11 June 2023 A Good Life

June 11, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Home, Leading Life by Example, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What are the most important things needed to live a good life?

Hello to you. How is your weekend? I just got back from church – it was good. We met in the cafeteria and they did a phenomenal job of setting things up in a smaller space. There was room for everything and everyone! They are putting new wax on the gym floor where we normally gather. Getting to use the cafeteria is an answered prayer!

When I think on todays prompt, the first thing that popped in my head was you need love – both to be loved and to love. I have been fortunate enough to have been and continue to be surrounded by people that unconditionally love me. I know what love looks and feels like. In that love I know is God too. No matter my short comings I know God loves me – my family and friends are a physical manifestation of Gods unconditional love for me. When I get a hug from my Aunt, Uncle or cousins it’s like God reaching out to me through them.

John 15New International Version

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ²He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

My Auntie and me sharing in Gods love at Grace House – Ladies Tea

7 June 2023 Favorite Childhood Book

June 7, 2023 by saymber, posted in books, history, Home, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Do you remember your favorite book from childhood?

Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing ok. I decided to try out volunteer work next Tuesday. Our local food pantry asked for help so I gave it some thought and decided it was an answered prayer. I had asked God for an opportunity and this came up! I just hope I have the stamina for it – I get tired so easily and my lower back is still a problem.

Todays prompt calls to mind my favorite books from when I was growing up. I don’t remember my early favorites from when I was a little spud. The ones I do remember were the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Nancy Drew detective series books. My Mom encouraged me to read and bought the books for me. I tried to re-read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books as an adult and just couldn’t get through them! I think it was how much detail she went into as she wrote them in such a way that her blind sister Mary could see through them. It’s sad that an award was taken away from Laura because of the way she wrote about First Peoples. She wrote about what she knew at the time. Being PC wasn’t part of her stories. She wrote about what she knew and experienced at the time. The Nancy Drew books were fun but I don’t remember much about them – it’s been so long ago that I read them!

These little flowers are just so cheerful!

1 Peter 4:8New International Version

⁸Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

6 June 2023 Blooming Where Your Planted

June 6, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Food, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. Hope this finds you well as you visit me here today. I just finished an intake appt for behavioral health through the VA. Fun! Fun! So many questions!

Today my mind turns to thinking about finding happiness where you find yourself living. Blooming where your planted. This is something I’ve tried to do most of my life. Next week I’m going to see about a volunteer opportunity at the local Food Pantry here in town. I have been praying about an opportunity to serve my community that wasn’t politics and this showed up on Facebook. What’s pretty cool is the gal I talked to is medically disabled too . She said she really likes helping out at the pantry. Like her I need a purpose in life – a reason to get up in the morning!

Plants and Trees bloom where they are planted and so can we!

Hosea 14:5

⁵ I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots;

5 June 3023 Fears

June 5, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, Home, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What fears have you overcome and how?

Hello to you. How are you today? Todays prompt is about fears I’ve overcome. The biggest one I have had to overcome is the fear of death. I think we all have a healthy fear of that! Ever since death took so many that I have loved – people and animals, I have had to accept that death is a part of life. At some point I too will have to let go of my clutch of this life and go and see what’s next.

Nature and animals have shown me a lot about life after death. I can remember after spreading Sam and Blondies ashes around our oak tree in the front yard millions of pale flying insects came forth. Seeing that happen was kind of like seeing proof of life after death. From ash comes life.

Delicious peonies – these smell so good!

Revelation 21:4. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. …
Psalm 34:18. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 147:3. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

2 June 2023 Friendship

June 2, 2023 by saymber, posted in Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What quality do you value most in a friend?

Hello to you. It’s Friday again – the week went fast! Todays prompt is a pretty easy one. The trait I look for the most in a friend is honesty. I value people in my life that tell the truth even if it’s someone thing I don’t want to hear. The worst thing a friend of mine can do is lie to me! One of the Ten Commandments is about lying:

Exodus 20:16New International Version

¹⁶“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

1 June 2023 Job

June 1, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, history, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Politics and Government, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What jobs have you had?

Hello to you. How is your week going? Can you believe it’s June already? This year is flying by.

So todays question is what jobs have you had. The only job I had was for 16 years active duty in the United States Air Force. I was a Personnelist or a secretary. I worked in the MPF (Military Personnel Flight) at the bases I was stationed at. Personnelist were responsible for taking care of other military members on base – their careers, evaluation reports, retention contracts, training, retraining, assignments and more.

When I worked in Customer Service I would have to do Identification Cards for widows and widowers. It was such a sensitive thing I would cry after they left. I was a very sensitive person! My favorite job was Personnel Systems Management- working with computers and really fun guys was way better than Personnel. It was short-lived bliss though as they outsourced our jobs to civilians shortly after I retrained into the job! Being the highly sensitive person that I was, I just wasn’t cut out for military life; I didn’t make it to a full retirement. I got so attached to people, places and things that when it was time to say good-bye it was just so hard each time. The people you work with you grow to love like family! I hate good-byes!

My first duty assignment was a Travis AFB California and that’s were I met and married my first husband. Our second assignment was in Germany at Bitburg ABS I really loved being in Europe – didn’t want to leave! Our third assignment was in Colorado. I was stationed at Falcon AFB and my husband Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs. I was at Falcon then HQ Air Force Space Command and then the MPF at Peterson. I loved Colorado because I got to see my Grandma and my Uncle Bill more often, she lived in Ft. Collins and he was living in Golden and was a CEO at Coors. The natural beauty of Colorado was amazing. My first husband loved to fish and I would go with him. I loved falling asleep on the shore of a lake on Pikes Peak – the quaking Aspens would lull me to sleep. My last assignment was at Patrick AFB. I had my breakdown there and was medically retired. I was doing some really unhealthy things trying to cope with my failing marriage and too much work. I liked Florida but missed Colorado! Living in a beach type world is definitely a different lifestyle.

Link doesn’t make it far before we have to stop

Colossians 3:23-24 says: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

29 May 2023 Memorial Day

May 29, 2023 by saymber, posted in history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. It’s another beautiful day and a special one at that – a day to remember all those who have given their lives for this country while serving in the military. One of the best memories I have of celebrating this day was going with my ex in-laws and family to Arlington National Cemetery where they played Taps. Each horn player took a position around the cemetery and at precisely 3 pm they all played Taps.

Taps Across America Returns For 2023 The National Moment of Remembrance is an annual event that asks Americans, wherever they are at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day, to pause for a duration of one minute to remember those who have died in military service to the United States.

Taps Across America

The last Memorial Day I celebrated with him

Matthew 11:28-30

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

My Uncle Bill came by my little house before he flew back to California

25 May 2023 Collections

May 25, 2023 by saymber, posted in Home, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Do you have any collections?

Hello to you. How are you? I hope we’ll. Today would have been my birth mothers 80th birthday. Hard to believe how much time has gone by. She passed when she was 26 and I was barely a year old. Also a shout out about the death of the musical legend Tina Turner. She was a big part of my musical life growing up in the 80’s.

Todays prompt is asking about collections and I really only have a couple. I have collected some crystals and when I was married we collected My Little Pony ponies and dragons. When the divorce happened he got most of the dragons as they were his when we married and I got the ponies (they are in my storage room) . In my little place there really isn’t space for displaying collections. I have my crystals in a couple different places – by my bedside and in the kitchen. One nice thing about living in a small house is it doesn’t leave a lot of space for clutter. I am not encouraged to buy more stuff to collect. Just no place to put it!

A good psalm for today:

Psalm 23New International Version

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³    he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
⁴Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

24 May 2023 Legacy

May 24, 2023May 24, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

Hello there! How are you? Todays prompt is a good one to contemplate about. When I think of the word legacy I think of a tombstone with a birth date, a dash and a death date. There is so much that little dash represents for most people. It comprises all the little things, the small moments that make up a life. From all the mornings with coffee on the porch, weddings, going to church, days spent at work, walks, getting a hair cut, playing with pets and or children. So many little things we take for granted are in that little dash.

I hope my dash, my legacy is a positive one and will be recalled by those I leave behind with love. These past couple of years I have been kind of dormant. My health condition has made it harder to be who I want to be. I have had to adjust and change – focus on what I can do not what I can’t. I’ve come a long way from even my first year living here in Idaho. There were so many things I was convinced I couldn’t do. I was shell shocked in my body. Everything I used to be able to do with ease I had to work to be able to do again. Stuff like even taking a shower by myself!

I hope the legacy I leave behind will be one of ultimate inspiration – never give up on yourself or others. Always look for the beauty in life around you and you will be rewarded to find it.

Song of Songs 2New International Version

She^[a]

2 I am a rose^[b] of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.

20 May 2023 Ladies Tea

May 20, 2023 by saymber, posted in Home, Leading Life by Example, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Writing and blogging

Hello to you! How are you today? I’m just home from a wonderful event with our Women’s Group – a Ladies Tea. Our leader Emily did a great job of planning and setting up the event. What was really sweet is we had a lot of little ladies present. I love going to Grace House for gatherings. The house was built in the 1900’s and was a hair salon prior to being leased to our church. I miss the trees that use to be outside. The landlord cut them down and I guess s parking lot is going in their place.

Emily had a wonderful devotional for us. She spoke of a family members office she recently visited that was filled with random things and when she asked him about it he said each thing was a token to remember scripture. So Emily chose as the party favors little jam jars as tokens to remember spreading hope. I can’t remember the scripture she chose but this is a good one too:

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Something happened afterwards when Emily was talking with my Aunt , Maryann and myself . I felt that feeling in my chest of being filled up with positive energy. A glowing. For a few moments I didn’t feel my ears bothering me or my body aching. I felt the glow of fellowship and what comes from sharing time with fellow believers. We have such wonderful ladies in our church! They really give their all to God and what they do for God’s people in our church.