Reflections on Cheating myself

 

Sometimes I think I cheat myself out of the manifold blessings

an ordinary day can hold.

The means by which I am able to cheat myself are varied,

but might include:

• Not seeking God's presence
• Refusing His admonition to "pursue peace"
• Not seeking silence and its riches
• Not getting outside where my soul must acknowledge His power, revealed in the wind, the waves, the endless wonder
• Having a spirit of ingratitude 
• Not accepting others as they are, as I, myself, wish to be accepted

It helps to be aware of my proclivity for robbing myself.
It helps when I humbly ask the Creator to "teach me what I do not see." (Job 34:32)  For only then do I begin to comprehend that sometimes His blessings require my active participation, as I am asked to seek, to recognize, to acknowledge, to pursue, to pray, to accept, to receive ~ and lastly, and perhaps most importantly, to be grateful...

A Day at the Creek in Roebuck, South Carolina on 5 August 2011

I don't quite know what it was about these temporarily abandoned Barbie dolls

that struck me and made me take a photo of them.

Aly and I were going to the creek with her Mom, Carla, 

with my Mom, "Nana", and with Joey and Megan.

Before we left the house, Aly brought out her two dolls, sans clothing, to accompany us.

I mentioned that I thought they were not properly dressed for the excursion

but, alas, she had no bathing suits for them.

I told her to find some tape and we each created stunningly designed (don't you think)

swimming attire for them.

One of many things I love about my daughter, Carla, is how she does things

with her children that I used to do as a child in the 1950's.

Simple things, family frolics, reading, playing cards and board games, playing outside.

She really makes the effort, in this technological era.

Free Serenity

Carla and Mom ~ Granddaughter & Grandmother

relaxing on the creek bank

Joey off on a "boy~thing" adventure at the creek

Sammie and Megan, off on their own adventure

My Fascination is Never-Ending

An Egret Checking Out His World

God's Imagination Is Endlessly Amazing

These Two Looked a Little Eccentric, However

He Was Elegant-Looking

And This One Was Stylin'

Photos Taken at Flamingo Lake - Jacksonville, Florida
and at
Sarasota Jungle Gardens - Sarasota, Florida
June and July 2011
(Oddly enough, the egret photo was taken at Flamingo Lake, but not the flamingo shots)

Someone is Thinking of You Today

Someone is thinking of you today

and praying you will find strength and peace.

Dear You ~

I've wanted to write for days, but I've been afraid 

to trust my thoughts to paper.

What encouragement or comfort would I be able to offer?

In moments when dreams seem shattered

and relationships appear broken,

what words of mine wouldn't wound you more,

or sound like advice,

or feel like salt being rubbed in a wound?

You know I have saved quotes since I was in my twenties,

and so I choose today to send you the thoughts of others;

thoughts that encouraged me in moments when I felt broken.

If even one encourages you or gives you hope,

cling to it until you no longer need it.

That day will come.

And please, always remember 

that someone cares very deeply about you.

Actually, there are more of us 

than perhaps you can see at the moment.

"God give me strength to accept a fact

though it slay me."

Thomas Huxley

"You are tougher than you think.

All the strength you'll ever need 

to handle anything is within you now.

It was put there by your Creator, 

who knew very well what you would be

up against in this life ~ and made you equal to it."

Norman Vincent Peale

"In the midst of winter

I finally learned

that there was in me

an invincible summer."

Albert Camus

"When I am low, oh God,

feed me on small pleasures...

sunsets, a small word of praise...

for frustration can be faced when I am fed."

Richard Wong

"We are slow to believe

what hurts when believed."

Ovid

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart,

and try to love the questions themselves,

like locked rooms, and like books that are written

in a very foreign tongue."

Ranier M. Rilke

"Acceptance is not submission;

it is acknowledgment of the facts of a situation,

then deciding what you're going to do about it."

Kathleen Theisen

"When something intolerable is in my life,

I head for the water.

It leavens me in some way.

Some middlemost part of me

is soothed and silenced by it."

Alice Koller

"Life makes tremendous silent statements

where sand and saltwater meet."

Arthur Gordon

"In all my perplexities and distresses,

the Bible never failed

to give me light and strength."

Robert E. Lee

"God's word has always been the best source of advice for me."

Tony Dungy

"The only constant thing in life

is change."

Heraclitus

"Better is the end of a thing

than the beginning thereof."

Ecclesiastes 7:8

"But if anyone has caused grief, you ought rather to 

forgive and comfort him,

lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up 

with too much sorrow.

Therefore, I urge you to reaffirm your love to him."

II Corinthians 2:5~8

"You cannot always have happiness,

but you can always give happiness."

Unknown

"The hardship I was bearing today

was only a breath away

from the pleasures I would have tomorrow,

and those pleasures would be all the richer

because of this I was enduring."

Louis L'Amour

Love, Linda

On the Lookout for Wonder

"Always be on the lookout for wonder!"

E. B. White

 

Wonder delighted my soul and my curiosity
Saturday on a day-trip to Gainesville, Florida.
Following E. B. White's advice was easy!
I am so grateful for my camera.
So much wonder would be lost, forgotten,
or taken for granted
 without it.

An Alcove of Peace

Converted the dining room into an oasis this morning.

A place to motivate myself to 

answer a letter, write a poem, make a journal entry.

A place to dream, a place to pause long enough

to capture the moments and preserve the memories.

Just a few favorite books, a favorite cd to set the mood,

a favorite quote, a cup of tea, a pen and paper.

I think it will inspire me to allow more time

for quiet thoughts and gentle pursuits.

I've only written one paragraph in this alcove of peace

but already I am enriched.

Two Sources of Food

Jessi sat down in a chair by my table 

and noticed the two books lying there.

She mused out loud,

"The Bible and a Cookbook ~ that's as it should be."

Food for the soul and food for the body.

She understands that at sixteen years old.

That moment cemented a certain confidence for her

within my heart.