tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67698845568872266802024-03-08T04:34:23.058-07:00Choose Joy in the JourneySaleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.comBlogger756125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-52639887147203046512023-08-01T18:04:00.000-07:002023-08-01T18:04:41.496-07:00Hello August<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NRCtcK8qJqRqO5GRSwTGIMBty0ZpK_T-_NKwHZd516KD_-pFbScF13tSXYQ3EfUrgKck2oAxM5sjDL19yooYC1zkPOee8Y2EzLVXJj1qPLA3dqdkKBkjJtwJnwvw9R9XqXMZj3BlN88aG6dGHKpiEvV97ROy-8Zri0MuUmYXob4zu6TAPjIPNtXuWSg/s3456/sunflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NRCtcK8qJqRqO5GRSwTGIMBty0ZpK_T-_NKwHZd516KD_-pFbScF13tSXYQ3EfUrgKck2oAxM5sjDL19yooYC1zkPOee8Y2EzLVXJj1qPLA3dqdkKBkjJtwJnwvw9R9XqXMZj3BlN88aG6dGHKpiEvV97ROy-8Zri0MuUmYXob4zu6TAPjIPNtXuWSg/s320/sunflower.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’re
smack in the middle of summer but I will pause and count my blessings this season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our arid Arizona days have turned into monsoon rains
and we are refreshed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Triple digits are put on hold for a while and cooler desert mornings </span>allow me longer
hours of yard work, especially after the messy, wild storms.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ve
always grown hollyhocks, but for some reason, they went dormant the last two
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remember Tom on his sickbed
reminding me to water the seeds he planted near the fence and, like a crazy lady,
I watered what seemed like empty dirt all last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was he confused, maybe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Come spring I saw the fluffy, green leaves
sprout all along the fence line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I got excited when the different colored flowers opened. You never know what you're going to get!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwohIcAFIYtiqFGUrkOTG095k5m_oQdr-6HTDLjPjJzWg9LpLtitEgJwkdO932exgrssZTkxWCdIKUWZhnwCRsIPiLD-usqm0C4UttFMTqrArlOSkrZSTVJxzJY6ElQpqiWH9YtYmrh6t2I3sD9uupqO74HtnL2BKlUaB5IzG8GisdUdobVdP-gXM6TU/s3456/fence%20hollyhocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwohIcAFIYtiqFGUrkOTG095k5m_oQdr-6HTDLjPjJzWg9LpLtitEgJwkdO932exgrssZTkxWCdIKUWZhnwCRsIPiLD-usqm0C4UttFMTqrArlOSkrZSTVJxzJY6ElQpqiWH9YtYmrh6t2I3sD9uupqO74HtnL2BKlUaB5IzG8GisdUdobVdP-gXM6TU/s320/fence%20hollyhocks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">As
I watered, I thought of the Scripture verse about “calling forth that which is
not as though it was.”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hmm, I should
apply that one to several areas of my life!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetj0zCrEJxTcajbkNjzz2vpxm21RFP-hvRbf31v8Jkpelkhx49AlRdnEbWP-d8_u5GXdUoF0T88L2kXf7cEgXfwIqvPcQkOOHeuefG4BrDHPE8HbfVCLzrUebSVuP7RSO5hYAvho3UXPegvooRBWedyF56M_0qWEQUYvYeOEpf31Jn9BpGLJSPT8Tm30/s3456/revised%20pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetj0zCrEJxTcajbkNjzz2vpxm21RFP-hvRbf31v8Jkpelkhx49AlRdnEbWP-d8_u5GXdUoF0T88L2kXf7cEgXfwIqvPcQkOOHeuefG4BrDHPE8HbfVCLzrUebSVuP7RSO5hYAvho3UXPegvooRBWedyF56M_0qWEQUYvYeOEpf31Jn9BpGLJSPT8Tm30/s320/revised%20pink.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3gAyhcokITwOIkCLtqfB6PndWrlBmYTWZUnY360ESXSYODc39FYEtvVxPV1RypQPmFTDIJvAKm1E2e1J4APVLXdYJO4hQ2bGgv08bkKd8w5smeo_EamwCQ8m1EoQHUp93sB9XylMKwROKuNasjjNHYRVCEUSk6LoPGvKGfRvxO95exM4yf4024bVD2E/s3456/red%20hollyhock%20revised.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp3gAyhcokITwOIkCLtqfB6PndWrlBmYTWZUnY360ESXSYODc39FYEtvVxPV1RypQPmFTDIJvAKm1E2e1J4APVLXdYJO4hQ2bGgv08bkKd8w5smeo_EamwCQ8m1EoQHUp93sB9XylMKwROKuNasjjNHYRVCEUSk6LoPGvKGfRvxO95exM4yf4024bVD2E/s320/red%20hollyhock%20revised.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p>I
spent last week with family in Tucson.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We grilled burgers, watch Netflix, and had a pizza night.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My daughter and her husband joined their
friends for a get-a-way and things got interesting for me.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I babysat my youngest granddaughter, Amy, who
loves board games and water balloon fights.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Actually, it felt good when she drenched me in the hot 112 degrees!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxkVh-mBQ8W-55PwRIVHlWzlVQcCWJpQTzOepFU5WSsRRCw_Gixb_IXREyB0NhPRez5oshU18RKsKM9b6wwqMPCl3sY_v8I8urUAohDlRo3DtK37hXSIbXgJesGJlarQ76Xxt6PtM-cpn2DBg4NDG2Tk1gcW_AUtoOM5mlUfNdopMCWbOrj7K_CvL8aQ/s2000/C&P%20Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="2000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxkVh-mBQ8W-55PwRIVHlWzlVQcCWJpQTzOepFU5WSsRRCw_Gixb_IXREyB0NhPRez5oshU18RKsKM9b6wwqMPCl3sY_v8I8urUAohDlRo3DtK37hXSIbXgJesGJlarQ76Xxt6PtM-cpn2DBg4NDG2Tk1gcW_AUtoOM5mlUfNdopMCWbOrj7K_CvL8aQ/s320/C&P%20Collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOgmDQ4NH3higspO-biO_0yR0aS0AfMtZmMZ8dTJFnYBRgYyp3RCIgMTCdcV1OWututZqLyjNVTsrMAgdQE7sQnGpZKNw5xA_YRRHbRKApARFKcnP8ri3Rcrkd8VkkxVA0C4skqc9xOvKinXLANeCiWakaKQXMUFHiAOZ3GNGO-4wOqQt8SmT23b--xE/s2000/nana%20collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1571" data-original-width="2000" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOgmDQ4NH3higspO-biO_0yR0aS0AfMtZmMZ8dTJFnYBRgYyp3RCIgMTCdcV1OWututZqLyjNVTsrMAgdQE7sQnGpZKNw5xA_YRRHbRKApARFKcnP8ri3Rcrkd8VkkxVA0C4skqc9xOvKinXLANeCiWakaKQXMUFHiAOZ3GNGO-4wOqQt8SmT23b--xE/s320/nana%20collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Amy
invited me to tea with Jasper, the dog and Lily, the unicorn.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We drank lemonade and she served candy bars
and chocolate chip cookies.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I will never
forget it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOPavhGnNTD9MP-s8Nu75HqxjB2ACQ4g2CypXtPeDwrqxb70ah4ddBsGgckMLDyd2Nm2rToDFliJSHnuYVKOSIn_c6NjXCZWVPJ-MqUXsOmbzRqM4HRi_YFMKmG4A-pWxuNZnwQ3pR6EM-y1xqQmc0EgSUCYv3d_D71XWYiVnawemGXXtzf7Xs3aULwg/s2000/teaparty%20collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOOPavhGnNTD9MP-s8Nu75HqxjB2ACQ4g2CypXtPeDwrqxb70ah4ddBsGgckMLDyd2Nm2rToDFliJSHnuYVKOSIn_c6NjXCZWVPJ-MqUXsOmbzRqM4HRi_YFMKmG4A-pWxuNZnwQ3pR6EM-y1xqQmc0EgSUCYv3d_D71XWYiVnawemGXXtzf7Xs3aULwg/s320/teaparty%20collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45u77-ooUwEfy2OvushDrF_BmU8Pq076cI-S5-K2Rjob10U_9cB0Q0JZk9MgEBoMq0_S4QoYzYfaECchyzXLEH-8KyeWg4eo12RREMZuwZRKqFgWLKq072wWgD8FrVuudpaj43Znrtkm_FQS8LdPlPzJV6zT4WEknzxUXm-DZdtyZF-hPBLb6OaicukE/s3637/framed%20twosome%20edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3637" data-original-width="3180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45u77-ooUwEfy2OvushDrF_BmU8Pq076cI-S5-K2Rjob10U_9cB0Q0JZk9MgEBoMq0_S4QoYzYfaECchyzXLEH-8KyeWg4eo12RREMZuwZRKqFgWLKq072wWgD8FrVuudpaj43Znrtkm_FQS8LdPlPzJV6zT4WEknzxUXm-DZdtyZF-hPBLb6OaicukE/s320/framed%20twosome%20edit.jpg" width="280" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
enjoyed Susanna last weekend.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">She briefed me on her trip to Europe this
summer with her dad and told me she ate kidney pie and crumpets in
England.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It was the second time they
visited Ireland.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">School started early in
Arizona this year and she is now enrolled in her freshman year. Both girls are home schooled!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Where does the time go?</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwS0k_M4TzDJligWFoAfuso2xf6VyerV7YxYfdT1hIlG0tJiEB2b9ePsZqnkYAINQ3kj6YLOfSbndOeJJa0XNnYp6Qc7diiFcTddKc6rgccCy3jsq3GMGr6ptmeVlVxDpOJBCzXA3EWnZqLkb3vjIVk-H0WqXEL4cOzDQ99_W576YT6jTbiAxcJTeK1NU/s3038/susanna%20&%20her%20groggy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3038" data-original-width="2974" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwS0k_M4TzDJligWFoAfuso2xf6VyerV7YxYfdT1hIlG0tJiEB2b9ePsZqnkYAINQ3kj6YLOfSbndOeJJa0XNnYp6Qc7diiFcTddKc6rgccCy3jsq3GMGr6ptmeVlVxDpOJBCzXA3EWnZqLkb3vjIVk-H0WqXEL4cOzDQ99_W576YT6jTbiAxcJTeK1NU/s320/susanna%20&%20her%20groggy.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQJUd5X3JEz8MXjJjhaV5DOG3kRxz2iwzCmvGJF_T0SmmLX4hNLSr5xXnurAdYm-bI78EfTyYBLG24JfwnXPG958ZaGuw5l-zS9F_lcnvoqmRUXBioi68ZdWiOiu_1iuxle7kpASsNwd-Zfu7tAFKuI2bpfti9jru99xKBAUEOXOr83Po4NMLwxoqtvo/s2000/family%20night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="2000" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQJUd5X3JEz8MXjJjhaV5DOG3kRxz2iwzCmvGJF_T0SmmLX4hNLSr5xXnurAdYm-bI78EfTyYBLG24JfwnXPG958ZaGuw5l-zS9F_lcnvoqmRUXBioi68ZdWiOiu_1iuxle7kpASsNwd-Zfu7tAFKuI2bpfti9jru99xKBAUEOXOr83Po4NMLwxoqtvo/s320/family%20night.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My
grandchildren like my flowers are growing fast but today I embrace them and
enjoy them.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I won’t think about
tomorrow.</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgnBqTsi6MFco8dVPK1jr3yK6zjxRwp_vtWPYQDXZFjOxhSNtFe_xSkmzvaHxHXuG2awnZYbrzXKxL_wbPYmeCB3V55rfypiI0WK8UCWZGKqe8kSL_CHciUzpak27zmcBWYicDzCnSU9Sn9xNIg_ToBG6dk5u7PBGFWVCYBAnMX85Rcm1KIBmgz8axE8/s3456/mornglory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqgnBqTsi6MFco8dVPK1jr3yK6zjxRwp_vtWPYQDXZFjOxhSNtFe_xSkmzvaHxHXuG2awnZYbrzXKxL_wbPYmeCB3V55rfypiI0WK8UCWZGKqe8kSL_CHciUzpak27zmcBWYicDzCnSU9Sn9xNIg_ToBG6dk5u7PBGFWVCYBAnMX85Rcm1KIBmgz8axE8/s320/mornglory.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKBPIer82-lK5dKKbp5NPj5JNwYjL8q1FpRkfFKGiYxSLTq92hOu96hAaAF40TrMHAZf6tnUfXj36gmhwjiVTz9v4dYCFSroe_y-k5KTCvGYFg82VXzFfnojQp9QlbC8qc4LiZC3-sj52UBDbxOe0aCFgEXUJqhM2a_WDFDrLnFceM7P1H0y7SYZcpkg/s3456/larkspur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKBPIer82-lK5dKKbp5NPj5JNwYjL8q1FpRkfFKGiYxSLTq92hOu96hAaAF40TrMHAZf6tnUfXj36gmhwjiVTz9v4dYCFSroe_y-k5KTCvGYFg82VXzFfnojQp9QlbC8qc4LiZC3-sj52UBDbxOe0aCFgEXUJqhM2a_WDFDrLnFceM7P1H0y7SYZcpkg/s320/larkspur.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRb3BAs66LO5o_Qp9kBOKqoGWBgzwfPjS1DIeKS1b2dkVxeyfrV47LTgGy_Mgfsj0uim3DW1bLzNx1hJmXT1zW2DKvm2VQKAlizRpQbGo1sls2YcENp9JyAwFMHp_74mf9X97kopKFdbMRJFcnFIHQ_c9tc9tbNYO7Y7AfAozx1uh-XlFTVvNT7oMVzA/s3456/ivy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLRb3BAs66LO5o_Qp9kBOKqoGWBgzwfPjS1DIeKS1b2dkVxeyfrV47LTgGy_Mgfsj0uim3DW1bLzNx1hJmXT1zW2DKvm2VQKAlizRpQbGo1sls2YcENp9JyAwFMHp_74mf9X97kopKFdbMRJFcnFIHQ_c9tc9tbNYO7Y7AfAozx1uh-XlFTVvNT7oMVzA/s320/ivy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Baby
turns 40 this year and that’s unheard of for a cockatiel. His cage sits next to my desktop in my office
and we start our mornings together with me sipping coffee and he chirping to bird music on You Tube. My cat, Bonita,
is one tough fur baby, too. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1-qo-kvflOfWi1eIUyD7U85IsF1TBpXRRrKhdk002q5iBTY_5JLc6PiR5nWVTkaXbhNWvaUoWLKPslHvDeqDg_kssskbCY5hgi8qVuY4ef6lay_R48o-Oi_PkKGo6GslXNkla1SqjGW2bSxd-UMJ8XagP0Pz2XNV-AU7SCCkEqpLvkLM3-04Gdi12cw/s3456/resized%20baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv1-qo-kvflOfWi1eIUyD7U85IsF1TBpXRRrKhdk002q5iBTY_5JLc6PiR5nWVTkaXbhNWvaUoWLKPslHvDeqDg_kssskbCY5hgi8qVuY4ef6lay_R48o-Oi_PkKGo6GslXNkla1SqjGW2bSxd-UMJ8XagP0Pz2XNV-AU7SCCkEqpLvkLM3-04Gdi12cw/s320/resized%20baby.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAEyySnC5xBJwT7xQAKXB5v9z8pTfihwUI7BJmnL0gNcAJvG67UrleECaAmjKjNEz0IfH52TvX-lnkIixs4EBLsWoKsFSvt630I2xFToWx00zMUr-nchFvNjh6v2L8h4ydhO66bKP04JX8r0J5fgr8mDBaEN41ID8PyFjF1jMXsL1VrbIfIoFPRRbVRI/s3456/Bonita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAEyySnC5xBJwT7xQAKXB5v9z8pTfihwUI7BJmnL0gNcAJvG67UrleECaAmjKjNEz0IfH52TvX-lnkIixs4EBLsWoKsFSvt630I2xFToWx00zMUr-nchFvNjh6v2L8h4ydhO66bKP04JX8r0J5fgr8mDBaEN41ID8PyFjF1jMXsL1VrbIfIoFPRRbVRI/s320/Bonita.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
named my property!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I told the kids I
nixed “Pine Havens.”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It sounds too much
like an old people’s home.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’m going
with “Pine Hideaway.”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Now all I need is
a sign to hang on one of my many pine trees.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">All
too soon, summer will fade and fall will arrive.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I’ll be sure to capture it with my cell
phone!</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Until then, happy summer days.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-75139756242293410152023-05-26T17:24:00.000-07:002023-05-26T17:24:28.729-07:00Remembering<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76wpzVb9tajOcoToh-iMJKynsfQwDaoynhrmdGTxaiNIgO40PDDqcLhGMazCqQGizEPFUcimMPN7dHhi8lMUND8VKMOdF4RuLRlOZ128e8F2_63Ee-KioWRRuXFFzOOHCMQ92jH_Gd7jmG3N1nHDRLUG1BWk-Ujfa8RJqk6YqWzhHJsEPRsoGT8a9/s3193/MemFlag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3193" data-original-width="2573" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg76wpzVb9tajOcoToh-iMJKynsfQwDaoynhrmdGTxaiNIgO40PDDqcLhGMazCqQGizEPFUcimMPN7dHhi8lMUND8VKMOdF4RuLRlOZ128e8F2_63Ee-KioWRRuXFFzOOHCMQ92jH_Gd7jmG3N1nHDRLUG1BWk-Ujfa8RJqk6YqWzhHJsEPRsoGT8a9/s320/MemFlag.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
gal at church asked me how I feel about Memorial Day coming up earmarking the
first year of my husband’s death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh, I
don’t know how I’ll feel,” I responded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Grief is funny that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
hard to predict with its pattern of strong days vs. fragile days, but I felt
touched by her concern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, my
take-a-way of this past year, when I think about it, is feeling deeply loved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Family and friends have been so
encouraging.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The kids and I continue to carry
on their father’s passionate legacy of love of God, country and family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our flag waves tall in our front yard with
colorful flowers planted beneath it just as he designed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He feels near. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Happy Memorial Day, dear ones, and stay safe
this weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we always remember those who gave their
lives for our freedom in this great country.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-80383407387842553402023-04-10T13:23:00.003-07:002023-04-10T13:29:53.792-07:00Book Review: Homespun Devotions Volume Two<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYW1CHQNoT1diggZJf6PLojJ50HvZvidu_O3O0Y14_G4dPJbJEwm1KzFckDms8gsdMlwfXK7_7GKUpABESelIEU2K_Y6jMGwrOkJsmUS26stKStSWGTuAkYZLiVIzZhLtP6cVDZliNorYUzRPBNQErEbkEFDi9AtwziYSIMykjfXFUhUoZcmXBkny/s3456/Vol%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="2817" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZYW1CHQNoT1diggZJf6PLojJ50HvZvidu_O3O0Y14_G4dPJbJEwm1KzFckDms8gsdMlwfXK7_7GKUpABESelIEU2K_Y6jMGwrOkJsmUS26stKStSWGTuAkYZLiVIzZhLtP6cVDZliNorYUzRPBNQErEbkEFDi9AtwziYSIMykjfXFUhUoZcmXBkny/s320/Vol%202.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I thoroughly enjoyed Volume Two of Homespun Devotions by Author Cheryl E. Smith. It is refreshing to read about Cheryl's faith expressed through her family relationships with her husband, Kevin, and son, Zach. Stories of growing up in a home with wise Christian parents teach us principles which never lose value and are much needed in our present world.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">I especially liked the old-fashioned country charm seen and felt in Cheryl's words which grace the pages of compiled stories of her life.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Cheryl is the author of Biblical Minimalism: Following Jesus from a Life of Abundance to a More Abundant Life. She also writes devotionals at <a href="http://www.homespundevotions.com">http://www.homespundevotions.com</a> and plays guitar and sings on You Tube Channel, Mountain Hope Band.<br /></span> </p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-60903482832590562932023-03-02T14:15:00.001-07:002023-03-02T14:15:34.561-07:00Hitting the Road<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7n823E_tneYtz-gD59so26OdS7aKvXYrIPI_KGFCaCJlIzUqsHc54hGdZxQ56HL2rXVQm7FokFq-PZuqWHSsayiFolM7vztvLmzrtPDx14tyg2otFbiF8Is-MfE1Oog4HlzFLaUu-X6Y68r5r5EMkxPCDO_AJn1r70t5NuOZJ-UHdrGz34mtpe26x/s1800/dog%20in%20the%20hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1440" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7n823E_tneYtz-gD59so26OdS7aKvXYrIPI_KGFCaCJlIzUqsHc54hGdZxQ56HL2rXVQm7FokFq-PZuqWHSsayiFolM7vztvLmzrtPDx14tyg2otFbiF8Is-MfE1Oog4HlzFLaUu-X6Y68r5r5EMkxPCDO_AJn1r70t5NuOZJ-UHdrGz34mtpe26x/s320/dog%20in%20the%20hills.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
friend, Cindy, offered great advice at the onset of widowhood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“When friends or family afar invite you to
visit them, be sure to accept.”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cindy
was right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People like to help, to
nurture in times of grief.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">During
Tom’s memorial last November, his cousin extended an invitation to me and my
girls to visit them and spend a few days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The time for that special road trip to Las Cruces, N.M., arrived and we
couldn’t be more excited to get away together and leave our responsibilities
behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We loaded up the car with snacks
and Starbucks gift cards, along with the fun conversation game, “Talking Point.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed four hours of catching up on
everything, listening to Oldies and laughing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioefT4IZHS5GnZBA77I9RTVjfeu3UbUCPzjehSFeSP19LMFpzew6D6h1tK5k4lzYGjHbOqdaE8YQxtKkqesP4bnT8Qbhnxk5vRxFHbym6MeYw3ilkD1rKye2FEt9j17px65V89Ctwh9l9dUETNL1OUB5CQvOO97eQjvbPHSHZo-4V06IL3KG4ZotWv/s2048/amy%20card%20game.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioefT4IZHS5GnZBA77I9RTVjfeu3UbUCPzjehSFeSP19LMFpzew6D6h1tK5k4lzYGjHbOqdaE8YQxtKkqesP4bnT8Qbhnxk5vRxFHbym6MeYw3ilkD1rKye2FEt9j17px65V89Ctwh9l9dUETNL1OUB5CQvOO97eQjvbPHSHZo-4V06IL3KG4ZotWv/s320/amy%20card%20game.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Our family welcomed us at their lovely ranch home which afforded us private rooms to
enjoy much rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its fun to stay at
another woman’s home and use her hair and shower products, isn’t it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excellent homemade cooking blessed our
tummies and it felt wonderful to be served.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
hiked in the beautiful Organ Mountain Range behind their home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked our shopping spree in the old
downtown area with cobble streets and quaint stores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We dined at a classy Mexican restaurant after
a drink in one of the prettiest bars I’ve ever seen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_uBOBRlUPZxtVajtXk5MGUfWVR7yncluVCtOIjtaMGMpp7dCHVyac0Rgoe_fC9YUcmpub0z-l8b2vsawTCgN9JQlhJnvucZ7ob3Ph7p_zZoUbjtecMdbN5gJgyytqFROWSBZtwabmDcLpchaewgDFUlKUhIcRF9FkKdxtY1j5uZJu7aLKNB46sLB/s3456/Organ%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB_uBOBRlUPZxtVajtXk5MGUfWVR7yncluVCtOIjtaMGMpp7dCHVyac0Rgoe_fC9YUcmpub0z-l8b2vsawTCgN9JQlhJnvucZ7ob3Ph7p_zZoUbjtecMdbN5gJgyytqFROWSBZtwabmDcLpchaewgDFUlKUhIcRF9FkKdxtY1j5uZJu7aLKNB46sLB/s320/Organ%20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEish40UhI4-XmwpJH2Rh_kPifUFqRfnEa8Rok6lsnoWGUKusr-eEgvAvoSHlZANjF2Mbyvh_yQ1IUuOX-cD45f7bSYYnwVgVTuF9iSyjGLoy77h1y1CwuFFXPOYqB3SYiqiFjxMCGKySLoedem1LT4A0ZL_9z7QNY17anR9vluCwP9u0fDtT2GFVm5T/s3456/blue%20necklace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEish40UhI4-XmwpJH2Rh_kPifUFqRfnEa8Rok6lsnoWGUKusr-eEgvAvoSHlZANjF2Mbyvh_yQ1IUuOX-cD45f7bSYYnwVgVTuF9iSyjGLoy77h1y1CwuFFXPOYqB3SYiqiFjxMCGKySLoedem1LT4A0ZL_9z7QNY17anR9vluCwP9u0fDtT2GFVm5T/s320/blue%20necklace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5PCR6LyfAO36s3Kn78snQhc0c1r7lF4iDjVQ2MpRhsg62zm3qIeLtPpse8MhI8HgqcRRn7zM-E2X9ulS7BgTq_Ii-d716leNRrHCTDmCwsM0Kp0Z4CzvQyg4r3FjO8O-bgYXjjHX_WVK7_bLcXth0gLiw5hRxrtpxDPaL1jLKCIuow_yBAcaukTr/s3456/bar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu5PCR6LyfAO36s3Kn78snQhc0c1r7lF4iDjVQ2MpRhsg62zm3qIeLtPpse8MhI8HgqcRRn7zM-E2X9ulS7BgTq_Ii-d716leNRrHCTDmCwsM0Kp0Z4CzvQyg4r3FjO8O-bgYXjjHX_WVK7_bLcXth0gLiw5hRxrtpxDPaL1jLKCIuow_yBAcaukTr/s320/bar.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
felt so loved, especially by Molly and Maddie, their two Golden
Retrievers. </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwbGEEcpZoC-ZE45dDkEb-gOIOW3D4040dzDPX0ccsCt0eeF1QG_25b_e4Q8WAvBxeKOWEaIz-fZccwEGyEc1HzTcDrf66ZKDhsfU99ScOhu2wbErO9HCmPw49RVUdm_KB--Ppp9RNruX8fkxsKPFZwGye_gKgwfIUL-9jG2uR-fOI_D336GoA2F_/s2048/dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwbGEEcpZoC-ZE45dDkEb-gOIOW3D4040dzDPX0ccsCt0eeF1QG_25b_e4Q8WAvBxeKOWEaIz-fZccwEGyEc1HzTcDrf66ZKDhsfU99ScOhu2wbErO9HCmPw49RVUdm_KB--Ppp9RNruX8fkxsKPFZwGye_gKgwfIUL-9jG2uR-fOI_D336GoA2F_/s320/dogs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIUF0SszxSdd420_uUhHdpH5614af19F3Q9RgsFk79eUXxo9T0EGBgDl-VJy746NGzkPiMTdGGcNoBw9zEYVAjuoeTEvIjSagAuuNHNHkvsprjpektNVt_SEflfAw6Lo7htsPvGojQ-B2qZ8F99MKUlJQes4MB5EGgKvKpEdByyseltMngQHHgXgm/s3456/wayne's%20girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIUF0SszxSdd420_uUhHdpH5614af19F3Q9RgsFk79eUXxo9T0EGBgDl-VJy746NGzkPiMTdGGcNoBw9zEYVAjuoeTEvIjSagAuuNHNHkvsprjpektNVt_SEflfAw6Lo7htsPvGojQ-B2qZ8F99MKUlJQes4MB5EGgKvKpEdByyseltMngQHHgXgm/s320/wayne's%20girls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p></div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
heart to heart talks with our cousin's wife, Linda, warmed my soul. She understands women like me who face “going
it alone.” I liked the stories she shared
of her father who lived close by when she was single and helped her with the
big projects beyond her strength.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
had a caring father like that who now lives in Heaven with my mom and Tom. He was one like Linda’s dad who would help
out in a heartbeat. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I’ve
been thinking about this and realize I am not fatherless by any means. My Heavenly Father, whose name is El Shaddai,
has an endless supply for gals like me.
I’ve learned to trust and rely on Him for just about everything! My journals are jam packed with extraordinary
answers to my prayers.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Cindi
McMenamin, author of <u>When Women Walk Alone,</u> writes about the importance
to fill our emotional tank with the only One able to love us fully, our Creator,
Father God: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">“We
know from Scripture that God is a jealous God (Exodus 20:4-5) and He will be
second to no man in our lives.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">He
demands and deserves to be first place in our hearts.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">To you and me, He wants to be </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">the Man…</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;">the One who keeps us from
feeling alone at heart.”</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In
my quiet hours, Psalm 121 comes to mind.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
Where does my help come from? My
help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Ps. 121: 1,2</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, "sans-serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
am not fatherless. Good to remember!<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><br /></div>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-69466494797846763372023-01-23T13:18:00.001-07:002023-01-23T13:22:40.832-07:00The Refreshing Snow<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuBw0lsjwToVYHTlkQl6BljPXTRBeB62QKpBMHigN9Bbnb_Ejqf7EOljYccedP0t9IDyTJu--L0Dtvbfr_uCAC8UNwwpcnGwjmuy8OgLDjebTtp6iVldqYBmRpMjBqwNc84SVS9zx2IwCs7xTOP5DQ-kN84rsWuzlZqPLJGEsr11B_vfQK4Sq8IO8/s3995/title%20pic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3995" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuBw0lsjwToVYHTlkQl6BljPXTRBeB62QKpBMHigN9Bbnb_Ejqf7EOljYccedP0t9IDyTJu--L0Dtvbfr_uCAC8UNwwpcnGwjmuy8OgLDjebTtp6iVldqYBmRpMjBqwNc84SVS9zx2IwCs7xTOP5DQ-kN84rsWuzlZqPLJGEsr11B_vfQK4Sq8IO8/s320/title%20pic.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">I think the reason I like snowstorms is because the snow settles on all the imperfections of my property and leaves a much improved version. I am thankful for all the rain last week. My pine trees soak it up, but it leaves ruts of accumulated water across my front yard and ugly potholes in the street forcing drivers to slow down to avoid a muddy car wash.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This morning's sun rose up over our small community in central Arizona where almost four inches of snow fell in the night. The perfect white flakes covered all the imperfections of weeds, ruts and mud on my property.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90Z4zxaVEm_j9LewNaP1eJDGBwwY_L2zWjyfnc5wofS5QbUGM7ZM7SrEo_McVXd-IDjup3QZxaPI8MU_-CHZ_E8c6TM8FBVhQPTy1Zx-Qxt9BaPEgpN6wQocsZV-TvhWvXjA4vTp1bGIIEWoO0-EwskUkzONnj_maDZEKMZhT0sSNWKfIytSwCLRz/s3468/snowy%20sunrise.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3252" data-original-width="3468" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90Z4zxaVEm_j9LewNaP1eJDGBwwY_L2zWjyfnc5wofS5QbUGM7ZM7SrEo_McVXd-IDjup3QZxaPI8MU_-CHZ_E8c6TM8FBVhQPTy1Zx-Qxt9BaPEgpN6wQocsZV-TvhWvXjA4vTp1bGIIEWoO0-EwskUkzONnj_maDZEKMZhT0sSNWKfIytSwCLRz/s320/snowy%20sunrise.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div>Everyone posted photos on social media of their snowy porch railings, their parked cars hiding under a white coat of snow and my favorite--dogs jumping in the snow with white, wispy snouts.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bundled up in my winter coat and shoes and forged a path atop a perfectly packed accumulation to greet the strong sun and to assess and capture the beauty with my cell phone.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquRNSUYWb3H69I0KFoCKNmmYNVq6Gq-O09QDeRLZtJRiDhKJMZpAgeKP8Ww7misna0bmgqS7POFvsTTOa463H2ga-jiIaaVQpbRjZ_8v62zlrYlusAzHL3v0iIwWo_3HR9ZDMfdjwnmkbfMAVSfkRr0Kajd9fKLvpWM5A2jB2mRXiBYn_f5MBWHAz/s4624/branches.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjquRNSUYWb3H69I0KFoCKNmmYNVq6Gq-O09QDeRLZtJRiDhKJMZpAgeKP8Ww7misna0bmgqS7POFvsTTOa463H2ga-jiIaaVQpbRjZ_8v62zlrYlusAzHL3v0iIwWo_3HR9ZDMfdjwnmkbfMAVSfkRr0Kajd9fKLvpWM5A2jB2mRXiBYn_f5MBWHAz/s320/branches.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2T8awTf239BCfupQcnUiERB0xfK8pKTwxMeacHXJWcv87bzXdYzAiHYKO17QarPDHsEBycaB7_dmcUuojdwf1hYy_w5sCc2GUcJ7ZFQE6v_zL8MDPYJQmQqKO5n0E0Z9JFkPx-m-P0j3MinHFysRJfv8R045frBHMYPl6Odk7AI0qQfparo5XNTQ/s4624/winter23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH2T8awTf239BCfupQcnUiERB0xfK8pKTwxMeacHXJWcv87bzXdYzAiHYKO17QarPDHsEBycaB7_dmcUuojdwf1hYy_w5sCc2GUcJ7ZFQE6v_zL8MDPYJQmQqKO5n0E0Z9JFkPx-m-P0j3MinHFysRJfv8R045frBHMYPl6Odk7AI0qQfparo5XNTQ/s320/winter23.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div>I sat in my kitchen with a cup of hot coffee and enjoyed my morning photo shoot. I noticed my Bible on the table. It was marked to study Psalm 18. "The Lord will enlighten my darkness," verse 28 says. I think to myself of how true it is. It makes me praise the Father who sees me covered in His Son's redemptive blood where I, and probably my neighbors, see only my imperfections. I resolve to see myself as God sees me, refreshed by His Holy Provision. Only then can my imperfections fade away.</div><div><br /></div><div>Join me today and see yourself as God sees you. As Hebrews 8 says, He longs to be to us a God, and we be to Him, a people.</div><div class="yj6qo"></div><div class="adL"><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-29695494117610359592022-09-18T16:39:00.000-07:002022-09-18T16:39:14.747-07:00I Never Go to the Gym <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I invited a friend over for coffee. She's never been to my home so when she parked in the driveway, I greeted her on my back deck. "I never go to the gym anymore," I exclaimed as she made her way through my prayer garden and climbed up the deck. "You have more than enough exercise right here," she agreed.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3h2XXnvYpOOwS-PqDrOIQfg0T0cTj9fa95-i5p0UJl4oYD1exLdqcnDjN4FGdXRBRrpVck4Vsp68LLBbx54nJZ8MD2u8VXtYhKlk0cGTEUVcfph2w8PPCWG3Ewcixrr6ChKzVRc0ntBv7BgOFQUAEyxqkvWmBbNIP_cFsv688pot31NX70WUXkCUr/s2000/prayer%20garden%20pix.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3h2XXnvYpOOwS-PqDrOIQfg0T0cTj9fa95-i5p0UJl4oYD1exLdqcnDjN4FGdXRBRrpVck4Vsp68LLBbx54nJZ8MD2u8VXtYhKlk0cGTEUVcfph2w8PPCWG3Ewcixrr6ChKzVRc0ntBv7BgOFQUAEyxqkvWmBbNIP_cFsv688pot31NX70WUXkCUr/s320/prayer%20garden%20pix.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>As I face this last week of summer I find myself thinking back of all the hard work during hot triple digits and how I prayed for rain. Then the monsoons came and I prayed for help with the high, out-of-control weeds! My son-in-law rescued me with his quad and sprayed for hours. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdKcf85VFH4XymO3_h923E-00q-9zvqlFY0WYwZKSkWBNR3RHeQIYgDb9Udadc1uDXYUQPn2Le9oEPxHgjWcvr9z9KbCmx8XfXgWi4YBWfYsZY6djDsjwuW5hSBibxSwveoZCngfQqRcOm3LcOmLdfCvB2T9Urjet4jem9WIjR_K5CQ0DCm5p4tEN/s2000/weed%20collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="2000" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixdKcf85VFH4XymO3_h923E-00q-9zvqlFY0WYwZKSkWBNR3RHeQIYgDb9Udadc1uDXYUQPn2Le9oEPxHgjWcvr9z9KbCmx8XfXgWi4YBWfYsZY6djDsjwuW5hSBibxSwveoZCngfQqRcOm3LcOmLdfCvB2T9Urjet4jem9WIjR_K5CQ0DCm5p4tEN/s320/weed%20collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tomatoes were small, but I'm happy I didn't kill anything. I learned so much over the past months not only about how to water pine trees slowly and keep watch not to overwork the well, but to rise early with the sun and beat the heat. Farming Sleeves saved my aging skin. Spraying with Avon's Bug Guard, Skin So Soft, smells nice and protected me from critters that sting, bite or fly. Ants won the war, though. I never figured out how to control them. The red ants are the worst. I learned toothpaste lessens the intense itch.</span><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyC8jk8YnNLE4Lwi5l-KxvNTrUlR4MoFkRbTP-Ov3iNt31uR900vHkLM0WjFtK7JSu2qWTGRNgP1JcnvscT5cioKOJATIBeZmcFaY3vcgH0n7gfKU2KS_yhkuqb6YUeJZYPU99EavuE3216PH19lfaqgtllQAa5B8GqFnWi6-lyFwSYd806_m_dtC/s4096/iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4096" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyC8jk8YnNLE4Lwi5l-KxvNTrUlR4MoFkRbTP-Ov3iNt31uR900vHkLM0WjFtK7JSu2qWTGRNgP1JcnvscT5cioKOJATIBeZmcFaY3vcgH0n7gfKU2KS_yhkuqb6YUeJZYPU99EavuE3216PH19lfaqgtllQAa5B8GqFnWi6-lyFwSYd806_m_dtC/s320/iris.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjUB0uUfGPjnaMo7QMTgbXUdN5Kpm48KA8ucitGTZevSS2Zk27_TBaXdGbsS9d84XW_PmfELEqU3dKsslM8XaknhYcDh4SiByOUNKFNKrgoAUr9CPJDRPAsgugkTZJ8V9O6sGlg8cvmTbN2lVxLRxr5HBJOcTAry2-H91yMGPUZuhbQqFx3LALKzx/s4096/yellow%20sunflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNjUB0uUfGPjnaMo7QMTgbXUdN5Kpm48KA8ucitGTZevSS2Zk27_TBaXdGbsS9d84XW_PmfELEqU3dKsslM8XaknhYcDh4SiByOUNKFNKrgoAUr9CPJDRPAsgugkTZJ8V9O6sGlg8cvmTbN2lVxLRxr5HBJOcTAry2-H91yMGPUZuhbQqFx3LALKzx/s320/yellow%20sunflower.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRsFAC5E_zTjMm7vrrKa3_RdL5r9e8aFXBYG58FqlSshcKaZD3RiHCD9etSRWc2g0J7no0fD0QBn0RLMaZXCnNkwxxVplRYtT2WrC11GxOBsnmGGNx0b7r206HJI64L3tc0e4tVNEGvTzdDuHbimp5-xwNV6H34r_4NZ96qveRUO7Nwf-pTsdNYVM/s2000/cactus%20garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="2000" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRsFAC5E_zTjMm7vrrKa3_RdL5r9e8aFXBYG58FqlSshcKaZD3RiHCD9etSRWc2g0J7no0fD0QBn0RLMaZXCnNkwxxVplRYtT2WrC11GxOBsnmGGNx0b7r206HJI64L3tc0e4tVNEGvTzdDuHbimp5-xwNV6H34r_4NZ96qveRUO7Nwf-pTsdNYVM/s320/cactus%20garden.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgLKDOYnd8ZD1Sna2eUG3jpeDpgAlE-CqBreucf-DK6DTJUJJ9rKKifpUvJiTMvkwGKZ49iuIVk3bsbNbQEB1OmqnwoZVpqO6vp8ocUWRbMBvqKDliMBKRP0jsvM-c01BYqaRu29bZrX2BPqrlqssks9eEg5_Gp9kJE1P1sNtTIIjSarJgIXgYuoT/s3465/tomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3465" data-original-width="2857" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgLKDOYnd8ZD1Sna2eUG3jpeDpgAlE-CqBreucf-DK6DTJUJJ9rKKifpUvJiTMvkwGKZ49iuIVk3bsbNbQEB1OmqnwoZVpqO6vp8ocUWRbMBvqKDliMBKRP0jsvM-c01BYqaRu29bZrX2BPqrlqssks9eEg5_Gp9kJE1P1sNtTIIjSarJgIXgYuoT/s320/tomatoes.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Tom knew I love Morning Glories. Months before he went on to glory, he placed seeds everywhere. All summer I saw them pop up with my Sunflowers or Four o'clock. They love to cling to green plant stems, entwine around them and then show off their heart-shaped leaves. Their blue flowers thrill me. Truly, it was the gift that keeps on giving.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcY2Tb2AJVyg4-NGZYtWBA86zW-ZFB-8PBQCDhWT_n8QcvXEmaKiIvnM1KBHfjWuZpueSRLN2FAPrjOXvJKC0sCLtza1u9u9h0Q7CUiy-LbW-9aKGDDcUKITCxQfNQJ6FsKdAITjuSfZ6WKDjwqEX6PJiJ_U825BW2vh1haDvjdzTTBI5FAX7PCcHi/s2000/morning%20glories.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcY2Tb2AJVyg4-NGZYtWBA86zW-ZFB-8PBQCDhWT_n8QcvXEmaKiIvnM1KBHfjWuZpueSRLN2FAPrjOXvJKC0sCLtza1u9u9h0Q7CUiy-LbW-9aKGDDcUKITCxQfNQJ6FsKdAITjuSfZ6WKDjwqEX6PJiJ_U825BW2vh1haDvjdzTTBI5FAX7PCcHi/s320/morning%20glories.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">My daughter and son-in-law celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary complete with vows and music. We had sparkling apple juice and cupcakes she ordered from the bakery. The kids and I watched the dogs and ate tons of snacks during their second honeymoon in Las Vegas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVySQkvRvDh1RLoDJDDdSdcrvbWn_oklK5w1RjDMGPDeffO_lHCtxQs5_q9ZsRsk-FVx1sb9sHEnk1yQxSBmw7OUYwZjlrEF31FqzuOZhZd4WBtBZRJrmi6jQb4gdvHtK_sIB8lSmfRfO15-y79BkLVkA72krbpyEZQAtJQPvVHCP-DP6eeHJq_GAd/s2772/clouthiers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2748" data-original-width="2772" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVySQkvRvDh1RLoDJDDdSdcrvbWn_oklK5w1RjDMGPDeffO_lHCtxQs5_q9ZsRsk-FVx1sb9sHEnk1yQxSBmw7OUYwZjlrEF31FqzuOZhZd4WBtBZRJrmi6jQb4gdvHtK_sIB8lSmfRfO15-y79BkLVkA72krbpyEZQAtJQPvVHCP-DP6eeHJq_GAd/s320/clouthiers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The nights are cooler and the days are shorter. I'm organizing soup recipes and finding ways I can bake with pumpkin. I unpacked my fall wreaths and farmhouse plaques that remind me to be thankful. I'm ready to embrace the beauty of a new season.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4Q9Ny-6y0R3mFYa2JDcR6_bU_xTndNBxcLHg8xti9u58uOxX1rrW53ejj0QK_bcXFfrk9uaFdB2_QIt_fCREtG7acLmasUq4I3W8S_JUZ6cAUVc8q8Rkx8kUQkq5qsOJdE6h4KgzS9PQimTdx_lratQ8ZPrvvxqlfRmDLmtHCBwo5d0YMUolBbLE/s3110/yoda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2600" data-original-width="3110" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4Q9Ny-6y0R3mFYa2JDcR6_bU_xTndNBxcLHg8xti9u58uOxX1rrW53ejj0QK_bcXFfrk9uaFdB2_QIt_fCREtG7acLmasUq4I3W8S_JUZ6cAUVc8q8Rkx8kUQkq5qsOJdE6h4KgzS9PQimTdx_lratQ8ZPrvvxqlfRmDLmtHCBwo5d0YMUolBbLE/s320/yoda.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSUrvXTPJIizPxGrPCK6z5ya_NjtvpKMI6Lb0dlk4GZnv46Ed6JNotpsHVIlHWccmjInBJ8Gxt7iQmuouCTfKXVwGlWP_qoWKLCQq_xRlXx3CO-hza3OBCa3xh8Ua4KNNPQ0DlS0tw7ykvBPrzJDXWdwDdkoxE3Co_LecUQKH0hPg7-IMUTJOD1kj/s4096/star.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSUrvXTPJIizPxGrPCK6z5ya_NjtvpKMI6Lb0dlk4GZnv46Ed6JNotpsHVIlHWccmjInBJ8Gxt7iQmuouCTfKXVwGlWP_qoWKLCQq_xRlXx3CO-hza3OBCa3xh8Ua4KNNPQ0DlS0tw7ykvBPrzJDXWdwDdkoxE3Co_LecUQKH0hPg7-IMUTJOD1kj/s320/star.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56d2NSrpfc0lflAYYygN_XXC5IE-q-yndt0QFMnKsbcziKWUHH0ycw7diIUNUbNDmYKcmMoG0Rl98lRJHj7eMgoTfoXhSYa0NN-Wze4-TRgDqUcPaY6KWhz3qFngHX7vzZSlytL6ssyLZsuP2SI5ueP2TBmm8GMaE9lYpCQ5nGX-sJEkduPaMfcsE/s3435/dogs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3435" data-original-width="2437" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj56d2NSrpfc0lflAYYygN_XXC5IE-q-yndt0QFMnKsbcziKWUHH0ycw7diIUNUbNDmYKcmMoG0Rl98lRJHj7eMgoTfoXhSYa0NN-Wze4-TRgDqUcPaY6KWhz3qFngHX7vzZSlytL6ssyLZsuP2SI5ueP2TBmm8GMaE9lYpCQ5nGX-sJEkduPaMfcsE/s320/dogs.jpg" width="227" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdJ2O52gfbhsaPsscZEewEmd_LTmSWK3rMFZuJN3iosEp8yIvHs8C7K8nigjuOKk-BylpoQOjfunNtKlowU9kfK_xroprVBRSxSq7y1BNmV_EOTfFQSy9fgl9eOJGl1bEIzvI2lvA747ogUZP_CqA-2b8JUBweo-DKAyNxiU_V0FNOH6VWvmgsnRm/s2585/mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2585" data-original-width="2445" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDdJ2O52gfbhsaPsscZEewEmd_LTmSWK3rMFZuJN3iosEp8yIvHs8C7K8nigjuOKk-BylpoQOjfunNtKlowU9kfK_xroprVBRSxSq7y1BNmV_EOTfFQSy9fgl9eOJGl1bEIzvI2lvA747ogUZP_CqA-2b8JUBweo-DKAyNxiU_V0FNOH6VWvmgsnRm/s320/mary.jpg" width="303" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more gain in fruits." Samuel Butler</span></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-23043938072704957752022-07-17T11:23:00.000-07:002022-07-17T11:23:32.438-07:00How Do I Say Goodbye?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrZOATz0rLtP8lGMIKaHfT9LGn_rbUR7cfrpHyExWHh0tjVIgTG0ZE0xaF4CsKlxdXRHTq_5SSvPf7SFXYdGlnEC0CJrxeB2My33CrxdNlLVp5VFlTfYJqwt7UKX2gOhXzaAdvvxs-LuI7tMS7qRArO3sGumJoonHI3gvVvZyGn2z3rza47rED_yq/s1070/Robbins%20quote%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="781" data-original-width="1070" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLrZOATz0rLtP8lGMIKaHfT9LGn_rbUR7cfrpHyExWHh0tjVIgTG0ZE0xaF4CsKlxdXRHTq_5SSvPf7SFXYdGlnEC0CJrxeB2My33CrxdNlLVp5VFlTfYJqwt7UKX2gOhXzaAdvvxs-LuI7tMS7qRArO3sGumJoonHI3gvVvZyGn2z3rza47rED_yq/s320/Robbins%20quote%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Wendy called. She had heard about Tom's passing and the
enormous peace that filled our hearts and home. My friend challenged:
"Mary, you've got to share your story on your blog. You will
encourage other families going through hard times." Of course, I
knew she was right. The Lord has been nudging me too. "I want
to heal families, He told me. Tell your story."</span></i><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i><i style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">My daughters join me, from two different perspectives,
to share our family's journey of faith as we navigate through the night we lost
our patriarch. Our hope is in Jesus
Christ who comforts our souls. Here are
their thoughts. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Carrie
Writes:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
our family, we have often said that God can use you and change your story until
your last breath. I always believed that, and then I saw it with my own two
eyes.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
was never the peacemaker in the family. That role belonged to my sister and
mother. I was the feisty one. The one that wasn’t going to put up with bad
behavior. My dad had mental illness. Where my mother and sister continually
gave him a pass, I harbored resentment and anger being raised by a dad like
that. It got worse into my adulthood, and I learned to cope by keeping him at
arm’s length. I loved my dad, but loving a person with mental illness is
complicated. The day he died, God made it uncomplicated. He told me to forgive
him.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On
the early morning of May 30<sup>th</sup>, 2022, I could hear it in my mom’s
voice on the phone that I needed to get there that day. I live 4 hours away and
had been there the week before. I had said a heartfelt goodbye to my dad at the
end of that visit and had reconciled that I would probably never see him again.
He was in hospice and was last stage pancreatic cancer. He had stopped all
chemo treatments the weeks before. It was just too much.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
loaded up my car that Sunday and arrived about noon. My sister, sleep deprived
and emotionally spent, collapsed into my arms and wept. Mom did the same. Then
they both took long naps and I took over med duty, and held Dad’s hand for
hours. Dad was non communicative at this point but he gave me two long blinks
as I told him he didn’t have anything to worry about, we were going to take
good care of Mom. Mostly we just sat quietly until the death rattle began.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
knew that cancer had a bad end, but I admit that I did not research it, and was
not prepared for what I would see and hear that day. Hospice was not available
because they were short-staffed and it was Memorial Day weekend. We were on our
own to navigate these final traumatic hours.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Listening
to Dad’s labored breathing was extremely difficult, but I stayed next to him,
holding his hand. It began to soften me towards him. All of the harbored anger
and resentment left. I just desperately wanted peace for him.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
picked up the pamphlet Hospice had given Mom. It talked about what to expect in
the final weeks, days, hours and minutes. It said that sometimes a dying person
will hold on because 1) They are afraid to die, or 2) They feel they have
unfinished business. The second I read that, I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Tell
Dad you forgive him.”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
was alone with Dad and I leaned over him and said, “Dad…I forgive you. I
forgive you for all of it. You have no unfinished business here.” The second
after, his eyes got wide and his breathing changed and became even more
intense. I called for Mom and my sister to come. We all held his hand and
stroked his hair. He passed four minutes later.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
was silent for the first time in the house. No more oxygen tanks, no more death
rattle breathing. Peace filled the home. We held his hands for several more
minutes and leaned into the moment. God used my Dad’s last breaths to bring
reconciliation between us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Amy writes:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How do you say goodbye to a parent?
That is something I still ponder. Did I tell him enough about how much I loved
him? Did I convey all I wanted to say? Did I provide him the care he needed
from me? Will I regret all the things that I forgot to ask him about? How
would I know what to ask? Who prepares you for this? I'm winging it here.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I didn't know at the time he
contacted me by phone asking me to leave work and be with him, that it was
the last week of his life. He needed me at his side. He begged me
to come and be with him as soon as possible. Did he know death was
near?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He was having daily panic attacks
about random things. He kept worrying about Mom's state of
mind. He voiced his fears about this cancer that had taken over and
significantly changed his body. He asked me if I would clean him if
he was no longer able to manage bowel movements. Of course I would<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
never gave it a second thought. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
reassured him in those last few days. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I didn't know it was going to be this
hard. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Physically, his body was hard to
look at. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His eyes sunk into his head and
his color was yellow and ashen. I didn't know he was going to resist the
care I offered, or pull off his oxygen and tell me he wished he had died the
night before. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He stopped taking his oral meds. I
could not convince him to take them otherwise. He was very uncomfortable, his
movements and facial expressions demonstrated this. He didn't cooperate;
it was the worst version of my father I had ever observed. I didn't
recognize him. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Am I doing all the right things?
Could I have done more? During the last two days of his life, I had not slept;
I stayed at his side around the clock. How much longer did we have? Could
I continue to care for him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> I was
starting to notice my body trembling, I was emotionally fragile doing
all I could to hold it together to be strong for my mother and for
him. It was in those final hours of his life my sister arrived from Tucson. Dad
was holding my hand when she walked in the door, upon hearing her voice he
squeezed my hand twice acknowledging her arrival. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I remember her embracing me as she
greeted me. The tears began to pour out of my eyes and I began to sob, my
body trembling. I cannot remember a time I had sobbed like this, if ever.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She held me tight and provided the
reassurance I needed affirming me of her willingness to help. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My heart was breaking for the
inevitable loss approaching and rejoicing for the arrival of support and
strength. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In his last hours of existence, we
had resorted to sublingual administration of medication. Using a dropper
we gave Dad his medication under the tongue or in the side of his mouth. We
only had two medications to work with, Morphine for pain and Lorazepam for
anxiety. Carrie, my sister sent me to bed as she could see I was a
shell of a human. I slept 3 hours, I was grateful as I had peace knowing
she would care for him. Upon awakening, I recognized the sound of
secretions in his airway; this was "the death rattle." It is the most
disturbing and eerie sound. We knew his time was short. Mom was with us. We
tried to make him as comfortable as possible. We played soft worship music we
knew he enjoyed. We stayed near his bedside taking turns holding his
hand, kissing his forehead, and telling him all the great things he was to us
as a father and husband. We verbalized our reassurance to him of how we
would take care of Mom when he was gone. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was the eve of Memorial Day
when he took his last breath around 8:55 pm. He had us promise him in the weeks
beforehand we wouldn't cry upon his last breath. "I won't be able to handle it," He
had said. So, we didn't cry. Actually, we were in awe of the peace that
surrounded us in those minutes that followed.
I have never felt that kind of
tranquility. There was silence.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was calming to our souls. We held each other and gave thanks to God. The suffering had ended. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of all the hard things in life I
have been through and experienced personally and professionally
in the behavioral health field, this was one of the hardest for
me. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In days to follow, we had learned
from the Chaplain that we had done the right things to help Dad make this
transition. It was comforting to hear and brought us great delight. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I thank God for giving me an opportunity to be
there in those final days when he needed his family</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></p></div>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-31446216875836753112022-07-04T18:52:00.010-07:002022-07-04T19:00:33.565-07:00Just Call Me Mountain Woman<p></p><p></p><p>This morning I killed my fourth wasp nest on my front deck this season. I can remember the old days when I would flinch at pulling the heavy garbage can to the front driveway or when I would lug heavy hoses to water the property. I've come a long way. Just call me Mountain Woman. I'm stronger and braver. I have to be.</p><p><br /></p><p>The human spirit rises up to do what it has to do when no one else is around to carry the load. It's been five weeks now since my husband, Tom, passed away. He put up a good fight, but Pancreatic Cancer is aggressive and stole the very life from my large framed, muscle-bulging man. It broke my heart to see him in pain and lose every ounce of fat on his bones. I am relieved he no longer suffers and know by the peace which ushered him off into eternity that he reached his heavenly destination.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NlG0bcEEVfXujgvM1mY23RHQrNEHKUxC0tyIc8cRpdaSJgu-1Bnjo60SnRZSamrCTG7CbHFUeAqaQbV6SpDZMm-AM4knm890j38VJ-kM6nUtm4K9ScD1hSeTpZsRxmH3rLUt97VnAGSJpKChM4jkKIEy3jKpPDLxAvPY_RLHmBlT4UYzCgOYQWeZ/s715/God%20Writes.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="715" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NlG0bcEEVfXujgvM1mY23RHQrNEHKUxC0tyIc8cRpdaSJgu-1Bnjo60SnRZSamrCTG7CbHFUeAqaQbV6SpDZMm-AM4knm890j38VJ-kM6nUtm4K9ScD1hSeTpZsRxmH3rLUt97VnAGSJpKChM4jkKIEy3jKpPDLxAvPY_RLHmBlT4UYzCgOYQWeZ/w229-h188/God%20Writes.png" width="229" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p>He hated to leave us, especially me, because the responsibility of our homestead requires muscle power. Although it overwhelms me at times, I am surprised how new-found strength arises within and helps me make wise decisions to carry out the endless daily chores. Oddly, when I can't figure it out, the answer seems a prayer away.</p><p><br /></p><p>So many things amaze me: the overflow of cards and gifts I receive at the post office, the texts and calls from friends and family with offers to help. I know I am loved.</p><p><br /></p><p>So much is new these days. I feel bold every time I reach for the Raid Wasp and Hornet Hot Shot can. Another nest falls to the ground. I'm tackling things I never knew I could do and I'm making very good business decisions. I have been through the ringer as a caretaker and now I glean new understanding of loss as well as what its like to live by myself. </p><p><br /></p><p>Life goes on and a new path awaits. I don't know what it will look like, but I am choosing joy in the journey. </p><p> </p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-42606030300901700572021-11-07T18:23:00.001-07:002021-11-07T18:23:20.361-07:00A Veteran's Story<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQdp6EW5SQWieWxfkRFkmlgQxjpfFxIE9i-MFY_pUnNlg_djv_bEGlauNvwNsnaentKOPddOCRXywLi8tQd6V3NnzoroxyoFbWTka5SDHyOpngibN8aRFy9mcKy0uXC7H7aIi3r57jiE/s2048/VN+Plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQdp6EW5SQWieWxfkRFkmlgQxjpfFxIE9i-MFY_pUnNlg_djv_bEGlauNvwNsnaentKOPddOCRXywLi8tQd6V3NnzoroxyoFbWTka5SDHyOpngibN8aRFy9mcKy0uXC7H7aIi3r57jiE/s320/VN+Plate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
noticed Bill sitting in our local park where I walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He glanced my way just as I finished the last
exercise walk song on my playlist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
shouted and pointed to my car:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Hey, is
that your car with the Nam front license plate?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
stepped closer into the veranda where Bill sat on a picnic bench.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I noticed his Vietnam Vet cap and instantly I
knew why I walked there that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
Marine Vet served during the 1960’s, the same time span as my husband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bill talked a lot about the war evoking my emotions
from laughter to tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My South Vietnam
front plate often prompts a conversation with a stranger and I’ve learned a
deep respect for it over the years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
my way of listening to a veteran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
enjoyed listening to Bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He made me
laugh in spots but he made me cry as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like when he talked about the sandwich lady.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Do
you ever eat at the sandwich shop in the gas station down the street?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I replied that I’ve order coffee once in that
place with a turkey combo on Panini bread. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bill
frequently patronizes the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows
the sandwich lady by name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mai was born
in Vietnam but now lives in the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mai carefully prepares Bill’s sandwiches to his requests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve become friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m glad Bill told me the story of how he met
Mai in the sandwich shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I needed a
good cry.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
imagined Bill kicking up a conversation with Mai easily like he did with me. He’s
a good story teller with surprising details and punch lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I listened carefully as Bill described unbelievable
sorrow Mai faced in Vietnam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She watched
as American soldiers slaughtered both of her brothers right before her eyes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked Bill, “How on earth, Bill, did you a
US veteran soldier respond to her confession of such pain?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bill replied:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“I hugged her!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We both wept in
each other’s arms.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">As
I write this, I remember the word from the Lord I received this year:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Restoration!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I live in a small town easily overlooked on a map.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isn’t it amazing how big God is?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows the least of us in the middle of
nowhere, Arizona.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He knows the
struggling waitress serving sandwiches as well as the tired old Vet with
stories of horror and killing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see,
today, that He makes good on His promise to restore all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I expect to see restoration like this everywhere
I look this year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
share this story as we in the U.S. celebrate Veteran’s Day in a few days,
November 11<sup>th</sup>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We set aside a day to honor our men and women
who sacrificed so much for our freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of them endure sleepless nights so we can live in peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our war veterans live with pain both physical
and mental.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These heroes took an oath to
protect us and they deserve our thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">God,
bless our veterans.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Restore
to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Psalm 51:12<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-86762013161929106632021-09-12T20:19:00.002-07:002021-09-12T20:25:02.908-07:00Book Review: Homespun Devotions, Volume One<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTGV6UllHFvnRBdhHzdn2n3r1f1ELDtx2-RRXYwxbYobTHui9h9dHzOrfGNKs2oGcfJd5VERcJD_WjrtmqRV-Dda9MOreE8hKA5TgmTFDzsGNmmqg9c5eIAj3J1iklaRchjo-vXuCcaQ/s499/homespun.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMTGV6UllHFvnRBdhHzdn2n3r1f1ELDtx2-RRXYwxbYobTHui9h9dHzOrfGNKs2oGcfJd5VERcJD_WjrtmqRV-Dda9MOreE8hKA5TgmTFDzsGNmmqg9c5eIAj3J1iklaRchjo-vXuCcaQ/s320/homespun.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">How
do you read devotional books? Sometimes
I like to start my day with a hot cup of coffee and a short inspiration. Sometimes I like to end my day propped up on
my pillows with a cup of Chamomile Tea and a short story or two to relax. If my husband stops at the hardware store on
our way home, I usually tell him to take his time and I pull out a devotional
book that fits nicely in my purse to sit and wait for him at such times. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Homespun
Devotions, by Cheryl E. Smith, arrived in the mail and I can’t put it
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read it as I wind down before
bed with tea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s my go to choice for
those times of waiting in the parking lot, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I've been taking more breaks in the middle of the day to relax so I can read another
chapter! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like stories that touch my
heart and help me to reflect on my faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Homespun Devotions does that for me every time I pick it up to read. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m
facing a challenge these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My raw
emotions are a set up for encouragement from such stories of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel inspired by this
book’s beautiful messages of surrender, of persistence, loving at all costs,
and stepping out of a comfort zone to lean on God for stability in the unknown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
story, Squirming Puppies, taught me how to hold and train a puppy in my hands
to teach it how to trust and yield to its owner’s will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the way the author ties it to learning to trust God rather than squirm into one’s own path during those vulnerable times of life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Homespun
Devotions is a book chock full of life lessons and written so beautifully, it leaves
me feeling full inside as if I just left the café after a nutritious meal with
a friend. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">I
highly recommend this book and I think it would make a great gift for a special
occasion.</span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">You
can learn more about the author, Cheryl E. Smith, at her website, <a href="http://www.homespundevotions.com" target="_blank">Homespun Devotions</a>,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> where she
writes devotionals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She is the author of the book, Biblical
Minimalism:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Following Jesus from a Life
of Abundance to a More Abundant Life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Cheryl likes to spend time with her husband and son in the mountains,
sing and play bluegrass music and write.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-33524346577144698282021-08-22T21:55:00.000-07:002021-08-22T21:55:02.002-07:00We Made It to Fifty Years<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYmBZA6jLXZad2e1Z21M6fkGkCzsCEcCamQu3G-Uh3NFq5TUGp4jGx9a1B9n0yWlbCU_EM686Q8s9CEw-yVSFqOVlqTSEr7zfFGe5_Ix4YaHxP_P0q_RM4Mf1alxCJc_pBb8juip-aYI/s1285/Tom+Wed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="978" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLYmBZA6jLXZad2e1Z21M6fkGkCzsCEcCamQu3G-Uh3NFq5TUGp4jGx9a1B9n0yWlbCU_EM686Q8s9CEw-yVSFqOVlqTSEr7zfFGe5_Ix4YaHxP_P0q_RM4Mf1alxCJc_pBb8juip-aYI/s320/Tom+Wed.jpg" width="244" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">August,
our anniversary month, is always significant for me, especially this year; we
celebrated our golden anniversary. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
dreamed about reaching our fiftieth year goal. Ideas filled my brain with ways to celebrate our special day. E</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">arlier in the year, back in February, we told
our kids we do not want a fancy celebration.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Parties with plaques of rhyming verses with gold wedding bands attached don’t
define us, but family in an informal venue with a simple menu is who we are to
a tee.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The early summer brush fires put
the kibosh on planning a picnic for the event when forests closed down in surrounding
mountains.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Our daughter, Amy, loves to
plan a party and she devised a lovely gathering. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">She and her husband took us out to dinner
along with Tom’s cousin and wife from New Mexico who surprised us with a weekend visit.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Tom’s cousin, our best man
at our wedding, has a wonderful sense of humor. We laughed as we </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">reminisced how he wrote
“help me” on the soles of Tom’s shoes at the altar on our wedding day.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Evening cooled down after dinner and we all
enjoyed a blues band at an outdoor concert in the park!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Amy had the band leader announce our
anniversary and when friends stopped by to give us a hug, we passed out
cupcakes.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">It was great to see
everyone.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The next morning, Tom and I
took our family to a favorite scenic spot in Sedona for breakfast.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We’re blessed and grateful for family and
friends. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7f1dmdkli-s-JhonhQiVdgWYk_4b3ukiQbHsqnjIktjNgWoU0zZTOgJznV6YiHn42drbXotVDWZn7r9ujXVQ47InxSdCEQlq9vdeCykxQrC6Sy93gm90I2-oEWtwYIS8WswDu4Z7KQY/s2000/Anniversary+50.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7f1dmdkli-s-JhonhQiVdgWYk_4b3ukiQbHsqnjIktjNgWoU0zZTOgJznV6YiHn42drbXotVDWZn7r9ujXVQ47InxSdCEQlq9vdeCykxQrC6Sy93gm90I2-oEWtwYIS8WswDu4Z7KQY/s320/Anniversary+50.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZLTXxkgA7dkgeg7h8RwEfUYIXCru6Nhzz5uPf12vAHiRxh6Rzbc4cXgeBSxHx1bb0mnbkms0jEpxAavEbMmHxxshOZa3DUeSnsdAmhWVXvW3aRaOuXvXUfFU1Z6yIG6TNVy-mghm4m0/s1259/concert+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1259" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ZLTXxkgA7dkgeg7h8RwEfUYIXCru6Nhzz5uPf12vAHiRxh6Rzbc4cXgeBSxHx1bb0mnbkms0jEpxAavEbMmHxxshOZa3DUeSnsdAmhWVXvW3aRaOuXvXUfFU1Z6yIG6TNVy-mghm4m0/s320/concert+collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWrvguodZWvru9DyOpzfyvYW8paP872OIGts09XxF1PuJArx_cc8Qy5YpBMFHQFeZ02_ep9AdI7KWIdS05pfj7_fieHnT4cqWfBvPgtSXaFdvYudtlOvYdiBIxau8Cq_TeyIDkb4uaHU/s2000/breakfast+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="2000" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHWrvguodZWvru9DyOpzfyvYW8paP872OIGts09XxF1PuJArx_cc8Qy5YpBMFHQFeZ02_ep9AdI7KWIdS05pfj7_fieHnT4cqWfBvPgtSXaFdvYudtlOvYdiBIxau8Cq_TeyIDkb4uaHU/s320/breakfast+collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Amy
asked me just last week: “What’s it like
to be married fifty years, Mom?” I
answered with a devotional I saved from our prayer time that morning. Jonathan Cahn writes about the vows we take
on our wedding day. We face one another and
pledge our love to each other with witnesses all around hearing us vow to love
each other in good times and in bad, not based on feeling but choosing to love.
He
reminds us a vow is not a feeling. He
compares it to the Messiah’s love for us.
Jesus didn’t feel like hanging on a cross, but He loved us and gave us
an example of Messiah-like love even when we don’t feel like loving. Feelings come and go but true love is a decision.</span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7lOnl9IW39gSs69SAkRkNja0ySB_4v9gIWKpKwilNwkzSqTYOP4N5HjCl9tJLa8_Erw-pkwV_7NTaWXNeewB4GbvNkj9Tn_SdUdmDDY3FM5B3d5r9xS6N0O_8QH_MIs-dLXnXg2v39g/s564/love+story.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7lOnl9IW39gSs69SAkRkNja0ySB_4v9gIWKpKwilNwkzSqTYOP4N5HjCl9tJLa8_Erw-pkwV_7NTaWXNeewB4GbvNkj9Tn_SdUdmDDY3FM5B3d5r9xS6N0O_8QH_MIs-dLXnXg2v39g/s320/love+story.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Fifty
years is a benchmark.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">A vow is
forever.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We’re blessed to have another
day to love each other.</span></p><p><br /></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-2194768469850711602021-07-30T18:29:00.000-07:002021-07-30T18:29:58.106-07:00Pink Water Lilies, Rain and Sorrow<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlbM2Yb_4FrbvmdEZXzi5-bw-tQR1MkqkNHTpLplorZdEjDbsntEg5RW3fKugnlqi5B8oeOgKynrrF2txmEoZzclFXdldCaRTZqbh1sE7BjaRtkXvbXn0KGbdYDC2Kbqc79_BgvnKDYA/s2048/EFFECTS+%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlbM2Yb_4FrbvmdEZXzi5-bw-tQR1MkqkNHTpLplorZdEjDbsntEg5RW3fKugnlqi5B8oeOgKynrrF2txmEoZzclFXdldCaRTZqbh1sE7BjaRtkXvbXn0KGbdYDC2Kbqc79_BgvnKDYA/s320/EFFECTS+%25285%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">Needed rain brought perky flowers, glistening trees and cleaned the decorative rock in our yard like sparkling new after the storms. The c</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">ommunity park in our small country town sits adjacent to the byway
where we can glance into the pond and watch the water lilies float as we drive by.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">The pink ones beg attention as they
show off their beauty; I had to pull in, park my car and grab my cell.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">A thin
gal with long blonde hair wearing a summer flowered maxi dress joined me and
sat on the bench to drink in the winsomeness.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">She broke our silent meditation with “Look at the pink ones!</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">I never saw them before and had to stop!”</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPTdQpZj-A7Xmq1Tm4JaPM8LT-4wa5fhBOI4D4EjO9bzW3DvSYvVTFuVixqq8yY86C6_9I0H5AaCcNopkl-HJD3PUJxFNPD_2tpIFu7gcBkHDLbx8nN64Dr6e7X4KNH9I8tO_ZYoRpVQ/s2048/pink+lillies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPTdQpZj-A7Xmq1Tm4JaPM8LT-4wa5fhBOI4D4EjO9bzW3DvSYvVTFuVixqq8yY86C6_9I0H5AaCcNopkl-HJD3PUJxFNPD_2tpIFu7gcBkHDLbx8nN64Dr6e7X4KNH9I8tO_ZYoRpVQ/s320/pink+lillies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">I
listened to the pretty lady and learned her accent, a Scottish brogue, brought
her here from Scotland more than a decade ago.
My mind envisioned bright greens and countryside, but I learned this
Scottish lass was a city girl and not the country girl I imagined. She seemed surprised such a beautifully landscaped park with water lilies could be found in our simple country town
with its plain structures and horses, lots of horses.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
did not tell her I migrated here thirty years ago to raise my children in
strong family values of small town living rather than in Chicago amidst the
fast-paced lifestyle. I did not tell her
some of us are country hicks by choice with deep aesthetic roots.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
both got into our cars and drove off, her to her job in the city and me the
homestead with a pile of mail I picked up in town to sort through and pay
bills.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It’s
interesting how our different lifestyles meet and touch each other. My adjustment to country living came slow and
painful. No more museums to educate
myself and now clothing from department stores instead of malls.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Far
from perfect, we deal with hot temperatures and brush fires in early
summer. When it rains, it pours! One of the first warnings I received when my
kids were small came from other parents who would not let their children play
in dry washes. Rain pours from the
mountains and fills them quickly so respect this boundary and keep the kids
safe. </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">Small
town friendly living might threaten city dwellers which prefer anonymity.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">I learned from the brush fires last June about concerned
neighbors in our small town who rescued pets and cattle during the call to
evacuate.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">More recently, in fact just last weekend
alerts on our phones warned of impending flash floods.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">We never know if the heavy rains will visit
us or just linger in the mountains that surround us; usually it’s the latter.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">Hard rain came and washed out a few
properties, and unfortunately took one life.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
sixteen year old girl called 911 when her car stalled in a wash area of about
two feet. It rained hard and heavy that
Saturday night. By the time the
emergency crew arrived, the wash rose to eight feet so the girl climbed atop
her car to avoid drowning. The crew
tried but could not get to her in time without endangering themselves. The swift water pulled her off and down the
fast moving wash. Four days passed
before her body appeared in the river.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">Phoenix
News stations visited our town during the search while local residents helped
with hundreds of professional search and rescue teams from surrounding towns.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">Many news watchers joined us to pray for the family of this sweet girl.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;">A
beautiful prayer vigil of townspeople met to comfort family and friends in the baseball
field where the girl played on her high school team.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For
days I prayed and asked the Lord to be glorified in this tragedy. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine how He
could. But then this morning as I joined
once again with my husband to pray, the answer came. The answer came when I began to thank God
for all the love and prayers I witnessed.
I thanked Him, too, for all the townspeople who offered to cook for the
family, to clean their homes, to run their errands, to hold them tight and
encourage them as well as those who carried their burden in prayer. Many business people organized food and drinks in a
park to feed volunteers and keep them hydrated in the hot sun. Social media dominated the news feeds with loving sentiments and I cried when I read beautifully crafted
words, Scripture and even pictures drawn from the heart to offer as a gift to
uplift.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Once
again, I saw a community of loving people come together from different
backgrounds, from different faiths and churches, many who rub elbows with this
family in our small town in the workplace, in church, in community events as
well as strangers who just know the devastation of what another parent feels.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14.0pt;">And
that brings Almighty God glory.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10pt;">“Listen
carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world,
it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and
reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life
just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love,
you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.</span>” John 12:24<span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-4653337999126950322021-07-21T10:06:00.000-07:002021-07-21T10:06:39.492-07:00Relax & Recharge <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwv872Bfr7WrEFC6VqKSRMsVmFHaoenUuEMRp9bxzruPYidl_Xjnj22647RTGs1r9nY_FCFIXA4bxN9-abfaqnCJaw9ycC3MbvUkxhyOx_eKtcqe52KgZF2kCXCS5tbfVfjBUwfv7GPk/s2048/casita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwv872Bfr7WrEFC6VqKSRMsVmFHaoenUuEMRp9bxzruPYidl_Xjnj22647RTGs1r9nY_FCFIXA4bxN9-abfaqnCJaw9ycC3MbvUkxhyOx_eKtcqe52KgZF2kCXCS5tbfVfjBUwfv7GPk/s320/casita.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Little
did I know last spring when my daughter, Amy, and I got away for a three-day
retreat together, how it would refresh our souls for the summer days to come
with her challenges at work and my issues with extreme heat and fires close to
home. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Now
in the Monsoon rains when I feel like I’m living in a mist and also in the
midst of an occasional downpour, I cherish memories of our restful stay in Cave
Creek, a popular western-style little town filled with shops and restaurants
along with classy resorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the
one we chose with comfy casitas and beautiful green grounds. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
loved those times with Amy as we cooked together in the cute little kitchen,
watched old romantic comedies while snacking on popcorn, shopping, morning
Bible study together with prayer, swimming, playing rummy on the back patio,
and eating out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrqEI5I1yYgfBCTz7hmfXPMWGZFTltphJA0MUVktPcZben8n7_f6D2xo_RvN_E0FQuBBQt2rkkT663OnerJzKg-140G9bH3atauDc-lduB1G_Rn4-zkMFJ3zlYEPI31B0YVZ5ibi46io/s2048/dining+room+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPrqEI5I1yYgfBCTz7hmfXPMWGZFTltphJA0MUVktPcZben8n7_f6D2xo_RvN_E0FQuBBQt2rkkT663OnerJzKg-140G9bH3atauDc-lduB1G_Rn4-zkMFJ3zlYEPI31B0YVZ5ibi46io/s320/dining+room+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBILdf67VHZoK2PxdUvQyWXYTWmoIULuYEnF8NmdQCpIM9k_sPQ0WT_kuGPRveFlcV_iA_XEP1jQqC0Pt0dFIMRSdzb2B7C02ny6S8dhusPPpdPjS2zIbxC2wlPyY7ZgODxMi1l5gcaVs/s2048/Pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBILdf67VHZoK2PxdUvQyWXYTWmoIULuYEnF8NmdQCpIM9k_sPQ0WT_kuGPRveFlcV_iA_XEP1jQqC0Pt0dFIMRSdzb2B7C02ny6S8dhusPPpdPjS2zIbxC2wlPyY7ZgODxMi1l5gcaVs/s320/Pool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENd2tj9wiNxqcLyWNhmlq4fVt4W_0_GhVuERPWdXFZleTWNCNnGkioqSzssx8yD0blKEFZITDALOjI-wQ_ucp2n6BsC7Gh_CEuxt0ynh3e3TAakeENp_z95yixjQ8HsbiZSehg0xPG6I/s2000/cave+creek+collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjENd2tj9wiNxqcLyWNhmlq4fVt4W_0_GhVuERPWdXFZleTWNCNnGkioqSzssx8yD0blKEFZITDALOjI-wQ_ucp2n6BsC7Gh_CEuxt0ynh3e3TAakeENp_z95yixjQ8HsbiZSehg0xPG6I/s320/cave+creek+collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
heart says chocolate and wine but my jeans say:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
“Goodness, girl, eat a salad.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiE2V4FnAqxoVwWzD6MeYMakAGop7e6YqLUGzC2mhtV03emMM_tDEofZAP2uw6AAXMA2EOeyGk0mLIALUA3OFzvvzEiVwT_nvViOvmmRQWcXA411LWYcW5d20Tbxt3NV5khO1-PXxxco/s2048/hike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqiE2V4FnAqxoVwWzD6MeYMakAGop7e6YqLUGzC2mhtV03emMM_tDEofZAP2uw6AAXMA2EOeyGk0mLIALUA3OFzvvzEiVwT_nvViOvmmRQWcXA411LWYcW5d20Tbxt3NV5khO1-PXxxco/s320/hike.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">After
an invigorating beautiful hike, we found a local place for breakfast and the
friendly server talked us into their special, Loaded Oatmeal!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTfFX3gmv-q5HALfnr_FyybxTKY_RYs9U7XFKHhp7hqfydQ1OezH-QQp3nLvD4ujLV6MltZjdD_UvlVQFO-g8Soh3JkX-AWtcGmfz5PVSEml1et_us4aojGIeyYSBDoJ27xWIsQzGjnw/s2048/loaded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheTfFX3gmv-q5HALfnr_FyybxTKY_RYs9U7XFKHhp7hqfydQ1OezH-QQp3nLvD4ujLV6MltZjdD_UvlVQFO-g8Soh3JkX-AWtcGmfz5PVSEml1et_us4aojGIeyYSBDoJ27xWIsQzGjnw/s320/loaded.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nGe02iKPkJ5TNjM11vz9KpA6b0gmwlaFo1QC6nXMNM2w2ivSJcsBPuf6dDDN19f9WN25GPGeYJ_whkswjcZTpccMV7Dvnk0MjkQuF-PWeux5bUUtMs-umTnop9yVh4Q-sEZy35VRRgg/s2048/monster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1nGe02iKPkJ5TNjM11vz9KpA6b0gmwlaFo1QC6nXMNM2w2ivSJcsBPuf6dDDN19f9WN25GPGeYJ_whkswjcZTpccMV7Dvnk0MjkQuF-PWeux5bUUtMs-umTnop9yVh4Q-sEZy35VRRgg/s320/monster.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZuPwZFaISkfFAHFtMAiNkIycBlRTk82BT9Ov2DZTf9NbBlFG528bi_7bjJVJO4gZ-J6uvtU09TaCj1zI0ZOH_z9tpssYe0axdt70ylSdIgDf0oDVocba25t90EGLEqdCTn4Jr-abPFg/s2048/shopping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLZuPwZFaISkfFAHFtMAiNkIycBlRTk82BT9Ov2DZTf9NbBlFG528bi_7bjJVJO4gZ-J6uvtU09TaCj1zI0ZOH_z9tpssYe0axdt70ylSdIgDf0oDVocba25t90EGLEqdCTn4Jr-abPFg/s320/shopping.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Shopping!!! Look at the haul in the back seat.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrEn5RovbLOu8e5VBSOocLrzcBAeJgy8A7rOJNQJ67-Rc_vu90j954h-emEbDjfmANCalaqz9jTa8ujVOcPHE-mNwuJvW4tdnK6J2OG0w1yoEgLXGygomqxLxSl4nJggOQlZQFNLt6Bk/s2048/cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrEn5RovbLOu8e5VBSOocLrzcBAeJgy8A7rOJNQJ67-Rc_vu90j954h-emEbDjfmANCalaqz9jTa8ujVOcPHE-mNwuJvW4tdnK6J2OG0w1yoEgLXGygomqxLxSl4nJggOQlZQFNLt6Bk/s320/cards.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
other daughter who passed through the Phoenix area with her family invited us
out for breakfast. Talk about a perfect
last day to a wonderful mini vacation with fun, rich food and lots of family.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7e-cEHCm8fldW-czcdG3yuxLMxNtdQKEcL2GsxhEZEUQCGoMmgo_nIF7Bi5seeKfjrtKGWk9HT96SSfyNiQirZiAriirWYy7_WBMYK0GQgAZ1yHhOIHu6OSSEHHI_ygBaSlsbWZYiaI/s2048/family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7e-cEHCm8fldW-czcdG3yuxLMxNtdQKEcL2GsxhEZEUQCGoMmgo_nIF7Bi5seeKfjrtKGWk9HT96SSfyNiQirZiAriirWYy7_WBMYK0GQgAZ1yHhOIHu6OSSEHHI_ygBaSlsbWZYiaI/s320/family.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
love what the Bible says about peaceful rest:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“The
Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">He leadeth me beside the still waters.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Psalm 23: 1-2</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><br /></p></div>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-69091631887997968382021-06-27T18:31:00.002-07:002021-06-27T18:52:16.292-07:00Lessons in the Fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwtyRk-hghkRWnQdlORSVnyL1Zsrf1dQKVlHEMqOpSMY9qQByHnGFdIdW4yx2MSAaJeGeJniyE62y9KiZ8XVBNqDbclRvkAGB28vHGm73zXv9y-BIpCDG0dtDZSi4tjPgwg8xy2D-nmc/s1440/burnt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYwtyRk-hghkRWnQdlORSVnyL1Zsrf1dQKVlHEMqOpSMY9qQByHnGFdIdW4yx2MSAaJeGeJniyE62y9KiZ8XVBNqDbclRvkAGB28vHGm73zXv9y-BIpCDG0dtDZSi4tjPgwg8xy2D-nmc/s320/burnt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">My
neighborhood looks deserted this morning.
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">After sweeping my back deck and driving to the post office, I think I’ll
join my neighbors and stay indoors, too.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The heavy layer of smoke over our towns here in the Verde Valley chokes us
and destroys the air quality.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I read our
Arizona fire fighters have fought 20 fires this season and summer
has just begun.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The big one, The
Rafael Fire, burns in the mountains west of Sedona having already destroyed
46,000 acres.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">At night, it lights up the
curve of the mountain top with its orange flames; thankfully, it still is a
good distance from our homes.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">But, oh,
the smoke!</span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">The fire near us was a nail biter! </span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">It all started in our little town a few weeks ago. The
Sunday after Memorial Day, I noticed a strong smell of smoke coming through our
evaporative cooling system as I finished the sandwich I made for lunch. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I panicked when I walked outside to see a
grass fire incased in huge billows of smoke on the next block.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">It spread toward a neighbor’s house and some
of the guys put it out with water hoses and got it to back up although the
neighbor’s yard looks charred today.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBN_uyPfuu2thMV-SEeypA5qzjSuHqknk-DvqXiwW1VkslGfCGh4_XODzSm6RxmK9csYzS0QvOUHavJT5I6e_D78kmdBddp5NGWSKIkG8qa1vsXOBdqXRuLu7QJooexiYG-ODq51gJ8s/s960/behind+Noreen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBN_uyPfuu2thMV-SEeypA5qzjSuHqknk-DvqXiwW1VkslGfCGh4_XODzSm6RxmK9csYzS0QvOUHavJT5I6e_D78kmdBddp5NGWSKIkG8qa1vsXOBdqXRuLu7QJooexiYG-ODq51gJ8s/s320/behind+Noreen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lE4g5yneVD5dRU0fagbIJmp3Qhi-OIJZDSlSOonrA2OlsdvdKfZKW4r7E3MLybPKtsGz2j7hOC7kxTQFhqb6oy9LWDsw70iA6cBqFnnfwC_ri7KL_vW9aW5aW0Gk2X4z3qXYC5f280M/s2048/firestorm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3lE4g5yneVD5dRU0fagbIJmp3Qhi-OIJZDSlSOonrA2OlsdvdKfZKW4r7E3MLybPKtsGz2j7hOC7kxTQFhqb6oy9LWDsw70iA6cBqFnnfwC_ri7KL_vW9aW5aW0Gk2X4z3qXYC5f280M/s320/firestorm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
fire started in the wilderness and grew wide as a football field before it
approached residential homes. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We hosed
down our property and prayed the 91</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Psalm reminding God of His
promise to send us angels for protection.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I’ve watched my east-coast friends take spiritual authority over immense
hurricane winds and thought I would give it a try.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I faced that demon of smoke and told it to
move north, the opposite direction, and go where no homes are as I called on
the mighty Name of Jesus.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I didn’t care who heard me or thought I was crazy. We got in touch with neighbors close by.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Together, we covered our homes with the blood
of Jesus and noticed the fire turned around and crossed the dirt road and </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">advanced toward open wilderness and into
the mountain range that borders our community.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Prayer works!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">So does
preparation.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">All our residents quickly learned
the forestry lingo:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ready-Set-Go.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72SbBodyPswFEMBR3xvu1NGjDEpWBOgt1fdzOwTz1QdMI_PLpaz42ERRdnSIVdSN4heU76iuTx-zmBJYtKgDw8iqMmtj1XH8OdA4cf2dhUWunxXqzhKZkfoX-haBncMszkjr50Rwv0as/s526/five+ps+evacuatin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72SbBodyPswFEMBR3xvu1NGjDEpWBOgt1fdzOwTz1QdMI_PLpaz42ERRdnSIVdSN4heU76iuTx-zmBJYtKgDw8iqMmtj1XH8OdA4cf2dhUWunxXqzhKZkfoX-haBncMszkjr50Rwv0as/s320/five+ps+evacuatin.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><br />Our daughters were not happy with us</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Emergency
vehicles paced our street throughout the afternoon. The sheriff gave us orders to evacuate. Whereas, I think that was a good choice for
some, a bunch of our closer neighbors joined us in waiting it out. We watched the winds hold steady as the blaze remained parallel to our street about one quarter mile in the distance. Should the winds shift, it would engulf us. My car was ready and packed with my purse and
important papers. My husband kept
telling me not to worry but keep praying. The winds obeyed our many prayers and I knew we escaped
danger as it passed our homes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
loved the way our neighbors checked on each other and cared for hot animals
left behind. High temperatures raged
along with massive winds but I wanted to be outside meeting up with my
neighbors as we supported one another.
By nightfall, the fire burned 1,200 acres and settled in the mountain
guarded by Hot Shots. I will never
forget the sound of aircraft tankers. I felt like I was in a bunker with bombs going off overhead as the pilots
sprayed retardant. Maybe I watch too
many World War II movies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
learned many lessons that day: the
importance of community, organized plans, supportive prayer times, etc. It was hard on our children often calling on our
cell phones and hearing my nervous voice.
Imagine their anxiety not being able to see what I see but only massive
clouds of smoke hovering over our little community in the distance. The community bulletin page on social media
got some facts wrong. Finally, my neighbor
corrected them and wrote: “Not all of us
left. Some of my neighbors watched as
the fire circled around our homes and moved to the mountain.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Days
later, I cried happy tears when a close girlfriend sent me a handmade note card
filled with encouraging words. She
enclosed a gift certificate to our favorite local burger place to cheer us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUChhWQXqGzMMBwXxzwvu2XmZCiaIW7ZS5_MWrS9_6WN1X-Zb9J8YEbJLmHH2M1Df8c9ESTgq1AUeXEw4Jx-ywlfLm2qfjEPPChcBfzV6SBlyZHfVCSjvWQGEFXq6tx6cSjoNb9yiGjhY/s2048/IMG_20210616_193214623.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUChhWQXqGzMMBwXxzwvu2XmZCiaIW7ZS5_MWrS9_6WN1X-Zb9J8YEbJLmHH2M1Df8c9ESTgq1AUeXEw4Jx-ywlfLm2qfjEPPChcBfzV6SBlyZHfVCSjvWQGEFXq6tx6cSjoNb9yiGjhY/s320/IMG_20210616_193214623.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">A
friend of ours in Phoenix wants us to pack up and drive down to her large home
in the valley and stay awhile. Oh, her
pool and hospitality tempt us. Escapes
have consequences; I really don’t want to return to dry and thirsty trees and
dead garden flowers. No, we’ll stay here
and hold the line. Even if it’s smoky.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">The
lessons I learned in the fire alarmed me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I document this frightful day,
I hold dear my precious neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I savor
prayer declarations ordering the enemy that wants to destroy us to be annihilated
by the power of Jesus’ Name. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We never lost electricity. </span>And I
realize the importance of study and application of God’s holy Word as we never know
when calamity will visit in the days to come. I am thankful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Arizona
needs rain desperately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arizona needs
prayers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">“He
provides rain for the earth; He sends water on the countryside.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Job 5:10<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-14079992723527475682021-06-05T17:28:00.001-07:002021-06-06T15:51:08.711-07:00Disposable Lovers<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5axy8iVqpq_8tIA6vqchbfXmxy-rcWjE3qbWZxxL54cPD-a_PFQqO-ydA8NDTWIsMfezYvscCEk4m2Ujy4m_xwJzksSSJRwyCaueL-ETJrSXBXwe_mQjSahMQklEIxEIIAS7tbmo47U/s243/self+worth.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5axy8iVqpq_8tIA6vqchbfXmxy-rcWjE3qbWZxxL54cPD-a_PFQqO-ydA8NDTWIsMfezYvscCEk4m2Ujy4m_xwJzksSSJRwyCaueL-ETJrSXBXwe_mQjSahMQklEIxEIIAS7tbmo47U/s0/self+worth.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">In1988
I scheduled my first trip to Israel. A
celebration of the state of Israel as a nation for forty years filled the
air. I got all turned around that first
day I arrived in Jerusalem and decided to sit in the park and catch my
breath. I pulled out a map and tried to
figure out the best way to my hotel. The
nicest gentlemen approached me and helped me.
Men in this culture do not even let their eyes fall on a woman let alone
talk to one. The same thing happened a
week later when I checked out of my hotel room!
Being the Sabbath, I didn’t expect the man in the Shabbat elevator with
me to even look at me, yet he was kind and courteous to engage in conversation
as our cage automatically stopped on every floor as we descended to the parking
garage. Upon exiting, he helped me
unload my luggage. Unbelievable! These
two kind men were not religious Jews, I guess.
Refreshing!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">I
thought about this memory today when I studied the Samaritan Woman in the
gospel of John. Some say she went to the
well to draw water in the heat of the Noon day so as not to endure the wrath
and criticism of the morning shift of women who worked early while it was
cool. The Samaritan was a loose lady
with a huge wound in her soul. Then she
met Jesus. Why would a Jew talk to a Samaritan? They never did that! Surprise, surprise! I know how she feels.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">My
favorite part comes next when she challenges him after he asks for a drink. How are you going to drink from this fresh
spring water well? You don’t even have a
bucket. Jesus goes on with clues. “If only you knew what God can give you. You would ask and I would give you living
water and you would never thirst again.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Such
a nice way to express “I know that you are not fulfilled in life, but I have a
purpose for you.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">She
challenges further and she asks him if he thinks he’s greater than their
ancestor Jacob who established this well. His reply is the climax of the story.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">“Everyone
who drinks this water will be thirsty again.
But the water that I give is living water like a spring flowing inside
of them. It brings eternal life.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">The
woman wants this! I want this! Every
day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">The
story goes on and He asks her to bring her husband and she reveals she is not
married. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">He follows up with the brutal
truth knowing she has been married five times and the man she lives with now is
not her husband.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">She’s amazed he knows her
inside and out and she guesses he’s a prophet.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m
not getting that she felt condemned.
Somehow he offered her something so unbelievably glorious much like a
salesman who knows exactly how to read us and offer us the best. Jesus and the woman talked about worship of God and the
expected Messiah and Jesus announces that’s who He is! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">The
story goes on and I am reeled into her excitement when she leaves her water pot
and runs into town and persuades a bunch of people as she shouts "Come look. I just met the awaited
Messiah." Pretty soon they all check out for
themselves this Messiah she found and they bear witness. They all got saved.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">I,
too, just want to reach into the pages of my Bible and hug Him. Oh, to be so set free like this woman who used
to hide, but now rejoices in the truth, in the middle of the day, no less. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">I
wish my aunt could have known Jesus apart from religion. Redemption doesn’t come by doing activities,
it comes in relationship. She suffered a
promiscuous lifestyle, as well, and felt like an outcast. Her shame followed a
long life of misery and, eventually, severe mental illness set in and destroyed
her mind. She was looking for love in
one disposable lover after another, just like the Samaratin woman.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Jesus,
the true Messiah, delivers. He
saves. He’s the breakthrough of all
breakthroughs. He meets the deepest
need. In Him, nothing is missing and
nothing is broken.</span></p><p><br /></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-48718421251981737802021-05-30T11:05:00.000-07:002021-05-30T11:05:27.500-07:00The True Hero<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8y9WEtB8Z7YNVlO3YI3Kieo3X8Og_N7YeV8se0QAsTklTsjQ6mivBUScfwc98cRKmThYY_nTUTAANGeiFqq1m-sdDxX7xXPtCiwWNykWjtjpmsdsoZ2M0dMgBf1-Xno5XwqrpI4Hm63E/s2048/Die+Free.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1853" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8y9WEtB8Z7YNVlO3YI3Kieo3X8Og_N7YeV8se0QAsTklTsjQ6mivBUScfwc98cRKmThYY_nTUTAANGeiFqq1m-sdDxX7xXPtCiwWNykWjtjpmsdsoZ2M0dMgBf1-Xno5XwqrpI4Hm63E/s320/Die+Free.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Sometimes
I think I overuse the word “hero” and lessen its value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just this morning, I called my husband my
hero after he fixed our serious plumbing problem and I didn’t have to cancel
our Memorial Day cookout.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
live in an older manufactured home, the kind with anemic drain pipes smaller
than site-built homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When grease and
residue accumulate, we have a sorry mess on our hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today, after hours of boiling water and using
drainage snakes, we ended up worse than when we first began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our double kitchen sink and also our
vegetable-island sink backed up with yucky water that refused to go down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
felt exhausted and out of options; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
told the husband I am ready to call and cancel our plans and gather all the
food for grilling and stick it in the freezer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He wouldn’t hear of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He got
dressed for battle with his tools in hand and his protective work jumpsuit
taped at the hands and ankles to prevent black widow and other critter encounters
as he crawled under the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I prayed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Within a half hour, he completed the dirty job and I was back in
business cleaning my kitchen as I threw his battle gear in the washing machine
while he showered.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">He
is my hero!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
few weeks ago, I watched several speakers share patriotic messages at the
Health and Freedom Conference in Tulsa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One speaker, a chiropractic doctor from California known as the “Marine
with a Megaphone,” set me straight when he described the meaning of a true
hero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are his words:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Heroes
aren’t found catching footballs, wearing shoulder pads and spandex, kneeling in
the end zone, kneeling at the American flag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They’re found blazing into war, martyred by bullets, holding their
friend’s remains in their hands, missing Christmases, missing their
firstborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the real heroes.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Cordie Williams<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
Memorial Day I get to enjoy a cookout with loved ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I get to celebrate freedom and protection
granted to me by my constitutional rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thank you, true heroes in all armed forces for giving your very lives
for that freedom. Thank you to their families for their sacrifice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today I celebrate you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-35300034457487526122021-04-22T21:00:00.001-07:002021-04-22T21:05:53.050-07:00World Changing Women <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVY4jud0nx8OY4GPm4ln-9Iv44F74Nlhagu2VV5EdOhYbwnQ6nAVUF23_xKgcPgajdd4hPamg_gmlxZkkP2d8cij51Ggt2CTSHpHIfyS2cAV08UrQgKtkKbufX1kQKNSL3QgFMDb314k/s1935/Prov+16_9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1935" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXVY4jud0nx8OY4GPm4ln-9Iv44F74Nlhagu2VV5EdOhYbwnQ6nAVUF23_xKgcPgajdd4hPamg_gmlxZkkP2d8cij51Ggt2CTSHpHIfyS2cAV08UrQgKtkKbufX1kQKNSL3QgFMDb314k/s320/Prov+16_9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">It
felt great to get out of the house today.
</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">Amy reminded me our close friend, Gwen, turns another year older this
week and we need to celebrate.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">I
hunted in my stash for the perfect card to drop into the bag of gifts for the birthday
girl.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">I found a funny one with gawky
women, arms around each other, typical girlfriends celebrating together!</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">I placed it in the cute shopping bag with items Amy collected because no one knows Gwen like Amy.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">We gathered the home-baked chocolate chip
cookies we made with fresh pecans and Carmel-filled chocolates which we added to the cookie
dough for richness and decadence and placed them in a decorative red tin.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">A </span><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;">perfect mid-seventy, sunny spring day counter-balanced with cool breezes </span><span style="font-size: 21.3333px;">heightened</span><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> our mood as we drove to Sedona where Gwen lives.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">I
balanced that shiny bright red cookie tin on my lap protecting it like it was filled with bars of gold.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">It
took Gwen what seemed like forever to dig into her gift bag. She meticulously lifted out colorful tissue-wrapped items such as handmade soaps Amy designed using a variety of her essential oils. Hard candies of any kind put a smile on Gwen’s face and we tossed in a giant-sized Hershey bar, too, for those pick-me-up moments. My favorite, a cute
little pot with a daisy flower, danced happily to solar light when placed by
the window. Gwen carried the shiny red
tin to the kitchen table where we munched on cookies with gusto and girlfriend giggles while we shared stories together. We women and our stories! </span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">This
is where my story gets interesting.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">Gwen
and I work out together or should I say “use to” before she lost Jack at
Christmas. Now she fills her days with tying the loose ends of his business, traveling, and, of course, mourning. Then I went
in for surgery for my foot. We will get back in the groove soon and motivate each other to good health. But for now, we’re sedentary
in our quiet spaces.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">Have
you ever heard of Dress a Girl around the World? Gwen likes to sew and retrieved a box with
seventeen dresses of bright colors and sizes she’s been working on for the
Sedona chapter of the organization. During
our visit, she got a call from this group to confirm a pickup of sewn dresses
and a drop off of more fabric. I reached
into my purse and got my phone to photograph her handiwork before it went out
for its purpose, to bless little girls.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRa6p8vOxDrwVs4yKmSvHEwmZeZ1-OVTsdZahN6cTZy-XIfnGy0KDhGqzQ9sa-KA991DUH1GUbXSLgM6XjvGAM8WZ_m2nBkeGofGPuwKlBVmzlPq5GShVQvXyEbJPQT13jh_jZfGoFm0/s2048/Bl+Pockets.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRa6p8vOxDrwVs4yKmSvHEwmZeZ1-OVTsdZahN6cTZy-XIfnGy0KDhGqzQ9sa-KA991DUH1GUbXSLgM6XjvGAM8WZ_m2nBkeGofGPuwKlBVmzlPq5GShVQvXyEbJPQT13jh_jZfGoFm0/s320/Bl+Pockets.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwDsKZdmA5aW0HLCciuL15owemjrwWYaXqTAFHJSdhUzaEL4gGVnQPBocvpHnegDuk2KkqQ9EGiEGSoOFXt37f0wWwuBFhjWLPnp7aK97Nw76P99YYju3dh0cj_iDeY7eo9upTRxnYVs/s2048/green.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1311" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwDsKZdmA5aW0HLCciuL15owemjrwWYaXqTAFHJSdhUzaEL4gGVnQPBocvpHnegDuk2KkqQ9EGiEGSoOFXt37f0wWwuBFhjWLPnp7aK97Nw76P99YYju3dh0cj_iDeY7eo9upTRxnYVs/s320/green.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnkoomeylZKGZzlgR09laUPR31pJkiPb4RkF370WlmA4NlVbKEtDLqOo8xPSELkyZRAWkjAVumqtQ_j8gcqaRp0F-YtVjlAdWPmYX0689aAy4f6G56acYCy7MbvVuyxoZ4LAXz0DqPrg/s2048/blue+dress.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivnkoomeylZKGZzlgR09laUPR31pJkiPb4RkF370WlmA4NlVbKEtDLqOo8xPSELkyZRAWkjAVumqtQ_j8gcqaRp0F-YtVjlAdWPmYX0689aAy4f6G56acYCy7MbvVuyxoZ4LAXz0DqPrg/s320/blue+dress.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">The motto of this group believes every girl deserves at least
one dress. The mission started with two
women and an idea. One had an abundance
of pillow cases and the other traveled to Uganda. Today, this dress project reaches into 81
countries. Dresses are sewn to a
specific pattern with a label sewn into
the front of the dress with hopes to deter child sex traffic.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmsN7BhfEulE5qYSOJE7PssG4EOqTikRl_xYV8qg1fzjNzEBRRABf9GCGtVDZ7DPD0awaZ78Msrm6YrFBPMGnCOEY3AXGHEYdrUWv0CzTbHLWIf9S50bBrw4XY00y7ueQo4W-zpbkJRQ/s2048/label.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmsN7BhfEulE5qYSOJE7PssG4EOqTikRl_xYV8qg1fzjNzEBRRABf9GCGtVDZ7DPD0awaZ78Msrm6YrFBPMGnCOEY3AXGHEYdrUWv0CzTbHLWIf9S50bBrw4XY00y7ueQo4W-zpbkJRQ/s320/label.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">Amy
placed Gwen’s box of dresses on the dining room table and we ladies gathered in
prayer. “Lord, thank you for Gwen’s
passion to sew these dresses and we ask that when each girl wears them, she
will feel pretty, your love, your protection and feel cloaked in your safety. We are heavy hearted and give you our burden
for victims of child sex trafficking.
Expose this evil and apprehend the violators who cause such pain. Send your angels to heal these little girls,
body soul and spirit, and fill them with the joy of your salvation. Thank you for hearing our prayer.”</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">I
opened my eyes to Gwen’s tears. We all
had a good cry, hugged each other tightly and basked in the love God gives
girlfriends who do life together. These
are the refreshing times which carry us back into our homes and offices; pick us
up where we left off in our resolve to be world changers. God establishes our steps to make a difference in this
world whether we struggle in our bodies or mourn our losses. Sometimes all we need is an idea. </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZkv-jf1Dcnf33BmtQHUDm4aQJZbTj5ehCzjkShGkzQdyPT4T2hLFAIo0oC4c82Y6pf71Ayvc83_oQmHl_FXgxJmkxZxf6UyD-wIHq8okVUaabOd_8i1KVHF7bt9dqpdJYhbH02dCwhA/s2048/Girlfriends.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1885" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVZkv-jf1Dcnf33BmtQHUDm4aQJZbTj5ehCzjkShGkzQdyPT4T2hLFAIo0oC4c82Y6pf71Ayvc83_oQmHl_FXgxJmkxZxf6UyD-wIHq8okVUaabOd_8i1KVHF7bt9dqpdJYhbH02dCwhA/s320/Girlfriends.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;">If
you are interested in learning more about Dress a Girl around the World, you
can research details <a href="https://www.dressagirlaroundtheworld.com/">here</a>. </span></p><p><br /></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-65328787131767883192021-04-14T17:41:00.000-07:002021-04-14T17:41:27.395-07:00The Pie Surprise<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4b7Q6923U0H3yl20cApj1K0sv9-Vwd-EXcfx1769akk9NVuCvfQqIdOkDruedTVMe8aW5cCL4qoKB-kd-eSqPn9je_ic1vCpzFKCwH-kYvOJuOPCHbro1JUAf4CILfaYaFq3UnjvZXEI/s2048/sweet+pot+Pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4b7Q6923U0H3yl20cApj1K0sv9-Vwd-EXcfx1769akk9NVuCvfQqIdOkDruedTVMe8aW5cCL4qoKB-kd-eSqPn9je_ic1vCpzFKCwH-kYvOJuOPCHbro1JUAf4CILfaYaFq3UnjvZXEI/s320/sweet+pot+Pie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">A
brother blogger inspired me to make a sweet potato pie today after I read his
account of a dessert he made for his wife to surprise her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His hilarious navigation through the order of
ingredients kept me laughing especially when he carefully fluted the pie crust edge
and then added the liquid filling but forgot to include the mashed sweet
potatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He hurried to the oven but
could only save the sugar liquid from the failed pie crust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, he made extra pastry to redeem
his creation.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Last
night, I looked at my bowl of vegetables and spotted two lone sweet
potatoes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Why not?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
took his suggestion to make pie crust from scratch using famous chef, Melissa
Clark’s recipe <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/3-how-to-make-a-pie-crust">here</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I whipped up a batch and
went to bed trusting the ball of pastry will roll out like a gem in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the husband awoke, I summoned him to the
kitchen to help me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all,
professional baker is one of his titles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I lined up all the ingredients on the kitchen island, minus the
rum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“So you want to experiment with
this guy’s recipe but leave out the rum?” he asked.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Why
would I buy rum for only two tablespoons?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My reasoning left him in a quandary as he imagined finishing the
leftover bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Men!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To compromise, I found a brand new rum
extract in my spice cabinet.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Baking
together turned out to be the very thing to pull me out of the doldrums.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel restless as the nerves in my operated
toes come to life and tell me they oppose this foreign object in my body so
they pinch me sometimes when I walk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just two more weeks and the wire to straighten my second toe will be
removed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m tired of reading and
sorting through old photos with an elevated foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tell myself to hang in there; I’m almost to
the finish line.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maybe
I should have bought that bottle of rum after all.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2ecdk3eIcgs0w32jpcCkoj6tN1sCDUbTn9_apH0W3-nSczQf_d4WMpUL017NZh77dgfjHWjDmcgNVnOIg160DJI_Rm01QlxtayxA5AFKVHubfMegmJvSopEIec0ALEItQ80bnxq14Sw/s2048/pie+maker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2ecdk3eIcgs0w32jpcCkoj6tN1sCDUbTn9_apH0W3-nSczQf_d4WMpUL017NZh77dgfjHWjDmcgNVnOIg160DJI_Rm01QlxtayxA5AFKVHubfMegmJvSopEIec0ALEItQ80bnxq14Sw/s320/pie+maker.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">By
the way, regarding the pie; this fella’s recipe should win a prize. I’ll make it again. I’ve saved it <a href="http://manyrecipes371.blogspot.com/2021/04/sweet-potato-pie.html">here</a>. And he was right to suggest the crust from
scratch. Leave it to a blogger to give
one the best research. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-39713182716305511352021-04-06T17:26:00.000-07:002021-04-06T17:26:01.265-07:00Too Much of a Good Thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNV8YxjJ00vSQJ4jzA4dlL4913bBrh_TtxgStITi1QbcMQBKOE9NL3GfkxD42eW8C6xgU4-zbM7BhUwqrkt8dGlBxWT75zT-6VZLDOI0F5X11RxqGdVjlP1cM69k8oZmaV4FgY_3BBSIM/s1500/A+Mexican+Vacation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNV8YxjJ00vSQJ4jzA4dlL4913bBrh_TtxgStITi1QbcMQBKOE9NL3GfkxD42eW8C6xgU4-zbM7BhUwqrkt8dGlBxWT75zT-6VZLDOI0F5X11RxqGdVjlP1cM69k8oZmaV4FgY_3BBSIM/s320/A+Mexican+Vacation.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">A pile of old
photos lay in heaps on my bedside table. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Some slip out of album pages where sticky backing
tape once held them in place.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Some are
so discolored, people look like purple shadows.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">A project of this size fits right in to my life now since I can’t be on my feet much
after foot surgery three weeks ago.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I’ve
got another three weeks of rest so I’ll work on things which keep my foot
elevated and my mind active.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Things like
shredding sensitive files, reading, creating greeting cards, and
reorganizing years of photos.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">My children laugh
at my pictures with mile high hairdos, outdated clothing styles and fun
memories of their earlier years!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Bulging
bags of photos sit ready to distribute to my girls, my siblings, and my
niece.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">These wonderful memories of
family gatherings, past Christmas times, and travel provide an incredible high
for me during recovery.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Photos
tell stories. The album currently on my
lap dates back to 1995. Tom and I decided to get away to Mexico. Our
youngest, a junior in high school at that time, studied like crazy to earn a
scholarship as she dreamed of college life.
Our oldest attended nursing school, and worked to save for her upcoming
wedding. It was the time in our lives
when our self-sufficient daughters managed well on their own and we took off to
have fun.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Close
friends joined us and we three couples boarded a plane from Phoenix, Arizona to
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We stayed in a
posh hotel on the ocean, and enjoyed boating, scuba diving, dinner and dancing
as well as sightseeing.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
can still taste the salty bacon in my breakfast egg dish the morning we stopped to eat in a cute little outdoor café we discovered in town. One of the guys, Robert, and I ordered a bacon omelet. I remember
how we all strolled through the stores after breakfast. I asked him, “Hey, Robert, was your omelet
filled with more bacon than eggs?” He
replied: “Yes! Seemed like bacon overkill!”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Funny how those first
few bites of the omelet tasted divine but about six bites later, it almost
annoyed me. Sometimes too much of a good
thing leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Excessiveness!</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1o_p0P9nRS9a0di8-ed6MgJWWCHEGQwo0oj7B6kTzcqcWqSSY_Fk-B2K1QXtmh092chcevtF8dyKpjN3Hd4fMgoF3p7-CgjpjD4u79prgVmlmkD3rqo9hPw2Np3Ba1q_i2dk55bs-bmQ/s1750/Scanned+Picture+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1o_p0P9nRS9a0di8-ed6MgJWWCHEGQwo0oj7B6kTzcqcWqSSY_Fk-B2K1QXtmh092chcevtF8dyKpjN3Hd4fMgoF3p7-CgjpjD4u79prgVmlmkD3rqo9hPw2Np3Ba1q_i2dk55bs-bmQ/s320/Scanned+Picture+7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBeKg-tzBScJmNj8mIJ_4mON_IThZIL5wu_g2HPuZaIm9FfWNt2XKaO28gu2hXgnJiaf_LH9o-KmbbkhOTGsEFLmOKlUfV5rzTRQVsnckyR4rSrrEJk2F0jlmHKlwZTvV6NXJgWDs_rA/s317/hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="235" data-original-width="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBeKg-tzBScJmNj8mIJ_4mON_IThZIL5wu_g2HPuZaIm9FfWNt2XKaO28gu2hXgnJiaf_LH9o-KmbbkhOTGsEFLmOKlUfV5rzTRQVsnckyR4rSrrEJk2F0jlmHKlwZTvV6NXJgWDs_rA/s0/hotel.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcAVyXBfTZ7IZHL4fE6Ih96JxGLhclGh6tlhkUTzJ-Zj4sS-p4zZWWd6ajhumouR1Iq8KRLWqnI3bbCvIJ5bKGW7Dt0NDLeMYRDH6ddayEDRTqaHaKfukDpecCBnRG7fCK_e9uEfCEhw/s507/boating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcAVyXBfTZ7IZHL4fE6Ih96JxGLhclGh6tlhkUTzJ-Zj4sS-p4zZWWd6ajhumouR1Iq8KRLWqnI3bbCvIJ5bKGW7Dt0NDLeMYRDH6ddayEDRTqaHaKfukDpecCBnRG7fCK_e9uEfCEhw/s320/boating.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Currently,
I’m studying the books of Numbers and Exodus with a few girlfriends on line. The lessons ring true of our human nature to complain. God provided manna in the
wilderness, yet the children of Israel wanted quail. They got it alright, until they were up to
their ears in it! With them it's quail; with me it's bacon! When it comes to excessiveness, I think of a saying my Tom especially likes: “I
pity the man that is so poor that all he has is money.” Isn’t that profound? It makes one think.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
had to look up the word satiety when I read a quote by Hryboril Skovoroda. It means indulgence. “Satiety follows excessiveness; boredom
follows the satiety. Both lead to mental
illness.” Do you agree? The quote seems, well, a little excessive!</span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I
like this quote by Gary Zukav:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_VQzfoGE8LuxJJkYigZ0RMjyjoba8U_VpFzBG8SZpQ1RsHuhKPVnITJ4vQF-9ZKjPmxPmNyf2fxKfWAiiZ8h_pJXB6xEywGD1E2BB_BnXjEC6YFQuzxYWjZLR98yI6GXXMsh-mdhjFQ/s1166/Blog+Header+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA_VQzfoGE8LuxJJkYigZ0RMjyjoba8U_VpFzBG8SZpQ1RsHuhKPVnITJ4vQF-9ZKjPmxPmNyf2fxKfWAiiZ8h_pJXB6xEywGD1E2BB_BnXjEC6YFQuzxYWjZLR98yI6GXXMsh-mdhjFQ/s320/Blog+Header+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Looking
back through the old 1995 album today reminded me of the beautiful paradise in
Mexico I have treasured over the years we stayed there.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Indeed, Puerto Vallarta is our happy place.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">There are lots of memories I could write
about as I flip the pages of these old photo albums.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">You just may see more of me in the coming
days.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I may write about special memories these old photos document.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">This
blog is, in fact, dedicated to my children.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">You never know; my scripted words may catch their eye someday and they will
understand what their mother cultivated and felt.</span></p><p><br /></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-71649679120054415892021-02-19T10:58:00.000-07:002021-02-19T10:58:33.413-07:00You Are Loved!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgQq1rM1PwzXrweWySH8pHv5kWa68UEk0dfNUa3JMRpqLdRw1VfRAn_7nYgzwfrOk9hAdLWkFbLNl4kCPcN15x4fLnPjNpteEnxXCOrASDGegOBgY0DSdbBBR2iA8kCG4zv3LyqoKlEg/s2048/Blue+Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1462" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYgQq1rM1PwzXrweWySH8pHv5kWa68UEk0dfNUa3JMRpqLdRw1VfRAn_7nYgzwfrOk9hAdLWkFbLNl4kCPcN15x4fLnPjNpteEnxXCOrASDGegOBgY0DSdbBBR2iA8kCG4zv3LyqoKlEg/s320/Blue+Love.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My mom use to comfort us and cater to us when we
kids got sick. I have memories of her
taking my temperature and asking me if I craved anything specific to eat. She would fix whatever I wanted and it didn’t
take me long to capitalize on her offers; I opted for my favorite
foods, craving or not. These times were special times and Mom delivered my order on a tray for my lap while I recovered because, after all, it was all about me. I still do that with my family. Sometimes the body reveals what food
component it needs by a longing for what is missing in the diet. Or, maybe what you crave is comfort itself! That goes for emotions too. Do you ever need a hug and ask for one? Or, have you thought of someone you miss when,
lo and behold, you get a phone call or email from them?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve been praying about a decision I’ve recently
made with a course of action I am taking.
Mostly, I feel confident as I proceed.
Yesterday, however, I needed encouragement. I stopped and asked the Lord what He thinks
about my progress. I got the bright idea
to petition Him expecting feedback. Guess what?
He delivered!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My morning prayer went something like this: “Am I on the right track? If I’m not, will you correct me with a
Scripture or by someone’s words, etc?
But if “we’re good” on this, can you somehow encourage me? Don’t let me miss your answer! I got in my car, left my home and drove to
another town just over the mountain totally forgetting about my Morning Prayer
time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">God did not forget.
It happened at a stop light later that afternoon. While waiting for the light to change so I
could make a left turn, my eye caught the banner with bold letters, “You Are
Loved.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6VpmRwgHP4BhrWz-wz6ziOdMxLbhxYHkelj8W0mka7AfoTgZcDyafWEcyVkJixpXDynREqJBm-Xn2a2JHmASF60TGLaddqH-QmQ_avPV0IhXXL0V_P-rr1GJdeaHk42gaOhWDsHZ4b4/s2048/Loved.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1586" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6VpmRwgHP4BhrWz-wz6ziOdMxLbhxYHkelj8W0mka7AfoTgZcDyafWEcyVkJixpXDynREqJBm-Xn2a2JHmASF60TGLaddqH-QmQ_avPV0IhXXL0V_P-rr1GJdeaHk42gaOhWDsHZ4b4/s320/Loved.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">That’s for me!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I zoomed in with my camera and focused on that banner, a good 80 feet in
the distance, and thought to myself:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">“I’ve
got to capture this just in case someone else needs to be encouraged today.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> Come evening</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">, I followed through and put
the grainy picture on social media with a caption:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Do we ever get tired of hearing we are loved?”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Judging by the comments, it seems we all want
to be reminded.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Perhaps someone reading this today could use a good word of encouragement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If so, I’ve done my job!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Take it! </span>You are loved. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For God
so loved the world, He sent His one and only son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John 3:16.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><br /><p></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-58258740975482387732021-01-31T10:44:00.002-07:002021-01-31T10:44:31.299-07:00A Birthday Present<p class="MsoNoSpacing"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HBdfy9jxGgPd7dM0NPao5q0YyCLsHWOXs9tYXtfS0vtiBc3vN9zKOLBhJIoatSwuoxb2_ZrJt40B8uC-g8E4l4adrcmw-yXDx3VM88iqV10NhOi_8GXW-h9jH-wF0VsqbgwRkjCUjzs/s2048/eph+cake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HBdfy9jxGgPd7dM0NPao5q0YyCLsHWOXs9tYXtfS0vtiBc3vN9zKOLBhJIoatSwuoxb2_ZrJt40B8uC-g8E4l4adrcmw-yXDx3VM88iqV10NhOi_8GXW-h9jH-wF0VsqbgwRkjCUjzs/s320/eph+cake.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We
seniors aren’t especially fond of tacking on another year when a birthday rolls
around. Our fragile body parts remind us
we are no longer invincible. My calendar
tells me I need a tooth restored, surgery on two toes and removal of cataracts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Today
is my birthday. I woke up this morning thinking
of ways to grow old gracefully but switched to thoughts of thanksgiving and,
why not? I have been blessed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">My
family arrived on Friday. Joyous faces
filled my home along with fun food, laughter, games and lots of rich birthday
cake. This bunch is a party in
themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Actually,
my birthday celebration began last week.
The husband invited me to drive up to the mountains with him and have
lunch in our favorite town. With appetites satisfied, he dropped me off at the mall with a generous gift card and told me what
every woman loves to hear: “Take your
time!” That’s where I discovered a
birthday present I wanted with all my heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">While
shopping, I accidentally backed into a perfume display and hit the
jackpot. Amazing Grace! I discovered this light scent last year and
bookmarked it in my brain as a must have.
But, it’s pricey. I grabbed a
bottle.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Amazing
Grace in its pale pink pretty packaging reigns top of the list this year when
it comes to birthday presents. Also, it confirms
my 2021 word from the Lord: grace! I’ll
be digging in my Bible with hopes to learn the accurate meaning of God’s amazing
grace. Not the phony, copycat
definitions of favor. God’s Word, my
benchmark for truth, will help me figure it out.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p><p> <span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Amazing
Grace Perfume’s manufacturer, Philosophy, spews gibberish about this gem on the
box.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The message talks of life’s ups and
downs and a need for grace to be able to make it through the day.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">But there’s a better philosophy; it dates
back 2,000 years when Jesus made a way to God’s throne for believers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The Cross, A
Perfect Way<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The
reason grace is so amazing is because I can’t earn it.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">I can’t buy it.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">It is freely given from a Savior who laid
down His life so I can be forgiven and access Heaven.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Every morning when I spray a lavish mist of
Amazing Grace and dance wholly into it, I will remember God’s great gift to me.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Oh Lord, help me to remember to give grace freely
to others as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Tomorrow
my family will leave, every opened and read birthday card will be filed away
and the cake will be a distant memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, the best gift-- Amazing Grace—lives on in sweet salvation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-51028243397520548972020-11-24T18:23:00.000-07:002020-11-24T18:23:20.835-07:00Twists and Turns<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK-iZz5vNC5IYzdqRQS3yK1bR_Z24X4yW3gjPzIZ2R_fcP11nopPwbQeadDH86LbOsr2mGo6hyphenhyphenqp9jvXdkgaug100QHKSq_ndUnDuDefGBcSC0vF_IQJhaGRj3uVT2oAEABBOrMdGInw/s2048/fall%252720.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEK-iZz5vNC5IYzdqRQS3yK1bR_Z24X4yW3gjPzIZ2R_fcP11nopPwbQeadDH86LbOsr2mGo6hyphenhyphenqp9jvXdkgaug100QHKSq_ndUnDuDefGBcSC0vF_IQJhaGRj3uVT2oAEABBOrMdGInw/s320/fall%252720.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">It’s
funny now when I look back to our drive home from Tucson yesterday how the upbeat
sermon we heard along the way prepared us for what we would face.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">My
daughter, Amy, told me: “You can drive
home with me, mom, but you’re going to have to listen to Joel Osteen,
okay?” I replied: “I am totally on board with it!”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Joel’s
sermon reminded us about those twists and turns which come along in life and how God will
get us to our destination as long as we trust and follow His lead. Osteen used examples from his actor friend who taught him sometimes the best movies we watch are not filmed in sequence. The last scene might be filmed first. Surely, God sees the end result as we face challenges and He can get us to finish well just like a good movie!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The CD just about
ended when we noticed the lull in traffic on the interstate highway. Why were cars exiting in Chandler just before
we headed into Phoenix? In a few miles
we came to a complete stop. My GPS
showed a traffic accident ahead which closed down the interstate indefinitely! We
decided to maneuver the truck onto the opposite oncoming traffic and turn off in
Chandler too! Lots of twists and turns
followed as we chose another route taking us through Phoenix to get back onto
the interstate. Hours later, we landed back on track heading north to home. We laughed as we lived that sermon! We got home eventually, a little harried but
safe nonetheless! </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">I wish you all a Happy
Thanksgiving this week. </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Our
family gathered at our younger daughter’s new home in Tucson over the weekend to celebrate early this year to
accommodate work schedules. We prepared
a big turkey dinner which is always a lot of work and clean up but as my
daughter said: “When you sit down to eat
dinner and taste all the wonderful family recipes handed down through the years, it's worth all the effort.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">My
husband, an only child, grew up with cousins.
We were blessed to have his cousin with us along with his wife,
all the way from New Mexico. They're still an integral part of our lives.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;">We
all arrived on different days over the long weekend, left back for home on different days, but everyone stayed safe despite the twists and turns!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">“Don’t let the
twists, the turns,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The things that
don’t make sense cause you<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">To get discouraged.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Keep moving
forward.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Joel
Osteen<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6gaJw-Zj2kLd2pLnK-Rq4O8LDVME1DgXwDP58C9Aoab7WV7SSAP9Ehpm2bIUwRNQzGhlCmsLpq54ULzaGa68swmJ41ycw7fclJlfjq_FJL_n_RrMTtLTbqAh1N71dES0UG23YKAjmjs/s2048/aprons.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1444" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6gaJw-Zj2kLd2pLnK-Rq4O8LDVME1DgXwDP58C9Aoab7WV7SSAP9Ehpm2bIUwRNQzGhlCmsLpq54ULzaGa68swmJ41ycw7fclJlfjq_FJL_n_RrMTtLTbqAh1N71dES0UG23YKAjmjs/s320/aprons.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_Ena3TUUoaGcjWatoRKwHBBZtHusXduHPXJblPkkqCdex1_b6VHpuY5F83cgeRLdp0ZtmHqSSfqRVKkOWxIJoVKyCWOV5za4BgQkR2NoeXrpcpgn2-65lSXbLT4_1m2iraSipI8zl_c/s2048/challah.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1559" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_Ena3TUUoaGcjWatoRKwHBBZtHusXduHPXJblPkkqCdex1_b6VHpuY5F83cgeRLdp0ZtmHqSSfqRVKkOWxIJoVKyCWOV5za4BgQkR2NoeXrpcpgn2-65lSXbLT4_1m2iraSipI8zl_c/s320/challah.png" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqO5jLuMijFJ1RZyCFX6JIDzRncZZzW28u1blsAxMni-a1sHteJYDAcBCGbnqiS_ySCLVGoeaSq3J0Nmc7wKRRm8agcaEyi0kkisA3xoHJkwsJJ5MHlBEQd92ow67cOSq8loVZlwqWDHM/s2000/Thanks-collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqO5jLuMijFJ1RZyCFX6JIDzRncZZzW28u1blsAxMni-a1sHteJYDAcBCGbnqiS_ySCLVGoeaSq3J0Nmc7wKRRm8agcaEyi0kkisA3xoHJkwsJJ5MHlBEQd92ow67cOSq8loVZlwqWDHM/s320/Thanks-collage.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheWYSKPFwVzfM-FzYnuHyh9hmaJHTM82cUau0pL4FWAdPJfE3GMn_kXVqHGb6pBqbQaY8MOJzWsW-oTVF7kfIVzV82YD_7b86X5KAvg5J7rIuRx0jxOfjBACeVRf56540hD0b7t50dgQ/s2048/guys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiheWYSKPFwVzfM-FzYnuHyh9hmaJHTM82cUau0pL4FWAdPJfE3GMn_kXVqHGb6pBqbQaY8MOJzWsW-oTVF7kfIVzV82YD_7b86X5KAvg5J7rIuRx0jxOfjBACeVRf56540hD0b7t50dgQ/s320/guys.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXm_Wy7eq50BrUa5U9yBQhFmBXSznLfrUN8KozQ9rvgRe12MJupA66z3G7sca_OsG892YHWZZurOj3-qFK3qbz_q7AIBh9mhBqlWWjw2tlOMRMuGGRSGN0RrjvQj0TkaC1eYCx1RvfUbY/s2048/kitchen+humor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1493" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXm_Wy7eq50BrUa5U9yBQhFmBXSznLfrUN8KozQ9rvgRe12MJupA66z3G7sca_OsG892YHWZZurOj3-qFK3qbz_q7AIBh9mhBqlWWjw2tlOMRMuGGRSGN0RrjvQj0TkaC1eYCx1RvfUbY/s320/kitchen+humor.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXp679C51J9n-nhaSWmhbb3B7y4zI7XEeB0TZ70_kH4L63xo2MsYDIlPD09MG1DDH83MG234dz5TRmHYM8tRn3fy79Te-DRm3jJHw-06Pb_2aIMR2koEKj3Tww0pTs4XK07dNe06wCGGA/s2048/Thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXp679C51J9n-nhaSWmhbb3B7y4zI7XEeB0TZ70_kH4L63xo2MsYDIlPD09MG1DDH83MG234dz5TRmHYM8tRn3fy79Te-DRm3jJHw-06Pb_2aIMR2koEKj3Tww0pTs4XK07dNe06wCGGA/s320/Thanksgiving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-918444025925082762020-11-11T12:31:00.001-07:002020-11-11T20:43:48.533-07:00Don't Whine; Get a Spine!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jjtj8hTs4T_ZOJd3p5K-p7Oj91ab_ycfTq15lTtGNTnUSvWfnQwNjJzRwWApizw9cOt1BDYdOHvIFXLTRevk_VKSWcu0FWoqEpSNH6sBgJYZtGeRUdAls1JxzInkU5HZuSvVz2jH5ak/s1599/Spine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1599" data-original-width="1513" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jjtj8hTs4T_ZOJd3p5K-p7Oj91ab_ycfTq15lTtGNTnUSvWfnQwNjJzRwWApizw9cOt1BDYdOHvIFXLTRevk_VKSWcu0FWoqEpSNH6sBgJYZtGeRUdAls1JxzInkU5HZuSvVz2jH5ak/s320/Spine.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">“All Americans
need to ‘step up’<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">And get to the
bottom of election malpractices.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Gen. Flynn<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">I
like the question we discussed in our prayer meeting. How should a Christian respond to the chaos
in our American election? An astute intercessor explained it by using her own story.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Have
you ever been scammed?”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">She then went on
to describe her roller coaster emotions when she got taken big time in a rental
property situation.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">“I paid a first
rental payment plus a deposit and then I learned my new place is not
vacant.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Another renter lives there with
a lease that extends well passed my move-in date.”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">She met the true landlord and learned he was
different from her original contact.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">She’d been scammed by an operation that ran smooth as ice.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">How
did this Christian woman react?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Anger
toppled her emotions and rightfully so!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The scammer stole her hard-earned money as well as her new dwelling. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">After contacting the police and choosing to
prosecute with a jail sentence, she signed up with a local news channel to expose
the scam.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Again,
she asked us:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">“How should a Christian
respond to the chaos in our American election?”</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Consider
these facts:</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">*70,000,000
Americans remain outraged by the befouled election.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">*Fake
mainstream media propaganda spews lies to its subscribers and calls for an
election devoid of proper constitutional laws.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">*Ballot
corruption at the polls reveal evidence of dead people voting, illegal votes,
and other mischief. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">*Censorship
of true facts dominates social media.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">*Whistleblowers
and hundreds of witnesses’ submit documentation on their phones of voter fraud.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We
the people, patriots of the U.S. Constitution of our democratic republic, will
not accept this. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We abhor liberal
socialism and communism, abortion and new world order government.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We choose God, freedom and our country.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">When our country, founded on a system where
we the people get to express our voice, find that our voice has been stolen through cheating, our emotions rage! </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We
are angry.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Our votes have been snatched by
a corrupt system that wants to take down our president.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">This no longer is about two political
parties.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">It is spiritual warfare.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">A
few days ago, a liberal woman, low on factual knowledge, tried to convince me
that many Republicans did not vote for Nationalist President Trump this time
but turned to the Socialist Democrat Party and voted for Vice-Pres. Biden, she
being one of them.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I surmise that by emphasis on her vote, she would educate me.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Yet her facts were wrong.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">With a lick of common sense, one can compare
the average republican rally, five per week of more than 10,000 people in
attendance, to the democrat lean rallies of less than 50 people when they did
occasionally meet.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Liberal media refused
to show the president’s rallies in full crowd stature so why wouldn’t this gullible
gal take the bait and think both crowds equal?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">No research.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">No truth.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RLnaLaDK5UKDZ9lWRtQ7N90ePjX2kScyu5JHqdRsjMIZ_SxdxmmFJTHH6rnw9W0y10W4ulHQFj6o6PeO6GfBpObMr_r1qDxabecG-Z8pV6jT3EZkYOuYnPSban1XtCl6eqYLD_X9B-k/s2047/scavino+-+Copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="2047" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6RLnaLaDK5UKDZ9lWRtQ7N90ePjX2kScyu5JHqdRsjMIZ_SxdxmmFJTHH6rnw9W0y10W4ulHQFj6o6PeO6GfBpObMr_r1qDxabecG-Z8pV6jT3EZkYOuYnPSban1XtCl6eqYLD_X9B-k/s320/scavino+-+Copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">On
election night, we cheered as our president carried a red wave of voters until
his haters in the media panicked and called off the whole election! By morning, ballots for the other guy began
to appear out of nowhere! Without
following the rules of protocol, liberals crowned their guy as president. No law or order. Hmm, who authorized the media to dismiss our
constitution? </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Maybe
I should purchase a lottery ticket and use a felt marker to change the
numbers. After all, it worked for Joe
Biden!</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: center;">How Should
Christians Respond?</span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Some
Christians are awake, but not all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some
don’t want to pray feeling God is on His throne and in control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They whine and misquote Scripture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Let’s just love everybody,” the mantra of cheap
grace. I believe that God is on His throne and speaking to His children that
have ears to hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His call is not for
weakness but strength; His strength to stand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s okay to be angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been
scammed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">It’s
going to get ugly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the lawsuits
reveal the scam and take back the votes for the president, the cheaters will hate,
cry and lie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It might be a good idea to
have a few cans of food and toilet paper on hand in case we have to hunker down again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">I’ll
close with a Bible story.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Gideon started
off with an army of 22,000 men.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Lord
told him the number was too high; reduce it to 10,000.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">With still
too many, the Lord devised a scheme to reduce the army.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">Why?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">He promised His army victory but wasn’t about to let them think it would come
because of their ability.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">No, the Lord
positioned Himself to get the victory.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">He separated the men who lapped like a dog at the river for a drink from
the ones who knelt for a drink.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">The Lord
said to Gideon, “With the 300 who lapped from their hands, I will save you and
give you victory over the Midianites. The other men were sent home.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">We learn from this story in Judges 7 that God
didn’t need much.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">A small remnant and a
mighty God saved Israel that day.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">God
only needs a remnant, Christians. He
needs a few who are awake, who fear the Lord and who will engage in this war. The question to ponder is “Will I team up
with God? Pray and hear what God wants
me to do? Or will I be the one who
thinks God is on the throne; what will be, will be. One thing I know, God will get the victory in
all this election chaos. The glory will
go to God and Him alone!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">Father
God, choose me. Please don’t send me
home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14pt;">The
comment bar is removed from this post.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-87846206530320403342020-10-26T10:51:00.005-07:002020-10-27T07:04:22.606-07:00Finish the Race<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTjpRJmBMcxL13I6p0RgwB-f_8eyDgbs6iWx15yW6o4LP_IJeTS5af2BNxEjx6fbwxvTfV7wsRQ7zNiqYjbQNTjrvC6GQa4eT_FGV_K1GNBHo3NqAgRBY8yr4-ITCWZfToXfybVV3R8I/s960/grand+canyon2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhTjpRJmBMcxL13I6p0RgwB-f_8eyDgbs6iWx15yW6o4LP_IJeTS5af2BNxEjx6fbwxvTfV7wsRQ7zNiqYjbQNTjrvC6GQa4eT_FGV_K1GNBHo3NqAgRBY8yr4-ITCWZfToXfybVV3R8I/s320/grand+canyon2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br /><p><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">We’re
in the final week of a general election race in our nation. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">My spirit sags with advertisements,
propaganda lies, debates and speeches.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">My spiritual muscles ache with late night prayer
meetings, fasting and waking early feeling the nudge to pray, once again, in
authority and power for protection for America and all who love her.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">I know God’s hand is upon us.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">My part is to pray and to vote!</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Persistence
is key when it comes to getting the victory.
Here’s the definition of persistence:
firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of
difficulty or opposition!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Recently,
my friend Gail shared photos of her daredevil hike in the Grand Canyon. As I viewed her breathtaking pictures, I
remember her words. She felt worn out
and asked herself: “Why do I put myself
through this torture every year?” But
the next day, she began to plan next year’s Grand Canyon hike!</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXHatj7cfOVmDZZP4bg47tO7-b6MybTD9mvIrts4jZ9CdS5ZJXgiFqPao4yGhQmACs_wFamwClL-WAXIx-pxKk1hFI1lZhKp1L_OQj1yK7TQFIZcn8cJVjjnX_JxDhyphenhyphenJ2hvqaEyH03FA/s960/gail%2527s+hike+path.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXHatj7cfOVmDZZP4bg47tO7-b6MybTD9mvIrts4jZ9CdS5ZJXgiFqPao4yGhQmACs_wFamwClL-WAXIx-pxKk1hFI1lZhKp1L_OQj1yK7TQFIZcn8cJVjjnX_JxDhyphenhyphenJ2hvqaEyH03FA/s320/gail%2527s+hike+path.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA8CxEq9MR8A9FvHeiWtceqccLxpWfatv_AEZ5lDgZrTd3UgLQB8D-8ue6n2o_FUxzjHI2tobqxxhBYZg9FRqBwMrM36l7xEouueNFwCpJlGkybTh9B0G-uMfcLH-sPM-yrdL1gkJAGA/s960/grand+canyon1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFA8CxEq9MR8A9FvHeiWtceqccLxpWfatv_AEZ5lDgZrTd3UgLQB8D-8ue6n2o_FUxzjHI2tobqxxhBYZg9FRqBwMrM36l7xEouueNFwCpJlGkybTh9B0G-uMfcLH-sPM-yrdL1gkJAGA/s320/grand+canyon1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Our
family toured Mt. Lemmon in the Catalina Mountains last week where we inhaled
fall foliage. The 9,000 ft. mountain
offered several interesting terrains as we drove to the top. Not only did we experience the beauty of autumn,
but felt inspired when our tour guide told us an incredible story of persistence. Mrs.
Lemmon who, on her honeymoon in Tucson, Arizona, in 1881, decided to climb the
mountain with her botanist husband. It
took them a few tries. The razor sharp
cacti, snakes and mountain lions along with rocky terrain defeated them, but they reached their goal where they carved their names in a tall pine
tree at the top. No wonder they named the mountain after her! Their adventure mapped out the
existing highway we travel on now!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXz2lXjBwL6pmj1XXcwnoUylERCsO2rBIrxwzrzpTk4ckDaYs49LSU7qkq_l-VSLoIkISTDTiZTBvQk3W9ctisK53ji2esmY5lEOYOJwSfKwhXLQShMma9d5VUaL7sOyvwX28zdMuq2g/s2048/highway.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXz2lXjBwL6pmj1XXcwnoUylERCsO2rBIrxwzrzpTk4ckDaYs49LSU7qkq_l-VSLoIkISTDTiZTBvQk3W9ctisK53ji2esmY5lEOYOJwSfKwhXLQShMma9d5VUaL7sOyvwX28zdMuq2g/s320/highway.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wqmg9IWQiymQLQFjtqOrmFuS6X_cB6zLbxcQeSCUMa3yiPYg_fqlWadVE78A88TUCPosRDodWPQjogvJmbhhaRv7Oo3OxaFHDDsFS0YLpUl1bFCp6DiHXG_iil7tSXaGxovieIglSTk/s2048/view.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9wqmg9IWQiymQLQFjtqOrmFuS6X_cB6zLbxcQeSCUMa3yiPYg_fqlWadVE78A88TUCPosRDodWPQjogvJmbhhaRv7Oo3OxaFHDDsFS0YLpUl1bFCp6DiHXG_iil7tSXaGxovieIglSTk/s320/view.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHoXe3fnnmqy7VEA-t_jL-iFMdNsqJTO6_XPmIxXhYjrhPjDV7olEFDFqygKLysfC77_Rsi8U_PHWxRdRQA6rKYwoHLunb60-JurVA70ant-7fhLBCyXDi2j2JQlV9nvCVz1nUh5eXko/s2048/rocky.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheHoXe3fnnmqy7VEA-t_jL-iFMdNsqJTO6_XPmIxXhYjrhPjDV7olEFDFqygKLysfC77_Rsi8U_PHWxRdRQA6rKYwoHLunb60-JurVA70ant-7fhLBCyXDi2j2JQlV9nvCVz1nUh5eXko/s320/rocky.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8APSGeD92OHAc8ly_ZjZMK7y5MdJLrmNSFBLJDT3p9O6-TM7Mtesj6FiYiLTahYJwI71LFt-uc3rBqmSZbxdoE29wYEbn9pY87skArYqKm6b8R4T5JHupvLoCwO79CfcbXR5C9ZN92A/s2048/fall+tree.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8APSGeD92OHAc8ly_ZjZMK7y5MdJLrmNSFBLJDT3p9O6-TM7Mtesj6FiYiLTahYJwI71LFt-uc3rBqmSZbxdoE29wYEbn9pY87skArYqKm6b8R4T5JHupvLoCwO79CfcbXR5C9ZN92A/s320/fall+tree.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Persistence in
Prayer</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Verdana","sans-serif"" style="font-size: 12pt;">Prayer
would be a boring chore for me without God’s Spirit. His breath enables me to reach the finish
line. The Greek word, Pneuma, means
“breath” or “wind.” Jesus’ followers
filled the upper room in Jerusalem where they waited for that powerful breath
of the spirit in Acts 2. I know
firsthand, my flesh is weak; I cannot reach the goal in my own strength. I need the Holy Spirit to breathe on me! Today,
I am thankful for the discipline of prayer and persistence in God’s strength to
endure the race. Can you smell the
victory?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; font-size: 16pt;"> </span></p><p><br /></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6769884556887226680.post-37917565321778497622020-10-04T18:15:00.003-07:002020-10-05T05:59:45.031-07:00Regifting<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezfyfl65xSPbxKVYho4unVc4yr6KMVi_ClkK2sht2Ew8ibDreXcQmc8hxfpnCbPiiMZfqGSW5PRcYfIyn8m6xKGFfM3v9gi2pFTWTA3wCTx194plLFliKXmt4bJo7HGNpBgOmrj2LI2Y/s1472/biscotti.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1472" data-original-width="1112" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgezfyfl65xSPbxKVYho4unVc4yr6KMVi_ClkK2sht2Ew8ibDreXcQmc8hxfpnCbPiiMZfqGSW5PRcYfIyn8m6xKGFfM3v9gi2pFTWTA3wCTx194plLFliKXmt4bJo7HGNpBgOmrj2LI2Y/s320/biscotti.png" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">I have no problem receiving or giving a
regift. Just a few years back, I purchased a “like new” cookbook for
southwest grilling at a local thrift store. I wrapped it with a
pretty bow and placed it under the Christmas tree for Tom who likes to
grill. He loved it. We regift in our family sometimes,
especially books.</span></p><p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">I’m still amused that my
one daughter purchased a biography that she wanted to read; she read most of it
and wrapped it up and gave it to me for Mother’s Day with a note to pass it
back to let her finish the final chapters! Actually, we had
wonderful discussions about the author and by giving the book back, it didn’t
take up space in my library. I should mention she also enclosed a
hefty check in my Mother's Day card!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">My other daughter sent
me a photo (above) of a homemade biscotti gift she received and told me it’s
coming to me when she drops by for coffee in a few days!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 16pt;"> <b>Comatose Talents, Awaken!</b></span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></p></blockquote><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">God
given talent which lies dormant becomes a gift when it surfaces again. Tom recently replaced his struggle to learn
the guitar with his natural talent to draw.
Watercolor videos on line pique his interest. My spirit lifts when I look at the colors he
created in this turkey.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBgFb3r5aOTqAjOW_D9YzoWM-20T4CdptqGmhc452qnsY_bCXWgT9NArAd9yK0BE7jefjzJSkDL3WwCKeSUAKkPspjHRSJuJxgEq5NBnBdWiVELce2yMDuw1o_0NgxS_G79J6-JWS8dY/s2048/tom+turkey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1716" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNBgFb3r5aOTqAjOW_D9YzoWM-20T4CdptqGmhc452qnsY_bCXWgT9NArAd9yK0BE7jefjzJSkDL3WwCKeSUAKkPspjHRSJuJxgEq5NBnBdWiVELce2yMDuw1o_0NgxS_G79J6-JWS8dY/s320/tom+turkey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">As we walked in the
park, my girlfriend, Gwen, mentioned she started sewing again. My
excited reaction inspired her and why wouldn’t it; she is a perfectionist and
excellent with details. She makes aprons and sells them on
consignment locally. She designed one for me; isn’t the watermelon
print cute? Of course, I had to make a coffeecake for Tom for our
morning coffee break on the deck and wear my new apron.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNNY21QblM0FPFIBY_51ZFloSFPGMVjsOcTfMiW3fpBIK60opdJ6t5PcUDFeaukW9B5AwyNfNTHoOeVcRU6zFugwyq56NIAUoccC6J4G-gVSMFc7iR94Y_HBmrh91gUQk5tMqjErq-Es/s2048/coffeecake+collage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1306" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyNNY21QblM0FPFIBY_51ZFloSFPGMVjsOcTfMiW3fpBIK60opdJ6t5PcUDFeaukW9B5AwyNfNTHoOeVcRU6zFugwyq56NIAUoccC6J4G-gVSMFc7iR94Y_HBmrh91gUQk5tMqjErq-Es/s320/coffeecake+collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 16pt;">I hope, too, I am using
my God-given gifts. It’s a good idea to do some soul searching now
and then to make sure no talents go dormant.</span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt;">"In
1 Peter 4:10, we’re called to use our gifts to serve others as faithful
stewards of God’s grace. Those are
supernatural abilities God gives each Christ-follower, but the general idea of
blessing others also carries over to talents.”
Dave Ramsey <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Saleslady371http://www.blogger.com/profile/15962608799409882219noreply@blogger.com12