Long Winter Outside, Bahamas Inside

"Contentment makes poor men rich; discontentment makes rich men poor."   ... Benjamin Franklin

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So I saw on Facebook that a friend of mine's daughter took her to the Bahamas and I thought, "Wow! Cool!" And I felt happy for them and the memories they now carry.

Then I asked myself, "Would you want Naomi to take you to the Bahamas?" And immediately I said, "Nope! I just want to stay home. I love staying home."

How freeing to not wish myself someplace else. (I've not always lived that way.) Longing to be where God didn't want me only made it impossible to love where I was.

Then I arose from the computer and saw this:

And smiled, remembering myriad times sunlight warmed my face there during reading or coupon or bill paying pauses. "There's my Bahamas," I told myself. "Right in my own dining room, available on any of our sunny Buffalo days."

There at that table I've got warmth and sparkle and books. And peace and utter calm and tranquility. And quiet ... blessed, healing silence.

And I'm thinking even in the Bahamas you might have to search a bit for quiet.

Of course, hey! Many people find healing in travel and that's wonderful. (Assume everybody feels like you do and that's when you turn into a Bossy Old Lady.) Search and see and touch and visit everywhere you can, while you can. Heal, rejoice, refresh. God implants all sorts of different desires which mix perfectly with our purpose and travel can be one of those God-given desires.

But today I'm simply thankful that I've got Dining Room Bahamas, no plane trip necessary (whew), especially after an interrupted night of wind where I, three times, pulled aside the curtain by my bed, barely seeing across the street because of the howling, swirling snow, ala The Long Winter.

But today we have bright sun! A reward, I think, for every blizzard we snow country folk survive. And there's Dining Room Bahamas for anyone who'll not darken their thoughts by complaining, but slow down and bask in the sunlight and gratitude there.

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There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do little things.
    Author: D.L. Moody


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Speaking of Naomi, today is her 34th birthday(!) (Can it really be?) What a joy to have such a sweet daughter and truly, I am blessed.


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I finished watching all of Crossing Jordan and loved it, well, except for the season 5 and 6 episodes where the writers went ballistic and turned certain characters into bitter maniacs, killed-off various cast members and basically turned a more-on-the-light-side crime show into a wild-eyed, stressed-out, violent mess.

Er hem. Pretending to be something you're not is always a bad idea. (I fast-forwarded through those episodes.)

But the final half of season 6 episodes returned to their original, delightful selves and ended on a much better note. Really, I loved the whole medical examiner team and will miss them.