Leap Day Smiles

Sharing some funnies my high school friend, Mike Vaughn, posted:
Do you realize that if you watch the movie, "Jaws" backwards, it becomes a movie about a shark that throws up so many people that they have to open a beach?

And if you watch, "Titanic" backwards, it's about a magical boat that saves people?

and finally, this thought:
"Wouldn't it be nice if the world was really flat? That way we could just push off the people that we didn't like!" <g>

Have a good Leap Day.

Grace

I've been thinking about grace, God's grace. The first thing that came to mind is that it's God’s grace that gives us eternal life. It isn't that we have, or even could, do anything to deserve it, but through the grace of God, it is available to us. 

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - 
and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."(Ephesians 2:8)  

That's a short verse, but it packs a powerful punch, doesn't it? There's nothing you can do yourself. Absolutely nothing. But it's through your faith in God, that Jesus' death covers your sins, and God gives you this amazing gift. The gift of faith, the gift of His Son, the gift of grace.

Standing Before God

"When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say,  "I used everything you gave me.""   (Erma Bombeck)

LOVE this quote! God has blessed me with a gift of writing and has led my words and thoughts many times. I can just hope that I have followed what He intended. Currently, there are so many ideas - all excellent - flooding in that I'm overwhelmed. It's easy to get distracted by the different projects but I hope to do the best I can. If it doesn't honor God, then I've missed the mark anyway.

The Shepherd

I woke up in the middle of the night with an idea for a novel. This is a bit unusual, as I don't write fiction. I'd love to write a novel, but didn't have a story, not sure I have the skills, etc. All the usual "why I can't" type things.  But the thing is, I had all the parts... The more I thought, the more ideas kept coming and I started getting a feel for the flow. Finally, I decided I'd better get up and write down what I had so far so I wouldn't go to sleep and forget it all.

We Are Family

Our Kids and Grandkids

In Sickness and in Health, for Better or for Worse, from This Day forward...  You recognize these words from the marriage ceremony, the day two people merge, each with his or her own emotional and physical baggage, and become one, a new family.

But in reality, that is just the tip of the iceberg. It's not just the TWO of them that is involved. It's only a matter of time usually, before the "sickness and health, better or worse, richer or poorer" refers to a bunch of other people - their kids, the assorted pets, and the people their kids bring home, and then finally, after all the practicing and development, perfection is reached, and we call them grandchildren.

From the Nativity to Lent

I have several... well, many, Nativity sets. I collect them and the whole Nativity Story is special to me. But my favorite is the large Willow Tree set called, "Holy Family." It's just Mary, holding Jesus, and Joseph. I have other parts to it as well, such as an arbor looking thing, but I keep just the simple family out all year.  They're on a table across the room from where I've been sitting to type the past few days.

I can't tell you the number of times I've looked over at them and thought about things. Sometimes, I think of the story of the Nativity, but right now, as we've just started Lent, I can't help but be reminded how the story continues after that birth in Bethlehem.

God is like Dialysis

Yesterday, on facebook, Pastor Don wrote, "From the top of your head to the soles of your feet, feel the flow of God."   I liked it and pictured God filling the whole body, heart and mind, with His presence, a good image.Then I got sidetracked a bit and thought of the circulatory system and how it works. Every ounce of blood circulates through the body, pumped by the heart.  Then, as I shared that I'd pictured the circulatory system, I thought of something else. My response to him:

Ash Wednesday

Happy Ash Wednesday! Is it appropriate to say "Happy" in front of that? Aren't we supposed to be in mourning, wearing sackclothes and agonizing over our shortcomings?  In my opinion, no. During Lent, we should look inward, honestly assessing our relationship with God. How's it going? Do you HAVE one? If not, perhaps it's something you might want to change. I'm not sure it's possible to ever have too close of a relationship, at least, not here on earth.

To me, Ash Wednesday, the day we have ashes put on our foreheads in the sign of a cross, is like a new beginning. It's shaking off the old ways and beginning again. It's the New Year's resolution I didn't make in January. I've recognized my shortcomings and vow to work on them. In my case, I need to refocus my energy on something I've neglected.

Preparations

Good morning! Lovely, rainy day out there... but rain is supposed to be heading out and we'll be left with a mild, and gusty, day.  Today is "Fat Tuesday" among other names. Mardi Gras and all that. Suppose it's unusual, but to me, it's "the day before Lent!" That might not be all that unusual, but I do focus a lot more on Lent than I recognize any celebration before it.

We're getting our bedroom carpets cleaned today. (that's the only carpeted areas in the house) It reminds me of New Year's celebrations in other cultures. People would clean their houses to prepare for the new year, sweep out the bad luck and start fresh. We've emptied out a lot of "stuff" in the bedrooms to get it out of the way. The trash cans are overflowing and Cedar Lake Lodge has a huge stack coming. This will be a good chance to re-organize things (again!) as it's put back. Of course, the dining room is looking a bit "crowded" with stuff put in there temporarily... bedroom chairs, tables, boxes... It'll take a little while to get it all back to normal, but I'm hoping, it'll be BETTER than normal.

Existence

If a tree falls in the woods, but there's no one around to hear it, does it still make a sound? Isn't that the strangest thing to wonder about? Yet, it has received a lot of discussion. I have a different version.  If a person writes in her blog, but there's no one around to read it, does it exist? Hmmmm....  Think perhaps it's time for bed. WAY past even!  :)

Why I'm Morning Glory

When I was a little girl, my mom would wake me up and say, "Mornin' Glory!"
Later, when I first started teaching, the teacher across the hall said, "Morning Glory!" each day when I walked in. Then years later, I joined an online lupus support group and we all had nicknames. One of the other members gave me the name, "Morning Glory" because I loved gardening and am very optimistic.

None of the three people knew of the others using the name until I told them! Of all of the types of flowers in the world, it is amazing they all choose the same one.  This definitely makes it an appropriate, and special, nickname for me.  My favorite is the dark blue one, called "Heavenly Blue," which is why I use that picture. That ties in with my writing as well, as it is usually Christian in nature, and almost always positive.

Another New Beginning

Ah, now I've done it... gone and created a blog and now there's a whole world waiting to hear what "I" think about any little thing. But the pressure is off as I have yet to inform anyone this blog exists and don't have any followers. Of course, if you're reading this... well, then, guess by now I do!  There are various snippets of thoughts from me scattered throughout that vast internet already. I'm going to gather a few of the "about me" types and will post them here just to catch folks up.  Welcome to my Blog by the way.