Hello to you. How are you this day- it’s Saturday here. I’m here with Link. We got out for a walk together. I cherish these moments as he is getting older and just doesn’t always feel up to walking. I’m only 55 and feel that way! Walking is something so many of us take for granted until we are unable to for whatever reason. I have family that have had knee and hip surgeries because those parts of their bodies have just worn out. Even after the surgeries there is still pain. The longer we live, the longer our bodies have to be able to carry us. Stuff like joints just wear out! Our bodies are like cars – depreciate in condition the moment we leave the show room floor!
Link out for his morning walk
Mark 6:49-50 NIV
But when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Do you have a quote you live your life by or think of often?
Hello to you. Just back from a short walk with Link. Today began with a nice prayer meeting at Grace House. It was three of us and very productive. A focus was given to the recent deaths associated with Middleton to include two suicides and we also focused on a future home for our church. Lois had a good idea about rather than building new churches that like Christian churches share facilities. Pastor Jason’s idea was like have Church Middleton with different campuses. So much money gets used up for buildings and then there is less left over for ministries to help people. Another point of emphasis was more volunteers to help with different parts of the church. It’s usually the same people who do most of the heavy lifting! I wish I could do more but I just can’t – physically mostly. I get so tired. I walked over there and back and felt so sore. My back hasn’t been right since the fall this winter.
Todays prompt is about a quote I think of and live by often. I have several. One is lead by example and another is where you go there you are. I feel it’s important to be a positive example in the world – action speaks louder than words. These past couple of years have been hard for me because I don’t feel like I have done enough. I haven’t been a very good example. The family and friends that surround me are great at leading by example. I just haven’t had the energy to be the leader I used to be. So I am doing what I can. Being a part of the prayer team is a little something I am able to do.
The other quote or saying kind of ties with the first. You can’t escape yourself – where you go there you are. Just because you move to a new location doesn’t mean your not the same you in the new location. You bring you along to the new place. Since moving here from Texas I did that. There have been some changes but those changes have been to my health. This Mal debarque Syndrome makes me so tired. I didn’t have the swaying motion in my head when I walked in Texas.
Matthew 18:20New International Version
20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Some sights on my walk yesterday and back from the prayer meeting this morning
What is your favorite holiday? Why is it your favorite?
Hello to you – how is your day going? I’m doing ok. Todays prompt is a tricky one to talk about. My favorite holiday used to be Halloween but with all the controversy around it I decided Thanksgiving is my favorite instead. Really there isn’t a holiday we celebrate that doesn’t have some conflict about it. Most if not all holidays have pagan origins! I like Thanksgiving because it’s about food and family – being grateful for everything we have.
Halloween got ruined for my ex and I living in Texas. The churches would do trunk or treat which meant less trick or treaters in the neighborhood. A lot of the families that took their kids to the trunk or treat would then come to the neighborhoods anyways! It felt hypocritical to us that towns that forbid trick or treating came to our town. When the new houses went in, the kids mostly went there and we hardly had any kids come through our neighborhood. Halloween is kind of a holiday like Easter and Christmas. There are double meanings. Is Easter about bunnies and Easter egg hunts or about Jesus rising from the dead? Is Christmas about Santa Claus and presents or about celebrating Jesus being born? A lot of Christians do pagan things with their children – they do both as a right of passage. The holidays have been for so long about how much money can be made – so materialistic!
I have a lot of happy memories of Thanksgiving. It was a time of getting together with family and sharing food. My favorites have always been the desserts – pumpkin pie. Sadly as our country has become more aware, there are some not so happy things about the history of Thanksgiving from a First People perspective:
A columbine in my neighbors yardLots more tulips now!
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Hello to you. How has your week been? It’s Friday as I write to you. Link and I took a very short walk in the sunshine. Some days that’s all he can manage. He was limping a bit after my visit at my Aunt and Uncles yesterday. He was rolling around a lot and I wonder if he hurt himself. On the walk I got a chance to talk to my neighbor who does such a fine job with her yard. It’s hard to believe she’s 70!
Today has been a little frustrating – got ants in the house. I’m trying white vinegar to try and stink them out. I don’t want to have to call an exterminator. Whatever kills them is going to affect Link and I too. There are pest control companies that use natural plant based products. We shall see what happens.
I took this for people that don’t get out much to see the sun Another neighbors yard – tulips are coming up I love the fringe on these red tulips A purple tulip
Psalm 84:11New International Version
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless
Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing pretty well on this sunny Thursday. I walked over to our prayer group meeting and back. We had five including Pastor Jason. I think it’s cool he joins us. Prayer is so powerful. It reminds us that even if we think we haven’t a friend in the world, that nobody cares, somebody – a complete stranger- is praying for and expressing love for us being on this earth. Imagine all the people who pray for others all over the world!
Todays prompt is a good one but hard to nail down just one incidence of taking a risk and not regretting it. I have taken many leaps of faith in my life. A big one that my second husband Kyle and I took was finding and buying a house in Texas. My father-in-law was waiting to hear if he got a job in Texas. Kyle and I took a leap of faith that he was going to get it and found a home, our first, and bought it. We didn’t know then his dad would be in a horrible car accident and end up convalescing in our home before starting work at his new job! Risk well taken. Divine timing. The most recent leap of faith (risk) was coming to live here in Idaho. I never thought I would be divorced again but it happened – so much fell apart at once for me in Texas. My family here in Idaho gave me a safe and soft place to land – lots of support and unconditional love. I don’t regret choosing to come here. It was divine timing again as I found and bought my little house just in time before it got scooped up by another buyer.
My life has been full of taking risks – leaps of faith. When I have surrendered my will to the will and care of God a path has been made clear for dramatic things to happen. Right now I’m in a in between spot in my life. I am suppose to be doing something and gradually I’m finding it.
11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
View out the back door – the fruit trees are blooming God and the Earth are the finest florist. These lovely red tulips are at Grace House. Prayers being answered right before our eyes. On the walk home I saw this. This tree may have been growing in the canal. They pulled them all out. There is water flowing in the canals again. Tiny plants are growing in place of what was there. One of my neighbors yards – Jamie. I love that she’s let the dandelions and other wildflowers grow, it helps the bees and other insects.
Hello to you. How are you doing? I’m feeling a bit frustrated with myself. The reason is I’ve noticed I huff and puff on walks. Link is a dawlder and makes frequent stops so I shouldn’t be out of breath. I’m just really out of shape I guess! Last night I tried to dance and barely made it through one song. I have struggled with my weight much of my life.
Something nice about having s dog that likes to take his time is there is time for pictures. The sun is so bright that the pictures I took are a bit overexposed but give you an idea of how beautiful my neighborhood is:
My neighbors yard is so beautiful. She works so hard to keep it nice. Yellow dandelions and little purple flowers are everywhere now My little dawdles Link These look like blue bonnets from Texas growing in another neighbors yard
I was looking for a Bible verse about spring and this one came up. I like it!
Isaiah 44:1-4
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. 4 They will spring up like grass in a meadow, like poplar trees by flowing streams.
Hello to you. Hope this finds you well! This morning I decided to join others from church for a prayer meeting. They had only expected four people and my going made five! One of the things we prayed for I’ve had on my heart for quite some time and that’s a permanent home for our church. As it stands right now, each Saturday volunteers have to set up for Sunday at a school gym here in town. After service they have to pack everything up. It’s very labor intensive. God will make a way for us I hope.
Tree buds – love the flowers Alleluia clouds Prayer meeting at Grace House We prayed for volunteers to plant flowers – looks like nature and God already on it!The tree leaf buds in morning light
One of the unspoken obstacles we are facing as a Christian church is we are trying to operate in a predominately Mormon town. Everything will work out I hope!
Matthew 6:5-15
Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.7 And when you pray, do not keep on babblinglike pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you needbefore you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Hello to you. How’s your day going? I’m just back from taking Link for a morning drag – he likes to lollygag and dawdle! It’s another beautiful day out. The spring is definitely in full swing right now:
The dandelions are up – first flowers of spring and food for pollinators Beautiful sunny and cloud filled sky
I was looking for a message of hope today and found this:
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. —Romans 15:13
In todays world with so much going on sometimes it’s hard to find hope. In my family and a friend from church new babies have come or are on the way. In these newborns there is much hope for the future. Scrolling through the various platforms I use each day there are lots of puppies, kittens, lambs, kid goats, bunnies and baby birds – life is abundant!
Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing pretty good. I got Link out just enough for him to do his business and then took him home and walked on my own. Its no good trying to force him to go all the way around if he doesn’t want to go. It’s sunny and windy today. I was a bit winded after the walk but it felt good to have the sunshine on my face. I was able to capture a couple flower pictures – remembered to bring the phone:
My neighbors daffodils – such a cheerful sign of spring! My boy and some lovely little purple flowers
When I was growing up in Sioux Falls South Dakota the first flowers to bloom were tulips. I haven’t seen any of those here.
Lately I’m regretting quitting my pest control service. I have some ants that have decided to try and make a home inside mine. I have been killing them when I see them and that helps for a little while and then they come back! Ugh! Any suggestions?
What an experience this must have been:
Matthew 28:1-10New International Version
Jesus Has Risen28
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them.“Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Hello to you. How are you? I’m doing ok. My energy levels have been pretty low so me and the couch and You tube have been besties lately. When I let Link out a few minutes ago I couldn’t help but notice the beautiful sunset – the light in the neighbors tree really was vibrant. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt inspired to take a photo of natural beauty. I hope it pleases you too.
A beautiful look at my neighbors tree in contrast of light and shadow
To be 