Tuesday, February 28, 2023

A Different Sort of This And That


"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever."  ---Psalm 107:1


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Last week? Celebratory. Finally my energy returned (!) and after carrying a bag of clutter and also this 'Simply Fit board'--


                                        (minus the arm bands)


--to the Salvation Army drop-off, I didn't even feel weary. Oh and yeah, ol' Debra no longer believes it's wisdom for her to twist around upon that green thing. Other forms of exercise still exist, though, she reminds herself.

Anyway, may I forever recall this deep, joyous gratitude of our having survived covid. Truly God can bring good out of dreary, renewed strength from extreme weakness and a clear head out of fogginess.

And all that during February? Surely that's saying something. ツ

My hearing's improved a bit, but guess who (while lecturing herself not to feel old) purchased hearing aids? I mean, in time, the infection will clear and the tinnitus will return to its normal 3 phones ringing rather than 6, but since a child, I've grown used to the ringing. Some folks never do. Yikes.

So a special thanks to all youtubers who are helping me via their let's-fix-your-ear-problem videos and to God for reminding me that, if I truly believe He'll heal me, I'll not obsess over this. Oh that temptation!

And lest I become one of those folks speaking only of their ills, let's move on. (Pul-ease, right?)

Last night our neighbor brought over a still-warm loaf of homemade bread. Oh my! What a treat and an obvious reaping of the good Naomi, especially, has sown into his and his sister's life.

And wow, the thick layer of ice outside! I can't even chip away at it now. Fortunately 6 days ago I cleared two small sections outside our doors, but even so, Tom and I did not order food delivery on our Saturdate. Why risk someone slipping? Instead, I made spaghetti (easy), my favorite food (yes, seriously).  ツ

Thankfully not every winter brings thick ice which refuses to melt and how grateful I am that we need not travel from Hobbit Cottage where life is sweet, no matter how the world's behaving. 

And not every year brings the same trials to any of us--none last forever and God, always, loves and heals us through them. Remember that.





What a blessing during my recovery February to discover videos like these --






The Great Chicago Fire: A Chicago Stories Documentary  (It wasn't Mrs. O'Leary's cow!)  ツ






These two books:





And this film (which ok, was predictable, but much better than I'd hoped)--











"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."   --- Philippians 4:6,7


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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
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Saturday, February 18, 2023

Giving Myself Permission To Be a Slacker


"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness."   --- Romans 8:26


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(Oh, and this post is for anytime any of us are thrown a 'curve ball season'. Doesn't have to be sickness.)


That first night with covid inside my (dearly loved) light blue and white striped closet bedroom? 

The Holy Spirit whispered, "This will be only a short season. If you'll express gratitude rather than self-pity, this won't be terrible. Rest upon your pillow, welcome God's sweet presence."

And of course, what a difference that made.

Yet also, in my near delirium, self-pity tried to yank me down to depths God never meant for us. But I fought--limply, but still. And through my opened closet door, I Love Lucy dvd's played and I dreamed, drifted, and thanked God that--still--these are a delight.

(What I think He told me? Satan hates it when people laugh and because God gave Lucy and Desi Arnaz extra portions of humor and creative intelligence, they faced enormous evil pressure. Satan's goal was to shut it, them, down early, to deprive us all of their gifts.)

Anyway. The permission to be a slacker part. Yes, the early weeks, especially, I'd think--

--- but I need to carry the bucket of snacks out to the porch for the delivery folks!
and feed the birds!
and clean the kitchen counters, what with all their bottles and cups!
and vacuum the living room!
and trim my hair!
and encourage people online!
and--

But oh, the Holy Spirit. Gently He'd say, "No, Debra. You need to rest in Presence. In Peace. You're expecting more from yourself than even God does--again. I'll lead you in what must be done. You can do those things in Christ."

So I Love Lucy played on (and on) and somehow I made breakfast and lunch for Tom and myself. (I recall breakfast, but oh my, lunch is a forgotten memory. How did it get done? Besides the meals Naomi made us, what did we eat?)

Oh, the strengthening, encouraging presence of God, especially when one is sick! Especially when we actually trust.

Coughing, remaining in pajamas, feeling feverish, blowing my nose and extreme fatigue. Ugh. Yet what I'll always remember most?  Sleeping better at night than usual, I Love Lucy, and the comfort of Presence whenever I refused self-pity's wooing (both cannot co-exist. Remember that.).

Yes, for nearly a month, ol' Debra gave herself permission to be a slacker (while the Holy Spirit reassured her He'd not let it become a lifestyle).  ツ

The Holy Spirit, Wisdom and Grace? They do all things well. They place  hands on fevered brows and repeat and repeat, "This is only a short season. Soon all shall be well."

And it was. And is. And will yet be to come.





"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."   --- Romans 15:13


Oh, the varying length of Life's many seasons!





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What also helped us through covid? --



Ibuprofen
Sleeping on our sides, not back
Ivermectin
Pineapple, pineapple juice
Gatorade
We did breathing exercises
Resting whenever we felt the need.
Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, elderberry pills, zinc
Hot tea
We ate eggs for breakfast
Not stressing out about it
Holding our faces over steam
We walked around often, flapping our arms (read this helps)
Homemade carbonated water, sometimes with tonic syrup
Not feeling rushed to return to real life
Lots of water flavored with a bit of juice
Oh, and asking for prayer online... and lots of chicken soup!


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Okay, this was wild! (I'm still trying to figure out how he did that.)

Oh, and I enjoyed watching this young woman build her dream library (or did I share this already?)  シ


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The Asbury Revival? What a joy to watch and only a beginning of the Great Outpouring of the Holy Spirit! 
And oh how it reminds me of the incredible renewal we experienced back in the 90's. That, and learning from Joyce Meyer (especially) how to sustain renewal/revival--both--changed me forever and left me with such love for Jesus, a desire to obey Him and a longing to remain in His sweet presence.



‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants..."

“It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
“Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days."   --- Isaiah 44:3, Joel 2:28, 29


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After the first two weeks of covid, the sun finally shone and outdoors felt like Springtime! What a dear, dear gift.


Yes. Oh my yes, indeed.






Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

 *** 

 "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
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Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Books. Just Books.




So here's a sort-of, kind-of, late Valentine's Day gift for my fellow book-loving bibliophiles. 

(If that's not you, please check back next time when I share a 'Giving Myself Permission To Be A Slacker' post.)  シ

Gee, if only I'd discovered booktubers sooner than just 2022! They hold up books for their camera and describe what they did/did not enjoy about them. They show us their bookshelves. When they review books I've no interest in? Doesn't matter. Still their excitement inspires me to grab books from my own shelves or begin journeys to find new ones.

Basically, passionate booktubers challenge me to become the big-time reader I once was.

Anyway. I still prefer books I can hold in my hands and yet Open Library? They have my gratitude, for they provide books I could never afford. Also, they supply books I wouldn't otherwise find, as well as, save me money: only if I love a book there will I later order a real copy.

At Open Library I can create my own folders:

Books I'm Currently Reading (My list has 23!)
Books I Finished 
Books I Did Not Finish
Books I Want To Read (but aren't yet available). This is especially handy because I can check later and discover that, hooray! They've finally provided some of those books.

And each book on those lists includes a link which takes you not only to the book, itself, but to the page you left-off reading. Well, usually.

One of the most remarkable things about my 22 years online? Open Library.

Yet back to booktubers... At this post's end, I'll share a partial list of books they recommended, but once more, I'll share a link to Chantel's Read Your Shelves Challenge for 2023. It's not too late to join that bit of fun. 

In fact, yesterday I read my February choice, a reread of my treasured Stand In The Wind. You can now read this at Open Library! It's a middle-grade book, yet has more depth than many adult books. The final page brought me to sentimental tears, perhaps for the 12th time.



Books! How wonderful of God to provide such remarkable presents for His kids.



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“You're never alone when you're reading a book.”
― Susan Wiggs


“Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep; for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as the latter.”
― Paxton Hood


Books! When friends are absent, books are present--and waiting to bless.







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These are Goodreads links for the sake of synopsis'. Open Library has some of these, but not all. A few are middle-grade, but hopefully all are morally decent.  ツ



















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Some favorite booktubers:





Oh! And I hope your Valentine's Day was lovely. Mine was sweet.



“Each time we come to a book we give it a different reading because we bring a different person to it. It is not you who reads the book, the book reads you”
― Jack Lasenby


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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. *** "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
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