STUFF

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--STUFF

Five minutes to free-write about it

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Despite the many times I have downsized, I still have way too much stuff. There are also growing piles of stuff cluttering my bedroom floor in the form of paperwork that needs to be completed or filed away, newspapers and magazines I've been meaning to read, and projects started but not yet completed.  

Although my intention is to set a timer for a half hour or an hour every day and work on clearing up as much as I can during that time, it hasn't happened. 

Now it's already into December, and as much as I wanted to have some signs of Christmas in my apartment, the thought of one more thing to do seemed overwhelming, as did the thought of then having to take it all down and put it away in a few weeks. So I compromised. 

I just took out a few of my favorite things and kept it super simple this year. A Charlie Brown tree a friend gave me several years ago, a Nativity to remind me of the reason for the season, and a few odds and ends to grace the top of my piano. It looks very peaceful and uncluttered, and I am very happy with the results. 

TRADE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--TRADE

Five minutes to free-write about it

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This week's prompt made me think of a story I heard a long, long time ago that went something like this:

A young man. was going through a hard time and felt as though he had reached the end of his rope. He cried out to the Lord and told Him he could not go on. His cross was too heavy to bear. So the Lord told the man to put it down, and led him into a room filled with crosses of all kinds. He told him he could trade his cross for any of them he wanted.

The man looked around at all the crosses in the room. There were crosses of all sizes. Some were so big they reached the ceiling, some looked very heavy, and then he spotted a tiny cross all the way in a corner at the back of the room. He told the Lord that was the one he wanted. The Lord turned the little cross over to show him the name on the back of it, and it was the man's own cross, the one he had wanted to trade. 

Sometimes I feel like that man. I get weary, and the grass seems a lot greener on the other side of the fence. But that thought lasts only for a moment. No matter what I've gone through, even when it has felt like the pits, and even when I wished things were different, I have never wanted to trade my life for anyone else's.   

God made us all unique. We are one-of-a-kind Divine originals created for a special purpose and plan that only we can fulfill. He knows what we can and cannot handle, and has equipped us accordingly. Although He does not expect us to do it in our own strength, neither has He equipped us to live out the story He designed someone else to live.

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For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unfomed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. -- Psalm 139:13-16, NIV 

FIGHT

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--FIGHT

Five minutes to free-write about it

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First thoughts were 1 Timothy 6:12 (Fight the good fight...) and the image of this tree.  Unlike the mostly bare trees surrounding it, it has managed to hold on to quite a few of its colorful leaves--despite the winds and the rain. 

I wonder what my fight looks like. Not that great, I'm sure. 

Despite all the exhortations, words of encouragement, promises, and tools (like the armor of God) that are to be found in the Word of God, I falter, lose my cool, and get exasperated. I forget to take a deep breath, say the Serenity Prayer, and remember this is all just a test.

Right now my patience is being sorely tested. It has been for several days, causing me no end of frustration over all the time being wasted trying to connect to the right people over the phone.

There were things I needed to do today that I had to put off in order to wait for a delivery that never arrived. To make things worse, when I called the company, I was on the phone for over three hours--most of it on hold (with no option to leave my number and get a call back) and trying to get the robots that answer the phone to put me through to a live person. 

I could feel the pressure rising--until I remembered all the things I should never have forgot. As I got a grip of myself, took that deep breath, and reminded myself that this was just a test, not only did a great calm settle over me, but the issue was quickly resolved by a new person who came on the line.

There is a lot more I could write about the things I could have been doing instead of stewing while I was on hold, but my five minutes are up.

THOUGHTS ABOUT VOIDS

Friday's FMF word prompt was the word VOID. 

As I pondered what to write about, many thoughts of things that can leave a void crossed my mind. The death of a friend or loved one, the absence of what used to be familiar, or even just a feeling of something missing in your life that you can't quite put your finger on. The God shaped void within us that can only be filled by Him. 

I thought about these things as I read through the posts people had written, until I was stopped by a sonnet a dear FMF friend wrote as his comment to one of them.

My friend--our friend--Andrew Budek-Schmeiser, has been gifted with an amazing gift of words. Though he suffers from a terminal illness that leaves him depleted and in unimagineable pain, he continues to unselfishly bless us with his writing. I don't know how he does it.

His sonnets run the gamut from encouraging to humorous to deeply thought-provoking. The one he left as a comment on someone's response to the prompt was not only beautiful, but led me to look at that Divine void within us from a very different perspective--one I had never considered before. I hope he does not mind me sharing it. I don't think he will.

There's a God-shaped hole inside of me,

and I think this may sound odd,

but could perhaps might there just be

a me-shaped hole in God?

A spare that only I can fill,

a missing puzzle-part,

that requires my free will

to give Him my whole heart,

and if I choose to hold it back,

to stand aloof and proud,

there's something He will always lack,

even with a holy crowd,

for I am not just anyone;

I'm His well-loved adopted son. 

A friend I shared it with added another beautiful thought. Perhaps the same is true of every person God ordains for us to meet in this life. Perhaps He intended for us to provide to each other a gift that only we can give?

VOID

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--VOID

Five minutes to free-write about it

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About a year ago I wrote a post about my shock and dismay when I saw that the two beautiful azalea bushes that had stood--one on each side of the entrance to our library--had been pulled out. 

Upon inquiry, the librarian told me that the powers that be had decided that the bushes should be replaced by something indigenous.

For a long time, there was a void where those bushes used to be. 

Today I visited the library for the first time in a while and was greeted by a wonderful surprise. The void was void no more. It was filled with colorful flowers.

I don't know the names of these flowers and whether or not they are indigenous, but they are very pretty, and were a most welcome sight.

HIDDEN THINGS COME TO LIGHT

Back in 2013, when I was struggling with depression and a bunch of regrets over the poor choices made in my youth that had led me to that point, I started a personal blog to help raise me out of the doldrums.

 Motivated by Philippians 4:8 that exhorts us with the words, "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things",  I purposed to look for glimpses of God's grace throughout my days and find 365 positive things to write about. No deadline. No resolution to write a post a day or anything like that. 

It took me until 2022 to finish it. 

* * * * * * *

Fast forward to a couple of days ago when I started wondering why not all the comments I get e-mail notifications about actually show up on my blog. Well, come to find out that for some unknown reason, several of them wind up in spam. 

After rectifying that situation on my two active blogs, I decided to check out the other two, and much to my surprise discovered that somehow my personal blog had been set to have comments moderated before being posted, and there were 88 comments waiting to be moderated. Several of them contained questions, which obviously never got answered--like the one from Ginny at Let Your Light Shine, who wanted to know what the numbers in the header meant. Well, to answer your question, I was just numbering my posts from 1 to 365 so I could keep track of how many grace-filled moments I had found. 

Brenda at Lighthouse Vision had left a wonderful testimony that I only just got to read all these years later.

Some of you, like Mari at Mari's LittleCorner, Linda at Linda's Life Journal, and Veronica Lee at Of Mice and Ramen, I know have been blog friends for a very long time, but others I didn't realize had already been blog friends way back then. 

Sandi at Dandelion Tea, Sue at Pear Tree Lane Farmhouse, Aritha at Moments Frozen in Time, Mindy at Howell Blessings, and Carol at Buttercup Counts Her Blessings. 

I don't know what to say, except I'm so sorry I never acknowledged you way back then. 

This has been a most unusual and unexpected event.

FRIDAY FUNNY

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

THROWBACK THURSDAY

A Trader Joe store--one of my favorite grocery stores--just opened up in my neck of the woods, and to celebrate, my daughter bought me a tub of their triple ginger snap cookies. They are so, so good--and very addictive.

It made me think of the very first blog post I ever wrote, back on March 21st of 2007. Wow! That's almost 17 years ago, would you believe, and those cookies are as irresistible to me now as they were back then.

So, here's a repost of that very first post for this week's Throwback Thursday.

TRADER JOE TRIPLE GINGER SNAP COOKIES  

 

"I do not understand what I do. ...For what I do is not the

good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I
keep on doing." (Romans 7:15,19)

Frustration at not being able to set up this blog page to look the way I want it to has led me to open up the tightly sealed tub of Trader Joe Triple Ginger Snap cookies made with fresh crystallized ginger that I had bought for my daughter Joanne to try, and "hidden" away until I see her. Bad move! I knew that Trader Joe Triple Ginger Snaps is not something I should have in my house, but I thought that putting them out of sight would keep me from eating any. Ha! That tub of cookies is now 12 lighter. I hope I get to see Joanne soon.

This takes my thoughts way back to a Christmas eons ago when I lived in Jackson Heights and had a good friend, "British" Margaret, who loved those huge, oversized Cadbury chocolate bars with the fruit and nuts, and the caramel, and I don't even remember what all else. That Christmas I decided that the perfect gift for her would be one of each kind. I think there were six varieties, which I purchased, wrapped ever so carefully, and put under the Christmas tree.

Now there were two problems I hadn't considered, and which proved to be my undoing. Number one, I also loved those huge, oversized Cadbury bars, AND, Margaret didn't show up the day before Christmas to pick up her gift as planned.

Christmas came and went, and after a few days of seeing that carefully wrapped gift all alone under the tree, I couldn't take it any longer. It seemed to be calling my name, and after a brief struggle with my conscience, gluttony got the best of me. Carefully I unwrapped the gift, slid out one Cadbury, and rewrapped the other five. She will never be the wiser, I rationalized. Still Margaret did not come, and I wound up repeating this shameful process five more times.

When my good friend Margaret finally dropped by, I had no gift to give her. How embarrassing! Fortunately she was a real sport about it, and we ended up having a good hearty chuckle. Hope this doesn't turn out to be deja vu where Joanne's cookies are concerned.

SUPER MOON RISING

Standing on my balcony watching the hunter supermoon emerge from behind a tree. 

What a sight!

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

I hadn't seen these two grandsons at the same time in quite a while and couldn't believe how much they now tower over me. (They flew in to be groomsmen at my grandson's wedding.)

It was fun putting "then and now" collages together. These were my favorites, but I couldn't decide on just one. Which one do you like best? 

If you missed my last post about the wedding, here's the link to it in case you are interested.

HIGHLIGHTS OF A BLESSED AND BEAUTIFUL DAY

It was a perfect day for a wedding. The sky was blue, the temperature mild, as we gathered at the historic chapel of St. Peter (atop a very steep hill in Harpers Ferry) to attend the nuptials of my West Virginia grandson. 

Many folks had come from out of town, and when we got to the chapel they were milling around, catching up with one another, and taking family pictures before it was time for the service. 

For me, it was a special blessing to be able to spend time with loved ones I don't get to see very often because of the distance that separates us.

My grandaughter and her family (above) traveled from Florida and were joined by her oldest son who flew in from California. 

My son and his family (on the left) drove down from New Jersey and were joined by their eldest son who flew in from Nebraska. 

There was a moment of cuteness, when my four-year-old great-grandson was spotted handing out rings to the ladies. 

He was the ring bearer in the bridal procession and apparently had a hard time at the rehearsal grasping what a ring bearer is. He thought he was supposed to hand out rings to everyone, and was very happy when his mom bought him a bunch from the dollar store so he could do just that.

Soon it was time for everyone to come inside, and my daughter and I took a seat at the back while waiting to get escorted to our pew.

After all the bridesmaids and groomsmen had made their entrance and taken their places, there was another moment of cuteness as my two great-granddaughters (the flower girls) and the ring-bearing great-grandson and his younger brother came walking down the aisle.

And then, the moment we were all waiting for. The doors to the chapel opened wide revealing the beautiful bride and her proud dad who escorted her down the aisle, lifted her veil off her face, and presented her to her groom. 

After the blessing, the newlyweds emerged as Mr. and Mrs., and it was time for more pictures before heading over to the reception.

Here's a shot of me with all six great-grands. Can you see the one hiding behind my shoulder? 

The reception was wonderful, and would take a whole other post, which I'm not sure I'll get to, so in case I don't, here's one photo taken right before I left. 

My daughter dragged me out onto the dance floor to dance a few steps with her, my daughter-in-law, and a couple of the grandkids. 

That I was able to do that, especially at the end of a very long day, was a huge miracle that two of my praying friends can attest to.

Up until almost the last minute, I wasn't sure I would be able to make it to the occasion, even though my daughter was going to pick me up and had made arrangements for someone to drive me home. 

The three of us prayed hard that the Lord would make a way where there seemed to be no way, and He answered our prayers. Not only did He enable me to attend, but He went above and beyond, giving me strength to enjoy the day without too much pain. 

I still can't believe how I was able, by His grace, to get in and out of shuttles, walk what felt like a marathon between garage and reception building, up and down several flights of stairs, and back and forth across the floor of the reception hall, without my rollator, and without my back brace (except for the long walk over from the garage). It was a miracle indeed for which I am grateful beyond words.

It was a beautiful and memorable occasion, and this hug from my grandson thanking me for being there was like extra icing on the cake.

TWO

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--TWO

Five minutes to free-write about it

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The number two has played a very prominent part in my life these last several weeks.

I won't go into any great detail because after much frustration, I distinctly sensed the Lord telling me to let a certain situation go.  I did, and instantly and miraculously, all the turmoil churning inside of me was replaced by a great peace that I do not wish to forfeit.

In brief though, it all centered around the number two. Two little paint pots in a paint by number kit I had ordered that were not the color code they were supposed to be, and my numerous and futile attempts to get the company I purchased the kit from to replace them. 

This week's FMF prompt, coming just a day after my decision to let it go gave me a good chuckle.

JUST A RANT...

 

Someone is turning 4 today.

I tried to write a cute post about it on Facebook that I thought would make readers smile. 

Facebook did not like that I included the link to the Instagram account his mom set up for him, or that I mentioned he had a book on Amazon, so they removed the post and threatened to restrict my account.

I think this is going a little too far, don't you?

Thanks for letting me vent about my frustration. I hope you don't all unfriend me as well.

DON'T WIND UP LIKE THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY

This summer we have had a serious infestation of spotted lanternflies in my neck of the woods, and the plague is not yet over.

At first it was just one interesting looking bug sitting on a leaf on a plant on my balcony. It must not have liked it much though, because after I flicked it off, I never saw another one on any of the outdoor plants. They do however enjoy walking around and around the floor of the balcony and the table the plants are on.

They have also swarmed my windows.

At first it was just a few of them walking up the outside of the screens, but the few turned into hordes of them in the corners and all across the glass.

Despite how careful I have been not to open my windows, and to make sure I quickly close the screen door behind me when I go out to water my plants, a couple of them have found their way into my apartment.

They are actually quite pretty, and I need to constantly remind myself of how destructive they are, and not be deceived by appearances.

I still can't bring myself to stomp on them, but I do scoop the ones that manage to get inside up in a piece of tissue and flush them down the toilet.

The other day I saw one get caught in a spider web, and felt overwhelmed by sadness as I watched it try to escape. And I know that what I am about to write next is probably a real stretch, but I thought about how even though God does not want anyone to perish, but for everyone to repent and receive the gift of salvation Jesus purchased for us on the cross (2 Peter 3:9), He will not impose His will on us or force us to accept it. The choice is ours.

In the case of the lanternfly, I'm sure it was oblivious to the trap it was about to walk into. It was just going on its merry way, not realizing there was any danger ahead, as would be the case if you were headed towards a cavernous hole in the sidewalk hidden from view, unless someone warned you about it or yanked you aside.

So that is what I am doing now. If you have not yet received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I am begging you not to be deceived as I once was, into thinking that there are many paths to God, or that we get to Heaven by our good works.

Regardless of what anyone else may have told you, or what your intellect tries to convince you of, or how foolish you feel the message sounds, please, please don't ignore it. Please don't let pride stand in your way.

The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23 that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and in Romans 6:23, that "the wages of sin is death." Because of Adam and Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden, a vast gulf separates us from our Heavenly Father, and there is no way we can cross it through our own efforts. Only one path can lead us across the bridge to eternal life, and that is Jesus, who is "The way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through [Him]" (John 14:6).

Jesus stands at the door of your heart knocking and waiting for you to answer and let Him in (Revelation 3:20). I pray that you would open the door before it is too late.

PRESERVE

This post was written for Five Minute Friday

Word prompt--PRESERVE

Five minutes to free-write about it

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This image came up in my Facebook memories the other day and I thought of it with a pang of sadness when I saw this week's prompt. 

9/11/2001 was an evil day in the history of our country, and there are many memorials to preserve the memory of it, lest we forget. But I can't think of any erected to preserve the memory of 9/12, when for a brief time people put aside their differences and came together, and many even turned to God.

From the very beginning, God called us to use visual aids to help us remember. The Israelites, for instance, regularly preserved memories of His miraculous works by erecting altars of remembrance, as in Joshua 4 when the Lord had them erect a pillar of 12 stacked stones taken from the middle of the Jordan River in remembrance of how He parted its waters to enable them to cross over on dry land. 

Without something to trigger our memory, we tend to forget the good things and focus on what is wrong. We forget who God is and what He has done. 

Reminders of God's mercy, grace, and faithfulness can lift us up and encourage us on dark days and preserve us from the danger of forgetfulness , which leaves us vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy and opens the door to fear and doubt.

Today we take communion in remembrance of what Jesus did for us on the cross. We can also preserve memories through journaling, pictures, and keeping a written record of the ways He has worked in our lives. We also have His Word to use as our guide, and I preserve memories in it as well by writing dates next to the promises I've seen fulfilled.