So What Are Your Pictures?

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom's instruction.  A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways." ... Proverbs 29:18, James 1:8

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Too. Much. Vacation.

Eegads. Never again will I--while at home--take more than two days off.  Never. Again.

See, early on Christmas morning good ol' Tom slipped, hit the bathtub and tweaked one of his ribs. For hours he did that moan-and-hiss sound with each step or while reaching for the water I brought him.

I asked,"Hey. Do you want me to drive you down to that new whatchamacallit Care Place?" It's one of those offices you go to if you're somewhere in between requiring a band-aid and needing your arm sewn back on (but not if you're glimpsing any white tunnel and angels).

He said, no.

A couple hours more of moan-hissing and I told him,"Well, when Naomi gets here, you'll have to knock-off the noises. They'll scare her and she'll insist upon driving you to the hospital. You're her favorite, you know."

Oh, the compassion, right?  シ  But hey. People who've been married 40 years can get away with stuff like that.

So he pulled himself together, Naomi and Justin came over for Christmas presents and I didn't hear him moan even once.

Until they left, of course.

Anyway. Since we never go anywhere, Tom had oodles of vacation time saved, the use-it-or-lose-it-by-December-31st kind, so oh my. He stayed home the next five days, mostly in his recliner watching tv while listening to a movie on his computer while also surfing the Net.

He does that on his best, totally healed days off, too. Go trying to speak to him and that makes 4 things he's trying to do at once--and he nearly shorts-out his forehead.

😉

Anyway, ol' Debra spent much time upstairs watching Castle reruns, eating chocolate (so much chocolate), reading, avoiding ironing and chasing naughty cats. But long about Day 4, I came downstairs, stood in front of Mr. NoAmountOfAudioInputIsTooMuch and voiced a
proclamation--

 "Retirement is not going to look like this."

He smiled. Said something like, "But I enjoy this."

Yet with the memories of those 20 months he was laid-off (enjoying Life from his recliner) still a bit too fresh, I told him, "Okay, yeah. A couple hours each day, maybe. But in retirement we're gonna have goals! Schedules. We'll read, exercise and take walks and little rides around town because, as I said," pointing to the computer and tv, "Retirement is not going to look like this."

He nodded because hey, he knows. Right is right and too much of a good thing soon becomes a bad thing.

Why share my silly story on this New Year's Eve? Because I believe it's important to--

Know what we want
Know what we do not want
Always be decisive
Have specific goals
Be led by Grace

--and to get a clear picture. Of what?  The kind of life God means for us to be living at this present time. 

Me? In 2019? These are the type of pictures I'm holding onto lately--

These are examples of my head's pictures. My goals for 2019. I'm kind-of burnt-out on lists: this time I'm choosing pictures of how I'd like to be living.

What's next? Asking God how best to get there. No impatient leaping allowed, nope, just making one-step-at-a-time journeys. God's steps--I want those, for they're always wise (even if at first, yeah, I wonder).

In 2019 may I go (and dream and plan) only where He wants me, for there is no better, more helpful place, this side or the other one nearer retirement.

It will all be good as long as I follow Him there, anywhere, that He leads.

P.S. Days later Tom is fine. As we were thinking, most likely his rib was out of place and now it's worked itself back.



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And something I'm planning to do more faithfully in this blog? 

I'd like to share movies with you which I can recommend at least 90%, for oh my--lately, Tom and I are having a more difficult time than ever finding interesting, morally-decent films.

But will I just complain and rant and whine? No, anyone can do that (and anyone generally does). 

Instead, I'll share what we do find (and enjoy) with you.

And to start you off, here's one--

Searching.

Just a smattering of 'language' but otherwise, a very good suspense film which kept us guessing till the very end.

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My Ten-Minute Movie From God

"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."  ... Luke 21:28


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A week ago Monday, Tom and I received some distressing news.

Yet you know? The person sharing it bubbled over with such hope and relief at the telling and God assured us all that--in Time--things would be all right, remarkable, even.

But still. You feel unsettled upon discovering your years' long cluelessness while believing life one way while it was another. 

Yet since God is the best comforter, ever, in my unsettled state two mornings later at the coffee shop He showed me a miracle out the front windows.

Wild. It was wild.

See, taking a sip of coffee, I gazed up from my book (Michael Buble singing behind me) across the panoramic view to see  5 or more V's of Canadian geese flying from the east over the river, high, even over the 8-story hotel set back across the street. 

Now, that would have been heart-gasping enough, but no! They were the prelude, for behind them swarmed hundreds of birds, ones larger than sparrows, against a huge pink spotlight of sky over the glinting river.

As though with God-placed-ballet within them, the birds shot up in unity, leaned back, showed their underbellies, then dipped nearly to the river's surface, then rose, disappeared behind the hotel. Then they returned to the pink light, performing their unified dance over and over.

Oh my. The joy of a new morning, the celebration of an enormous, creative God--all of it splashed against the sky now gleaming peach. On and on went the swooshing bird ballet and even the geese returned for the finale. 

My eyes wide, I smiled. God made certain I saw this 'movie', one available for anyone nearby willing to look up from their phones, tv's, books, magazines, movies, newspapers, catalogues, online books or websites or -- 

Let's not stay mad at the phone-starers, ok? We all have stuff pulling down our eyes instead of yearningly looking upward toward our true redemption.

And too? Who knows what beauty gets crowded from our hearts when we allow Today's arguing world or the worried, unforgiving, shaken one to penetrate our godly armor and take us down?

Let's not do it. 

Let's hold on awhile longer to the sweetness, the God-and-I-can-do-anything of our younger years. Do we really want our spirits, our faces to morph into this in God's and others' eyes? --

Er, no. Let's remember the creative, new-heart-giving God who makes all things new, even for us who've been here ages and have trouble keepin' it new-feeling some long days.

May we stay strong in God so we can share Him with the hurting ones.

And may we all look up in case God has a new bird ballet movie just waiting to begin our healing.

"I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."   ... Luke 19:40


Let's grow in love, not that old lady type of bitterness....yikes! ---

"Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love."... Ephesians 4:15,16

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On purpose, THINK of where you’d like your life to be ONE YEAR from now! Put some THOUGHT into what would make 2019 your greatest year ever! After all, your life moves in the direction of your most dominant thoughts!"

--- Terri Savelle Foy





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“We must trust that God will provide when it is in His will and in His timing. Until then we must remain joyful, free from anger and jealousy, trusting that our Lord is in control.” -Amy Groeschel

(Shared by Petro at Twitter.)


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I hope your Christmas was special! 

Need just one more gift? Here you go... even if you're not a huge fan of country music, this might still be neato.  シ  

Tom and I super enjoyed it and were reminded of this--


"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!"... Psalm 133:1--


-- for it felt unified, powerful, given no one was competing for record sales, name order on marquis, etc. 

Oh, what could happen if we'd all stay unified for more than ten minutes!

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On Christmas Eve

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!"   ... Isaiah 26:3

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Hey. We're each allowed our little idiosyncrasies right?  シ



December. If you've read here long you know it's not my favorite month. 

Maybe it's that wild 'tyranny of the oughts and shoulds' raising its head. I'm not sure. But what I prefer? Those other 11 delights-are-waiting months where our unique God can, poof! Surprise someone through you who needed exactly what He nudged you to give them on a regular ol' Monday--

--and they know it's God, not you, because of the timing and the crazy, specific details. And God gets the credit bulk (as He always should).

Anyway, usually I'm tired of ho-ho-ho December by the 8th, but this year? I actually enjoyed the merry-making until the 22nd. Must be either progress or acceptance or bits of both.  ツ

But still, always I'll love my regular ol' days best, and oh my goodness! God gives me--He gives each of us--so very, very many of them in which to grow to love Him and others more.

He is so extravagant that way.

                                   (Thanks, Dolores, for sharing this at Facebook!) 

Merry Christmas to you!



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Here are some gifts I found at Twitter. Some days it feels like revival over there!

"Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live." ----- Dorothy Thompson

"Mary Poppins Returns wants to teach us, as Mary Poppins did nearly 60 years ago, that life is what you fill it with. Tragedy will hit, and life will take some unexpected turns, but nothing is ever completely lost."

---- Plugged-In

"Even though there will be struggles, remember God is with you, and is enabling, training, teaching, preparing you every minute of every day... I guarantee if you spend time daily thanking God for all your blessings you'll experience more joy than you are right now."

--- Neil Vermillion

“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knows them that trust in him.” ... ---Nahum 1:7

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Christmas Gifts For My Readers

Some gifts from years before, some new ones, too... all for you, my much-appreciated readers. Thank-you for faithfully reading here year after year!

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1.) Clara's Depression Era Cooking videos. Clara is an inspiring gift all year long!

2.) Here's a fun Christmassy farmhouse tour for you.

3.) For free printable gift tags go here. You'll find others here.

4.)  Open Library-- this reader's new best friend.

5.)  For a free Jiffy baking mix recipe book, go here.

6.) Enjoy browsing through vintage dress patterns? Click here.

7.)  You'll find awesome nature photography here.

8.) My all-time favorite decrepit-old-house photographer is here.

9.)  To get a free Kindle Cloud Reader for your PC, click here.

10.)  Want to listen along with ol' Debra to music from the 50's, 60's and 70's? You'll find her favorite radio station here.

11.)  Interested in reading what was happening the year you were born?  Go here.

12.)  Here you'll find free video teachings from my very favorite 
teacher.

13.)  For a free issue of Good Old Days Magazine, click here.

14.)  You'll find many free printable charts to help get you organized here.

15.) Personally, being a fan of Home Alone, I found this new Google ad hilarious.

16.)  To listen to hours of vintage Christmas music online, go here.

17.)  For old times' sake you can read my Christmas post about Rudolph, here, and the silly one about holiday yard decor, here.

18.)  Go here for 1,000+ free online courses.

19.)  In 2019 if you're tempted to be like other people, remembering this might be a better choice--

20.)  To receive daily emails with offers of free Kindle books, go here. (You can customize the book categories you'd like to see.)

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And repeat after me:  "This year I refuse to let December make me crazy!" 😏

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Oh! And if you ever need images/photos for Facebook/blogging/Twitter, etc., just do a search for any theme/Bible verse/quote you'd like, then add the word 'image' to it. 

That's how I find all the free images I use here and at Facebook.

For example, to find the images I used in today's post, I just did a search for 'vintage Christmas images'. (Go here if you'd like to see the many I couldn't fit here!)

Oh! Nearly forgot. Here's the TCM Remembers for 2018. Bittersweet as always.

And one more treat: Here are some vintage radio shows for Old Time's sake. Enjoy!

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And lastly, for animal lovers--

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