More Unexpected Blessings

 I am writing this on Wednesday evening, but it is intended to be posted for Thursday...we shall see...I may go ahead and post it tonight. Let's see what develops as I write...

This morning I reposted an old post from about 9 years ago entitled Unexpected Gifts.  It just seemed appropriate to share it again after so many years, and especially on a day when I think many of us were needing some encouraging thoughts.  I was listing some of the many ways God has surprised us through the years with "unexpected gifts"...blessings from "out of the blue" that were a total surprise to us.  The neat thing about most of them was the timing...in every instance it seemed as though these "gifts" were sent to us one way or the other at a time when we needed it most.  Only God could have orchestrated that because He was truly the only One Who knew what we needed and when. That is what made these events so significant in our minds.

Today (Wednesday, January 20, 2021), was another of those kind of days. This morning as we watched  our President and the First Lady bid farewell and walk up those steps into Air Force One for the last time, it was a rather emotional moment for us, and I expect for many of you as well. If not, well, then, just please just try to appreciate and respect the rest of this story because it was special for me.  

As I stood there watching them depart on Air Force One, it was a bit overwhelming in many respects. And I was at the point where I couldn't bear to watch another minute of the news broadcast as things were shifting from one story to another.  Right at that very moment my husband called my attention to the window to look out into the back yard at this sight:

Yes, Goldfinches all over the thistle seed sock that I had recently hung up in the back yard in hopes they would come.  And they chose this very moment to show up!

What a delightful and joyful time this was to watch! They were flying in and out from the trees faster than we could keep track of them.  

And then, almost as fast as they came, they were gone again...but they accomplished their mission. Not only did they help take our minds off of a very difficult moment, but they also gave us hope.

Here is what I believe God was telling me:

Do Not Worry  (Matthew 6:25-34)

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

After this we decided to turn off the TV (news) for the rest of the day, and we went and took our morning walk:

It was so peaceful there, and I could hear many little birds twittering through the trees...possibly more finches and chickadees and Tufted Titmice.  They were going about their morning routine of finding insects and things to eat and singing happily as they flew about...without a care in the world. Again...God was taking care of them...and I know He cares for me...

I took a picture of this little oak tree showing off it's beautiful red leaves as a last nod to autumn here in Florida. The sunlight was shining through the leaves giving them such a glorious scarlet hue...yes, it is just a scrubby little wild oak tree, but it was decked out in its most beautiful dress and it seemed to want to be noticed, and so here you are...another unexpected "gift"...

We came back home and I stayed busy baking banana nut bread,

(had a couple of overripe bananas calling out to me that it was time to do something with them before it was too late!) 

Oh, and I already had made some blueberry bran muffins for breakfast

 because I had some blueberries that were starting to dehydrate in the refrigerator also calling out to me to do something! 

 And then, while the banana nut bread was baking in the oven, hubby was "calling out to me" and said something about cookies...and so I whipped up a batch of coconut pecan cookies. 

 (Recipe can be found at https://southerndiscourse.com/perfect-coconut-cookies-with-pecans/ )

I guess you could say these were "unexpected gifts", because I never expected to do all of that today, but the overripe bananas and blueberries and the need for cookies for the "cookie monster" all came together at the same time to inspire me to go on a baking spree. Doesn't happen all that often anymore, so gotta get them while they last!  Kind of looks like a bakery here!  (It smelled like one too, while they were baking! Yum!)

After lunch and our "afternoon nap" (yes...after all that work I needed one!) we took another walk. As soon as we drove down the little dirt road to our usual spot to park the car, I looked up in the top of a very tall pine tree and saw this beautiful hawk sitting up there watching us.

Because of the brightness of the afternoon sun the lighting is kind of difficult to see his full colors, but I believe he is a Red Shouldered Hawk, which is typical for that area.

Just as I was getting up and out of the car to step a little closer, he flew away...but I considered him another one of those unexpected gifts for today...because I was grumbling on my way over there that I wanted to walk somewhere different for a change because we rarely ever see many birds or other interesting things on this walk...and God just had to show me that I was wrong...He had this surprise waiting for me.

To top it off for this week, in one day I received two different messages from two people that I've never met in person...both bloggers...one that I've really only read a couple of times and made some nice comments, and the other has become a special friend who has very similar interests...anyway, they each are surprising me with something special coming in the mail soon! Totally out of the blue! When these things arrive I will be sure to share them with you...but wow! In one day to receive two such special "unexpected gifts"...well...all I can say is God is so good. He knows how to bless His children and sometimes He goes above and beyond to do so.

All I can say is, Thank You, Lord. I don't deserve such grace and mercy and love.

But Jesus loves to bless His children.

So, if you are feeling a bit discouraged or sad or disappointed...or worried about the future...keep looking up...up...up! Up to Jesus...because He has promised to take care of His children.  He knows what we need even before we do...and often the "unexpected gift" is already on its way before we even realize we are in need of being blessed. It's not always material things...it may just be a lift to your spirits...a touch of healing...a comforting warmth that comes over you when you need to feel loved or remembered...a word of encouragement or an answer to a prayer. 

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." 

Proverbs 25:11

(internet photo)

Have a blessed and beautiful day today...and be sure to keep an eye out for those little "unexpected gifts" that God may be sending your way! I hope you will write them down when they happen and share them with us if you can.  Sometimes they may be too personal to share, but just the acknowledgement that something special blessed you is an encouragement to the rest of us!

Be Blessed!

Starting off the New Year with Geese, Snowmen, and No Worries!

 

Good Morning! Here it is, the first Monday morning of the New Year of 2021! The first Monday after the holidays, and I expect some people have to go back to work, or kids may have to go back to school. Thankfully I am no longer in that category of having to go to work or get kids off to school. I "did my time" in that regiment of life, and thankfully I am now enjoying retirement and no real scheduled responsibilities.  Although, like many others I have heard it said, I don't know how I ever had time to work now that I am retired...there is always something that has to be done! Doctor appointments, grocery shopping, housework, post-holiday clean up.  

But before we jump into all that work, let's just relax and have a cup of hot tea or a cup of cocoa on this chilly January morning, and start the week off right!

Today my only "appointment" is our Ladies' Bible Study this afternoon.  I look forward to meeting with this special group of women each week.  We have been studying the book of Joshua..."Winning the Worry Battle", a Bible Study by Barb Roose. 

It looks like our little mother at Pamela's Victorian Cottage is working on "winning the worry battle" with having so many little girls to look after.

Just in case you didn't notice, there is another new "little angel" added to the family, thanks to their kind Auntie from the city (a.k.a. my sister, who loves to give me these little dolls for Christmas each year). I expect this sweet little "Twinkling Star Angel" will add to the fun and excitement around Pamela's Victorian Cottage in the days and months to come.

We are working our way slowly through this Bible study book, because as is the case with most women's gatherings, we have lots of things to discuss and each week brings out more and more areas of need in the lives of our ladies...and we find ourselves spending more time encouraging one another in our walk of faith and life than in just plain old study. But God's Word is the foundation and backdrop for all of our conversation, and that is exactly how God intended it to be.   Here is one quote from the sidebar of our workbook from last week's lesson:

"If we remember God's generosity in those moments when we experience uncertainty,

then we can wait in faith for God to act."

And another one when we were studying in Joshua 7 about "fighting in fear", and it appears that even Joshua "melted in fear", or as we would call it, he had a "meltdown". But we saw that Joshua turned around his "meltdown" by turning toward God in his distress.  He expressed his truest emotions and brought his questions and concerns to God.  Our takeaway from that lesson was: 

"When stress and fear are mounting, I can avoid a meltdown by pouring out my heart to God."

This little lesson actually helped me during the stress of the holidays by remembering that God is always there for me, and He is my strength and my refuge, even when my distresses are caused by my own lack of appropriate planning and preparation. I also have made a commitment that I will not allow myself to get into that same kind of panic situation again next Christmas. May God help me to remember this and start planning way in advance.  

Speaking of having a "meltdown", if I don't move these snowmen away from in front of this fire, they may have a "meltdown" for sure! LOL!

I just realized that snowmen were playing an important part of our decorations this Christmas, and of course snowmen are fun to keep around even in January if it is cold enough!

Even in Florida you could work through your "worries" and anxieties a bit by having a snowball fight with the family:

Our family did do this, and it was fun until one landed in my hubby's cup of ice water and splashed it all over him...he actually thought we were outside in the snow it was so cold! LOL.

Yes, there were snowmen everywhere! Up at the cabin,

down on the pond,

and even up at the cabin in the hills above the train village...

Here's a little treat for you! I received a late "Christmas gift" (from myself) in the mail:

It takes a lot more breath than expected to make that thing work. LOL. Maybe that will be a good breathing exercise for me to work on each day.

I have seen this Bible verse floating around through our blogs and social media quite a bit lately. It is the theme verse for our Bible Study in Joshua:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9 ESV

I believe (my One Word for 2021) this is also an excellent verse to carry with us into the New Year.  And the verse that precedes that one is also one that will help guide us so that we will learn more and more about trusting in the Lord and not giving in to worries and fears:

"Study this Book of Instruction continually.  Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it.  Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." Joshua 1:8

Yes, study God's Word and BELIEVE what you read as you meditate on it day and night...and as you BELIEVE, you will want to OBEY...and only then will we prosper and succeed in all that we do and attempt to do!  If I were to make a New Year's resolution, it would be to do just that...

Well, since I can't really go outside and build a snowman or skate on the pond, I think I will take a lesson from these Canadian Geese who earlier landed on Still Waters Pond, and just glide gently into the new year with no worries or fears.  How about you?

"Floods of Joy o'er My Soul..."

Happy Sunday everyone!! I hope that you have been having a beautifully blessed day so far! It is a lovely day here in our neck of the woods...sun shining, nice breeze, only 84 degrees, but it's going down to 66 tonight and the rest of the week looks like it will continue in a cooler trend, so that makes me happy!

I know most of you have your own churches that you attend either in person or online, but I do hope you don't mind me sharing our pastor's weekly message and our praise team's song with you. Certainly if you aren't interested you are free to skip over this, but I continue to share it because it may just be what someone out there needs to hear today. We never know what others may be going through and that they just may need a special message or a song to lift their spirits.  So thank you for allowing me to share this with you each week.  I think you will enjoy the song especially at the beginning.  I've included the lyrics for you below so you can sing along:

 Since Jesus Came Into My Heart

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought

Since Jesus came into my heart!

I have light in my soul for which long I had sought

Since Jesus came into my heart!

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,

Since Jesus came into my heart.

I’m possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure

Since Jesus came into my heart

And no dark clouds of doubt now my pathway obscure

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,

Since Jesus came into my heart.

There’s a light in the valley of death now for me

Since Jesus came into my heart

And the gates of the city beyond I can see,

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,

Since Jesus came into my heart.

I shall go there to dwell in that city, I know

Since Jesus came into my heart

And I’m happy, so happy, as onward I go

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Since Jesus came into my heart

Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll,

Since Jesus came into my heart.

This little chickadee in the holly tree doesn't really have anything to do with what I've written above, but it just made me smile as I was sitting out in the Secret Memorial Garden yesterday afternoon, and so I thought you'd enjoy seeing him too. He was scolding me for sitting a little too close to the bird feeder, but eventually he overcame his timidity and decided I wasn't posing any threat to him and so he quickly grabbed a few bird seeds and flew away, to come back time and again for a little while. I love watching God's little birdies fly to and fro, gathering food for their families. We really aren't all that different, are we? Sometimes we have to get over our fears so we can move forward and put our family's needs ahead of our own uncertainties. That takes faith...faith that God is bigger than any perceived threat or enemy out there, and faith that God is with me and will never lead me to places where He has not already gone before me.   This goes along with our key verse for the Ladies' Bible Study we are doing in the book of Joshua:

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9 ESV

I am looking forward to going through this study with the women from our church. Perhaps I will be able to share a few things with you from time to time as we go through it. The first week was about 

"On the edge of uncertainty: facing our fears". 

One subtitle was "Be a warrior, not a worrier."

These are some things for me to work on. 

You know, we are never too old to learn something new from God!

How about you? Perhaps you can share something new you are learning!

Have a blessed day and week my friends. Let us try to be "strong and courageous" no matter what this old world may throw in our paths this week.

Time for Enjoying God's Gifts Around Us

While many in our country are bracing for a severe winter storm,  here in Florida we have been enjoying beautiful cool, sunny days with no humidity, no bugs, no snow, not even any rain...which we need by the way...(However, I hear there is rain and cold front on the way tomorrow night...so glad we had these moments before it comes!)

So yesterday hubby and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and took a bit of a walk in the woods.  We really didn't go far, but enough for us to see that we need to plan a little better and do this more often.

The pine trees think it is springtime and are putting out their pollen and new pine cones. Seems a bit early to me, but apparently the pine trees don't think so.  If you live near pine trees, you know when it is pollen time, as your cars, outdoor furniture, anything sitting outside, will soon be covered with a fine yellow dusting of pollen. For those with allergies, it is not a very pleasant experience!

This morning we took our usual walk before breakfast down our road, which is also rather dusty right now due to lack of rain.  But if we go early enough we don't get too choked by the dust as cars drive by. Most of our neighbors who live on this road are pretty considerate when they see us out walking and will slow down so that the dust doesn't get too overwhelming.

Here I am, sporting my new Christmas gifts...3 lb. weights to carry as I walk. Hubby says it should help me build upper body/arm strength, which I need, so today was the first day I remembered to take them along.  We shall see how I feel later...

Later today I was blessed to see one of God's most beautiful creatures, a male Cardinal, taking his bath!! Yes, I stayed right there and watched the whole thing!  He didn't seem to mind, although perhaps he didn't know I was peeking since I was just inside the house looking through my bedroom windows.

 These pictures of the cardinal taking his bath so peacefully in the birdbath outside our window remind me of some words of Christ, which I think serve as a very great reminder to me and possibly for you right now:

Matthew 6:25-34

25.  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, 

what you will eat or what you will drink;

nor about your body,

what you will put on.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

26.  Look at the birds of the air,

for they neither sow nor reap

nor gather into barns;

yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not of more value than they?"

 27.  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28.  So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;

 29.  And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 30.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

 31.  Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32.  For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

 33.  "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things shall be added to you.

34.  Therefore do not worry 

about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about its own things.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

You know, friends, I needed this lesson today. I love how God shows us His abundant love and care in such simple, yet profound ways. Don't you?

I am praying now for those of you who may be in the path of the wintry blast and possibly even other serious storms and/or tornadoes.  May you feel the Presence of the Lord watching over you and protecting you from danger and discomfort. God bless you, dear friend, and stay safe and warm.

Motherhood: A "Labor of Love" Rerun from 5/9/10

This is a rerun from Mother's Day 2010, still appropriate today...read on:

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 'Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.'"  Proverbs 31:28-29

I imagine this is the key verse for today's celebrations...Mother's Day...an opportunity for children, both young and old, to show their appreciation for their Mothers in some way.  A phone call, a card, some flowers, taking her out to eat, serving her breakfast in bed, planting a new rosebush or other flowering plant in her yard, building her a birdhouse, going on a picnic that she doesn't have to prepare...these are all typical ways of showing our love and appreciation for our Mothers on one day of the year.  Some of my most favorite Mother's Day gifts were the home-made cards and gifts made by my children with their own little hands.  No matter what the gift, just the fact that you made the effort to show your love in some outward way means so much to the recipient of this gesture of love. 

This morning in my devotional reading the theme was about peace...based on John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you...Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid."

We mothers often have a difficult time finding peace...and keeping our hearts from being troubled or afraid.  How often during the years of raising our children can we remember having a sleepless night because we were concerned for the safety or well-being of one of our children? Perhaps we were hurting due to the loss of companionship with a child, whether because of him or her being away from home attending college, or off to battle in the armed forces, or other circumstances beyond our control...possibly a child was lost...lost in soul, a prodigal wandering far from the security and safety of home.  Whatever the reason for the separation, a mother's heart yearns for that comfort of knowing her child is safe and happy, no matter how old the child may be.

Someone shared this idea of a way to deal with this kind of worry, anxiety, or fear, and I like this concept...ask yourself, "Could this be labor?"  Instead of fighting against the fear, sorrow, or pain...give in to "the labor pains" and let them take you to the time of giving birth.  Working with the labor pains instead of fighting them brings you to that place of giving birth to new life...new hope, trust, and a sense of peace. Surrendering your anxiety to God allows Him the opportunity to give you rest.  For those of us who have experienced the pain of labor, we can remember the joy and peace and complete rest that followed the birth of our child...That is the same rest that God wants to give us today.

If today has not been a day of total joy for you as a mother because you are wrestling with the pain and anxiety of overwhelming concern for or loss of fellowship with your child, why not give this idea a try...surrender your control over these "labor pains" and let God take charge and bring you to a new birth of peace. This is a new concept for me as well...and I am working on it too.

May God's peace be your peace today. Amen.

This Rose of Sharon bush is blooming today for Mother's Day.
This bush was planted in memory of our son Matthew in the Memorial Garden at our home.
These blossoms are the first of the season, and I consider it
a heavenly bouquet, sent from heaven from our son just for Mother's Day.
What a heavenly gift!

Do Not Fret...

"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.  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret--it only causes harm."  Psalm 37:7-8

"Do not fret"...who among us has never been guilty of fretting at one time or another ?(or many times...) 
If fretting is not something you can identify with, then you probably have been living in a bubble kind of world.  But if you are human, you most likely have fretted about something..perhaps even within the past few hours or minutes!

Verse 8 says, "Do not fret--it only causes harm."   How true that is...Fretting is a form of worry, stress and fear.  Stress in particular has been linked to many diseases...heart disease, strokes, gastrointestinal disease and distress, high blood pressure, and possibly even cancer.  In other words, it is a killer....the Bible is correct..."it only causes harm".  It not only causes harm to the individual who continually frets about things over which he (she) has no control, but it causes harm to those who may be the recipients of that worry and stress...the caregivers and family members and friends of the stressed out person.  Those who truly care about their stressed out friend or loved one end up fretting themselves when they are unable to help their friend.  It becomes a vicious cycle...and none of it is good.

So, what is the remedy?  Psalm 37 has the answers: 

• Verse 7: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for HIM; ...
• Verse 8, "Cease from anger, and forsake wrath..."....
• Verse 3: "Trust in the Lord, and do good"
• Verse 4: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."
• Verse 5: "Commit your way to the Lord"
• Verse 5: "Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."
• Verse 1: "Do not fret because of evildoers"
• Verse 1: "Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity"

God says in verse 9: "Evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth."

So, when you are feeling fretful, overly worried, or giving in to stress...think about these verses in Psalm 37.    I like what verses 23-25 say in particular:

• "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He (God) delights in his way.
• "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;"
• "For the Lord upholds him with His hand"
• "I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread."

What have I to fret about?  I know that my God is in control...no matter what...I can trust in Him...He will uphold me with HIS hand!  There can be no safer "bubble" in which to dwell...I do not need to fret.

I believe I can sleep a lot more soundly tonight knowing that my God has all my worries in His hands...
Good night!

Joy Comes in the Morning...or afternoon, or evening!

Psalm 30:5b "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning."

I'm not going to comment on the current state of the union regarding the passing of the Health Reform Bill...I think it has been discussed enough online, on TV, on facebook, and everywhere else already.  God will reveal the truth regarding this whole "event" in due time.  Just please continue to pray for our nation, our leaders, and our families and businesses.  Enough said.

Now on to other things...Yesterday I was having a rough day as I mentioned in my blog last night.  I had another restless night, this time not so concerned about my new job, but my son.  I prayed the night through for his safety, security, and his emotional and mental state.  It's hard when your child is hurting and is too far away for you to hug, reassure, and show him that you love him.  I don't care how old he or she is, he will always be your child; the one that you loved and cared for, prayed over, doted on, and had on your heart from the moment you were aware of his conception. As I said last night, I just had to commit him to the Lord and trust that God would come up with a plan.

This afternoon I was elated to speak with him on the phone and discover that he was at his older brother's home, which is a couple of hours away from where he staying, and that they were enjoying one another's company and spending some time together.  Some of the issues of concern were being addressed, and he has a second interview for a new job scheduled for tomorrow.  His cheerful voice was reassuring me that he was going to be just fine and that I shouldn't worry about him.  (Who me? Worry? What makes him think I would ever worry???) 

Whew! What a relief!  Now I can get back to concentrating on my new job...which went very well today, praise the Lord!  Oh, yes, there were issues...and moments of wonder and confusion and semi-panic...but with God's help, (and your prayers) I got through the day.  The mess on my desk will still be there tomorrow, and I will tackle the stack one page at a time. Several people stopped by to visit and introduce themselves, and I was able to share with them the story of the painting on my wall...you remember? The harp and the grand piano (it was a grand, not a baby grand...) and how it reminds me when things get hectic to stop and "Praise the Lord with the harp and make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings."  They may even hear me let out a "shout of joy" now and then!

Yes, "weeping may endure for the night", but JOY DOES come in the morning! Praise the Lord!