Broken Clay Pots

The Everyday Word: Broken Clay Pots: Yesterday was very hot and very windy. Our patio is exposed to the west, and the wind usually comes from the northwest. We get a lot of...

A Blue-Eyes Morning

We love having our four grandchildren over at the same time, and they love being together.

This morning, all 4 came over and we had a blast. There are very few moments of stillness when they get together,

and getting a photo of them all is a bit tricky.

They all piled on our bed and the giggling and wiggling commenced,

and I wondered how I was going to get them to all smile and cooperate.

 

Then, it hit me.

 

Fishy crackers,

or more formally know as Pepperidge Farm Goldfish.

And we have the rainbow colors, even more incentive.

 

All it took was to mention that anyone who sits still and smiles sweetly gets

Fishy crackers when we were done and I was able to capture this moment.

 

Eli (6), Ben (2), Jack (10) and Maya (6)

 

 

We couldn't resist doing a "make a funny face" photo, too.

 

Then they were off to the pantry to get their reward.

 

I am so aware that we have not always had them all living close to us, and it brings me such joy to have them here now.

 

 My cup runneth over.

Thankful for Simple Pleasures

On this Monday,

this sunny, not-too-hot Monday,

I have been puttering in the yard...

 

 

 

 

and puttering on social media...

 

 

 

and enjoying some time with Lucy on the patio...

 

 

 

 

 May your Monday have some time to relax and to be thankful

for the simple pleasures.

 

 

Eucharisteo* always, always precedes the miracle.

 

 

*Eucharisteo ~ grace, thanksgiving, joy ~ from the book "One thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp

Eucharisteo sign is from Red Letter Words

 

Priorities in the Rain

I love the rain.

 

We seldom get long, rainy days, and usually in June it is hot and dry, a transition of what once was green from rains in April and May into the brownness of hot summer sun and winds.  But this June we have had rain, this spring we have had rain, all after a record-breaking winter of 100" of snow. It is softly raining now, and I am so thankful as I look out onto the patio and see the  thirsty potted flowers  and the flower gardens being gently washed in rain.

 

It has been a few weeks since I have not babysat fulltime, and this summer break gives me a chance to get caught up in the things I do not always take care of when my days are filled with the joy of toddlerhood. I have been digging into the pantry, sorting and organizing so that when I open the door, I am greeted by calm instead of chaos. I have been cleaning out drawers, tossing the slips of paper I put in randomly, mostly because I need the little notes as reminders, since I am quite forgetful, so forgetful that I forget I have put the little reminders in a drawer; can you relate? So far, I have organized a small dresser in our living area to hold placemats, tablecloths and napkins, as well as a drawer for the oft-needed items of scissors, tape, stapler and other desk-type items, a drawer that cannot reside in our kitchen as it did at our Dear Old House. Now the hutch drawers can breathe, no longer stuffed with linens that didn't really fit and the occasional whatnots added in.

Today, I had hoped to tackle our bedroom shelves, cleaning, organizing and freshening up the contents of books, baskets and photos. But as best-laid plans often do, this morning has been hijacked by my body and the stiffness and pain that comes on rainy days. Arthritis, fibromyalgia and the neurological aftereffects of the chiari/syringomyelia are all heightened by the moist, humid air and changing barometer. It is a morning to make lemonade out of lemons, praise out of the pain. I am reminded that the time I spend with the Lord and His Word has been sporadic at best. I am reminded that there is no better way than to spend my time reading His Word and reflecting on that which He has shared with me.  And so I have come now from that place of soaking up His Word, writing in my journal, and adding a few entries to my Eucharisteo, my journal of joyful thanksgiving based on the Book One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp, a must-read for anyone who lives and breathes.

If you are still with me, as I know this is rather long and perhaps out of character from my blog posts lately, I just wanted to share this, perhaps for my own recognition of how God works in my life, knowing fully what I need and how He desires to be in the moment with me, rather than me always making plans. He desires to be my priority, and He promises that when He is, everything else will fall into place.

The morning is almost past and the rain clouds linger, holding the rain to themselves for the moment with the look of promise for more yet today. The  soil and gardens have been refreshed, much as I have, too, have been refreshed by His Word and His presence. The book shelves can wait, and perhaps I will still tackle them today, but if I do not it is ok. There is a time for doing and a time for resting and healing. My soul has found rest in Him today. May it be the same for you.

^" For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:11-13
 

 

Spring House

The past few days have been picture-perfect spring days,

and I have been in the mood for sprucing up the inside of the house.

 I am starting out slow and simple.

 

Here are a few photos of our little kitchen corner:

 

 

~ familiar items, rearranged, with life imitating art...

 

 

 

~ Maya's apron and decorative tea towel hanging below...

 

 

 

 

~ Lucy's bowls on the floor...

(oops, minus the tea towel, hmmm)

 

 

~ the ever-changing chalkboard...

 

 

 

~ our table adorned with sweet bouquet of peonies, lamb's ears and lady's mantle...

 

 

 

Simple spring days will soon give way to the first day of summer,

and I plan on soaking up these cooler days until then.

 

 

 

An & Ria's First flight

 I know I have been terrible at blogging lately, but I came across this today and just had to share it. These 2 ladies make me think of my 2 grandmas, especially when they were together at family events. One of my grandmas did fly, but I am not sure if the other did; not that I can recall.

 

Sit back and enjoy these adorable ladies as they fly for the first time.

 

 

 

(YouTube)

Captivate Us

I am easily drawn to some things ~

 

the aroma of fresh-baked cookies,

the delicate bloom of the tulips on my dining table,

the sun streaming through my window with its warm, yellow rays,

and even the snow seen everywhere outside,

heaped in abundance, all white and glistening.

 

I am also easily drawn to things that are more personal to me ~

a baby's sweet smell and soft voice,

the smiles and laughter of my grandchildren,

a hug and warm look from my husband,

and the friendships and family I hold dear.

 

You might say that I am captivate by some of these things, being drawn to them by an irresistible charm that works its way into my mind, heart and soul. I imagine of you were to write a list of what you are drawn to or captivated by, you would have a list that is unique and personal to you as well as a few things many of us would list.

 

On the other hand, there are a few other things I am drawn to, such as ~

 

chocolate and sweets in general,

tv shows, movies, Facebook, Pinterest, and blogs,

 that are not necessarily bad, but I allow them to take up a lot of my time.

You might say that I also get captivated with them at times, and my time can get swallowed up by them,

and they can take the place of the things I listed earlier.

 

I do not have grandkids today, the house is quiet, and I am taking time to actually write a blog post from my heart,

 for my heart has been captivated by three things this morning:

 

• God's word, especially a few verses I am concentrating on in prayer for a person who is struggling with cancer
• Prayer for this person as well as others God has put on my heart
• and music that is playing to draw me near to Him

One of the verses that came to mind is from 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

³ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. ⁴ The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. ⁵ We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

 

It is a pleasure to have a day when I can meditate on the word of God, renew my strength in Him and allow my mind to be captivated by Him. When I take time to do so, I am renewed for the days ahead when my time is filled by the activities that come my way and my time to read the word, pray and listen to Him is a little shorter. Even then, He continues to captivate me.

 

I remembered this song as I was thinking on these things this morning, and I hope it will be a joy for you to listen to. It is by Charlie Hall and Nathan and Chrisy Nockels (Watermark). I found the video on You Tube, but it is the words that will speak to you.

(source)

 

 

Captivate Us

By Charlie Hall and Watermark

 

 Your face is beautiful

And Your eyes are like the stars

Your gentle hands have healing

There inside the scars

Your loving arms they draw me near

And Your smile it brings me peace

Draw me closer oh my Lord

Draw me closer Lord to Thee

Captivate us Lord Jesus set our eyes on You

Devastate us with your presence falling down

And rushing river draw us nearer

Holy fountain consume us with You

Captivate us Lord Jesus with You

 

Your voice is powerful

And Your words are radiant bright

In Your breath and shadow

I will come close and abide

You whisper love and life divine

And Your fellowship is free

Draw us closer oh my Lord

Draw me closer Lord to thee

Captivate us Lord Jesus set our eyes on You

Devastate us with Your presence falling down

And rushing river draw us nearer

Holy fountain consume us with You

Captivate us Lord Jesus with You

And let everything be lost in the shadows

Of the light of your face

And let every chain be broken from me

As I'm bound in Your grace

For Your yoke is easy Your burden is light

You're full of wisdom power and might

And every eye will see You

And captivate captivate us Lord Jesus with You

Captivate us

 

A Cup of Tea? and Storytelling

I was trying to change toddler's diaper, which I do on our bed,

 when he wiggled away from me, crawled under a throw blanket that was on the bed,

 leaned against the pile of pillows and said,

 

"Read a book?

Cup of tea?"

 

Toddler says most things in his little voice as if it is a question. In this case, he was quite pleased with himself, and I just had to laugh at his antic, although I have no idea where the "Cup of tea?' question came from!

 

He invited me to join him, so I did, and we spent the next several minutes snuggling together as I told him several "once upon a time" stories about a little boy and his family. He loves these stories as much as his sister and cousins did when they were tucked into bed for a nap. The telling of stories is such a wonderful way for me to incorporate real-life events with a bit of whimsy and imagination, and if I get it right, a story gets asked for over and over, such as lost puppies or kitties rescued or some kind of adventure with our golden retriever, Lucy.

 

Do you like to tell stories to the little ones in your life,

or do you remember being told stories when you were a child?

Eternity's Mirror

 

I tend to view the circumstances in my life in the here and now,

but when I stop and listen to the Holy Spirit,

He breaks through the window of my life and shows me

how to see things through His eyes.

 

I do not want to minimize the circumstances you or I may be in,

for we all have moments, days, even long periods of times when circumstances

seem to be too much. These circumstances may change or stay with us the rest of our lives.

Perhaps like me, you have a physical disability that may not change.

Perhaps a relationship is tearing at your heart.

Perhaps you do not feel God's presence and wonder if you ever will again.

These and other circumstances are very real, I know.

 

But just for now,

stop and read the prayer below.

You may want to make it your heart's prayer...

 

 

 You may want these words to be your heart's words...

 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,

but on what is unseen,

since what is seen is temporary,

but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:18

 

 

It is my heart's desire that I may learn to take each circumstance in my life and hold it up to the mirror of eternity. I know I have a long ways to go to remember to do this, but perhaps by writing this, I will be reminded to do just that. Perhaps by reading this, you, too, may choose to join me.

 

 

Let the Little Children...

 

Toddler sits on my lap as we read

David and Goliath in the beloved Beginner’s Bible.

He loves this story.

Then he turns the pages and names the people

he knows from our readings.

As he turns and turns, he says, “I need God. Where is God?”

 

Talk about a teachable moment.

 

(source)

 

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me,

and do not hinder them,

for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 19:14