Simplify

Every parent at one time or another hears the words, “I’m bored. What can I do?” Then you begin to play the “Yes, but…” game.
“You could ride your bike.”
“Yes, but it’s hot outside.”
“You could go to the library to get new books.”
“Yes, but I can't find my library card”
“You could paint a picture.”
“Yes, but I don’t feel like getting out all of my supplies.”
“You could clean your room.”
HA! This is where the “Yes but…” game usually ends.

I think I’m in a “Yes, but…” mode. I have so many interests to fill my time, but I find myself unable to zero in on anything. Maybe I have too many interests. It’s time to simplify.

My craft closet is filled with tools, supplies, equipment, how-two books, you name it. These are my treasures. Half of the closet space is taken up with items that I use…what?...maybe once a year? But I can’t seem to let go of them. I might need them soon. Let’s see….when was the last time I made handmade paper? Last year? Two years ago? But what if I decide I need some for a special project? I can’t get rid of my screen and the scrap paper I use for the paper pulp. Or can I?

Simplify.

How about scrapbooking supplies? I have gazillion sheets of decorative papers, rubber stamps, fancy-cut scissors, but have I done a scrapbook yet? No. But wait…don’t throw them out. I can use them for homemade greeting cards…of which I might make about two or three a year. Is that worth taking up half of the closet?

Simplify.

Where are my interests? Maybe by looking at my reference library I’ll get a clue. The majority of books are on painting and writing. But even the art books are diverse. Will it be watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastel, or drawing with colored pencils?

Simplify.

Get rid of some of my treasures.
It’s going to take courage, but to accomplish something, I must zero in.

Wish me luck.

The Love of God is Greater Than Tongue or Pen Can Tell

"Religion is nothing but a crutch," a friend of mine told me many years ago. Back then I believed in religion…trying to be a good person, going to church, all that kind of stuff. Today I still believe in an "r" word, but it’s no longer religion, it’s relationship… a relationship with the Living God. There is a difference.

Since starting this blog, I’ve been spending more time reading at the computer. It’s been a blessing – and a curse. A blessing because I’m exposed to so many points of view, but a curse because I allow it to take too much of my time. The internet could definitely become an addiction. AGGH!!

Anyway, I’ve read a number of articles and posts ridiculing anyone who would believe that God exists and would consider worshipping Him. They call us stupid, crazy, gullible or whatever. It’s sad. They turn their backs on a love greater than anything this earthly life could offer them.

That love was so evident while I was going through a cancer crisis recently. He knows me completely and would "speak" to me in ways that I would recognize it was him. Some might call them coincidences, but how many coincidences have to occur before they are no longer coincidences?

Yup! I’m no longer religious…I’m a Christ follower instead. He is far better than a crutch. I don’t have to lean on him; instead he sweeps me up into his loving arms and carries me.

Isaiah 43:3 "...You are precious in my eyes and honored, and I love you. "
Thank you Lord. I love you too.

Image: http://www.drawneartogod.com/

This Moment in Time

There are no guarantees. We live from day to day as if there were, but who’s to say we will be here tomorrow?

Returning back to work after my vacation, I learned the sad news that the wife of a coworker had died suddenly, unexpectedly from a brain aneurism. She was here last Friday, living her daily routine, expecting to be here today.....…but she’s not. Today is her memorial service.

There are no guarantees.

The thought that each moment is a precious gift has been magnified today.

This moment........…how will I spend this moment?

How do I make it count?

Will I make it count?

Please Lord, help me to make it count.

"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." ~~James 3:13-15

Gone Fishin'

Well.......not really.

I'm a poor example of a fisherwoman. I don't like to touch worms, and I feel sorry for the fish.

But on the positive side, I do like to float out in the middle of a lake in a rowboat and listen to the gentle waves slapping the side of the boat. But if I were to spend the whole day fishing out there, my boat would have to have an upholstered seat and pillows like the Venetian gondolas. Oh, an a supply of books to read and possibly a box of chocolates. The nutty kind. Then I could really enjoy fishing...but only if someone baits the hook, holds the pole, and throws the fish back after catching it.

Back to reality...actually, we're heading to San Diego (probably along with thousands of other Phonicians) to get out of the HEAT!

See ya.

At dawn the disciples saw Jesus standing on the beach, but they couldn't see who he was. He called out, "Friends, have you caught any fish?" "No," they replied. Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get pleanty of fish!" So they did, and they couldn't draw in the net because there were so many fish in it. ~John 21:4-6

The Storybook Tree

Find a tree…any mature tree …. and I bet it could tell you a story or two. Most trees are filled with stories if only they could speak to us. Maybe they do….we just have to listen closely.

This beautiful Texas Ebony tree that was planted 30 years ago to shade our driveway from the blistering afternoon sun has witnessed so many events. Please allow it to share a few with you. Thank you.

Year after year, I watched young Tracy hop into the car with her piano books in hand and set out for the weekly piano lesson.
Recently I proudly watched as Tracy once again entered the car to head back home to Colorado and then on to Africa to be a music worship leader for missionary women.

I remember standing silently in the dark evening as Dana appeared at the front door, heading out in her "I Dream of Jeannie" costume for a night of trick-or-treating.
And years later, I celebrated as Dana carefully tucked her wedding dress into the car and ventured out to experience her dream-come-true.

I gladly provided shade and orange-scented blossoms as Emily hosted a tea party under my branches for her teddy bears and baby dolls.

And years later I breathed a gentle, Ohhh…, as I watched Emily step from her car with newborn baby Nathan.

I clapped my branches after little Matthew made his first basket through the hoop that Dad had just installed at the driveway's edge.
And years later I shaded Matthew’s truck as he and Mom packed it for his long trip to Denver, saying goodbye to the home he had known since birth. I can honestly say I shed a few sappy tears along with Mom.

I sadly remember the night Dad and Mom put Sherman into the car and drove off to the Emergency Animal Hospital.
And I remember them returning….alone.

Yes, the Texas Ebony is our family’s storybook tree. There are so many more stories it could share if we had time to listen.

If you're still reading...then you have arrived at the real reason I’m writing this post. Finally! Plan now to write the story about YOUR life. I recorded my childhood memories, because my children have experienced a totally different lifestyle growing up in a large desert city than I did as a child in a small town in Wisconsin. I wanted them to "know" their mom and her experiences as a small girl. The book offers no exciting plot...just lots of recorded memories in a very thin bound book to be past down to future generations. I don't want the history of our family to be lost.

Don’t lose yours either.


Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice!... Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the Lord! For the Lord is coming! ... ~Psalm 96:11,12