Wednesday Treasures: "An Island of Calm"

Good Wednesday Morning!

What started out as a typical Wednesday morning, hunting for "treasures" to share with you, as is the norm for many of my blog posts, one thought led to another, and it ended up being something totally different than what I thought or planned.  

In removing all of the Christmas decorations, I started looking around for something different to fill the blank spaces until the next holiday, and of course Tea Time is always a background theme for my home.

So here above we have a couple of my favorite dolls, Valerie and Anne of Green Gables, sitting down for a little tea party. I've had Anne of Green Gables tea parties before:

"A Kindred Spirit", Pamela's Victorian Cottage Has a Very Special Visitor, Diana Is Invited to Tea, A Merry Heart is Good Medicine,  to name a few...

but this tea party took a different turn. As I picked up the book that you see on the table above, 

"If Teacups Could Talk", by Emilie Barnes and paintings by Sandy Lynam Clough,

I turned to the page below and the story entitled,

"Fill Me with Serenity...Islands of Calm in an Ocean of Chaos"

Wow! Did that ever speak  to me with all that is going on in our country today! Who doesn't long for an "Island of Calm" in the midst of all this chaos around us these days?

(painting by Sandy Lynam Clough)

The story goes on to talk about how you could always "grab a quick cup of tea", or "heat a mug of water in the microwave" and "plunk in your teabag or stir in some spiced-tea mix and carry the whole thing back to your desk to gulp while you work."  But the author goes on to say that if you do that "you'll miss one of tea's most beautiful benefits...the blessing of slowing down to enjoy it."  You will miss the "opportunity to stake out an island of calm serenity in the chaotic ocean of daily life." (Emilie Barnes, "If Teacups Could Talk", page 11)

So I began to think about this...

And as I looked around my home "office space" (office sounds so stark and busy and unfriendly...I need to think of another name for this space where I create and enjoy looking out at Still Waters Pond while I write to you... maybe you can help me come up with a better name)

(I just took this picture as I was writing to you...this is "hot off the press!")

And as I looked around my little room I noticed this picture hanging on the wall that I have had forever. It was a greeting card from someone that I liked so much I framed it and hung it on the wall...

My own little "Island of Calm"

and here below is what I felt led to create for us just now to bring this thought even closer together:

And this became my prayer as I thought more about this today:

"The Serenity Prayer"

But then I wondered, where in the Bible could I find some words of serenity and peace and understanding in the midst of the chaos of our world's current events?  And the 37th Psalm seemed to fit the overarching need of my heart today...and perhaps yours as well.  I recommend reading the whole 40 verses, but I have only included the first 11 for you here today:

Psalm 37:1-11 

1 Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

And wither as the green herb.

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the Lord,

Trust also in Him,

And He shall bring it to pass.

6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,

And your justice as the noonday.

7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,

Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;

Do not fret—it only causes harm.

9 For evildoers shall be cut off;

But those who wait on the Lord,

They shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more;

Indeed, you will look carefully for his place,

But it shall be no more.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth,

And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Can you see the theme of "The Serenity Prayer" in this Psalm?   I do...I see Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom throughout these words of King David.  The Serenity Prayer is a wonderful way to sum it all up, but getting into the meat of God's Word is what truly gives us peace (Serenity), courage, and wisdom.  

So that is where my "Wednesday Treasures" hunt led me today. I hope you are able to find an "Island of Calm" in this chaotic world today.  Perhaps a cup of tea would help, but spending time in meditating on God's Word provides the best results.   

May your day be filled with Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom...

Wednesday Treasures ~ "Timeless Treasures"

Today (written on Tuesday) seemed like a good day to bake some cookies.  Nothing special...just my ordinary Oatmeal raisin walnut cookies.  (click on the link for the recipe). They seem to be the family favorite and I have convinced myself they are healthy, with all of their nuts and raisins and oatmeal. Never mind the brown sugar and shortening, flour, salt, baking powder and eggs. Oh, and don't forget the vanilla and cinnamon! That's all healthy, right?

And so, while the cookies were baking, in between batches going in and out of the oven, I sat down in my rocking chair in the kitchen and had a cup of tea and "taste-tested" the cookies to make sure they were good enough to eat! Of course, when they are fresh and hot out of the oven is when they are the best!  

While sitting there in my rocking chair, which, by the way, is one of my "treasures", as my parents bought it for me just before our first child was born, and I rocked my three babies many a sleepless night in that rocking chair; anyway, while cooking or baking in the kitchen I like to sit in my rocker and read from this little book while I sip my cup of tea and eat that fresh hot cookie...  I know I've probably referred to this before, but today it was a special time and I thought it would fit in with this Wednesday Treasures theme.

You see, I originally gave this book to my mother for Mother's Day many years ago. Then when she left this earth to go where her true treasures were waiting, i.e.; heaven, the book came back to me.

And so now I love to sift through its pages and think about how much I know she enjoyed this book at one time, and it gives me great pleasure to know that we shared these special "treasures".  

 "The very best gifts are the gifts of your time that come with a memory attached.  It's easy to give this treasure to the people you love!...Write a letter on a special occasion and save it to give to the recipient later...Nurture a family tradition, or start a new one...Teach a skill that was passed along to you by someone you loved...Research your family tree and make copies for others in your family...Tell the stories!...Pass along the family stories you've heard and tell your own stories..."  Emilie Barnes, Timeless Treasures.

"Take it--'tis a gift of love--that seeks thy good alone;

Keep it for the giver's sake, and read it for thine own."

Youth's Keepsake, 1836

Some of my own "Timeless Treasures"...Letters between my mother and me...special little "love notes" that are now priceless.

"You have the special privilege of providing a link to that heritage for oncoming generations.

Write about yesterday.

Write about today, which will be history tomorrow.

Continue to write about all of your todays until the very end of your life.

Put the words on paper which will prevent your life 

and the lives of other members of your family from slipping into oblivion."

Lois Daniel

My pink geranium plant that I rescued from overheating outside. It seems much happier inside where it is cool. I can't say that I blame it one bit.

This needlepoint footstool came from my parents' home. I don't know for sure if my grandmother did this needlepoint or not. She did a lot of them many years ago, and this may have come from her house before it went to my parents. I am pretending it is so, and enjoying it as if it was created by her. And even if it wasn't, it still came from my parents' home, and that makes it a special treasure in itself.

Well, the cookies are finally done and it is time for me to clean up the kitchen and start preparing supper. 

I hope you have enjoyed this little walk down memory lane with me as I've share a few more of my "Wednesday Treasures".

Oh, this teacup with the sweet bluebird on it (and also the three tea cups in the picture above with the letters) was a gift from a dear friend who was a member of the church where I worked before I retired. She gave me a whole box of special teacups and saucers because she and her husband were leaving their home and moving into a Senior Living apartment where they wouldn't have room for so many "treasures." You can read more about that story HERE.

It was during a very distressful time in my life, and her unselfish gift of her "treasures" really gave me a blessing when I needed it most.

"I have written my life in small sketches,

a little today, a little yesterday,

as I have thought of it, 

as I remember all the things from childhood on through the years,

good ones, and unpleasant ones,

that is how they come out and that is how we have to take them."

Anna Mary Moses

(Grandma Moses)

 

All quotes in this post came from the book, Timeless Treasures, written by Emilie Barnes and paintings by Sandy Lynam Clough.  Harvest House Publishers

P.S. While I was writing this last night, we were having a terrific thunderstorm, with lots of thunder and lightning.  Thankfully the power never flickered so I was able to finish writing. Afterwards was this magnificent sunset!  What a beautiful gift from God to treasure!  Another of His stunning masterpieces spread out on His canvas of the skies for us to behold! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

I hope your day is filled with the flow of blessings from the Lord!

The Doxology

"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Praise Him all creatures here below!

Praise Him above ye heavenly host!

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

Amen.

A little brief history of the Doxology: "These words were written in 1674 by Thomas Ken as the final verse of two hymns, "Awake, my soul, and with the sun" and "Glory to thee, my God, this night," intended for morning and evening worship at Winchester College."  Wikipedia.  

Since they were originally intended for "morning and evening worship", they are certainly appropriate here, as we welcome another beautiful morning while we contemplate the wonder and magnificence of God's marvelous creation from the evening before!

Thankful Thursday and Friday Fotos All At Once!

Today is Thankful Thursday... and yes I am thankful.
Thankful for the rain that has been falling for the past few days. Still Waters Pond is starting to look like a pond again instead of a mud-pit. The water birds are starting to come back again.

 Can you see the Wood Duck couple above?  And the White Egret below?

This Red Bellied Woodpecker is enjoying a feast in the top of this dead pine tree:

Yes, he's really way up there!! But he doesn't seem to mind.

He can see all over town from way up there.

It is also time for Friday Fotos again, so I may as well add a few pictures from this week's walks:
I am thankful that my hubby and I can get out and walk every day, even in between the rain showers. (sometimes during, but not on purpose!)
Found some new species of flowers while walking this week:  (Do you see that little green grasshopper again? I wonder if he is the same one that was on my rose blossom last week? He sure gets around town! LOL)

Penstemon-Multifloris  found in the woods  https://www.fnps.org/plants/plant/penstemon-multiflorus

Fernleaf yellow False Foxglove

Wild Purple Pea Vine

 Fungi growing on old dead logs. Kind of like the age spots that grow on our "old bodies". LOL.

One day this week our friend Sylvia, who used to write her blog A Grandma's Blessings, invited me to have tea with her on Facebook. (Sylvia hasn't been able to write her blog since her sweet hubby passed away last year and she has moved and hasn't unpacked her computer. We've missed her here!) She sent me a picture of her teacup and delicious looking cranberry orange muffins. So I responded with this picture of my teacup and an apple bran muffin. Soon a few other friends joined us...I think there was Mary from "Visits with Mary" and a banana muffin, and then Linda joined us from "Simply Linda", along with her lemonade because she said it was too hot for tea up in New York!

We had a great time visiting on Facebook, and you are welcome to join in here if you'd like. I think we are all ready for some kind of tea parties and friendly visits with one another.

I just picked up a little book off my bookshelf here beside my desk.

I think someone else mentioned this book or another by Emilie Barnes recently. I love her books and have several of them.

I turned to the chapter that says: "Fill my cup, Lord...I offer you my cup of loneliness and selfishness, that You may give me Your cup of communion."

I think many of us are suffering from various forms of loneliness during this time of isolation. Even if we have family all around us, we can still be lonely. We are missing our friends and our times of fellowship and friendly visits.  I don't think it is selfish to miss that. I wrote yesterday about missing our times of worship at church and my concerns that even when we go back to church it just won't be quite the same as before.  I've been really thinking about that praying about my attitude toward that today.  You know, "the cup of communion" with Christ is not only talking about "The Lord's Supper" that we share with other believers at church on a regular basis. It is a daily communion with Christ...reading His Word, praying, and communicating with Him throughout the day as we walk or sit and watch the birds, or whatever we enjoy doing that is relaxing and peaceful.  And even though our "communion" with others may be somewhat limited right now, we can still have a kind of communion here, through our blogs as we encourage one another and lift up each other in prayer. As we share stories of hope and faith from our own life's experiences...these are all ways of filling our lives with the "cup of the Lord's communion".  

I am thankful for this group of people here who gather sometimes daily to share their lives with us. This gives us each a feeling of friendship and fellowship that we sorely need.

Jesus said in Matthew 18:19-20

"I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

So in my combined thankful Thursday and Friday Foto post, I want to thank you for being here! Thank you for listening when I share my concerns and frustrations as well as my joys and blessings. I look forward to hearing from each of you and seeing what things are happening in your lives each week. We are a kind of family here, and you are each very special to me. My cup is full because of you!

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."

Philippians 1:3

Tea Time Trivia and Blessings

It is no secret that I love tea.  I love all the stuff that goes with tea...teapots, teacups, tea cozies,

I even have a teatime calendar (thanks to my sister giving it to me every year for Christmas!)

 And lots of books about tea and teatime...

and many tea cups and tea pots

I also have Tea Tins to hold tea...

Added note: I should have mentioned in my original post that this lovely little red Lipton Tea tin with the pretty lady on the front is a recent "gift", from the estate of my husband's cousin Janice, who recently passed away.  I will think of Janice every time I take a tea bag from this delightful tin.

Yes, I have a small collection of Lipton Tea tins. I have some others too, but Lipton is my favorite.

Obviously this one is a bit old and worse for the wear, but that's probably why I keep it...

 Here is one of the several devotional books that I've been given over the years...Emilie Barnes is one of my favorite authors about things pertaining to tea...but in this book she goes to a different level...

 "Fill My Cup, Lord..."  (one of my favorite hymns too!)

Yes, Lord...

 But, Oh! My cup is chipped and cracked, and not in perfect condition...much like my life and my body...How can I serve You?

"He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength...but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."  

Isaiah 40:29, 31

"And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Yes, even when our strength is small and frail, and our "cup" is chipped and worn, Christ comes to fill our "cups" with His strength, His love, and His peace.  

To quote Emilie Barnes:

"Whatever your circumstances, you, too, 

can hold up your cup and it will be filled.

If your cup is polished and dry, 

hold it out for the Lord's plentiful pouring.

If your cup is full of the old and the unsatisfying,

hold it up for the Lord's cleansing.

If your cup is cracked and broken, hold it up anyway,

for the Lord's resources are plentiful and can keep even leaky cups replenished.

Come to Him as you are, cup in hand, 

and hold it up to receive His blessings.

And then you will say, as I have said over and over again in wonder and amazement...

"Surely...my cup runneth over."

Emilie Barnes

Fill My Cup, Lord...with the Peace of Your Presence

Copyright 1996 by Harvest House Publishers

It's Tea Time somewhere

So put on the tea kettle

and pour a cup of 

tea for you and me!

I'll be right over!