"We may be in the midst of God's working and can't see the big picture as He can." ~ Greg Laurie

newbie in narnia

would you believe i JUST watched narnia for the first time last night? i had never read the series either ... though i knew about it, but this is all first time stuff for me ...

WOW ... disney really did do a 1st rate job on the movie ... and the message came through loud and clear ...

2 thumbs up!

it may be Sunday where you are, but it's Friday in my world!

this week was a real work out for me ... in all the areas you don't see ... but God does ...

AND tonight is my friday ... YAY! even though all days are the same, i love the concept of fridays ... you know, you can relax and stay up a little later ... maybe even sleep in the next morning? fun stuff like that!

ALSO, thank you for your concern and prayer re my Leo ... he is back to his usual "yucky" state ... i think the viral thing is over with now ... that poor man has gone through the ringer enough times that he should be totally flattened out by now ... but he's not ... he bounces back ...

memorial day in the U.S. ...hope my American buds are having a wonderful long weekend ...

but i must dash ... you know, do something wild on my "Friday" night ... maybe finish the Karen Kingsbury book i've been enjoying! blessings to you ...

chronic pain and yucky feelings ...

leo has a low grade fever, dizziness and really yucky (my medical term!) feeling ... this is the second time in 3 weeks ... only today i was at work ... he called me a few times in the morning, quite disoriented ... but i did the "mom" thing over the phone, he followed instructions to a "T" and the fever broke a bit ... i made him chicken noodle soup when i got home ... and just tried to make him feel comfy ...

chronic pain is difficult to live with ... but when the flu or a virus hit ... well that makes it that much harder ...

we deal with these things, one at a time - as they come ...

sometimes we feel like we have some answers ... and enough faith and hope to conquer lifes harder issues ... other times we just hang on to the bible promises we know and pray that we aren't a bad example or wimpy Christians ...

through it all - we do have a hope of heaven because we've placed our trust in Jesus ... who bridged that gap between us and God the Father ...

we see through a glass darkly here on earth ... our ways are not God's ways ... that's where faith comes in ... we just believe that one day we will see the purpose in this chronic pain walk ... we just can not see the "why's" here ...

well, i just made leo a chocolate milk shake ... hopefully that helps him get over the yuckiness (another medical term) ...

tomorrow is another day ... another challenge ... the same God to rely on ... and for that i am thankful!

company ...

my mother, who lives 2 hours away ... and my aunt, who lives 2 minutes away, came to visit yesterday ... they are 2 very important women in my life ... it was wonderful to have them BOTH here ... even our timid feline stayed close to them ... purring, reclining near their feet, generally being a nuisance ... usually he hides somewhere when company comes - not this time!

after my mom checked out our new rental digs (she hadn't seen the house yet) ... we headed back to my aunt's place where there was some yummy grub to chow down on ...

during the visit, i quietly observed these 2 women who i love so much ... i noted the physical aging that is slowing them both down ... and i remembered times of laughter and teasing in days long ago ...

i am truly thankful that both of them are women of faith ...

it was a sweet day of visiting ... thank you Lord!

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There is ... nothing to suggest that mothering cannot be shared by several people. - H.R. Schaffer

Statute of Queen Victoria

this was our Victoria Day long weekend, here in Canada ... originally it was a holiday in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday ... i remember going to the park around the "leg" (legislative buildings) as a kid and marvelling at the statue of the old Queen ... the picture i've posted shows one of those outings ... my dad and brother had the honour of posing ...

this was also the first long weekend at the park ... i did work this monday - but long weekend mondays feel like sundays, so it felt normal to be there ... the campgrounds were almost full (even though we had chilly nights!) and folks were wandering in and out of the office with different park type questions ... i enjoyed myself ...

blessings on your week!

the salt mines in the park ...

work has been a wonderful balm to my soul these past few days ... most of you know that i work in a park ... the view outside my window is of gentle forests by the waters edge ... i drive to work in the mornings and see all manner of wildlife and birds ... the roads are generally quiet during those early hours ... it feels like the world is still asleep as i guide my car along the highway ... as i drive, i have my morning prayer time, trying to get the right mind and heart set for the day ...

i thank my Heavenly Father for this job that landed in my lap 12 years ago ...

unlike other years, the first 2 weeks at work were so unsettled and tried my patience - thankfully, these last 2 weeks have made up for the hard days - and then some ...

even though i work weekends all summer, i don't mind ... i get to enjoy mondays at home ... * big grin * ...

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If you smile when no one else is around, you really mean it. ~Andy Rooney

blossom time ...

here are some pics from my world ...

taken yesterday ...

the fragrence is just lovely and there are blossoms everywhere ...

every window holds a different view ... each makes my heart glad ...

this isn't meant to be our forever place, just our resting place ... and i am thankful for the second hand smoke in the house - 'cause if it weren't for that, i would probably be unpacking and getting very attached to this lovely spot!

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"Prayer is not trying to move God your way, it is moving yourself His way."
Greg Laurie

i just want to help ...

... *smile* ...

i re-read my past few posts and my desire to "help" [translated into hurry up, hasten!!!] the Lord find us a place to buy comes through loud and clear ... yet, His desire for me to rest in Him ... stay put ... seems to be the message for the moment ...

last night our landlord cut the grass again ... he pulled in with 2 mowers - his and hers - and the job was done in a little over an hour ... afterwards, leo asked me why we were in a hurry to move from here? ... except for the stale smoke smell, things are fine and even the grass is cut for us! ... so we should take our time ...

i agree in principle ... but i will still keep "seeking and knocking and asking" ...

do i trust God to find the best place for us? Absolutely!

does "rest" mean a minimal real estate search? well that part i'm iffy on ... i don't think rest means go to sleep ... there must be some effort on my part, right?

however, i won't worry about it ... as He's led me in the past, He will also lead in the future ... of that i am sure ...

"if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith!" ... "Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for Him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern." Jesus in Matthew 6:30, 31b

praying as i walk ...

i walked today ... and had my prayer time...

i thanked the Lord for this great rental place ... though, i did remind Him that there was that awful second hand smoke smell in the house ... *cough cough* ... and He reminded me about the sparrows He cares for ... and also to consider the lillies that toil not or spin, yet are beautiful to see ...

so i keep praying for "our home" to open up to us ... and that is all i can do ... He knows the rest ...

the bible says to encourage each other ... hope this thought from Revelations 7:17 does that for you! it sounds good to me ...

thankful ...

i'm thankful for the lovely scene outside our dining room window ...

i'm thankful for this rental place ...

i'm thankful for busy times at work, the health to go there and the vehicle that takes me there ...

i'm thankful for quiet evenings ...

i'm thankful for morning bible readings and devotionals ...

i'm thankful for blog buds ...

"in all things" give thanks ... Lord, thank you for all things!

taste and see . . .

"Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust in him!"
Psalm 34:8 NLT

excerpt from Greg Laurie's For Every Season:

"We need to remember that God's will is good. It may not seem like it at times, but it is. His plan for us is good. However, He usually doesn't give us a detailed blueprint. Usually, God reveals His will to us in bits and pieces. He sees the big picture, while we just see a little at a time.

If you had been the father of Joseph, surely like all parents, you would have prayed for the welfare of your child. But when Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, you could have easily said, "God, what are you doing? Why did you allow this?" Yet if God had not allowed this to happen, Joseph never would have been put into that position of influence that enabled him to save the country and his own family.

If you had been the mother of Moses, how your heart would have broken when you saw your own child being taken into the Pharaoh's court! Yet it was all part of God's plan to mold Moses into that leader who would lead Israel out of Egypt and its bondage. If you had been the mother of Jesus and watched your own son hanging on that cross, how easily you could have said, "Lord, why did you let this happen?" But if Jesus had not died on that cross and taken our sins upon himself, we could not know Him today.

So when you look at the will of God in progress, it may not always make sense. But you must believe that God knows what He is doing. His will is good. Just wait until He finishes what He has begun."

i am always amazed how my daily readings, correspond with my daily questions and thoughts ... coincidence? i think not! *smile*

peace ...

"You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its charcter] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You." Isaiah 26:3

"And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

i must confess to some scattered thinking this past 2 weeks ... the balance of work and homelife becomes more difficult yearly ... i'm sure the aging process, leo's decline in health and the added responsibility i take on (whether real or imagined - !) has something to do with it ... but i really hate it when my thoughts get disjointed and my mind keeps going over and over the earthly cares, rather than focusing on the spiritual ... earthly cares are real - i'm not saying i should ignore them ... but i shouldn't stress or worry over them ... that is unprofitable time ...

just when i think i've taken two steps forward, i take one step back! this pilgrim walk was never said to be easy - but definitely interesting!

blessings on your week!

may the Son be in your Sunday!

today we are mulling over this little house we looked at yesterday ... the right location, the right price ... but? big garden, sort of long driveway (to the garage) ... hmmmmmm ...

every day brings a new adventure - whether sad, glad or bad ... it is none-the-less new! *smile*

No cloud can overshadow a true Christian but his faith will discern a rainbow in it.
-- Bishop Horne

the fellowship of prayer

would you mind praying for my 5 year old nephew (click here) ... last night he was flown from the northern mining town they live in, to a larger hospital down south ... he has some sort of infection they can't identify at the moment ... spiking a high fever ... etc. ... it's a concern when these little ones get ill ... thank you ...

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UPDATE:

thank you for praying! they think they have found the main cause of the fever & infection and he is now on antibiotics ... hopefully no surgery is required ...

Jesus said ...

how come folks look everywhere for answers ... yet when real trouble strikes - they seem to know WHERE the help really comes from?

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

bursting forth!

it's raining and greening up in my world ... the fruit trees here at the rental are bursting into flower ... but there is a fly in the ointment ... there is snow in the forecast - however, today it is still green ...

my spirits have picked up since the very rocky monday i had ... and that's a good thing! *smile* ... we may not have control over the way we feel at times, but we DO have control over the way we act ... we can be tempted, yet not give into temptation ... those were the kinds of lessons i was working on during the past days ... i don't think God grades us on these things, but i hope i passed anyway!

it's another 2 days away from home for me ... leo and our faithful feline will keep the homefires burning (not literally anymore - just figurtively!) ... blessings to you!

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.

~Virgil A. Kraft

bad days ... good thoughts ...

Monday was a bad work day for me ...

it was a day when i thought, " ... and why am i here again ... ?" ... i generally have good work days - but as i mentioned before, this year is shaping up quite different ...

as i head to the salt mines this morning, refreshed from sleep and secure in God's hands - once again - i was blessed with my devotional reading ....

here it is for you to read, if time permits!

A wise person once told me, “Never be quick to judge whether something is a blessing or a curse.”

The story of Naomi reminds me of this.

The name Naomi means “my delight.”

But when bad things happened to her, Naomi wanted to change her name to match her circumstances. After her husband and sons died, Naomi concluded, “The hand of the Lord has gone out against me!” (Ruth 1:13). When people greeted her, she said, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (v.20).

Rather than judge her circumstances in light of her identity as a follower of the one true God who had proclaimed unfailing love for His people, Naomi did what most of us tend to do: She judged God in light of her circumstances. And she judged wrongly. The hand of the Lord had not gone out against her. In fact, Naomi had a God-given treasure she had not yet discovered.

Although Naomi lost her husband and two sons, she was given something totally unexpected—a devoted daughter-in-law and a grandchild who would be in the lineage of the Messiah.

As Naomi’s life shows us, sometimes the worst thing that happens to us can open the door for the best that God has to give us. —Julie Ackerman Link—

Loving Father, help me not to judge Your love for meon the basis of whether today brings good newsor bad. Help me remember that You desire to usemy circumstances to make me more like Jesus. Amen.

God’s purpose for today’s events may not be seen till tomorrow.