Monday, August 23, 2021

Life Means So Much...Everyday is a Journal Page, What Will we Compose?

 

This song by Chris Rice really ministers to my heart, I've loved it for years.  It's such a truthful reminder, let us consider the words to this  beautiful song...

 

It's donned on me that the evening that our little dog probably was in trouble, or somewhere he shouldn't have been, I was distracted and very, very upset by a most calculating, prying individual who was upsetting one of my loved ones.  We've all seen their likes.  It's very upsetting the amount of energy they took from me that afternoon.  This song brings things home and how we must keep things focused on our loved ones in our own home.   Every day is a journal page what will we compose?


Speaking of calculating people, there's a lot going on in this big world and perhaps in our little worlds, much like it was that evening and night our little Peanut went missing.  Let's make sure and give our love and energies and care to those in our homes or even outside our homes who we really care about, it could be one of our children, young or old, our precious fur angels who need our attention as in my situation that evening.  Let's be careful not to be distracted by those who cause trouble or even troubling news.  There are people and situations who are used  by the enemy and we must recognize it.   They will steal our Joy, steal our time, and they will distract us from those in our own homes.   Some of it is inevitable but let's try hard to carry on in calmness, and do the next thing as  Elisabeth Elliott said.  I'm preaching to myself too! 

 

Many of us are in those sandwich years, our generation could be called the Sandwich Generation.   We have elderly parents and have younger sons and daughters too, and  grandchildren.  So.  We must carry on on the strong wings of prayer!   There are times I have to look up to the Lord and say...Oh God, you're going to have to help me with this one!

       

 

Now, I must say I'm a firm believer in keeping up with viable news on the radio etc. those who share my values.   My father was a city councilman, I grew up with political pamphlets etc. in our home, but I know when to turn it off even if it's a viable source.  I get my information to educate myself and when it repeats or becomes a bit much, I know it's enough.  

 

One thing that will help greatly with news coming in is to make things prayer points, we can cast our cares on Him and He gives that Peace.   God wins, if you read Revelations it is rather eye opening to how He works things.  He wins. 


When I do find my mind going to things that are not peaceful thoughts and could cause worry, I sing and sometimes I raise my hands to the Lord ....Holy, holy, holy........Lord God Almighty....Early in the morning our song will rise to thee!....Holy thou art holy.....merciful and mighty....God in creation, blessed trinity...   It just scoots those  bad thoughts away!  *HERE* is one version by Keith Green in entirety.

 

 

In the natural end of things...I  believe if God's children would pay attention to real facts, those presented by true believers, get with the Lord and have a tiddle of discernment to what is up we wouldn't be in this lousy mess.  It's hard for people to have any discernment when they are filling their minds with tv programs or movies that have things in it that God hates.  It dulls their senses and then throw in the artificial sweeteners and junk they eat etc. that dull their minds, it's a disaster and this is in the churches too.  I've never seen such a twisted up mess, people calling good, evil and evil, good.  


We all have little governments in our home, let's keep our homes an atmosphere of praise and have a sweet spirit and smile, don't be a sour puss, our kids do not need that, our  grown kids do not need that, our husbands do not need that and it's okay to ask our husbands to smile a bit too.  We'll be eating out and I look at a table with a family and the children look like  good kids and I look at the parents and they seem so sullen and no fun at all to be around, and even rude, I saw the father pass the waiter as he left and just coldly hands the tip to waiter, moving as if the waiter was almost invisible as if the man was giving a snobbish hat-tip. They probably just came from church, the kids were wearing matching Christian tshirts.  

Let's love others, I mean really love others, showing care right in our own home and outside the home.  I see people who are very right-on in what they say but aren't all that nice, it's a bit like what Corinthians says about being a clanging cymbal eh?



It's been a difficult time, losing little Peanut, I miss that little baby dearly but God comforts and helps me, He even sends surprises and Gifts my way.   He'll do the same for you too, we can ask Him to. 


Speaking of loving others, I so appreciate the loving and kind comments that were made on my last blog about our little Peanut.   Those comments touched my heart deeply and mean the world.  Thank you so much.  

 

 

I recently heard this quote by Ann Frank

“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. As longs as this exists, and it certainly always will, I know that then there will always be comfort for every sorrow, whatever the circumstances may be. And I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.” 

 



 This is a little garden banner I bought in remembrance of little Peanut.


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 A little garden statue I came across, I thought this was so sweet.


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So, in my garden under one of the Lilac trees I have a little memorial for little Peanut and all of our precious pets who have crossed over to the other side, I'm sure I've shared about the middle aged man who was in the nursing home for physical care I met who was greeted  by all of his pets when he had crossed over to Heaven before the paramedics brought him back.  Yes, it's true.  We can't argue with a testimony. 



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I hope you all are doing well, we have quite a lot going on here, a wedding being planned as my oldest daughter is getting married and it should be quite a nice affair.   It will be small and intimate but a nice affair.   I actually have been working on, designing and sewing a classic styled ballet length mother of the bride dress and it's totally the Lord how He has guided me on that.   The fabric is a rather slippery lining type fabric with a slight sheen in an eggplant-plum color, very vintage I think.  

It also looks like we just moved in, we had new flooring installed the week before we lost our little Peanut and every nook and cranny was emptied into my living area.  I'm trying to just go through one box at a time, it needed to be done but all at one time is a bit much for me.  I divide my days into segments, cooking time, creating time, reading time and unloading a box time... When I don't get done what I set out to do, when I have unexpected calls...I just end my day saying to myself:  "I did the best I could."

 

We watched the movie:   The Book Thief  and I'm listening also to the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack in my kitchen...The movie is beautiful....It's not a happy-go-lucky movie by any means as it takes place during Hitler's rein.  It has plenty of poignant and even sweet parts though.  I loved her adopted father, he reminds me of my step daddy.   What those people went through, but the very ending is so touching and the movie is so very poignant to me. The young girl, Liesl reminds me of our youngest, she looked very, very much the same when she was that age.  It's remarkable. 

 

Another movie I was watching in glimpses yesterday on a Christian station was The Yearling (1946)...Oh my.  I can hardly watch that movie  but there was a part playing that I had never seen before.  The two precious, sweet, sweet little boys were talking before they went to sleep, one sweet little boy was telling the other about the clouds and asks....Do you ever watch the clouds?   There are angels behind the clouds, I just know it!

 

There is joy in quiet meditation and prayer--in simply talking with the Heavenly Father about anything and everything each day.  And in knowing that He hears and he cares.   Author unkown

 

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All creatures have something visible and invisible.  The visible is weak;  the invisible is strong and alive.  This (the invisible) seeks to get through to human understanding because human beings do not see it.  And yet these invisible realities are forces in the workings of the Holy Spirit.      -Hildegard of Bingen

 

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In closing, my husband reminds to not be in fear, he knows a lot of people are going through a lot of changes right now, God has not given us a spirit of fear.  Just keep your eyes on Him and He will give you the Peace that passes all understanding.

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Saturday, August 7, 2021

We Lost Our Little 'Peanut', Our Precious Little Baby, our Little Dachshund. I Miss My Little Dog so Much.

It was all over the neighborhood web loop from here to twenty miles away at least...A little brown Dachshund out on the country road eating roadkill but running as fast as anything when a human would attempt to pick him up.  The weather was cold as ever that pre-Thanksgiving year in 2019.  He was a young little guy and fast.  There were people who wanted this little dog and bad.    

On that Thanksgiving afternoon, a knock at the door and it was my son in love, Pete  my daughter and our little grandbaby plus one.   Our daughter, Joycie was holding the elusive little dachshund!   I couldn't believe my eyes!   They were riding down that country road when my Ellie Mae daughter who takes after me spotted the little guy..."Quick there's a dog, stop!"   My son in love stopped and the elusive little dachsy ran under the barbed wire fence, my son in love instantly put his long arm over that fence and grabbed that little pilgrim and that was that!   

Peanut was his main name, my daughter, Grace named him Slinky.  He was also known by Pilgrim and Max at times...But he was our BABY.   We would always say...Hi Little Baby!   We loved him so much.  He was young and frisky and full of the most wonderful personality you have ever seen.   He could be a meme.  His eyes were sooooo expressive.  He was just precious and loved us and we loved him.

We lost little Peanut last week suddenly.   

I've been extremely broken over this and I just don't even know what to say at this time but I miss my little dog.   ...My little Baby.

 

 

 

Last week one night around ten, I looked around the living room and didn't see our little boy nestled on any of the couches as normal, "Do you have Peanut? to my husband"   "Do you have Peanut? to Grace"  "Where is he?!"   "Where's Peanut?!!!!"   He roots under pillows and blankets so I think each one of us thought he was rooted under pillows and a blanket next to someone elses lap as usual.  We immediately all jumped up looking for our little baby.  He was also called "LITTLE BABY"  He was our LITTLE BABY.   

Jem was riding around on his utility cart with the flashlight with the lights on looking we were calling and calling.   Nothing.

We finally went to bed with a sinking heart...Something was very wrong.   Very, very wrong.  All the other dogs were in the house for the night.  All of them.  Grace and I had dreams of little Peanut baby all night long thinking he was back and then waking up to disappointment.

I went ahead and got out of bed at 5am.  It was dark and I let our large dogs out and flipped the light on eyeing where they went.   Gracie our hound stopped by the side of the  house under the lilac tree and sniffed, I immediately got the flashlight and my heart sank...I see a little blue collar on a beautiful little red dachshund lying there one ear out characteristically as if he were peacefully asleep under the lilac tree...  But he wasn't asleep.

We don't know whether a water moccasin bit him, or if there were internal causes that we were unaware of.  We had had him checked by the vet the week we got him and no heart worms and I treat my dogs for that monthly...So it's a eerie, cruel mystery.  I did see two little marks in his groin area that resembled a snake bite when I lifted him from the ground, a little toy ball near...Oh my heart.  

So.  It's been a rough week or so, my daughter, Joycie had a miscarriage and that was up and down, an emotional roller coaster as well.  How cruel can this all get...  My body finally told me enough was enough.  My face broke out in hives.  That spoke multitudes.

 

My heart is horribly sad, we so miss little Peanut not running up to our car and jumping in and sitting like a little man...Little Pilgrim.  He would jump up with me in our old golf cart to go check on something just like our little man..Little Pilgrim.  I would just put my arm around him and pat him.  His short little legs were so darn cute.....And those loving expressions.  The house is very quiet because he would be the first to alert.  I don't understand how this happened...So many things I don't understand but I know the Father is there.  I suspect as a pastor recently said...When He is quietest, He is there with us.   I'm camping out at Psalms 23.   

When Grace and I walked out to the burial area to place our little marker, Peanut's toys and flowers a beautiful red cardinal was in a tiny tree as we trudged back into the house to get more decorative pebbles...He was waving his little wings around and stayed for the longest, longest time as I stood there with my arm around Grace.   On the way back out to the grave site as we had gathered more little pebbles to outline the grave, a cardinal was in the tree above the grave .......He waved his wings and hopped around and stayed.....For the longest, longest time.  Yes, for a long time that beautiful red cardinal stayed and kept us company.

A white feather appeared on one of Grace's black jackets laying in a basket.  No one knows where it came from....A  huge beautiful owl flew down from a tree one morning last week and landed so close to the window where I was standing with my coffee...He was beautiful, grey rimmed eyes on a white face, and his legs looked white and the feathers looked furry like a cat's legs he was huge...He stood there for a long time, with his a visible small yellow beak ...just looking around and then the huge bird flew off to my amazement.  It was like a storybook.

 

 

Here's a few shots of our little Peanut, I may be adding more, Grace has some beautiful shots of his expressions:

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 This contains an image of: {{ pinTitle }}   He had gotten the last drop, and I saw this out the window!  Thank God I rescued my little fella right away!

This contains an image of: {{ pinTitle }}  Peanut and Liesl....We didn't do anything mommy...

Recently taken, he would always come and lay down next to me as I took a rest on the recliner in the afternoons.

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This contains an image of: {{ pinTitle }}  Gracie our large Black Mouth Curr Hound laying next to the little box where little Peanut lay.   You see....Gracie used to think she was his mommy...She really did, she thought he was her little baby too.

This contains an image of: {{ pinTitle }}  The little box where little Peanut lay.

This contains an image of: {{ pinTitle }}  I made this little marker and flower arrangement for his little burial place. 


 
This contains an image of: {{ pinTitle }}.  Two of his favorite toys of late.  He would pounce up on the couch with the squeaky ball...He would get little stuffed animals and run and squeak the little squeaker shaking it something mighty.

 

It's with a very sad heart that I've written and posted all of this, I hated to do it but wanted to do it because Peanut was so loved.  Just so loved... So, let's just say your prayers are coveted, many of you understand how our fur angels play a major part in our lives.

 

  This contains an image of: {{ pinTitle }}.   It's me, Amelia the little gal who loves animals, always has and always will...Little heartbeats and comforts from the Lord.  This is a drawing I drew in highschool of me with my first little dog, Cutie.

 

 

My daughter, Joycie who is having a tough week of it as well sent me this song.  It ministered to my heart and maybe it will yours too.

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"Love is something like the clouds that were in the sky before the sun came out.  You cannot touch the clouds, you know; but you feel the rain and know how glad the flowers and the thirsty earth are to have it after a hot day.  You cannot touch love either;  but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything."    ~Annie Sullivan

  

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