When You're Tempted To Go All Hermit-Like

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."   ... Luke 2:19


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So did you see the story/photo yesterday where a Kentucky man took a photo of a motorcycle accident? And above the victim (who later died) it appears as though his spirit is standing over him?

Here's the article. Here's the photo (you can click to enlarge)--

Personally, I found this wildly interesting for, hey, I've read many near death experience stories which involved folks hovering over their body while doctors tried resuscitating them. Then later they amaze everyone by reciting exactly what happened in the room while they were 'out'.

Unfortunately in this case, above, the young man did not come back.

Of course, I made the mistake of reading the comments after this Yahoo News story.  Good grief--all the rampant doubt, unbelief and confusion in our sorry world. Commenters denied we even have a spirit, stated there is no afterlife, doubted the validity of the photo, said this was just a shadow/glare/tree, declared it impossible since the victim wasn't pronounced dead until reaching the hospital and asked why the guy pulled over and took the photo anyway.

Some people are just no fun. Pause, ponder awhile, consider our understanding may be flawed, ask God what He thinks then answer gently or not at all? Huh. What's that?

Anyway, after reading a zillion comments following a zillion typical news stories, I often recall this from Luke 16:

"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Gee, is that still the truth Today, or what? Go raising someone from the dead and the Doubter Crowds will yell, "He obviously wasn't really dead!" And they'll say it's all a phony magic trick, God stopped doing miracles centuries ago, and you-evil-disgusting-person-you should be sued for misrepresentation.

So what to do? What to do?

 Hate people? 

Build an Internet-free cabin in the woods?

Say or do nothing controversial to anyone, ever?

Keep all Bible verses to ourselves?

Tempting as those things are, no. What remains is that we seek the seekers. That we ask God to show us who is open, longing for Truth-- then go to them. Love and encourage them into wholeness. And that we pray for the rest: that their eyes will open, that they'll become hungry for God who fills us with joy and everything else we need in Today's complicated, sarcastic, crazy, crazy world.

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"Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry..."  ...James 1:19

"You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart."   ... Francis P. Church

"And you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free."   ... John 8:32

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Here are a few sweet lines from another obituary from my CA hometown of someone I wish I'd known:

Alice was always involved in the community. She was a member of the Taylorsville Methodist church. She belonged to the quilting club. She always sewed and baked for the Fall Festival for the church. Alice loved to cook and bake. She made homemade bread for years. Everybody loved Alice's cooking. She was very much loved as a mother and grandmother. She was a wonderful wife and never forgot her husband Grobner, whom she is now with.

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Wow....Tom and I found this hilarious and so much fun! Oh, the obvious glee upon James Corden's face---if only we all loved our jobs this much.   :)

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Still Accepting. (Hey, These Things Take Time.)

"Keep your life free ...  be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”   ... Hebrews 13:5


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Many things got me through that mini mid-life crisis thing.

Whining and complaining did not help.  :)

In the quiet times of 'accepting acceptance', I worked on my sweet little bedroom upstairs, probably the best-loved room I've ever decorated/owned (which taught me much about myself and what I love).

I spray-painted the clothes hook thing, blue. Can you believe that's the only place I have for actually hanging my clothes? Not many women would stand for that and Tom should consider himself one fortunate husband, indeed. heh. 

I also painted the formerly-brown butterfly hook(above), white. (I do especially love the happy colors of that top shelf of books.)

Then, duh. After months of wishing for more book space, I finally thought to turn some blue shoe boxes the other way, creating space for double rows of books, one behind the other. Gee, was I excited about that (though, yes, a bit frustrated that it took me so long to think of it. I'm still processing, accepting, this ideas-coming-way-more-slowly-as-I-grow-older thing. Oh, how I used to be one quick, sharp, creative cooky--but no more).

But anyway--now that I've extra room, I can buy more books! 

Pro-activity. It helped me through what I needed to walk through.

Yet even with this room I adore, I still toy with moving someday. "I could always redecorate another room exactly the same," I reason. "One a bit bigger and with an actual window(!)" But it's looking like we're not meant to move. Details, details--I'll spare you. 

And of course, I could choose being bummed-out because, next month, we'll have lived at Hobbit Cottage for 5 years (can you believe that?) and this was meant only as a temporary place and Naomi is here which was never part of the tiny-house-plan and both Tom and I doubt (more highly than we dare admit) that we have the physical strength to ever move again and do we really wish to dip into our hard-earned savings, anyway, or start making house payments again?

--Or--

I could keep making the conscious choice to do this, below, another passage taken from Bubbly On Your Budget: How to Live Luxuriously With What You Have:

 It's very easy to settle back and say you can't afford whatever it is that's on your mind, thereby giving yourself an excuse for being thoroughly miserable. But however much you may enjoy this state, it's pretty tiresome to everybody else and never gets you anywhere. You'll come out much better in the end if you study ways and means, and throw in a little imagination."

Yes, and throw in acceptance and contentment, as well. How much better when we choose those, to swim to their deeper levels. And then, down the road, wake up, gaze around, and behold the imaginative, colorful place which, otherwise, would never have existed. Except for us--and acceptance.

That, also, is cool.

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“It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.” 
― Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People


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Now, this was spiffy. Remember Mike Wolfe of American Pickers? Here's a link to photos of the home he shares with his wife and daughter. I'm usually not a fan of so much white, but it totally works at their house. Love, love the old-fashioned phone booth!


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When God Knows Just What You Needed...

Well, after my mini mid-life crisis I so needed a time of refreshing. You-Know-Who sent me one and whew, I'm grateful.

Remember my couple-days-in-a-motel-room dream? Eh. Maybe someday. But for now, there's no need.

No, these helped, instead.

This:

And this:

(They discussed Joel's book, I Am: The Power of Two Words Which Will Change Your Life Today on Oprah's Super Soul Sunday via On Demand.)

And this spoke volumes, also:

(Reminded me that if I'm not living contentedly and elegantly, it's my own darn fault--and--if I'd put my house-searching energy into changing what bugs me 'round here, things would be/feel better.)



And this arrived in the mail:

... and made me laugh (and have what feels like fun, a necessary item, I forget, on the To Stay Balanced List), lighten-up and think and cry.


Plus, I un-procrastinated things-- finally spray-painted the little hanging clothes rack (photos someday) in my sweet bedroom and did extra laundry and ironing and exercised. Watched a few retro tv shows from the 70's, soaked up all that orange, yellow and avocado green decor and nifty clothing which, truthfully, yes, I still prefer. Er hem.

(I mean, how can you not love these?)

Anyway, wow,  this revival time reminded me of God's 2016 goodness after having satan's badness blared loudly online and on tv for too long. (And I don't even pay all that much attention to bad news! Just enough to know for what I should be praying.) 

My idea of revival looks nothing like yours? Aww, that's ok. Really, it's fine.

What matters is that these personally-customized times of refreshing come, that we let them gird us up for the probably-not-much-brighter weeks ahead. That we welcome God's help, no matter how oddly the form in which it appears.

God's ways/ideas help us come away stronger, more joyful, changed and able to remain an overcomer--and grateful. Oh so very grateful that He provides us with all we need to live well in this 2016 world.

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"When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise."   ... 2 Corinthians 10:12


"I think recharging is important, absolutely. Every now and then, you need maybe a couple of weeks to just chill out and let your emotions balance themselves out a little bit."   ...    Malin Akerman


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Below are some quotes from Bubbly On Your Budget (originally called Orchids On Your Budget and written in 1937). Marjorie Hillis' subtle-humor writing style is my favorite kind.


"Women who talk poverty and complain about the things they can't have are invariably tiresome, and women who make something gay out of next to nothing are sure to be exciting. ... The trick is to have the right attitude as it is with most things in Life."

"... the interesting people ... grasp the somewhat obvious fact that any problem so pressing is worth conquering and with as much zest as possible. .. Whatever your lot in life, it's merely a challenge to your resourcefulness..."

"If you keep your standards up, even though your salary goes down, it can have an air, which will be all the more impressive because of the courage behind it. You can also have gaiety and charm and chic, if you are ready to substitute the trouble they take for the cash they cost.
   ----Or you can just settle down and let things go to pieces around you. You'll have lots of company."

"Having spent all she could afford on the two upper stories, her decoration below was accomplished chiefly by taking down two-thirds of the pictures, removing one-third of the furniture and putting half the knick-knacks on closet shelves. New ivy-patterned curtains and a profusion of huckleberry leaves in white vases accomplished the rest, and a lot of Mrs. H.'s friends are wondering where she got all that money."


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