19 June 2023 Connections

June 19, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, history, Home, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hi there- how are you doing today? It’s cloudy here today – hopefully we will get some rain.

I hope these wildflowers come back to the canals this year.

Do you stop loving someone or caring about someone after you sever ties? Move away? That’s one nice thing about the internet is you can stay in touch even if you aren’t living close by anymore. There are so many people I miss and thanks to platforms, despite all its flaws, like Facebook I can maintain contact with. Once I love and care about you I don’t stop unless there is a really good reason. It’s nice to have tools to keep connections alive.

Romans 12:16-21New International Version

¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.^[a] Do not be conceited.

¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[b]says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”^[c]

²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

15 June 2023 Passion

June 15, 2023June 15, 2023 by saymber, posted in Food, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What are you passionate about?

Hello there, how are you? I’m just back from our Thursday prayer meeting for our church, it was Pastor Jayson, Lois and me today. There may only be a couple of us but it matters! I walked over and back. I picked up a breakfast burrito on the way home from Tacos El Rancho – they are so filling. I was only able to eat half of it – eat the rest when I get hungry again!

Some lovely blooms from the walk this morning.

Todays prompt asks what am I passionate about and I have to say the controversial – gun control. I don’t like guns! I feel like being able to own a gun should be as tough if not tougher than being able to drive a car. I have always been passionate about this topic as I lost my birth mother and a cousin to guns. I don’t have a problem with responsible gun owners – I have several in my family. The main thing I focus on is keeping guns from those who would harm themselves or others. I don’t have all the answers but putting more guns in the world doesn’t make sense to me.

Matthew 18:20New International Version

²⁰For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

14 June 2023 Season

June 14, 2023 by saymber, posted in Home, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What is your favorite season of year? Why?

Hello there! How are you doing today? I’m doing ok. Link and I are on the porch as I write – it’s nice and breezy and cool. We had some rain with lightening and thunder last night. We need the water!

Some cheerful flowers on the walk last night.

Todays prompt is about what my favorite season is and why. My favorite season used to be fall until I became a home owner LoL! Especially if you have trees on your property. Lots of raking and cleaning up. I would have to say my favorite season after living here in Idaho these past three years is spring. I love watching everything wake up and bloom after the few months of snow and ice.

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:22 NIV.

12 June 2023 Tagline

June 12, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, history, Home, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

If humans had taglines, what would yours be?

Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing ok – just back from a walk around the block – it’s really sunny out. I took a few pictures so you could come along with me!

The neighbor that these belonged to recently passed away

Todays prompt brought to mind “little things.” If I were to have a tag line that would be it. I believe it’s the little things that mean a lot. I’ve talked about that before here. How often is there significant or big events in a life? So much of life is little things and those are what I like to dwell on. How many mornings I wake up to my sweet Link with his messy furry face after emerging from underneath the covers. Stopping to notice and smell flowers big and small, “weed” or cultivated roses. Recently I found out one day for us is a week in a dogs life! No wonder they appreciate everything so much!

One of my favorite Saints lived her life valuing the little things too:

What is the main message of St. Therese?

Saint Thérèse is known as the Saint of the Little Ways, meaning she believed in doing the little things in life well and with great love. She is represented by roses. May everyone who receives this message be blessed.

10 June 2023 Time

June 10, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, history, Home, human rights, Mental Health, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Who do you spend the most time with?

Hello there. How are you doing? I’m doing ok. It’s a beautiful Saturday. Lots of sunshine!

Who do I spend the most time with? My dog Link and my cell phone! Being divorced and untrusting of the internet dating apps and I don’t get out much means spending a lot of time by myself….staying at home.

I would say the other being I spend the most time with is God. I will say though that for the past couple of years my relationship with God has been different. Almost strained if I can use a word for it. I have to work at it more than I used to. This last episode really tested my relationship. I know everyone thinks God didn’t abandon me but that’s not what it felt like to me getting tased by people I was always praying for – the police and fire fighters. May be that’s just what needed to happen to prevent a complete downward spiral and God knew it. I was not safe on my own. I just know our relationship isn’t what it used to be. I try to stay close but some days God seems so far away. Thankfully I have beautiful family and friends to remind me of Gods love for me.

My best friend with paws – Link is Gods feet on the ground to help me not be completely alone day to day

Isaiah 59:1-2New International Version

Sin, Confession and Redemption

59 Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,
nor his ear too dull to hear.
²But your iniquities have separated
you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.

9 June 2023 Name

June 9, 2023 by saymber, posted in history, Home, Nature, photography, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?

Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing ok. Link and I are moving kind of slow today and it’s raining. We need the water so grateful for the rain!

Todays prompt is about changing your name. I honestly don’t think I would change it! I already changed my maiden name to my married name. I kind of flirted with a name a couple of years ago for a Facebook profile Julia James. Julia was my confirmation name when I was a little girl still practicing Catholicism.

I was looking at my pictures love this two tone rose.

Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

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.

3 June 2023 Saturday

June 3, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Home, Nature, photography

Some sights from last nights walk – I took a different route to see some new things.

Hello just a short post today. Link just got his nails ground for the first time and he was not loving it! There was flying pee and poop! The girls from Pampered Paws Mobile Manicure LLC were able to get it done. They were really nice. It was really nice that they came to the house.