Rambling Friday: When Troubles Come...

When troubles come, what do we do?  

Complain?

Put on a grouch?

Question why does it have to be ME?

Put on a martyr'd face?

*  We had to put off Christmas celebration because of circumstances, till January. BUT it turned out just fine. Relaxed and fun.

*   Hubby and I both got a serious case of covid (in spite of all precautions) in February and March. BUT, you know what? It drew me closer than ever to God. He loves us so much, and I trust in Him!!

* In late Spring hubby lost a beloved brother suddenly and unexpectedly. We were heartbroken and sad, but God gave hubby the strength to speak at his funeral. He comforted us when we needed it although we surely didn't understand the why.

* We lost close friends from our church who felt it was time for them to move on. Sad.

* Hubby and a son have been way too busy trying to complete some jobs they took on. WHICH means, they had little to no time to complete some landscaping and repairs needed on our property. Sigh. 

* Hubby had a bad case of kidney stones, and I've been going through another serious physical problem.

OR...

Can we, do we look heavenward and claim the Biblical verse:

The Lord is good, 

a strong hold in the day of trouble; 

and he knows them that trust in him.

Nahum 1:7

God has given strength to face each and every battle that has come our way this year of 2022. 

Because, sure as we are breathing (right now!), God knows our problems, our very being, and He will honor His word. He cares about us and whatever befalls us, He will see us through each and everything that comes. He is our anchor! 

What a wonderful God!

Rambling Friday: He Died for Us!

Good Friday

 

And they crucified Him. -- Matthew 27: 35

He died for our sins that we might live.

Jesus, the King

Rambling Friday: Losing a Pet...or two.

We lost two pets last week, and my heart broke. I've lost several pets I've loved dearly through the
years. I've cried and stayed up nights with them, telling them how much I've loved them.

Watching them suffer and knowing they had to be put down didn't make it any easier for me to go through it.

Here's some things about my pets that I particularly loved:

Tipper:  My son found her when an old school was being torn down. Very tiny with the most beautiful blue-green eyes I've ever seen on a cat!
She was a loner when it came to other cats, but dogs, well, she must have realized she was the boss because she got along with them just fine!

Lily:  As with most of our animals, she was given to us after she was grown. But that mattered not to her. She set herself as part of the family immediately. Spoiled (very!), she loved to play and run around like she was having a fit, but it was just really energy she was releasing. She loved her toys, loved being made over, and was a special pal to our dog, Taffy--except, of course, when she decided she did not want to share her pillow bed with her. But we loved her and I wept as I said good-bye.



RIP, my pets. We loved you. 

Rambling Friday: Ten Things I Hate!

Here goes:


1.  Boring people. Definition: people who run on and on about what they like to do, what their interests are with no thought that everyone, including me, is tired of hearing about it. (Wait a minute...no one's tired of hearing about my writing and grandsons, are they? I mean, what else is there to talk about?)

2.  Picking green beans from a garden.  Mom made me to this when I was just a tiny, weensy, bitsy kid (well, maybe not that young!) and I despise the task to this day. Moral of the story: don't make your kids do what they don't like to do. They'll hate it to the day they die. (Somehow that moral sounds a little off. Maybe I'd better change it. Hmmm)





3.  Wet clothes.  Ooooo! I hate that clammy feeling.








4.  Ill-mannered people.  Anytime, but especially drivers. Irritating and frustrating. I'd like to take them aside and teach them a thing or two. But who am I?






5.  People who don't try to use their potential. What a waste! Life is too short. But then when did I learn that? Didn't I think I'd live forever at twenty?

6.  Complainers. Let's not even go there.






7.  Show don't tell people. Guilty as charged. I hate it that it's much easier and much simpler to show me how to do something, than for me to read the directions or tell me. I guess that makes me pretty thick headed, huh?






8.  Leaves in my garden pond.  I positively, eternally, and passionately hate those beautiful fall leaves falling into my beautiful pond. If I'd only get on the ball and buy that net I keep thinking I'm going to get...Hubby did have a pretty good substitute idea. Maybe I'll use that...next year.



9.  Pickled pig's feet, hominy, hair in my food (ask me about a certain fast food chain), fat on meat, skin on meat, fries that are not hot and fresh (I can't help it if they hate to see me coming through the door, can I?), mud (most of the time), flies in my food (groan), dirty cars, being poor (anything under a million is poor, right?), not being a NYT best seller (like the little engine that could, I keep saying: I think I can, I think I can. Someday. Soon.), worry, unfinished tasks, being late, a bad story, biased media coverage, illness, and problems.

10.  Death.  Thank God we've got a spiritual insurance coverage for this. But it's our enemy, and I still hate it. Methinks, God made a great promise when He said no more death in heaven.

There you have it. My first No. Ten List. More some other time.




Quote:  Most of us would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism. --Norman Vincent Peale.

Blessings!

Serious Wednesdays: Life and Death

Why is it that sometimes there's someone who passes through our lives--just for a moment, a week, a month, maybe longer, who affect us profoundly? Who touches our lives in such a way that we don't--can't--forget it or them?

That's what Amanda's mother for me. Don't get me wrong; I didn't know the woman; hadn't met her yet. That's right I didn't know her, yet I did. In the last few days, I heard more about her than possibly I would have learned had we had a chance to talk. Maybe.

How did she affect me? I've thought about this and realize it's not been something I've necessarily wanted, yet the details of her life, her death, her influence on so many in the community, it's all impressed me whether I desired this touch on my life or not.

• She's made me want to be a better person. Less complaining, more generous, more loving . . .
• In spite of her physical problems, she put others first. I don't want to ever live selfishly.
• She made me aware--again--or my own mortality. And of those around me.
• She's made me want to be friendlier. She loved everyone. She never met a stranger. She remembered those she met, even if just for a moment. I want to be like that. Or at least strive for it.
• Her death reminded me what I've missed; what I'll never get a chance to experience.
• She's helped me more than ever to appreciate each day that God gives me.

There's more. Much more. But that's enough.
Thanks, dear woman I never knew, wonderful person, who in our eyes (those who knew her and those of us who didn't) should have lived much longer, but who in God's eyes was wanted in heaven. We'll miss you.

Blessings!

Sunday Morning Peace: Remembering...

Remembering...

the time shared with your loved ones

the stories they told

the memories you had together

the songs

the laughter

the fun times

Always forget...

the times of sorrow

arguing

wrongs

but rejoice...

that you have a hope

perhaps the lessons learned

that you've got much to look forward to.

Remembering, let us not forget...

that God loves us

that we're bound for a beautiful country with no heartaches.

Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old Friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:

• Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
  
• Why the early bird gets the worm;
  
• Life isn't always fair;
  
• Maybe it was my fault.
  

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were
set in place. Reports of a 6 -year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Calpol, sun lotion or a band-aid to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home, and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers:

• I Know My Rights,
  
• Someone Else Is To Blame,
  
• and I'm A Victim.
  

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

So sad. Are you weeping yet?

This is a tongue-in-cheek article, but isn't it true? What nonsense we put up with! What ridiculous requirements are pressed upon us! Sure guidelines and rules are needed so that we have NO abused adults and children. Sure, we need to be careful about too much leniency from another person over our children, but what is school for but to train and teach and perhaps provide the means for a child to become a responsible adult? Why can't we protect ourselves--carefully? Are we so dimwitted that we can't make responsible choices?

Enough ranting. Smile.



Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

1. Teresa Slacks' interview coming up June 8th. Learn about her new book soon to be released from the Jenna Creek series.

1. Father's Day Contest June 12 -- 15. Prize? You're going to love it!

Ready for that vacation? Tips to save your sanity:

• Take Baking Soda; dissolve half teaspoon in water and rinse in mouth. Natural soother for toothache.

• Use bubble wrap to wrap breakables.

• (Here's a unique one) Wear old clothes that you want to get rid of. In certain areas, leave in motels for maids--with a note to that effect or find charity shops in poorer sections and donate them. Less baggage to carry home!

Yesterday's Trivia question answer: POV? Point of View (of course).
Have you been keeping up on the whale situation in California? The Mama & her baby that went up the Sacramental River?
Today's question:

How much milk can a nursing whale produce per day?

A. 80 gallons
B. 120 gallons
C. 160 gallons
D. 200 gallons



Quote: Living the truth in your heart without compromise brings kindness into the world. -- 18th Century monk.

Blessings!

You, Me, and the Man Down the Road

Why do things happen in life? Why do we have heartache and hurt and worry?

Now this isn't a theological discussion. I don't know all the answers; I'm rambling.

I don't want it to be me or mine. I don't want to suffer, to see my loved ones hurt, my friends aching.

Why did my niece have to die Friday? Why did my nephew have to die Saturday? Why?

One person said, why couldn't it have been one of the others? I said, but which one? Who wants to pick out which one? Who wants to take that decision upon themself to make? Okay, today you're gone. Tomorrow, I pick YOU. No. Not me. I couldn't pick any of my nieces or nephews. Not my sons or anyone. It's too big, too horrible to face.

Living or dying is hard enough without making decisions that we have no right to make. I don't want the heartache. I'm selfish, I want easy sailing, I want good choices made, happy endings.

But life isn't like that. Sometimes bad choices are made. Wrong actions are done. Stupid words are said. Hearts are cracked. We suffer because of all those things and more. We've got to go on. Got to keep on living and making it one step at a time. Only knowing we have someone stronger than humanity to strengthen us, is what holds us up and steady.



NOTE:

1) I'll probably only be able to blog twice this week: today & tomorrow because of niece & nephews tragic deaths and funerals.

2) Tomorrow I'll be paying tribute to Mary and Michael on my blog.



Got too many magazines and books lying around unused? Here are some suggestions that will put them to good use!

Take to the half-price bookstore and trade for books you want.
Donate to a library.
Sell college books to other students.
Make envelopes with magazine pictures.
Use the pretty pages from magazines to wrap small gifts.
Make collages or do decoupage with them.
Sell them and donate the money to church.


Quote:
Friendship is holding hands and sticking together. "There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs


Blessings.