Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Snow!!!

WINTER STORM UPDATE


So....the storm...it came and went, only leaving about 1-2 inches in my neighborhood. 
Disappointed? 
Yes, a little, but still enjoying the beauty of it...as short-lived as it will be. 

Winter is not over yet but I am sure my family up north and some of you bloggy friends 
are more than just over it, already!

Being raised in Ohio, snow was something that I looked forward to every winter.
  Here are a couple of old photos from my childhood home back in Ohio.


Awww...my sweet mom...

What is that they say? We always seem to want what we don't have?
Yeah...that's me sometimes.
The inner child that lives within me (I pray she never moves out)... 
...still hopes for a snowfall or two every winter. 

OK, so we only got about 1-2 inches.
The quiet beauty of it still nearly takes my breath away.







Thank you, Jesus :)















Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Anticipation

It's happening.

The sky has that certain look about it.

I can feel it in the air.

Some say they can smell it.

Others say they can even taste it.

It has been the topic of conversation for days now.

The highways and byways have been salted and brined.
This white-ish substance seems to interfere with the normal speed of traveling vehicles.
Or maybe they are just practicing...or something.

It's really quite amazing what the power of suggestion can do.
Some of the cars are already traveling at a snail's pace.....preparing for the real thing.

*********************************************

Every local TV channel that can possibly be viewed in the area are all on alert.


The reporters are strategically placed at various locations throughout the viewing area.

There is 24 hour coverage for this momentous, impending event.

Announcements have been made (the night before) that all area schools will be closing...
...three hours early the next day...
...and for the next two weeks few days, they will be on a two-hour delay.

*********************************************

It's amazing...this strange phenomenon.

Out of the blue, bread and milk just disappear off the shelves at the grocery.

Every gas station within a 100 mile radius has long lines of vehicles streaming out onto roadways.


What is this rare and strange occurrence?


Snow...in the south.


Don't blink.

You just might miss it!

I am a snow lover and must truly savor every flake...
... and I even know how to drive in it :)

(to be continued...after the accumulation)



Saturday, January 25, 2014

Unexpected Presents

Isn't it a joy to receive a present from someone?
Especially when it is unexpected or given for no apparent reason...
...except for the fact that someone cared enough to give it.

Like this one, for instance.
I received this a couple of evenings ago on my way home from work.


When I entered the highway, there it was.


I was so glad I had taken my camera with me that day.


My commute is a short one, only about seven or eight minutes...
...and the closer I got to home, it kept getting better and better.

Totally unexpected. Totally from my Father.

It was a present for me and it was filled with His presence.

For no apparent reason...
...except for the fact that He cared enough to give it

That's how He does things.


Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,coming down from the Father of lights
with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
~James 1:17


The sky is the daily bread of the eyes.  
~Ralph Waldo Emerson






Sunday, January 19, 2014

Guilt...no thank you!



This morning as I opened up my email to read it, I saw a message from a good friend of mine. From reading the title of the message, I knew it wasn't just a regular personal greeting from her. It was a forwarded message and it said "Bible Verse Exchange" at the top. I opened it up, knowing pretty much what it was. It was a very polite invitation to share a favorite Bible verse with the last person who's name was at the bottom of the list...you know how it goes...we've all received these at one time or another. The rules were to forward your verse to 20 of your friends...you know, the ones that "I know who will participate and who won't"  friends and in the process we would all be bombarded with scripture verses from all who participated....and so on, and so on. Finally, you were to asked not to break the chain (guilty) and although they knew that you (I) would not, please let someone know if you choose to drop out so in fairness to the others, so the chain wouldn't be broken. More guilt. 


Now let me be clear, sharing Bible verses with friends is a good thing! At first I started to go along with it and respond...and then I was stopped. I don't know if it was the holy spirit or if it was just my own mind telling me that I could possibly be putting a guilt trip on 20 other people if I decided to follow along. I think it might have been a little of both. What I am saying is—and this is only coming from my own personal experience—there is a type of pressure that is put on the recipient to forward this to 10 or 20 friends. What the sender doesn't realize is the guilt associated with it if we don't choose to "bless" our friends by asking them to send it to 10 or 20 of theirs! We all have busy lives, some more than others, but adding pressure to anyone's life is not something that I want to be doing. I also don't need the added guilt. I have more than enough shortcomings and times when I feel I miss the mark terribly. I don't need to add more.


I love my sweet friend like a sister. We have been friends since junior high, were in each other's weddings and I wouldn't hurt her feelings for the world. Her only intention was to encourage me and others, I know that, but sometimes we don't realize that by asking folks to do this, we are putting an undo burden on them...by inadvertently making them feel guilty or making someone else feel the same way. Just my two cents on this.


How do you respond to emails such as this...forward or delete?

I pray your week ahead is blessed...and guilt-free!



Tuesday, January 14, 2014

In my mind, I'm goin' to Carolina....Beach

I'm sharing this today for Vee's Note Card Party!
I just love this fun party, don't you?

Although I am still holding out for a bit of snow (I realize you think I'm CRAY-CRAY!)...
...this time of year I always start yearning for a trip to a favorite place of mine.



What's that I hear?
Oh...it's such a delightful, calming sound to these ears of mine.
Listen...do you hear it too?
I think it's the sound of Carolina Beach calling my name.


What's that you say?
That you have missed me...and when I am coming to see you?
Oh, Carolina Beach...how I have missed you too!
I will come for a visit as soon as I possibly can.
It has been way too long since I have seen your lovely sunrise.



I am counting the days, the weeks, the months...
...however long it is before I am able to be in your presence again.
As you know, I only live a short distance away from you...
...less than a few hours...that is all!

So why has it been so long since I have visited?
The lack of planning on my part, no doubt.

But if it makes you feel any better,
 I do have your webcam on my desktop at work...
...so I can spy on you from time to time.

It really only makes me miss you all the more...
...since I can only get a tiny glimpse of your beauty on my computer screen.



But I can't hear the soothing sound of your surf or the seagulls calling...
...or breathe in the saltiness of the air...
...nor can I feel the sticky mist on my face...
...or experience the delightful sensation of squishing your cool sand between my toes.

Oh, Carolina Beach, how I do miss thee so!

I miss you mostly because when I am with you, I feel the presence of the One who created you...
...the One who created me...oh, so very strongly!
Your endless waves and vast horizon remind me of the measure of God's love...
...and the extraordinary beauty He created for us because of that love!

I do promise to visit you soon.
Really I do.


Until then, I'm goin' to Carolina (Beach) in my mind :)


Saturday, January 11, 2014

Roses

A life with love will have some thorns but a life without love will have no roses.
~Unknown


Valentine's Day is just around the corner, can you believe it?

If you're like me, you would agree that it's a wonderful feeling to receive flowers! 
I must say that my sweet hubby does a great job in this area.
He blesses me with flowers several times throughout the year...
...sometimes for no special occasion.

More times than not, they are roses—my favorite—and no particular color.
I love them in all shades.

It is not because I am a perfect wife or anything even remotely resembling one.
The fact is, I feel undeserving of them quite often.
Still, he keeps bringing them to me.


But it saddens me when they start to droop their heads and lose their petals.
Some blooms will last longer than others, no doubt...
...and I have a hard time throwing them out when they wilt.
So, here's what I do while they are still intact.



The stems dry straight while hanging and will once again hold up those pretty heads...
...if you're lucky enough to keep the petals from falling off.
I sprayed these with a very strong fixative-type hair spray.


Most of these roses have been around for quite a few years.



Some them came from my hubs, of course...
...and others from funeral sprays from both my mom's and dad's caskets.
Dad died in 2002 and Mom in 2010 so you see they've been around a while.
All of us children picked some out.
All eight of us.

Some were vibrant red...


...some were a deep burgundy...some were yellow.
Others were pale yellow with pink tips...I think they are called "peace".


Something so magnificent happens to them when they dry, don't you think?
Look at the textures and the beautiful layering of the petals.
There is something so...Victorian about them.
I almost love them as much after they've dried as I do when they are fresh.
Almost.

Fragile? You bet.



Like the dried roses, life is fragile.

~HANDLE WITH CARE~

We now have this light shining in our hearts,
but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.
This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

2 Corinthians 4: 7

**********************************************

THE ROSE

It is only a tiny rosebud,
A flower of God's design,
But I cannot unfold the petals
With these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers
Is not known to such as I,
The flower God opens so sweetly,
In my hands would fade and die.

I cannot unfold a rosebud,
This flower of God's design,
Then how can I have wisdom
To unfold this life of mine?

So I'll trust Him for His leading
Each moment of every day
And I'll look to Him for His guidance
Each step of the pilgrim way.

For the pathway that lies before me
My heavenly Father knows
I'll trust Him to unfold the moments
Just as He unfolds the rose.


~Author Unknown


***********************************************

 And now, a few more "rosey" quotes...



We can complain because rose bushes have thorns,
or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.
~Abraham Lincoln



 The rose speaks of love silently, in a language known only to the heart.
~Author Unknown



The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.
~George William Curtis



Don't strew me with roses after I'm dead.
When Death claims the light of my brow
No flowers of life will cheer me: instead
You may give me my roses now!
~Thomas F, Healey


Just like me believing that I didn't deserve the gift of roses from my husband,
God's love is like that for us, His children.

He keeps giving it, regardless.
Because He loves us without conditions.
That is what He does...that is who He is.
Aren't you glad?

So, sweet friends, I leave you with this song which reminds us of the most perfect rose of all.

"Rose of Bethlehem"
~Selah


 Blessings!


Sharing here:

http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/2014/01/welcome-friends.html
http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com/2014/01/mosaic-monday-flower-power.html

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Time...precious time



Time. There is so much to say about time. I am reminded of this every January when it's time to put that new calendar up on the wall. If yours is like the one we use at our house, it has big blocks where you can write in happenings on certain days—doctor or dentist appointments, haircuts, birthdays, etc. Of course these days, most people keep these things on their smart phones. This girl still has a dumb phone and uses a paper calendar. Either way, it is how we keep track of our busy lives and how we plan our time. Time. It's the one thing that we all have the same amount of...no matter who we are. We are all given twenty-four hours of it which makes up a day. Some of us use it more wisely than others. Sadly, I must admit that I tend to fall into the "others" group more than I would like. I am trying to do better in that area. 


Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 
making the most of every opportunity, 
because the days are evil.

Ephesians 5:15-16


******


There are so many familiar phrases we say regarding time. Here are some examples:   

living on borrowed time
time waits for no one
it's about time
time heals all wounds
time is fleeting
time is of the essence
a moment in time
passing time
spending time
waiting for the right time
now is the time
some other time
the right time
killing time
as time goes by
time flies when you're having fun
stand the test of time
just in time
time is an illusion
time is money
it's just a matter of time
one day at a time
...and not to be forgotten, the infamous line from that YouTube sensation...
"ain't nobody got time fa dat".

Then there was this other one...the one I wanted to ignore. But it kept screaming at me.

Wasting time.



“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” 
~ William Penn 



I must say that I have some repenting to do and some changes to make. Even as I sit here putting together this post—finding scriptures and quotes, etc., I am finding myself convicted about this area of my life.

There are things that I leave undone and my priorities can certainly be messed up at times. The jury is still out on the verdict of if my blog is a time waster. There have been a few times since I started it that I felt like it was...and then, just like that, someone spoke encouragement to me or told me that something I posted blessed them in some way. It felt like God was telling me it was okay...but to keep it in perspective.


Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalms 90:12 


I want...no, I need to give God more of my time.


Wasted Hours
~by M.S. Lowndes

So many hours are spent in
Pursuing our earthly desires
Without asking what God's plans are
Or what from us He requires

We struggle so hard to fill
The emptiness and the boredom,
We look unto earthly pleasures
To fill the void within

But so much time is wasted
In things that have no worth,
Things that seem to take the place
Of what we know should be first

Like our relationship with God
And our faith in Jesus Christ,
For He's the only one to fullfill
The emptiness we have inside

Our hope of eternal glory
With Jesus Christ, our Lord,
This should be our only focus,
For nothing in life is worth more.



That poem really spoke to my heart because it is full of truth. If we are doing things to just fill up space in our lives, He wants us to replace those spaces with HIM!


That is what I am striving for in 2014!

What about you?

Blessings,



Sharing here:

http://bloggerspirit.blogspot.com/2014/01/welcome-back.html
http://myfreshlybrewedlife.com/2014/01/weekend-brew-light-speaks.html
http://www.deidrariggs.com/2014/01/04/sunday-80/
http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/2014/01/amaze-me-monday-40.html
http://www.thebeautyinhisgrip.com/2014/01/following-god-in-2014-and-sharing-his.html
http://www.astrollthrulife.net/2014/01/198th-inspire-me-tuesday.html
http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/2014/01/wow-us-wednesdays-151.html
http://www.flusterbuster.com/2014/01/flusters-creative-muster-linky-party-53.html
http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/2014/01/nuts-about-winter.html
http://jannolson.blogspot.com/2014/01/share-your-cup-thursday-86.html
http://www.impartinggrace.com/2014/01/grace-at-home-no-88.html
http://www.create-with-joy.com/2014/01/friendship-friday-from-a-to-z-102.html