Category: Gratitude

Tomorrow is Sunday…

Wiwohka1 Comment

Yesterday was the day that the temple veil was torn in two

Today was a day of sorrow and confusion

A day where women wept, while men spoke in fearful whispers of things to come

Tomorrow will represent that Sunday morning, so long ago, when the women found the stone removed, leaving an empty tomb…

Tomorrow represents the day He met them on the road…

The day that our creator gave us the most precious gift ever given… eternal life, without fear, shame, or condemnation. We were given the blood of God’s own precious son, to wash over our very souls, and cleansing us of all sin. We have been bought and paid for by Jesus, himself.

I praise God for such a perfect gift… oh so costly, but so very necessary! Without Jesus sacrifice, we would be condemned to death, claimed by Satan, himself. That’s a gift worth celebrating, wouldn’t you agree.

I wanted to share a very heartfelt, and sincere, Happy Easter! I send out my greetings today, as I won’t be online tomorrow. For the first time in nearly twenty years, I’ll be joining my sweet friend, Christine, for a sunrise service at her church. It’s time. No obligation, no signing of any contracts, just worship and fellowship. What better time to re-enter the whole church scene than an early Sunrise Easter Service. I’m looking forward to the music, the word, and if I’m truthful, some good human contact.

Have a beautiful day tomorrow, all of you.

God Bless!

Hugs

Thursday Thoughts…

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When the sun shines, in all it’s brilliance, I place my trust in Him

When the rain falls so heavily that I cannot see the path, I place my trust in Him

As I hold my granddaughter in my arms, I place her in His loving arms

As doors before me slam shut, I place myself in His loving arms

He is with me in the good…

and, with me in the bad…

Whether sun, rain, good, or bad

We are never alone… even when it feels that way.

How do I know these things? Why the bible, of course.

Look at what Jesus did for us, just to make a way to his Father

How must Jesus have felt as he hung upon that cross?

Alone

Betrayed

Abandoned

Rejected

Ridiculed

Despised

… and yet…

He stayed!

He could have called the angel’s down to assist… but he didn’t.

Hanging there, between two other criminals, both guilty.

How must He have felt?

Did he hurl insults and curses toward those who rejected him? No…

What must it have been like to discover at the moment the temple veil was torn, that you’d made a grievous error in your judgement of Him?

Whatever happened to those whom He’d healed while walking this earth? Where did they go? What did they do with the rest of their lives, in all that came after that Sunday Morning?

The stone removed…

The angel in the tomb…

The encounter on the road…

Where did all the people go that saw Jesus after the resurrection?

I find myself pondering these and other questions, at the approach of Easter Sunday. So much happened in Jesus earthly life, during his ministry. I can’t help but wonder what happened to those most impacted by their encounter with the Son of God.

It wasn’t as if there were only a handful of followers, with a lot of nasty government officials. It was quite the opposite, in fact. There were numerous believers, with only a handful of hateful leaders. It always amazed me what fear will cause people to do to each other. Jesus walked 30 years with humans, and He still walked all the way to that cross, willingly allowing himself to be impaled upon that post. He did it all out of love for us, His people. I’m always in awe of God’s willingness to sacrifice his own son’s life, just to save us from ourselves. We’re our own worst enemy, at times.

Whenever I write out my own struggles, and then compare them with His… I think I’m getting off rather lightly, compared to the path He walked. It really is a beautiful thing to accept a gift that you know you’ll never be able to repay… a sacrifice you can’t match!

Tomorrow’s Friday… but Sunday’s coming!

Hugs

Wednesday Words…

Wiwohka2 Comments

I know it’s just a blogging site, Eustace, but I still believe that if we can imagine a thing that is good, healthy, and full of wonder, someone will believe in it!

If I believe in something wonderful, and you believe in it too, Eustace, then it will grow strong like a tree. It’s roots will spread powerfully beneath the soil. With the Son’s warmth, and the Father’s fertile ground, all we’ve left to do is water it with our faith.

If you’ve never watched The NeverEnding Story, you really should. That scene where the princess and Atrayu sit in the darkness together, holding onto the last spark of imagination left in the world, was my favorite part of the whole movie.

If we lose our childlike wonder and imagination, where would all those fantastical dreams and stories go? I’ll tell you where… gone! They would simply disappear, leaving us in a world that lacks all beauty… a world devoid of creativity.

I know today we’ve left you with some deep things to consider. Well, Eustace is a very deep thinking camel, you know, so it shouldn’t surprise you that we often have deep philosophical conversations. Just sayin…

Like salt to pepper…

Wiwohka3 Comments
Daily writing prompt
Which aspects do you think makes a person unique?
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There are no two people alike! Not even twins are identical, even though they call them identical twins.

Cloning won’t even work, due to a unique thing residing within each body… that would be the soul, if you hadn’t already guessed.

I was just talking to my husband about this today, in the car, on the way home from seeing our grandbaby. If you cookie stamped out a hundred identical bodies, and then placed a hundred different souls into those bodies, you’d end up with a hundred unique creatures. Each would have individual somethings that render them different than all the others.

I feel like peas in a pod whenever I spend time with either of my two closest friends, and yet there isn’t a drop of blood shared between us. Most of my flesh and blood are nothing like me, nor my daughter’s, for that matter.

My oldest daughter and I look nearly identical, and couldn’t be more different… or perhaps we’re too much alike, and we drive each other batty.

My point is, ladies and gents, that out of all the 8.3 billion plus humans on the planet, each is unique… individual.

That is the way God sees us, as well.

No two are alike to him, nor can one’s behavior and character effect another’s ability to walk through the pearly gates! If God created my inmost being, knitting me together in my mother’s womb, he did it for each and every one of you. God loves you, cherishes your uniqueness, and jealously protects his relationship with you… you, just as you are and not like anyone else.

Cookies?

(2025) When I was five???

Wiwohka10 Comments

Daily writing prompt
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?
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Quite honestly, I’m not sure I was thinking in terms of my future career when I was five years old. Baby dolls, kittens, puppies, candy apples at the fair, and how much I hated liver and onions are mostly all that I was thinking about at that age.

Being born and raised on a farm, my early days were spent on the back of a horse or eating all of the strawberries that my mother was trying to pick for making jam.

Though I may not have thought of my future career when I was five, it’s funny that I ended up doing one or more of my childhood activities for adult pursuits, i.e. raising babies, baking, gardening, camping, hunting, fishing, breeding dogs, homeschooling my children, and now, becoming a writer.

The writer part is the result of the thousands of books I read from the time I was tiny… that and watching Willy Wonka, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and The Sound of Music, just for starters!

I think that maybe that’s what a five year old should be doing at that age… not dreaming of a career, but dreaming of magic, miracles and adventure, pure and wonderful!

Who knows, though, maybe I was just slow to develop in that regard. Maybe I just watched too many cartoons, and/or read too many silly adventure books. Oh well, I’m still glad I spent my childhood with Gene Wilder, Julie Andrews, Dick Vandyke, and Angela Lansbury, aren’t you? Why? Because, my imagination was born there…

Have a cookie…

We can share!

(2024) Woodpecker…

Wiwohka10 Comments

Daily writing prompt
What is one word that describes you?
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Of all the species of feathered flyers out there, the one bird that describes me would be the Woodpecker! Why? Well, I read off of the Wikipedia site that these birds have very strong jaw muscles.

Word? Oh, I thought it said Bird. Oh well! It’s too late to go back now…

Anyone who knows much about me, should already be aware that I talk a whole lot! I mean A LOT! I always have… and I highly doubt that I will be slowing down any time soon.

Over the years I have been chided about it, counseled to slow it down, and/or even avoided because of it. For a time, I attempted to back away from my own chatty nature, in hopes of pleasing others. I soon learned that it was more my personality than my chattiness that pushed others away. Their loss!

When I discovered that I like myself just as I am, I stopped trying to be that which I was not, for others sake!

I refer to myself as a Woodpecker, because I wish to be incessantly hammering out the love of Christ, over and over and over again!

For anyone who is bothered by my noise, there are plenty of other trees in the forest! I am sure you’ll find another comfortable place to perch!

God made me this way, so I’ve no intention of changing something if God tells me it’s not broken!

Here, I’ve left you some seeds…

Just kidding, sillies! I wouldn’t feed you bird seed… well, not only…

(2024) Dead Air…

Wiwohka19 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What was the best compliment you’ve received?
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Honesty is always the best policy, and I’d like to be as forthright in my answer as possible. I cannot actually come up with any compliments, from off the top of my head. I’ve not lived a life that taught me how to recognize this thing we call a compliment. I have not lived a life that offered anyone who cared, an opportunity to offer great words of affirmation toward much, if any, of my behavior or character… it’s actually been quite the opposite!

Oh, I’m sure that I’ve been offered positive comments here and there, but none have ever felt either sincere or useful enough to carry me to any great height… I’m just being completely honest!

Nothing my parents ever said, came with a behavior that backed up the words draining out of their mouths!

I had a great many men drip words of insincerity in my direction, with nothing more than selfish or nefarious purposes in their minds!

There was no one to push me into an academic or career direction, with words that might lead me to believe I was smart, in any form!

My entire life has been a fight. Pushing against adversity from every single direction I looked! I was discouraged from having children, but I did it anyway! I raised three daughters, served in the church til I bled, homeschooled my girls while simultaneously working side jobs housekeeping, and getting a college degree… while also cooking, cleaning, paying bills, and serving in a miserable marriage for 16 years. When I divorced, the only reverberating words offered by friends, family AND church was… “well, you left!”

For anyone who may have offered a compliment to my person, I thank you for your kindness. I apologize if I’ve not shown any gratitude for said compliments, but I stopped expecting or even looking for them when I was eleven!

I don’t wish for you to think me bitter, as I’ve moved away from that place of loneliness and sorrow. In honesty, I’ve only one compliment that would be worth anything and everything, but alas, I’m not home yet!

With whatever time I have left on this earth, I shall strive to live a life worthy of God’s approval, to the best of my ability . My heart yearns to hear the only words that will matter… Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant! Just sayin…

Cookie?

Inquiring minds want to know…

Wiwohka4 Comments

What on earth happened yesterday? One moment I was typing out my prompt answer, and the next, we were moving out of our apartment!

For anyone not aware of our recent FunVee activities, some moron decided it would be fun to set a fire in the 4th floor garbage room, thereby, setting off that section of the buildings water suppression units. It flooded all the way to the basement parking lot!

We’ve had to wait nearly three weeks for them to get to our unit for repairs, and had been under the understanding that they would work around us. That wasn’t happening, as there were about 10 of them + us … which equaled out that we would be spending at least several days, corralled in our tiny bedroom with all our belongings. They needed to basically gut the whole left side of the apartment and the bathroom, as well. Mold has become a concern, so plans changed.

In the space of 4 hours, 6 darling young maintenance workers helped us completely move from the 2nd floor to the 5th! It’s the Penthouse baby!

Well, maybe not THE penthouse, but it’s actually a bit more spacious than our previous unit. Though we’ve just a little one bedroom there’s now room for my office to sit beside my husbands. The nice thing about this is because now I have room to turn my closet into a baby nook for Maisie when she starts coming over. I get to babysit when my daughter goes back to work, and I’m so stoked!

It’s perfect for her crib, and there’s room for a bookshelf and toy bin, once the pictures all get put back on the walls. Baby steps! Hahahahah, I just realized what I did, there.

Why must I take baby steps, you may be asking? Well, you try moving in only 4 hours! Me and my island of misfit internal organs had a field day, yesterday. Fibro started banging on her drums, thereby, sending IBS running off the reservation, and finally that left Arthuritis (yes I purposely misspelled that), to simply wipe out my back for the next several days. Folks it hurts to type, lol! My fingers keep falling asleep.

Personally, I think the move was worth it for the rewards…

Wouldn’t you agree?

(for my daughter’s privacy, I’ll often be implementing our SugarPlum, as my granddaughter’s stand-in.)

(2024) The Lost and Found…

Wiwohka1 Comment
Daily writing prompt
What activities do you lose yourself in?
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There was a time that I could lose myself in my children, my crafts, my pets, camping, church… and friends.

Times changed, however, bringing circumstances and life interruptus’ that, in one way or another, robbed me of the entire lot!

I will always cherish the memories, treasuring each and every moment of love given and time spent… but life goes on, and as they say, time waits for no man, or woman for that matter!

Admittedly, at no point in all those years did I fully walk with God!

That has changed… thanks be to the grace offered by my heavenly father.

Currently, my days are filled with walks along the river, as I listen to music and fellowship with Him. I lose myself for hours in study of His written word, seeking the lifegiving wisdom within its pages. When I work on any of my literary work, I can easily forget to stop and eat, or even drink a full cup of coffee before it gets cold. It is normal for me to re-heat my coffee or tea repeatedly, before drinking the whole cup. My hubby actually has begun tapping me on the shoulder when I’ve gone too long without eating or drinking.

I believe that though we live day to day with very little, in terms of material things, I feel rather blessed with all the time God spends in molding this vessel. Thankfully, I’m so very lost in HIM, that there is nowhere else that I would rather be found…

Here, have a cookie…

Thursday Thoughts…

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Thought #1 – Maybe my grandbabies will come over in the next few weeks, so we can make homemade waffles with fresh strawberries and real whipping cream.

Thought #2 – I wonder if being ticklish is hereditary? There was never any opportunity to ask my mom if she was ticklish. I know that I am terribly ticklish, especially on my feet. Maisie is also ticklish on her feet. I know it’s only me, but I want to think that maybe I passed that to my girls, and now my daughter has passed it to my grandbaby. I just wonder about it, that’s all.

Thought #3 – Can a person get an ear infection by listening to dirty music?

Thought #4 – I’m so glad somebody invented toothpaste! At least we don’t have to use body wash or good ole Irish spring. Ughhht… I just almost threw up in my mouth, gross!

Thought #5 – What if fresh air always smelled like watermelon, on a rainy day?

Thought #6 – What ever happened to the people that Jesus encountered during his time on earth? Where did they go? How did their lives change? What did they ever make of their lives, once changed by the Son of God?

Thought #7 – How fast would the world tilt off its own axis, after all manner of phones vanished overnight? Would we simply go back to writing letters and employing the Pony Express?

Thought #8 – What is the price of a smile… or the cost of physical touch?

Thought #9 – A human soul isn’t born filled with hatred, being that it’s a learned behavior. On the contrary, it’s rather interesting that each of us are born with an innate sense of love, without ever having to be taught.

Thought #9 – Why is it then so very hard to give love sometimes, but hatred enters the room by such a minute effort.

Thought #10 – It’s kind of funny how minute has two differing definitions. We all know that a minute is 60 seconds, and yet if we change the way we pronounce it, the definition is completely different. According to Mr. McGoogle, minute (pronounced my-NOOT) means very small, tiny, or insignificant, while the time measurement (MIN-it) comes from the same Latin root but refers to a “small part” of an hour, and can also mean detailed or precise.

See? We can learn something new every day! I knew that old adage would ring true, at least in this particular instance it does. Just sayin!

Friday’s almost here, folks, so that aught to give us all some things to have thoughts about, right?!

Hugs