Hello to you. How are you? I was supposed to start volunteering today but couldn’t do it. I moved the wrong way a couple days ago and even with a back brace could hardly walk without pain. I don’t like to take Tylenol or other pain medication because a lot of times it doesn’t work for me and it’s hard on the liver over time. I’m already taking medications that are tough on my liver.
The gal I’ve been communicating with at the Food Pantry said she has Tuesdays covered now but would let me know if anything opens up. This is a case of my spirit being stronger than my body! I’m kind of disappointed in myself but I think it was the right thing to do. If I am supposed to volunteer at the pantry I feel another opportunity will present itself.
Psalm 73:26New International Version
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
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. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
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;
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 Love the colors of this rose Some colorful sights from last evenings walk
Colossians 3:23-24 says: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.
What does “having it all” mean to you? Is it attainable?
Hello to you. How are you? I’m just back from a dawdle with Link. I’m lucky to get him around the block these days. I have had to learn patience with him. He isn’t a spring chicken and neither am I. The peonies are blooming in the neighborhood – so beautiful:
My neighbors peonies are open!
Yesterday was nice. My cousin whose son got married yesterday, had a gathering at her house. I didn’t stay long as I was feeling really tired. I still haven’t really recovered from my fall this winter. My lower back is still bothering me.
Todays prompt questions what does it mean to me to have it all. I have learned to be grateful for what I have. When I have everything I need and want for nothing I need I feel like I have it all. Currently I have all my needs met and anything over and above that is icing on the cake. When I was active duty I was busy all the time. I worked a lot and then came home and had household chores. I didn’t have a lot of free time. I guess I never really thought of trying to have it all in our societies standard – working, having free time, hobbies, vacation, spending time with family and friends, being married and having children. I’ve just been grateful as I’ve gone along! I think societies having it all is attainable but not necessarily sustainable. You can get burnt out without balance and that happened to me.
Mark 12:30-31New International Version
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[a]31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] There is no commandment greater than these.”
This was a birthday gift from my Auntie. She likes to find things with my middle name!
Hello to you. How are you? Today my thoughts turn to Joy. Not only because it’s my middle name but because it is indeed a choice we can make in this life. I have to remind myself! I get so set in my ways – grumpy even. I feel like as I get older I have developed an armor to try and shield myself from getting hurt. Dr. Wilhelm Reich talked about such an armor in his work. Our bodies get rigid and we get almost frozen. When I was in love I was my least rigid. When I chose to approach life with joy my body was fluid and free.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Hello to you. Hope this finds you well. My thoughts today are about the power of focus – keeping your eyes open for what you want to see in the world. If you were to drive into my neighborhood you probably wouldn’t notice much at a glance. It’s when you decide you want to see beauty that all the sudden an ordinary place becomes extraordinary. All around us this time of year nature is showing us the power of rebirth. There is always something new to see! What you focus your sights and energy on gains power. It’s kind of like my asking God about orange flowers and then finding them everywhere!
Philippians 4:8New International Version
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
On the walk home from Grace House there was this vision in purple
Warning a poem by Jenny Joseph
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells And run my stick along the public railings And make up for the sobriety of my youth. I shall go out in my slippers in the rain And pick flowers in other people’s gardens And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat And eat three pounds of sausages at a go Or only bread and pickle for a week And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry And pay our rent and not swear in the street And set a good example for the children. We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now? So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.
What’s a job you would like to do for just one day?
Hello there! How are you? Hopefully we’ll. Todays prompt is a thought provoking one – there are so many jobs I’m interested in that I would just want to try out for a day if I had more energy. In the course of my life I’ve done the military personnel thing (basically a secretary) and a lot of creative things like painting and drawing- photography, tried energy healing, tried local politics, so something else would be trying out being a spiritual leader for a day – like a pastor or something. It would have to be for just one day as I look at our church and how much our Pastor and his family have to be involved with and it’s exhausting to even contemplate! There is so much involved with being a spiritual leader I think. You are always in the lime light and expected to be a certain way which might be hard to live up to. You are like a doctor I imagine – never off duty. Always on call. I would probably only last a day but better a minister than a politician! I tried politics and didn’t like it.
Colossians 3:12-17New International Version
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love,which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Drawing I did about what it must be like to be God or a Guardian Angel – so many doors open with people crying out for help. This drawing could apply to being a man or woman of the cloth too – always being called on by so many. Who to answer first?!! How to prioritize?!
Hello to you. It’s a sunny but windy and cool day here as I write to you.
Yesterday I was wrote about the heart and it’s role in my life versus what I’m being taught through Christianity. Both my Aunt and Uncle read it and gave me feedback. My Uncle had some specific wisdom about it. He said you are meant to use your brain and your heart when you are facing something but in doing so you need to turn to what Gods word says you should do not just rely on your own thoughts and feelings. I will say that for pretty much any question I’ve had about life, I’ve been able to find an answer in the Bible. I’m grateful to have people like them to talk about matters of the spirit. Talking about spirituality is one of my favorite things.
As I’m always saying, “ balance in all things” – getting out of my own head and heart is often a pathway being made for clarity. When I get out of my own way, the Holy Spirit can move. I take things so personally – I have to remember everything isn’t about me! I can be so selfish.
1 Timothy 5:17-21New International Version
17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,”[a] and “The worker deserves his wages.”[b]19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. 20 But those elders who are sinning you are to reprovebefore everyone, so that the others may take warning. 21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.
Job 12:12New International Version
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?
My Elders, friends and earth angels Uncle John and Aunt Ruth
To be 