Need More Control in Your Life? -- Or-- Let's Get Practical

"A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls."   --- Proverbs 25:28

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So after a friend read that, at this rate, Tom and I will live at Hobbit Cottage, like, foreverrr, she wrote with my talent and motivation, I can do whatever I wish here. So go for it.

I nearly choked all over my computer screen.

Do whatever I want? If only! After 11 years my wish list for this house is still acres long--and impossible. Yes, I said that 'i word'. Me, the lady with all the talent and motivation.

Money's not the problem (mostly), but rather, my larger imagination (and wants) than our only 860 square feet, much of it beneath slanted (built that way) ceilings. 

After years of facing road blocks and impossibilities, you must change your dreams lest you become a great big, bummed-out whiner.

And you may quote me. シ

Anyway, some folks swear this is fact--

But not me. That's far too dark and not even true.

For one thing, if we're Christians, God has given us self-control. And hey, you should see Tom and me when tv characters say (usually regarding a wrong relationship), "We can't control the way we feel, you know." Both of us tell the tv screen, "Oh yes we can!"  ツ

Using self-control I can tell my feelings to knock it off if they are improper ones. I can choose to think a different, better way. I can seek more of God, move forward in obedience or even choose joy.

With Jesus, we are not helpless, you know.

Take my small kitchen (please! heh). Because I chose to keep Tom's most-used items on one side and mine on the other, peace reigns in there. 

And many years prior, when I collected tools of my own (and hid them), a bunch of "What did you do with my---" arguments flew out the window.

By purchasing lots of bookshelves for upstairs, I stopped most of my "this house has no storage" complaints.

When I chose to hang wallpaper both upstairs and down, my contentment with this tiny house increased (oh, how I love wallpapaper!).

We had no fireplace here--and Tom doesn't like real ones--so I bought a fake (gel) kind and it's one of my best-loved puchases, ever.

My backyard gardening felt too overwhelming, so this year I moved it to our front porch and the bed below. Everything felt experimental, but so much easier on me--and some items grew well.

I realized no longer can I remove the downstairs window air-conditioner, so we leave it over winter. I hired someone else to mow our lawn, and earlier, a company to remove our too-hard-to-handle 100 feet of hedges.

Unless you're reading this from a prison cell or a hospital bed, you still have more control than you believe. 

Yes, things like the weather and the way people these crazy days behave (and a too small house) may be beyond our control, but even there? Always we can pray, "Lord, your will be done," --

--and then proceed to choose and walk with His wisdom in all our ways.

Choices. Always we have choices. Yet sometimes they're not what we originally had in mind so we must remain pliable in our thinking.

"Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city."   ---Proverbs 16:32  (Yes, even anger is a choice and can be controlled.)

I realized this week why I prefer tiny house videos. They keep me from viewing larger, space-for-all-ideas houses I'll never own (till Heaven) and instead, they show people dealing creatively with constrictions in even tighter spaces than I have.

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Hooray! Finally we watched the Rose Marie documentary made shortly before her death. It's called Wait For Your Laugh and we viewed it 'free' via Prime. Greatly enjoyed by both Tom and myself.

For years I've been meaning to read Essays of E.B. White and finally yesterday I began it via Open Library. What a marvelous essayist he was just as everyone tried to tell me. 

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We'll have our house painted next year and after double checking with our realtor friend, Cher, I've decided on these colors. Can't wait! (I'd love to swing it this year if we can after having the basement water-proofed.)

"My teacher told me that in the future I wouldn’t have to worry about spelling because of autocorrect. And for that, I will be eternally grapefruit."

-- Alice Mills

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

Where She Found a Friend In an Unexpected Place

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."   --- 1 Corinthians 6:19,20

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Since 2000 I've occasionally searched online for Esther Ruth Silvey. 

Back in the 4th grade she and I lived on the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary and one night she invited me to dinner to meet her six siblings, all with Bible names (perhaps that even inspired me to name Naomi, well, Naomi).

That June, my family moved away, but you know? Esther Ruth soon wrote me a comforting, funny letter. I'd always loved her natural quick, dry sense of humor. (Think 10-year-old Erma Bombeck). Fifty three years later I still see her smiling eyes.

Most likely I wrote her back, but Life went on for us both as it does at 10 until, as I said, I casually searched for her online.

This morning, after 20 years, I located her. She's lived in Heaven since 2020. 

Being human, part of me is sad. How I wish her obituary wasn't all that popped up. Yet amongst many hobbies, she enjoyed journaling and I appreciated how her family included this from her writings--

 "We come to a great awakening, our place in the passage of time is so very short. This awakening prepares us to turn our lives and future over to God who longs to bring us to Himself. It brings comfort to reflect God’s final day in Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”.

If only I'd found Esther Ruth sooner.

But you know? Heaven these days, to me, anyway, feels almost like nextdoor. Is Esther really all that far away?

Many nights I awaken, crawl downstairs to, uh, 'visit Mrs. Murphy', feed Daniel The Cat, then climb back up here, perhaps then to make certain the world is still spinning via my laptop. 

Afterward, I return to bed and picture Heaven and its people, houses, meadows, towns, animals, angels, flowers, buildings, parks, fountains and coffee shop bakeries. And my house there. My garden, the cats waiting for me. The friends. The relatives. And Jesus, always Jesus.

Each night, in my imagination, I stroll a bit farther inside and smile a bit wider as I fall back to sleep. Perhaps some night I'll walk so far inside that Jesus will ask me if I'd rather stay.

Heaven? No, not far away at all and neither are the friends who once lived here upon Earth. But am I feeling rushed to walk those golden streets for real? No, I'm more in agreement with the Apostle Paul on this one--

" ...  but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith ..."   --- Philippians 1:24, 25

Obviously God has more for me to do or else I'd be there now. And Heaven help me if I'm only all, "Come quickly Lord Jesus!" and care nothing about those folks He's asked me to love and to earnestly invite there. 

After all, Jesus never meant any of us to live only unto ourselves, but rather, to live as He did while He walked amongst us---

---and as He still does within our hearts.

“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

"We overcome evil with good. When evil is increasing, so should our good!"

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On Saturday we watched the new film Belfast (via HBO Max which we get free thanks to a work friend of Tom's). Great movie! Just small bits of language and violence, but mostly, bittersweet and sentimental.

Another new movie that surprised us (no 'woke nonsense' that we could recall) was Secret Headquarters. Fun and lively and I don't recall any language. I can't remember where we found this, but I think we watched it, free.

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And seriously, how incredible the way people of long ago are now brought back to life for us to behold. For example, check out what I mean here.

Oh, and this Kindle book is free today, 8/22, at Amazon. (It's still free now, 8/25.)

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And in honor of Autumn which I'm greatly anticipating this year--

If you're hurting because a loved one is in Heaven, I suggest learning more about the incredibleness of Heaven from those who've visited. So many books out there! So many personal testimonies. So much encouragement, enough to make us anticipatory (dare I say jealous?) rather than grief-filled.

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. *** "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15

August This And That

Never stop creating, no matter what!

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1.) Oh! Some of my most sentimental, genealogical-search-loving friends will enjoy this:

Touring 140 Year Old Family Home

... and I dare you not to get emotional when she's staring at the porch chairs, picturing her loved ones who once sat there.  シ

2.) Seriously, I love the homemade chili seasoning mix I recently discovered. I use it on nearly everything, including crockpot chicken which finally comes out the way I like.

I shared this before, but here you go again:

5 tbl. chili powder

2 tbl. garlic

2 tbl. paprika

1 1/2 tbl. onion powder

1 tbl. oregano (but I use Italian seasoning)

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Speaking of cayenne, last week I ordered some cheaply from Target. The Zatarains brand. Three large 7.5 oz. bottles should last awhile. heh.

3.) Do you remember Bill Cullen, the  tv game show host? This week I learned that, as a child, he had polio and throughout his life he had physical and neurological difficulties, but he kept moving forward. 

Inspiring! 

Check out the short video about him here.

4.) My simple definition of success? 

Faithfully doing whatever God asks of you.

5.) Probably Mitzi Reads and Writes is my favorite booktuber. We have reading tastes in common, plus, she's adorable! 

Today Mitzi began a More Montgomery Book Reading Challenge so if you're a fan of LM Montgomery's books you might enjoy playing along. Check it out here!

6.) Speaking of books, so does anyone else go bonkers when you can't find the book you wish to read upon your shelves? So lately I've super organized my books, all alphabetically by author, with these labels upon the shelves:

Adult Fiction and Non Fiction

Kids' Lit. General

Kids' Lit. Mysteries

Teen Lit.

Reference 

Homemaking 

A dream come true, this library of mine 35 years in the making. Color me ultra grateful.

7.) And speaking of that, here's something I shared at Facebook:

When I reach Heaven, 

I don't want to regret expressing so little gratitude here. 

So now? 

My goal is to say more thank-you's.

8.) Always!

9.) You remember that Youtube has some free audio books, right?

10.) And let's end this with another creative, inspiring video by Ariel Bissett. She built a lovely diorama for her wall! 

And although not that brave, I am now considering creating a diorama to place upon a bookshelf.

Here are some examples of those.

Stay tuned to see if Debra actually follows through on that project! ツ

Feeling sentimental lately with a yearning for the old days? This music from vintage years Kmart might help. Pretty much I guarantee this will whisk you back in Time. Quickly... woosh!

One last thing--

Remember to never let go of your joy, even if someone else currently is playing tug of war with you over it!

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

 *** 

 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15