Weekend Reflections

 It's a lazy Sunday afternoon after a busy week.  Blackie has the right idea...find a comfy spot and take a nap.  He likes to be near me while I do my "work" here in my little "Room with a View". I enjoy his peaceful companionship, especially when he decides to sleep on a chair away from my desk and keyboard and mouse, where he often likes to perch himself and stop me from using either of the above tools.  This is a much better compromise.  We'll see how long it lasts. LOL.

So today has actually been more of a day of rest for me. I woke up not feeling too great and having my persistent chronic tummy issues that I tend to have after enjoying too much good food.  So we decided it was best for us to stay at home rather than go to church where the restrooms are difficult to get to in a hurry, and especially without interrupting the service and drawing too much attention to oneself. TMI.  Sometimes "discretion is the better part of valor".  (which means it is often smarter to be careful and avoid danger than to take foolish or unnecessary risks. [1, 2]) Maybe that's overstating the situation a bit, but perhaps you get the idea.  LOL.  I'm sure God understands why I chose to stay home from church and doesn't blame me a bit.  

Anyway, being able to go visit our family yesterday and enjoy a wonderful time together makes having tummy issues today worth it all.  Yes, we traveled about an hour and a half away to meet up with our extended family for lunch at a fun restaurant where we have met many times before because it is very accommodating to our rather large and noisy group:

This is a gathering of both sides of our family, including my sister and her family and hubby's brother and his family, and our son Benton and sweet Rose. Scott was not able to make it as he lives a bit too far to make that trip back and forth.

Our waitress was very kind to take these pictures for us from both ends of the table.

It was wonderful to catch up with each other and find out all the latest "news" from each family. There was some exciting news, and some I am not permitted to divulge just yet. LOL.  We each shared our joys and hopes and even some of our aches and pains. And we celebrated several August birthdays and three August anniversaries.  Birthdays ranged from 21, to 55, to 60 and 72.  Anniversaries ranged from 21 to 28 to 57! (Guess who?)  It was all good fun and a wonderful time of celebration. God has been very gracious to our families and we are very thankful.

This was what I had to eat...the "Seabreeze Salad" , with Mandarin oranges, grilled chicken, dried cranberries and candied pecans over a bed of lettuce greens, with Zinfandel Viniagrette dressing. It was supposed to have bleu cheese crumbles, but I don't like those so had cheddar cheese instead. It was very good and quite a large salad.  I almost ate the whole thing. 

Regarding the weather here in our neck of the woods...it is still hot and steamy, but no rain today or yesterday. Some of you may have already seen my cloud and lightning pictures from Friday evening on Facebook.  Here's one of the most unusual looking cloud out in front of our house:

And here's a video of some of the lightning in that cloud:

And this video is of the same clouds a little while later, and much more lightning! Be sure to watch for it!

We had all those clouds and lightning and not one drop of rain at our house. It was all to the southeast of us.

All in all it was a good weekend, even if I haven't felt that well today. Oh, and the dear man with cancer that we were visiting and took food for his family on Thursday night did pass away early Saturday morning. Although my heart breaks for his family, we rejoice for this dear one because we know he is present with the Lord and that he is no longer suffering and he is fully healed in heaven.  

This is the hope and promise for every believer in Jesus Christ:

2 Corinthians 5:1-8 NKJV

Assurance of the Resurrection

1 For we know that if our earthly [a]house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our [b]habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as [c]a guarantee.

6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Amen! Yes! What a glorious day that will be!!!!

And so with that wonderful thought in mind I will bid you all good night. I pray you have a blessed and beautiful week.