Tag Archives: Literature

Come What May

"ladies in a line"

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It is so easy in today’s society to go for days without actually talking to anyone.

Fast food drive through, talking to a machine.

Phone calls talking to computerized voices.

Self checkouts at the stores.

Chatting via status updates on the internet.

Using phones to text instead of using one’s voice.

As wonderful as technology has been for us as a whole…it can lead to isolation if one is not careful.

“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
— C.S. Lewis

We all need relationship. We crave it. We were never created to be completely on our own.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

There is nothing better than having a friend to just hang out with. Someone with whom to pray, swap stories, give opinions, occasionally rant, and to hear, “it’s all going to be okay.”  An opportunity to look into the eyes, see a smile, give a hug, hold a hand. Don’t we all want a friend(s) that will stick with us, come what may?

Friendship requires availability.

Time.

Effort.

There is nothing better than being “at home” with another person.

Friendship is a valuable gift.

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.”  C.S Lewis

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Teaches Me To Trust

Stars Reflecting Mountain Lake

Image by ForestGladesiWander via Flickr

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.–Ralph Waldo Emerson

I came across this quote today in one of my favorite books. The words made me stop and think.

All I have seen— The vastness of space and the brilliance of the stars. The slight movement of the chest with each breathe. Ultrasounds with little hands and feet. The sun in the sky. Earthworms that aerate the ground. Family. Unique faces. Morning Glories and Venus Flytraps. Fruit and seeds. The Earth orbiting in space. Microscopic organisms. Platypus. Cat whiskers. The twinkle of the eye. The dexterity of my hands. Thumbprints. DNA.

teaches me to trust— (verb) Believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of

the Creator— Who is, and was and is to come. Whose very words speak all into existence…who continually creates something out of nothing. He who understands the miracle, fills the void, and bridges the chasm.

for all I have not seen. –All those things for which I have no answer, the things that my finite mind cannot understand. Thoughts, feelings, circumstances beyond my control. The things too large for me to comprehend, or too small for me to observe. Things not seen by me, but are always known to the All Knowing.

1 You have searched me, LORD,
   and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
   you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
   you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
   you, LORD, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
   and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
   too lofty for me to attain.  Psalm 139  NIV

Amen.

 

 

 

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Welcome To Mitford

Copyright held by user --EvanS 21:09, 7 July 2...

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Welcome to Mitford, a small imaginary town in the mountains of North Carolina. You can attempt to look for it on a map, but you won’t find it. It was first established in the mind of Jan Karon, the author and creator of Mitford.

My aunt introduced me to this series years ago. From the moment I opened the first book I was captured in the story. I could “see” the characters, through the gifted writing of Ms. Karon. The small town was alive and real  to me for many, many books. I often tease and say if I could live in any imaginary town from books or movies, it would be Mitford. It is a small town….and well, it just felt like home.

In a world of hustle and bustle, chaotic schedules, and a never ending to do list, it was always nice to settle down in a comfy chair and escape into the lives of the Mitford town’s people.

If you are a voracious reader, like I am…..or even if you are an occasional reader……if you haven’t yet read the Mitford Series books, give them a try. You might find out that you like them. Maybe you’ll find yourself looking forward to the trip you take to the small town in the North Carolina mountains.

So, grab your mug of coffee, find your favorite chair and settle in. The people of Mitford are waiting.

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Do you, my readers, have a favorite series that you would recommend? I would love to hear your choices. What makes you love those books?

A good author is worth his/her weight in gold.

 

 

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Sweet To The Soul

A hug.

A pat on the back.

A high five.

“Good job”

“You did it!”

“Awesome”

You rock!

“That is the best, ever!”

“Just keep going!”

“One more time!”

We all need encouragement….

Encouragement from others can make  the difference between us:

Holding strong or giving in.

Making it work…or giving up.

Earning a diploma…or calling it quits.

Running the race…or sitting on the curb.

Getting up in the morning…or pulling the curtains shut.

Trying again…or not.

A little encouragement can mean so much to the one who needs to hear it.

Gracious words are a honeycomb,
   sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.  Proverbs 16:24  NIV

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Who can you encourage today? How can your words be “sweet to the soul” of another?

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Join us at Faith Barista to hear what other readers are saying about encouragement.

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It’s All Good

A set of small wind chimes

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“God is great

God is good

Let us thank Him…”

Here I am on yet another gray and drizzly Monday. Spring of 2011 will go down as one of the wettest EVER. I am learning to become one with the rain. Even though it isn’t sunny and bright this morning, I can still give thanks. Thankfulness is a choice.

I choose to give thanks. God has blessed me in so many ways. He deserves all my thank you’s, because all good things come from Him. Without Him there is nothing.

*the sink full of weekend dishes (this means the family had food to eat)

*a dishwasher that needs emptied (this means I was busy having fun this weekend and didn’t have time for unloading the dishwasher)

*a pile of towels on the laundry room floor (we have plenty)

*being able to hear my wind chimes outside the kitchen window (the chimes play part of the song, Amazing Grace)

*a bowl full of oranges (just pretty)

*the smell of cinnamon (even if it is because we’ve sprinkled cinnamon around the window sills because supposedly ants don’t like cinnamon…and we are trying to stave off the migration)

*some good deals at local yard sales this past weekend (a collector Boyd’s bear, in excellent condition is pure gold)

*birthdays (mine is Tuesday and my son’s is Thursday….each time this week rolls around, I am so thankful. I remember what a wonderful “late” birthday present I got in 1995.)

*the year I turn 43

*times to celebrate

*a busy, but happy week ahead

*good news

*God’s amazing grace

*I am loved by the King

*He sees me…really sees me. I am known.

*family that I love

*starting a woman’s book club

*an opportunity

*summer around the corner

*it’s all good

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV

Won’t you join us in thanksgiving?

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Letting Go Of Expectations

Great Expectations (1999 film)

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Have you ever read something and realized it was YOU the writer was talking about? Okay, well maybe not really you, but it may as well have been. The words hit so close to home that you look over your shoulder to see if anyone is watching you, as you read…

I’ve finished One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I’m reading it again. It’s that good. On pages 168-169, Ann discusses “expectations”. During book club it was discussed that expectations are premeditated resentments.

Ouch.

How many times have I let my expectations, ruin the moment? How many times have I expected something, only to see that others can’t meet that bar? How many times have I expected perfection in the moment, only to be sorely disappointed? I struggle with the way I think things “should be”. When things don’t turn out the way I had hoped, I am left frazzled, irritated, and resentful.

Resentment. I know it well. I wish I didn’t.

That insidious word, feeling, has stolen my joy on numerous occasions.

It builds up inside of me, until it blinds me to all else. I can no longer see the joy of the moment because resentment has me standing in darkness.

I bite the words as they come out of my mouth. Hard and bitter.

I need to let the expectations go.

Do I want to enjoy the moment that God gave me, or do I want to “be right”?

“Expectations, kill relationships”, Ann surmises. I tend to agree.

I’m a work in progress.

Joy is in the moment.

I’m learning to “let go” so I can enjoy the moments God has given me. The lessons are not simple, nor easy.

All of life is learning.

It’s hard to stay resentful… if I’m giving thanks. The two don’t mix well. I will continue with eucharisteo.

Amen.

We are discussing “letting go” this week at A Holy Experience. If you would like to read more, click on my Walk With Him Wednesdays graphic on my right side bar.

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A Dare To Live Fully

Silver Gift Boxes

The postman delivered my book last evening. The book, written by Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts. I was so excited to receive it.  Despite all the snow and ice on the roads the postman got it to me.

I read the first chapter and into the second. I wanted to be prepared for the video book club that starts today. To be able to discuss. To share.

Mrs. Voskamp is an author who has the skill of a surgeon, her words cut through me like a knife. From the very beginning, she challenged me…caused me to consider.

How do we live in a world full of pain, in the shadows of what should have been? How do we live a life of thankfulness in the midst of it all?

Radical gratitude. Not what you might think.

 

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Living Life, Fully In The Moment

Laughing girl

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We all struggle in this life.

I, along with you, want to live life fully…but, I confess I don’t know how on most days. I am a failed perfectionist. I like my life to be ordered and understandable. How many opportunities have I missed because they didn’t fit in my schedule? I hadn’t penned them in my Daytimer? I was too busy to slow down, and with that I missed some of God‘s most extraordinary moments for me. Although my life here on earth will never be perfect, and even though I mess up on a daily basis, God remains gracious. He gives me more opportunities to slow down and communicate with Him. More than I deserve.

Sometimes the day to day living gets in my way. My eyes are too eagerly set on my plans for tomorrow, to stop and enjoy the exquisiteness of today. I often times forget that I am but a pilgrim on this journey. This place is not my home. I was created for something so much more. God knows this. He reminds me of it, if I will only take the time to stop and really see…… to see His moments.

As much as I enjoy the beauty of this world, I am aware that this world is just a shadow of what is to come. In my quieter times, this thought crosses my mind. My breath catches in my throat and my eyes tear up as I contemplate what that truly means.

How many of us dare to live fully? I’m not talking about risk taking, or defying rules. I’m talking about slowing down enough to savor the wonderful gifts that God chooses to give us. To fully appreciate the joy of each day, regardless of the weather, how much money is in the bank, or whether or not  everything is checked off on the to do list. When was it that we fell asleep at the wheel?

Do you understand that life is really not about those  lists of things? Do you really? If you are like me, you say you do, but so many times I know I don’t truly comprehend the depth of it. So many times I rush head long into the day, never looking back, and then before I know it, it is time to go to bed. Where was the enjoyment? The abundance? The moments?  Oh, they were there. I was just blind to them.

When I think about that….it makes me cry. How many years have I wasted in my rush to the finish line? How much of  what God  offers, have I chosen to ignore?

Ann Voskamp, author of ONE THOUSAND GIFTS: A DARE TO LIVE FULLY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE, says this:

Dare to Live Fully

Open your eyes to ordinary amazing grace. Life is sometimes dark, gritty, and tough, so how in the world do you find joy? How do you live really, fully alive? How do you see what God is providing right here? How do you find God?

 

The In Courage group is starting a book club. I think I’m going to join because I need the challenge. The dare. To live a full life. Will you join me?

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Laugh Out Loud

Laugh

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I don’t know about you, but sometimes life gets me down. I don’t like to be in this place. It’s no place to stay, that’s for sure.

I think what I need is a dose of fun. A shot of joy. A little humor mixed with my morning coffee.

I watched a video that a friend posted on Face Book. The gist was this: social scientists made climbing the stairs fun by making the stairs into a huge piano keyboard. Every time someone touched a step, music happened. People started using the stairs because it was now fun!  Who knew? They sort of had a “fun theory” about it.

So, I’m thinking about that. A fun theory. Neat concept. I know life can’t always be fun. That’s not realistic, but I do think most of  us spend far to much time on the other end of the scale. Tense and stressed out. Sound familiar to anyone? Life has enough hardships, deadlines, frustrations, and irritations. There is always plenty to worry about. Many times I find myself concentrating on the negative and forget that I need to take time to laugh. Even scripture tells us that laughing is important.

Proverbs 15:13

A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.           

Proverbs 17:22

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

So, with these reminders I  have my own fun theory. I need to laugh more. Laugh out loud. Laugh until my sides ache. I need to giggle uncontrollably. I need to he haw until my eyes start to water. Laughter might not change my circumstances, but it might just change me. My attitude could be helped with a daily dose of laughter. Not fake laughter either. Not polite laughter. REAL laughter. The kind that can’t be contained.

So, today I start project LAUGH OUT LOUD. Want to join me?

 

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From Canada, With Love…

A beach near Stanhope, Prince Edward Island, C...

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I had never seen the movies based on the book. At 42, I asked for Anne (with an “e”) of Green Gables for Christmas. My husband bought me the collectors edition. The two of us watched the entire series over Christmas vacation. I loved it! The actress, Megan Follows, played Anne perfectly.  I now want to visit Prince Edward Island, Canada. The scenery was gorgeous. The blue of the ocean against the  the green meadows. Those of you that live in Canada, please tell me that it really looks that way….in real life.  I was amused by Anne’s spirit. “You can call me Cordelia.” Is that your name? “No, but I’ve always liked Cordelia.” What IS your name? ” Well, if you won’t call me Cordelia, Anne…with an ‘e’, if you don’t mind.” Thank you Lucy Maud Montgomery for giving us the wonderful spirit of Anne.

A couple of Christmas’s ago I bought my husband, The Red Green Show. I had never heard of it until he mentioned that he had watched it at some point and loved it. For those of you not in the know….it sort of is the Canadian version of Home Improvement. Men meet at the Possum Lodge in northwestern Ontario, to solve the problems of a man’s world….much to the detriment of those around them. I laughed my way through those DVD’s.

[the “Men Anonymous” pledge, or the Man’s Prayer]
All: I’m a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess.

I have several readers in Canada. To all my neighbors in the north, what are some Canadian shows that you enjoy? (or shows from the past) Make some suggestions for me.

 

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