Category Archives: Restful Homes for Our Families

Apple Cider Vinegar Medium Roast

05 Sunday Apr 2020

Posted by in Comedy, God's best, Places With God, Restful Homes for Our Families, sour words, Uncategorized, Words That Heal

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It was dark when I entered the kitchen on Palm Sunday. I immediately noticed a half-full carafe of water on my husband’s coffee pot—what a pleasant surprise. I poured the water in the side cylinder and brewed up

photo of coffee mug on top of book

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his favorite decaf Dunkin Donuts medium roast.

He walked out shortly after and said, “Oh, thank you, honey, how thoughtful.”, took a sip, and suddenly a vast expanse of quiet loomed.

“Ahh, I was cleaning the pot with vinegar last night, tastes like you may have used that water.”

Nice, what a way to begin your Sunday morning. Coffee and vinegar.

As we all spend extra time together sheltering in place, are your words edging on the sour?

Do they give grace to those who hear?

Are your Zooms and calls filled with words that build up others in need?

“No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear.

Ephesians 4:29 HCSB

 

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Cockroach Approach

29 Sunday Mar 2020

Posted by in Comedy, God's best, Healing, Lessons from Bugs, Places With God, Restful Homes for Our Families, Uncategorized

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depositphotos_31662597-Harlequin-CockroachStanding in the powder room, I noticed movement near my feet. I was fortunate to have my readers on and quickly grabbed my Mrs. Meyers dish soap, which is under every sink in our home, and squirted away. The spray did not slow Myrtle down. Side note, we grew up with a neighbor named Myrtle with sleek chocolate hair who plodded her feet hard as she walked. Beautiful woman, but we were all scared of her. She was on task, (the stream of a little soap and water were no challenge to her multiple legs approaching me. I next squirted her with Lysol toilet bowl gel. A lethal combo surely to slow her down. To no avail, her advance on me continued. I held my breath and smacked her with my Natural Grocer magazine. Ahhh, this was like fanning a southern lady in the fall, no affect. I took a deep breath and stepped on her. She was a grand roach, so it hurt to snuff her out, but alas, I was out of options.
What have you attempted to snuff out of your life unsuccessfully?
What do you allow to advance in your presence that you know is not God’s best in your life?
There is no reason to wait for God to come to you. You must turn your thoughts and your eyes away from the face of idols and look to Him and be saved. Is. 45:22
Spraying the bluebell liquid did not change the fact that a fabulously large roach was loose and soon to not only touch my shoes but be free in our home.
I glanced at the drain in the tub. It was open. When did I last pour bleach as a preventative measure? We had allowed Myrtle to waltz in and take up residence.
What needs to go in your life?
What do you need to evict forcibly?

Shovel Guy

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I walked in front of a garbage truck the whole time I was out for my lunchtime stroll. It seemed to rev up loudly each time it moved beyond a few cans. It reminded me of how it feels when a person in a bad mood makes contact with you; it’s also with the stench and noise of their bad attitude.

Daisy age 16Don’t assume ownership and try to fix the venomous words spewing. It’s not ours to own. It’s the Lord’s work to repair.

There was a neighbor who was always angry when I walked our sweet Daisy by his yard. He was so upset one day, he took a shovel and began tossing dog poo out in the street with a shovel. He said, “You people need to pick up after your dogs.” By the size of the doggy doo, I knew it was a much larger dog than Daisy, leaving him treasures. I looked over, showed him my bag and softly said we always use a dog waste bag. “He replied, I bet.” At this point, I moved quickly, so I wasn’t on the receipt of a shovel full of ….. Daisy decides to hang out by his red fire hydrant and locks in her legs and won’t move. She’s checking pee-mail, and I’m getting nervous as shovel guy moves closer. I want to lecture him on contaminating our ecosystem, but as the shovel approached, I scooped up our sweet Shitzu and walked on the other side of the street. I continued to do so each evening until he recently moved.

I couldn’t fix my neighbor. He is the Lord’s to repair.

No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, to give grace to those who hear. And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit, who sealed you for the day of redemption. All bitterness, anger and wrath, insult and slander must be removed from you, along with all wickedness. And be kind and forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. Ephesians 4: 29-32

Sweet & Sour

28 Saturday Dec 2019

Posted by in Places With God, Restful Homes for Our Families, Sweet, Uncategorized

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Yesterday morning I opened the refrigerator, and suddenly the top shelf on the door collapsed to the floor. The plastic tray that held my pickles and leftover sweetened condensed milk gave way. Both glass jars shattered everywhere, spilling sweet and sour over my feet, the floor, the cabinets, and my soon to rush in 16-year-old Shitzu who lightning-fast found a piece of glass with condensed milk invitingly dripping off the edges. My quick hands removed the jagged and deadly morsel, much to Miss Daisy Mae’s chagrin.

What a mess.

As we move through the twelve days of Christmas, I’m examining my sweet and sour.

Examine the sweet, which may be good competing with the best?

What are the sours? What needs tossing out of my life?

Proverbs 27 verse 25 states, “When hay is removed, new growth appears.”

 

Healing – Part 10

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Go to Church

Find a bible-based church that’s not so large you get lost in the shuffle.

“See and be radiant and your heart will tremble and rejoice.”  (first half of Is. 59v.5)

Experience the transformative power of God’s Word.

Sorrow is better than laugher, for sadness has a refining influence on us.

Ecclesiastes 7:3

Just soak it all in.

Rest.

Worship.009

Teaching.

The old.

The young.

Cry.

Church is a safe place to weep.

The deeper the sorrow, the less the tongue has to say.

The Talmud

Healing – Part 9

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Poetry

Pumpkins Rebecca Price Photography

Evening Pumpkins
by Rebecca Price

Spend time reading poems, writing poems and sharing poems with others.

The following poem is the favorite of Betty Flamm, the wise and beloved matriarch of our book club.

Betty’s godly presence guides, influences and brings us all up to a higher state of thought.

Mellowness

I like Spring, but it is too young.

I like Summer, but it is too proud.

So I like best of all Autumn;

Because its leaves are a little yellow,

Its tone mellover,

Its colors richer,

And it is tinged a little with sorrow.

Its golden richness speaks

Not of the innocence of spring,

Nor of the power of Summer,

But of the mellowness and kindly wisdom

Of approaching age,

It knows the limitations of life,

And is content.

-Lin Yutang

Take a dip at http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/blog-3/

A poem every day http://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/every-day

Healing – Part 8

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Develop relationships with people in their 90’s.

They have walked through great and irreparable loss.

A seasoned perspective.

My Aunt Virginia almost 94, and a friend Frances, who is  94 seem to have a quick way of pulling me to a feeling of ease.

A beautiful sheath of lilies unfolds in my mind and the scent wakes me, when encouragement or advice comes from these women of distinction .IMG_1005

Show respect to the aged; honor the presence of an elder; fear your God.

I am God.

Leviticus 19:32 The Message

Healing – Part 6

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The dove is missing!

For two days it bounce around my backyard without flying.

I fed it corn,  left water for it, and set up a hay bale to offer shade and protection from my door.

And now it is gone.

My hope became horror after I saw the feathers…lots of feathers, signs of a struggle.

Later while walking our small dog, fecal evidence betrayed our toy predator.

Our Shitzu was more Sun Tzu, a warrior bird dog, not a palace pet.

Mourn, rest, stay away from the kind of chaos that can attack us when we are in a vulnerable state.

 

 

Healing – Part 5

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In line at the grocery store a young mom started setting items aside she could not pay for–

bananas, apples, and other veggies.  I handed the money to the cashier and she, with her many lovely long braids, and her sweet children were on their way.

I’ll never see this family again, but I assured her it was from God and He loves her.

Standing in line at the gas station one of our coaches from the high school was checking out.  It was less than $10.00 but it gave me the opportunity to thank him for all he does for the young people in our community and a simple God Bless you.

You are reading this and thinking I don’t have any extra.

Save a quarter a week till you have a dollar and give it away and bless another.

Perhaps one of my biggest adjustments to having an empty nest is the grocery store, mine is HEB.  Feeling blue grocery shopping alone one Saturday, two teen girls stood in front of me at the checkout counter with a giant bottle of chocolate syrup. The only thing I said as I slipped several dollars to the cashier on their behalf was “God Bless you” to the two smiling young faces. It ended up being on sale and just one dollar, but it was my small way of demonstrating God’s love toward others, and God lifted my spirits as I gave just a little away, my unexpected blessing from Him.

A young mom from our neighborhood texted me to see if she could pick up some food for her three small children from our churches pantry. I could not get there, but the owner of the preschool was there to help, and helped her carry the groceries to her car where she quietly handed the young mom an envelope with extra cash.  That mom called me later to say how she could not believe how God had met her need so quickly.  Sometimes our random acts of kindness are really divine appointments– God’s way of letting others know they are loved and not forgotten.

Feeling Sad?

Be the hand of God.

 

Healing – Part 4

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Yesterday I fell off my bike carrying too much on the way home from our mailbox. It was a pretty hard fall, contents of my basket flying everywhere, and blood dripping from scrapes on my wrist and leg as I rode home.

Photo by Trish Southard

Photo by Trish Southard

Share your load with others.

Todd would have been glad to swing by our box and pick up some of the bigger items on his way home from work.

Our family lost three loved ones in four years.

Multiple loved ones passing away or one is too much of a burden for anyone to bear alone.

Grief Group helped me lift my heavy heart.

Surrounded by people who have suffered the loss of a loved one, and a leader, the group gently persuades you to share your imperfect memories, portraits,  all while putting you at ease.

Our leader had us write letters to our loved ones sharing that we wished they would have remained alive longer, our anger that they missed an important event, regrets, anger and how lonely we feel without them. We then read those letters at the cemetery or somewhere significant to the two of us. We then burned or buried the letters.

Somehow I felt lighter and more at ease with each letter.

In the Jewish faith when a loved one dies, they sit Shiva for seven days.

They stay home and allow others to listen to them, care for them, and bring them food.

When others are in pain, you will find yourself more compassionate and confident to walk through it with them.

Sit beside them quietly.

No advice needed.

When others are happy, be happy with them.

If they are sad, share their sorrow.

Romans 12:15 TLB