Sunday Afternoon Blessings

 

Happy Sunday!  Today has been such a lovely day, and I just wanted to share some of the joy with you!

I always feel blessed when we've been to church and were able to sing God's praises! I'm excited also that we will be starting back to choir practice this week and so the choir will be singing in the worship services again!  Although we've had some wonderful special music this summer in place of the choir, there's just something really special about singing praises to the Lord together in harmony, and I have really missed it!

In addition to that, I am really really excited because I have sighted the first actual water on Still Waters Pond once again, finally, after a very long drought! We haven't seen water on the pond since last winter...it's been a whole year, so even though this isn't a lot of water here yet, it's progress and I am so happy and excited to finally see it happening!!! Praise God!!

Isaiah 43:18-20 NIV

18 “Forget the former things;

do not dwell on the past.

19 See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?

I am making a way in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland.

20 The wild animals honor me,

the jackals and the owls,

because I provide water in the wilderness

and streams in the wasteland,

to give drink to my people, my chosen,

Isaiah 41:18 NIV

18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,

and springs within the valleys.

I will turn the desert into pools of water,

and the parched ground into springs.

I was so excited I literally walked across the spongy part of the pond that is still very dry to get close enough to where I could see the water so I could take those pictures above.  Looking back toward the shore you can see how far away I was from our house...

Yes, there is still a lot of dry ground, but where you see the green bushes growing, there is some water underneath...not very deep yet, but it's progress!!

The skies were really beautiful this afternoon...

I took these photos while standing near the island that is on the pond. The island is still mostly surrounded by dry land, but little by little the water is creeping up around it and this gives me such hope that perhaps by winter time there will be enough water for our Sand Hill Cranes to nest here again. They had to forego their nesting this past winter because there was no water and they were too vulnerable to predators, but hopefully with enough rain between now and then they will be able to find a suitable spot to build their nest.

Those posts that you see are usually half way under water.  

This is what the ground looks like that I walked across. This is very dry and spongy. Once the water starts filling it back up, the water lily roots that are buried in this dry muck will sprout back up and be beautiful once again.

Speaking of beautiful skies, this was the picture at sunrise today:

And THIS was the sky about an hour ago, after we had received a Severe Thunderstorm Warning...

You can see that something big was brewing out there in the skies...

And here it was just a few minutes later...the storm was moving in and heading in our direction...

It looked pretty awesome and somewhat concerning for a few minutes...

The wind started blowing  and leaves were swirling and we braced ourselves for a big storm, and then we got another notice that the storm had died down and wasn't as severe as expected.  I am still waiting for the rain to hit us, but it appears it has gone a different direction.

I just stepped out on the front porch, and this is how the skies look right now...

It still looks rather stormy to me, but apparently it is moving away and we didn't get but a little sprinkle of rain.  Oh well!  I still rejoice that little by little Still Waters Pond is showing signs of filling once again, and I will just keep believing!!

The other nice blessing today was that our kids came over for lunch after church, and we had such a nice meal together. I roasted a Pork Tenderloin  and made some scalloped potatoes, and Rose brought the delicious mixed vegetables.  That's all we had, and it was plenty and SO good!  Sadly Scott didn't come down today, so it was just the four of us, with the grandpups, of course, and we had a really nice afternoon.

We spent some time discussing some possibilities and ideas for our future, which is really just that right now...a discussion...but also some things for us to truly think and pray about as we aren't getting any younger and we want to have a "Plan B" in our minds for consideration should the need arise to make any kind of changes as we age.  There's nothing concrete or definite or even more than a discussion, but it has given us some "food for thought" and some things to pray about and consider in God's timing.

I saw this on Facebook this week, and of course I saved it because it goes along with the title of my blog perfectly. And it also goes along with our line of thought as we look to the future.  But God knows how difficult it is for me to sometimes "let go of the doorknob".  We often place our security in the things we have and the places we live and the people we have in our lives...and there comes a time in every person's life sooner or later that they have to make some tough decisions and be willing to "let go of the doorknob" and let God take control.  I especially love the verse attached to this: 

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3

Yes, that's always the best plan...whatever it is we want to do or think we should do, we need to commit our thoughts and plans to the Lord, and HE will take care of the rest.  

And so on that thought I will close this post and do exactly what this message is recommending.  There's no need to worry or fret about the future...just give it to God..."let go of the doorknob", and He will direct our steps in accordance with HIS sovereign will for us.  There is NO better place than that to be!  

Amen, and good night!

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!

Tuesday 4: Personal Snapshot

 Personal Snapshot

Welcome back to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we try to get you talking, thinking and making new friends while you get to know old friends better.

Today is a hodgepodge of question for you to ponder:

1. What TV programs that everyone else loved/loves did/do you dislike and why? Conversely, what program did you love while everyone else thought it was awful? (or maybe a song, book..etc)  I didn't like "the Wizard of Oz" as a child. It always made me very anxious, and honestly, to this day, if I were to watch it (which I probably won't) it still makes me feel very anxious.   As far as a program or song or book that I liked but others didn't...I will have to think about that one for a while.  For once I am drawing a blank.



2 Do you resent serving without thanks or do you see a higher purpose behind it?   No, I don't resent serving others without thanks...as a mother we often have had to do things for our children or families that no one ever thought to say thank you for...but when you love your family you do things without expecting to be thanked.  The same goes for our jobs in the outside world...yes, we get paid to work, but oftentimes we find we have to go beyond the call of duty to get the job done and do things behind the scene that others don't realize or ever recognize.  When I think about the things I've had to do throughout the years that went without recognition, I think about this verse in the Bible:  

I Corinthians 10:31

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

If I do these things as serving the Lord, I know that even if I never receive recognition or thanks here for my work, God knows my heart and He sees what I do and I will be blessed in ways that are eternal. I don't need man's recognition to make my life better.

"Let all that you do be done in love"

I Corinthians 16:14

3. What flavor ice cream is your favorite and how do you like it served? (Sunday, Blizzard, cone, dish?) What toppings make your day?

At this point in life my favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla, because you can do so much more with it...like add peaches or strawberries, or hot fudge and chopped nuts and whipped cream, or make a Root Beer Float or a chocolate milkshake by adding chocolate to it.  I actually don't each much ice cream anymore. I think I must be lactose intolerant and so I have pretty much given up ice cream, except for an occasional scoop on pie or cake.  I prefer yogurt, and usually add fresh fruit and granola to it to make it extra good.  However, we usually make homemade vanilla ice cream for the 4th of July if we have a family gathering at our house.  Not sure yet what we are doing this year.

Here I am last year, pretending to be cranking the ice cream maker.  We now use an electric "crank", so we have to take our turns pretending to crank it. It's a family tradition.

And here's the taste test!

I hope we can do something together this year, but not sure who can come. My sister's hubby just had some major back surgery TODAY (Monday), and I don't think he will be ready for a two hour ride to our house by the 4th of July.  He did come through the surgery very well, according to the Doctor, but when my sister called me he was still in recovery.  If you would, please say a little prayer for my BIL Art.  He's older than I am, and the older we get, the more difficult recovery of any kind of surgery can be, so I know he will appreciate all the prayers.

Here's a recent picture of my brother in law Art and my sister Doris, when we got together in April for their birthdays.

Okay, Back to the questions:

4. How many pairs of shoes do you own? How many handbags? Do you use/wear them all? Should you weed them out?

 I am not a shoe or purse fanatic.  I have basic shoes for every day and church. I recently bought a new pair of casual sandals for summer,

but I prefer to wear my Skechers walking shoes.  And I probably have some old shoes in the closet that could be thrown out...some old pairs of heels that I never wear, even though they aren't high heels, they just aren't comfortable. I have one pair of navy blue low heels and one pair of black low heels that I wear with dresses for church. I never wear white shoes because I have "big feet", and white makes them look bigger. LOL.  ("Vanity, thy name is woman..." LOL).

Handbags...I usually just use one bag at a time, unless I am going someplace fancy, which I rarely do. I carry my every day bag to church because It's just too much trouble to keep shifting things back and forth for two hours.  I've gotten lazy in my old age.  I do have some clutch bags that I used to use for church, but I probably should just get rid of them because I never use them anymore.  

I've probably talked about this handbag before.  I carried this bag with me to work for probably close to 15 years, I'm not kidding! I bought it from an elderly woman who actually made this bag. It was the best purse I ever had...it was perfect for my job as a bookkeeper, because I could put the bank bag inside to go make the deposit at the bank and no one would ever suspect I was carrying a large sum of money with me!  It is washable and the straps are made of a very tough nylon that has never frayed or torn.  I only finally quit using it because the lining started to fall apart, but after being used for so many years literally EVERY day...it was time to retire when I retired.  I still have it and hate to get rid of it. I keep thinking maybe I'll find someone who can sew in a new lining for me and I can carry it another 15 years. LOL.   Isn't it beautiful????  LOL.

Okay, I've probably driven you all crazy with my stories, so it is time to quit for the night.   Now be sure to go visit the other friends who are sharing their "Personal Snapshot" HERE.  Thank you, Annie, for these fun and thought provoking questions each week!

Proverbs 16:3 NIV

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do,

and he will establish your plans."

It's February!

Yes, It's February! I love February! It seems to signal a transitional time between winter and spring...and with all the happy and fun events of the month it just seems to be a month of hope and joy and love!

Yes, Valentine's Day is coming...

And today I searched and searched in vain for the container holding my little Valentine decorations from last year...I have NO CLUE where I put them! Usually they are stored in the big container that holds other springtime decorations, like St. Patrick's Day and Easter.  But I looked in there and there was no sign of them...so now I've got to keep thinking and searching. I refuse to go buy more stuff when I know I have all those things hidden around here somewhere!

Oh well...hopefully I will discover them before February 14th!

Meanwhile...Today was Groundhog Day! (maybe the groundhog took them and hid them in his burrow).

Did any of you tune in to watch Punxsutawney Phil make his annual prediction of whether or not we will have six more weeks of winter or an early spring?

Well, if you were watching, you already know that he saw his shadow and predicted that there will be six more weeks of winter! And I guess Old Man Winter is already marching across the country again as we speak.  I hope you all stay safe and warm, wherever you are.

Thankfully it has been warm here these last couple of days, and we've enjoyed plenty of sunshine for a change!

I spent some time sitting out by Still Waters Pond yesterday afternoon, soaking up some free natural 

Vitamin D. That sure felt good. Just what the doctor ordered...

I enjoyed a cup of tea while I listened to the birdies singing in the trees...

I think they were singing this song:

"Oh sing to the Lord a new song.

Sing to the Lord, all the earth."

Psalm 96:1

My little friend Lily Grace and her doggy Bailey came along with me and enjoyed singing along too.

Just a little girl and her dog...  (and a BIG girl and her doll...oh well, what can I say?)

While I was sitting out there I heard a car pull up out front and our friends from church brought us another bag full of grapefruit from their tree. He had picked as much as he could before we had that big freeze the other morning!

Let me tell you...it doesn't get much better than this! Fresh Florida grapefruit right off the tree!!! Free natural Vitamin C! Again, just what the doctor ordered!

Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me!!  If you were here I'd gladly share some with you!

Now here's something you might enjoy also...

This is an "Oatmeal Cake", from my sister Doris' special recipe.  My hubby was craving cake yesterday...he seems to have gotten his appetite back since our bout with that nasty virus. Last week it was Gingerbread...this week he wanted Oatmeal cake!

I don't know if I've ever shared this recipe before...

Here it is. I don't think my sister will mind my sharing it with you. Just so long as you don't bring it to the same dinner party that she's coming to! LOL.  It's a very moist and delicious cake. Always a favorite everywhere it goes!

CORRECTION!  That should read 9 x 13 " pan, not 11 x 13. Not sure where that came from!!! Sorry.

Okay, here's another February-mid winter delight...flannel sheets!

Do you use flannel sheets?  On those chilly nights they sure do feel good. I was washing/changing our sheets the other day and when I put this sheet back on I was smiling. Don't you just love these little owls drinking their hot cocoa/coffee/tea, sitting in the tree?

We'll probably enjoy these until it starts to warm up and stays warm...but until then, they sure make me happy.

Can you tell we must be feeling better? Praise God! Today hubby and I actually went outside and raked some leaves and small branches from under the big oak trees in the front yard.  I love the shade those trees give, but they sure do make a mess this time of year with all their little brown leaves, acorns and dead branches that fall out of the tree when the wind blows. I know I will be feeling it tomorrow, especially in my arm with the frozen shoulder...

(this is an older picture of the trees, but you get the idea)

Speaking of the arm with the frozen shoulder...tomorrow I meet with the Orthopedic surgeon for an evaluation. I am hoping he will just give me a shot in the arm that will help it to not hurt so much and then I can work on the physical therapy a bit more. I had to quit going to PT while I was sick, so now I basically need to start over.  The one thing I do NOT want is surgery!!

What are you looking forward to this month?  Oh, my hubby's birthday is in a couple of weeks. We usually try to have some kind of family/friends get together around his birthday, but the way things have been lately I don't know just what we'll be able to do. I am hoping we can do something special. That's usually the highlight of the month!

Okay, I guess I've rambled on enough. I want to thank the Lord for His healing touch on our bodies. We are so very very thankful. And thankful for you all, who have been very supportive and kind and encouraging!  I hope your February is full of only good things!!  

Here's some food for thought:

"Commit your works to the Lord,

And your thoughts will be established."

Proverbs 16:3

Sounds good to me!