Friday, October 30, 2009

"Monday's Coming Attraction..."

Monday is a very special day for Mike and me.

On Monday I will post a picture of what we were doing 35 years ago!

Here are some words of wisdom to ponder until then!

"Married love encompasses all the attributes of friendship-
with chocolate on top!"

"There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company
than a good marriage."
Martin Luther

"A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day."
Andre Maurois

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

My Father's hands

Today I went in to see my Dad.
My Mom is at the beach with some of her "Bridge" friends so after having lunch with my Dad, one of my sisters and her grandson, it was just my Dad and me.

We were working on addresses for their upcoming 60th Wedding Anniversary.
He was looking up addresses in the phone book and I was writing them down.

I just happened to glance over as he was turning pages and looked at his hands.
All of a sudden his hands looked like his Father's hands, my Pappaw's hands.

I can't begin to tell you all the emotions and feelings that rushed to my head and the memories that began to flood my heart.
There for a few seconds I was in a state of "deja vu"...seeing my Grandfather's hands...
remembering how I would hold those hands as a child...as a teenager...and as a married woman
and remembering how I held my Father's hands...those hands that were so strong, so protecting.

My Father will turn 80 his next birthday. So will my Mom.

I find myself wanting to remember to really look at them...studying their features the next time we're together...just to "soak" them deeper inside me...cherishing every moment.

They are in good health now and my Mom is especially active. Just try going shopping with her!

But I don't want to take them for granted.

Make the most of your relationships now while you have the time and opportunity.
Be a little more patient...a little more understanding...taking the time to let them know how much you love them, how much you care...just what they mean to you.
Forget the little personality "quirks", the "things that rub you the wrong way"....

Life is much too precious!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

OneNewsNow.com - Your News Right Now

Check out this article by Thomas Sowell, a Syndicated Columnist and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University.

The title of his article is "Dismantling America".
This is an excellent article describing our country which is quickly becoming the "land of the free and the home of the brave"... no more.

How incredibly sad....

OneNewsNow.com - Your News Right Now

Monday, October 26, 2009

Me...sort of!

This is me at 57 years "young" even though the me "inside" is much younger!

A college professor once told me I would never grow up, then smiling,
he said that I would always be young at heart.

Well, he was right! But that didn't keep me from struggling with my appearance...extra weight,
wrinkles...hair in the wrong places...age spots...yikes!

Posting this picture of me is a step in my "healing". I've struggled way too much after looking
in mirrors...even thought about giving them up but how do you put on makeup without one?

I've never been a beauty, cute at one time maybe, but I am learning that the me inside-the real me is beautiful and becoming more beautiful every day as I become more like Christ.

It isn't about how I look as much as it's about how I live.

I want to reflect Him in the words I speak, the tone of my voice, my actions...

A smile, a kind word or gesture, listening patiently and attentively, giving your time, yourself
for someone else...this is true beauty.

So here I am...a bit more comfortable in the "skin" I'm in, deciding to enjoy this journey,
concentrating on the inside and not the "out"!

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Sunday Reverie...ahhhhhh.....

Today is a day for resting, for dreaming, for napping
and for cozily "porch" reading under a blanket!
After having the four oldest grands for three days we took today "off"' from our normal routine and are enjoying the quiet.

This tree beside our deck has begun to turn and is so beautiful to me. I can see it so well from the porch and had to take a picture of it!

It captures how I'm feeling...quiet, rich delight!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

"Exhaustified"

Guess that really isn't a word but that's exactly how I feel!

It's been a "Grand" three days and we've battled strep, fevers, and strong wills!
Whew! I do believe I've "combat fatigue"!

Grands are wonderful but they can be extremely tiring....that's why we have kids when we're
younger and can handle it 24/7! Those days have passed for me!

An art project...and packing before we head to the airport to pick up the parents!

Then Mike and I will hibernate tomorrow!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

"The Message"

Today I picked up The Message Bible and began reading Eugene Peterson's introduction of this "Work" of ten years.
He talks of just reading the Bible to begin with...and when we read it, "we enter a new world of words and find ourselves in on a conversation in which God has the first and last words...that we are included in on the conversation."

Peterson was a professor, a teacher of Hebrew and Greek in a seminary. In this work he has tried to be true to the scriptures but writing as we would speak today.
He says that The Message isn't meant to take the place of study Bibles "but first, it is important simply to read, leisurely and thoughtfully". The time for studying will come later.

If you've never read the Bible or rarely read it, I would encourage you to begin here....
Get a copy of the Message Bible. There is now one that is a numbered edition. This is the one I would suggest.

I'm going to begin today...thoughtly reading...
I will begin in the New Testament and read through, taking my time and I would love for anyone who reads my blog to "join" me.
Please let me know if you will through your comment or just e-mail me!
dwoods2@carolina.rr.com

It's something we can do together!

I do believe it will be life-changing for us all!

Autumn Delights!

Fall seems to awaken creativity in me!
It's such a romantic, somewhat dreamy season...

And once again I have no words to convey my feelings!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Don't you just love.....

putting on your winter PJs for the first time of the chilly season....

the smell of the season's first heat of the furnace....

the first time you can see your breath....

being outdoors all bundled and smelling your neighbors' fireplaces....

watching a Wintery movie and having to run to Starbuck's for a White Chocolate Mocha latte....

adding extra blankets to your bed and getting all snuggly underneath them....

being refreshed and invigorated by the chill in the air....

thoughts of bondfires and roasting hotdogs and making Smores....

watching how the leaves change daily all around ....

driving with the heat on for the first time in the car....

the chilly air making you want to play Christmas music....

the sounds coming from the neighboring High School's football games....

bundling up and walking outside at night just to see the stars in the sky...and seeing your breath....

watching your yard filling up with all those leaves....

don't you just love it!

Monday, October 19, 2009

"The Evolving of Me"

I was born! (a good place to begin....)

I was raised in a Christian home with much love and not much money.
I never had a new bike until Mike bought me one after we were living in our current home.
My Dad got our swing set at a dump and redid it. My Mom made our play clothes and one of my
Grandmother's made our other clothes...she even made my very first formal gown!
The lady next door made my Barbie doll's clothes!

My Grandparents were very Godly people and showed me great love and acceptance...so did my parents. I had my share of spankings when I was deliberatly disobedient and then it was enough
just to know that some of my behavior disappointed my parents, which hurt more than a spanking ever did! (for example, my one AND only speeding ticket!)

I grew up on a street where you knew practically everyone. I walked to school and we could even walk to church.

I had great Sunday school teachers and one particular older Pastor that was a great influence on my life.

I accepted Jesus as my Saviour around the age of 10 and thought I had a pretty good relationship with Him.

I had a wonderful childhood!

I made it through High School, College, and then married the man of my dreams and then somewhere along the way my "rose-colored" glasses fell off!

Wow! I became a bit disillusioned with life in general!

Finally one day I had had it! And I literally "strongly" made this statement to God...
"If this is all there is to being a Christian, then it isn't much!"

Amazingly, God spoke to me saying that He had been waiting for me to come to that conclusion
and basically that I hadn't seen anything yet!

From that day on my life drastically changed...for the better even though some very difficult times arose. I learned that I couldn't live on just what I had been taught as a child...that there was a difference in knowing Christ as Saviour and as my Lord...huge difference there!
He had been my Saviour all those years but He had never been my Lord.

From that moment on, God showed me "things", told me "things" letting me experience His Life
and then I would read it in His Word! Wow! I was living it!

He became my Abba Father, my Lord...my very life.

Being a Christian isn't about a set of rules and regulations...it's about a real, viable relationship with Someone Who is more real than this day to day living here on this earth.
He is as close and real to me as breathing.
He is my very life, the air I breathe. His Word gives me life, strengthens me and keeps me sane in a world that is vastly becoming a place of confusion and injustice.

Without Him I would merely exist, having no real purpose.

There are too many professing Christians that are steeped in legalism, lists of rules and regulations and they give Christianity a bad name, leave a bad taste in the mouths of society.
There is no relationship and therefore there is no love...the Love that God showed and gave to the world in Jesus. Love is the key! Yes, we are to hate evil but not hate people. We are to love as God loves and only God can help us do that.

I could say so much more, share so many more experiences but maybe that's for another time.

Because He is...I am!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Warm and Cozy

How I enjoy chilly, cloudy, rainy days!
I love being on the inside looking out.
Today is one of those days!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

"A Rainy Day Adventure"

It was a dark and chilly morning...rain falling from the sky.

Just the day for an adventure with four Grands, a Mom and I!

They came...we played...watched Mickey Mouse and then
we ate our lunch.

Cleaned up the toys, took potty breaks and climbed into the van
And headed onto 485 and the homes of the "GREAT GRANDS"-parents that is!

First we saw Grandmama and Granddaddy, parents of the Papa.
We talked a bit while children four entertained and actively played.
They kept us hopping to and fro, we were having a hard time containing...
so the Granddaddy took his stance and away they went a -browsing.

Our visit there, it ended and back to the van we strolled, three lovely colored umbrellas...
all in a row!
I grabbed the 'brellas, helped grands into the car and handed Emma's back ,
and then to my surprise, she shook her's there in front of me, spraying water in my eyes!
I laughed so hard and stood there getting wetter by the minute.
Finally we all climbed in...whew! We did it!

On to Granggie's Mom and Dad, Mammaw and Pappaw. We entered in a hugging and a kissing
on the cheek, found puzzles, blocks and books galore spilling them at our feet!
We played, we laughed and enjoyed Pappaw's "toys". We found some snacks and played when our"grand" cousins came and added to our joy!

What fun we had with Aunt Denise, she's always entertaining!

But soon our visit ended...
more potty breaks and picking up and to the van we went and headed back across
the town with countless trucks and cars and such but around that time, on that great road
one does expect that much!

We made one stop to get a shirt for the littlest grand you see and then one more for Granggie
who had to have her Wendy's chili!

They dropped me off, the Mom and Grands on the way to get their Dad, thus ending one of the best rainy day adventures that we have ever had!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Season's First Fire

With the cloudy, cooler weather I thought it the perfect time for the first fire of the season.
Even though it isn't that chilly..... BUT with the windows opened and the door to the porch
opened, it created the perfect temperature for a small fire!

Such a lovely way to end a wonderful day!

How I love this time of year!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Pumpkin Faces


"Oh what a night!"

Wow!

We took April and the 4 oldest Grands out to dinner and I rode in the back of their van with
Makenna and Camden and there was NEVER a lull in conversation...AND it continued in the
restaurant...AND was highlighted with magic tricks and Elliott singing in my ear!

Oh me! I told Mike I was worn out! Coming home three were singing and one was talking...ALL AT the SAME TIME! Whew!

We left them to their movie and candy corn and Papa and I went in search of ICE CREAM
at Baskin/Robbins, only they didn't have my German Chocolate available yet! :(
Ice cream and a bit of quiet...ahhhh...was lovely, just lovely!


PS...
Christian has become quite the magician and really "gets" me most of the time!
He always has a new trick to show us each time we're together.

It was a wonderfully loud but enjoyable "Grand" evening!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Lovely Autumn


"No Spring nor Summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face."
John Donne

Amazing

Isn't it amazing how God can just meet you "where" you are? How He can "read" your mail...
How He can say exactly what you need to hear at the exact moment you need to hear it.....

That was yesterday...

AND...

this morning...when I turned on my computer and clicked on Rick Renner's Sparkling Gem
for the day and this was the title that appeared... "What will you do when the effects of gravity start to show up?"

I had to laugh! God knows me SO well!

He usually answers my questions BEFORE I even ask them...just when they START becoming a thought in my head...

He's THE COOLEST!

Monday, October 5, 2009

A blogging day!

Okay...I can tell this may turn into a blogging day of random thoughts, maybe even some rambling ones!

After my last blog...feeling a tad bit "down", I took my coffee to the porch and sat in the rocker.
Looking out, through the rain, I began to see more of Fall's colors emerging and against the cloudy, wonderfully rainy background, it was a sight to behold!
Was just the thing to perk me up and get me going! Lesson learned- there's beauty all around
if we would truly "open" our eyes!

Random thought #2:

Laundry!
Monday isn't one of my usual laundry days but I JUST HAD to wash today!
You see, we got a new washer and dryer Saturday!
They're lean, mean, green machines! Front loading LGs and I'm loving them!
After almost 20 years of great service, our old pair was dying and we knew we had to do something.

Now, here is where I put in a "plug" for Home Depot- my favorite hardware, etc. store.
The last three appliances we've gotten have come from Home Depot because they had the best prices on what we wanted. They also will match anyone else's price if you have the ad and with the washer/dryer, we had already bought it at their low price only to discover on Friday that Sears came out with it a bit cheaper. We took the ad to the store and not only did they match the price but then gave us an additional 10% off each one! Now that's taking care of the customer!

Okay, commercial over...
back to random thoughts on laundry...

I'm really enjoying doing laundry. My washer plays music when you turn it on and it plays a longer tune when the wash is finished! Just makes me smile!!!! Oh, simple things give me so much pleasure.....ummmm

Love the smell of clean clothes!

Which took me back to my days as a child...we only had a washer for many years and my mother hung clothes on the clothesline...what a wonderful smell!

Didn't like it so much when I was the one that had to hang them out, though...and take them in.

After Mike and I got married we bought a washer/dryer from Sears and that was nice.
I decided that I wanted a clothesline too so Mike fixed me one.
I didn't think too much about it until I went to hang out clothes...was just in the mood to do it.
Well, I went to hang the first piece and discovered I couldn't even reach the line! Mike had fixed it so he could reach it. I managed to stretch and stretch, standing on my toes and finally got them hung but I never did use it too much after that!
Yeah for dryers!

Okay, after doing two loads of laundry,(sheets-I tend to put off those until I have no more clean ones), I'm done with laundry for today!

AND...no more random thoughts for now!

For the record......

Yes, I'm a fairly normal woman...and yes, I have "days"...you know the "days" I'm talking about....

the days where you can't stand to look into a mirror...
your hair doesn't look right no matter what you do to it...
you think you feel and look MUCH older than you are...need I say more...

Yes, I'm being reminded of inner beauty...
being grateful for the "years" of living...

but to be perfectly honest... it "ain't" making things better for the moment....

Hey, but it IS just a moment...and moments change...!

One thing I'm seeing here is that I could use an attitude adjustment AND
work on the things that I can change!
I just need to use a little discipline and self-control...

And climb out of this "pit" I seem to have fallen into!

Thank goodness I don't have to do this alone or should I say "thank You God" for helping me make the most of this season in my life!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Day 2 of October Autumn Delights!

After having breakfast and prayer time on the porch, I dressed and ran a few errands.

I traveled down one of my favorite roads, listening to classical music on my favorite station-
89.9 WDAV and was immediately "surrounded" by Autumn delights! I rolled down my windows
to allow the coolness of the morning to engulf me as I took in sights of golden rod, open fields of grains and grasses and hundreds of trees of all shapes, sizes, varieties-most just beginning to adorn themselves with their new Fall wardrobe. And for a moment time seemed to stand still...
and there arose such a holiness... God's "magic" unfolding right before my eyes.

How can one really describe all the feelings evoked by such majesty... words cannot do it justice.
I was overwhelmed and lost in the beauty of the moment...selah...selah...selah...

In that moment all the holiness, all the beauty entered my very soul and now I will carry it about...within me... throughout my day...even into the night...

All praise and glory to the Lord of the Harvest...the God of all creation...the One Who made each season for us...just to enjoy!

As we delight in His creation, He delights in us! How beautiful!

To you, my Father God, I am forever grateful!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Hello October!

First of all...where did September go? Is it just me or is time literally flying?

October has arrived bringing promises of chilly days and nights, bond fires, leaf raking,
brilliant color, pumpkins galore, earthy scents enhanced by spicy cinammon, cloves, nutmeg and pumpkin, fires in the fireplace, mugs of hot apple cider, earlier dusks, the shifting sunshine as it trickles through the windows of our homes...and the cozy visits with friends and family.

What an absolute lovely time of year!

William Cullen Bryant describes it best....

"Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile."



PS... I love Winter too and am always anticipating SNOW and yes....that somewhat illusive
White Christmas! One day! One day! :)