"...out here in the stillness, I find my house of worship
with column trees and canopy of stars,
Here in my cathedral." ~Chris Rice from the song, My Cathedral
Once again I am asking for you all to join me in prayer for Uncle Bennie. He has been doing sooo good and now suddenly things are not looking so well. The report is that his kidneys are shutting down and blood pressure is low but I've seen God turn these things around before. We serve a big God. I've prayed this thing through and will continue but I need help from brothers and sisters in Christ.
Healing in Jesus name for Uncle Bennie, both inside and out. Thank you so much.
Please let me hear from you.
UPDATE. 6:57PM We received a call from his daughter and the precious Italian doctor who took care of not only Uncle Bennie and my Italian grandparents has ordered dialysis for him. There are 5-6 doctors looking after Uncle Bennie. His daughter has signed papers for dialysis to start. It will give him a fighting chance. Uncle Bennie is in pain and this is tough but he is a toughie. The Italian doctor (I have yet to find out his name) loves Uncle Bennie and has repeatedly made the remark that Bennie is fighting....he is so fighting for his life. *deep breath* All I can say is this morning they were asking Jem to be a pallbearer and now we have an entirely new outlook. Will you pray with our family? Thank you.
<3 p=""> <3 p="">UPDATE 10.30 5:54PM He received the dialysis treatment this morning and did well. So we are praying he will rally through and the proper actions will be taken for the future. He also has horrible, horrible sores on him because of some negligence in the beginning. Those need to get well, he must be miserable with those. I know God hears our hearts and is moved by our Faith. Thank you so much for continued prayers, brothers and sisters! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
<3 p="">
<3 p="">UPDATE 11.1.18 9:46pm Uncle Bennie's daughter writes: "Daddy is a little more alert since he's been on dialysis. He now has urinary tract infection and another blood infection...he's hanging in there." ...She will speak with the doctor tomorrow for another update. She adds: "Please thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers we truly appreciate it. I'm walking by faith and not by sight. Please keep us in your prayers..."
The Christian radio station is playing such lovely music today, just for me.
It is God to whom and with
whom we travel, and while He is the
End of our journey, He is also at
every stopping place.
~Elisabeth Elliot
Mo-Mo, such a sweet little thing. She ministers to my heart.
Monkey. He mews so cute, he comes for comfort and to comfort...
Our little animals seem to know there is something troubling me...
Our hound, Gracie came to me as I was standing on the front porch and nuzzles her long nose, burying her face into my robe like a child, so sweet. Coffee follows me back into the house, and inside with a worried look.
I felt it would be nice to add a couple of songs that minister to me. I did not hear these particular ones on the radio, I was looking for those on youtube and could not find, but did indeed find these. I hope they minister to your heart too.
The photos chosen are lights and darks, much like my mood, much like our lives.
God is with us.
Thank you all. Signing off from the Forest Cathedral... ~Amelia
First of all, I have a question for any of you reading here. Have you ever commented, and noticed I replied to others and not your comment? My daughter tells me she has commented more than several times and it shows on her end that she did indeed comment but it does not show up on my side! If this has happened and you are wondering why your comment did not receive a reply on site when others did, then it may not be showing up here. Please message me if this is happening. I'm so sorry if this has been the case. Usually, I will reply to either everyone or no one. I try to take care of the blog like my life. I want to be all there for everyone when I'm able fair and square. : ) And there is also the case of notifications never being delivered to me on an older blog entry. I'm sure you too have experienced this, please let me know though of anything that doesn't seem right to you in the way of replies not given or just me making sure I see your comments. Thank you so much!
* I do have a recent prayer request update that perhaps I can update here via edits as I receive them. I do have an edit on the entry below. The latest though is this: Uncle Bennie was moved to another building. They had removed drainage tubes, and then the infection moved into blood up to left lung. Blood pressure effected. Please pray, he's becoming weary. Please join me in prayers, thank you so very much ahead of time.
EDIT: 10.20.18 Thank you so much for your prayers! Uncle Bennie had been put back on the respirator after the incident and there was a concern on that. Thank God he has been able to breathe for longer and longer short periods of time every day on his own. ...Just little by little. The bacteria is being held at bay and thank God no adverse reactions. His doctor in the new building was also my grandma's doctor. He too expressed concern about the visiting doctor who made the horrible comment on letting Uncle Bennie just die, he made the comment in front of Uncle Bennie. This doctor also said that Bennie is a fighter. Yes. And God is with us. Please continue prayers for healing and that Uncle Bennie can go home in a timely manner. The doctor said it is just day to day. I hope to keep you all updated, please keep praying Friends. Thank you so much. A sincere hug. ~Amelia
EDIT: 10.21.18 I just received word that Uncle Bennie is breathing on his own during the day. Thanking God! Please keep praying. Thank you ahead of time. A grateful hug. ~Amelia
I saw this sweet, sweet little video this morning and wanted to simply share it, I have a heart for animals and I thought this was sooooo precious.
Speaking of sweet things, I wanted to share an old movie with you that touches my heart and is uplifting to me. It also has some surprising, poignant elements in the end. It teaches of a mother's love for her family and also the importance of getting to know people and where they are at, what they are doing privately perhaps, their gifts etc. There are some wonderful quotes in the movie as well. One part, the mother played by Irene Dunne, one of my favorite actresses says to her daughter in this adorable Norwegian accent, something to this effect...The day I would want to be rich is the day I would want to be ten foot tall...
Irene Dunne seemed to be such a wholesome actress. It is written in the Wikipedia article that she said her favorite time in life was with her father on the riverboats going down the Mississippi River. Her father was a riverboat inspector back then. I can imagine how she felt about that, I grew up on the bay and I too remember the bay air as I played on my grandma and grandpa's pier in front of their home business as I played with my dolls and such, the boats in the distance, the clanging of the shipyard nearby... My Uncle Bennie recently said that he has dreams about it then. A special place, a special time.
The Trailer....
I Remember Mama (1948) A shot of one of those riverboats still going down the mighty Mississipi in New Orleans...One of my favorite places to be with Jem. New Orleans is a beautiful city if you concentrate on the riverside...So fresh, so serene...I have history there. My Italian Grandma was raised there.
Irene Dunne, one of my favorite actresses.
A couple of shots of our little Elbee and Gracie. Both of these precious fur angels were rescued from the roads out here... Gracie the hound thinks Elbee is her baby, it's always been like that. Elbee was a tiny little kitten that apparently had been picked up by a hawk and dropped, he had huge claw marks on his back. Marianna was alert to a tiny little white fuzzy ball dizzily walking down a busy road. Gracie was hairless, and literally, bones when Marianna found her, it was as if she was waiting on Marianna to pick her up. We gave them that life, and oh how rewarding that is...
I hope everyone will have a restful and uplifting Sunday. I read this quote this morning in my Streams in the Desert devotional this morning:
...And it is the clinging hand of His child that makes a desperate situation a delight to God.
Closing on this sweet Sunday with this old favorite song that has been going through my mind lately...
One Evening...
Signing off from the Forest Cathedral... Have a wonderful Sunday Friends, love, ~Amelia
Do you remember Days of Our Lives, or As the World Turns? My mother never watched soap operas but my mother had a sweet helper who would come every week or every other week and she would watch the then black and white soap operas while she worked,...I remember the dramatic music and the world turning in black and white on the t.v. screen on the kitchen porch where our yellow breakfast table was.
Sometimes our lives resemble the ups and downs of those dramas (in a way) don't they?
Me? When I receive bad news about a beloved family member I'm a lot like a scuba diver. I come up out of the water and receive the news and then...bubble, bubble, bubble I go back down with my goggles and fins to my prayer chamber of sorts. I can carry my prayer chamber around like an oxygen tank too. Just praying and doing the next thing...Just praying and doing the next thing. ....Sometimes walking and treading in prayers...I may be at the store, but I hope to be the graceful swan whose little feet are treading like mad under the water as Mrs. Dunwoody's book describes. ...But I tread in prayers.
This time it is my Uncle Bennie. Please pray for Uncle Bennie, it's been up and down, up and down. One negligent thing happening to him in the hospitals after another.
He's 86 years old and underwent triple bypass heart surgery. He's a fighter. He's also a survivor of prostate cancer.
The cardiologist and surgery team did a wonderful job, they studied the case and conferred 101%. He came through beautifully... But then there was the nurse who punished him because he argued with her on the ice cream type of thing she was trying to force feed him. She then gave him mega doses of morphine which damaged his kidneys etc. There was also a younger doctor who came in and spoke things to the effect of to his daughter such as...Why don't you just let him die peacefully...This doctor said this in front of my uncle! Very dark! I will not expound. But his previous doctor strongly disagreed with that. Oh wow. He said... No! Bennie is a fighter!
My uncle studied to become a vet for animals, long story, things happen and evolve. He would have been an outstanding vet by the way. It's just life happened. The short story is he knows a bit on medicine, he also had every right to question that nurse. We all do, do we not?
He finally strengthened after a tracheotomy and everything else through many, many prayers storming Heaven. He was transferred to another facility hospital where he was improving daily. ...Until the nurse left him in his waste. All day. He had some sores back there where the previous hospital did not clean him properly. Infection entered his bloodstream and he was sent back to the original hospital the next day. The nurse that had left him was found sleeping in the hallway. Picture taken.
He's not doing well and is tempted to give up. Fluids building in lungs and if you are a nurse, doctor or have had a loved one in this position you know what all this entails for that poor person.
Today it's a dire situation.
This affects a lot of things. My mother is 88 and of course, it upsets her, so our family (I'm an only child) has to keep her up and lifted too. She loves the Lord but becomes upset easily when things seem dire.
I'm sorry to have been away. I'm just going to post this and a couple of other things, but please know I've been up and down and around and around in my prayers. I just don't have a lot of mental energy to spare these days.
I love and appreciate all of you and covet, covet, covet your prayers. Ya know, at the age of 57 things are already quite crazy and we fight for our youth and desire to age gracefully with the reputation of being that beautiful person inside and out that our parents taught us to be and it seems it's always something to bring us to our knees. Maybe that makes true beauty? A softness? Perhaps it's the school of sorrow coupled with the companionship of Brokeness? Perhaps the broken pieces come together much like a heavenly tiffany lamp? (I remember hearing or reading the tiffany lamp analogy and liked it.)
Many may never understand, we'll have to accept that, sad but true, but Oh Lord help me to be that uplifting one, never a downer person. Oh God help me to be a Life-giver! When I am weak, He is strong.
Here's a photo of Uncle Bennie holding me one Easter morning when I was little. His favorite nurse at the hospital is a fellow Italian male nurse who cares for him in the night hours. Today will be rather telling. Please pray for my Uncle Bennie. He is the only uncle I have, things have been distanced for the past years, he has his hands full with his adult kids but he always manages to call my mother when he thinks we're in danger of a flood or anything of the sort. He's a very sweet person. Very sweet.
Here is a shot from one evening here...It's very representative of my life these days. My grown daughters living their lives. They are a great help with support for my mom and others too. This was one of the first evenings in this journey of Uncle Bennie.
Janie is in the distance practicing her golf swing. *gentle smiles*. No, I don't golf. She is learning this new sport little by little, me? The swing hurts my back after I had a bit of an injury a while back. That's okay. I'll watch her.
This evening I was walking and praying...walking and praying...
There is something peaceful as we walk and pray and watch our loved ones peacefully going through their lives...something comforting in that. Just like when they were little children, watching them play.
May we be like little children, resting in the Father. Easier said than done at times.
Just treading gently all the while hoping for understanding...but softly bombarding Heaven with prayers.
Peace to you all, Love to all, Amelia in the Forest
Photo by Robert Stock
P.S. I continue to care for our little Guiseppe, our sweet little elderly blind dog. Prior entries tell the tale on this little angel.
I also wanted to re-visit true religion, and what the Bible simply says. Another time?
EDIT Thursday. 10.11.18 1:28pm Yesterday we received word that Uncle Bennie is doing well on a respirator. The infection has not spread and is at bay. Please blogging friends, seen and unseen: Please continue your prayers. For me? I've noticed that in this over a month-long venue of wrestling prayers that the minute I think things are at a lull, my prayers go to a lull. I may still be praying consistently and sincerely but not quite so fervent. This time I will continue my fervent prayers even when things seem up'n adam. I ask that you too will friends. Thank you so much, everyone!
One of our family's very favorite movies. Sergeant York (1941)
This is just one great scene:
After my last blog entry the movie, Sergeant York came to mind where he is talking to the Pastor played by Walter Brennan on his conversion to Christ, (another scene later on):
Pastor Pile: Alvin, you've got the doin' kind of religion, not the meet'n' house kind. I can't seem to find that particular clip!
...but I found this one most touching one that never fails to give great pause and touches my heart.
Just beautiful I think. Do you know that the part of Gracie, the sweet girlfriend and later wife of Alvin York is played by Joan Leslie? There was another actress slated to play Gracie but what I understand is that the real Sergeant York did not want an actress who smoked, drank or cursed to play his wife. Thus Joan Leslie one of my all-time favorite actresses played the part and what a wonderful job she did. Look up the bio of Joan Leslie if you like, it's an interesting one. She married a doctor she met at a hospital when she was visiting a relative, the doctor was tending her relative. The couple later had twin girls. Joan Leslie and her husband later built a home for unwed mothers among other wonderful charitable things.
Some churches are like the above clip, humble but beautiful, some are beautiful with greatness built by the hands of craftsmen but both churches may be saturated with the love of Christ, true hearts for Christ. I've seen both kinds of churches and ...both kinds of religion in either. I bet you have too.
Many churches that were once very godly have become a bit liberal in not such a good way, as in not pleasing to God, they are espousing some things that are just..not God's character nor His Truths.
I personally cannot attend a church where I sit in the balcony and peer down to see a pastor's wife who is so liberal she blocks well-meaning people who gently challenge her liberal tweets. Yes, that happened. It's a shame, the cathedral was one of the last of what I would call an old-fashioned more Wesleyan church. It was one of those places that when you walked in, you could sense the Holy Spirit. I remember going in the ladies room and seeing an evangelical non-denominational Bible study book by a women's purse, people brought their Bibles, I would see precious Chinese families in the balcony that knew us from the Chinese mission in the medical center to reach out to the medical establishment from China. It told me much as well as much as one of the older men, a most precious leader coming out to me to meet me, to make sure I was not standing alone. He stood there humbly, near my height with a sweet bald head and a subdued but oh so sweet and sincere smile. He simply said, Hi, I'm Charlie. It was one of the few churches that you might have a person of means sitting next to a homeless person in unity worshipping God.
So much godly history there... Jem and I stood in the balcony of that great cathedral the first time attending and both of us had tears running down our faces. I used to love sitting across from the stained glass window of Jesus with his lambs. ...Because I am one of his little lambs.
My parents were married in the chapel and my daughter and son in law were married in the cathedral. The pastor at the time, Pastor Wende was such an encouragement. The first time I met him I was going through a tumultuous time, Joycie and Zuzu were in China teaching English. He shook my hand and said..."Thank you for that Holy Ghost smile!". His wife seemed to be such a precious soul. Once when our entire family walked up to the balcony on Mother's Day, she too was sitting up there with her grown children. She smiled so sweetly, stood up and offered us their seats. When Michelle and Josh counseled with Pastor Wende before the wedding he would look out that downtown window, hearing from God and then would speak truths to Zuzu and Tommy. Zuzu told me how exact he was in what he told them. Well, one day maybe we will meet up with those sweet people and become better acquainted. Are we just alike? I doubt it, but I like sweet people who act like Christians should act. ...I'm funny that way. ; )
I have one regret about my last blog. And that is that it was not detailed enough, I was trying to hurry and not be overly detailed and then I lacked in detail! Aaargh. I hope I did not give a wrong impression of anything written. We can only edit so much after something is posted. I was shocked when my husband said after reading the blog..."You aren't detailed enough." Normally I feel too detailed. As my dear mother has always said...It never pays to get in a hurry! She would always say that when she would make a mistake of some kind, dropping something or getting the wrong item at the store.
So I suppose I'm needing a balance of not being in a hurry, nor over thinking things. I want this blog to be fun to write, fun to read, insightful to write and insightful to read. I want to live my Christian walk here. Live the Life.
................................................................... Now for a Plot Change!
We have a wonderful thing going on! That daughter and son in law who were married in that century-old cathedral almost several years ago?
They are expecting a little one! Our first grand-baby! Yay! This is especially a Praise the Lord because Zuzu had been fighting serious health issues, showing up soon after marriage. Talk about a trial, oh those poor two young people! My mind at times would be so saturated with everything going on I just didn't know what to think or do. Thankfully, God in His Mercy intervened and Zuzu is much better now. Thanks be to God! Zuzu has a wonderful natural Christian doctor, Dr. Osborne who you may have seen and will see on PBS. Zuzu was interviewed and filmed for one of the upcoming documentaries.
I love Tommy like a son, he was there at that far away hospital when my dad was dying, he held me against his chest as I cried. Zuzu is not only a daughter but has become a sweet friend to talk to,
We are very blessed to have four precious adult daughters and two wonderfully precious sons in laws (loves). More blogs are to come!
Sweet little Baby, we love and welcome you!
You must know, I love to sew. I love to design clothes, I have fashion illustrations I have done. I could (can) do them free hand and now I'm in the season I can bring them to life. I can dress the way I like and when you're middle-aged you can tell the world you got this. Ha.
When I go to the store and see patterns and fabric it's like a child looking at the coloring books and colors! It really does feel just like that... Remember those times?
So I recently saw this pattern when Jem and I were in a rural town Walmart.
I thought to myself...Hmm... That would make a mighty fine maternity dress for Zuzu with a little tweak.
I just happened to have some burgundy poly/cotton broadcloth on hand that I was going to make a fall skirt with but nah...I like the idea of a maternity dress for Zuzu better. So I told our other daughters that I would gladly make them something too if they would let me know. I'm fair like that... ; )
So here we have a new maternity dress for Zuzu! I just tweaked it a tiny bit, coming straight down on the sides below bustline and then straight out at high waist on out to the largest size. I ended up making the hem in back one inch shorter. Took shoulders in one inch to petite it a bit. It's a little on the low side but next project I can fix that. She loves camis so that will work! This dress with pattern probably cost under $10.00 to make.
What a sweet little book... I bought this for Zuzu and read it first. So refreshing!
There might be minute teensy micro-differences such as Mrs. White might have used vaseline and powder for diaper changes, I used Desitin, she bathed her little babies every evening, I didn't, my babies were pretty much given a mini sponge bath every time their diaper was changed! *big smile*. This book is steeped in sensitivity and godly wisdom. Lovely! It really gets to the heart of Motherhood and I love that...I wish all parents, as well as grandparents, could read this book.
In closing...A shot from the other night front my front porch...
Life is not intended to be simply a round of work, no matter how interesting and important that work may be. A moment's pause to watch the glory of a sunrise or a sunset is soul satisfying, while a bird's song will set the steps to music all day long.
~Laura Ingalls Wilder
The wonder of our Lord is that He is so accessible to us in the common things of our lives: the cup of water...breaking of the bread...welcoming children into our arms...fellowship over a meal...giving thanks. A simple attitude of caring, listening, and lovingly telling the truth.
~Nancie Carmichael
God's peace...is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest.
~Philippians 4:7
Closing with this most beautiful and annointed song....Peace to you.
I heard an airplane rumble across the sky this evening...I think of my dad. I miss him.
This Jimmy Stewart clip reminds me of when my Pharisee meter goes off. Ha!
It usually starts at the store or something like that. It could happen on twitter, it could be a liberal or a conservative ...Pharisee.
It can be a liberal pastor's wife who blocks us for say, challenging her support of all things liberal although she throws a little Christianese in. Yes, she blocked me and I was being nice. It's nice to be nice right? Well, apparently she is only tolerant of her brand.
It can happen in the grocery store. Maybe it's someone from a very insider smalltown church. Yes, unfortunately, they are there. Baptist, Pentecostal. They are there.
......................................................................... (EDIT) 7.31 8:34am I feel the need to clarify that these people I am describing below are married to leaders in the church and have attended these places for years. One of the churches, a fundamental church, that contains two of the offending women actually put a young woman out in the cold to wait for her parents to pick her up at a youth party because her skirt was too short. The young girl was one of the youth picked up by the bus ministry. People in that community who would send their children and youth on the church buses to the church heard and would not allow their children and youth to attend there any longer. Who would blame them? That's just...so sad to me, the entire situation.
I not only have my father's sensitivity but also his sense of humor you will read here in small glimpses in this entry.
And as my cousin once had written on her facebook description...'Beware I speak the truth'.
I actually had had enough once after more then several times on different occasions, coming across a reserved woman's path and she behaved as I was invisible. She cruised past me on the dish towel aisle at the dime store ...I felt very much like Jimmy Stewart above... What did you do Mrs. Amelia? I said BOO as she circled around the cap of the aisle to the other side ...I did. ....and then I smiled to myself as I was most surprised at myself! I almost started laughing out loud! (Think Mrs. Ingalls in one of those situations)
Yes, I know people can be rather shy and on the introverted side but can't we be a bit giving in that respect and politely say hello? Is it that far out of our comfort zones? Isn't it the Jesus way to say...Hello? Many of us have had some serious stuff going on and the last thing we need is the dedicated longtime churchies to treat us as an outcast. And trust me, I am an Anne of Green Gables i.n.f.p. personality type...I love my quiet and my imagination, but can't we say hello?
It could be the Methodist. It can be perhaps you brought up the wrong relative's name, you know, that pharmacist cousin of yours? You saw his wife's name (who you haven't even met for Pete's sake!) on the roll so you thought it would connect you somehow, so after that, they look at you like mean-spirited chickens staring at the new hen coming in. (Sorry chickens, don't mean to insult you, little creatures.) Apparently, they didn't like my cousin's wife.
..............................
The Gospel is summed up by loving our neighbor. If we say we have Christ and act as we hate our neighbor how do we love God? There are so many scriptures on showing love. I don't understand the disconnect just as I don't understand the disconnect when people don't spend time with God who they say they love. Maybe that is why they act in these ways? They don't understand the character of God or know God, they are not spending time with Him, ... They just attend church?
1 John 4:20
..................................
Years ago...
Mike
Mike was quite a guy. Years ago, my husband would help him with his real estate needs and Jem always said...If Mike ever gives his life to God he is going to be dangerous. (in a good way). You would have had to know Mike. The man was older and has gone to be with God, but he was a stereotype Italian type city guy, a wheeler-dealer. He was Ukrainian but reminded me of a big-city Italian.
What happened? One day Mike gave his life to God. Fully.
Jem and I had always talked to him off and on, I remember gently debating him on pro-life issues as I was pregnant with our third little baby.
Sure enough, Mike was true-blue. He was very sold out to God. The only way right? He told Jem then in his New York accent on visiting churches...I can tell the churches that are real. One thing can tell me. If they have love. I think of Mike often. The year before last I made sure to send him a Christmas card first, instead of answering his. He sent one back to us with a precious message to us and words reminding to always seek God the Father.
He passed away shortly after.
...............................
I really felt I needed to write this Friends, I think most of those if not all who read this so understand and if not? I grimace because it could be that they may be an offender or they are very comfortable for various reasons.
Just last week my meter was going off at the store once again, the grocery store. I purposely made direct eye contact with one of the ladies I'd met in a smalltown church after noticing her repeated disengagement in the garden of produce and approaching the valley of chilled eggs.... ; ) I said hello. She grabbed the bar of her cart and said by rote, Hello, how are you, as she strode off hurriedly.
My meter went off...I said...Fine. Thanks for asking. The lady was already quite a bit a way from me by the time I said Thanks for asking! Janie, our oldest daughter was with me. I told Janie ...See what I mean?
I'm so sorry Janie said. Janie knows I'm very done with this type of thing. Just very done. I've gotten used to certain circles behaving this way. I remember when I was a little thing in ballet, the other moms, the catty ones... Jem always reminds...Proverbs says Jealousy who can stand against it? ..................................
The past several years were so very difficult with my dad, I was feeling so estranged from him, when I did speak with him he would hurt me with his words and then he would call Janie behaving as if he was dying, Janie begging him to push the emergency button. I remember once leaving for church so distraught. The people he was trusting and calling friends were taking advantage of him and turning his heart against us. It was a horrible situation and I will be writing more so others will be warned.
That morning the people in the USO town church wouldn't even shake our hands at the greeting time (it was that hen effect). When I needed the Church. (uppercase 'C') I would usually leave a church (lower case 'c') in tears feeling like an outsider. The only church that has ministered to me in the last several years was in downtown where my parents were married, you could feel Christ in that century-old cathedral, but sadly it now has a rather liberal group of leaders. So grievous to me, it's another loss for me in this horrible culture. I will be back there one day though. They are in my prayers as are all the churches in our country.
Back to God's Children, the little sparrows looking through the window...
Cliques, insider-outsider mentality can be a very ugly thing. People who may be new are staring through the windows. It can be a church, it can be a family a new person married into. It can be schools and *gasp* homeschool groups. Sometimes we think the kids are behaving rudely and all we have to do is look at the mothers or fathers many times.
I told Janie, I'm not bitter at all, that doesn't do any good at all, bitterness only hurts us... But I do have their number. (It's a good thing I grew up as an only child and am used to standing and discerning on my own.) It is refreshing to stand alone at times in Christ. We know He sends fellowship as He sees fit.
Pharisee Meter
*a smile*
I'll close with some sweet photos.
This is my precious sparrow friend. I call him little Muffie like one of my little schitzu rescue dogs. Isn't he sweet? I met him on the Mississippi River in New Orleans.
This is our little deer friend. Janie took her photo as she was standing beautifully on our road as we came back from the store... she casually walks into the forest as she is not afraid of us. So sweet.
My short morning walk this morning... I love this view. Can you imagine what Ann of Green Gables would have said about this?
Well, that's the wrap for this fine evening. The good thing? There are some great people to always get to know, they are usually where we least expect it. : )
All is well, I have my Grandma Oddo's Eggplant recipe in the oven, Italian fragrance is wafting through the air.
Janie shared with her singles adult Sunday school class that eggplant was her comfort food. They thought that was funny.
I think most of them have never had an eggplant sandwich even? Bless their hearts...
Hello Dear Ones, Just busy with Life these days. Our little elderly fur angel, Guiseppe has kept me extra engaged lately. Jem and I have been to the vet several times in the past couple of months, for Guiseppe has a tumor behind his ear and it's requiring quite a bit of care. As you probably already know he is almost completely blind. He's a sweet little thing and we are so thanking God for our vet, he obviously takes care of animals out of pleasure not for monetary gain. It's so nice to meet Christians who behave so much as a Christian we know it by their actions and care. There really is something to that song I used to sing, They Will Know we Are Christians by Our Love.
So please pray for little Guiseppe, our vet does not want to remove the tumor at Guiseppe's age. So I will care for our angel the best way I can.
The hits of little Guiseppe's day and evening are stumbling little walks around the kitchen island sniffing for crumbs, he feels like a big boy when he does that or in the evening he loves sitting next to Jem resting his head on Jem's hand.
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I think I'll include a few pics to show life here in the Forest.
An evening walk in the Forest.
A Sunday afternoon here on our screened in back porch. I love it there on the back porch, it's my element and I'm thinking when the fall arrives, perhaps I will take some of my sewing projects there.
I like to cook quietly... sometimes I turn on conservative radio, sometimes oldtime Christian radio or sometimes a pretty classical music cd I have or...sometimes 40s music. I enjoy 40s music. The 40s is my thing...It brings joy to my heart as in my household I try to keep a 40s vibe in ways, the good ways.
Homegrown tomatoes, a cake stand that was my Grandma Oddo's, green glass salt and pepper shakers from an antique store that Jem bought me because he knew I liked them. They remind of the old Andy Griffith show. The natural bunnies are from Marianna and James for Mother's Day.
This tells the tale, Grandma Oddo would be proud. I always think of my Grandma when I'm cooking.
These fellas were adorable! Jem and I were having lunch at a sandwich shop in smalltown and these guys were there, they were darling. I suspect either WWII or Korean War vets.. or both. After they ate I was so amused to see them hop on a motorcycle like it was nothing....Just an everyday thing to go home after enjoying a satisfying healthy lunch. Very good attitudes! One thing I've noticed when we go into smalltown, and that is the elderly there have very good attitudes.
Little Dresses for Africa. I enjoy sewing, designing simple but cute clothes, so I try to make one Little Dress for Africa for every piece of clothing I make for myself. These particular ones are made with pure cotton tshirts cut in half and adding a cotton gathered bottom. I embellish with the daisy to make them extra special. When I get a huge envelope full, I mail them in. I try to make the bigger girls' sizes, they need those many times for the older girls. If you are interested in using your sewing talents, you may go to the Little Dresses for Africa site.
During a big rainstorm, this fella came in through our dog door. I named him Barnaby, but Barnaby moved on when the next storm hit a few days later..He was a sweetie. Jem said he saw him the other day cutting through our property. I think Barnaby is a wanderer bless his heart.
Jem's music room through the window.
Jem and I just celebrated our 38th wedding anni and we enjoy New Orleans, I have history there, some may say, it's in my blood. I love Jackson square with the St. Louis Cathedral. My Grandma Oddo attended here when she was a little girl. Her family came from Naples, Italy when she was a baby. The Italian family had an ice cream shop across from Jax brewery where they also made their own ice cream cones. The family moved out of New Orleans when her little brothers became older.
I think of this song:
It's a sweet song. Jem and I have this one on our playlist and listen to it when we go places together.
Love the river boats going down the Mississippi River in New Orleans... Totally another element of mine. My father attended Gulfport Military school not far from here. I still remember his stories of crossing the Mississippi to the all-girls school for dance socials.
Gulf Coast Military Academy
Once, (he was a captain) he had picked up a small grenade type of thing and put it in his hat. A fellow student who was a little off was throwing them out of the upstairs window on room inspection day. My dad had quickly put it into his hat for safe keeping.
At the girls' school social he had forgotten and when greeting the older lady heading up the school with the walk and look of an overweight top heavy red-breasted robin, hair piled high on head, I'm thinking one of those ruffled numbers around her neck, brooch and all.... Daddy bowed as Southerner's do (did) and took his hat off.
The little grenade type of thing fell out of his hat and.... exploded.
His entire school was on detention until the story was told.
Oh that's just the brief version. *Eh hem*
Oh the stories I have and the stories that left with my dad...
Speaking of my Dad, I found the above photo in my jewelry box a few weeks ago. This was taken five days before I was born. I think of my dad every day. That simple sentence is full of thoughts and memories and feelings and on and on.....
June 17, was the one year mark since he passed away.
Today was a solitary day for the mostpart, I was here with Guiseppe and our other fur angels and I was thinking as I walked outside, went on our back screen porch and noticing how close to God I felt...He is the only fulfillment for any of us. I came back in and realized I needed to chat with God more so today, aside from my morning quiet time...and use this solitairy time wisely. I turned off the radio etc.
It was nice, singing songs to God and speaking with Him about any troubles. I think God wants our full attention in a loving way, just as we want full attention from loved ones, if we are talking to them and they are dis-engaged perhaps on a screen of some kind, it can be hurtful and I'm sure this is how our Father feels at times.
Well that's the wrap. I know I've been a bad little blogger lately. *big smile*
Well, *happy sigh* I have blogged and gotten back in touch. I'm not going to be a perfectionist, just get this journal up by George.
I hope you enjoy this buffet of Life here. I want to just enjoy blogging and get these little bits of Life up, perhaps to encourage, perhaps to share, just share my heart...
Hello, Thank you for stopping by. I'm a middle-aged veteran home educator, happily married over 46 years, mother of four sweet adult daughters, grandmother of 5 precious little children, three boys and two girls. We live in the forest. I design, sew, write, enjoy art, cook, and take care of our many fur angels. ...I'm also a hopeless romantic who wishes it were the 40s again. Follower of Christ, I cherish my personal relationship with the Lord. A pro-life advocate and ethical vegetarian; think: John Wesley, William Booth, Fred Rogers and Frances of Assisi. I laugh hard and pray hard too! Live, Laugh, Love...And pray hard...That's me.
Mo-Mo, such a sweet little thing. She ministers to my heart.
Monkey. He mews so cute, he comes for comfort and to comfort...
Irene Dunne, one of my favorite actresses.
