Special Announcement and Tuesday 4: Friendship.

 Greetings from my desk to yours...This will be brief...our WiFi modem is dying and seems to keep dropping in and out. We have contacted our internet provider, and they cannot come to replace it until Thursday.   Right now at this moment it is working, but by the time I finish typing this, it may be back off again, so you may or may not ever see this message.  I didn't have time to do the Tuesday 4 meme today as I had other things planned and had hoped to get it done tonight.  But I don't want to chance it and will just say that most likely you won't be seeing much of me for the next couple of days.  

Of course without the internet, we also cannot watch TV...and I cannot access the WiFi items on my cell phone either, so things could get pretty quiet around here.  I told hubby we need to just take tomorrow off and go someplace, like the beach or some other interesting place rather than sit here staring at the four walls.  It's sad that we've become so dependent on the internet for our communication as well as entertainment, bill paying, GPS, all of the above and more.  We've forgotten how to "live" without it.  I've been reading a lot of Amish fiction lately, and they seem to get along just fine without it or any other modern convenience. We may need to get back to the basics again and try to spend a little more time focused on real life, right here in front of us without any technological interference. Sounds good to me. 

Well, right now we seem to have two green lights on the modem, so I'll keep typing. LOL.  

I don't really have anything much to share anyway...but the other morning I was in a "vintage mood" and decided to eat my breakfast on this vintage china that belonged to my hubby's grandmother. It was a very common pattern back in the day, seems like everyone had some kind of dishes similar to this. I love it and wish I had a whole set of it!

It was perfect for my two fried eggs and two blueberry bran muffins.

Later that day, after we had gone to the store, I had bought some very good fresh Bing Cherries. It made me think about Mary Englebreit's "Life is Just a Chair of Bowlies", instead of the saying "Life is just a bowl of cherries."  So Lily Grace got in on the act and sat in the chair with a Mary Englebreit placemat and had a bowl of cherries.   I had shared more about this particular placemat HERE sometime last year, when I first got it and thought it was so cute.  It's still cute, don't you agree? And it goes so well with the bowl of cherries and Lily Grace  wanted to say hello again!

Still in the "vintage mood", this was the bowl that I used for the cherries...Isn't it a beauty?

Here's the pattern name if you are interested:   It's the only one I have of it. Found it at a yard sale sometime ago.

Well, the internet seems to be holding up while I type, so I might as well try to do the Tuesday 4 meme for today.  Hopefully I will get it posted before it goes down again.

Here goes nothing... LOL.

Friendship

".,,there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" Psalms 18

It's time once again for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.



Let's talk about friendship.


1. Do you have or have you had a special or best friend or do you consider all your friends the same? 

I was blessed all during my school years to have several really special friends. We grew up together, 1st grade through 12th grade, and so we shared many experiences together during all of our stages of growth...early childhood through adolescence and almost adults...Many of us have stayed in touch through the years, and especially now through Facebook.  I don't want to single out any one of them because I love them all.  HERE is a link to a post I wrote about my old school friends, complete with pictures, if you are interested in going down memory lane with me.  I was blessed to grow up when and where I did, and I treasure every friend.

2. Many in the past had close relationships and fell in love through letters. What do you think of online friendships.. are they real ? Are there friends who last a lifetime?

I think our online friendships are very real.  I consider every one of you a special friend, and I treasure your friendship very much.  I have been privileged to meet a few of you in person, and I wish we could ALL meet in person sometime.  Yes,  there are definitely friends who last a lifetime.  See my #1 answer above.  

3. Are there stories, movies or TV programs that you enjoyed because of the friendship or relationship portrayed in it?

I'm trying to think...Anne of Green Gables comes to mind...Here is one of several posts I've written about that particular character.

4. What does friendship mean to you?

All of a sudden I remembered that I had received the book "Friendship", by Ralph Waldo Emerson, as a graduation gift from a lady in my church. So I just went in search of it and found it on a bookshelf...goodness, I've had that book for 55 years!!  I will give one quote from this little book:

"I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.  

Shall I not call God the Beautiful, who daily showeth Himself so to me in His gifts?"...

"My friends have come to me unsought.  The great God gave them to me."

That is an excellent way to describe how I feel about my friends...they are gifts from God to me...to bless my life with their presence and kindness and sincerity.  I am indeed very thankful for all of my friends, old and new, near and far...

Here are some other little quotes that are hanging on the walls around my home that will also give an insight to how I feel about friendship:

Each of these special little plaques were actual gifts from dear friends.

Friendship is a very special gift that I truly cherish. 

Thank you for being my friend.

Well, I guess I made it all the way through this post without the internet going down! Maybe it has healed itself...or maybe God touched it with His special grace so that I could share this post with you.

Either way, I am happy I was able to spend this time with you.

Now let's go see what our other friends are writing about over at

Tuesday 4 ~ Friendship  

Thank you, Annie, for making this possible.

I will try to get around to visit you all, but if I don't it will probably be because the internet went back down. So bear with me please, friends!

💕

Some Thankful Musings

First of all, let me say that we are praying for folks everywhere in the path of Hurricane Michael. It is still in progress as I write, wreaking havoc on the northern panhandle/Gulf coast of Florida and beyond. Thankfully, our home is situated pretty far south and east of this storm, but even so we have had a few wind gusts and spotty rain showers. Our county is under a tornado watch now, but all in all we are very thankful that we are safely away from the "eye of the storm".  May God spare those who remain in this storm and keep them safe from harm.

 This Red Shouldered Hawk was keeping a Hawk's eye on the eye of the storm...

 Next, I would like to thank all those who prayed for our daughter in law Rose, who had some serious surgery on her foot yesterday.  I may not have mentioned it here in the blog, but did share with our Facebook friends.  She came through the surgery just fine, and is resting and recuperating at home. She will have to be totally off her foot for at least six weeks, which will be challenging for this active young lady. But thankfully, our son works from home and is able to be there to help her.

More good news! I heard today that my brother Russell is in remission from his leukemia, and that he may be looking toward a bone marrow transplant in the future if things continue to do so well.  Each of us siblings were tested to see who would be a good match for him, and my other brother Clifford happens to be a perfect match! So we praise God for this news, and are thankful for the hope that should a bone marrow transplant be needed, a match has already been provided! God is so good. By the way, my brother Russell just celebrated his 75th birthday this past weekend, and my brother Cliff is celebrating his 74th birthday today!!

This picture was taken about 4 years ago, my siblings left to right: Russell, Cliff, Doris, and me. Isn't it funny that the guys are dressed in similar colors, and my sister and I are also dressed in the same color? We didn't plan that, I promise you...I guess that is why it was so easy for them to find a "perfect match" for my brother's bone marrow!

On another note, I told you HERE last week that we had listed our house for sale...well, I wish I could say we've already had lots of people looking and interested...but no one at all so far...however, hubby and I found it interesting that since we have put this sign in our yard...

several people in our neighborhood have stopped to ask us where we are going who have never spoken to us the whole time we've been here...total strangers have stopped their car alongside us as we walked to ask us where we're moving to, and to say that they'll miss us!  We just had to laugh! We've lived here seven years, and mostly we've had to dodge these people in their cars as they drive down the road to keep from getting run over (or choked to death in the road dust)...and have never seen their faces outside of their cars, and now they notice we are moving and say they will miss us! Maybe they will miss us being an obstacle in the road for them to maneuver around?  Not sure...but even though we have always tried to be friendly and courteous and waved at people as they flew by, we've never had the chance to find out just who these people are!  Our house is the first one that everyone passes on their way to their homes. There is not another house on our road for over two miles...just woods and lots of curves and a long, dusty, wildlife- filled - road. So these people are not exactly "neighbors"...they live about 2 miles away...but pass our house every day.

Well, it's nice to know that we'll be missed...but it would have been nice to know who they were and to have maybe even been friends!   However, I will say that when we've had bad storms in the past and trees were blown down in the road near our house, many of the neighbors from down the road came with chain saws to cut up the trees and get them out of the way.  We had brief encounters as we helped clear the road together, so that they could get in and out and on their way to work or home again.  We are hoping that in our next neighborhood we will actually get to know a few more people. I know it takes an effort on our part to do that, and so we will perhaps have to try a little harder.

Here's some thoughts from God's Word on this subject:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

"Two are better than one,

because they have a good reward for their labor.

For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

But woe to him who is alone when he falls,

for he has no one to help him up."

Proverbs 17:17

"A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity."

John 15:13

"Greater love has no one than this,

than to lay down one's life for his friends."

(This wind spinner was blowing fiercely in the wind during the passing of the hurricane...

it was a gift given to me by my sister Doris in memory of our son Matthew after he passed away in 2014)

Again, we pray for those who may be still in the path of Hurricane Michael. May God watch over you and yours, 

and may we always be able to give thanks to the Lord, even in the midst of the storms of life.

Friday Foto Friends - Some Friendly Thoughts

I saw this picture on Facebook and couldn't resist...

It made me think about my wonderful blogging friends as well as some of my local "face to face" friends and family...

It seems to embody all the things we tend to have in common...love of a good cup of tea (or coffee for those of you who must! LOL), a stack full of good books that we can't seem to get enough of...some bon-bons and cupcakes, pretty flowers, and a spirit of adventure!!  Who among us wouldn't just love to do exactly this...remember when we played house and had tea parties as little girls?  My sister and I did...we had a special table-cloth that fit over a card-table that had a picture of a house painted on it...windows, a door, the roof, and we could sit under the table and play with our dollies and have tea parties and "pretend" we were grown up mommies.

 (Something similar to this idea below found on the internet:)


Last weekend my sister and I celebrated her birthday with a little tea party.  We didn't have to crawl under the table to have our party (thank goodness! We'd probably still be stuck there!)..and now we are both grown up mommies for real!  (I know some of you who are my Facebook friends may have already seen some of these pictures, so bear with me)

We used the cute little teapot with a birdie on the lid that my sister had given me one year for my birthday or Christmas, I forget which...

And we used the Haviland China Tea Cups that came from our Grandma Tedlie, via our mother when she passed.  My sister and I shared the collection so that we each have some of the same...

Then we took our tea party out to the front porch because it was such a lovely day:

and sat and rocked like two little old ladies and listened to the birdies and talked about things we enjoy...flowers, birds, and our families...

Kind of like this old painting which belonged to our grandmother...I believe this picture is entitled "The Gossips",   but we weren't gossiping...just visiting, which is entirely altogether different!

I count you all as my special friends, whether we have met in person or not. I look forward to this gathering each week...love to hear about your life and what you've been doing and the things you have seen. It truly is like visiting with dear friends, and I do thank God for each and every one of you.

~Some thoughts on Friendship~

"If you would be loved, love and be lovable."

Benjamin Franklin

Philippians 1:3 

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you"

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships."

Abraham Lincoln

I Thessalonians 5:11 

"Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing."

Proverbs 17:17a 

"A friend loves at all times..."

"Being with you is like walking on a very clear morning..

definitely the sensation of belonging there."

E.B. White

I hope you've enjoyed this little friendly visit today.  Now let us join our other Friday Foto Friends over at Deb's Place, Breathing in Grace, and see what's been happening in your lives!!

"A Friend Loves at All Times..."

"A friend loves at all times..." Proverbs 17:17

Yes, a friend DOES love at all times...even after a lifetime of friendship! Today I was blessed to spend a little time with a few of my childhood girlfriends...girls that, for the most part, I have known since we attended school together in the first grade all the way through graduation twelve years later.  Some new friends came along during that time, and some others moved away, but even so, we are still friends, having known each other almost sixty years! (I can't believe that can be possible...that sounds so OLD...and we are still so young!)

This kind of friendship is truly a gift from God. We are women who love the Lord, and we love one another. What could be better than that? I can honestly say, I am blessed to have been a part of such a bond of friendship for so many years.  We have seen each other at our worst, and also at our best. We learned our ABC's together, struggled through difficult arithmetic problems, and shared our deepest secrets with one another as we progressed from childhood into puberty and into the early stages of young womanhood.  We rejoiced as we received awards, and we pulled each other up as we sometimes missed the mark and suffered defeat. We cried on each other's shoulders when there was a bad "break-up" with a favorite beau, and cheered when someone better came along to make our hearts sing. 

Even though most of us moved on after graduation from high school to bigger places and different worlds, somehow over the years we have gravitated back "home" and have found such joy in reuniting with one another again.  We've raised our babies, and most are now grandmothers. We've had our ups and downs, heartbreaks, disappointments, but we still have joy in our hearts and hope for our futures.

That's what true friendship is all about...even after so many years we can still come together and laugh and cry tears of joy as we reminisce about the "good old days"...and we can encourage each other with words of love and prayers of comfort.  

I like the Proverb that says, "A merry heart does good, like a medicine..." (Proverbs 17:20)...and that goes along with this kind of friendship...being joyful, laughing together, sharing sweet memories...which also does good like a medicine.  

The second part of that Proverb says, "but a broken spirit dries the bones."  Sometimes when we are feeling lost and alone, with a hurting and broken spirit, we do feel like our bones are just plain dried up and our cup of joy is nothing but dregs. That's when we need our friends the most.  Perhaps you don't have any childhood girlfriends to reach out to, but hopefully you have found some special people in your life who can be there for you in the here and now.  Another Proverb (18:24) says,

"A man (woman) who has friends must himself (herself) be friendly..."

I know there have been many times in my life when I wasn't near my childhood girlfriends, and I found myself struggling to find a friend that I could trust.  The rest of verse 24 above says, 

"But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."

Who is that friend? I hope you already know the answer...it's Jesus, the Friend of all friends, the One Who loves you better than any earthly friend could ever begin to love you. Earthly friends, as wonderful as they are, can't always be there for us. They may want to be there...and may try really hard to meet our needs, but we human beings are only able to do so much. We fall short. Jesus is the only Friend Who can fill our hearts with peace, bring lasting comfort to a broken heart, lift us up when we are sinking in the pit of sin and despair, and turn our lives around and give everlasting hope and so much more...yes, even eternal life!  I hope you already know this Magnificent Friend.  

Jesus says, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  Matthew 11:28-30

The Book of Isaiah, chapter 1, verse 18 says:

"Come now, and let us reason together, says the LORD,

Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they be red like crimson,

They shall be as wool."

The David Crowder Band has recently come out with a new song that I have heard on the radio this past week, and it really spoke to my heart. Here are the lyrics:

"Come out of sadness

From wherever you've been

Come broken hearted

Let rescue begin

Come find your mercy

Oh sinner come kneel

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't heal

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't heal

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You're not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

There's hope for the hopeless

And all those who've strayed

Come sit at the table

Come taste the grace

There's rest for the weary

Rest that endures

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't cure

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You're not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

Come as you are

Fall in his arms

Come as you are

There's joy for the morning

Oh sinner be still

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't heal

Earth has no sorrow

That heaven can't heal

So lay down your burdens

Lay down your shame

All who are broken

Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home

You're not too far

So lay down your hurt

Lay down your heart

Come as you are

Come as you are

Come as you are"

Read more: David Crowder - Come As You Are Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Click here  for the "Come as You Are" YouTube Video of David Crowder band...Please watch and listen, and "lay down your burdens...lay down your shame...all who are broken, lift up your face. Oh wanderer come home...you're not too far..." 

This post ended up differently than I originally thought...but someone out there needs this message tonight. I hope it has brought hope and comfort to you as it has me.

Friends are friends forever...

Proverbs 17:17  "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

So, today I discovered that I had been "de-friended" on Facebook.  I wondered why I had not heard from or seen any messages from a certain "friend" for a while...so I checked my "friend" list, and discovered that she was no longer there.  I know I didn't remove her from my friend list, so she had to have removed herself.  I checked a couple of our other "mutual friends", and she was still on their friend lists, so I then realized that this was a deliberate action on her part.

Wow! I must say I was at first a bit perturbed by this discovery. I mean, for quite a few months I had attempted to be as real of a friend as one can be on Facebook...even though we had never actually met face to face.  We became acquainted through one of our mutual friends, and although we didn't have a lot of things in common, I truly believed that there was a real purpose for our becoming friends.  Actually, to be quite honest, one could say that we both came from opposite sides of the Universe as far as what we believed, both religiously and politically, and what values we held as precious. In many ways we were extreme opposites, and we often found ourselves in the middle of a great debate about our individual stands. After going back and forth expressing our opinions, quoting scriptures, deciphering truth vs. fiction, we would then bring our "discussion" to a halt with an agreement to "disagree".  Even though I would become frustrated and somewhat disturbed by our differences, I actually appreciated the opportunity to stretch my own knowledge, take a look at the other side, and dig deeper for the truth.  It was a healthy exercise that kept me on my toes, and I was learning in the process.


I guess I need to just chalk this one up to inexperience in the art of relating to someone so obviously different than myself.  But I can't shake the feeling that our paths didn't cross by some cyber-space accident.  There was a Divine pilot steering our vessels into each others' worlds, even if for only a millisecond of eternity.  I don't believe in "coincidences"...they are ALL Divine appointments.  Both individuals do not have to agree on this point for it to be true, and I know my "friend" did NOT agree that this could be possible. (She was very emphatic about that!)

So, I pray that somehow, someway, in HIS TIME, our "friendship" will resume.  If not in this world, then maybe, by some stroke of God's paintbrush, it will be in the world to come.

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God ALL things are possible.'"  Matthew 19:26