From My Blue Recliner

In this blue recliner, I read.

From this blue recliner, I write.

Things like this:

 

my bucket list includes

humility

quietude

gentleness

patience

simplicity

gratitude

kindness

mindfulness

and wisdom

(rlg, 9-8-2020)

 

...and this is my view

from my blue recliner...

 

The Gift

"Oh, I really like that picture!  Would you sell it to me?"  I asked, 

pointing to a small one that hung with others much larger on her paneled garage walls. 

Stretching to reach it, she of small and frail frame herself, removed it and handed it to me

with sincere and obvious joy.

"I want you to have it," she said with great emphasis.

Embarrassed was I.  I was not asking for a gift.  

But she was giving one.  She'd painted it in 1988.  

This morning it holds place on our dining area wall as though custom-painted for this very day.
This very place!

So it is with God's Gift.  

Freely given.  JOYFULLY offered.  And as fitting today as if I was on His mind 

when He first thought of it!  (Which, according to His Word, I was...)

Process

Hubby and I headed out to spend some free time on Friday.

The only specific objective I had was to visit a thrift store or two

in search of fabric to cover this old stoll.

To my happy surprise, I found this remnant for $.99!

Gary went to work this morning.

The process is complete and the project finished

to my delight and satisfaction.

Right now, I myself am a project

of far greater significance than a stool!

My Heavenly Father is in charge of THIS one,

and I'm sure that one day - when the process is complete -

I will be uber-delighted and satisfied with the result.

For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you 

will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:6

Dreaming

♪ I had a dream the other night when every thing was still...♪

Reflecting on it this morning, I was frustrated that there were lots of details I couldn't recall.

But there WAS a message in what I DID remember.

There were people.

There was a place.

The reason we were together wasn't clear,

but there were plants in various stages of health in the room.

I looked with pity on their dying state.

I knew I had a  healthy plant in the other room.

I'd just watered it that morning and was rather impressed with its size and appearance. 

I invited the other people to see it with me.

Upon entering the room, I was embarrassed and stunned by the sight that met my eye.

The plant was visibly drooping and  actively shriveling in front of us!
(Not unlike THIS one which I've trimmed back and given one more chance to survive.)

 As is frequently the case when I try to recall a dream,
I figured out at least SOMEthing about the dream.
I knew it wasn't about me and houseplants.
I have very little success with them.
So plants in my dream represented something else.
And this is how my dream instructed me...
I need to tend my "plants" or they will die.
I shouldn't show off my "plants"!
I should never compare MY "plants" with other peoples' "plants".

Have you ever been instructed by YOUR dreams?

For God [does reveal His will; He] speaks not only once, but more than once, 

even though men do not regard it [including you, Job].  

 [One may hear God’s voice] in a dream, in a vision of the night, 

when deep sleep falls on men while slumbering upon the bed. 

(Job 33:14-15, Amplified Bible)

Never Say Never

 A fifty-cent purchase a week or so ago

turned into a Life Lesson for me.

"Never!"  I had said emphatically in the past.

Several times upon seeing framed jigsaw puzzles!
"NEVER would I ever preserve and frame a jigsaw puzzle."

 However...

when THIS one was completed,

I ate my words.

My husband re-sized a frame.

My dad undertook the tedious process of painting the frame.

(It required a few coats to reach into the crevices.)

Mod-podged, it now stands here.

I shall have to find the proper hanging place.

But meanwhile, I'm reminded of a Bible character who once said "Never".

I'm revisiting that word and will think soberly of it every time I look at this piece.

"No!" Peter insisted. "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!"

And all the other disciples vowed the same

(Matthew 26:35)

Minor and Easily Corrected

When the blue hue of the what-we-thought-was-grey paint

appeared incompatible with the new carpet

(purchased to replace old carpet damaged by the sticky-backed protective plastic),

we visited the nearest Sherman Williams paint store.

My 90-year-old father and husband dove right in repainting the room with a pale & true grey.

I wish all disappointments were so minor and easily corrected!

 Then I got to thinking about disappointments and pain that are NOT so minor...

and I remembered that one day

He (God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes. 

Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, 

because the previous things have passed away.

Revelation 21:4

~

I rest me in the thought!

What a Difference a Week Makes

A week ago, friends helped pack and move my dad to our home.

By evening, he was somewhat settled in and woke the next day to attend church with us.

Monday, the professional estate sale personnel began pricing thousands of items left in his home.

Tuesday, we went to check out the progress.

The estate tag sale began on Thursday.

To keep cold symptoms from becoming more serious, Dad stayed here.

We put a jigsaw puzzle together to keep our minds off what was going on "back at the ranch".

 Friday afternoon we checked in and ended the afternoon with all my siblings and their spouses

at a local restaurant.

Returning home, it really FELT like home for him, I believe.

This afternoon I found him sitting at his desk paying bills and doing some paper work.  

Antibiotics have kicked in, and he is feeling more like himself.

 How I love sharing morning devotional times with Gary and Dad!

My zeal for cooking and serving good meals that had waned has been revived.

Table games now are three-way instead of two.

What a difference a week makes!

In Every Change...

This afternoon I thumbed through our hymn book to select songs 

for the ♪Singspiration♪ I'll be leading at church this evening.

I sang through the verses of Be Still, My Soul

and jotted down the page number for reference tonight.

These words stood out to me:

 Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

 There's no denying the changes that surround me--

at home, in my family, in our church, in our country.

How reassuring to know that "in every change, He faithful will remain".

Speaking of changes....

My husband is changing the old door that had been propped up in our shed.

He has removed the inside panel,

sanded down the exterior for a good painting,

and purchased a mirror to place in the opening.

I'm expecting a "joyful end" to this project and have a place in mind for it already!

Minutes after posting this, I changed my mind.
No paint.  Dark stain instead.
(It will match a few dark wood pieces housed in the same room.)

My Sane, Simple and Sacred Corner

Among the joys of our current remodeling project

is the creation of this corner--

an actual designated Music Corner--

just for me!

With the addition of the stool (a gift from my sister),

I don't need to stand at my keyboard for long periods of time.

By raising the keyboard to the height it is,
I can accommodate the stand beside itwhich stores my music.

If any one area of my house could be summarized

by the words "Sane, Simple and Sacred",

this is it!

In the Shadow of the Cross

I was away from home while my husband applied the first coat of paint

to our "new" old room.

"Send me a picture of it," I texted him.

This is one he sent me.

I saw it immediately--the cross.

The words to an old song came to my mind.

I remember Dick Anthony and Bill Pearce singing it.

(Well, at least I THINK I do!

And I KNOW I remember my mother and dad singing it,,,)

I looked in vain to find it, 

but in the process I found THESE lyrics--unfamiliar to me, but also old and precious.

1. In the shadow of the cross let me hide,
   There the Savior for my sins bled and died;
   There the precious, cleansing fount
   Flows so free from Calv’ry’s mount,
   In the shadow of the cross let me hide.
2. In the shadow of the cross, blessed place!
   Living only for the Lord, by His grace;
   What He says I’ll gladly do,
   Ever standing firm and true,
   In the shadow of the cross, blessed place!
3. In the shadow of the cross, safe retreat,
   Ever sitting lowly at Jesus’ feet;
   While His presence is so near
   I shall never, never fear,
   In the shadow of the cross, safe retreat.
4. In the shadow of the cross, here I meet,
   In communion with my Lord, oh, how sweet!
   And my soul is borne above,
   While I revel in His love,
   In the shadow of the cross, here I meet!

     Refrain:
       In the shadow of the cross I will rest,
        For with everlasting peace I am blest;
       Here I dwell in love unknown,
       Streaming down from heaven’s throne,
       In the shadow of the cross I will rest.

(William J. Henry) 

    I am praying that the occupant of our "new" old room

    WILL find much rest, peace and contentment in this room
as he does in the shadow of the cross.
♥

Project, Preparation, Purpose

 

 It's messy.

 It's ugly.

 It's disruptive

and inconvenient.

Progress seems slow,

and it gets expensive.

But there is a reason and purpose for it.

We are preparing a place for my father to come and live comfortably with us! 

I can hardly wait for the project to be finished!

And meanwhile, I often think about Jesus' words in John 14:2-3:

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, 

would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, 

I will come back and take you to be with me 

that you also may be where I am.

Jesus, too, has a "project"!  He's "preparing a place for me"!  

His purpose is that one day I can be where He is.

I can hardly wait.

The Porch is Imperative!

 Our porch is very generic.  Nothing particularly beautiful - 

 and CERTAINLY not designed with the skill of gardeners or decorators.

 However, this morning in the storm's aftermath, I recalled the words

I'd read in the book I just completed, An Altar in the World.

"In the eyes of the world, there is no payoff for sitting on the porch...(but) 

In the eys of the true God, the porch is imperative--not every now and then

but on a regular basis."

My suitcase is packed this Monday morning.

I'll be overnighting at my friend's lake cottage.

It will be my "porch"--in fact, I'll probably SLEEP on its porch

as has been my pleasure annually.

"The Practice of Saying No" is the chapter title in which

Barbara Brown Taylor addresses the vital practice of Sabbath.

I look forward to its experience today!

Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.  Exodus 20:8

Remember "Creative"?

 “There is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost.”   Martha Graham


Creative/create are "my words" for 2014.

I've come to realize that a lot of my creative work involves

generating creative ideas
and watching others bring them to fruition.

Like the decorating of the dollhouse
inside and out...

 “Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” 
— John Steinbeck

 the installation of a plug-in in our kitchen island...

or the painting of several miscellaneous picture frames.

I DO do weekly creative writing, select music for our congregational singing

at church, and play the keyboard each Sunday,

but maybe my creative energy is MOST directed toward coming up

with activities that will engage my mother when I visit her

several times a week in the Special Care Unit (Memory)

where she is a resident.

  Above, she is engrossed in the arrangement of the doll house that I carried in one morning...

below, we test the capability of a vintage cash register/bank

to count and register the coins we inserted.  (It worked perfectly!)

I'm afraid I've not consciously planned or documented a creative activity every day,

but I DO enjoy those that I have and hope to include many, many more in the days to come.
Meanwhile, I'm trying to remember that

 “You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club.”  Jack London

By the way, how are YOU incorporating "YOUR word" into your year so far?

Let Your Light Shine

My dear grandmother made this lamp!  I treasure it.

 Sometimes I think I THINK too much.  Like today...
Just happens that it's the SAME day Nate came to do the electrical work
to install a plug-in on our kitchen island so I could "let THIS light shine"!

 My husband had the island already on some small rugs
so it could be slid around without scratching our floors.

 Once the hole was drilled, there was no turning back!

This was a combination birthday/Christmas gift.  MY choice!

OK.  Back to what I was thinking this morning after digesting
a lot of facebook posts, tweets, and a blog post or two...
Jesus DID say:
In the same way, let your light shine before others, 
so that they may see your good works 

and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.  (Matthew 5:19)

But only a few verses later, He ALSO said,

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, 

for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.  
(Matthew 6:1)
It's  quite a fine line between the two, I decided.  
A line I do NOT want to cross.
I really want to avoid the Pharisee lifestyle.
It so easily creeps up on a person!
 What IS it about me/us that makes me/us want to PUBLISH
ANYthing about myself/ourselves?   
Why do I think my left hand needs to know what my right hand is doing?
(Not to mention my facebook friends and everyone in Blogland?

See?  I told you that sometimes I think too much!

My hubby writing the check; the light, shining...

Can You Tell?

 You don't have to go to our bookshelves

 to find books (or dust)!

When I saw this quote and the picture that accompanied it on facebook,

I couldn't keep from copying it.

 

Can you tell?
I'm one of those people 

who feel better at the mere SIGHT of a book!

The Little Foxes

 For quite awhile, the right-hand door of this old wardrobe

needed a folded paper jammed in its crack to hold it closed.

It was a "little" thing that we put off fixing.

Recently, my husband installed this magnet (above).

How WONDERFUL not to be constantly attending to the loose door.

Why DIDN'T we do it sooner?

 And this "small" thing...

How handy it's been!  A place to hang shirts when they come out of the dryer

and for guests' coats when the coat closet is already full.

(It can be removed if/when I think it to be an eyesore.)

Attention to the "small" things is so critical in my personal life, I've found.

The "little foxes" have potential for both  good AND for bad.

 Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.

(Song of Solomon 2:15)

The first hint of a selfish, sinful thought or desire;

the "little" departure from truth;

the "small" conformity to the world;

for me, the first bite of chocolate!

WhatEVER trips me up in pursuing God's plan and purpose 

for my good and His glory must be "caught" and dealt with.

And the "small" thing  which He prompts me to pursue

I will similarly and joyfully do! 

If not, my vineyard may be ruined.

(What "little fox" has made a difference in YOUR "vineyard" recently?)