Of Finding Inspiration

"Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the full armour of God ..." Ephesians 6:10

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So this weekend Tom and I saw (again) the first two Lord of the Ring movies. We watch those films and, if we were feeling low and weak--by the time the credits roll--we're back to feeling strong, inspired and ready for new Life Battles.


Well, we were nearing the end of The Two Towers when Naomi called and asked if she could move back in with us for awhile. Alas. Surely God must have nudged us to watch those movies, for the timing was perfect.


Now, understand--Naomi is great. Our one and only. Our sweetie-pie who we love dearly. We're anticipating when she and the cats will move in tomorrow. But where Naomi goes, drama goes, also. And complication. In fact, I used to believe in black-and-white situations, but that was before I met Naomi. ツ 


No, it's never easy to live with another adult in your home, especially if that adult is your grown-up child. Yet because of what God has done in the three of us since Naomi left home five years ago and because of lessons learned through such movies as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, well, I believe we'll be ok.


I mean, I think of how, in those films, the good, courageous men kept fighting even though they had huge ol' spears sticking through their armor. They were hurt, but they kept fighting for truth. (Note to self: keep the gaps out of your armour. Don't walk around with your feelings hurt, either. Pull out those unintended spears.) And when the brave men (and women) on the right side complained, whined or lost hope, well, it wasn't pretty, but rather pathetic. Yet when they were bold, strong and ready for any battle, small or huge, they were glorious. Like people I'd love to know. People who could inspire me off the self-pity couch any ol' day.


You get my point. Inspiration to keep going, to never give-up, to stay strong, well, it's all around us and available for anyone with eyes to see it, all those wise enough to keep searching for what they need, rather than just complain about what's missing. 

God provides exactly what we require just when we need it as long as we keep on asking, receiving and walking up the road.


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The above (too dark, but the flash isn't right either) photo shows the desk I painted gold yesterday. It's about a million times better than the dark color it was stained before. I do love painted furniture, though Tom (like a typical man) isn't overly fond of it.


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Has anyone else ever thought that Orlando Bloom really should always wear his hair as he did while playing Legolas? I think of that every single time I watch these movies.  (Honest, I'd love to know if you agree. Or am I the only one?)

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Oh! Lisa's comment reminded me of something. We've decided to keep Naomi's cats upstairs and Tom's and my cats, downstairs. I've spent the past couple days trying to make an apartment, of sorts, upstairs for Naomi and her cats.

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"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." ... Ephesians 6:12-17