Sunday Blessings

 Today was a beautiful Sunday! We started out at 68 degrees, but it did end up in the high 80's, but still, when it starts getting into the 60's in the morning, we feel like it must be Fall!!  The skies were blue and it was a beautiful day to worship and to celebrate!

We started our day at church, and if you'd like to hear the choir singing "Oh, How I love Jesus!", you can click on this video below, and then stay around for a great message from Luke 17:11-19, "Maintaining an Attitude of Gratitude".  

Here's the lyrics to the song if you'd like to sing along.

"There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth

It sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest name on earth.

O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus!

Because He first loved me!

It tells me of a Savior’s love, who died to set me free

It tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea.

O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus!

Because He first loved me!

It tells me what my Father hath in store for every day

And, tho’ I tread a darksome path, yields sunshine all the way

O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus!

Because He first loved me!

It tells of One whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe

Who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below.

O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus! O how I love Jesus!

Because He first loved me!"

That was a great way to start the day!  Then following church we headed to "Hog Wild Country Cafe'" for lunch with family, and yes, quite a few of our church friends.  No, it was not meant to be a birthday party for me, I called it my "non-birthday party celebration".  We just all went out to eat and had a great time. Here's some pictures so you can see how much fun we were having:

We had a great crowd of folks, and you can see for yourself how interesting the 'atmosphere' is inside this restaurant:

There's Rose and me, with some of our friends at the next table:

Some more of our friends:

Here's some familiar faces: Our sons Benton &Scott, and Benton's wife Rose...

And there's John with some of our church friends:

That's our Pastor and wife at the end, and other friends on the left.

Hubby is deep in conversation while we were waiting for our food...

Sometimes I wonder if these silent guests are really listening in on our conversations! LOL.

They kind of both have an "all-knowing" look about them, don't you think? LOL.

Son Scott left his signature straw wrapper people for the waitress to enjoy...and she did! She was carrying them with her up to the kitchen as we were leaving and showing them to everyone and remarking about how cute they were.  This is something he has done ever since I can remember. I wonder how many straw wrapper people still exist somewhere in someone's collection of interesting things found on restaurant tables...LOL.

After leaving the restaurant we headed home, and Benton and Rose stopped by their house to pick up the pups and the apple pie and ice cream and headed to our house for a little "party".

Sugar and Spice are always glad they can be a part of the family gatherings.

Having an apple pie for my birthday (which isn't until Wednesday, but this is when the kids could be here together), is a tradition started by my mother. She baked a homemade apple pie for me (at my request, actually) for many birthdays. When she passed away my sister Doris took up the tradition, sometimes baking a homemade pie, and most times bringing one from Costco or someplace, but it was always good.  

My sister lives over an hour away and it doesn't look like we are going to be able to get together this time for my birthday, so thankfully my sweet dil Rose stepped up to the plate, and she and Mrs. Smith collaborated on a delicious Dutch Apple Pie.  We actually waited to bake it when we got home so it was really fresh and hot when we were ready to eat it!

Here I am enjoying listening to the family singing Happy Birthday to me...

And then I blew out the candles...all 74 of them! LOL.  One was sinking into the pie so we had to hurry.

After having our pie and vanilla ice cream we gathered around the table and Scott managed a timed photo on my cell phone. He's really good at setting up the phone and timer and jumping into the photo just in the nick of time!

I was enjoying my piece of pie on this sweet little plate that I picked up at the Dollar Tree this week!

I added it to my collection from the past couple of years...and now I have two of each design so there's enough for us to use for desserts through the fall days...

I am always so thankful and grateful to God when we can gather as a family and also with friends and celebrate LIFE!!  Life is just too short to ignore these special times and milestones.   I am extremely thankful and grateful for every day that God gives me to live and enjoy life.

I rejoice like Hannah in the Old Testament, when she had prayed that God would give her a son after many years of barrenness, and He answered her prayer and gave her Samuel...it's a beautiful story that you can read more about in 1 Samuel 1-2.  Here is her prayer after Samuel was born:

1 Samuel 2:1-2  NKJV

Hannah’s Prayer

2 And Hannah prayed and said:

“My heart rejoices in the Lord;

My horn is exalted in the Lord.

I smile at my enemies,

Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

2 “No one is holy like the Lord,

For there is none besides You,

Nor is there any rock like our God.

I do rejoice in the Lord, because He has blessed me with a beautiful family and good friends.  And although God called our son Matthew home at a much too early of an age (41), He brought our son Benton a wonderful wife named Rose, and she has been such a blessing to me and to our family. 

And just as the kids were leaving to go back to their homes, an Amazon delivery truck drove up in front of our house, and stopped, and came out bringing me a big box. I said I hadn't ordered anything and wasn't expecting anything, and the delivery man said, "well, maybe it's a surprise gift!"  I said, "Well, I guess it could be since my birthday is coming, but I have no clue who it could be from!".  So we came inside and opened the package and it was a wonderful gift from one of our very dear and precious blogging friends! I will not name names, but she knows who she is, and she also knows how overwhelmed I was when this came!  This dear friend has been going through some really difficult times in her own life, and I honestly do not know how she found the time to even think of me and send me such a sweet and wonderful gift. I am truly humbled and blessed and thankful.  Here it is:

She knows that I love churches, and this one looks a lot like our own little church!  It is so sweet, and it lights up!  It's decorated for Christmas, but not so much so that we can't go ahead and enjoy it right now, which I intend to do right up and through Christmas, and who knows? It may just stay out all year long!

I love the details...see the little bike?

And I love that it has a Sunday School, and a little box of Children's Bibles.  It is really perfect in every way.  I've already told my friend how much I love it and how much I love her, but I wanted you all to see this too.  Sometimes people just really amaze me, you know what I mean???

I will close with this portion of Psalm 103:1-5

103 

"1 Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

3 Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

4 Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."

And with that I will say Amen and Good Night to one and all! May the Lord bless you and keep you always.

It's Sunday...A Day of Rest

 It's Sunday, and I am home instead of being at Sunday school and church.  Had a bit of a "bug" yesterday and today, and I just needed to stay home and let my body heal.  I've been taking a lot of little naps...seems like that is what is needed most.  This morning after hubby left for church I decided to treat myself to being a "guest" in my own house and went and laid down on the bed in the guest room to see what it would feel like to be a guest here. LOL. 

I pulled Nanny Martin's restored quilt* up over me, and I went to sleep pretty quickly, so that is a good sign that the room is cozy and comfy.

Then I made the bed back when I got up so I wouldn't be tempted to lay back down...

I am enjoying the new little shabby chic nightstand that was given to me by my son at Dixie Cottage, and am very grateful to have it.

It will be a nice spot to put a cup of tea and a good book when I feel like reading...

And when I awaken from my nap I can refresh myself with a pitcher of warm water...(or I could just go across the hall to the bathroom where there is real running hot and cold water! LOL)

*(That photograph is of my hubby's "Nanny Martin", who created that quilt originally. See this link for the story about this quilt being restored)

Speaking about being restored...

Anyway, I am thankful for the comforts of home when I don't feel up to being out there in the world. Sometimes we just need to "retreat' and let our body be restored.

Interestingly the sermon today at church is from the 23rd Psalm. How do I know? Well, our Pastor records his messages ahead of time to put on the church website so that people who are shut in at home can go online and hear the message and also sing along with the choir on one of the hymns.  Our choir pre-records the song at our practice time earlier in the week, so that is why you will notice that I am singing in the choir when I am not there at church today. LOL.  Here it is for you if you want to listen to a good message and hear us singing "Oh, How I Love Jesus!"

"There is a name I love to hear; I love to sing its worth

It sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest name on earth.

O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus

Because He first loved me.

It tells me of a Savior’s love, who died to set me free

It tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea.

O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus

Because He first loved me.

It tells me what my Father hath in store for every day

And, tho’ I tread a darksome path, yields sunshine all the way.

O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus

Because He first loved me.

It tells of One whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe

Who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below.

O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus, O how I love Jesus

Because He first loved me."

While I was sitting here writing this to you I was blessed by a little visitor out on the porch. I couldn't get a good picture of him while he was sitting on the porch rail right outside my window, but he soon moved out to perch on the post that holds one of our birdhouses, and there he posed for me so sweetly so I could share him with you:

Isn't he sweet? This is a little Eastern Phoebe, and he is a welcome visitor since he loves to catch flies and bugs.  You can often hear them calling "Phoebe, Phoebe" as they sit and watch for the bugs to appear.

This was a sweet gift to see him today. I love the ways God blesses us when we need little reminders of His Presence.

This little bird sits "Beside the Still Waters" here at our own Still Waters Pond...,

very fitting with the sermon today from the 23rd Psalm, where God leads us beside the still waters...where He restores our soul...

A Psalm of David.

Psalm 23

 "1 The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord

Forever."

I hope this has been a refreshing and restorative retreat for you today. May the Lord bless you and keep you in peace.

Amen.

\