Celebrating

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."   ... Psalm 136:1

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Hooray! The bad season is over. Done. Phhht. (Knock on wood.) ツ

In such seasons, we've lessons to learn, ones which can improve our future reactions, like, decrease our worry (or crankiness), remind us to remain calm in the storm, etc.. Did I learn all mine? I hope so.

Moving on-- 

You know how someone can speak a sentence that arrives like a lightning bolt from God? Well, weeks ago Joyce Meyer stated something like this--

"Unforgiveness--probably more than anything else--opens the most doors to unhappiness."

What came to my mind? The way I had, low-key-way-ish, still not released my disappointment at our inability to buy just one more house for me to decorate this side of Heaven. We'll probably grow old here at Hobbit Cottage and well, er, uh, I'd not totally loosened my resentment at the many reasons why.

Thought I had! But no. Gulp.

Strange how negative thoughts can be living far, far down in our depths, yet they still, bam! Can rise, affecting our thinking at odd times--especially--if we're wanting what God does not want for us. 

Anyway, I've repented and released all the negative stuff which I could and you know? For years, my mind said, "If you decorated around here for 2 weeks, you'd be finished, done. You'd have zilch left to do. So sad!" Yet now, after dropping that bad simmering stuff, the creative ideas overwhelm me. And the happiness, as well.

May these simple thoughts help someone today.

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Anger can turn our dreams all cloudy.

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This is (was, as of June) my 4th year of decluttering 10+ items weekly at home. It's been like a long, slow good-bye with many 3 steps forward, 2 steps back, but yes! Two-thousand items are gone and this, below, has proven true:

Quicker ways of decluttering exist, of course! 

But what matters is--when God asks you to get your house in order(as He asked me)--you work with Grace, for she makes any task personally doable and as pleasant as possible. 

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Years ago I told you that I place favorite magazine pages into plastic sleeves, then into 3-ring binders. Lovely decorated rooms, gardens, essays, even my own poems, etc.

Well, somehow one of those binders disappeared and with it, the fun 'An Idea A Day Summer Calendar' pages from a 1980's McCalls magazine. For our nearly 12 years at Hobbit Cottage I'd missed checking those summery ideas as I used to for decades.

And of course, the precise issue date of the McCalls issue escaped me.

But then! While gardening last week (and again missing that calendar) I suddenly thought, "You know, Cheryl Tiegs was on the cover. You could go to Ebay and find it that way."

Good gracious. Immediately it popped up. Imagine that! (heh). And oh happy day: those calendar pages with sweet summer ideas are again mine.

Another lovely thing? The 'I Beat The Odds' article which is why I bought the magazine in 1984. It was written about a young woman, Cindy, who attended my dad's church in Auburn, CA. Diagnosed with leukemia at 14, she went on to, in her 20's, have a baby son, even though doctors warned her the chemo would make pregnancy unlikely.

(The article said she talked with her pastor and prayed but what really happened? The entire church prayed for her, while a teen, for months and even, one night, annointed her with oil, something rare for a Baptist church, at least back then.)

Anyway, armed with her married name, I discovered her at Facebook. Forty years later she looks lovely, is still married and even has a daughter, as well.

Plus, (there's more?) I'd totally forgotten the article about the book, 'Wishcraft' (by Barbara Sher), which in ways, changed my life. I told you about it here, how it's aimed at helping folks find what they love to do, (dare I say, their God-given gifts?). 

Way back then, I checked-out the book from the library, but appreciated the article much more because it got to the point. Quickly. 

Oh, how I love it when people make their point swiftly, especially when they are me. heh.  ツ

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And the story about Cindy reminds me that my sister's daughter-in-law, Kat, has bravely warred against cancer for most of her adult life. What an inspiration to all and this past weekend she and her husband renewed their vows at a beautiful outdoor ceremony.

We're so thrilled they were able to do that.

Here they are with my mom on the left and my sister on the right. Happy sigh (and all good wishes and prayers).

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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