So. A friend gave me an amazon.com gift card for my birthday just last week (her computer was down over the week of my birthday in mid-March) and well, you'd think I was making a life-and-death list of books to order there, or something. "Oh! I should get this book that's been on my wish list for eons," I tell myself. But then I'll say, "Hmm... No, that would be a better one to get from the library, first, to see if it's one I'll want to read again and again." I've read book reviews at amazon.com until I'm crazy. How maddening when half the people loved a book and the other half hated it. Who to believe? My, my. I'm thinking sometimes having no extra money to spend online is a pleasant thing. Certainly makes my choices easier (as in, when there's no choice!). :) In fact, now I'm dreaming of those upcoming book sales and yard sales where my only choices will be the three (or so) potentially Debra-friendly books out of many on tables surrounding me. The three I'll find for--most likely--a dollar, or less, each. Ah, can't wait! But alas. Finally I chose a couple books for my list and I need one (or two?) more. And I'm thinking I'd like a cozy mystery very much like Joanne Fluke's Blueberry Muffin Murder and her others. I've checked out all of hers, except the latest, from our local libraries, found them delightful, lightweight, Rated G or PG (shall we say) and not dark. But now I'd like to move on and find another similar cozy mystery author. So come on all my kindred spirits who read here! I am counting on you. Please recommend a book for my list so that I can also move on there and finally click "send." All suggestions are welcome. Thanks!
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” ... Luke 10:41, 42 ***** Do you have a blog? Do you have a drawer or shelf filled with diaries you've kept for years? Well, I have both and lately I've been rereading this blog and uh-oh! The verse which kept coming to me is the one at the top of this post. I have too often been a Martha when of course, I fancied myself a 24/7 Mary. Heh. Facing ones true self and looking right into her blue eyes is such a Good Thing. Knowing oneself is priceless and it's also a big shove toward humility. Let me tell ya. Well, the good news is that all along I've wanted to be a Mary, so there's that. That counts for something, I'm certain. After all, whole decades ago I aimed at being a 24/7 Martha because, well, the world seemed to call for that. I didn't understand Mary, didn't get her, really. Yet since around 1994 I've understood her and wanted to act like her, that is, from a new, remade heart. And there's been much of that. Yet there's been much Martha-ing, too, going on around my house and my blog--I see that now. What a wake-up! How sad to read how often I've worried about things which never came to pass. And how tiresome to, these past six years, find such patterns in my blog. Every January and February I complain about the snow. Every July and August you read my complaints about the heat and humidity (you poor dear Readers!). Every December I'm complaining about Christmas, every October I'm burned-out with yard sales. And yet two of my main goals in Life? To not complain or worry. Period. Sigh. So what's a girl to do? Condemn herself, hang her head, feel all guilty, pathetic and hopeless and just go off in defeat and do her own thing? Nah, this girl needs to go deeper, deeper into humility and God and acceptance and pliable-ness. She needs more quiet time, she needs more Mary-ing in her hours. And personally? That sounds like a lovely challenge. I'll take it. ************* Oh! And while rereading my blog I discovered that some of you have been leaving encouraging comments here for lots of years--and I do thank you. Much.
Oh wow. One foot outside our back door this morning (so to walk to the mailbox for the newspaper) and I stopped. Instant sensory explosion! Birds chirped and sang from every tree, the air was nippy (34 degrees) but felt and smelled like a springtime country morning and the reeds and tall grasses in our marsh reflected their blond glory in the clear water, below. Who could ever tire of a country springtime morning? Certainly not me. ***************** The oddest thing happened on Friday. I checked a couple online weather websites to see what kind of weather we'd have on Saturday and both sites showed a gorgeous, big, fat golden sun and 50 degrees. Yippee! So I made my happy plans--I'd do some laundry and hang it outside upon my wonderful clothesline and I'd putter out there and then sit on the patio basking in sunlight. So Saturday arrived and it was every golden promise the weather websites had made. We even opened the storm door from our living room to our front porch so to welcome the solar-heated 71 degrees out there(!) into the house. Then later in the afternoon I thought, "Hey! I'll go ahead and check online what our weather is supposed to be like tomorrow. I sure hope it shows another golden sun and more 50 degree temperatures." That's when the aforementioned oddest thing happened. I returned to both those weather websites--and then a couple more, even--and they all had snatched away that big yellow sun from our present day and replaced it with clouds and raindrops and temps in the 40's. And they said we were due for more yuckiness tomorrow. What?!? For goodness sake, they had it right the first time, on Friday! They predicted full sun, 50 degrees and that's exactly what arrived. But now? Now they said, "You are having rain and clouds and cooler temps right now. You will get more of that tomorrow, kiddos." Four weather websites! Come on, weather people. So when I saw that we were due for rain and clouds the following day (today), I told Tom, "Ha! Like I'm going to believe those inept weather forecasters? No way. I'm believing what I want to believe!" (Hey, why not?) "I'm believing for more of the amazing clear skies and sunshine and warm temps which we had today. Why go by someone who can't even look outside his window and get it right??" And well, guess what? When I stepped outside the door this morning the reward of my faith arrived. Oh glorious, happy day. And what a lesson! How often do I believe what I read in print or see online when, actually, it's just plain wrong? Or someone's misguided opinion? How often do I give others' words power to take me down? Well, more than ever, I will be more selective and listen more closely to God to see what He thinks--about everything. Tom and I survived our 34th icy, cold, snowy winter. Truly a noble thing to celebrate. See those few clouds? They all burned away after I took these photos. Just clear blue skies remain out there. *********** What are you celebrating today? Every single day of our lives we each have something worth a celebration. *********** While rereading some of my blog posts from last year, I came across this song. I'd forgotten about it, but how wonderful to listen again!
