Friday, January 30, 2009

"I Love You" from Heaven



As you can see from the date on the picture, this was taken last summer. Amber and I were rounding the corner towards her house when she shouted for me to look to the sky. I stopped the car and couldn't believe what I saw.....a huge heart! I happened to have my camera so I took this picture before the clouds changed their formation. We both sat there and marveled at the heart in the sky. I know I may be stretching here, but I felt like God was saying "I Love You" from heaven!!

Our God is magnificent, glorious, superceding anything we can imagine, indescribable, incredible and all powerful. I choose to believe that our magnificent God was telling me He loved me that day. Never in my life have I seen a cloud formation like this and I look a LOT at the sky! All I knew to say was, "I Love You too Lord."

Tomorrow, take a look at the sky and see what wondrous things you can behold.

"Our God is an awesome God
He reigns from heaven above
With wisdom, power and love
Our God is an awesome God!"

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

A New Love In My Life!






I am now the proud owner of a 2 year old female Golden Retriever who has stolen my heart in a matter of a few days! As you can see in the picture taken today, my grandchildren adore her and she adores them. Today, the 5 of them spent about 2 hours playing together in the front yard. This wonderful dog has the typical Golden attitude about life and people...happy all the time and loves everyone! She's a gem and an answer to prayer for me. I'm so grateful to the wonderful people who were her first family and loved her so much. They taught her great manners and she's a joy. I'll never be able to thank them enough for bringing this dog into my life and allowing me to be her new owner.

Somehow, some way, she reaches a place deep within my heart that needed to be filled. If you're not an animal lover as I am, you probably can't understand where I'm coming from. But for me, this dog fills a small void in my life and has already after only 4 days brought me tremendous joy.

Her family called her Felish....but yesterday as I was thinking about my father and how much he would have loved her, a long ago memory came to my mind. I remember when I was a child, my father took me to a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field. I remember holding his hand, eating popcorn and hot dogs as the vendors came by and cheering with my dad. It was a magical day with my dad, a day I'll never forget. Hmmmmmmmm......."Wrigley"........THAT WAS IT! A new name was born to her....a name that will always bring back sweet memories of my father and days long ago and will only make me cherish her more.

Welcome to the family Wrigley. You are loved and I'm blessed to have you in my life.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Simple Pleasures 1

Today I was browsing some of my MANY MANY MANY shots of grandchildren and had forgotten I had taken this one of Butch and Karli! It was summertime, school was out and obviously, they were bored! As only children can, they made their own fun by pulling out a couple of laundry baskets, climbing in, pulling a blanket up over them and finishing off with a pillow from the couch to make themselves comfortable. THESE are the pictures that I shall cherish as the years go by AND these are the photos that Yaya just might pull out in about 10 years and show around! Naw...I wouldn't do that! Anyway, just thought this was too adorable, but then EVERY picture of grandchildren is ADORABLE!

Ah, the simple pleasures in life that can be found when you use your imagination and think like a child. How I wish we adults thought more like them.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Sweet and Simple

Today God, I simply THANK YOU for your sufficiency, your wisdom that you impart to those of us who so desperately need it and how SWEET you are to me. Today was a long day but you were there, supplying my needs and the needs of my friend.

Sweet and Simple....I love you Jesus and I thank you for who you are.

"Oh, how I love Jesus
Oh, how I love Jesus
Oh, how I love Jesus
Because He first loved me"

Friday, January 16, 2009

FREE for ALL

Ok...Ok...Ok....Before I blog this morning, I feel compelled to assure the one or two of you who read my inner thoughts that I AM AWARE that MANY of my blogs involve animals. Most people don't understand my deep love and connection for them ALL, which can be frustrating for me. I just want everyone to love them, but they don't. But animals have taught me so VERY much throughout my life and they continue to do so. It's only natural for me to use them often.
Now for my thoughts and observations early this morning...
As I always do every morning, I walked in to the dining room and lifted the blinds inside the french doors to see what the temp is outside and then to see what little critters were out there. As I lifted the blinds, a big orange and black cat came out from behind my freezer and just stared at me, then jumped through the torn screen and ran away. I realized he had been keeping himself warm from the heat coming out of the back of the freezer. FREE heat for any little critter smart enough to find it.
Then my gaze immediately went to my bird feeder, which gives me great joy! As there are every morning, I watched the red-headed woodpecker, a pair of cardinals, blue jays, and chickadees taking their turns at the feeder. FREE BIRDSEED FOR ALL! On the ground were at least a dozen doves eating what the others knocked or dropped to the ground. FREE BIRDSEED FOR ALL! Then, further out in the yard were a pair of fat robins pulling worms from the ground. FREE WORMS FOR ALL!
Our Lord and Savior also offers a FREE gift. Every moment of every day, He holds out His hands and offers a new life in Himself to any who would receive it. The absolute BEST and most life changing gift anyone could ever receive. He calls out from heaven...FREE FOR ALL......a relationship with Me that will change your life and give you even better....ETERNAL life! No one can top that!!!
Today He waits for those who will come to Him and accept His gift that is FREE FOR ALL.
Even the creatures that HE created know a FREE gift when they see one.
I pray that the creatures He created in HIS likeness will wake up and come to Him today!
"FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, BUT THE FREE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE IN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD" Romans 6:23

Friday, January 9, 2009

She'll be His Best Friend


Back in October, I posted a picture of myself and my best friend, my dog "Whiskers."
I'll never ever forget that dog. He meant the world to me.
For Christmas this year, Easton got a yellow lab puppy, which he named "Daisy". Within just a few days, she became his best buddy...or maybe I should say HE became HER best buddy. I'm guessing his love and friendship for her will grow over the years but hers for him was instantaneous. It's just so cute to me. She follows him everywhere and it's obvious that she has attached herself to him. I can see her in my minds eye watching over him, playing with him and being a great little buddy for him in the future. She's going to be a great dog and I could sit for hours and just watch the two of them. As he and I roamed their land behind their house the other day, Daisy romped right beside him. If he stopped, so did she. If he climbed up the dirt pile and sat down, she too climbed up and sat down beside him. In fact, that's where they were sitting when I took this picture. It just tickled the fire out of me!

Daisy and Easton...they're going to be a pair! I think they were made for one another. You're a lucky dog Daisy.

Friday, January 2, 2009

A BIG Goal Accomplished

One year ago, our senior pastor encouraged our fellowship to read through their bibles in a year. As I listened, all I could think of was the many times oves the years that I have tried to accomplish this goal, but by the time March came around, I had already failed. It has always been a deep desire of mine and I wanted desperately to complete this challenge.

As I listened to him, he literally mapped out for us exactly how he goes about reading through his bible through the year. He said that if you will start in Genesis and read 3 chapters, turn to Matthew and read 2 chapters, turn to Psalms and read 1 chapter and then finish with 1 chapter in Proverbs, and continue by reading the next chapters every day, then by the end of the year, you will have read all the way through. IF you read everyday, you will actually be finished before the end of the year, but this allows you some opportunities to miss a day without getting behind. He also encouraged us to get a notebook, date each entry as I read, log what I read for that day and then journal about what I read if I felt something in particular touched my heart or spoke to me.

I'm so grateful to our pastor for this challenge. He made me feel like I COULD do it and he continually encouraged us all through the month of January and even in to February. I truly appreciated that and I'm so excited that I can NOW say that I have read my bible cover to cover.

My goal is the same for this year also...read it through again and see how the Lord changes what He reveals to me each year I read through.

Thank you Lord for your Word that feeds me, reveals yourself to me, encourages me and keeps me focused on you and your will for my life. Oh yes, thanks to our pastor too!!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!



"Oh the weather outside is frightful
But my dear you're so delightful
But as long as you hold me tight
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!!!"

Oh man.....how I MISS the snow:(
It's January 1 of 2009 and where I was born and raised, I'd be building an igloo right now. Then I'd be off to iceskate and then on to the hill to go sledding! I can close my eyes and hear the crunch of the snow under my feet and feel the cold in my fingertips and toes right now! It hurts so good!!!!!!! Those were the days.

I just can't help myself, I miss cold weather AND SNOW! It just isn't right when it can be January and there isn't snow or at least COLD and I mean COLD weather!

Ah well.....at least I can dream by looking at pictures, can't I???