Our Morning Walk

Charlie and I are trying to be good stewards of our bodies by walking and exercising more. One of the things I do enjoy is to actually get out and walk when the weather is cooperative. We had really gotten out of our routine the last couple of months for first one reason or another. 

However, this past Monday we got out and walked about 2.5 miles. We have also changed our route. We usually walk on the road but no matter what time of the morning even out here in the "country" people are whizzing by going somewhere. I don't really like to deal with the traffic so we decided to walk around the farm. What a refreshing view!

Here are a few pictures. So sorry you will not get to hear the birds chirping and feel the coolness of the morning breeze - they really added to the moment.

We started out walking down our drive. Here is our Crab Apple tree in bloom. God does such beautiful work.

He didn't too bad either when He created this man just for me :-)

We haven't had our Bradford Pear tree too long but it is finally starting to have blooms. They have been gorgeous down here this year. When they bloom in the spring they look like new fallen snow.

Headed down the lane to the backfield. See in the country we have "lanes" and they are not asphalt :-)



Our destination and turning around point - the back field~

Always have to go by the pond.

Anna calls this the Deer Castle. This is a place that Charlie fixed for the kids to hunt with their Grandads :-) Don't know if you can tell too much about it.

All I can say is "Oh what a beautiful morning!" I am so blessed and have so much more than I deserve but I am ever so thankful that He saw fit to do what He does for me.

So, now it's your turn! Put on your walking shoes, get out and see what God is doing.

Timing is of Essence

Charlie and I recently took off for a few days and went to West Point Lake in LaGrange, Georgia with my sister Tena and her husband James. They have fished at West Point for years and know their way around the lake pretty well. We discovered that West Point Lake is huge and it is certainly to your advantage to have someone with you who knows their way around.

I can't say that it was the best fishing weather. But I can say that being on the lake is better than most any day you might spend in the office or in traffic! AND what special memories we have of being together.

When all is said and done it usually not about how many fish you catch but about the stories you get to tell. Now most people will be telling stories about the big one that got away but I can say that my story is much more interesting than that.

Like - missing docks and stop signs. Now I have got to say I admire my sister's ability to maneuver a boat around the lake. She can back that thing off the trailer and put it on the trailer, pull it up to the dock and James gets in and/or out depending on whether they are coming or going. AND she is maneuvering it with a stick shift. Amazing! I know I can't do that. However, there are moments when all things do not go as planned. It's what makes life fun, makes us laugh and gives us great stories to tell that we can really embellish.

Okay, I will get to the point. Unfortunately I did not get to witness this but this is the story as told by Tena and James. She is pulling the boat up to the dock for James to step out of the boat and go get the truck to back the trailer in. Timing is of essence. As James is about to step out of the boat onto the dock she puts the boat in reverse to start backing away which is standard operating procedure for them but unfortunately James foot is not on the dock yet. Yep, you got it! Ploop - down in the water he goes. I am trying to picture this - the look on his face, the look on her face! No one was hurt. He is wet from the waist down - and after all is said and done and all are safely on land - what a story to tell! We got a lot of laughs as the story was retold and exaggerated each time. 

As I said, even a bad day on the lake is a better than any day at work!

James and Tena

More to come :-)

Crazy, Family Fun

We have had some crazy, family fun the past seven days. Kelly and the girls were here with us and they turned our world upside down in a good way. My sister was here too. It is always so much fun to have them here. They take our minds off of stuff. Proverbs 17:22 tells us "A cheerful heart is good medicine . . ." Trust me, it is!

We got a bicycle with training wheels for Anna to practice riding on in addition to swinging her on "Chester" - that's her horse tire swing.

The rest of the week consisted of riding a go cart with Uncle Phil and the four wheeler with Grandad - she would say "Go faster Grandad" and the faster he went the louder she squealed!

Here Anna is with Uncle Phil on the go cart.

 I bought Anna a Princess tent to put over her bed for her to sleep in during nap time. That sure made nap time easier!

We made some trips in the golf cart to the back field to check out the wildlife and to check the farm animals across the road.

There were park days where Anna ran around playing on first one thing or another. Precious little Rebekah (5 months old) just sat and watched her big sister. She was able to get in one of the swings for a while.

Rebekah practiced sitting alone - yea - and rolling over from her tummy to her back. Major accomplishments!

You know they say it takes a village to raise a child. I believe that it takes a village to take care of one another.

Here's my sister doing her part. 

 

We were all cooking, cleaning, washing, changing diapers and loving on each other all week.

Yes, I am thanking God for some crazy, family fun!

It ain't gotta be fancy!

Just curious as to how you spent your Valentine's Day.

Me and my sweetie decided to get out and enjoy the day.

We had lunch in a little cafe and sat near the window so we could absorb some of that beautiful sunshine we have been missing around here lately. Then we took a stroll through the mall and did more people watching than we did window shopping. People are much more interesting, it doesn't cost anything and we are truly entertaining creatures!

A trip to Wally world to stock up on our bird feed - we so love feeding them and watching them too and back to the house to prepare for our evening out.

So here is the point of my story. I am not really a big fan of the Waffle House but it does have character. My sweetie loves it and when we were in there about 3 weeks ago they were taking reservations for Valentine's night. Yes, you read that right - reservations. I teased him about it almost every day.

We had a fun night. We were greeted at the door and seated at our table (booth) and had our picture taken. The cooks, the waitresses, the manager were so much fun. They were dressed in their white shirts, black pants and had on red aprons. So cute and so sweet! The blinds were pulled down and there was a rose bud, two heart doilies and a candle on each table with a red cloth. We had  a non-alcholic bubbly and a choice of a steak or chicken dinner with dessert. Yum, Yum!

I won't forget this Valentine's Day for a long time. You see - it ain't got to be fancy to be special! Sweet, Sweet Memories.

Just Thinking

I try to be upbeat and positive especially when I am writing knowing that someone else is going to read it and may find some encouragement in what I have to write. Do you remember your diary from your high school years? It was a place to pour out the good, the bad and the ugly. I guess it was a venting sort of thing. But one thing was for sure: I did NOT want anyone else to read it. But there it was on paper and there was always that possibility that someone could get to it.

I believe I have matured and have grown as a woman of God. I have tried very hard to be careful of the words I write and say. Once the words leave my mouth they are out there. I can't take it back. I can apologize but the words are there.  I feel the same way about writing - once it is out there - it is out there.

This is what the bible says about God's word "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;  It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:11

My word may go forth and it may accomplish what I please but is it pleasing to God. Does it prosper him? I am reminded of a childhood song "Oh be careful little tongue what you say, Oh be careful little tongue what you say, for the Father up above is looking down in love, Oh be careful little tongue what you say."

And then we have that old saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." Yeah, right. Words have been some of the most hurtful things in my life - those that I have said and those that were said to me. I remember a very basic thing my Mama and Daddy taught me: Think before you speak. Believe me, that is hard.

Think about what you are thinking about before you put it into words.

My reference point for speaking should be: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Think about that.

Dipping from The Loving Well

I just finished doing a study on Loving Well by Beth Moore with a wonderful group of women who actually do that well - at least they are loving me well.

As I reflect on what I learned: my original thoughts were focused on how I love: How I love the easy to love in my life, how I love the testy, aggravating people in my life, how I love my enemy and how I love the stranger that passes through my life.

For those that are difficult to love I do not need to be a critical spirit because I do not know what the other person is going through or has gone through that may make them the "testy" in my life. I guess for some it almost seems their nature and for some it is just a circumstance that has presented itself in their life - it may be temporary and it may have turned into a long term battle. We have all heard the expression "Don't judge a man until you walked a mile in his shoes."

I have to remember that at the same time I may be calling someone testy that I may be the testy person to them.

Of course I learned that it's not how I love them at all but how God loves them through me.

AND then the revelation hit me during the last session: He is the Loving Well. I go to Him and drop the bucket down into the well, bringing it (LOVE) up, overflowing sloshing everywhere and I pour it out on all those around me - the joyful, the testy, the foe, the far. My grandmother had a well on her back porch. I was so very young and can barely remember using it but I thought it was the neatest thing to go on the back porch and take the rope and let it drop to the bottom and then pull it up. Of course, I was only doing it for fun so I didn't care that I splashed it everywhere as I brought it up.

Going to God's Loving Well is important because we always need a fresh supply of His water, His love - splashing it all over us and then in turn splashing it all over everybody else. We dip down in the well and we pour it out on others. Then you know what happens - you have to go back to get more. That's what He wants from us - for us to come to the Loving well, dipping down and pouring it out, dipping down and pouring it out, dipping down and pouring out.

Join me in dipping and pouring~

Inside and Out

I was just thinking this morning about an expression that is used in describing someone that we consider beautiful. Have you ever heard this said: "She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside."

Everybody's description of physical beauty is different because we perceive beauty differently. But wouldn't you consider it true that how well we know someone defines how we perceive their beauty? 

I know I notice the beautiful spirit of someone faster than the outward beauty defined by the world.

Just maybe what makes us beautiful on the outside is the love of God that we have on the inside and others see it and feel it!