Clean Read

I read a lot. A LOT.  I like mysteries and histories and mysteries set in history; sometimes I like some just regular fiction, seldom just regular romance.  Some Christian fiction I like; some is just a little too sweet for my taste.

When you read a lot of fiction, you wade through a lot of language (the kind I don't use) and activities (the kind I don't do).  -- And that's just the good guys!

Sometimes it is refreshing to just read something I can trust to not assault my brain with garbage surrounding a perfectly good story.  One of our local libraries (the one a county away where my husband works) puts these little "Clean Read" markers on books that do not include yucky stuff.  I have not checked what their criteria is. ( I just read a murder mystery that contained no bad language - is it a 'clean read"?  After all, there is violence and murder. ..) But I appreciate their taking the time to identify what is not in this book. 

What's cookin' at your house?

I've got some country-style ribs cooking up in the slow cooker.  They are simply seasoned - splashed with a little Worcestershire sauce, and sprinkled liberally with black pepper and Soul Food Seasoning.

I first picked this up at Winn Dixie on a whim, and it has since become a family favorite.  It's mostly salt,  red and black pepper, garlic and paprika.  We all love it on pretty much all meats, with vegetables, salads, and with one-dish meals - soups, beans-and-rice, stews, you name it. 

This seasoning makes almost every food taste better.  When I pull it off the shelf, I know I'm going to make whatever I am cooking work better, make it more palatable for my family.   

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.    

                  Colossians 4:6

The manner in which I use words should be just like that, too.  My communications are often hurried, whiny, harsh, or flavorless.  As I sprinkle the Soul Food Seasoning on tonight, I am thinking I need to remember to sprinkle my language with Soul Food Seasoning, too.

Happy Sunday

Hero at the Next Table

Friday evening we sat just one table over from a hero. 


He looked just like many of the other men in the restaurant, in his early 80s, silver-haired, suntanned, wearing bermuda shorts and a polo shirt, eating and talking with five other vibrant senior citizens. 

These seniors can be found all over Florida, but Friday evening we were near The Villages, where most of the residents are retired, all the landscapes are manicured, and shopping centers and grocery stores have parking places designated for golf carts.

The lady seated next to the hero, a much younger retiree, chatted with him, and, as folks do at a large table in a busy restaurant, they turned toward each other to speak, which directed their conversation in my direction.  I tuned in when the lady said, "...ya know, like in Saving Private Ryan? The movie?  You were there?  On D-Day?"


The man answered, "In Normandy? Oh, yeah.  I was there."  Their conversation within my earshot continued long enough for me to hear that he was on the beach that first day, D-Day. I sat,  a little awestruck.  An American hero.  Part of the push that won the war.  So THAT'S who he was.


Yes, I know there were thousands there that day.  I know that this man, and many, probably did not want to be there, but were simply following orders.   He may have been no braver than soldiers who were back in the states, filing paperwork, driving trucks, casting off ropes on troop transports.  They are all my heroes. 



A few of them are in my family - less now than a few years ago. 



Every few months lately, our community has sent off an Honor Flight.  A plane full of elderly veterans and their escorts takes off early in the morning for Washington, DC, where they visit several locations, including the World War II Memorial. They are saluted as heroes everywhere they go.   They fly back the same day.  These flights are publicized ahead, and the community is invited to meet the returning heroes.  Hundreds show up each time.  Our community is patriotic like that.



The schedule has not worked for us yet, but maybe next flight, in October, will find us in the crowd forming a cheering line.  Cheering the heroes.

Grace and Patience

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Gal. 5:22-23

It is SO easy to get frustrated with the very folks we love the most.  It's easy to become aggravated at friends and family members who make poor decisions.  It is easy for me to become irritated with myself.  Grace and Patience - we need it.

Feminina says it so well here:  Grace on the Fly.    "...try to be a character you would like..."?  Well said! Please, go read her whole post.

Some scriptures I am pondering this Sunday

From Proverbs 22:

1 A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.
2 The rich and the poor have a common bond, The LORD is the maker of them all.

***

9 He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his food to the poor.

***

17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge;

18 For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, That they may be ready on your lips.

***

22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor, Or crush the afflicted at the gate;

23 For the LORD will plead their case And take the life of those who rob them.

  and from James 1:

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.

 and from I Timothy 6

6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.

7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

I am praying, Lord grant me the contentment to know just how rich we are, the generosity to hold possessions loosely and  to give with humility, the vulnerability to be approachable, the wisdom to discern real needs, both physical and spiritual, and the willingness to help.

 



My sweethearts

 

Heart Down Under

The world is so small now.  What used to be an impossible gap is now bridged by electronic communications we could hardly envision when I was growing up.  This morning I know what my friend in Moscow was up to last night while I was sleeping, thanks to Facebook.  Thanks to blogs, I have "met" friends from all over the world, and see glimpses of their everyday life, know what they are thinking about, working on, know when their children are getting ready to go back to school.

And when I see on the news that a cyclone is roaring into their neighborhood, I pray for them.

I only know personally one young lady who now lives in Australia, but thanks to the truly worldwide web, I know several other ladies and their families. 

I find I don't really know my Australia geography.  In fact, I want to spell it "Austrailia."  I don't know whether anyone I know of is in the path of the storm, but this storm will have a big footprint, and I feel sure they will all feel some effects.  I'm praying for you, friends from Down Under.

My concept of Australian Geographical features

Reading the Whole Thing

A couple of friends and I are reading through the Bible in chronological order. I've posted about this before.

Last year my friend read the whole Bible, gleaning much benefit from just digesting the whole thing.  here is what she posted on Facebook:

Yeah! Finished reading the entire bible straight through! Started some time this summer. I have never just read it straight through like this before. Read random books before. It was a wonderful perspective. I read it like a novel and things are so complete when you see it that way! You really get to see God's patience, forgiveness, and love as a whole. Awesome! Time to start over and do it again! Love it!

I encouraged her to read through chronologically this time, and asked if we could kind of read along together. She liked that idea, and so did her sister. 

These days we live hundreds of miles apart from each other, but we can still spur one another on to love and good deeds.  Now they are probably all caught up, while I bogged down on Job and a Christmas trip. But I am keeping in site that the goal is not to just do my spiritual check-offs, but to grow closer to God.

Some reading-through resources, chronological and otherwise :

My friend found this chronological listing. It differs somewhat from my Daily Bible in Chronological Order.  I am following her list this time.  Much of the time, I am reading from The Message, online at Bible Gateway.com.  Bible Gateway also has a few read-through-the-Bible plans. Some of the time, I am reading with my actual Bible, curled up on the sofa, usually with a cup of coffee. (OK - now it is almost 11 p.m. and I want a cup of coffee.)

My cousins, both young moms with young children, are encouraging each other.  They shared this link via Facebook:  The Hardest Thing to do is Open Your Bible.  In that article, Molly Piper refers to another article, Bible Reading Program for Slackers& Shirkers. I appreciate these ladies and their honesty.

A few more resources:

One-Year Bible Blog

Various Bible Reading Plans

Even more Bible Reading Plans. 

Holidays Will Never Be the Same

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving trip up to south Georgia.  We enjoyed spending some time with my parents, feasting, and visiting a bit with other relatives.  Then we traveled home safely on Saturday afternoon.

Our route took us through Thomasville, Georgia on U.S 19.  As we approached Thomasville, we began to notice people spread out along the northbound lanes.  They were all looking south.  We speculated about what they were waiting for.  Maybe we'll see their Christmas parade...but no, a Christmas parade wouldn't come this far out of town.  We noticed they were all holding flags, some small, some large.  I said, "I think this might be for a soldier."

When we stopped at an intersection, my husband rolled down the window and asked a lady waiting in the median with her flag.  Yes, a local young man had died in Afghanistan, and the community was honoring his service and supporting his family, waiting for the funeral procession to arrive.  She was gratified to hear that people were waiting at every intersection for the next 2 miles.

I have thought often and prayed often for the family of Army Specialist Shannon Chihuahua since then.  A combat medic, he put himself in danger to help wounded comrades. Brave. Dedicated. Selfless.

Now as these holidays approach, I pray for his family.  This will be their first Christmas without him.  Lord, please pull them close to your heart.

Happy Thanksgiving!

O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD,
         Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.
 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving,

Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 

For the LORD is a great God

And a great King above all gods 

Psalm 95: 1-3

 Vintage art courtesy of VintageHolidayCrafts.com

Blessed are the peacemakers

"Yes!  You're both MY friends, and you're BOTH invited to My birthday party, and it's going to be a PRINCESS party!"

- quote from a little peacemaker, age 5                

I'm pondering how to best be a peacemaker when my friends are in conflict.  I'm not a natural at it.

Right now is a good time to ponder this, because right now I am NOT in the middle of such a conflict.  But one could pop up anytime, being sinners like we are.  And being a cowardly-type sinner, I am loathe to help out.  I just want to duck out of the way and wait until it's over.  Actually, I just don't want it to happen. But if it does, I want to be NOT involved. Can't we all just get along?

A few weeks ago, 2 little BFFs had a conflict at church; the kind that is important to little girls.  The kind that ended with two little pouty friends saying to me, "She's not my friend anymore, and she's not invited to my birthday party,"  and "Well, she's not my friend anymore either, and she's not invited to MY party either."   {DISCLAIMER: It was two little bitty girls; not Earthgirl}

Sigh.  Even with little girls, I'd rather back away.  But I waded in, pulled them to me, and reminded them that they have been friends for a long time - as long as they can remember, which is maybe three years.  I told them that it would be sad to say things like this to each other and hurt feelings when they were such good friends. 

And then I looked at their sweet, sunny friend, who was looking on with interest and concern, and said something like, "Maybe since you are friends with them both you can help them get along."  She agreed with me, put her arms around both waists, and sang out the joyous promise above.  What delight greeted her!  Princesses were discussed, smiles beamed, and invitations by all three to all three were exchanged.

I was astonished. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God. (Matt. 5:9)   I know a little girl I call daughter of God.

I wish it could be just that easy, but with adults it's always complicated.   Or is it?  Always?  How often have I missed a chance to be the peacemaker because I feared that it was complicated?  How often have I feared they might both turn on me?  Maybe sometimes I could just wade in, get in the middle and be sweet, and maybe, just maybe, discover that they want to be friends more than they want to nurse their hurt feelings. 

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
                                                          James 3:17-18

Contented

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.  For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 

 I Timothy 6:5-7

This post on Ten Reasons for Contentment is so rich.  Read the comments, too - they are also rich.

Marble Math

Todd Wilson, AKA The Familyman, shared Marble Math in a way that has stopped me in my tracks. 

He has reminded me that every decision I make about how I use my time affects my family.  Every wasted moment is gone.  I cannot add much to what he says, except to say click on the link and read, then, if you are like me, think before wasting another moment.

Dream Job

The other day, Earthgirl asked me what my dream job would be.  Then she said, "I think I know.".

She was right.

I have my dream job.  I'm a wife and homeschooling mama.  I get to do some crafty artsy sewing-y things, and sometimes do a little technical work, self-employed.  That's what I want to do.  That's what I AM doing. 

Sometimes, though, I forget that I am in my dream job.  Sometimes I forget to thank God for my dream job, and for the husband and daughter who make it possible.  Sometimes I act grumpy.  I murmur and complain.

Mary Engelbreit did a piece of artwork years ago that has stuck with me.  It says, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."  She attributes the quote to the very quotable Abraham Lincoln.  The quote is double-edged, isn't it?  There is the sunshiny, positive outlook of a woman who finds a way to take joy in  whatever place she finds herself.  Then there is the outlook that can grump even while living  her own dream.  I don't want to be viewpoint number 2 - I want to look around me and remember that I am in my dream job.

 At her Birthday Pajama Party: Though she is 10 now, Mama can still pick her up

She said go

Amanda suggests (exhorts?) us to go to church.  Yes, let's.

See ya' tomorrow.  We'll be at the early service.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near

Hebrews 10:25

Golden Week

Make new friends but keep the old;

one is silver, the other gold.

We love living here.  We are blessed with a comfortable house, a loving, happy, spiritual church, a supportive homeschool community, and less traffic than our everyday experience living in the Orlando area, and before that, the Atlanta area.  We've been here six years now.  It's silver. 

Last week we spent some time with  friends with whom we share a bit more history. Earthgirl and I went to our old church in the Orlando area, and spent a week with their Super Summer Singin' Funner music daycamp.  I had a blast reconnecting with friends, many I've know for almost 20 years.  Earthgirl endured grown-up after grown-up remembering her babyhood. 

My old friends there are beyond special to me.

These friends surrounded us with love and support through YEARS of barrreness.  These friends REJOICED when we learned we were expecting.  Grown men cried with joy on our behalf.  Then when we lost that first baby through miscarriage, these friends didn't just feel sorry for us; they MOURNED with us.  They wrapped themselves around us and helped us carry a heavy burden of grief. 

Then when we learned Earthgirl was coming, they rejoiced again, but like we did - carefully, praying every step of the way.  And when she was born, they rejoiced and thanked God for His grace to us.  Grown men cried. Again.  And even now, they call her their Miracle Baby, born in the 15th year of our marriage, when we were both 40 years old.  I hope will never forget the intense years we spent there, and how God gave us friends, just ordinary folks, who cared for us in an extraordinary way.

It's gold.

Proverbs 27: 10 tells us that "better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away."  Our family was all a state or more away from us while we waited for Earthgirl.  Our neighbors who were near stood in for them, and became our family.   

Sepia-Toned Ephesian Journal

This year I am reading Ephesians. 

I know, it can be read easily in one sitting.  And I have read it in one sitting. 

But I am letting it sink in deeper, memorizing some of it (maybe all by December 31, but I am not requiring that of myself.)  I am writing down sections in a special art journal. Each page may have a passage, or maybe just a few words, like the page that says, "MADE ALIVE IN CHRIST - it is by grace you have been saved -", or the page that says, "brought near."  Other pages might have whole passages, like the one that says,"Therefore, laying aside all falsehood speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.  Be angry, and yet do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. (4:26-28)"

Putting these words in my handwriting, sometimes in all caps, sometimes cursive, sometimes calligraphy, helps me remember them.  I'm a visual learner, and I picture where the info is on a page; especially if I have written it myself.  (I can still squint my eyes and see certain pages from my high school Biology notebook, mid 1970's.)

This is an exercise in art, too - a bit of an art journal.  I've kept it in mostly brown and golden tones.  I've vacillated between calling it tea-stained or sepia-tone.  One of my stamp pads is cordovan-color.  I really like that one.

Some of the pages are just words; others have a little picture or a stamped border. 

This little angel is my rendition of the little statuette that sits on my desk, a gift from our Sunday School class a couple of years ago, she is signing "love."

Some pages I've made tea-stained or coffee-stained.  (no cream:) 

Sometimes I pre-decorate the pages; other times I write, then decorate. Some pages are just plain words.

Some of the pages I like better than others.

So far, I have not decided what to do with the cover.  I may adhere some pretty cloth. 

It's all part of letting the Word of Christ richly dwell among me (Col. 3:16).  And you. 

What Was I Afraid of?

I used to long to know more about art supplies.  I wanted to try out real art supplies.  I wondered what "pastels" were.  I wondered what it would feel like to paint on real canvas.

I would look over furtively from the "craft" side of an arts and crafts store, to try to see what was in the "art" side.  All those tools - what was their purpose?  All those colors.  All that paper...

After learning a bit of decorative painting in a class at age 15, I was able to walk boldly to the paint section, confidently picking out tubes of acrylics and oil paint, but those pastels still intimidated me.  I felt sure the real artists who worked there just knew I didn't really belong. 

What was I afraid of?  Snooty art store staff?  Didn't I know that they are in business to sell me those pastels?

After attending my first Creative Memories scrapbooking class (more than a decade ago!), I grew bold about acid-free pens and paper.  Hurray! Another section of the arts store conquered.

Now, just now, as a middle-aged homeschooling Mama, I am finally losing my fear of art supplies and embracing the lay artist I could be.  What has opened up the world of art for me?  Homeschooling! 

I've actually ventured into the art section of our library, as though I was...an artist.  Here are a couple of things I found there:   The Decorated Page, by Gwen Diehn, and Altered Books, Collaborative Journals, and Other Adventures in Bookmaking, by Holly Harrison. 

Now I'm working on an art journal.  Here is some coffee-staining in progress.  More next time.

I checked out I Draw, I Paint: Colored Pencils, by Isidro Sanchez; and Earthgirl, that intrepid child artist, took it to her desk and went to work.  Look at those cat eyes! 

Evidently she has no fear of art supplies.

By the way, I have some oil pastels now.

a 'way too quick visit at the Peapod

Earthgirl has been friends with Tally and Tissy for about 5 years now.  In fact, they are 2 of her "8 best friends." When they moved so far away from here, we feared that the friendship might fade away.  I remember goodbye tears.  If I dwell on it too long, I'll have some goodbye tears right now.  We are thrilled that the friendship has continued to blossom, even at a great distance.

2006

This year Tally and Tissy gained 2 new brothers.  Now Earthgirl has 2 new friends.  Last week we got to stop in for an afternoon at the Peapod, and got to meet the boys.

We love them, of course.  What blessings!

Tate even played tractors with Mr. Pluto Boy

Did not notice that sippy cup when I took the picture. I was lovin' those smiles.

Notice anything funny in this picture?  Look closely...

Is Ty trying to snitch a cracker?

The Bad News and the Good News

My iGoogle homepage has, among other news and weather gadgets, two "Bible Verse of the Day" gadgets - one in King James Version, and one in New International Version.  This morning it had these 2 verses up:

Genesis 2:17 KJV

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 

Ephesians 1:7 NIV

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.

Kind of sums up the gospel, don't you think?

a page from my Sepia-tone Ephesian journal