When I first saw the prompt question, oddly enough, it was at 2 a.m. this morning. If you think it means I was full of energy, I must correct this… insomnia and energy are two very different things.
Anyway, due to my arthritis fueled sleeplessness, I found myself peeking at todays prompt responses a little early to see what others were already sharing. What I discovered while reading out on the feed… it didn’t make me sleepier, but rather, it woke me up more than when I had begun. That was where my epiphany came… You!
I get energy from people… you, my husband, people on my trail walks, or anywhere I encounter someone along my path. Whether it be from writing to you, reading your words, chatting, encouraging each other, and sometimes just simply laughing together… oodles if boundless energy!
It is as if human connection is a piece of candy, dipped in such a fragrant and sugary sweet espresso coating… one cannot simply take a piece, without coming back time and again for another, and another, and another.
On the cautionary side, due to it’s habit forming nature, one can end up with a bit of a sour stomach from filling up on too much candy all the time, forgetting to balance things for a healthy self.
Finding a healthy balance took some time, but that is partly why I developed the Lobby idea behind this site. I do not need to jump all the way into the pool with others lives and problems, I simply wish to be there to offer them a towel when they climb out. When the Lobby began to come to life, God showed me that I can be a Hostess quite successfully without trying to be the cook, the councilor, or the doctor… I am not qualified for any of those things.
Having a servants heart offers me a chance to become such an effective hostess, that there is no need to burn myself out doing more for others than I can or should.
Speaking of energy, if you pop over to Live Wire, there is food, and I am certain that it has energy in it.
There are times in our lives, when we have felt like our efforts don’t seem to match up with the outcome of doing good… things we thought would make a difference, didn’t… good works we hoped would bring forth fruit, but the ground was barren and dry.
I will be honest in saying that there were times where I actually considered my efforts to be invisible, as if I could evaporate into nothing and there would be no loss felt by those I sought to help. In a world overrun by selfishness, it is easy to get discouraged by the overwhelming odds at making a difference…
Until we remember a very simple basic truth… the continued effort to do good, is what gets us through the journey. When we commit to do good, regardless of the result… we empty out a place in our soul for God to refill. We also need to remember that just because we do see the result we expected, does not mean that God did not do good somewhere else with our efforts…
My desire is to make a conscious choice in doing good, simply because God asks me to… whether I know how it ends or not! My goal should be to please Him in the here and now… I will wait til I get Home to see the results!
Note To Self #6
Do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up! Galatians 6:9
I find it hilarious to see a young man wearing his pants so low on his hips, that when he bends over to pick something up, it is as if I get to see what he looks like when he walks around his house in his underwear… You know?!
Thanks to social media apps such as Pinterest, my DIY itch gets plenty of scratching, so I don’t need help in that department. Thanks to media in general for completely saturating the world with way too much personal information about all of our dirty laundry, I am full up on being informed about other people’s lives. Last but not least, thanks to the Bible, I have enough reading to keep me well informed about most everything the world has to offer.
With that being said, I am nearly out of ideas for needing more information on anything… well, besides puppies… I am always open to more information about puppies…
Are these for people or puppies… hmmmm… you don’t really know, do you? Perhaps, you need to add this to your list of topics that you wish to be more informed about… hehehehehehehe…
The other day I came upon a Tree Ent that was doing a handstand for better circulation…
I stopped long enough to take a picture, ask what he was doing, and then tell him “Carry on my friend! We need all the help we can get, holding things together most days.” He said he would, so…
We can trace music all the way back to the beginning of time… from musicians like David, who wrote and sang, as well as others. I went and asked Google about musicians in the bible, and it refers to approximately 20ish different places in the scriptures that they were mentioned. I consider how many songs today are written from passages in this book.
While tracing the possibilities of life without music, it carried me all the way back to my childhood. How could I give up on the Muppet Show, Hee Haw, or The Barbara Mandrel show. Out of those shows rose some good ole fashioned 8 tracks like this one… https://youtu.be/7v8sDd7DSl8?si=R4UwwuS0OnU6rwo-
I have never been the same… Thank you Ray Stevens, from the bottom of my heart…
In all my studies about dragon lore, I have not come across anything of much use, on how to care for a baby… it all just seems to want us to either attack them or run away! That is not of any use to us out here, on the trail with this small one. He just looks vulnerable and helpless… not scary at all!
Out in the field, it is important to considerhow one handles the unknown… it says a great deal about a person.Therefore, I vote to throw out all the dragon history books for this baby! I want to give this little guy a chance to prove his worth, whether he is a dragon or not!I want to look beyond the scales and teeth, beyond all that anger… because there is more to him than meets the eye, I suspect.
Unfortunately, all too often we find ourselves asking, why are people so quick to judge something or someone, simply because they don’t understand or maybe MISunderstand? Too many whys only leave us to run around in circles getting nothing done. I for one, am choosing to pour my love and energies into this little brute! Something about him gives me pause…
When I observe the little dragon, there are moments I can see my younger spiritual self (the willful part), and at other times I recognize the anger. I can remember a time when I carried a heart so hurt and confused, only anger came out! I guess we can all look at this baby with some form of understanding, seeing our own reflection in one way or another.Why the Commander thinks that I am capable of handling this ball of fury, with my own tendency for being overly defensive, tends to be a question that answers itself. If I need to mature in a certain area within my spirit, the Commander seems to give me exactly that which will aid my growth… Practice!
We have been given the opportunity to get a great amount of Practice in! Look at the journey we have been on for the last weeks. I can say that there have been a good many lessons we have been learning, as well as some difficult times that made us cling to one another for strength.
The Commander has never given us more than we could handle, and though it was painful in places, I would not change a thing if we went back in time. It was worth it, all the pain and effort, that is! We are so much more than we were when our adventure began… how could we forget the otter folk… who would want to change that day? In fact, looking back over things, there is not a moment with you that I would regret, or wish to undo.
We have now been given a great opportunity I think, to help make a difference to this little baby, and in doing so, become better for the effort. Big things can often come wrapped up in small, scaly, and angry packages like the one we have before us. Our Commander is teaching us to look beyond the surface, to love on a level beyond our own understanding. I know when things began it was only supposed to be me doing the heavy lifting of our adventure, but I had no idea how things would turn out and here we are, heading for the barn, as they say!
All of our trials, difficulties, obstacles and happy accidents happened because you stepped in to help this crazy lady with a dream. I believe that you have been learning the same lessons I have, just from your own perspectives. That is what makes life so beautiful… all the things that make us think differently, are the key to binding us together like a puzzle with different shapes and sizes.
I have discovered that it is always better to follow the One who created the puzzle in the first place. The Commander knew, before we ever left the lobby, exactly who would lend their aid and why. He did not give me the information ahead of time, nor do I know the why even now!
But He knew that you would come… and that is enough for me! Let’s make camp here for the night and enjoy our last evening together, for tomorrow we should reach the coast and from there the village which was our original destination.
As excited as I am to finally complete our mission, I now hesitate to end my time with you… change is always a bit scary, and I know not where the journey will lead. This baby belongs somewhere, though I know not where, as of yet! Were it possible, I would take you all with me, but as you know, paths in our lives do not always stay joined, but rather run parallel, sometimes rejoining; at other times simply intersecting with each other along the path.
Enough said about where we have been and what lies ahead… tonight we celebrate!
It’s a good thing all we brought with us was Just a Bag…
From supplying us with dry clothing, tools, campfire materials and tents…
to feeding us, and holding all our personal belongings…
During our entire journey, our bags ensured we never slept cold or wet, nor suffered from hunger or thirst…
This might look like Just a Bag, but it sure has had a way of bringing together a rag tag group of adventurers, such as we are…
Though our bags seemed stiff and foreign to us, when first we left the Lobby…
Our constant use of the bags, seemed to have somehow softened the leather. I for one cannot imagine traveling without mine…
In honor of our bags, let us break out a feast and celebrate together into the night...
It has been 54 years since my birth and I have watched the holidays pass by through the eyes of many… a child, a teenager, a young woman, a mother, a sister, a grandmother, and now an orphan of sorts. The only one to have learned the truth of things is the orphan!
When I was small, holidays were not permitted, as they were against the religion of my parents. I did not understand their reasonings for no presents or parties, or for being pulled out of class and sent home during holiday events. All I can remember is having a desire to experience what all the other children did. One Christmas Eve I snuck outside my house and collected pinecones, twigs, and tree branches from the woods nearby. I collected some of my favorite little bits and bobs, wrapped them in toilet tissue that I colored with my markers, and made a small makeshift tree with my twigs. All this was done under my bed. I don’t know why, but it made me feel special somehow.
The teenager experience was a bit of an odd learning period… just things, no understanding of what Christmas was beyond presents. One year a family took me in for the holidays, taking me horse back riding in the snow, and then buying me a brand new Members Only coat with fur lining the hood. How odd of a memory is that?
When my children were born, I made valiant efforts for all of their young years, to instill the ideas of the Holidays. I cannot say that one of them carries any appreciation for the true meaning of the holidays, that I am aware of anyway. I made efforts to take them to my foster family’s home for several years, but eventually, it was made painfully clear that there was a great difference between family and foster. Our last year of holiday time with them came when my sweet girls had to sit and watch a ridiculous Christmas Morning display of nauseating gift giving to the kids, and then our turn arrived and we got a fire extinguisher! I am not kidding!
The part about being a sister is a very loose interpretation of the the word. My oldest sister does not celebrate the holidays due to her religion, my brother died with the same belief system, and my foster brothers were all I had left, fire extinguishers and all.
As a MeeMaw, I thought the holidays would begin to make some sense and joy to my spirit… watching my grandbabies eyes fill with wonder, as they discovered the joys of the season. This never came to be, as I am not welcome in their homes.
Sometimes, there are no easy answers to questions like this mornings seemingly benign inquiry from WordPress. You, the reader, are left to read the response of the Orphan. She is not sad, nor is she lonely… she is quiet.
I was pondering the upcoming holiday season, and came to an understanding of sorts as to the way of things, for me that is. I opted on a virtual holiday celebration this year. I have my website reflecting what I want the holidays to feel like, so you can experience it with me, the way I want it to be… warm, heartfelt, and quiet.
I know some parts are a bit rough, but you try catching squirrels on camera… it’s nuts out there!!!
I know I still did not do the talk part of my walk, but the squirrels need their moments in the spotlight.
Besides, I had my hands full just trying to track these guys. I nearly dropped my coffee whilst recording, as the cheeky little beggars nearly climbed my leg at one point. I can multi-task with the best of them, but come on… I only have one good eye right now.
Journey With Me! 