Life in my "fast lane" is already starting ... i'm drinking coffee, making mental lists ... BUT before the list making, is the "thank you for the day" prayer ... *smile* ... looking forward to reading blogs tonight ... blessings on YOUR day! 

human knowledge

Human knowledge seems impressive -
awesome. But when it comes to tomorrow,
our knowlege plunges to zero. Tomorrow
lies hidden in the depths of God's
unfathomable, intricately interwoven plan.
He has not been pleased to unveil it until this
old earth spins sufficiently to see the dawn.
Is your trust in God, your attitude of
dependence sufficiently stable to
sustain you regardless?

Charles Swindoll

reflections of the day

today was a doctor day for Leo ... it went as smoothly as doctor days go ... the landscape had certainly changed from his January visit ... everything along our wooded route was shades of brown ... and the shades of brown looked lovely to my winter weary eyes ... it also blessed my heart that Leo's spirits were much better this trip compared to the January one ... at the end of the day he thanked me for coming with him and for being the driver, so that he could recline in the passenger seat and rest ... what a dear ...

this week is filled with last minute activity for me before i start my seasonal job on the 18th ... with all the animal pictures i’ve posted, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that i work in a park! yup ... *smile* ... this will be my 12th summer there ... i enjoy the change of pace and the Lord has really blessed me with wonderful work buds ...

the office i work out of is situated on a beautiful lake and deer, bears, squirrels, rabbits among other critters visit on a regular basis ...

one of our visitors ... he had a headache after hitting the window!

blogging has been SO GOOD for me over the winter, my heart and soul have been blessed, so i am praying that my rejuvenated spirit might overflow at work ...

hope you all had a blessed Monday ...

* * * * * * *

check out pilgrim scribblings to see what a major league Chaplain's day looked like ... a little bit busier than mine!

ready for a new week?

ok ... i'm ready to tackle the new week ... my last 7 days off before i start work and the busy season of my life ... but i'll tell you about that later ... i just can't bear to have a blog that might sound sad being the last one you see Sunday - or the first one you see Monday ... so here is a smiley one for ya!

Peace amidst a storm

peace within is an awesome experience ... peace that is earned by listening to the Lord ... then obeying Him ... it’s the type i want on an every day basis ...

i posted about my down time yesterday ... tho’ my pride didn’t want to share it with you ... but i posted anyway ...

today the peace within my heart has affirmed that God is in control again ... even the scriptures we read this morning were in tune with my heart, as was our daily devotional, which echoed the same message ...

"What has the Lord been for you throughout your life? Your peace in a chaotic time? Your comforter amid loss? Your forgiver of a sinful choice? Your strength in a difficult task?" my RBC devotional asked ... my answer is a humble yes to all ...

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom i take refuge; ... I call upon the Lord ... and I am saved from my enemies ... " 2 Samuel 22

And from Elisabeth Elliot’s "God’s Guidance" we read this morning that:
"There is a cross that is meant for each individual. It is peculiar to him, something that no one else could take up for him even if he wanted to."

i cannot carry Leo’s pain and my own load at the same time ... i was not meant to carry Leo’s pain ... i was meant to pray for him, be his wife and to love him ... but the pain is still his cross to bear ...

of course - in my head - i knew that ... but now i am trying to live that truth ...

i think i may have to come back and read my own words again ... but at this moment as i tap tap away ... i have peace ...

and what is our life, but a moment by moment walk ... and trust ... in our Heavenly Father ... amen ...

reflections on bad days

i had a "boo hoo" type of day yesterday ... it snuck up on me unexpectantly ... i thought i had been fortifying my spirit with all the right ingredients ... reading, praying, singing songs in my heart ... hear that buzzer?? ... naaauuurrrrr ... sometimes the emotional tide comes along and tries to smash me to smithereens on the rocks of care ...

sure leo has had a super bad week, but we've been through these times before ... many times ...

i think a proud spirit invades my heart ... what it tells me is: "i can do this, i will be the rock (wrong right there, Jesus is the rock) ... i will, i will, i will ... well it turned into an "i won't and didn't and couldn't" ... sigh ... splat ...

more prayer and confession ... then the Lord opens His arms of comfort ...

on pilgrim scribblings i found this song:

It's Just Another Red Sea
Gold City (Southern Gospel)

Well let me tell you 'bout a story, the prophet Daniel told
How three Hebrew boys wouldn't bow to the king's image of gold;
Well he threw them in the fire, but the Lord was there too
And he delivered them the same way
He'll deliver you.

Chorus:
It's just another Red Sea
That the Lord will walk you through;
It's just another giant
Like the one that David slew.
Well it's just another battle
An opportunity, for you to claim the victory;
Don't worry when the water looks deep
It's just another red sea.

So you say you've got a problem,feelin' helpless and afraid
Another dead-end situation, with no hope for your escape;
Just remember when it looks like you have faced your final hour
God sees it as another chance to move and prove His power.

* * * * * * * * *

my flesh might fail, my spirits may droop ... and i face a Red Sea before me ...
i've discovered that i can't get across on my own strength or even Godly efforts ...
that job belongs to the Lord ...
so maybe i will just let Him be my Father, and me be the Child ...
i will rest in His strength ... my own is not enough.

Camouflage!

i received this picture and post a while back, but just came across it again tonight ... soooo, i just had to share with you guys ... isn't it incredible how the Lord thinks of every little detail!

A family in Oregon found this fawn on their front steps and took this photo. The white spots on the steps are apple blossom petals. Isn't this an amazing photograph! A great job of camouflage! The fawn stayed there all morning, (they live in Bend, OR), and the mama came to get it after 4-5 hours. Gold star for the people to leave the fawn alone, knowing mom would be back.

Dear Lord ...

Dear Lord ... after i have made a mess of things, mountains out of molehills and totally gotten pooped out in the process ... i give you my ball of yarn ... can you untangle it please ... ?

that is my prayer on "some days" ... and the astonishing, bless my heart, wonderful part is - God hears and responds to my feeblest cry ...

doesn't He love us so very very much!

shouldn't we just REST in Him ...

so, if we should ... then why don't we?

make fun memories

We're missing God's best if the fun memories
are being eclipsed by the fierce ones.
The world outside the family circle is dark enough.
When the light goes out within the circle . . .
how great is the darkness!
Charles Swindoll

the attic apartment

i was just thinking about places we’ve called home ... i guess my mind travels back to ways God has lead us in the past ... maybe to reasure myself of His continued leading in our future ...

during the early years of our marriage, we lived in a little attic apartment ... it was so small that our couch couldn’t fit in the living room and half our "stuff" went into storage! we just wanted some place cheap, as we saved for our building project - a home of our own! ...

i remember our first impression of this "cozy little cubbyhole" ... the creaky wooden steps leading to the second floor were STEEP and NARROW, and definitely built for short people - as Leo discovered when he banged his head on the doorframe (he gave me that "i hate it already" look!) ... the 3 rooms were tiny tiny, with old windows and slanted walls all around ... the bathroom had a sink and toilet ... the shower was in the basement ... the little old Finnish lady that owned the house did keep it spic and span ... and the best feature - LOW rent ...

leo saw all the valid things that were wrong with the place ... i saw the romantic side of living in this attic apartment ... the wonderfully low rent was the only item we agreed on!

we froze in the winter and sweltered in the summer! we argued, loved and saved a bunch of $$ during the time we made this itty bitty place our home ... we entertained friends and family and made lovely memories ... our best memory was Leo accepting Christ as his Saviour ... this happened halfway through our "life in the attic" experience ...

yup, what memories ...

the picture i posted today is actually a plaque i bought during this period ... it represented us ... it represented the fact that the how, why, what of our living conditions meant nothing, compared to the love we had for each other and the love we both ended up sharing for Jesus ... the same Jesus who we look to for guidance at this stage ... and every stage ... of our life.

Our Anchor

"We who have fled to [God] for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to His promise with confidence. This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls." - HEBREWS 6:18-19, NLT

Give me an anchor firm and strong

On which to rely my whole life long.

Give me but one anchor to hold me in

From sweeping tides of death and sin.

In this world filled with troubles rife

Give me but Jesus - the Anchor of Life!

- Gregory M. LaBrake

Decision Magazine, April 2005

got cookies?

Got Cookies ... this one made me smile ... Leo drinks so much milk (usualy chocolate milk), that we could have easily had a herd of brown cows to keep him supplied ... nice to see the tables turned!

you never know what a day holds

my motto has always been "you never know what a day holds" ...

today started out great, with that pesky haloscan problem solved ... i assumed that my day would progress along just as nicely ... can anyone hear the buzzer going - eeuurrrr - wrong ... BUT, let me assure you, even tho’ i didn’t get the "why" of my wasted day ... i thanked the Lord anyway ...

here’s what happened ... i had resolved to get into town early, so that i could come home and do chores, etc ... i was on the road before 10 a.m. ... all of a sudden, i heard a bang bang sound from the rear of the vehicle (sounded like someone was in the trunk knocking!) ... the gauges didn't indicate a problem, but i stopped and walked around the car ... i didn't see anything ... so i thought maybe a rock was stuck under the wheel well and needed to get loose ... the noise stopped, only to start again once i had crossed the narrow bridge ... this time i saw the problem immediately, another flat ...

i called GM roadside ... who sent a service guy to change my tire (15 minute wait, not bad) ... drove to Good Year to get it fixed ... bought a set of 4 tires (they should be in this week) ... talked to leo numerous times on the cell ... then came home to do a bit of outdoor stuff ... sigh ...

poor Leo is still recovering from the Friday night outing ... slow going there ... and of course, spring brings with it more pain for him ... i felt so badly for Leo, which can make me sad ... so my day wasn’t as productive or happy, as i had hoped ...

THEN just as i was going to get really whiney about it ... i read David’s post ... it cheered and encouraged me to keep on ignoring these little problems that try to get me down ... to continue in my spirit of thankfulness to the Lord for the MANY blessings in my life ...

my blogging friends have become a major part of the blessings i thank God for ...

so ... you never know what a day holds, eh? how was your day?

the case of HaloScan is cracked!

YAY!!!!

Rodney just now cracked the mysterious "Haloscan Refuses to Open for Poor Canadian Girl" case ... all the way from Australia too ... so i will share his solution, in case any of you have the same problem with Haloscan not responding to your clicking ... here is what you do:

Once you've opened the blog, try super-reloading. To do this, hold down"Ctrl" "Alt" and "Shift" and then click the refresh icon on your browser. After that, try to click on the comments.

and it works!!!! yay ... so click on by Rodney's place and tell him how smart he is!!!

Let the Little things in Life tickle you

A Frenchman became a naturalized British Citizen. "Yesterday," he remarked, "Waterloo was a defeat but today it is a victory." When one becomes a Christian, defeat changes to victory.
A Treasury of Vance Havner

it's monday

it's monday ... looks like rain here ... and i still don't know why the 3 blogs listed below won't let me open the haloscan to comment on ... hmmmm ... but whatever it is, i didn't do it!

HaloScan Woes

Help!

for the past 2-3 weeks, i have had trouble commenting on Operation for a Soldier and The Journey ... and then today the HaloScan on Tales of a Farmwife wouldn't click open, even though i had commented there yesterday? have any of you encountered that before? i know they haven't black listed me ... so? .... things that make me go hmmm ... in a grumpy way!!!

Operation for a Soldier has his blogger comments available ... and i use that ... but it is kind of annoying to wonder what happened to the HaloScan since i had used it on these 3 blogs previously ...

any ideas out there? THANX

just reading ...

after enjoying an evening out ... sending lots of e-mail to family and friends ... blogging a longer than usual post ... chatting on the phone ... well i think it's time to go bury my nose in a book for the rest of the afternoon ...

do you get like that too? a need for quiet time, after a whirlwind of activity? i do ...

i think it is a matter of re-charging my personal batteries ...

Lord bless your Sunday ... i must go find out "who done it" in my mystery novel ...

Courage ... is the ability to make a leap beyond the familiar. 

paying my respects to Terri

Christ opens the door of heaven
to those who open their heart to Him.

RBC devotional

though i read current event blogs and am a news junky ... my own blog has been my little haven of confessions, chuckles and chit chat ... however, i do need to pay my respects to a lady who left us yesterday ... who's last days we all followed ...

Joe had a wonderful drawing posted yesterday; The Black Kettle and Rita's blog kept the flame burning almost daily on Terri's fight for life; David has a most appropriate "Schindler's List" printed ...

i hope that somehow, those who never thought of the sanctity of even one life - may do so now - or our world will become even more chaotic ... may Terri rest in peace ...