Happy July and Thankful TUESDAY!

Swinging in to say Happy July! 

I wanted to start out with a thankful TUESDAY post today, instead of waiting for Thursday to express my thanks! As most of you know, we had been anticipating an important appointment with a specialist for my hubby today for several weeks. I had requested prayer both here and on Facebook and beyond, as we were quite concerned about the outcome. 

 To give a little history, a couple of months ago my hubby had a weak spell at church which seemed like it could've been a TIA or perhaps his heart or something...The doctor ordered several tests, including a CT Scan of the brain, which also led to having an MRI of the brain. The results showed a small growth in the "meninges" of the brain, also known as a "meningioma". This is in the lining on the outside of the brain, not actually in the brain, but it could grow and have an impact on the brain. They are usually benign, but not always. So you can imagine how concerned we have been about this prospect and the not knowing for sure what the prognosis would be. 

 Thankfully today the neurosurgeon was able to relieve our concerns. He took one look at the MRI pictures and said that this growth was very small and possibly very old and not really anything he would be concerned about. He sees no reason to do surgery or even a biopsy at this point, however he does want to see him back in 6 months to monitor it and make sure that it isn't growing, but he really doesn't expect that it will be a problem. However, regarding the symptoms that my husband has been experiencing...a lot of weakness and fatigue and some balance issues, the doctor said we should go back to our PCP doctor and have him pursue a different direction of tests to figure out where that is coming from...but as far as he's concerned, it's definitely NOT from the brain! So that was a huge relief!!! And we consider that a big answer to prayer. I think my hubby feels better already just knowing that there isn't anything seriously wrong in his brain!  And we have an appointment already set for next week with our PCP to discuss this and where to go from here...but with a much lighter heart and mind!

So thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers on our behalf! We are truly grateful for you and for this answer to prayer!

I must say, my heart and mind feels much freer and happier with that news...much like this young girl swinging under what appears to be an apple tree, although July is a bit early for apples...Maybe they are peaches or plums.  Either way, no matter, I LOVE the picture...and there's my kittie Blackie right there beside me, enjoying a beautiful summer day! I can well imagine myself right there...what a joyous feeling to be swinging without a 'care in the world'.  I know, we still have concerns, and there is still much to figure out, but I know God is in control and we do not need to fear the outcome.

Oh, there's Sunshine, pretending he's a zinnia in the zinnia garden! LOL.

At least he's not pretending to be a hummingbird as in this picture:

Who ME?

Not me...I'd never...

Well, maybe I'd better just lay down here and stay out of trouble...

Good Idea! LOL.

Okay, back to the July Calendar roll call...Here's the Teapot Calendar for July:

That is so pretty and elegant!

Maybe I've been going about it all wrong...LOL.  I just drink it to enjoy it.

This little child's teapot and cup and saucer remind me of that one above in the calendar, but on a smaller scale...(this actually belonged to my paternal grandmother!)

And this is another large teapot that I have that is very much like the one in the calendar...sadly this one has a hairline crack in the bottom so I can't use it, but it's too pretty to throw away...

Here's the Thomas Kinkade calendar for July...isn't it interesting? So much detail! Wow!

It says it's from San Francisco Lombard Street II.  I've never been to San Francisco, so maybe some of you who have been there could tell me if this is a real place! Certainly is amazing!

And last, but not least, the Susan Branch calendar for July has a delicious looking fruit salad, which sounds really refreshing and delightful!

And yes, let us know forget the 4th of July coming up this Friday...a day to celebrate our freedoms and give thanks to the Lord that we live in the "land of the free, and the home of the brave".  

May God truly continue to Bless America! I believe He is, even more than we can imagine, even with all of the bad stuff that goes on...God is still on the throne...our one true King of kings and LORD of lords.  

Psalm 33:12-22 NKJV

"12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

13 The Lord looks from heaven;

He sees all the sons of men.

14 From the place of His dwelling He looks

On all the inhabitants of the earth;

15 He fashions their hearts individually;

He considers all their works.

16 No king is saved by the multitude of an army;

A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

17 A horse is a vain hope for safety;

Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope in His mercy,

19 To deliver their soul from death,

And to keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him,

Because we have trusted in His holy name.

22 Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,

Just as we hope in You."

Yes, I can totally agree and shout out those last few verses today...especially verse 21...by faith we can say "for our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name..."  We have confidence in God that He will indeed give us reason to continue to rejoice in Him. Amen.

Tuesday 4~Off to Work We Go

 Off to Work We Go...

Welcome to Tuesday 4 started by Toni Taddeo and kept going in honor and memory of her.
This week we go back 5 years to ask again about work....

This week is about work.

1. Describe the best job you ever had why was it good? (if it was awful, tell us about that instead)

Of course, I am retired now, and I love it! I've worked many kinds of jobs in my lifetime, mostly in either schools or churches, doing everything from being a teacher's aide to being a school bookkeeper, a head of the housekeeping department at a beautiful resort in New Hampshire, a marketing and reservationist for a stables at a Bed and Breakfast in NH, a District Manager for Fuller Brush in Ohio, bookkeeper for a Christian camp, and my final job as a Church Administrator for a large church. Not to mention being a Pastor's wife for close to 30 years, while also sometimes working full time and raising 3 sons.  I also used to sell Stanley Home Products, Fuller Brush, and Watkins Products door to door. I even tried my hand at selling Encyclopedia Brittanica...but that's another story!

My favorite "job" was being a mommy and wife (now going on 56 years!)  My husband's work in the ministry meant that we moved quite often...but God always provided the right jobs for me as needed. I am thankful that when our babies were small and before they went to school I was able to be home with them most of the time, except for those little part time sales jobs where I was able to work around my hubby's schedule so we never had to put the kids in daycare. That was a huge blessing. We didn't have a lot materially, but we had what was most important to us...family time together. 

Now that I am retired I don't mind "work" that is taking care of my home and family...preparing meals, doing laundry, keeping the house reasonably cleaned...and I especially don't mind it if people come alongside and help out now and then.  I love our home and enjoy doing things to make our home more comfortable and welcoming...decorating for holidays...entertaining friends and family...even though as I get older my body wears out quicker, I still enjoy doing these things and wish we could do more of it.

2. How did you learn to do your job?

On the job training for all of them!  Although I did take some college courses, I did not complete a degree. Every job I had I just had to learn on the job as every place was a little bit different and had different methods and computer programs to learn. I am thankful that God quickened my mind and helped me learn what I needed to do. 

3. You are now in charge of your town's public relations committee.. Tell us why we need to move to your town.  Here's a link to our town website.

Oh my...well...if you love small town living in a semi-rural environment and yet close enough to a major University and hospitals to get excellent medical care...(University of Florida//UFHealth-Shands Hospital)

... if you want to escape the winters up north and live in a milder semi-tropical environment...close enough to either the Gulf of America coast or the Atlantic Ocean beaches to enjoy them, but far enough away to escape the worst of the hurricane weather

...a peaceful community away from the overly crowded central/south Florida tourist traffic and noise, but close enough if you really want to go there (why???), easy access to both Florida interstate highways (75 and 95) to go north or south without having to fight that kind of traffic daily and only when you really need to travel any distance

...if you don't mind a community that isn't gated or has bothersome and expensive HOA rules, but keeping in mind that the majority of homes in this community are either manufactured or old

...if you don't mind having to drive a few miles (around 15 miles) to do most of your shopping or going to restaurants...but you can get your coffee and donuts at Dunkin Donuts or Tacos at Taco Bell or hamburgers at McDonalds or eat at either of our two local family restaurants (Nanna's Country Cafe' or True Grits) right here within a 3 mile radius, and we do have a small town grocery store and several Dollar Generals to choose from

...if you like small town schools and churches (and we have practically every kind...Global Methodist, (this is the church we attend shown below:)

Southern Baptist, Assembly of God, Catholic, Episcopal, Non-Denominational, LDS (Mormon), Congregational. You name it, we've got it! 

Also, our little town "Interlachen", which means "between the lakes",  is surrounded by lakes and good fishing...and the St. John's River is not far if you want to head out to the ocean or just enjoy cruising down the river and doing lots of fishing or sight seeing.

As a matter of fact, hubby and I took a walk down by this little lake and park the other morning. This is right in the old historical section of Interlachen.  This is just one of the many lakes all around our town.

So if all of that sounds good to you, then come on down! But I recommend you come and check it out in person first...there's a lot of not so wonderful stuff here too, just like in every town. It just all depends on what you are looking for in a place to call home.  And if you hurry, you can participate in the annual 4th of July Parade and day of "fun, food & entertainment", with a great fireworks disply at 9:00 p.m....and hopefully the rainy weather that is on its way won't wash it out!!

4. It's lunch time! Build your perfect sandwich for us.. what's in it and on it and what's in our cups?

Oh my! I'm not a huge sandwich eater, but I do love a good BLT, or a hot ham and swiss with sauerkraut and mustard on pumpernickle bread, toasted in my little toaster oven.  And if you come here, your choice of beverages would be either Sweet Iced Tea, or Unsweet Iced tea, or a combo of unsweet tea and unsweet cranberry juice (my favorite), or water.  We don't keep sodas here unless we know company is coming, and we don't serve any alcoholic beverages here either. Oh, we do have coffee or hot tea available anytime.   

 However, I must say that I had a wonderful beverage last evening, thanks to our hostess Annie. Last week Annie posted HERE a recipe for an Ice Cream Soda.  I was so appreciative of that recipe as she had mentioned it previously and I had commented how much I missed having them. I remember getting them at the Woolworth's Soda Fountain many years ago when out shopping with my mother.  Well, I just so happened to have all the necessary ingredients, even Club Soda, because hubby had bought some for me thinking it would help my indigestion. I must say I liked it much better in a Chocolate Ice Cream Soda! LOL.   Thank you Annie!!

I Corinthians 10:31 

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

Proverbs 16:3

"Commit your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be established."

Titus 2:7-8

7 "In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, 8 sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you."

Thanks for joining in!   

THIS link will tell about a special job I had for a "season" in life "Just Horsing Around"  Many of my "old" friends here in blogland may have already read this, but some of my newer friends have not, so you may find it interesting.

I am publishing this early because tomorrow morning we will be headed over to that wonderful university hospital/doctors offices for an important appointment for my hubby with a specialist. Your prayers are always appreciated.  Thank you!

Saturday Wanderings~Another Neighborhood Story

It's Saturday afternoon, and it's raining "cats and dogs" out there...well, maybe just cats. LOL. No dogs in sight right now. And actually the cats are in hiding somewhere out there. Can't say as I blame them. We keep getting bright flashes of lightning and very loud thunder boomers.  If I didn't enjoy watching the storm so much I just might go into hiding myself...

I took these photos after the storm had stopped...can you see the water in the mud ruts that were left from the mower getting stuck the other day?  Now they are all filled up with rain water and Still Waters Pond is being renewed raindrop by raindrop:

Oh, just as I was taking those pictures above, look who came around the pond to come play in the puddles? LOL.  Actually, they are finding tasty morsels of food coming up in the water/mud after the storm...they are happy Sand Hill Cranes!

This picture below is of a neighbor's house way across the road from us, but I can see it from our house, and prior to the storm starting in earnest, and as we could hear the thunder rolling in from a distance, I noticed there were still children swimming in that little swimming pool. I know those kids love to swim every day and if they could they'd stay in there all day long.  But I could hear the thunder, and I was getting a bit nervous about them being in that pool.  I was about a hair's width away from going over there to tell them they'd better get out before lightning strikes them, when I noticed that their mother finally must've come out and told them to get out of the pool because I saw them running into the house just as the storm was about to crash in on top of us. I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the Lord for protecting those children.  I mean, I don't want to be a nosy busy body neighbor, but I definitely did NOT want to have it on my conscience if lightning struck those children...which does happen here in Florida frequently. Just a week or so ago a young man was struck dead by lightning over at New Smyrna Beach. He was on his honeymoon.  So very sad. It's definitely nothing to play around with! So I am very thankful those children got out of the pool when they did.

Now, back to unique encounters with interesting people in the neighborhood...About a week ago I noticed an elderly woman standing in the front yard of the new house next door.  As I just happened to be outside getting our mail, I wandered over there to say hello and see if she had some questions about the house.  No, I am not the realtor, but I have been kind of an "unofficial" security person for the house since the owner/developer lives out of town and we have stayed in communication about anything happening on her property.  The lady said that she was just looking at the house and wondered if it was still for sale (which it was at that time). She asked me if it was okay for her to walk around the property, and I told her it was fine, but I offered to walk around with her because the ground is still quite uneven in places where there are lots of exposed roots and little rough spots in the terrain.  

Well, even though this lady said she was just killing time while she waited for an appointment, she did express some interest in wanting to move to a new house. We ended up having quite a "lengthy conversation" as she told me many things about her life story, including that she is 87 years old and has written many many books! I was enjoying chatting with her as she shared so many interesting things, but after quite a while I told her that I didn't want to keep her from her appointment, which she then looked at her watch and realized she was already late.  I asked her name and told her how much I had enjoyed visiting with her, and she told me her name is "Belle Tilley".  I told her that I love the name Belle,  and especially because one of my mother's older sisters was named Belle.  Anyway, she hurried off for her appointment and I was left with a feeling of how much I wished I could've talked to her longer and especially wished that I had asked her more about the books she had written.  

Do you ever have conversations with perfect strangers like that,  and wish that you could've spent more time with them and had a chance to ask them more questions? I honestly just could not shake that feeling.  She was very articulate, but also quite strong in her opinions and did not mince any words. Belle grew up in rural south Georgia, one of 8 children, and was raised on a farm.  When she was a young woman she left home by herself and headed to Orlando, Florida with nothing but a suitcase to begin a new life striking out on her own.  She reminded me a lot of my dearly departed mother in law...a person with a lot of "character" and true grit.  I told my husband she was from a generation of strong southern hard working women who never met a challenge too difficult to overcome, especially if it meant protecting or providing for their families. And even though her language and manner of speaking at times became quite "colorful", as I said, she minced no words in expressing her beliefs on most every topic...politics, religion, current events and lazy people who steal and lie, (just to name a few)...I had no doubt that she was extremely intelligent and hard working and if she liked you, she'd fight for you no matter what.

So, moving right along. I decided to look her up online and also to see if I could find any information about any books written by someone named "Belle Tilley".  I checked on Amazon, and lo! and Behold!  There were actually quite a few books listed written by a Belle Tilley! However, they were mostly murder mysteries, which kind of surprised me!  But they had been written back in the early 2000's.   I wanted so badly to talk to Belle again to find out if those were her books, but I didn't know how to get in touch with her, so I just prayed for her and also told the Lord that I would love to meet up with her again.  Would you believe that yesterday we were in our local little grocery store, and I turned around and there she was!!  I was so surprised!  Immediately I went over to her and made sure it was her, and that she remembered who I was, and she did after I reminded her of our meeting.  So I asked her about the books she had written, and she told me that yes, she wrote all those murder mysteries back when she first retired.  I told her they were on Amazon, but they were priced rather high (in the $20-$25. dollar range), and she was livid!  She said that she did NOT authorize them to be sold on Amazon, and apparently someone has bought them from her supplier and is reselling them to make a huge profit, and she will not get any royalties from that.  I don't know how that works, but that is what appears has been happening.  She said that she published her books through a self publishing company called www.lulu.com, and they were the only ones authorized to sell them for her.   We didn't have time to talk long in the store, but she said she would bring me a couple of her books as a gift! I thanked her and didn't really expect to see her again anytime soon...but...  

This morning someone was knocking on our front door and when I opened it, there was Belle!  

So I invited her in and she gave me two of her books as she had promised...

I was thrilled, to say the least! And then we sat down and we talked more and more...and again, she shared many more things about her life that were very interesting.  Belle loves to talk and has much to say, and I know she is lonely since her family lives a couple of hours away from her. 

My hubby joined in on the conversation after a while and we also talked about some spiritual issues and concerns she has.  She seems very fit for her age, but I am concerned about some things that are going on with her that become obvious once she starts talking about issues she is having with neighbors and other people  and places...and although I am quite certain she could take care of herself physically,  she is at a stage in life where she could talk herself into some major difficulties with people who are not quite so compassionate and understanding.  

And so I am left with a concern to keep her in my prayers and ask the Lord to keep a close watch over her. I'm not sure if we will meet again, but then again, it seems like God keeps bringing people into our lives for a reason.  I am praying for wisdom regarding this situation and others that have recently been happening.  Here's a good passage from the book of Proverbs:

Proverbs 2:1-8

1 My son, (or daughter!) if you receive my words,

And treasure my commands within you,

2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,

And apply your heart to understanding;

3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,

And lift up your voice for understanding,

4 If you seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hidden treasures;

5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,

And find the knowledge of God.

6 For the Lord gives wisdom;

From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;

7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;

8 He guards the paths of justice,

And preserves the way of His saints."

So be it, Lord.

Amen.

Thank you all for again, another long post with a rather long story. I hope you will keep us and also Belle in your thoughts and prayers as well. She has come across our path for a reason...and that may be it. We never know, but God knows!  

Have a blessed rest of your weekend!

 

Friday Foto Friends and Lots of Neighborhood Stories!

 Happy Friday Morning! I guess this is the last Friday in June already! Next Friday will be the 4th of July! Wow! This year is definitely half over already! And it is also definitely summer time here in Florida!

It's time to either take a dip in the pool...or maybe a nice nap on the back porch...take your pic!

The kitties have made their choice...

And young "Trumpet" has made his choice!

It's also time to stop and smell the roses...

Blackie took a good sniff, but he wasn't too sure about it.  Sunshine actually took a sniff earlier, but I couldn't get a picture in time, and he absolutely refused to pose again for me! One sniff was enough he said! LOL.

I was SO excited to see the roses starting to bloom again on this beautiful bush that my sweet DIL ROSE gave me for Mother's Day.  After the giant lubber grasshopper had tried to eat all the roses and leaves on the bush, I had to spray it with some bug spray, and sadly the leaves all started dying, so I had to cut it way back and wait for it to regrow, which thankfully it did.  Then I saw one of those Eastern lubber grasshoppers on there again, and after I stomped him into oblivion,  I moved the rosebush (it's still in a pot) to the back yard, where I've never seen any lubber grasshoppers YET. I hope they don't find us back here!  There is NO such thing as a good Eastern Lubber Grasshopper!

I'm so glad the plant has survived!!!

I will warn you, this post is going to be full of pictures. I've been saving them up this week!  I showed you pictures HERE earlier this week how our "porch kitties" sit and stare at me through my little Room with a View Window until I come out and feed them in the morning.  Well, now Sunshine has found a new tactic. He knows that I often go into the laundry room first thing in the morning to put on a load of wash.  There is a door with a window there that leads out to the back porch.  I looked out the window one morning this week, and there's Sunshine staring right back at me!  I guess I was running a bit late on breakfast, so he thought he would give me some more encouragement to get with the program!

As soon as he saw me looking out at him, he knew his message had gotten across, so he started getting ready for breakfast:

Now, I must tell you this little story. One afternoon this week I went out to feed them their supper. I put their food out there, and Sunshine decided to follow me right back to the door instead of staying there eating his food.  I hesitated a moment too long in closing the door, and before I knew it, he had darted in between my legs and was inside the house lickety-split!  (Sorry, no pictures). Now mind you, these are outdoor kitties!  That's where they are supposed to stay! But Blackie has already snuck in once before and had a look around before deciding to go back out, so I guess Sunshine decided it was time he had a look inside too.  So I let him wander around a bit while I quickly ran and closed all the bedroom doors, because I knew if he ever got inside a bedroom and under the bed he may never come out again. LOL.  Finally, after he'd had his sniffing completed in every corner (I think he was looking for those doggies that are here sometimes), I managed to tempt him back outside with a cup full of kitty treats rattling in the cup.  Hopefully his curiosity has been quenched for a little while, but I know I have to watch them very closely, or they will be back in here.  

Trust me, kitties, it's much more interesting outside where you are free to roam and wander or lay on the back porch and watch the birds!

Oh Sunshine, you are the sly one!

And Blackie loves to play hide and seek...

Hello! Are you winking at me?  

(I think I was disturbing his nap)

Speaking of watching the birds...for instance, this was Trumpet putting on a dance routine for them the other day! He's actually gotten where he can fly quite as high as his parents now, so the sky is the limit for him!

And right on cue, as I was writing about watching the birds, Miss Muscovy Duck flew up on the porch to see if the kitties had left her any food! (They had not!)

And when I came out to send her away she waddled over to the edge of the porch and said a few duck words that I could not quite comprehend...(maybe it's better that way!)

And off she flew ...

Off and away across Still Waters Pond, which is still in need of a LOT more rain, BTW.

Oh, do you see those ruts in the grass above?  Yeah, that's another story!

It's a good thing I am a patient and forgiving person...LOL.  This fellow who mows our grass for us just can't seem to get it into his head that you cannot drive the mower down into that part of the grassy shoreline of the pond. It is very soft muck under the green grass down there...and normally that area should be totally under water once the rains come back in full force.  Yes, we told him last time and he got stuck, and why he was so determined to drive his tractor down there again this time, when the ground is even softer because we have had some rain, I don't know...I will be generous in my thoughts and words and just say that common sense is a virtue not given to many these days. LOL  Anyway, I love the guy...he's a good fellow, but still...  

So, he got stuck, and his buddy who helps him backed his van down there to pull him out with a rope, and he got stuck too.  

So, we called our son Benton and asked  him to  come over with his pick up truck, and thankfully he was able to hook up to the van and pull him out, and then when the van was back up on more solid ground, with a longer rope they were able to finally get the tractor out of the mud.  I forgot to take any pictures of Benton pulling them out with his truck, but I found this on the motion camera we have outside that shows part of it:

So thankful for our son coming to our rescue!  And hopefully some VALUABLE lessons were learned! And also the fellow did finish all of the yard and did a great job, and we are very thankful for his work. He gives us a very reasonable rate to do the mowing, and it is a big help to us to have him available for that and other little handyman jobs that we have needed to have done. He is trying to earn a living and also help out a friend who has some physical limitations but is able to help him as a support person, so we are glad to give them the work.

Oh, guess what! I noticed some new property survey stakes and ribbons on the boundaries of the property of the new house next door, so I contacted the owner and asked her if they had sold the house, and she said "YES!" 

She doesn't know any details for sure about who or how many or other information because it was handled by a realtor, but she said it was a solid offer and they expect to close in a couple of weeks! SO, I guess time will tell whether or not prayers have been answered about the new neighbors!  I'm still praying, obviously for God's will to be done...but I do hope they will be friendly and not have loud cars or loud dogs. LOL.  And I pray that we will also be good neighbors to them, whoever they are...

And speaking of "neighbors", I had an unusual encounter with someone from the neighborhood the other evening. A young woman knocked on the door and I went to answer the door, and ended up having a long conversation with her as she was actually looking for help...as in financial help of any kind...and she appeared to be somewhat inebriated from one source or another...and she needed money to get her "prescription" filled she said because her feet were hurting and burning from neuropathy, and she was also practically deaf as her speech was much like a person who is deaf.  Oh my! What do you do in a situation like that?  I prayed in my heart first of all, that God would help me to do the right thing, whatever that was.  I thought a lot about this scripture passage below as I was talking to her, especially verse 6:

Acts 3:1-10 

"Now Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 

2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; 

3 who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. 

4 And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, “Look at us.” 

5 So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. 

6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 

7 And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. 

8 So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them—walking, leaping, and praising God. 

9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God. 

10 Then they knew that it was he who sat begging alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."

I wanted so much to share Christ and His power to save and to heal her, and we did talk a bit about church and where there were churches who could help her with some of her needs...But all the while I was asking God to help me do the right thing.  You know? You don't want to just tell someone you will pray for them and not do anything to help her immediate needs.  I did actually end up giving her a little bit of money (after discussing it with my hubby for a moment privately), but not very much,  and then I asked her if I could pray with her and she said yes, and then she wanted to hug me, which I was happy to do.  Her name is Misty.  

I am sharing this not to gain any kind of glory for myself, because I felt totally inadequate for the situation. I truly needed the Lord to guide me, and I pray that what I did do was what He wanted me to do.  I don't know if I will ever see Misty again...she said she was new to the community and living with some people. She had no car or any way to get places or get a job because she can't hear well enough.

She is still on my heart and I continue to pray for her, but you know there are so many like her out there...seeking material help but more than that they need JESUS!  They need to know that "in the Name of Jesus" they CAN rise above their circumstances  and find the help and peace that they need.  

Well, while I was writing that story, another neighborhood "emergency" arrived. LOL.  Hubby called me to the window to see that there was a man out in the street stopping traffic so that he could get a turtle off the road.  I stepped out on the porch and asked him if it was a land turtle or a water turtle, and he said water, so I told him that we have a pond out back and that is where he's probably trying to get back to.  He asked me if I could bring him a towel or something so he could pick him up, because he didn't want to get bitten.  So I grabbed a towel and my camera so I could take some pictures!

 (Of course!)

It was another of those very large Florida Soft Shelled Turtles...the same kind that was laying eggs in our yard not long ago...

The man carried her around to our back yard and laid her down on the grass and headed  her in the direction of the pond, and it wasn't long before the turtle took off running as fast as turtles can run toward the pond.

It didn't take her long to reach the shore and she ran into the mud and started swimming as soon as she found the water.

I thanked the man for his kindness to God's wild critter, and then I noticed his fancy motorcycle and told him he had a very nice bike.  I asked if I could take a picture of it for my blog, and he was all too happy to let me, and said "You can just name it the "Turtle Saving Bike" today!  LOL.

I bet you've never seen one of those before!  I guess "salvation" comes in many forms!

Lately I've been feeling kind of sad that we haven't been able to attend church regularly due to my hubby's health concerns.  But I have prayed that God would still find ways to use us to minister to others even from right where we are.  And it seems like He's been doing just that in various ways and with people we never would have met in our church.

Matthew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 

15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

James 1:17 NKJV

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.

The gist of this is that we are to be salt and light to those around us, wherever we are...not just in church where everyone else is also salt and light. (Hopefully).  We are to let our light shine in our homes and neighborhoods and when out shopping or working or dining out.  If we let the Light of Christ shine out from us, people will be drawn to the Light that is in us.  You don't have to preach to people to minister to them. Just be salt and light. Let your light shine, and it will help to lead them to the One True Light, Jesus Christ.  I pray that is what God is doing with my life during these days of feeling a bit confined. If I can't go to the "Church", God is bringing "the Church" to me.  

Thank you for hanging with me through this long post today.  It just seemed to keep on growing as the day has progressed! I'd better hurry up and post it before something else happens! LOL.    I  do hope that you and yours will be blessed today and that the Light of Christ will shine on you and through you as you go about your days.  Amen.