this time.

#382-386 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

382. hearing leaves falling, lawn mowers growling, and dogs barking

383. the beautiful warm and sunny weather over the weekend. No rain in the forecast? Amazing!

384. our newly renovated church sanctuary. Less dark and cave-like, more light of Christ felt during worship. Amen.

385. counting down toward vacation in North Carolina. I'm already there "in my head!"

386. Beth Moore's Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman Bible Study. Beth weaves Old and New Testament scriptures together like no one else I know.

"God is 'the God of all grace,' in the apostle Peter's words. And grace means there is nothing I can do to make God love me more, and nothing I can do to make God love me less."
quoted from What's so Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers.

Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

A Farm and Family

2011-10-07T07:26:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago we traveled to New Jersey to meet Wonderful Husband's cousin (somewhat removed) who is from Germany. Dina and her husband (Uli) were traveling around the U.S. and spent some time in New York, New Jersey, and were going to Florida before flying back home.

The family reunion was hostessed by Wonderful Husband's other cousin (Marion) who lives on a farm. It's the first time we'd been there and I loved seeing where she lived. Seventeen of us were on the farm (ages 6-83).

Some of the beams inside the barn were repurposed and had been dated 1860.

One of the highlights was when the turkey who lives two doors down came to pose by the fall decorations. I took this picture from the safety of the screened-in porch since he had been chasing the kids around the yard and I don't run as fast as I used to, especially in sandals!

Wisdom does come with age.

One Thousand Gifts (374-381)

2011-10-03T17:31:00.000-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

This past Saturday I hostessed our daughter's baby shower. The house was clean and I took care of the invitations and food. Melissa (our niece, her cousin) volunteered to decorate and plan the game. Twenty-one ladies attended and it was a fun-filled three hour event.

See how I can sneak into a picture? Ha!

Love her in a tiara!
Wished I had one too.

The required side view photo.

Monkey is the shower theme.
Loved it when Wonderful Husband said it looked like
someone walked all over the cake. lol

Monkey cookies as parting gifts for the guests.

#374-381 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

374. Jessa, Andy, and Amber. I'm excited about Amber's arrival because my plan is be known as "~~Sneaky~~ Fun Grandma."

375. being hostess for our daughter's baby shower

376. Melissa decorating with a great helper (Wonderful Husband). It allowed me to plan the menu and prepare the food.

377. family and friends attending

378. everyone bringing their appetites. (I was afraid of storing massive amounts of leftovers, yet these ladies did me proud!)

379. the generosity of family and friends. So many cute/useful gifts, and only a few had to be explained to me. (Wow. Baby paraphenalia sure has changed in 25 years. Ha!)

380. the talented cake decorator and cookie baker. Cute creations and delicious too!

381.God and His grace. Thankful that I receive it and am better at sharing it with others.

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers.

Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Have you thrown a shower/party lately?

One Thousand Gifts (365-373)

2011-09-26T18:34:00.010-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

Yesterday I was known as 'Cindy in New Jersey.' I drove Wonderful Husband and his parents to cousin Marion's farm to meet Dina and Uli who are some sort of cousinly relations and were visiting from Germany.

They spoke with a delightful German accented English and I thought that if I ever was to visit them and sit in a room full of German relations, I wouldn't be able to communicate a bit with them in their native language.

We spent a few hours visiting and then traveled back to "our homeland," Pennsylvania.

A family reunion

Farmhouse

#365-373 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

365. Wonderful Husband's family reunion which included meeting a new cousin and her husband from Germany

366. spending the day at a beautiful farm

367. knowing Sara through her blog Gitzen Girl. Rest in peace dear one.

368. surprising Charlotte with the Ask Seek Knock plaque from DaySpring

369. still reading Philip Yancey's book What's So Amazing About Grace? His writing speaks to my heart and soul.

370. gray hair and grace at the beauty shop

371. a clean house and preparing for our daughter's baby shower on Saturday

372. Wonderful Husband battling ants and weeds. I hope he wins!

373. laying out in the sun and absorbing Vitamin D

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers.

Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Gray Hair and Grace

2011-09-24T18:26:00.000-04:00

On Monday night I went for my usual hair color and cut from Joanne. It had been seven weeks since my last appointment and I told her she'd need an extra large batch of color to cover all my gray hair. A couple customers came and went during my long process and then it was just me with Joanne, Hope, and Debbie.

Beautification takes a long time at my age.

The latest book I'm reading (and so far loving) What's So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey, lay on the ledge at Joanne's station. Who knew it would begin a conversation about being judged, faith, grace, and where I went to church?

Answer: God.

Hope and her friend traveled to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to shop around the farmers' market and a man asked them if they knew what "being born again" meant. Hope's friend must have been sharing quite a dramatic personal experience because Hope kept saying, "Oh my God."

Eventually the man turned to Hope and asked her if she realized that she was cursing God with that phrase, and she asked me it I had heard of that before. For those who know me well (my kids)...I never say that phrase. I do believe that is using the Lord's name in vain. Yet this year I had chosen the word "grace" to focus on, and to live through. So I explained that I say, "Oh my gosh."

Hope and her friend talked about the man and the conversation on their drive home and her friend told her that God knows what she means/is on the inside. I nodded in agreement with what her friend said and then Hope noticed that her friend said the phrase twice on the way home. I told her that I thought it was interesting that she now was aware of someone saying the phrase and remembering how many times it was said. (Like God was shining a spotlight on it for her, I thought.)

She turned to me and asked, "Am I going to hell?"

That startled me!

My answer was, "I have learned that I am not the judge of who goes to heaven or hell." I pointed upward and said, "He is." And then I smiled because my words weren't meant to sting, they were meant to soothe, because the older I become, the more I draw great comfort knowing God is in charge, not me.

Our conversation moved toward why I bought the book and my explanation about how I realized the abundant grace I receive from God is meant to be shared with others. (Side note: I also told her that my word for 2010 was her name. Hope. She smiled.)

Hope asked if I went to church, I said yes and she asked where.

Today I was reading What's So Amazing About Grace? and on page 40 he wrote, "The world starves for grace."

Yes. I believe we do.

And I believe that with God's help some of Hope's "hunger pangs" were fed on Monday night.

A conversation about God and no more gray hair. It was a win/win night.

So what's so amazing about grace?

Today I think my answer is everything.

God's grace shows up in quiet moments and in shared moments in a beauty shop. He continues to surprise and amaze me.

Has God surprised or amazed you lately?

One Thousand Gifts (359-364)

2011-09-19T18:50:00.000-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

#359-364 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

359. finishing Kelly Minter's book The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ with Terri. Thankful for the Bloom (in)courage book club choosing it and vlogging with the author too.

360. attending our daughter's Phillies-themed baby shower with her friends

Phillie Phanatic!

361. an upcoming business trip to Baltimore in November

362. attending a new adult Sunday School class called "Good News and the Other News," to remind us how Scripture speaks to all that happens in our lives.

363. hearing this one hour radio interview with Ann Voskamp talking about her book

364. the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies...

For the Beauty of the Earth (vs 1)
For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies,

Refrain
Lord of all, to thee we raise
This our grateful hymn of praise.
lyrics by Folliet S. Pierpoint (1835-1917)

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

A Cold Front in September

2011-09-16T05:58:00.000-04:00

Thursday morning began with high humidity and bright sunshine on my way to work.

Later the gray clouds came loaded with rain sweeping through with a cold front.

Winds whipped through the trees.

After a quick stop at the grocery store, I arrived home in time for more rain.

Our daughter called to tell us to look outside at a rainbow. (It was very light or I would have tried to capture it with my camera.)

I noticed a pink tinge while sitting in the study in the front of the house.

I stepped outside and saw this:

Wow!

We'll be in the 40s overnight, yet this beauty warms my soul...along with the heat that I turned on before bed.

One Thousand Gifts (352-358)

2011-09-12T17:35:00.000-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

Although it was a four day work week instead of five, the week seemed very long.

Rain, rain, and more rain.

Once again some of our area experienced flooding -- some roads and some people's basements/homes. The daytime color scheme varied only by the gray from light gray to dark gray.

Then I begin thinking of people who don't have jobs and areas in our country/world that are parched because that don't have rain, and my mind begins to seek and name the blessings.

#352-358 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

352. seeing the sun peeking through clouds after days of gray and rain. Thank you Lord!

353. Maria who is the new co-Bible Study leader

354. meeting her for coffee on Saturday and our conversation that God is good all the time

355. recognizing that marriage can be strengthened when spouses communicate during hard times

356. a hug for Ann before her husband's funeral

357. Julie Gillies' post called Breathe. I read it a week ago and it realigned my soul. I read it again one week later because sometimes I need repetition, and yes, it was just as calming the second time. Thank you Julie!

358. scripture I read this week. Daniel 6:4b: "He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy." Amazed that Daniel's enemies described him with these characteristics.

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

One Thousand Gifts (336-351)

2011-09-05T10:05:00.000-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

"Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 5 in 2011) that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers." - from Wikipedia

It is also a weekend chock-full of sales at retail establishments. Years ago I worked retail and some of "the baggage I carry" from those days are of hordes of customers coming into the store and buying too much merchandise that would be returned in the days that followed. Some ~~stinkers~~ customers would not bring in a receipt in order to try and get full price refunds for their sale items. For shame.

Fast forward to my no longer working retail and my Labor Day is now spent at home doing laundry, addressing baby shower invitations, working on this post, and spending the day with Wonderful Husband. Life is good.

#336-351 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

336. all who work retail

337. seeing a hot air balloon on my way home from dinner with Wonderful Husband

338. sharing in our daughter's happiness with her engagement to be married

339. the Prayer Quilt Ministry at my church

340. sending a prayer-filled sympathy card to Janis whose father died

341. a sermon that ended with a personal application to "listen to what God is directing you toward"

342. a plan to purchase Beth Moore's "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman" workbook and although I can't attend Bible Study with my buddies, I am planning on meeting with some to talk about the lessons.

343. the continuing relationship with my Bible Study buddies

344. receiving a thank-filled email. A rejuvenating end to a long and tiring day.

345. listening to "The Very Best of Kurt Carr" on the drive to and from work. Love singing along with the praise songs.

346. the first day of school. Seeing two brothers riding their small bikes with backpacks on their backs. The older brother (maybe 6 years old) stops, takes off his backpack and I wonder..Where is your parent? Dad is walking a bit behind and I'm sure will take care of the backpack issue. Yea for Dad!

347. the second day of school I see the yellow school bus loaded with middle school and high school kids passing by our house. Yea for the bus driver!

348. Back to School commercials. They make me giddy with happiness!

349. the news that our nephew and his wife are expecting twins. Double ~~work~~ fun!

350. the Labor Day holiday and the three day weekend

351. Wonderful Husband booking our vacation lodging. Over a month away yet I want to start packing.

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

Back To School

2011-09-03T08:56:00.000-04:00

Happiness is a Back To School commercial.

Target, I think you are brilliant!

Every time I hear this commercial, I stop what I'm doing to watch it.

Thank you Target for 32 seconds of happiness!

Does anyone remember a Staples commercial that had the song "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" with two young kids and a dad that was riding a shopping cart through the store?

Loved that one too.

One Thousand Gifts (335)

2011-08-29T18:09:00.001-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

Nature resembled a roller coaster this past week. Two major weather events in one week on the east coast. I'm not a fan of roller coasters: the slow-clacking climb, the stomach-heaving drop, the fast curves. No. I'm more of tilt-a-whirl girl. Spinning, laughing, out of breath, and a quick recovery.

Wildwood, NJ August 2011

Tuesday
I felt an earthquake whose epicenter was in Virginia while sitting at my desk at work (in Pennsylvania). The ground rolled beneath my feet. My computer screen shimmy-shaked and it took a few moments for my brain to acknowledge that it was an earthquake.

Friday
The main topic at work was Hurricane Irene scheduled to arrive on Saturday. I drove to the grocery store at 11:30 a.m to discover that almost all of the bottled water was gone. I purchased two small cases of water, two boxes of Wheat Thins, and two boxes of Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars. Strange shopping list right? I figured that if we lost power I wouldn't be able to cook anything, hence crackers and Nutri-Grain bars. I know myself well enough that I would not open a can of soup and eat it cold. You see, I cannot tolerate gazpacho.

After eating dinner, I discovered I'd won an e-book called Notes to Aspiring Writers from Kristen who blogs at Chasing Blue Skies. Yippee! I am so excited because it will be my first experience with an e-book. I'll be receiving it by email and can't wait! Notes to Aspiring Writers: Your Dream, God's Plan is written by Brooke McGlothlin. Thank you Kristen and Brooke!

Saturday
Wonderful Husband and I started "battening down the hatches." We moved the potted geraniums off the front porch, the lounge chairs off the back patio and into the basement, the chairs on the patio into the garage and secured the BBQ grill with bungee cords. We finished by 10:00 a.m. when the first bit of rain began to fall. Irene hadn't arrived, it was just some rain from the west.

Irene arrived, cloaked in darkness with rain, rain, rain. 6.32 inches of rain, wind gusts at 40 mph (not hurricane force which is 74 and above), and tornado warnings.

Sunday
Our neighbors lost part of their tree and our little "stick tree" that we planted five years ago was slightly injured. Wonderful Husband had to cut some broken branches from our little one. (Note: He's crouching down in this photo.)

Our basement is dry and we never lost electric power. You better believe that I'm thankful this week and I'm praying for all the east coasters that didn't fare as well. People who died, have homes or businesses that flooded, were hit by tornadoes....everyone who is suffering.

Lord, I pray for all people who are suffering the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Please saturate them with Your comforting presence, love, and strength from this time forward. Thank you for the safe-keeping of the millions of others. I had a calm spirit during the storm and know that I owe You my gratitude for whispering peace into my soul, and for Wonderful Husband's hugs. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

#335 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

335. God's loving arms protecting and guiding me through life's storms; the weather occurences, as well as relationships, circumstances, and situations. Thank you Lord!

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

Do you like roller coasters, tilt-a-whirls, or some other amusement park ride(s)?

A Local Trip

2011-08-26T05:56:00.001-04:00

Wonderful Husband and I traveled 4.6 miles to visit Solebury Orchards for the first time. Yes. We've lived here for 15 years and have never been to Solebury Orchards.

One of my fondest memories of my last job (at a local church) was a parishoner named Martha who brought large jars of Solebury Orchards Applesauce to all the employees every time she came into the office.

Solebury Orchards Market

I love a good sign because I'm a directionally challenged person!

Cutting garden!

Blueberries!

Blackberries, not quite ripe. Do not pick.

Peaches!

Apples!

Pears!

We purchased a half peck of peaches and one quart of blueberries. My plan? Dinner consisting of blueberry pancakes with bacon (nature's candy). Blueberry Cobbler and after running out of that....Peach Cobbler.

If you are ever in Bucks County PA, visit Solebury Orchards! It was a wonderful hour of meandering and if you have more energy than us, you can check their website to see the availabilty of produce and pick your own!

Beautiful flowers along a brick walkway.

Now for the tough questions...On what TV show did which character call bacon, nature's candy?

A Tree

2011-08-22T06:55:00.000-04:00

We have lived in our home for 15 years. When we moved in, we had little "stick trees" and we chose where they would be placed on our property. It seemed like we chose wisely since 15 years ago we were in the midst of a drought and were watering the trees carefully in order for them to have a chance of surviving.

Fast forward 15 years and we have an ash tree that looks like it is trying to "climb in" to our home through the upstairs window!

It provides wonderful shade for this section of the house and (in my opinion) cuts down on our air conditioner running more than in past years. But I had to call a tree service to cut some of the branches so that they wouldn't damage the soffits and gutter.

The tree service owner was wonderful and running two weeks behind. So once I signed the contract I would be placed on their schedule.

Where do I sign?

They did a great job!

I left the house one morning for work and came home to the completed job.

I wish that would happen with laundry and dishes!

A girl can dream...

Pondering

2011-08-19T07:28:00.000-04:00

I checked the weather forecast to see if Saturday was supposed to be sunny.

And the answer is...Yes. Yes it is. (Keeping my fingers crossed!)

I want to lay out and add to my slight tan and later travel with Wonderful Husband to Solebury Orchards to choose/purchase some peaches. I see a peach cobbler in our future and hope to share it with some neighbors with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum.

I am also realizing how many young(er) mom blogs I read. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good ones out there but I was reading about one that is having a scripture study and they determined that morning wasn't great for everyone because of "nursing mamas and mamas of bed wetters."

I don't fit into that category.

Remember? I have adult children.

I figure there must be empty nester blogs that I haven't found yet and think I'll do a little research to try and find them.

Any suggestions?

One Thousand Gifts (327-334)

2011-08-15T17:29:00.000-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

#327 - #334 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

327. rain falling hard, pouring from the sky. The grass is greening up and the leaves on the trees are un-clenching.

328. Wonderful Husband and I deciding on vacation dates in North Carolina for October

329. extreme busy-ness at work that makes the hours speed by

330. our adult children and their hugs

331. being treated to a belated birthday dinner by Debbie and looking at her daughter's wedding pictures

332. receiving fresh-picked tomatoes from our neighbor's garden

333. being with four of my Bible Study Buddies for a Saturday morning breakfast

334. Scripture

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 (NLT)

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

One Thousand Gifts (303-326)

2011-08-08T17:34:00.003-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

This is my Wildwood, New Jersey edition of the blessings we experienced during our day and a half trip. It was a fun and renewing get away!

#303 - #326 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

303. found a room at the Cape Cod Inn for Friday night. A bargain (for Wildwood). One block from the beach. Booyah!

304. Hooked on Books. Our tradition to stop by this second hand bookstore. My lucky day! Purchased Good Hope Road by Lisa Wingate (2003).

305. a day at the beach

306. the single prop airplanes with ad banners trailing behind. My favorite? "Bank in your bikini. Beneficial." It made me laugh since I don't own a bikini, I can't bank in one. You're welcome. :)

307. watching parasailing or are they called para-sailors? I don't have the courage to do it yet admire those who do!

Picture taken from our motel.

Oh no! Watch out for the building!
Please note: No para-sailors were hurt during this photo shoot!

308. a new can koozie with my initial stitched on....it was meant to be mine. I'm spoiled because I don't like to touch cold Diet Coke cans anymore, I like koozies!

The wrapped version.

The in-use version.

309. hot sand under my flip flops and cold ocean water on my bare feet

310. a beach umbrella and its protection from the hot sun

311. napping on the beach

312. a delightful, cool, ocean breeze

313. people watching. The shore provides multi-generational fun. Fun for babies to elderly.

314. remembering to bring my visor

315. the helpful salesperson who went "the extra mile" to find a pair of tennis shoes in my size that felt good on my goofy feet from a store I'd never heard of (Peebles). They were having a buy one / get one half off sale. Purchased new sandals too.

316. walking to the boardwalk (in my new shoes). Two miles of lights, music, people, amusement rides and games on piers. Have you ever heard the recorded voice that says, "Watch the tram car please."???

317. standing in a line of 20+ people at Sam's Pizza Palace. The sign said "Since 1957." A tradition for us to have lunch or dinner there.

318. waking up early Saturday morning and enjoying the cool ocean breeze

319. Wonderful Husband walking with me to pick up bagels, cream cheese, coffee, and orange juice with ice. Does everything just taste better at the shore? Yes. Yes it does.

320. renting a bike and going for a ride on the boardwalk. On the way back I would stop and take a drink of water. (I don't drink and drive. Not coordinated enough!)

321. reading a sign above one of the shops: Funnel Cake-Hotdogs-Ice Cream. Are those the 3 major food groups I've dreamed about?

Was hoping that the blue sign that said, "Sugar Shack" would show up better.
Just the name made me happy!

322. seeing the joggers, walkers, and bikers on the boardwalk at 7:30 a.m.

323. sitting alone in the shade at the motel pool, the car being packed, and we'd checked out of the motel. Wonderful Husband went for a walk on the beach, our son swimming in the ocean one last time.

324. purchasing salt water taffy from James Candy Company and fudge from Douglass Fudge. Another tradition and both located on the boardwalk.

325. the exhausting fun we crammed into a day and a half, and arriving home safely

326. God, the Creator of all the beauty of the shore. Thank you Lord!

This is what God the LORD says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it...
Isaiah 42:5

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

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A Day Off From Work

2011-08-05T06:56:00.001-04:00

It's Friday and I'm taking a much needed break to go to "the shore" as Pennsylvanians call it. (I still call it the beach.)

We're off to Wildwood, New Jersey. Have you ever heard the song by Bobby Rydell?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2AOt-g7z5A&feature=related

I'll be slathering on the sunscreen and enjoying the sand, sun, and salty air! Yippee!

One Thousand Gifts (292-302)

2011-08-01T12:08:00.005-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

This past week was filled with the wonderful news of our son getting a job and receiving the sad news of Charlotte's brother (David, 75 years old) dying in a car accident. My previous boss called and told me about a parishoner who had died too.

At first I started to define this week as full of death news. Yet in the midst of it, I see our daughter pregnant and growing with life. I heard an update on Terri's daughter-in-law's pregnancy too.

Lives ending and lives beginning.

I think about turning 50 years old this year and how every day seems like a gift. God blesses me and it is no coincidence that I read One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are in February of this year. It has encouraged me to actively seek, recognize, and name blessings every day and I am grateful in the discipline and practice.

#292 - #302 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

292. our son getting hired for a teaching position

293. making a list for our daughter's baby shower. Ordered the party invitations, thank you cards, plates and napkins. Monkey theme? Not a problem thanks to Traci at http://ordinaryinspirations.blogspot.com/2011/07/throwing-party.html

294. our associate pastor sharing during his sermon that he is taking anti-anxiety meds after his parents' dying six months apart. I applaud his openness and courage and pray for God's healing for him.

295. daylilies. Driving to work already feeling tired and seeing their golden hues makes my eyes (and spirit) perk up.

296. beautiful sunsets

297. rain this week. God watering our lawn and trees for free!

298. meeting Barrie for iced coffee and sharing our lives and our faith

299. butterflies. (I hope to someday have my camera in hand to get a picture. This Photo Credit goes to Cherie at http://www.heartandsoulreflections.com/)

300. attending David's funeral and being present for Charlotte during her time of mourning. Seeing Charlotte before the service and her introducing me to her 90 year old friend of the family, a lovely Mennonite woman, with the words, "Cindy is the one who recommended Ann Voskamp's book." Then Charlotte turned to me and saying, "We've been reading One Thousand Gifts and talking about it every night."

301. freshly baked banana nut bread (I love that the recipe's name is E-Z Banana Bread. So easy it doesn't even spell out the word! Ha!)

302. life

Waiting for the sun to set before the fireworks begin on July 2, 2011
Peddler's Village, Lahaska, PA

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Spinach Salad

2011-07-29T06:37:00.001-04:00

with Hot Bacon Dressing.

Happiness on a plate...

Years ago I received a small recipe booklet from my mother-in-law. It has 14 recipes and this salad dressing is our favorite. When I try a recipe I always write a comment so I'll remember if it was a hit or miss, or if I would tweak it with different ingredients, cooking time, etc.

On this page I had written Perfect!

We've had some very warm days in Pennsylvania and they have kind of killed my appetite. I don't even think about heating up the oven to cook because just the thought makes me kind of nauseous.

We had not eaten Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing in years and because of the scorching temperatures I finally wandered outside of my usual rotation meals, found the little booklet, and Wonderful Husband and I enjoyed our dinner.

For your taste of inspiration, I introduce you to Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes by Nancy C. Berzinec (c) 1987 Wellspring. York, Pennsylvania.

Hot Bacon Dressing

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

6 slices bacon
4 tablespoons bacon drippings
1/4 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 egg

croutons (optional)
sliced (or crumbled) hard-cooked eggs (optional)

Cook bacon, remove from frying pan and set aside.
Measure out bacon drippings, and return four tablespoons of the drippings to the frying pan.
Add vinegar and water, and set aside.
Combine sugar, salt, cornstarch and egg, and stir into vinegar mixture.
Cook slowly over medium heat until smooth.
Wash and dry greens. Roughly tear greens into a salad bowl.
Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, croutons and eggs, and pour warm dressing over all.

Yum.

A few tips:
I serve this spinach salad in individual servings. Sprinkle with bacon and hard boiled egg and I use the dressing very sparingly.
It is very sweet and I don't like soggy salad.
I'm a drizzler and Wonderful Husband is a pour-er.
We both enjoyed our salad, our way.
I am usually a big fan of croutons on salad but have determined that the crunch of the bacon is good enough for me on this one.
Lastly, let the dressing cool a bit before putting on the salad.

Enjoy!

Bonus Note:
Wonderful Husband did the dishes after dinner. He lives up to his blog nickname again! Booyah!

One Thousand Gifts (282-291)

2011-07-25T17:36:00.002-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward one thousand gifts...

A recurring theme during my week was relationships.

My relationship with Christ while reading the devotional Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.

A great post by Jon Acuff at "Stuff Christians Like" called The tell. He caught my attention when he wrote, "Because most of us don't have strong relationships." Ouch.

I met Melanie (Wonderful Husband's cousin's wife) for coffee on Wednesday and we had a fascinating conversation about our lives and our faith. We were together for two hours and it seemed like only minutes.

Wonderful Husband, our daughter and I went to a family picnic on Saturday and had more relationship building conversations.

#282 - #291 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

282. realizing the importance of investing my time and energy in relationships

283. Diane re-newing a library book, then lending it to me to read (The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows). Now that is a good friend!

284. going to the public library to check-out some fun, summer books on Saturday. It's been too long since I've been to our local library and everything has been rearranged. Who knew I'd have an adventure at the library?

285. baking chocolate chip cookies for the family picnic. Yum!

286. visiting with family and catching up on the latest news about job searches, upcoming surgeries, baby shower plans, and life

287. following our nephew and his friends blogging about their bicycling trip from Buffalo to Albany. (Better them than me:)

288. a healthy report from my annual mammogram

289. the first week of worship in our church's gym. (The sanctuary is undergoing construction).

290. attending church with our daughter and her boyfriend. (Would it be considered "attending gym" instead of church I wonder? And if so...how come I didn't lose any weight? lol)

291. Wonderful Husband enjoying an overnight golf outing. He deserves the rest, relaxation, and fun!

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Thanks for stopping by!

One Thousand Gifts (275-281)

2011-07-18T17:30:00.005-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward One Thousand Gifts...

#275 - #281 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

275. seeing two fawns eating grass beside the road

276. meeting our new next door neighbors and welcoming them to the neighborhood

277. still reading The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ. I appreciate Kelly Minter differentiating that peace isn't only experienced when everything is calm and going my way. I can experience God's peace during anxious/troubling times too.

Five weeks ago I was talking to Kaye and we both had been praying for peace in our lives. I think that I was praying for God to "wave a magic wand and make all my troubles disappear" instead of praying for His peace in calming my anxious thoughts during stressful times.

278. talking on the telephone with Paula and meeting her for breakfast soon

279. Swiffer Dusters and a vacuum cleaner that remove the dirt from living

280. dusk

view from our back yard

view from our front yard

281. Scripture, always

Lord, you will grant us peace; all we have accomplished is really from you. Isaiah 26:12 NLT

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Peace be with you.

Are Wild Animals Crazy?

2011-07-14T22:11:00.000-04:00

I live in a suburban neighborhood about 25 miles outside of Philadelphia. We are fortunate because our neighborhood has open grassy fields and green, leafy, mature trees surrounding it and you would think that the wild animals would have plenty of "real estate" to build their homes and just have to battle each other for survival instead of our suburban lawnmowers, sprinklers, and cars pulling in and out of driveways.

Our backyard neighbors have a vegetable garden on both sides of their deck. They built a framed fence structure that has chicken wire to keep out pesky animals. They are growing corn, tomatoes, zucchini, and tons of other stuff that I have no clue about since I'm not Mrs. Kravitz. (Remember her from "Bewitched"?)

Our neighbors also have two large white dogs that roam their fenced in backyard and no one walks by their house or in front of ours without the dogs ~~sounding~~ barking the alarm. I love the dogs since they are free entertainment for me. (All fun and no responsiblity.)

The other night Wonderful Husband and I visited with our neighbors through their wrought iron fence and heard that a rabbit had been building a nest in their fenced-in garden. The rabbit was spotted with a large amount of grass sticking out from her mouth since she wanted to line the hole she'd dug near one of their zucchini plants.

And the first thing that popped out of my mouth was, "How crazy is that? With all the open fields around here, the mother decides to have her bunnies in your garden where you have two enormous dogs patrolling your property?"

My neighbor pointed out that the dogs would have "busted through the fencing" to get at the mother rabbit once they discovered her too.

I started thinking about Peter Rabbit and Mr. McGregor's garden. Remember his adventures?

Yet maybe the mother rabbit was crazy smart trying to build her nest in a fenced-in area with free "groceries" readily available.

Hmmmmm....what do you think?

Crazy or crazy smart?

Photo credit to our daughter (Young Sweetie) who took this picture with her cell phone.
Thank you Young Sweetie!

One Thousand Gifts (262-274)

2011-07-11T17:51:00.000-04:00

Continuing my journey of counting toward One Thousand Gifts...

I took Wonderful Husband to his colonoscopy appointment. It's been 10 years since his last one and this one went like clock-work. We arrived at 7:00 a.m. and we were walking out at 8:55 a.m.

He had two polyps removed and they were sent off for pathology results to determine if they were pre-cancerous or benign. His doctor called on Sunday to tell him that the polyps were pre-cancerous and he will need another colonoscopy in 6 months to make sure that the cauterization killed off the remaining cells from the polyps.

If you think this is ~~too much information~~ TMI let me explain that the reason I encourage people to have a colonoscopy is that my father died of colon cancer in 1992. He had issues for years and after finally going to a doctor, having a colonoscopy, being diagnosed with colon cancer, and having surgery...he died 6 months after his surgery. He was 54 years old.

Because colon cancer is now a part of my family history, a doctor recommended that I have a colonoscopy at age 40. I must admit that I put it off for a few years but now at the "ripe old age of 50," I have had two. After the first one where I had polyps removed, I was told to come back in two years. After my second colonoscopy, I was "promoted" to coming back in four years.

Yes, the prep is awful....for Wonderful Husband more like a walk in the park, for me a constant run for the bathroom....yet a small price to pay for a procedure that can detect cancer early and if detected early has a great survival rate.

So ends my Public Service Announcement. You're welcome. :)

#262 - #274 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

262. the colonoscopy procedure

263. a doctor who uses anesthesia sparingly

264. a Sunday telephone call from the doctor to Wonderful Husband

265. discussing Chapters 1 and 2 of The Fitting Room with Terri. We laughed because we highlighted most of the same words.

266. a nice visit with our son and sending him home to Virginia for more interviews this week

267. a niece who volunteered to help me with my daughter's baby shower in October

268. our nephew-in-law's birthday and Facebooking his happy birthday wishes to him

269. a four day work week (last week)

270. a nice visit with Diane to catch up on life

271. braces. Yes, I am 50 years old and have braces! lol

Five weeks and counting!

272. much needed rain showering our thirsty grass, trees, and plants

273. hard eucharisteo: hearing harsh words and responding with the explanation of my focus on grace this year. God's grace to me and my showing His grace toward others. (Will she tuck my response away and understand it later? I don't know, yet I pray she will.)

274. tears that bring relief, healing, and forgiveness to my soul

Do you cry often? Do you feel better or worse afterward?

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

One Thousand Gifts (249-261)

2011-07-04T10:42:00.002-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for over a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

This past week I began reading Kelly Minter's book, The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ. Terri and I are going to begin talking about it this upcoming Thursday and it is the current feature for the Bloom / (in)courage book study too.

I am loving this book!

Kelly's precious words (on page 19) spoke to my heart about what I have been trying to understand and implement in my faith for years, that "...biblical virtues are not punitive but life-giving."

Life-giving.

Thank you Lord for being a life-giving God!

#249 - #261 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

249. an older couple holding hands while on their daily walk through town

250. a tree expert sharing his wisdom on the proper way to mulch around a tree

251. The Fitting Room: Putting on the Character of Christ by Kelly Minter. I am looking forward to discussing it with Terri.

252. a three day weekend (since July 4th fell on a Monday this year)

253. freedom in my faith

254. living in the United States of America

255. fireworks and the beauty in their design, color, and sparkle

256. our son coming for a visit from VA and treating him to a late birthday dinner

257. our daughter's continuing healthy pregnancy

258. Wonderful Husband playing golf and for his enjoyment and relaxation during the game

259. a new season of "Leverage" on TNT. Love the quirky characters!

260. sunny days with low humidity and a hint of a cool breeze

261. a life-giving God, freedom through Jesus Christ, and guidance through the Holy Spirit!

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

One Thousand Gifts (241-248)

2011-06-27T17:30:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for over a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

#241 - #248 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

241. celebrating Pentecost - the gift of the Holy Spirit

242. 11 yards of new mulch covering the flower beds and surrounding the trees

243. God helping me to forgive another in my heart. A miracle in that it didn't take me a week, a month, or a year. I prayed. I forgave. Thank you Lord!

I said, 'Plant the good seeds of righteousness,
and you will harvest a crop of love.
Plow up the hard grounds of your hearts,
for now is the time to seek the Lord,
that he may come
and shower righteousness upon you.'
Hosea 10:12 (NLT).
(underlined emphasis mine)

244. Shauna Niequist's book Bittersweet: Thoughts on Change, Grace and Learning the Hard Way

245. the delivery of three new books from Amazon. Written words feed my soul.

246. the beauty of sunlight shining through stained glass windows at our church. The refracting colors on the white walls make me happy.

Refraction (noun) - Physics - the change of direction (in this case) of a ray of light in passing obliquely from one medium into another in which its wave velocity is different. (Vocabulary class is over! lol)

247. attending a family high school and college graduation party. Celebrating the end of one type of education and celebrating the next step in education, whether at college or at life. Cheers!

248. daylilies! I love that they are no-muss, no-fuss perennials!

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Having A Baby

2011-06-24T07:05:00.001-04:00

Our daughter is having a baby. She went to her ultrasound appointment thinking that she would find out if she was having a boy or a girl. The technician told her that the baby was in the worst possible position to determine the gender....tushy down and curled up in a ball.

I am sorry she was disappointed yet I had to laugh since this is only the first of many times that the child will not cooperate with her wishes. Darn kids! Ha!

Oh and while I've always tried to be careful about how much of my adult kids' lives I share....let me say that it will be "open season" on the grandkid.

Grandma is counting down to November Sweet Baby and I am limbering up my fingers in anticipation for some great blogging material!

No pressure. :)

Update: Our daughter had another ultrasound and found out she is having a girl!

One Thousand Gifts (229-240)

2011-06-20T07:03:00.001-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for over a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

This week I have been showered with blessings. I had started a post about worry and stress and the next thing I knew, God readjusted my thinking and my mind started realizing all the encouraging written words that have been sent to me.

It all began with meeting my Bible Study Buddies to talk about One Thousand Gifts - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, then the following Sunday was our wedding anniversary. There is a lot to be thankful for in acknowledging these two events.

#229 - #240 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

229. receiving cards from Laurie and Kaye thanking me for sharing how One Thousand Gifts has focused my spiritual vision into actively looking for God's blessings which surround me

230. our receiving a thank you card from my sister and nephew for his birthday money that he's saving up to purchase the latest Nintendo game system

231. not having to think about the latest game systems anymore since my kids are adults and if they want something like that...they can buy it themselves :)

232. receiving anniversary cards from my mom and Wonderful Husband's parents

233. receiving a thank you email from Anne B. for being together with the Bible Study Buddies and for her receiving my anniversary card (the four of us share the same month and day for our wedding anniversary). Anne and her husband celebrated their 46th anniversary!

234. receiving a happy anniversary text message from my sister

235. receiving Facebook anniversary greetings from our daughter, and from Diane (we share the exact day, month, and year wedding anniversary)

236. being married to Wonderful Husband for 29 years and yes, he gave me a lovely card

237. when I feel burdened and tired by life, God taps my shoulder and says, "Look at all the blessings you have, and remember to thank me!"

238. absorbing the encouragement from written words and being nudged into sending encouraging cards to others

239. the love I received from written words in cards, by email, on Facebook, and by text messaging which saturated and renewed my weary soul

240. the hope I receive from reading The One Year Chronological Bible

⁴ For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4

It has been a good week after all.

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

One Thousand Gifts (222-228)

2011-06-13T18:52:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for over a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

I was invited to a get together with my Bible Study Buddies. These are women whom I've shared the last 5 years meeting with on Thursday mornings during the school year. Since I've been working full time for the past 6 months, I have kept in touch by meeting some of them for Saturday breakfast or coffee, and through our weekly prayer requests.

On Wednesday, we were meeting during the evening at our Bible Study leader's (Charlotte's) home with the main topic being Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts - A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. I am not a public speaker and felt my "anxiety meter" start to rise when I received the email reminding everyone about meeting at Charlotte's house and it included that I would be "the guest."

I started re-reading Ann's book to prepare and organize my thoughts and although it had already been highlighted like crazy, the second time through was a brilliant reminder of her journey and other parts were calling out to me, speaking to me where I am today versus where I was in February.

Wednesday arrived and I felt anxious throughout the day thinking about the evening ahead. One Thousand Gifts opened a new door for my life. For my faith. For my way of living.

While following the GPS directions to Charlotte's house, I asked God to please be with me throughout the evening. (And in case you are wondering....He never disappoints!)

Handouts recommending visiting "A Holy Experience" before purchasing
the book just to give a taste of Ann's writing.

Twelve of us were sitting in the livingroom. Some had read the book, some had started reading the book, and some hadn't heard of the book. I had come to the conclusion that I couldn't do justice in describing the book so I talked about how God has been leading me through a process of gratitude, how the book fit into my journey, and how it has helped me continue with writing down all the blessings that otherwise I wouldn't have noticed.

I brought show-and-tell items: "Be Thankful" and "Grace - a gift from God" sculptures. I spoke about the word "grace" being my focus for 2011. The realization that our daughter's first name means "God's grace" and our shared middle name (Anne) means "full of grace."

I've realized the gift of God's grace to me and I have been committed to sharing and showing His grace to others. God knowing I needed to walk through and with His grace because He knew what was coming this year in our adult children's lives. He has allowed me shining moments of (verbal) self control that I have jokingly and earnestly pleaded for many years.

I explained how writing the blessings has made my vision sharper in looking for them and recognizing them. Ann's book helped focus my awareness of all the blessings that I am surrounded by every day. I felt calm and connected to my Bible Study Buddies and can only thank God for His presence among us.

Some of the buddies expressed an interest in reading the book and gathering together later in the summer for a discussion.

#222 - #228 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

222. God's loving, calming, tangible presence

223. my Bible Study Buddies and their grace toward me

224. Charlotte's encouragement and hospitality

225. God leading me to these women years ago and all according to His plan and His timing

226. lives shared and prayers asked for

227. my anxiety and burdens lightened when being open about my life circumstances and faith, which led to

228. not feeling judged but feeling loved by my Bible Study buddies

Do you have a faith-filled friend or godly group that you have a relationship with whom God must have orchestrated?

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

One Thousand Gifts (213-221)

2011-06-06T18:38:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

A week of new experiences:

I had an appointment with my orthodontist on Thursday morning. I left three hours later with braces on my teeth. He estimates 10-14 months of treatment. I was going to post a picture but couldn't take one flattering enough for my vanity. Take my word for it...I look like a 50 year old woman with braces. Ha!

On Saturday, I replaced my trusty old cell phone. I'll learn how to use the new one and become a semi-expert with it by the time I trade it in for the next confusing one.

#213 - #221 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

213. our daughter's first week of work

214. our son appreciating apartment living with a swimming pool open for the hot Virginia days

215. an orthodontist who can visualize my future. He is an artist.

216. braces at 50

217. technology continuing to teach this "old dog," new tricks

218. the temperature going from 90s one day to 70s the next. Spring time in PA.

219. seeing butterflies for the first time this season. I want to grab my camera and run after them every time.

220. a robin perched on a fire hydrant that I noticed while waiting at a red light

221. a friend treating me to breakfast for my 50th birthday. (Turning 50 has been filled with many moments of being spoiled. I highly recommend embracing 50!)

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

One Thousand Gifts (204-212)

2011-05-30T10:44:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

I have been re-reading the book One Thousand Gifts.

On June 8th my (former) Bible Study group has asked me to speak about how the book has changed and improved my life and my faith. Initially, I thought I would explain what the book is about yet have come to the conclusion that I cannot verbally do it justice. I've made a hand-out with Ann Voskamp's blog address and will encourage them to visit her blog before purchasing her book. I'll tell them of my journey so far living eucharisteo and how some days I am more successful than others. After all, I am a work in progress.

I'm hoping some will be interested in meeting later this summer to discuss their thoughts about the book and living on the foundation of eucharisteo. They are demographically diverse and I always learn a lot from them.

#204 - #212 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

204. the opportunity to be in fellowship with my Bible Study buddies, and for them choosing an evening since I now work full time

205. forgiveness. God forgiving me and my forgiving others.

206. freedom through grace and forgiveness

207. neighbors talking on the patio after a long week of work heading into the Memorial Day weekend

208. conversation with increasing family. A few hours of pool time, warm sun, burgers and hotdogs with all the fixin's

209. attending church with our daughter

210. living in the United States of America

211. the men and women who have served and are serving in our military

212. quietly celebrating Memorial Day this year

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

One Thousand Gifts (196-203)

2011-05-23T17:24:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

This past week was different for me because Wonderful Husband was going to a conference in Florida for four days. It has been years since he traveled monthly in his job and if I stretch my memory it has probably been 4 years since we've traveled anywhere separately.

The funny part is that the day before he left, the light bulb over the kitchen sink burned out. We have nine foot ceilings and if it would have burned out after he left...I would have been in the dark until he returned. Then came the bug in the bathroom situation where he was home to squash it for me. He is my hero! I may have married him for his height and protective nature. ;)

I do believe in God's perfect timing. There were no light bulb or bug incidents while Wonderful Husband was gone.

I noticed while he was gone how many seemingly small things he does on a daily basis that I hadn't really noticed before (you'll see what I mean below). And although you might think that sugar or chocolate is my Love Language, I think I fit squarely in the category of Acts of Service.

My husband is well named in this blog, he is a wonderful husband!

#196 - #203 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

196. my husband who makes the bed according to our marriage rule - last one up makes the bed. (I wish I could have taken a picture of my face while he was at the conference. I went to take my shower, exited the bathroom afterwards, and noticed the bed wasn't made, then realized that I was the last one up. Duh!:)

197. my husband who brings the newspaper in every morning

198. my husband who takes out the trash twice a week

199. my husband who brings the mail in every night

200. my husband who calls me and tells me that he misses me

201. my husband who brought me new re-usable bags (swag) from the conference. Hooray!

202. celebrating Wonderful Husband's 60th birthday and him reassuring me that 50 is a great age from his point of view. (I don't get to bemoan my age since he's 10 years older! Ha!)

203. God who blessed me with my husband. 28 years and counting. Thank you Lord!

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Perfect

2011-05-20T07:28:00.000-04:00

For years I have joked with my kids about how I am perfect.

After all, I'm their mom and I wouldn't exaggerate or anything. Ha!

I mean they've lived with me for years. They've seen me lose my temper, lose my car keys, (half-way) lose my mind, and watched me walk into a room and try to remember what I'm looking for or what I wanted to say. (And let me just point out, it was going to be brilliant and inspiring.)

A couple years ago (maybe more) I was out and about with our daughter and pulled the van in to a gas station for a fill-up. I was in the process of sticking my head out the window to see if the van was positioned close to the gas pump and the attendant walked up so I asked, "Is this good?"

And he said, "You're perfect."

I whipped my head around to look at my daughter and said, "Did you hear what he said?!?"

Picture her eyes that were already rolling....

"He said I am perfect!"

He had made my day, month, ok years, since I've always looked my husband or kids in their eyes and pointed out that the "gas station guy" said I am perfect.

Yes, I'm known for "beating a dead horse" with pointing out that I am perfect.

Fast forward to my follow-up meeting with my orthodontist yesterday. The previous appointment had involved a lot of pictures, panoramic x-rays, taking a mold of my teeth and of course his visual assessment of my crooked teeth, etc.

To begin this appointment of the Recommended Orthodontic Treatment, I was told (multiple times) that I "have PERFECT skeletal jaw alignment."

Did you notice the word PERFECT up there?

I'll wait if you wish to re-read it.

I'll even bask in my excitement a bit more.

Ok. Moving on...

Braces are in my future. Think about it, I just turned 50 years old and I will have braces.

But when I left the orthodonist's office, I couldn't wait to call my family to tell them...

I AM PERFECT!

I couldn't see their faces, but I know their eyes were rolling and they were thinking...

Here we go again.

One Thousand Gifts (178-195)

2011-05-16T17:46:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

This past week marked two celebrations. The first was our niece, Julie, graduated from university. Hooray! The second was I turned 50 years old. Another year wiser! Booyah!

I should have brought my camera to work to take a picture of my crowded desk. They really took their gift giving to a newly turned 50 year old very seriously! Ha!

Gifts from my co-workers.

We went out for lunch to a yummy Italian restaurant and there was chocolate cake afterwards. It was a wonderful day at work!

Wonderful Husband and our daughter were home when I arrived and surprise...they were hungry. I wasn't, so I sent WH out to pick up dinner for the two of them and then shared leftover chocolate cake.

#178 - #195 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

178. our niece, Julie, graduating from Coastal Carolina University. She worked hard and finished strong.

179. my 50 years of life. God is good.

180. happy tears after reading my birthday card from Wonderful Husband

181. the people I work with, they are very kind and love to party

182. birthday cards and Facebook greetings from family and friends

183. my family

184. my friends

185. breakfast for lunch with our daughter and her boyfriend and he was kind enough to treat

186. a start date for our daughter's summer job

187. cool nights, sunny days with cool breezes, and low humidity

188. spring in Pennsylvania

189. Terri's analysis of her job interview

190. prom season for our local high schools

191. May and the abundance of birthdays (7 family members, 1 friend, 1 co-worker)

192. Floss sharing her challenging past which brought her to Christ

193. a tickled funny-bone after hearing, "It's the Alps, there's a lot of places to hide," on Dateline NBC

194. Wonderful Husband being my financial planner...hello 401k plan (again)

195. Psalm 101:6a says, "I will search for faithful people to be my companions." I believe that God has surrounded me with faithful people and I am blessed with their presence and companionship

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

One Thousand Gifts (165-177)

2011-05-09T17:29:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

Yesterday was Mother's Day and my traditional gift of geraniums. I feast my eyes on their beauty and color. Their arrival indicates that Spring is here and it is "legal" to plant outdoors in my area of Pennsylvania, where it should not go below freezing from Mother's Day until the Fall.

Hello Spring!

It is great to see you again!

#165 - #177 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

165. my mom who raised me well (even though I was a bit of challenge...shhhh don't tell my kids)

166. my mother-in-law who raised a great son and who I think is the best mother-in-law ever

167. our daughter who has the adventure of motherhood ahead (anticipated arrival in November)

168. my Mother's Day geraniums

169. a Mother's Day visit from our daughter

170. a Mother's Day phone call from our son

171. my Bible Study buddies' prayers, emails, and cards

172. Charlotte and shared conversation over breakfast on Saturday

173. Carol complimenting my appearance and I loved that my eyebrows were included! lol

174. a beautiful rainbow and the reminder of God's covenant with Noah and his descendants that never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life on earth (Genesis 9:12-16)

175. a medium, vanilla, soft-serve ice cream cone from DQ

176. the intense color of green grass and leaves on the trees, that is almost so green that it makes my eyes hurt

177. turtles migrating (safely) across the road

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T10:51:00.000-04:00

Today is Mother's Day and the blogging world has been writing about: motherhood or the lack of motherhood, their mom dying or living, how wonderful their mother is or was...or how awful.

This year (I think for the first time) my mother is celebrating Mother's Day at my brother and sister-in-law's home. I'm sure in Texas there will be bbq involved during a celebratory lunch or dinner. I mailed her Mother's Day card well in advance so it will arrive ahead of time. I try to be an appreciative and prompt daughter. :)

Wonderful Husband's mother (and father) are on a road trip. They've traveled to our son's town and saw him coach a track meet, took him to dinner, saw his apartment, and went to a hotel to rest up for their drive to South Carolina. On Saturday, they saw Julie (their granddaughter, our niece) graduate from Coastal Carolina University. (Way to go Julie!) They'll travel father south to spend a couple days in Charleston then return home next week. I mailed my mother-in-law's Mother's Day card and it will be waiting for her return.

My Mother's Day will be different because this is the first year that neither of our "kids" live in our home. Heck, our son lives out of state! So the annual tradition of my receiving geraniums from "the kids" for Mother's Day will be delivered by one, yet deeply appreciated "child". Isn't she the lucky one to live local?

Mother's Day geraniums 2011

Another change this year is that our daughter is pregnant and although the baby is due to arrive in November, I think of today as being our daughter's first Mother's Day. It will probably be her most quiet and peace-filled Mother's Day too. Ha!

During this time of being focused on the blessings in my life, I am thankful for:
my mom who raised me well (even though I was a bit of challenge...shhhh don't tell my kids),
my mother-in-law who raised a great son and who I think is the best mother-in-law ever,
and for our daughter who has the adventure of motherhood ahead of her and has me looking forward to November.

Happy Mother's Day!

One Thousand Gifts (153-164)

2011-05-02T19:19:00.001-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

Life has been difficult lately. My "worry meter" has been on overdrive and when that happens, my food intake lacks healthy choices, my treadmill is still, and my attitude is in the dumps.

#153 - #164 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

153. the Monday opportunity to add to my list of One Thousand Gifts because it's true that when I focus my mind on what I'm thankful for, my heart follows

154. pear tree blossoms soaring through the air like confetti

155. our son taking a Praxis test at a local (to him) university

156. our daughter getting a summer job

157. Wonderful Husband loading Quicken onto our daughter's computer

158. talk about budgeting

159. a dream born...to be a part of a flash mob dance...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KX2-J6uS-o

160. Ann putting the above video on her blog

161. the people of Second Baptist Church in Houston, TX and sharing their joy of Christ on the internet

162. the sun shining through the window on my face while sitting in a coffe shop

163. the beauty of Princess Catherine's wedding dress and the happiness of she and Prince William's wedding

164. laying out in the sun for the first time this season

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

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Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What I've Learned Lately

2011-04-29T07:51:00.004-04:00

We drove to West Chester to help our daughter move out of the apartment she left one and a half months ago.

I started thinking about how when we helped her move in to her campus apartment, I had placed my hope in the college and town.

She would study hard, succeed in her classes, in this new chapter of her life.

I had placed my hope in a place, a situation.

Then she flunked out of her third semester there. Moved to a different apartment. Worked long hours for little pay. Quit the job and moved back to our area leaving a lot of her "non-essential items" behind.

It was time to load them up.

While her life has been changing, I realized that this was her present, not her entire future.

She is living out a portion of her life and from my parental perspective (although difficult to watch) I love her, pray for her, and am here when she needs me.

I take comfort that God is with her too.

He is a loving Father who knows what is best for her.

He knows her past, present, and future.

I have learned that life is sometimes messy.

I have learned to not place my hope in a place or situation.

I have learned to place my hope in the Lord,
He is here and through His discipline and love,
all will be well.

And I have learned that living life with our daughter will never be boring.

(The next day she came and with help from her boyfriend and her wonderful dad stored all the non-essentials in the basement.)

A happy ending to the move.

(Thank you Daughter for giving me permission to publish this post.)

One Thousand Gifts (146-152)

2011-04-25T17:43:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

#146 - #152 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

146. Diane and celebrating her birthday over coffee. Such a good sport celebrating a day early and a kind friend

147. rain, rain and more rain. And constantly reminding myself that, "April showers bring May flowers."

148. the joy of Easter. He is risen!

149. worshiping God and placing my hope in Him

150. a baby "blowing raspberries" during church (very funny)

151. reading so many wonderful blog posts about Holy Week and Easter

152. a delicious pimento cheese spread recipe (hmmmm, this might be a southern thing)

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Communion

2011-04-21T07:54:00.000-04:00

I'm linking this post to Mary's blog, Giving Up on Perfect, and am writing about subjects that she's chosen for the past seven Thursdays:

March 10 – Baptism
March 17 – Wedding
March 24 – Funeral
March 31 – Worship
April 7 – Bible study
April 14 – Prayer
April 21 – Communion

How appropriate that Mary chose today to assign the subject of communion. Today is Maundy Thursday, the Thursday of Holy Week commemorating Jesus' Last Supper and his washing of his disciples' feet.

When he (Jesus) had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them."
John 13:12-17 (NIV)

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."
Matthew 26:26-29 (NIV)

In February, I read One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. She writes of eucharisteo and about how Jesus, knowing what his future held, took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples.

I receive the bread and grape juice (Presbyterian remember?) and my heart quickens when I hear Jesus "took the bread, gave thanks and broke it. Do this in remembrance of me."

I looked up the definition(s) of communion and read that it means the act of receiving the Eucharistic elements, the elements of Eucharist, and association, fellowship.

It brings me joy to be with others sharing in the remembrance of Jesus and participating in this tradition of our faith ...until he comes again.

Thank you Mary for choosing today's topic and for hosting this series on "A Remarkable Faith." It's made me dig deeper into my faith and I've learned about other's faith from reading their blogs and their insightful comments.

Please visit Giving Up on Perfect to read what Mary and others have written about communion.

Do you have a memory or some thoughts you'd like to share about communion?

One Thousand Gifts (135-145)

2011-04-18T17:49:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

In 2004, I saw the movie "The Passion of The Christ" and was deeply affected by the visual reenactment of Jesus' journey throughout Holy Week. The biggest change for me is that each time I say The Lord's Prayer "he suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried," that the words are now more moving/realistic than just mere memorized words.

In the same way, while reading One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, where Ann wrote about Jesus taking the bread, giving thanks, breaking it, and giving it to his disciples, is that during communion at my church the words have taken on a deeper meaning for me too.

I am more fully attentive and present while worshiping. Whether I am at church or not and I am thankful.

Holy Week began on Sunday and I have posted what I'm reading this week.

#135 - #145 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

135. for God leading me toward a more mature faith

136. Holy Week

137. Wonderful Husband, our daughter and me going to Virginia to visit our son/her brother

138. safe travel to and from Virginia

139. watching Wonderful Husband hang pictures and put together a bookcase for our son

140. new shoes for walking on the treadmill

141. reading The One Year Chronological Bible and being so caught up that I read into the next day's reading! God's Word is alive, active, thrilling and inspiring!

142. Wonderful Husband catching stinkbugs in baggies...then disposing of them. He is my hero!

143. the hyacinths in bloom

144. a squirrel running out of our garage

145. the joy of celebrating Easter next Sunday

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Holy Week

2011-04-17T20:49:00.000-04:00

What I am reading this week:

The Triumphal Entry, Jerusalem, Sunday (Palm Sunday)
Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus curses the fig tree, Monday
Matthew 21:18-19

Jesus clears the temple, Monday
Matthew 21:12-13

The authority of Jesus questioned, Tuesday
Matthew 21:23-27

Jesus teaches in the temple, Tuesday
Matthew 21:28-23:39

Jesus anointed, Bethany, Tuesday
Matthew 26:6-13

The plot against Jesus, Wednesday
Matthew 26:14-16

The Last Supper, Thursday (Maundy Thursday)
Matthew 26:17-29

Gethsemane, Thursday
Matthew 26:36-46

Jesus' arrest and trial, Thursday night and Friday
Matthew 26:47-27:26

Jesus' crucifixion and death, Golgotha, Friday (Good Friday)
Matthew 27:27-56

The burial of Jesus, Joseph's Tomb, Friday
Matthew 27:57-66

The Resurrection, Sunday (Easter)
Matthew 28:1-10

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Easter blessings to you.

Prayer

2011-04-14T06:01:00.000-04:00

I'm linking this post to Mary's blog, Giving Up on Perfect, and am writing about subjects that she's chosen for the next seven Thursdays:

March 10 – Baptism
March 17 – Wedding
March 24 – Funeral
March 31 – Worship
April 7 – Bible study
April 14 – Prayer
April 21 – Communion

The Jesus Prayer from June 25, 2010:

This past week I attended Adult Vacation Bible School at my church. Each day we were taught about Spiritual Formation and different ways to practice being in a closer relationship with God.

The first day we discussed Mark 10:46-52. A particular verse caught my attention. Vs. 47 which says, "Jesus Christ, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

This reminded me of The Jesus Prayer that I had learned years ago and I talked with our teacher after the lesson on Monday about it. Since she was finished teaching for the day, she said that I could bring that up on Tuesday. After teaching on Tuesday, she apologized for not remembering to bring it up and I really wasn't concerned about it, so no apology was necessary.

On Wednesday...after spilling Diet Coke on the front of my shirt, the teacher said, "Cindy? Would you come up front and tell us about The Jesus Prayer?"

"Oh heck. I just spilled something on me....but I'll just carry up my folder to hide it."

Laughter followed me as I trotted up to the front and held the mini microphone so I could be heard by all. I had my folder strategically placed to hide my sloppiness.

I said something like this, "After our reading Mark on Monday, it reminded me that years ago I learned The Jesus Prayer. It is 'Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.' I was very stressed and by focusing on this, repeating it over and over, and stressing each word separately....well....I think it saved my life. It helped me become calm, centered, and put my focus on Jesus....and isn't that where we want to be?"

I handed the microphone back to the teacher and trotted back to my seat with my folder still in front of me. (I am not comfortable speaking to large groups and was hoping that I had made sense in my mini explanation of The Jesus Prayer.)

During our break, I had a conversation with a woman who thanked me for sharing The Jesus Prayer. When I sat down, I had a woman turn around and hand me her tablet and pen and asked me to write down The Jesus Prayer.

So I thought to myself, I guess I did make some sense. Phewww.

On Friday, I told Bud, "You know I was a little worried that since I had complimented you on your testimony that you gave on Tuesday, then heard you were in the hospital because you weren't feeling well...I was hoping that it wasn't because of our conversation." Hee hee!

He laughed.

I said, "I was praying for you and glad to see you back on Thursday."

He asked, "You prayed for me?"

I said, "Of course. That's what we do here."

Then he said, "You know, when I got to the hospital, I started saying The Jesus Prayer to myself. I repeated it about 10 times and felt myself relax and rest in Him. Then they started running the tests which came back negative and they told me to go home the next day since there was nothing wrong with me."

All the glory goes to God.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.

Thank you Mary for choosing today's topic and letting me "walk down memory lane" from last year.

Please visit Giving Up on Perfect to read what Mary and others have written about prayer.

Do you have a memory or some thoughts you'd like to share about prayer?

One Thousand Gifts (127-134)

2011-04-11T17:33:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

The grass is becoming green yet many trees are still bare.

We've had a lot of rain and when the sun comes out my soul "breathes" easier.

Finally! Our forsythias bloom and they make my eyes happy.

#127 - #134 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

127. Spring which brings on feelings of hope

128. blooming forsythias

129. choosing the word "grace" to focus on this year. (Of course God knew I needed grace in 2011 and need to show His grace to others.) Thank you God!

130. the beginning of spring cleaning after the painter left. (Note to self: I have a lot of junk that needs tossing:)

131. seeing a hawk fly past my van and land in a tree on my way to work

132. pink polish on my toenails. Flip flops here I come!

133. the girls next door playing jump rope and hearing their laughter

134. Spring trying to overtake Winter and I think Spring is finally winning! Hooray!

The slightest hint of purple in our
church cemetery.

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Bible Study

2011-04-09T08:26:00.012-04:00

I'm linking this post to Mary's blog, Giving Up on Perfect, and am writing about subjects that she's chosen for the next seven Thursdays:

March 10 – Baptism
March 17 – Wedding
March 24 – Funeral
March 31 – Worship
April 7 – Bible study
April 14 – Prayer
April 21 – Communion

I used to work at a church and was off on Thursdays. About 5 years ago, I began attending a Thursday morning Bible Study at my church (a different church from the one that employed me). We met weekly through the school year with a group of about 15 to 20 women and we made our way through Beth Moore studies, different books of the Bible, different topics (like heaven and what scripture says about it). I had gained knowledge and developed relationships with these faith-filled women.

I was unemployed for almost three years and was able to devote more of my time/life to studying the Bible. I began journaling and blogging and because of the quiet in my home, I was able to be aware of God's presence in every aspect of my life. The years of being at home were a gift.

I've also do Bible studies on the telephone with my friend Terri in Maryland. We began with a one year women's devotional, completed Me, Myself and Lies...A Thought Closet Makeover, watched "Made To Crave" online and are continuing with another book. We read a chapter a week and use the questions to guide us in our conversation and thoughts on faith. We've been friends for over 20 years and bringing Bible Study into our weekly conversations has deepened our friendship. A gift!

I was hired last December and my days are now spent at work Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. (And please don't misunderstand me, the job is a blessing because as most people know it pays better than not working. :)

But there are drawbacks to not being at home.

I am no longer able to meet with my Bible Study Buddies at my church. I am on the prayer request list and every week I receive prayer requests by email. So a prayer connection remains.

Terri calls every week and after catching up on our families and our lives, we dig into our Bibles and learn more about God's grace and encourage each other.

I am reading The One Year Chronological Bible and visiting Wendy Pope's blog/vlog.

I read (in)courage daily and a few other blogs.

I read Jesus Calling (a daily devotional) each morning before walking into work because it focuses my mind on Jesus.

Through Bible Study, I have become less legalistic in my faith and I think it makes God happy that I don't just know certain parts of the Bible but also am learning of His grace, mercy and am building a relationship with Him.

For years I was stuck in the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law, which is to love the Lord our God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength and with all my mind, and love my neighbor as myself. (Luke 10:27)

I think of myself as a life-long Bible Study student and am intentionally incorporating God's truths into my life.

And that is a gift.

Thank you Mary for choosing today's topic.

Please visit Giving Up on Perfect to read what Mary and others have written about Bible study.

Do you have a memory or some thoughts you'd like to share about Bible study?

One Thousand Gifts (120-126)

2011-04-04T17:36:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

Many years ago, my maternal grandparents lived in Larkspur, California. When we went to visit them (from Texas) I always admired my grandmother's raised flower beds. She grew many types of flowers but my favorite were pansies.

I look at pansies today and they still bring a smile to my face. I've also "trained" Wonderful Husband and my kids by asking, "Who do pansies remind me of?" And they dutifully answer, "Your grandmother."

Pansies make my heart happy.

#120 - #126 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

120. the memories of my grandmother and her garden

121. seeing the middle school and high school kids walking to the bus stop in the morning

122. Law and Order: Criminal Intent bringing back Goren and Eames for the last eight episodes of the series

123. the painter painting every ceiling surface in our house

124. celebrating Laura and Janis' birthdays and trying Thai food for the first time. Yum.

125. dinner out with my previous co-workers and celebrating Debbie, the mother-of-the-bride

126. wisps of white clouds across a beautiful blue sky

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

This is My Life

2011-04-01T17:52:00.000-04:00

We hired a painter to come and paint all the ceiling surfaces in our home. He did a walk-thru last week, we talked high ceilings, nail pops that need repair, white flat paint, and later that night he called with the price and said, "plus the cost of the paint."

OK. The deal was struck and I've been looking forward to his arrival for a week.

He showed up Thursday and began unloading his various ladders and drop cloths. His plan was to work until noon so after introducing him to our daughter, I left for work.

My commute is 20 minutes and half way there my cell phone starts ringing. It's our daughter and she says, "Mom, he wants to know where you put the paint."

What?

I told her to hand him the phone and said, "I don't have any paint. When you said the price plus the cost of the paint, I assumed that you would buy the paint and I would reimburse you for it."

Wrong.

Now the plan is for the painter to show up on Friday.

With paint.

Yes. This is my life.

It seems that I live it so that others can learn from it.

Here is the lesson: Don't assume a painter will arrive with paint.

I know I won't.

Oh and by the way, should I assume he's a bit passive-aggressive?

I arrived home and this is what greeted me in my foyer.

How far does it go up you ask?

And is it a coincidence that he left it in front of the half bathroom? I think not.

Good thing I am not superstitious, because if I were I would predict that I will have a lot of bad luck in my future!

Sometimes I have to laugh to keep from crying. Will you join me?

Worship

2011-03-31T20:42:00.000-04:00

I'm linking this post to Mary's blog, Giving Up on Perfect, and am writing about subjects that she's chosen for the next seven Thursdays:

March 10 – Baptism
March 17 – Wedding
March 24 – Funeral
March 31 – Worship
April 7 – Bible study
April 14 – Prayer
April 21 – Communion

I had been struggling for a while during church services. I attend a church where many people compliment the quality of our choirs. Please don't misunderstand me...I like the beauty of the voices and bells intermingling during the service but that isn't why I attend church.

I had also been struggling finding meaning/inspiration from the sermons. Some mornings I would leave and think, "What am I supposed to take away or do with what I've heard?"

Then I heard something that made me stop being the person who was disappointed in my worship experience, blaming everyone else for not "living up to my standards." (Sounds pretty pretentious right?) Primarily, I heard that worship is not their obligation or to be based upon the performance of others (choirs, preacher, etc.) but worship is my responsibility. My time to worship God. To be devoted to Him.

Wow.

It was tough "climbing off my high horse" and to stop blaming others and situations and take responsibilty for worship myself. It was humbling and freeing. Worship isn't about me and how I feel. Worship is about God. My relationship with Him. I am to focus on worshiping Him.

From a heart overflowing with gratitude, we will want to honour and glorify God by gratefully offering back to Him the many good gifts He has bestowed on us. We will not go to church to be entertained, to see "what we can get out of it" for our own private gratification, but rather to praise and worship the triune God of grace and glory.
Anonymous

Worship is the intentional attitudes and actions of focusing on God. It is the life-discipline we ought repeatedly to exercise and develop. It grows out of the foundational motive of deep and wonder-based gratitude to God for His salvaging and sustaining us.
Byron Spradlin

I realize that worship doesn't only take place in a church. To be who God wants me to be is to worship Him throughout my days. Not only on Sundays.

The church is never a place, but always a people; never a fold but always a flock; never a building but always a believing assembly. The church is you who pray, not where you pray.
Anonymous

Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by his holiness, the nourishment of the mind with his truth, the purifying of the imagination of his beauty, the opening of the heart to his love, the surrender of the will to his purpose.
William Temple

The purpose of this Christian society called the "Church" is, first: to glorify God by our worship. We do not go to church just to hear a sermon. We go to church to worship God.
Billy Graham

Ouch.

So I've come to the realization that worship isn't about me. It's not about how wonderful the choir sounds or how "good" the sermon is. It is me using my life with deliberation to worship God. To praise Him.

In the end, worship can never be a performance, something you're pretending or putting on. It's got to be an overflow of your heart.....Worship is about getting personal with God, drawing close to God.
Matt Redman

Joshua 23:8 says, "...cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now." NLT

That is how I am moving forward in my faith and changing my thinking and actions about worshiping God. I am clinging tightly to Him and focusing on a deeper relationship with Him. I am thankful for His grace and mercy in "teaching this old dog, new ~~thoughts~~ tricks."

Thank you Mary for choosing today's topic and for challenging me to dig deeper in my faith.

Please visit Giving Up on Perfect to read what Mary and others have written about worship.

Do you have a memory or some thoughts you'd like to share about worship?

One Thousand Gifts (112-119)

2011-03-28T17:28:00.003-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

#112 - #119 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

112. an honest car mechanic

113. busy days at work

114. an electric garage door on rainy days...OK, every day :)

115. listening to a mom's excitement about her son attending his high school junior prom

116. listening to a co-worker tell us that her father's cancer has spread to his brain

117. listening to Terri tell me about her daughter-in-law's pregnancy and miscarriage

118. God for continuing to teach me to listen

119. my faith in God and praying for people during their celebrations and tragedies

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

Funeral

2011-03-24T05:52:00.000-04:00

I'm linking this post to Mary's blog, Giving Up on Perfect, and am writing about subjects that she's chosen for the next seven Thursdays:

March 10 – Baptism
March 17 – Wedding
March 24 – Funeral
March 31 – Worship
April 7 – Bible study
April 14 – Prayer
April 21 – Communion

For many years, I didn't know how to express sympathy to someone who had lost a loved one. I didn't know what to say. So I said nothing. I would occasionally send a sympathy card and sign my name. I would steer clear of the person because of my lack of knowing what to say or do.

Then in 1992, my father died.

He was 54 years old and I was 31. I had been married for 10 years to Wonderful Husband and our children were five and two years old.

I remember Terri bringing over dinner and it was not only delicious but I needed not to think about preparing a meal for my family. A blessing.

We lived in Maryland and I flew to Texas to be with my mother, sister, brother, aunt, and great uncle.

I remember my dad's funeral like it was yesterday. It was in the church where I had been married. I felt comforted by the worship tradition and remember listening to the bell choir and thinking that this was what heaven must sound like. God was with me.

There were many people crowded into the mid-sized church and I noticed that when I was introduced to many people that I didn't know, there were some who knew my father yet most knew my mother and were there to offer their condolences and show their sympathy to her and to us.

I remember being the "good middle child" during the time I was in Texas. Being helpful and supportive of everyone else and stuffing my sadness deep within my soul.

I remember being at the airport with my brother and watching people walk by when an older couple caught our attention. My brother said he was angry seeing them since our parents wouldn't have those years together. I remember thinking that I couldn't begrudge someone more time together.

The most embarrassing thing that happened was that after holding myself together through the airplane trip, keeping my head down and reading a magazine and willing the plane to get me back to Maryland faster, please faster...we finally landed and a woman that was seated in my row chose the time when we were almost ready to make our way down the aisle to ask me if my trip to Texas was "business or pleasure."

My eyes welled up when I said, "Neither. I was there for my father's funeral."

Ackkkkkk! I have to think that she's probably never asked that question again. I felt wretched.

I came home to a lot of sympathy cards which I still have to this day.

Here is what I learned from my father's death and his funeral:

One purpose of the funeral was to remember my father's life and for others attending to show their love for him and their love for those of us still alive.
The only words that needed to be said were, "I'm sorry for your loss."
A hug is appreciated.
Allow the grieving person to talk about whatever they want to talk about.
Don't try to "make them feel better."
Don't tell them your thoughts or experiences of death.
Listen.
Let them be free to say whatever they want.
Don't judge them because grieving people can be a bit wacky. (I know from personal experience. Read: me.)
Years later I learned there are five stages of grief: denial, bargaining, anger, resignation, and acceptance. There is not a particular or a correct order and the other person(s) grieving probably won't be at the same stage as you are, and it's ok.
Receiving words from others is wonderful. Receiving sympathy cards is a blessing because during the days, weeks, and months ahead, cards are tangible gifts that can be read and held when other people continue living their normal, and the one(s) left behind are still trying to adapt to their new normal.
One thing I learned from my five year old son was the simplicity in teaching him about death. He would go play, come find me to ask me a question or two about Grandpa or heaven, then go and play. He dealt with death in small increments instead of getting weighed down. He didn't try and carry it all as one large burden. God blesses the young with wisdom.
Lastly, I believe that God is sad when we are sad. He mourns with us and is there to help us find our way back from grief. I am grateful for my faith.

Do you have anything you'd add or subtract (or multiply or divide) from the list? (Math joke :)

Do you have a memory or some thoughts you'd like to share about a funeral?

Thank you Mary for choosing today's topic.

Please visit Giving Up on Perfect to read what Mary and others have written about funerals.

One Thousand Gifts (100-111)

2011-03-21T18:35:00.000-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

The calendar said 'The First Day of Spring' yesterday so Wonderful Husband and I began working in the yard and I looked hard for some indication that spring had sprung. (Yes, I am a multi-tasker.)

Oh forsythia! You've been busy and I can't wait to see the pop of yellow color in our yard. Stay tuned!

#100 - #111 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

100. celebrating our daughter's 21st birthday with dinner at Carrabba's Italian Grill with Young Sweetie and her boyfriend. (It's amazing how she keeps getting older and I don't. Ha!)

101. Shamrock Shakes at McDonald's with whipped cream and a cherry on top

102. my great uncle and great aunt celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary

103. watching Ann Voskamp on 100 Huntley Street and her passion for Christ

104. noticing the crocuses blooming on the drive home from work. Spring!

105. new skylights. So clean and weather tight! Yippee!

106. Wonderful Husband taking skylight installation pictures

107. pink nail polish. Hey, it's Spring!

108. Wonderful Husband playing golf on a Friday afternoon

109. being able to encourage a mom who is sending her firstborn daughter off to college in the fall

110. Maria and meeting her for Saturday morning coffee. Talking about church, God, Bible Study and family.

111. Nancy's spinal surgeries and sending her a card filled with prayer for healing and recovery.

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

Wedding

2011-03-18T18:48:00.000-04:00

I'm linking this post to Mary's blog, Giving Up on Perfect, and am writing about subjects that she's chosen for the next seven Thursdays:

March 10 – Baptism
March 17 – Wedding
March 24 – Funeral
March 31 – Worship
April 7 – Bible study
April 14 – Prayer
April 21 – Communion

I haven't been to many weddings. In fact after searching my memory (always a challenge) I realize that I have attended eight weddings and one of them was my own. The lack of weddings simplified my thoughts by not having a lot of memories to sift through. And since my memory is what it is, I decided to focus on the most recent wedding that I attended and how I learned to lean fully on God.

Our nephew John was getting married in July 2009 to a lovely woman, Meg. The excitement had been building with the younger generation having their bachelorette and bachelor weekends away, and a bridal shower that had included the older generation. (Read: I was included with the older generation festivities.)

Life seemed to be gliding along when our other nephew Gregory received a diagnosis of adrenal cancer.

Gregory and John are cousins and had grown up together to be like brothers. Gregory has three siblings, John has two siblings.

Gregory was all set to be the best man at John's wedding but the timing... oh the timing was working against him. Gregory had major surgery and was hoping to attend the wedding but was still recovering. We (the rest of the family) had been "wrung through the wringer" of receiving encouraging reports about Gregory's condition followed by discouraging reports.

I believe that God had His hands all over the timing of events.

We needed some joy during this time.

We needed to shift our focus toward two people who were starting their married lives together.

We needed a celebration.

We needed God's grace to hold our weak parts together while witnessing the beginning of two lives showing their love for each other.

It was a day filled with blessings and a reception filled with happiness and love. Thank you God!

I leaned heavily on God that day and He took care of me. He took care of us.

(As a post script: God knew what was coming when Gregory died in December 2009, yet He continued to hold us together so we could celebrate Gregory's short life too. Thank you God!)

Thank you Mary for choosing this topic for today.

Please visit Giving Up on Perfect to read what Mary and others have written about weddings.

Do you have a memory or some thoughts you'd like to share about a wedding?

One Thousand Gifts (89-99)

2011-03-14T18:57:00.002-04:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

This weekend Wonderful Husband and I went to visit our son in Virginia. We arrived on Saturday and decided to go to Washington, D.C. for a visit.

The Washington Monument

Our son is a giant!

The Capitol

Ultimate Frisbee

Where we live in PA, we're told not to plant
anything until Mother's Day because of possible frost.
Obviously not the case four hours south of us.

#89 - #99 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

89. colors and textures of spring in Washington, D.C.

90. teachers who go to work every day and educate this generation

91. Daylight Savings Time. We "lost" an hour of sleep yet it is lighter later!

92. the U.S. government and the honest leaders who try to do what is best for our country and citizens

93. the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan (which was first on the scene in Japan to provide aid after the earthquake and tsunami) and the other 48 countries and volunteers who will provide aid for the survivors of this tragedy

94. a windy day walking The Mall in Washington, D.C.

95. the Metro rail system providing safe and stress-free travel in and out of the city

96. seeing my first game of ultimate frisbee and realizing I'm too old to play that too!

97. a clean hotel room and a continental breakfast

98. gold flecks in a black faux granite breakfast table

99. God being omniscent. He knows everything. I am comforted that He knows the past, the present, and the future.

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

Baptism

2011-03-10T06:01:00.000-05:00

I'm linking this post to Mary's blog, Giving Up on Perfect, and writing about subjects that she's chosen for the next seven Thursdays:

March 10 – Baptism
March 17 – Wedding
March 24 – Funeral
March 31 – Worship
April 7 – Bible study
April 14 – Prayer
April 21 – Communion

I have always said that I was born and raised Presbyterian.

Baptism is one of only two sacraments recognized in my denomination, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Most of our baptisms are of infants. I don't remember my own baptism since I was an infant. Both of our children were baptized as infants too. Young children and adults can be baptized too of course.

Baptisms take place during our worship service. I've listed a brief part about our baptism below.

The parents are asked, "Relying on God's grace, do you promise to live the Christian faith, and to teach that faith to your child?"

We don't have godparents but sometimes have sponsors who are members of the church and promise "through prayer and example to support and encourage" the child "to be a faithful Christian."

And later the congregation is asked, "Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture" the child "by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging them to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of his church?"

(All quotations above are from the Book of Common Worship...For the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A).)

I love that parents, sponsors, and the congregation participate in every baptism and are responsible for supporting, encouraging, teaching and learning alongside one another. My eyes fill with tears when our pastor carries a baby down the center aisle to introduce him/her to us.

Have I lived up to my promises during baptisms?

Not all the time.

Yet I am striving to do so now and know that I can do better with God's help.

Thank you Mary for choosing this topic for today.

Please visit Giving Up on Perfect to read what Mary and others have written about baptism.

Do you have a memory or some thoughts you'd like to share about baptism?

One Thousand Gifts (79-88)

2011-03-07T17:57:00.000-05:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

This past Saturday we celebrated my mother-in-law, Lenore's 80th birthday. There were 24 of us at the party.

There was plenty of food:

There was cake (and other desserts):

She is a wife of 61 years. Mother of 4. Mother-in-law of 4. Grandmother of 10. Great grandmother of 3. She is a soft-spoken and honorable woman who cares deeply for all members of her family. And she is an awesome mother-in-law. Happy Birthday Mom!

#79 - #88 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

79. my mother-in-law who gives much and loves deeply

80. family gatherings and joyful celebrations

81. warmer temps to go outside and pick up small tree branches, spring cleaning beginning outdoors

82. anticipating the installation of a new back door

83. silly things (like #82) that make me happy

84. reading Leviticus 23:3a, "You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly." (NLT, emphasis mine) On any Sunday that I debate attending church, thinking about this scripture, knowing I should be a part of the holy assembly, and going with a worship-ready attitude.

85. doves coo-ing early in the morning

86. rain that isn't snow (What can I say? It's been a long winter!)

87. completed reading Ann Voskamp's book One Thousand Gifts and knowing I will re-read it over and over again

88. a weekend nap

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

A Work in Progress Through Conflict

2011-03-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

On February 13, I was thinking about conflict.

Why are there problems and heartbreak in life?

What can I learn from experiencing conflict?

It occurred to me that through conflict, change will happen.
Only by identifying that there is a problem can a solution be found.
Only through experiencing hurt can healing happen.

Change occurs through conflict.

When life is speeding along, happy-go-lucky, there is no change. No need for change. Yet when a problem (read: speed bump in life happens) life slows down and my attention is focused on looking for a solution.

It's a realization that a change needs to happen.

I've joked for years that "Change...is good." There was a time in my life when I was surrounded by people who were being buried alive in conflict and some were in positions of authority to make changes.

Sometimes I adapted well to change...sometimes I struggled with change.

Many times I wanted to have a vote whether the change was a good solution to the conflict.

I realized that my frustration would boil over when others made changes that affected me, but I had no say in the matter.

Then my sarcasm gene would explode and I'd say, "Change...is good." (Read: Not!)

1 Corinthians 10:23-24 says, "Everything is permissable --but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissable but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others."

I accept change more easily when I can determine it is beneficial and constructive not just for the one person in authority...but beneficial and constructive for the group as a whole.

I know you can't make all of the people happy/satisfied all of the time.

But after a situation arises, I try not to react in a thoughtless, knee-jerk, half-cocked way.

I.Need.To.Stop.

Think the conflict through, surround myself with wise people (not "yes" people).

And pray.

Pray hard. Because if I'm listening with my heart, God will provide His wisdom.

Because when I work through conflict, I learn from it and grow stronger in my faith.

Then I can take action in a calm manner which will lead to a beneficial/constructive solution.

I am working on this in my professional and personal life.

I am a work in progress.

How do you see conflict at work in your life? Is it beneficial?

One Thousand Gifts (69-78)

2011-02-28T17:31:00.000-05:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a year. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

Years ago I bought a simple decoration for Thanksgiving. For the next few years, I took it out in November to decorate and packed it away in December.

Two years ago, I started leaving it out all year long because I started thinking that I should Be Thankful all the time. Not just at Thanksgiving. I keep it near my kitchen sink because while I'm doing the daily work of preparing meals and cleaning the kitchen the words are a positive, tangible, mind-focusing reminder to Be Thankful.

In All Things.

So it amazes me that a year later I found Ann's blog. Started reading her posts. Started my own list of One Thousand Gifts. Have since read her book and these two words were preparing me for this season of my life.

#69 - #78 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

69. God who is leading me through this adventure of life with deep spiritual lessons.

70. a repaired/new mailbox

71. cranberry juice and the tangy flavor first thing every morning.

72. my habit of cleaning up the kitchen every night and being greeted by it in the morning.

73. our son passing one of his required tests for teaching.

74. celebrating Linda's (a co-worker's) birthday

75. beginning a new Bible Study with Terri (Becoming the Woman God Wants Me to Be by Donna Partow). Who knows....soon I might be awesome!

76. the Holy Spirit and my being more in tune with him.

77. warm socks on cold feet

78. discussing vacation plans with Wonderful Husband. I'm soooo ready!

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

Maybe The Best Post Ever

2011-02-25T22:08:00.001-05:00

I've written about the rough winter weather we've had in PA this year. Lots of snow, shoveling, Wonderful Husband using the snowblower...well, you get the picture.

I've also written about coming home from work and seeing that our mailbox had been knocked into the middle of our front yard. I don't know if it was hit by the snowplow or if the heavy snow smacked it hard enough to break the post but after 15 years, the wooden post finally "bit the dust."

Wonderful Husband knew he couldn't dig out the old post and install a new one since the ground was frozen solid with all the below 30 degree temps we'd had, so he did a temporary fix of bolting the broken post and of course more snow fell and the post was fully encased in snow for a couple weeks.

We experienced a slow thaw and were watching the mailbox lean more and more while the snow melted around it. And then the expected happened. We had strong, wind gusts for about 24 hours and when I looked out Saturday morning, this is what I saw:

So I told Wonderful Husband the news and then I left to meet a friend for breakfast. (That's how I roll. Give an update and off I go. Ha!)

When I came home I noticed our neighbor's mailbox had taken a tumble too. Here's the evidence:

No. I didn't go over to tell my neighbors. I don't like being the Bearer of Bad Tidings. :)

Darn wind.

So the reason the name of this post is "Maybe The Best Post Ever"? Keep looking:

Ta da! A post! So pretty! So strong! So hopeful that it will last 15 years like the last one!

And just so you don't think that Wonderful Husband stopped the job there:

Way to go Wonderful Husband! A job well done!

Bring on the mail!
Bring on Spring!
We're ready!

How did your outdoor stuff survive your winter weather?

One Thousand Gifts (56-68)

2011-02-21T17:36:00.000-05:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a few months. Every Monday Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

I learned an amazing lesson this week while actively seeking gifts/blessings.

I started feeling cranky about my being the only one in maybe the entire world who knows how to stock the toilet paper under the bathroom sinks and also the only one who seems to know how to hang the roll on the holder. Then I thought, "Thank you God for toilet paper," and burst out laughing.

Moments later, I rounded the corner and spotted the sink full of dirty dishes, felt the blood pressure rising and thought, "Thank you God for the dirty dishes," and burst out laughing again!

In this journey of actively seeking gifts/blessings, I can turn an automatic negative thought around quickly when looking for the blessing from God in my reality of dirty dishes and toilet paper. This lesson learned during the "little things" will be beneficial and hopefully habitual when the "big things" come into my life.

#56 - #68 on my list of One Thousand Gifts. I'm thankful for:

56. laughter

57. toilet paper and dirty dishes

58. the book, Me Myself & Lies...A Thought-Closet Makeover by Jennifer Rothschild. This was a life changing/challenging book for me about clearing out the mess in my mind and replacing it with God's Word, His love, and His truths. (Should be used with a friend or group for maximum benefit.)

59. a customer who made my day. She told me that she knew I was "from the north" because I knew how to spell her last name. I didn't have the heart to tell her that although I live in PA, I learned how to spell while growing up in the south.

60. meeting Sue at Starbucks. She has experienced the miracle of better health after leaving a stressful job.

61. Entenmann's Valentine's Day cupcakes. Yummy deliciousness.

62. four new tires and an alignment. I feel like I'm floating down the road.

63. sending a sympathy card with prayer to our Associate Pastor whose mother died.

64. our back yard neighbor's two large white dogs. I love hearing them bark because I know someone is moving around outside. Except they don't bark at us because we always sing out, "Helloooooo!" and wave. Oh. And they bark at hot air balloons in the summer too.

65. our daughter Young Sweetie leaving a Valentine's Day card and flowers for Wonderful Husband and myself while we were at work.

66. the Prayer Quilt Ministry at our church. Bending over the quilt in prayer, praying for a woman battling cancer, then tying a knot in the string.

67. Terri's birthday. Not another year older....another year wiser!

68. meeting Charlotte on Saturday morning for breakfast. Talking about her Revelation Bible Study and grace being my focus for 2011.

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

What are you thankful for this week?

Telephone Anyone?

2011-02-18T17:47:00.000-05:00

Two thoughts for today.....

Since when do telephones have meetings?

And....

if they are having a party....

why wasn't I invited?

One Thousand Gifts (44-55)

2011-02-14T17:32:00.000-05:00

I have been reading A Holy Experience (Ann Voskamp's blog) for a few months. Every Monday, Ann adds to her list of One Thousand Gifts and today I'm adding to my list too.

Since today is Valentine's Day, I've decided to focus my list this week on Wonderful Husband.

I'm thankful for Wonderful Husband and:

44. our love for each other through 28 years of marriage...and counting

45. his love for our children and always having the time and energy to share his wisdom with them

46. always working hard to support us financially

47. always encouraging me when I face a new situation by calming my jitters and telling me that I can do anything I set my mind to...and do it well

48. him being my biggest supporter and my being his biggest fan

49. giving him a buzz hair cut on Saturday...now only one of us has hair that sticks up (Hey! I do mine like that on purpose:)

50. him never complaining when I went to church or school meetings

51. his kindness and fairness toward everyone

52. his honesty in his life (personal and professional)

53. even though he knows me the best...he hasn't run away screaming (kind of a joke...kind of not!)

54. the visible example he is to our children on being a good husband and father

55. God blessing our marriage because we couldn't have survived, grown, and thrived this long without Him

Please visit A Holy Experience: Multitudes On Mondays, One Thousand Gifts.

Turn on your speakers. Read, enjoy, and thank God for His blessings.

Happy Valentine's Day!