..." God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." ... 1 John 1:5
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1.) Tom had a birthday yesterday. The big 6-0! After teasing him that it feels weird to be married to an old man, we both talked about how, most days, we still feel 21 and 19, the ages when we married.
The extra weight, aches and pains may not be pleasant, but the added common sense, patience and wisdom certainly are!
2.) For two months I've watched The Chew and wow, how refreshing. No arguments, no politics, just recipes, food and fun. Fits well within my recent Avoid The Strife Spreaders parameters and is a joy to watch while ironing.
In fact, when Joel Osteen posted this this morning--
It’s not the big things that hold most people back, it’s the small things. It’s being faithful day in and day out and doing the right thing when the wrong thing is happening. That’s when you’ll see moments of favor where God suddenly thrusts you years ahead.
-- I wondered if God handed me a treat like The Chew after I stepped away from the Spotlighters Of What's Wrong for my own peace and sanity. Who knows? Faithfulness can bring lots of good you'd never dreamed of.
3.) As you know, I check out local real estate daily, and this house reminded me of cozy homes from books I've read --
Turns out, the grandfather built the house 70 years ago and his family's owned it ever since. You know? That photo, to me, says just that. (Click on the photo for a better view.)
Looks, to me, like a happy place, one meant for children and books and summertime games.
4.) If you've read here long, you know I
5.) A friend 'liked' a 'everything about Facebook is bad' list her friend shared. My eyes bulged and I took a 'hold back the darkness' stance by adding that my own Facebook experiences and friends are delightful.
This simple act felt powerful, really, because--often lately--it's like people admonish us, "If you aren't scribbling your Life's Book with black-black crayons, then you're in error!" But spreading light nowadays is better. Vital--
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you." ... Isaiah 60: 1,2
Each of us is here, now, for very specific reasons. Spread your light, ok?
6.) I am wearing shorts today for the first time in probably 7 years(!) I'd grown out of my cute farm jean shorts and just hadn't found any others (these things take time). Last month I ordered two black pairs of stretchy shorts online and they actually fit. Now, if only I still had those cute legs that I had when Tom and I first met.
Oh well, as I said, the common sense, patience and wisdom are nice, too. 😉
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We can spread what's going wrong, darkness, or we can --
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"Spread the light, the blessed gospel light. Let it shine from shore to shore." Do you remember the line from an old hymn? That's what came to mind when I read your post. Very good advice. What happened to these bodies? Shorts don't look the same, but neither does anything else. Wrinkles, sags, etc. That's okay. I'm me and that's the way God wants me to be. Have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
I think it is true that people can have very different experiences. Best not to paint with too broad a brush because there seems to be an exception to nearly everything. That lovely home has a unique front walk. Don't be too tough on the "old man" now. Happy Birthday to him🎈
ReplyDeleteThis post reminded me of my precious mother. Growing up, she'd call out, "shine your light!" as my brother and I left the house. When I had children, I followed her example. Now the kids are gone, but I tell hubby to shine his light, when he leaves for work. It's a privilege to let the light of our sweet Lord shine through us.
ReplyDeleteIn praise of stretchy shorts...last summer, after that big abdominal surgery, I tasked my daughter with finding some soft, all cotton, stretchy, elastic waist, not too short, neutral colored, inexpensive shorts. Bless her heart, she came home with 8 pairs of gray and black shorts that were perfect for me. After going to lots of stores, she stopped at the local Kmart and hit a $5 sale. I'm enjoying them this year as the temps rise, and this year I'm able to work out in my garden. Hallelujah!!! As for aging legs--that could be a post all by itself. I'm thankful they still hold me up and get me where I need to be. Great post, Debra.
for over 10 years that we've "known" each other ... we share many common threads ... including trying to spread cheer and optimism (and no, neither of us are pollyanna's!) ... you ended this post with some verses and "light" comments ... a few days ago i made a poster and used the verse about "putting on the armor of light" (on my blog now) ... cause that is what i want to wear and be seen as being - someone with LIGHT shining ... amen and amen ...
ReplyDeletep.s. i watched the memory book hallmark film too ... and totally loved it ...
This post was something that I definitely needed to read...thank you!
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