Only a dog?

He felt a keen anguish over Barnabas, as he drove slowly down the hill, but reminded himself that, after all, Barnabas was only a dog.

Only a dog? Instantly, he realized where this perverse thought had come from. He'd stood by the cages with his father, surveying in frozen alarm the dead bodies of his entire herd. "There's no use to grieve," his father had said, coldly, "they're only rabbits."

He'd learned that one obstacle to childlike faith in a heavenly father was bitter disappointment in earthly fathers. No, not everyone had that obstacle to faith, which was clearly a favorite of the Enemy, but Miss Sadie had had it, and he had had it and come to terms with it, and forgiven his father, long years ago.

His research for the paper on Lewis revealed this had been a major obstacle for the apologist. One commentator had said, "For years, Lewis had not been able to forgive himself for his failure to love his father, nor had he been able to appropriate God's forgiveness for this sin. But when finally enabled, he was almost incredulous of the peace and the ease he experienced."

~ from At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

One Touch

"If I could but touch the hem of His garment, I know, I'd  be made whole! If I could just press my way through this madness, His love would heal my soul... if only one touch." 

~ To hear this touching song by Nicole C. Mullen, follow this link:
 One Touch

~ This painting is called "Divine Healing" by Ron DiCianni

A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson

"Loving Father, help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of angels, the gladness of the shepherds, and the worship of the wise men. Close the door of hate and open the door of love all over the world. Let kindness come with every gift, and good desires with every greeting.

Deliver us from evil by the blessing which Christ brings, and teach us to be merry with clean hearts. May the Christmas morning make us happy to be Thy children, and the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts, forgiving and forgiven, for Jesus' sake,"

Amen!

John McDermott - Christmas in the Trenches

John McDermott sings the tells the story of the 1914 Christmas Truce between the British and German lines on the Western Front during the Great War from the perspective of a fictional British soldier. Although Francis Tolliver is a fictional character, the event depicted in the ballad is true. 

Christmas in the Trenches, 1914

Although an advertisement, this is a vivid portrayal of what happened that Christmas day in the trenches during WWI, as enemies called a truce for the day and got together to celebrate. 

It's the Little Things

That man is richest whose pleasure is cheapest! - Thoreau

Snow Globe Tutorial

I made a snow globe! It's quite a simple, quick craft that you can make for yourself or as a gift and with your kids. I got my desired look through some trial and error though, so learn from my mistakes and you can have your snow globe made in under 10 minutes! You'll need a figurine of some kind, a hot glue gun, glitter and baby oil (all supplies can be purchased at the dollar store).

I started out with this angel figurine

I used a canning jar, but you can use any kind of glass jar with a secure lid

I glued the angel to the lid

For my first attempt, I used fine glitter

I added water, but you can see how the glitter was sticking together and floating in clumps at the top of the jar. Also, I was shaking the jar so vigorously that the green paint started flaking off the angel and floating around the jar. Grrr. What to do now?

After taking the snow globe apart, I found that I could rub the green paint off easily leaving a clear, glass angel. But when I put it back together, you could hardly see the angel in the jar. So I spray painted the angel white.

 

Using baby oil instead of water makes the glitter fall more slowly and it resolved the problem of it clumping together.

I also used coarser glitter the second time around, but the fine glitter could have been used too.

Tada! And here is the finished product.

Think on It

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Strength and dignity are her clothing. Proverbs 31:30, 25a

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be described with terms such as strength and dignity? Then why do I so strongly desire outward beauty and flattering words?

And then there was snow

It's amazing how quickly we adapt to the changing seasons. When the cold first hit, the thought of a long winter stretching out ahead of me was dreadful. Especially now that I have a dog! You mean I gotta faithfully go OUT in this weather twice a day to walk darling pooch? Rain, shine, snow, sleet, hail... the mail must go through! Or in this case, the dog must be walked! But you get into routine - coat, scarf, hat, boots, gloves. Harness, dog coat, leash. And we're out the door. And then you reverse the process, wipe down doggies paws if they are wet, rinse them off if they are dirty, pull off clumps of snow if necessary. Who knew that the type of fur Maggie has would attract freshly fallen snow to stick to her legs in myriads of little (and some not so little!) snow balls!! But it's good for me, and it's good for her. Crisp, clear nights with the world brightened by the snow and warm yellow lights splashing from windows. And bone-chilling damp, fiercely windy nights when all I want to do is turn around but I plow on ahead, making the return to a warm, cozy home all the more treasured. I thought that some of the pictures taken while I was visiting in Michigan a couple weeks ago fit with this post, so enjoy! 

It was a glorious winter wonderland!

Too many balls of snow stuck to my fur!

 

Check out the size of this snowball that accumulated on her collar tags!

Time to relax after all that exercise! 

So spoiled!

Let it Out!

Are tears a weakness? I think not. As Charles Dickens has said: 

"It opens the lungs, washes the countenance, exercises the eyes, and softens the temper - so cry away." 

"Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good"

Doesn't that title just invoke a warm, secure feeling inside of you? The latest installment of Jan Karon's Mitford series is a definite WIN, 10 out of 10, 5 stars, 3 cheers, fist-pumping kind of  yes - she's done it again! It follows the storytelling pattern of the nine other "Mitford" books and all 511 pages of it will leave you wanting more, wishing it didn't have to end. And now for some author trivia. Did you know that although Jan knew she wanted to be an author from a young age, it wasn't until the age of 50 that she pursued that dream? "After struggling - and failing - to get a novel underway, Jan awoke one night with a mental image of an Episcopal priest walking down a village street." And so began the life story of Father Tim... Jan is currently 77 years old, but I hope her writing years aren't over! I'd love for her to author another Mitford book to wrap up the series. If you haven't bought this book, go out to your local bookstore now and splurge! Or if you are willing to wait, order it on Amazon this weekend as they are having a Black Friday sale of 30% all books :). 

Dog Parks

I think Jules enjoyed herself as much as Maggie did

Little sniff and then back to business: playtime!

Ummm, I think I'll just watch this tussle and not join in

We thought this dog had the funniest looking ears ever!

Naughty Maggie

Wait, I'm not supposed to sleep on Nana's bed? What do you mean? I thought I had free reign of the whole house!

Healing Garden

Mom and I meandered across the road one beautiful, sunny Autumn day to see what was still blooming in the Healing Garden of the United Church. Well, we weren't healed of our infirmities but we did enjoy the few remaining blooms and the warm temperature.

First Mom clipped the last rose on our rosebush

"Maybe the water in this bird bath has healing qualities too!"

"Let me try it out..."  ~ Silly old dog!

I love this old stone church across the street. 

Laughter is the Best Medicine

"A joyful heart is good medicine" ~ Proverbs 17:22

"A glad heart makes a cheerful face" ~ Proverbs 15:13

It was so fun to get away for a short and sweet trip to GR with Sandra. We had so many laughs and these candid photos captured by Josh at Lake Michigan is evidence of one such giggling episode as we tried to pose for a picture. I don't remember what we were laughing about but we sure had the slappe lach!

"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." ~ Khalil Gibran

I'd Rather See a Sermon

I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear;
And the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.
I soon can learn to do it if you'll let me see it done;
I can watch your hands in action, but your tongue too fast may run.
And the lecture you deliver may be very wise and true,
But I'd rather get my lessons by observing what you do;
For I might misunderstand you and the high advice you give,
But there's no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

 

by Edgar Guest 

Leave a Rich Legacy!

I just don't know what to do regarding the trip to Guatemala that I mentioned in my previous post.

Initially I was thinking, this would be a neat thing to do! But then a few days later I was feeling, but it's so costly, and I just don't know if I'm so evangelically minded! I can do the practical aspect, but won't be any good at addressing the spiritual!

Today I read this blog over at "Joni and Friends" and the video was so touching. Check it out: Leave a Rich Legacy! | Blog | Joni and Friends

 However, even if it's only a week-long trip (not a long-term missionary assignment!), I don't want to enter this with the attitude that this will be a neat experience, something (good) to do on my time off, etc. I want to be led by God to pursue this. I think I will need to complete the application process soon if I do go for it though, so prayers would be appreciated! Thanks :)

Burdens and Blessings

I read the book 'Joni' years ago when I was a teenager and have been inspired by her (Joni Eareckson Tada) life since. I follow her blog and radio program via Facebook and am continually amazed by her optimism, cheerfulness and faithful witness despite the overwhelming difficulties of living life as a quadriplegic and dealing with chronic pain. During her recovery after her diving accident as a teenager, there was a time when Joni wanted to die. Now here she is 47 years later having started several Disability Ministries including Wheels For the World and weeklong Family Retreats for those with disabilities.

I just actually checked out her site again and was looking at the various mission type opportunities offered.  I have time booked off in October with no real plans to go anywhere and see that there is a trip to Guatemala still in need of volunteers to distribute wheelchairs and witness. HMMM! Something to think about! I've never been to Central America and it sure would be neat to visit this country where our church missionaries are! Maybe it would even work out to visit my sponsor child?! Oops nevermind, she's in Colombia...

Anyways, to get back to the point of this blog post, Joni recently shared a prayer written by St. Augustine - one that we could all pray when feeling especially burdened, weary, overwhelmed, struggling with pain or looking for courage. Here it is:

''God of our life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and weigh us down; when the skies are gray and threatening; when our lives have no music in them, and our souls have lost courage. On such days, Lord flood the path with light, we beseech Thee; turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise; tune our hearts to brave music; give us the sense of comradeship with heroes and saints of every age; and so quicken our spirits that we may be able to encourage the souls of all who journey with us on the road of life, to Thy honour and glory we pray. Amen.'' 

Robin Egg Blue

There is something about a tucked away nest full of blue eggs...

See the cracks? They're getting ready to hatch!

Mama Robin on the look-out

There were 4 eggs but only 3 of them hatched.

The last robin left the nest a couple days ago - actually, I scared it out! Oops! It was fun to see it hopping around, trying to figure out how to fly.

Friends to the End!

Yes, this is just a commercial, but it brought tears to my eyes! Oh the
power of advertizing, conniving you to buy their products as they prey
on your emotions! Except, I wouldn't buy this dog food - the first
ingredient for the beef flavour one was "beef by-products." By-products?
Doesn't sound too healthy to me!  To be honest I care more about
feeding Maggie healthy, grain-free kibble and treats than I care about
what I feed myself!! Lol.

Diggin' A Hole to China

While I had in mind a day of relaxation on this beautiful spring Saturday, Maggie was scheming up another plan. Let's dig a hole to China!!!

Last week I thought that this was a big hole dug by her's truly.

Her not-so-big holes

Errrr... not so much. Today her hole digging skills swelled this mama's heart with pride near to bursting!  The back corner of our yard is a paradise for Maggie - it's a shady, cool haven, covered in dry pine needles to roll around in, wood piles to sniff, and today, a newly discovered rotten stump that made digging an absolute blast! The hole was so deep I was actually becoming concerned that she might get stuck in it and suffocate to death!

Spot the Westie!

Oh, there she is - going for the gold!

I promise you I did not help out at all in this hole digging endeavor!

b     

Garage Sale Rant

People in Ontario have got to step it up when it comes to Garage Sales. Where I came from in New Jersey, garage sales lasted all day for 3 days. Here, they are usually from 8-12 on Saturday/Sunday mornings. Whoop-de-doo. And besides that, half the time the signs they put out are so dinky or the writing on them so small you don't know where to turn to get to the durn thing! Also, if you are going to have a garage sale, price your stuff to go! If you're trying to make big bucks, holding a garage sale probably isn't your best option. Your overpriced junk is just going to be returned to your attic to collect more dust at the end of the day. That being said, Mom and I went garage saleing this morning and not only couldn't we find two of the advertised sales due to lousy signage, we weren't too impressed by a lot of the merchandise being offered and their pricing. Mom did manage to find a few deals though and all in all it was a good way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning :). However, we know what I'll be doing on a Saturday next time I'm in NJ!

Lousy Sign: Small writing and too many arrows!! Which way do I go??

Great sign: Large handwriting and a big arrow