A restful day

My husband and I spent the day with my brother and his wife.

They have a cottage along the Muskegon River.

They built this cottage in 1958.

It is very rustic but it has served them well and they have had alot of fun

with family and friends there.

Now they are both in poor health.

My brother is legally blind and my sister-in-law has alot of back problems.

So they have the cottage for sale.

It was bittersweet to spend the day them there.

It reminds me of how quickly things can change when your health changes.

If you are healthy - be thankful.

Things can change so quickly.

Smiling is Infectious

Smiling is infectious,
You catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner
and someone saw my grin,
When he smiled I realized
I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile
then I realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine
could travel round the Earth!

So if you feel a smile begin
don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!

Grace is a gift

When a man works an 8-hour day and receives

for his efforts 8-hour' pay, that is a wage.

When he competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his superior performance,

that is a prize. When he receives something in recognition for his services

or achievements, that is an award,

but when a man can earn no wage,

can win no prize, and deserves no award -

yet receives such a gift - that is unmerited favor.

That is underserved kindness -

That is GRACE!

If you want to be.............

If you want to be happy for an hour, take a nap,

If you want to be happy for a day, go fishing,

If you want to be happy for a week, take a trip.

If you want to be happy for a year, inherit money.

If you want to be happy for a lifetime, serve others.

Get a busy signal

I came across a piece written by Edith Armstrong and it goes like this -

I keep the telephone of my mind open to peace,

harmony, health, love and abundance.

Then whenever doubt, anxiety or fear try to call me,

they keep getting the busy signal

and they'll soon forget my number.

I think that is good advice.

Enjoy your day!

How healthy is your faith?

My pastor had a message today on the Abraham and Issac story found in Genesis 28.

God told Abraham to offer his only son, Issac, as a sacrfice.

God asked Abraham to do the unthinkable!

Remember Issac said, the fire and wood are here; but where is the lamb

for the burnt offering, and Abraham replied, "God himself will provide the lamb."

And the two of them went on together.

Abraham went ahead and proceeded to do the sacrfice. He was ready to

kill Issac when God called for him to stop.

God provided a lamb.

What faith Abraham had - he did not know how God would provide a lamb

but he knew, without a doubt, that God would provide.

As I think about this story, I wonder what I would have done.

How often do I fail to trust God; get ahead of Him, or think I know better myself.

It makes me think, ask for forgiveness and look forward to tomorrow........

Think about it

Happiness keeps you sweet,

Trials keep you strong,

Sorrow keeps you human,

Failures keep you humble,

Success keeps you growing

But only GOD keeps you going!

Have a Blessed Day!

I came across this poem penned by Helen Steiner Rice - it goes like this

Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain,

Laughter and pleasure,

teardrops and pain,

All days can't be bright, but it's certainly true,

There was never a cloud

the sun didn't shine through -

So, just keep on smiling whatever betide you,

Secure in the knowledge

God is always beside you.

And you'll find when you smile

your day will be brighter

And all of your burdens

will seem so much lighter -

For each time you smile

you will find it is true

Somebody, Somewhere will Smile Back At You,

And nothing on earth

can make life more worthwhile

Than the sunshine and warmth

of a Beautiful Smile.

Have a blessed day!

It's Blueberry time!

I stopped at the store today and bought some blueberries.

Without a doubt, blueberries are my favorite fruit. (well, maybe watermelon

comes close)

I like to eat them without any sweetener.

Just take a hand full and eat......

We are so privileged to live in an area where we have such

a choice of fruit available.

What is your favorite fruit?

Enjoy!

Out of my comfort zone

The youth group from our church is conducting a VBS in the

enter-city of Grand Rapids.

I and three other ladies went along to make and serve everyone lunch.

We have a nice kitchen to work out of at our church.

This kitchen was not so nice; I am not use to this.

It was good for me to see how other people live.

We have a group of kids who work really well with each other

and also mix in well with the enter-city kids.

The VBS kids were very polite and very well behaved.

We had a fun day.

Hopefully the kids learned that Jesus loves them and they

in turn will tell their parents what they learned.

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world,

Red, yellow, black and white,

They are precious in his sight,

Jesus loves the little children of the world.

The Word cannot be stopped

This morning at worship our pastor shared the following story -

He said that the Bible was first brought to Korea in the 1800's.

The man that came to tell them about Jesus was attacked by some bandits.

As they were coming to kill him, he handed his Bible to them,

after which they cut off his head.

One of the attackers took this Bible to his home

which was some kind of a meeting place.

He took the pages of this Bible and used it as wallpaper on the walls.

As people came to spend time there, they began to read what

the pages said.

From there the gospel of salvation went out and now there are

many believers in Korea.

What an awesome God; His Word is so powerful it cannot be stopped.

What a blessing!

An evening well spent

Tonight my husband and I attended an Pig Roast/Auction to raise money for Horseplay Equestrian which is connected to Barnabas Ministries.

This a farm that has horses which hurting children can come and ride.

They spend time with the horses, they paint them, they ride and talk to them

and they find peace and comfort.

This family told us stories of how the horses helped children heal

from their hurts and disappointments.

There is no charge for the children.

Local businesses help out with feed, etc.

We had a good time and it gives a good feeling helping a worthy cause.

Antique Tractor & Steam Engine Show

My husband and I went to the steam show today which is held on our area .

It is very well attended. There are a lot of old tractors and old machinery.

We saw the old saw mill and shingle mill. We watched the old

threshing machine do its thing.

Lunch was served; ice cream was available.

There was a tractor pull.

There was were men and women playing instruments and

singing.

There were allot of children there; it is good for the young to

see how the farmers made their living many years ago.

The old gents were really enjoying the day too.

It made think of the little house of the prairie days.

Do you sometimes worry about how things are going in our world?

I do.

We hear about rape, murder, robbery and just about

every other evil we can imagine.

Sometimes it seems Satan is in control.

But then I read this verse from the Philippians 4:6 which says

"Don't worry about anything, instead,

pray about everything; tell God

your needs, and don't forget to thank Him for his answers."

This verse tells me that GOD is in control, not Satan.

What a comfort. God has a plan; we must trust Him.

Thanks for prayer

My friend/cousin had her surgery on Tuesday to remove

a cancerous lump from her breast.

Surgery went well. She will have about a month

to heal and then begin six weeks of radiation;

5 days a week for 6 weeks.

They did not find any cancer anywhere else.

She is most grateful. Thanks for remembering her in prayer.

Isaiah 43: 1-2 says, "The Lord who created you says....

I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you go through deep waters

and great trouble, I will be with you."

Blessings for Tuesday

Everything in the world lies under the watchful eye of our Saviour.

God cares for his world and the people in his creation.

He knows how long we will live; He knows the number of

the hairs on our head.

When we give thought to these truths we can do no other

than bow down in reverence.

As we enjoy this beautiful day let's give

thought to the blessings of God.

There is so many blessings we can't count them all.

Blessings of Family

I thought I would tell you a little about my family.

My family consists of my husband, two sons and two daughter-in-laws;

one daughter and a son-in-law.

We also have two grand-daughters, one is married and the other in college.

We also five grandsons.

Three of our grandsons have just recently obtained their drivers licenses.

The last two grandsons are 12 and almost 13 years old.

We are privileged to have all our children living fairly close to us.

They all have busy lives and things are going well for all of them.

My husband is semi-retired, working 2 days a week at the local

hardware store.

I retired a year ago from the secretary job at our church

having worked their for 48 years.

Spiritual Food for Sunday

We had a guest pastor this morning at church.

He spoke on II Corinthians 2:14-3-18.

He spoke of us being the fragrance of Christ to all people.

Verse 15... say we are to God the aroma of Christ among those

who are being saved and those who are perishing.

He went on to say it is only by having the Holy Spirit in

heart we can accomplish this.

Am I giving off a sweet fragrance?

When people see me, do they want the fragrance that I am giving off?

It is good to be reminded of our responsiblities

as a Christian in our everyday walk in life.

Have a blessed Sunday..........

At church we have what we call "dinner for 8". Four couples get together

four times a year. Tonight we had dinner for 8 with friends at their camp sight.

It was a beautiful night, good food, and a beautiful sunset.

Each year we get with a different group.

This is such a good way to get better acquainted in a different setting than at church.

Its been fun and we look forward to next year.

Bad news/Good news

I just received word from my friend/cousin that she has breast cancer.

She found a lump while doing a breast exam on herself.

That is the bad news.

She has a 98 per cent chance of full recovery.

She will have the lump removed

next Tuesday.

That is the good news.

She will need radiation afterwards for six weeks, daily.

Please remember my friend next Tuesday that all will go as planned.

For all of you reading this blog - please check your breast

and report anything that feels unusual.

And remember to have a monogram each year.

Early detection is so important!

Birthday Celebration

I had a fun time last evening.

My sister, her daughter and I and our husbands had dinner at

my sister to celebrate our birthdays.

My sister is 10 years older than I (81) and my niece is 10 years younger than I. (61)

We celebrate our day together.

We had a good time. My sister is an excellant cook.

Today is my grandson, Matt's 17th birthday.

He is special!

Background about this blogger - continued

My uncle passed away in 1969 at the age of 63 and

my aunt died ten months later in 1970 at the age 66.

My father passed away in 1975 at the age 76

and my step-mother died 8 years later.

I, of course, have no memories of my mother but there are times

when I wish I could have known her.

It must have been hard for her to say good-bye to her family.

She was only 42 when she died.

It wasn't until I had my own children that I realized what

this must have been for her and my dad.

Life has it's disappointments but God always has a plan -

Romans 8:28 says, We know that all things work together for good to them

that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.

A Little Background about this Blogger

I was born in June 0f 1938 (a long time ago). I lived in Holland, MI.

When I was 18 months old my Mother died, leaving 8 children.

On the day of her death, I and my brother went home with my uncle and aunt.

By the end of the year another brother came to live with us too.

My uncle and aunt lived in the country.

We never went back to live with our Father.

He cared for the other five kids, ranging from twins boys who were 10, and a son aged 12, a daughter 14 and a son 16.

On Sundays my Dad and the rest of the family would all come

to my uncle and aunt for dinner.

I can remember sitting on my Dads lap while he was there and when it was

time for him to go home, he would say "I love you; be a good girl, I'll be back next Sunday."

It was because he loved us that he had us stay with my uncle and aunt.

He knew he was not able to care for all of us.

My Aunt was a sister to my Mom and my Uncle was a brother to my Dad.

My uncle and aunt had no children of there own.

Dad always stayed our Dad and we called my Uncle and Aunt by their name.

My Dad remarried when I was thirteen but we stayed living with my uncle and aunt.

That was home for us. They loved us as if we were their very own.

Continued tomorrow....................

Today my daughter and I went to see two new additions to our family.

One was a darling one month old baby boy. He has the darkest blue eyes

and he is a little chunk.

The other one is a little 18 month old boy who has been adopted from Ethiopia.

Two darling children who are being well care for and loved very much.

They are both my great-nephews.

What a blessing...................

Sunday Blessings

Sunday Blessings

Special blessing today as my grandson, Andy, made public profession of his faith

during the morning worship service.

Family and friends gathered for worship to witness his profession.

Celebration followed with family and friends.

God shows his faithfulness from one generation to another.

I am so thankful for parents who brought me up in the Christian faith

so I can pass it on to future generations.

God is good!

4th of July Blessings

Happy 4th of July

Be sure to enjoy today

watching a parade, eating delicious food,

watching fireworks or just

hanging out with family and friends.

Say a prayer of thanks for this great land we are privileged to enjoy.

Food for Thought

I attended the funeral service of my 86 year old cousin this morning.

This couple had been married for 64 years and had a large family who was well

represented at the funeral.

The pastor told how my cousin was on his deathbed but was not afraid to die.

His trust was in the Lord and he had no fear.

Isn't it wonderful to hear stories of how Christians face uncertain times, even death,

and have the confidence that God will see them through.

What a comfort for his wife and family to know he is enjoying heaven right now.

The pastor asked each one of us if we would have that confidence if it were our turn to die.

Only by God's grace, we can answer YES!

Volunteer work

On Thursdays, I volunteer at a mission store in the area called Love In the Name of Christ. People drop off gently used items they no longer have a need for.

It amazes me what nice items are brought in (and some not so nice).

We also get new items from stores in the area that are sold for a much lower price

than if they were bought elsewhere. Anyone may purchase merchandise from this place

and the money brought in goes out to the community to help those in need.

I meet really neat people and I have a good time doing something worthwhile .

The best part is you never know what treasures one will find at a very reasonable price.

Today I found a cute ceramic tea pot for my shelf in the kitchen.

Makes me wonder what I'll find next week...........

Lesson from the ducks

This is my first-ever post. A very neat gal helped me get set up so here goes..........

We have a pair of ducks that have made our pond their home.

The mother duck gave birth to five little ducklings a few weeks ago.

Its been fun watching this mother proudly protect her little ones.

(The father duck as now moved on.)

My husband has been feeding them bread crumbs each day -

the mother does not take any of the crumbs but leaves it for her ducklings.

We have also seen her fighting off large birds that were trying to kill her young; she is very protective by them.

I know we will not keep them around after they can fly but we are enjoying them

while they are here.

It makes me think how we care for and protect our children; how we prepare them to go out into the world and fend for themselves. We do the best we can and then watch them fly.........

Of course, we also cover them with our prayers - maybe the mother duck does that too.