New Eyes

It lay in several spots, this small rug crocheted out of bread wrappers.  First in an interior doorway.  Then on the landing of our stairway.  Once in front of a chair.  It never seemed right.  

This morning I saw it with "new" eyes!

Why didn't I think of this before?

It's perfect on this little table, sitting in front of a lace-covered window

under a wooden bowl holding old croquet balls!

Sometimes I need "new" eyes when it comes to a person

or a problem.

Fresh perspective, insight, appreciation--

and the once "irregular" person or problem

becomes a person or thing of great beauty.

Lesson learned.

 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (New Living Translation)
 "What do you want me to do for you?" 
"Lord," he said, "I want to see!" Luke 18:41

UPDATE:  Speaking of "new eyes"...just got the word re. "Dynamic Views" --
Blogger's new update.
I don't know WHAT to think!  
Yes?  No? 

The Best Laid Plans...

"It's good to ditch the old things and start fresh."

Yesterday Debora  commented on my garden glove post, "We often hang on to things that no longer serve us well because of familiarity. It's good to ditch the old things and start fresh."   So, in a way, Debora had a role in my drama yesterday!

Monday night my husband was out of town.  I locked and double locked doors before going to bed.  And I went to bed with many intentions for the next day.  Written down, even!  One of them was to throw away the robe I had worn so comfortably for at least the  past eight years...and it was a thrift-store purchase when I acquired it!  I had recently worn a hole in one elbow and it WAS time to ditch "the old thing and start fresh".

Next morning, I put it on one last time, made the coffee, and headed out the front door with a sack of trash in hand.  Tuesdays are trash days here.  When I returned, I found the door locked.  I was outside in 48 degree weather in a holey robe and barefoot!  I tried to open windows.  No luck.  Every door double locked.

So, at 6:00 I padded down to the bakery - about 1 block from my house.  (It opens at 6:00.)  From there I called my husband's cell phone.  Got his voicemail.  Trudged back home and waited on the front porch.  After an hour and a half, and assuming that he didn't get the message and wasn't coming to rescue me, I tried to think about my options.

Only then did I remember our cabin in the back yard.  Outfitted for overnights when our children/guests visit us.  So, after about two hours, my feet had thawed, and I settled in for the day.  We have an old fashioned porta-potty out there, but no running water, etc.  I listened to the radio, read some 1998 Victoria magazines, napped, and prayed.  I missed my (no longer) Red Hats luncheon, didn't get a hair cut,  didn't get the birthday cards sent, and didn't clean up my kitchen counter.  Didn't even get to drink my cup of coffee!

At 2:00 my husband returned home.  He spent the rest of the day trying to make up for my no-good-very-bad-unproductive day.

I was MORE than happy to abanadon my robe to the rag pile after a whole day in it!
I even cut off a sleeve so I wouldn't be tempted to retrieve it! 

And we've done our best to make sure we can't lock ourselves out of the house again.

People may make plans in their minds, but the Lord decides what they will do.  

(Proverbs 16:9)

Door Prize

Last Saturday I filled out the slip at the bottom of the last page of the Garden Walk brochure, tore it off, and put it in a box on the table in the last garden we visited.  To my surprise, yesterday morning I received a phone call informing me I was the winner of the door prize!

It  meant a 30 minute drive, but we got in the car later in the afternoon and made the trip! (I had no idea what the prize would be.)  Arriving at the Van Wert County Extension Office, I identified myself, extended my arms, and received it.

 Now, in all honesty, I'm not a REAL gardener.  Just a "wannabe".  So as I unpacked the prize, I guessed at some of the items.  By the time we arrived home, I had figured most of them out.  I'll have to grow into a few of them, and  I'll have to wait till next year to try out the hanging tomato planter.  I wonder if I'll EVER be a serious enough gardener to actually use the Quiver...

I may give a couple of them to a serious gardening friend this morning when I go over to help her weed her garden.  If we get some rain, she may have harvest enough to actually NEED the Harvester!

This whole experience reminds me of the gift of salvation!  Unexpected.  Free.  (I DID need to "sign up" for it and receive it.)  I didn't know all that salvation meant, and I still don't fully appreciate it--after all these years.  There are still aspects of it to acquaint myself with as I "work out" my salvation "with fear and trembling".  And there is much in my salvation to share with others....

I'm sure there are many other parallels to my door prize.  But they'll have to wait, since  I need to get an early start to get to my friend's garden! At 7:00 a.m. it's already 75 degrees with a forecast for 97.

Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you.

And now that I am away, it is even more important. 

Work hard to show the results of your salvation,

obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  (Philippians 2:12)

Where "Impromptu" Took Us

 The largest "Taste Of" in the United States was our first (and unexpected) pleasure.

To learn more about it, go to my thrifty style blog here.

 While at the "Taste of Buffalo" we stumbled on the tour of the historic

City/County Building.  From its observation deck, 

we could view 360 degrees of Buffalo!

 

After several blocks of walking and viewing

beautifully landscaped front yards,

we treated ourselves to ice cream!

I'll be loading some of my pictures of the gardens in my garden blog. 

Probably not tonight though...

Maybe the Quote of the Day was from the guide at the City/County Building.

When a young man asked why they built 

such a large building in 1929, she answered,

"They had great hopes."

I'll remember that for a long time!

I, too, have great hopes.  I need to BUILD BIGGER!

 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. 

For we know how dearly God loves us,

because he has given us the Holy Spirit 

to fill our hearts with his love.  (Romans 5:5)

Darkness

I sat leaning against the rails of our front sidewalk steps.  Just over a block away, red and blue lights flashed as emergency and law enforcement vehicles converged on a sad, dark scene.

I tried to pray, but found myself detached--unable to pray with the passion the occasion warranted.  Acknowledging and despising the distance in my heart between the tragic scene and my personal sense of security, I sat until the last lights pulled away in silence. 

Above the scene, a crescent-shaped moon hovered protectively.

We went to bed.  Late.  I slept.  But this morning I knew there were families who didn't sleep.  Who COULDN'T sleep.  God is working on my hard heart.  This morning I remember the darkness of the night.

The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin;
  The light of the world is Jesus;
Like sunshine at noonday His glory shone in,
  The light of the world is Jesus.

    Come to the light, 'tis shining for thee;
    Sweetly the light has dawned upon me;
    Once I was blind, but now I can see;
      The light of the world is Jesus. 

(from the gospel song "The Light of the World is Jesus")

You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.  (Jesus, in Matthew 14:14-16)

 "Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God."  (Bob Pierce)

Poison Ivy and Humility

Sometimes I think Oswald Chambers lives with me!  How DID he know?  How does it work out that the meditation for the day is just what I need?

"The grace you had yesterday will not be sufficient for today.  

Grace is the overflowing favor of God, 

and you can always count on it being available to draw upon as needed...

One of the greatest proofs that you are drawing on the grace of God 

is that you can be totally humiliated before others 

without displaying even the slightest trace of anything but His grace."

I guess I'm ALMOST there.  I am a candidate for the Skin Rash Hall of Fame. Actually, I look worse than many who sent in their pictures to this site!   At the end of working in the yard Friday morning, I recognized some poison ivy and stopped pulling weeds immediately.  Apparently, not soon enough.  My eyes are slits; my cheeks are like 1/2 apples.  I am red, itchy, ugly and uncomfortable. I'm reluctant to "prove that I'm drawing on the grace of God by being totally humiliated before others" by going to church this morning.

Today's devotional reading ended with these words:  

Never hold anything in reserve.  

Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, 

and always be poor.  

Never be diplomatic and careful 

with the treasure God gives you--

"and yet possessing all things"--

this is poverty triumphant (2 Corinthians 6:10).

P.S. It's probably no coincidence that the Sunday School lesson I studied for today 

is on the subject of "humility"...

 On the GOOD side, we had a great day yesterday
at Riverfest--a local festival.  Blue skies, perfect temperature,
and great company!

It's the Little Things

A few weeks ago, I bought
this metal cabinet at a garage sale for $2.00.
I'm always happy to find furniture with storage potential!  

It was in pretty rough condition.

This picture shows it sanded down
and ready for primer and paint.
(All my husband's work, by the way.
You can see more of his projects here.
I say that he works wonders!)

 This is it - after primer & two coats of paint.
I'm excited about the end result.

But I'm most excited about the latch below!

Isn't it wonderful?

Often it's the little and most unexpected thing 

that catches my eye...It's that way with God, too.

But God made selection of the foolish things of this world so that he might put the wise to shame; and the feeble things that he might put to shame the strong. (I Corinthians 1:27, Bible in Basic English)

He who is faithful in a very little [thing] is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little [thing] is dishonest and unjust also in much. (Luke 16:10, Amplified Bible)

But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:42-44)

Going Round the Mulberry Bush

Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
So early in the morning!

At least that's the way WE used to sing it! 

 

Sometimes we added other verses: "This is the way we wash our clothes, dry our clothes, iron our clothes" or just about any OTHER chore our imaginations could come up with!

According to Wikipedia, historian R. S. Duncan suggested that the song originated with  female prisoners at HMP Wakefield. A sprig was taken from Hatfield Hall (Normanton Golf Club) in Stanley, Wakefield, which grew into a fully mature mulberry tree around which prisoners would exercise.  Apparently, there is no corroborative evidence to support this theory.

However, it makes PERFECT sense to me that a sprig would grow quickly into a fully mature mulberry tree!  Just a few years ago, wanting SOMEthing to grow in this spot and being too frugal to purchase a "real" tree, we dug up a small (maybe 3') tree growing uninvited along our back yard fence.  We didn't know what kind it was, but it turned out that just a few short years later we have a mulberry tree! (It's huge, messy parent tree was chopped down last year.  We try to keep this one trimmed up.  Still it produces its annual berries.)

We'll be more careful before we "go round the mulberry bush" again!  

What you sow, you DO reap!
and
How quickly trees from little "sprigs" grow!

A Parable from Philip

Celmatis blooming in MY garden right now!

"I do admire beautiful containers overflowing with colorful flowers and eye-catching combinations and I admire the people who grew them because I know that they are a lot of work! They require attention and diligence," (my highlights, not his) says Philip at Dirt Therapy.


"Every year I tell myself that I am not going to plant as many containers as I normally do. Then I proceed to not only plant as many as I did the previous year but I usually add more. My intentions are good. ...When I'm planting the containers on a cool, pleasant spring day, I can easily convince myself that I will be up to the task of caring for them all summer long. No problem! Then the heat sets in and then the drought and when it is 105 outside and I'd rather be on the sofa under the air conditioner instead of sweating outside getting them watered, I'm silently cussing myself out."


"So I've learned one thing although I don't stick to it - only plant as many containers as you are capable of caring for."

Thank you, Philip!

Intentionally or not, you preached a sermon in that post.
A sermon with a fine parable in it!
There's a much deeper meaning in these words for me.
As Jesus would say, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

(And if you're a gardener or simply appreciate beauty,

check out Philip's blog.)

Me?  I'm "planting" fewer and fewer "containers" these days. 

How about you?

Comfortable or Conformable

At a recent event I attended, several people were given Bible verses to read.  Nervously, one person, read the King James Version of Philippians 3:10 this way:  "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made comfortable unto death."    Having memorized that verse years ago, I recognized the mistake.

I chuckled to myself because it is SO easy to seek comfort.  

To be comfortable with comfortability (if that's a word).

Then came this morning's devotional thought from My Utmost for His Highest:.  "The proof that we have the vision (a vision of God Himself) is that we are reaching out for more than we have already grasped.  It is a bad thing to be satisfied spiritually....We are apt to look for satisfaction within ourselves and say, 'Now I've got it!  Now I am completely sanctified.  Now I can endure.'  Instantly we are on the road to ruin.  Our reach must exceed our grasp.  Paul said, 'Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on...' (Philippians 3:12).  If we have only what we have experienced, we have nothing.  But if we have the inspiration of the vision of God, we have more than we can experience.  Beware of the danger of spiritual relaxation."
 
By the way, Philippians 3:10 actually reads:  "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."

...my "flowery bed of ease"...

There IS such a thing as "holy discontent". 

Being conformable to Jesus' death is a far cry from being comfortable!

"Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?"

(From "Am I A Soldier of the Cross")

 

Focus

The fire was roaring at Cracker Barrel this morning.  As the hostess ushered my friend and me past it, we both purred.  Then I asked if we could be seated at one of the two tables right in front of it.  "Yes!"  It felt SO good.  After breakfast and some good conversation, we decided to play an old-fashioned game of checkers.  Our table had a board imprinted on it.  The checkers were cleverly stacked in an attached wooden rack along the side.

We reviewed the rules to make sure we were on the same "page"; then began.  I hadn't played in a long while...but it came back to me (including two particular pieces of strategy I remember from SOME place in my past).  Early into the game, I concentrated on a small section of the board and made my move.  As soon as I took my hand off the checker, I gasped!  I had created a TRIPLE jump for my opponent.   Alerted by my gasp, she looked and looked but didn't find it!

not our actual table...

Relieved, I quickly tried to rectify the situation by moving a checker and, in doing so, inadvertently created a second triple-jump opportunity.

From then on, I FOCUSED!
  (And eventually,  I won the game.)

When I got home, I read Kathleen's post.

It began, "Do you ever feel like you've lost your focus?"

It's so easy to do....and such a subtle possibility--

especially for those of us who enjoy our technology!

Kathleen's post challenges me.

I am going to make a change or two to my blogging habits.

Thanks, Kathleen!
(What steps do YOU take to keep your time on the computer in balance?) 

You Can Run, but You Can't Hide!

Several times during our visit, Elijah would come into the guest room where we were staying, turn the corner, and "park" under this table.  There he would sit with a big grin on his face (apparently hiding) waiting for us to "find" him.  It was so much fun.  I never had my camera when he was there alone and grinning.  THIS time, his big sister went under the table to coax him out...

It reminded me of the impossibility of trying to hide from God...No matter how grown up our schemes seem to us, to Him they are as simple (and silly) as Elijah's attempts to hide from us!  The Psalmist David, in the 139th Psalm writes of the impossibility of hiding from God.  Regarding the third verse, the great preacher, Charles Spurgeon writes:

Thou art familiar with all I do; nothing is concealed from thee, nor surprising to thee, nor misunderstood by thee. Our paths may be habitual or accidental, open or secret, but with them all the Most Holy One is well acquainted. This should fill us with awe, so that we sin not; with courage, so that we fear not; with delight, so that we mourn not.

Take out the thees and thous if you must, but rejoice in the fact that nothing is concealed, surprising or misunderstood by our God!   Let us be filled with awe, courage, and delight--innocently, like our little Elijah, reveling in the sure and certain love of our Heavenly Father.

Sin not...Fear not..Mourn not

The SDR

 Riding the elevator is a daily occurrence in the life of our grandchildren

Here we're on our way down to eat at the SDR (Student Dining Room).

I think Dad is trying to get a coat on Elijah.

We take the FRONT entrance this time to walk through the famous Moody Bible Institute arch.  Beside the arch is this inscription (above).

 I realize I didn't take any pictures of us in the dining room!  It was a little chaotic there...but through the windows in the hallway, the children saw this mural in progress. 

 After eating, we explored further.  The gold grids are the actual grid of streets in Chicago.  Jesus (on the left) will be looking out over the city.  Above, two of the children explore the darkness of the city. "Jesus wants to bring light to dark hearts; joy to sad hearts," we told them.

They understood.

Luke 19:41-42 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, [Jesus] wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace — but now it is hidden from your eyes.

Jesus' heart was deeply moved by the plight of people who choose to reject Him.  Overlooking the city of Jerusalem and its thousands of residents on at least two separate occasions, Jesus' heart was saddened by the failure of the majority to receive him.  He STILL loves the city and its people.  His heart must STILL break over the failure of the majority to receive Him!

Double-Booked

the "daily" section

 I double-booked myself this morning.  (Actually, almost TRIPLE-booked!)  I hate it when that happens.

Here's my excuse.  One of them anyway.  When reminded last month of the first meeting of  a group studying Celebration of Discipline by R. Foster, I wrote it down in the larger "daily" section of my datebook.  Later, when accepting a lunch date and making a coffee date for the same day, I didn't check THAT section and wrote the last two appointment in the "monthly calendar" section. 

The lunch date was canceled yesterday, and last night I got a call reminding me of the study group meeting. OOPS!  I judged it too late to cancel my coffee date and had to make an embarrassed  apology to my friend in the study group. 

Note to self:   Record and check appointments on monthly calendar first.  ALWAYS.

This incident helped me think about the times I have been guilty of "double-booking" when it comes to  inspirational reading.  Bible study materials, great devotional titles, and any of the wonderful books written by godly people begin to fill up my time, while personal and intentional BIBLE reading is "filed" away in a less visible part of my life's "datebook" where it is too easily forgotten.  OOPS!

Note to self:  Read the Bible first.  ALWAYS.

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever"  (I Peter 1:24-25)

Playing from the Heart

Not everyone who visits me here visits my "Thrifty Style at Sixty-Two" blog.  Over there this morning,  I posted a collage of pictures of a few pieces from my piano collection along with a quote.  Only after I reviewed the post for errors did a truth from another level jump out at me from the quote!

"Personal style is like playing the piano.
First you must learn to play by the rules,
then you must forget the rules
and play from your heart."

                     (copied from somewhere; no source cited)

It's not only "personal style" and "piano playing" that move from playing by the rules to playing from your heart!  It's true of one's spiritual maturity, too!   Too often we error.  In our desire to live in Christian freedom, we ignore the fundamentals--to our detriment.  On the other hand, to stop at the rules and fail to let the grace of God flood our hearts (as did many of the Pharisees of Jesus' day) is incredibly stifling and sometimes even deadly!!  

In the words of the writer to Hebrew believers:  "Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity...It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them...let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith."

In 2011, I want to spend more time at my piano.  Since I have not given piano lessons this past year, I've kind of neglected God's gift of music.  And as I play, I want to remember the correlation of  playing by the rules and playing from the heart--at the piano and in my daily life with the Lord Jesus Christ!

It's Complicated

While yesterday was simple, sacred and sane...
it's another story this morning.  I'm not sure what we were thinking when we scheduled to have our floor leveled tomorrow and the laminate flooring installed on Wednesday.

At any rate, it's "empty the cabinets" time...

Things are stashed ANYwhere and EVERYwhere.  There's been a good deal of sorting, giveaways, and even a few items sold on Craig's List!  Tonight a strong, young man is coming to help move the refrigerator, stove, and furniture so we'll be ready for the installers tomorrow.

It's complicated.  And a little overwhelming.  For some odd reason, I'd rather blog about it than DO it.  (That's another whole post in itself!)

But thinking about the FIRST Christmas, I realize IT was a little complicated, too.  No matter how well-orchestrated our parties, decorated our trees, or organized our Christmas programs, the FIRST Christmas wasn't as sanitized as it has come to be portrayed. 

The RESULT was worth it though!

(That's what I'm telling myself as I get to work!)

Slow Me Down, Lord!

 


Vacation Reflections:   A few days ago, we took a short walk before breakfast.  Just around the corner and up and over a hill from our cottage in Charm, OH, was this sight.  This is Buster.  Doe-Doe and Bambi were also visible. I wonder if they knew how blessed they were to be caged during hunting season?!

More unusual than these deer, were four squirrels--two to a cage.  They ran furiously on these wheels--sometimes taking turns, but running constantly while we watched and running every time we passed them later!

The night before, my husband overheard a woman ask the waitress (in the restaurant that closed at 7:00 p.m.), "What do people DO around here after 6:30?"   In our society, people are accustomed to cramming activity into every minute of life - kind of like the squirrels that never seemed to stop running.  We had books and magazines, conversation, and a deck of cards if needed. I had HGTV (a rare treat for me)! We were happy to relax and enjoy the evening.

Slow Me Down, Lord...

Sight along the country road

Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of my mind. Steady my hurried pace. Give me, amidst the day's confusion, the calmness of the everlasting hills. Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of singing streams that live in my memory. Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep. 

Teach me the art of taking "minute vacations"...slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to read a few lines from a good book. Remind me of the fable of the hare and the tortoise; that the race is not always to the swift; that there is more to life than measuring its speed.  Let me look up at the branches of the towering oak and know that it grew slowly and well. 

Inspire me to send my own roots down deep into the soil of life's endearing values...that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny.  Slow me down, Lord.

(Wilferd Arlan Peterson)     

Reading Belva

Belva Plain dies at 95

I heard this news on the radio first, I believe.  I was interested in the fact that she began writing her novels at the age of 59.  I wanted to read at least one of them, so I went to our local library and checked out Crossroads.  I finished it this evening.

In my opinion, the book was awkwardly written.  But the story was compelling.  It fit the description contained in the first words of this paragraph that I found somewhere:

Known for epic novels of family and forgiveness, she never owned a computer and wrote in longhand on a yellow pad. She had written short fiction for women's magazines before turning to novels.

Crossroads WAS a book of family and forgiveness.  The two main characters were an unassuming young woman of privilege and a beautiful, ambitious one.  Their lives intertwine, and there is an unanticipated but welcomed twist at the end of the story.

Plain's first novel, Evergreen, published in 1978, spent 41 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list in hardcover and another 20 in paperback.  It was made into a miniseries by NBC in 1985.

Apparently, strong-willed women, many of them Jewish and red-haired as well, appear again and again in Ms. Plain's fiction. Some of her novels use historical setting; other books tell stories about contemporary issues such as divorce, adoption, child abuse or babies accidentally switched at birth.

Belva Plain died in her sleep on October 19th at her home in New Jersey.  According to her publisher, almost 30 million copies of her books are in print, and they have been translated into 22 languages.

I'm encouraged by the creative productivity of this woman!  It's never too late to pursue one's dreams!

Measuring Up!

After dinner, we took our three grandchildren across the street and up a block to the Harlan Days Fair.  We had purchased a few early tickets for the rides, so the children enjoyed surveying all of them and deciding which they'd like to ride on.

At each ride, there was a measuring stick to determine whether or not the child was tall enough to ride that particular one.  Sometimes the result was disappointment.  Other times, excitement and expectation and a big thrill!

 Brother and sister both rode this one.  The swings flew quite high once the ride started twirling!  The second one they chose was even MORE adventuresome!

Our daughter got to ride along with the youngest on the merry-go-round...always a treat no matter WHAT your age.

Meeting the measuring stick at each ride, I was reminded of the "measure" I am still growing to reach -- the fullness of God!  Ephesians 3:19  "...that you may be filled to the MEASURE of all the fullness of God".  And 4:13 "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole MEASURE of the fullness of Christ"!

Thank God for Ephesians 3:20-21!  "Now to him who is able to do IMMEASURABLY more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!  Amen."

His Measure.  His Power.  His glory.  ALL generations.  Forever.

No More "Bucket Woman"

At our house, we seldom miss the Saturday night British comedy, "Keeping Up Appearances". The main character is Hyacinth Bucket, who insists her surname is pronounced Bouquet.  Her obnoxious behavior causes people to go out of their way to avoid her, but she is oblivious to her faults. Speaking behind her back, many of them refer to her as that Bucket Woman.

I've played Bucket Woman this month, hauling water from our overflowing rain barrels to flush toilets. I was hopeful to see a noticeable difference in our water bill. It arrived yesterday. Though we had cut our usage by over 100 gallons, apparently we have only been paying the base amount all along. Our sewer bill (based on # of gallons used) WAS a little over a dollar less. Since my main goal was to reduce the bill (not so much conservation of water, I confess), I think we may go back to flushing the regular way!

I've carried OTHER kinds of buckets uselessly in the past--worries or concerns that were meant to be "taken to the Lord in prayer" and LEFT there!  I can be SO dense sometimes!

What a friend we have in Jesus,

all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

all because we do not carry

everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful

who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,

cumbered with a load of care?

Precious Savior, still our refuge;

take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?

Take it to the Lord in prayer!

In his arms he'll take and shield thee;

thou wilt find a solace there.

(What a Friend we Have in Jesus, Charles C. Converse, 1832-1918)