On God's ways of lifting spirits

Apples. Boxes and boxes of them waiting to be made into applesauce. A coughing, wheezing, runny eyed, hard breathing 3 year old who's nights have ended up in your bed. That's about all it takes to make stress build and worry rise and spirits heavy. But God has these ways of touching spirits even then.... Going to church Sunday when you thought you'd be home with a sick child and chats with 2 kindred hearted women are like a dose of much needed medicine! Starting Monday and then deciding, we're going to a Dr, and then husband takes off work to come home and do the details! A mother-in-law busily working at apples while you're gone and then husband going the extra extra mile and helping cut up the rest of the apples with you! Yes, God has His ways and for that I am very thankful and blessed! And He uses mere lumps of clay to fulfill His ways.... Lord, make me soft and pliable in your hand so that I, too, become a blessing to those around me. It's the small acts that touch hearts in the biggest ways!

And I call myself a Christian?

I had a real "smack between the eyes" yesterday. I've had this battle going on inside for some time now: "As a Christian can't I have even one little pity party at least once a week?" or something like that. I mean, you know, I know you shouldn't whine but I deserve some slack now and then, surely. Especially when things really are tough and not many people would put up with it at all! I said something of this nature to a friend of mine. And, like true friends do, she told me the cold, hard truth. She told me as a Christian I should be giving thanks in all things, casting my cares and rejoicing evermore. I should be acknowledging the tough and then building up all the good. She told me more but I'll leave it at that. Smack! How could I really be wondering about the pity party business? The instructions in the Bible are quite clear! I needed that "jerk upright" and I'm glad my friend cared enough to tell me the truth. When God has laid it out quite plainly, is it asking too much for me to obey?

"That's the way my mom always did it!"

It's a cloudy day outside and a tomatoey day in! Two and a half bushels of tomatoes are now juiced and in jars. I'm tired and ready to get out of the house! Apples are coming up later this week and corn next week... Makes me even tired-er! Today I had to think of the impressions I'm making on my children. How many little quirks in your process of canning tomatoe juice, for instance, come from "the way my mom did it"? I add canning salt to mine, Janice never heard of it. Why? Because my mom does it that way! That doesn't make it the only way to do it to be sure but "mom's way" just seems right! Funny thing is, I doubt my mom even stopped to realize she was teaching me some of these things. I sure don't think about it! But I'm sure someday they'll say "mom always filled the blender to the top!" or "Mom never cooked it before putting it through the sieve!" Not vitally important, no. But makes me stop and think about the impressions I'm making! Good ones...and bad ones...makes me want to be more intentional!

Choice Time

To be honest, a blog post is just not bubbling out of me today. I have a nasty, throat scratchy, nose stopped up, head achey, cold which is making me less then sociable. Added to that my monthly visitor arrived yesterday. Added to that all I want is to be tucked away in my own little house with solitude and my family..... Yup! It's really one of those "grey" type of deals. Not really boo hoo-ing and pity party-ing grey type, just grey and blah. So, what does a person do about it? The easiest thing for me to do is disappear off the scene. Hibernate in my bedroom with some reading or writing and be anti-social. I realize I need to make a choice this morning. Am I gonna settle for blah, drab grey? Or am I gonna dig out the "magic markers" and start making some bold, colorful strokes? There's colors I could grab if I'd push aside the grey curtain and reach for them. Life is always a choice and what determines the outcome of my day is really me. So, what will it be? One of those grey days? Or rainbows?

Isn't God Something Else?

I've struggled with a post all morning. Even sent one but it's not showing. Something has suddenly become very clear in my mind and I must share it. When we first made the decision to move to Ohio I thought life was falling apart. I couldn't imagine living in Ohio. Didn't want to live Ohio. God had been slowly chipping away and I had known we would probably move but Ohio? No. It didn't fit what I thought God wanted for us. It hit me recently that the reason God hasn't provided a house for us may be His creative way of showing me that there are worse things then living in Ohio. You see, for the last month I haven't even struggled with moving to Ohio, all I've struggled with is not having our own place. "Why doesn't God work something out? Surely He'll do something!"...and on and on... "If I could just have my own place! Who cares if it's Ohio?!" Isn't God something else?? And just when I think I have His ways figured out I'll learn something else I suppose!

So, I've started writing this post twice and I keep hitting back space. Problem is I'm not real sure what I'm wanting to say! I've been thinking alot about this whole blogging thing and what my point really is in doing this. I love reading blogs and I love writing so I jumped into blogging! Problem is, I didn't realize how much I was picturing my blog to be read and commented on like all the blogs I follow. I guess now I'm trying to decide if I'm ok with just a place to write and express my feelings no matter if I get feedback and followers or not? Also, what am I really wanting this space to be about? Mostly it's been about personal lessons that God has been teaching me. I like having a place to record those things because it helps me remember them better. But I'm not sure if that's all I want for this space. So I'm rolling things around and trying to sort out what I'm trying to do here. I need to face the fact that my little blog may never get much attention. Am I ok with just blogging to blog or not?

just for anyhow

Just a few random things that I know tonight: 1) beds feel best when you've worked hard 2) three year olds have an endless imagination 3) when you're a grandparent things are cute that parents don't think are 4) end of summer days are lovely 5) living in with someone is plain old hard no matter how you twist it 6) caring husbands are the best thing God ever created 7) I miss my familiar Arkansas but I'm thankful my God, hubby and kidders will always be my familiar no matter where I am 8) my mind is suddenly blank so that must be about all I know 9) it's fun writing something crazy for a change 10) aren't you glad I got to 10? Have a happy week end! :)