today's gifts

These are some of the things I am thankful for today:

71. the smell of new lumber (being used to frame our addition)
72. unexpected blessings 
73. random encounters with old friends
74. a quality Christian radio station to listen to
75. grands who are always happy to see me (oh my, how that makes my heart sing!)
76. folks who take the time to comment here (each one makes me smile!)
77. short days at work (the Doc is on vacation, so this is an easy week)
78. always having food in my fridge, pantry and freezer (I've never really been hungry)
79. the cooler days of fall
80. the color in the trees that comes along with that coolness

I hope your heart is grateful today. Here is a quote from
One Simple Act by Debbie Macomber:

"When we practice gratitude, not only do we grow in our trust of God, but we benefit physically, mentally and spiritually.

 As we acknowledge all we have, as we learn to praise God for all he has done for us, God helps us pry our hands
 off our possessions.

Gratitude is the basis for giving.

 In order to be able to open our hands to give,

 we first have to give thanks for all we've been given."

they're growing!

Our baby girls are growing,,,

Little E is 11 months

and Little L is 6 1/2 months.

We are getting glimpses of their personalities.

Little E is a chatterbox...like her mom!

And Little L is quiet like her mom!

Little E is learning how to "compute"! :-)

And Little L likes to swing!

  And they love each other!

 

 

It is going to be so much fun watching them grow up together! :-)

new life, part 2

Unless you have been asleep for the past few years,

 you know that "re-purposing" is all the rage...taking

 something designed for one purpose and giving it

 "new life" as something else.

There are TV shows about it, magazines dedicated

 to it, and bloggers who write about it.

 And we won't even start talking about Pinterest!

I'm not too good at it. When I look at something,

for the most part, all I see is what it is.

There have been a few times, when I have had an

 epiphany and thought, "Oh, wow, I could use that for...."

 and have enjoyed making it happen. But they are rare!

My daughter, however, is much better at it than me. 

She has been looking for a new TV stand.
She found one at IKEA, but it was a little pricey 

and not in their budget right now. 

Wednesday, she was in our garage. looking through

furniture we have stored there while we are

building our addition. She saw something that caught her eye.

She took it home and she and her hubby now have a 

a "new" TV stand.

Here are three pictures. 

See if you can figure out what it was originally.

The answer is....the hutch to my old china cabinet

turned upside down! Did you figure it out?

 I never would have seen the possibility!

I'm happy to see something that I have had for 36 years

find "new life" at her house!

We know that God has a purpose for each of us.

Some of that purpose is easy for us to see or expect,
 but many times He surprises us and directs us
 in ways that we would never have
 thought of or even imagined.

It's not really "re-purposing" because it was
 His purpose all along,but it may feel like it to us! 

For those who trust Him, there is comfort
 in knowing that His plans are always right
 and His purposes are always good.

That's what having "new-life" in Him is all about!

"And we know that God causes everything to work together

 for the good of those who love God and are called

 according to his purpose for them." Rom 8:28

new life

When my dad died about two years ago, friends were so very kind and supportive. Several came to the visitation the night before the funeral and others came to the funeral and had lunch with us. Some of those friends and others that were not able to come (the service was an hour away from where we live), sent flowers and plants. Among those were six peace lilies. Two months later, when our daughter was married, we used them to decorate for the wedding.

After the wedding, I gave two away and brought four of them home and tried to keep them in the house, but our house is small and they weren’t doing real well anyway. So, the next spring, the Hubby put them on the patio outside and they thrived! We enjoyed watching them grow and bloom. 

Fall came and the weather grew cooler and I kept thinking that I needed to bring them in or give them away....but I didn’t do either. Then one night, a freeze came and, oh my goodness, they were black and sad and dead. I was so disappointed and aggravated with myself. I kept thinking..."I should have saved at least one!" I did not have the heart to dispose of them, so I just let them sit.

Then spring came, and lo and behold, three of them came back to life! Where the old, dead leaves were, new lush green ones appeared! We repotted them (put two in one large pot) and this is what they look like today!

I am so very grateful that God redeemed my mess up and gave new life to these special plants!

When I was looking at them today, I couldn’t help but think...that’s a picture of what God does for us. He takes our mess of a life and redeems it, restores it, and gives us new life in Him.    

 “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.

      The old life is gone; a new life has begun.” 

II Cor. 5:17NIV

Now that is something to be grateful for!

the daisy...my favorite!

Daisy Time

By Marjorie Pickthall

 

See, the grass is full of stars,

Fallen in their brightness;

Hearts they have of shining gold,

Rays of shining whiteness.

Buttercups have honeyed hearts,

Bees they love the clover,

But I love the daisies' dance

All the meadow over.

Blow, O blow, you happy winds,

Singing summer's praises,

Up the field and down the field

A-dancing with the daisies. 

a simple act

I saw a billboard yesterday that displayed a quote from Leonard Nimoy (remember he was Mr. Spock on Star Trek). It  said

"The more we share, the more we have."

Now, I don't know enough about Leonard Nimoy to know what he meant by it, but I'm confident the billboard company didn't have any spiritual or inspirational intent. I think their message was "the more information you share on our sign, the more business you will have!" :-)

But since we are talking about sharing, I want to tell you about a book I am reading entitled One Simple Act by Debbie Macomber. 

She talks about discovering the power of generosity. Most of us have heard "it is more blessed to give than to receive" which is found in Acts 20:35. But as she has committed herself to a life of daily generosity, she has discovered that "the more we give, the more we receive. " She shares about a study of more than 3000 volunteers by Allan Luks of the Big Brother Big Sister organization that concluded... "there was a clear cause-and-effect relationship between helping and good health." Luks said, "Helping contributes to the maintenance of good health and it can diminish the effects of diseases and disorders both serious and minor, physical and mental." The volunteers testified to "feeling a rush of euphoria followed by a longer period of calm, reduced stress, and relief from pain. " Macomber says, "cultivating the habit of good deeds will not only affect those around us, but it will improve our own emotional well-being."

Luke 6:38 says:

"Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." ESV

And The Message Bible says it this way:

"Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”

So, yes, we may receive material blessings when we give, but more importantly, God promises the blessings of joy, peace, and health. And Macomber says, "God multiplies our giving. In His hands, each act of generosity we offer Him, no matter how small, becomes part of this miracle of multiplication."

If that doesn't encourage me to be a giver, I don't know what will! 

And it's so simple! ;-)

a movie, popcorn and redemption!

If you remember, my daughter gave me a coupon book for my birthday. Each coupon was good for doing one fun thing with her. Well, Sunday, I redeemed my "good for one movie" coupon. We huddled under the umbrella and waded through rain puddles to the theater to see Unconditional...and it was well worth it. 

It is based on the true story of Joe Bradford, a man who has spent most of his life working with at-risk children in Nashville, Tenn. His life is a testimony of God's redeeming power and loving provision. And a reminder of what a difference one person, who is obedient to God's call, can make in our world. It's inspiring, touching and wholesome... a real family movie!

As I have said before, this is an opportunity to support those who are committed to making these kind of movies. So, grab your sweetie, or your BFF, or your daughter (or son!) and enjoy a couple of hours of inspiration...and some popcorn, if you like! :-)

Watch the trailer below: