White Carpeting

The workers just finished pulling up my white carpeting to put down oak floors. The pounding has been going on all morning as they have to tear up the sub floor also. I have been pondering, since I made the decision to get wood floors, if I made the right decision! I love the warmth of carpeting and yet I dislike how it gets dirty so easily. The bottom line is: Don't get white carpeting! My thought was that the children are all raised and on their own, so now I will get something really luxurious like white carpeting! Somehow I forgot that we adults track in everything that is outside too, and also we don't live on an island by ourselves and many people come and go here, so it is hard to keep it spotless! I have always known that God opened the door for us to have our present home and that it really doesn't belong to us but to Him. So therefore, my desire is to have it reflect His glory. I know that God is a God of order and cleanliness so by replacing the white carpeting and putting in oak floors I pray it will have a fresh, clean look to it! It is a lot like my spiritual life, in the respect that I need to keep it fresh and renewed daily! Have a wonderful week with many of God's blessings!

Summer is going by all too fast and I find myself wondering how can it possibly be August already! I believe it is a lot like life in that I often wonder where did the years go to and did I make the most of them? I tell my children quite often to enjoy each day that they are raising their children because you turn around and they are going off to college or getting married. Also enjoy your mate because you never know how long you have to be together. My husband and I just returned from visiting our youngest grandchild and every time we see her, we are so amazed at all of the new things she is doing. We so want to be here to witness all of the big events in her life, yet we haven't any assurance that will happen, so we know that enjoying the small things right now is very important! My question is: Do you enjoy the little things in life or are you always waiting for the next BIG event? There is so much joy and happiness to be had in each new day we are allotted here on earth and to me the BIG event will be when I meet Jesus face to face! So I ask myself am I ready? Have I lived my life each day to the fullest and been obedient to whatever God has asked of me? Have I been loving and kind to the people who cross my path each day? Have I passed on Jesus love to others? Do I feel that whatever I have done I will be greeted at the Heavenly Gate with "Well done, my good and faithful servant, please come in." A lot to think and pray about but is attainable if you live one day at a time with the Lord at your side helping you and rooting you on!

The Lord's strength

I took a 20 minute nap today and I seem to be falling into that habit more and more. I don't know if it is the warm summer days that we are having that make me tired or if it is just age related! I do know that I find myself relying on the Lord's strength and help more and more. There are many scriptures that refer to the Lord's strength and I find them helpful to recall when I am feeling weary and need his strength. Some of them are: Ps 46:2 God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in distress. Ps105:4 Look to the Lord and his strength, seek to serve him constantly! Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, I am your God, I will strengthen you, and help you and will uphold you with my right hand of justice. Nehemiah 8:10 Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. 1 Chronicles 16:11 Look to the Lord and his strength, seek his face always. Exodus 15:2 My strength and my courage is the Lord.

I love the song that sings of the joy of the Lord and it has one simple line that you sing over and over and it goes like this: The joy of the Lord is my strength, The joy of the Lord is my strength, The joy of the Lord is my strength, Oh the joy of the Lord is my strength! If you are feeling tired on these hot summer days, call upon the Lord and He will strengthen you for it is a promise in scripture!

Special Times

Recently my husband and I attended our first grandchild's wedding and I must say it was so very beautiful! Everything was done exquisitely and took many months to accomplish the final results. I am very happy for the bride and groom and this new beginning they have embarked upon. I couldn't help but reflect how life cycles come and go. We had the joy of planning and celebrating our children's weddings and now we sit back and observe with amazement our children helping plan their children's weddings. I am so thankful that I am still alive and able to be a part of these celebrations. I say celebrations because our first grandson will be marrying this fall also. Weddings are a beautiful time for families to come together and enjoy being together. It was so heartwarming to have my family all here celebrating this very special event. I am also wondering if our going home to be with our Lord is a bit like a wedding celebration. Our loved ones that have gone on before us all joining together to welcome us home and celebrating our being together. Life is full of many celebrations and gathering together and I am so thankful for these special times. I believe it is love that binds us together and gives us the joy we encounter when our loved ones come home to be with us. I thank God that He is all love and has such tremendous love for each one of us. As we draw close to Jesus we receive His love to share with our family and friends. I also believe that it is love that heals the broken relationships that were stolen from us. Jesus tells us to "Love one another as I have loved you" Good words to remember each and every day!

Reunion

This past week was one that I will remember for a long time as my entire family was home for my granddaughter's wedding and a family reunion! We were all so very happy to reconnect again and just spend time together visiting and enjoying one another's company. All of my grandchildren came so we had a grandchildren picture taken with their grandparents! Our grandchildren range in age from 31 years old to 9 months old, so it was fun to have little ones laughing and playing in our home once again. It reminds me of the scripture that tells us to become as little children. They are so trusting that they will be fed, bathed, and taken care of. They don't need to worry about a thing as they know their parents love them and care for them and their every need. God wants us to trust him in the same way, yet we worry and stress over so many things! How much more does he love us than we love our children and we take good care of them. In my book "Living Waters" Jesus tells me that it is when you are as a little child that your prayers are most readily answered. Something to think about!

Anniversary

My husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary this past week and we reflected upon the many years together. (55) We were married on a Sunday afternoon in June and it was so very hot! Air conditioning wasn't prevalent as it is today, so the church was hot, the reception was hot and our car was hot! We weren't used to air conditioning so didn't think anything of it other than we were sweating and I didn't want to ruin my beautiful wedding gown! We went to Estes on our way to Denver so the mountains were a wonderful relief and so very beautiful. We attended a double header baseball game of the Denver Bears. I wasn't sure about sitting that long watching baseball and little did I realize this was a foreshadowing of the many sporting events we would attend in the years to come! Many years later when major league baseball came to Denver we were able to attend the Rockies games and I loved every minute of it. Some of our children were very involved in playing sports so my early introduction to sports was a good thing! We introduce our spouses to the things we love to do and it is always good to give it a try so you can enjoy those things together. We have been through many experiences such as camping, fishing and enjoying the outdoors with our family. Vacations were always fun and a great time to have quality time with the children. So many wonderful memories and how quickly the time went by. Enjoy your spouse and children and treasure every day that God gives you!

Forgiveness

This past week my church held a Healing Mass and the celebrant was a priest from Rhwanda, Father Ubald. During the ethnic cleansing or genocide in Rhwanda he escaped in the middle of the night to the Congo. He lost 80 family members and most of his parishioners, which was over 4000. He came back with the gift and desire to heal his people. The man that killed Fr. Ubald's mother was in prison and while Fr. Ubald was ministering in the prison he forgave him for killing his mother and later that man asked Father for his forgiveness. The man's wife died while he was in prison, so Fr Ubald took care of and provided for his children. We may never be called to forgive to that extent, but we all are called to forgive those who have hurt us. Forgiveness sets us free and brings healing to us. Let this be a healing week for each one of us as we forgive and act upon it. Have a great week!