God's Will

Inspired by my Monday and by Jenn's posting. Keep the prayers coming.

Why is it that when we get an immediate answer from God we are amazed?

We prayed!? We believed he would answer ......
but when the answer was swift and the answer we were wanting to hear we were amazed.

I find that funny although, I am as guilty as the next.
I am awed by how obvious it is that it is from God. And how releived I am that God is still listening to my prayers-sinful person that I am.

God has always answered prayers.
Sometimes, it is just more obvious than other times.
It is when the answers do not come as we want that we often begin to fall away and lose faith. We need to remember that God holds the master plan and he is looking at the big picture and we are seeing only one little minute bit of the plan.

God does answer our prayers. He will answer according to His will, not our will and according to His time, not our time.

God Will! God's Will!

All I want to do is paint, paint, paint and I am off to an art competition for my students today. Just another example of how my job gets in the way of my life.

If I could just have more time to do the things that are my passion!

On the upside. I did get to see three of my little pun'kins last night and I am off as soon as the competition is over to go see the youngest one who had her first birthday on the 22nd. Back on Sunday.

Keep our group in your prayers for a safe travel. My sister is traveling to see her granddaughter also. She went across from the east coast to the west coast. They are doing Disneyland. Keep them in your prayers also.

Love to all.

Look at me! Look at me!

This is a state testing week and as far as I am concerned a non-productive week for my personal work due to the time I am spending out of my classroom.

What I missed the most this morning was my painting time. I have been attempting to paint during my advanced art class because I love painting and my students benefit from examples. They are independent enough for me not to have to hang over them and give them continuous instructions. I only get a good 4o to 45 minutes to paint but at least it is progress little as it is.

One art student who is not actually in my class stops by to check my progress . As he peeped over my brush today he said, "I just need to check your progress. I will be checking back often to see how you are doing."

I thanked him for his interest and told him to keep checking on me because that will keep me working. His encouragement was simply the interest in the painting, in mentioning to me that he had noticed that I was painting and wanted to see the completed work. It was not that he was boosting my ego with patronizing comments of my great skills.

Isn't that what we all need. Just someone to peep over our shoulders and say "keep it up, girl"....."don't give up",.... "hang in there", ...."I'm watching your back"........
Whatever is said is just some reassurance that someone cares.

Remember when you were a child, swinging so high that you thought you would flip the swingset over? What was that you were yelling to everyone in the yard?
"Look at me! Look at me!"

Sunrise

What better way to begin this Sunday morning than to watch the sunrise.

I have discovered that at this time of the year, from the new location of the recliner I can see out the front picture window and see the sunrise through the tree branches. I have been an early risers by nature all of my life. Now that is not to say that I got up with the chickens when my children were small and the demands on my time and energy were at the highest level but by nature I love to be up before everyone else to be able to meditate, read, watch my gardening shows or whatever else seems pleasurable along with a cup of coffee, a chocolate cookie or my hot green tea. I guess that makes me a slow starter but an early starter.

Today the sunrise is especially brillant stretching across the long expanse of sky is a firey expanse of color-brillant reds that creep into oranges and then into yellows-no clouds, just color running across the sky like God's painting in watercolor.

I don't know what lays in store for my day but I know where I will be and who I will be among this morning.

Who knows me?

Why is it when you open up your thoughts to people you feel ....vulnerable....stripped naked....insecure.

When I was a girl my mother used to tell me that if I kept it all inside that one day it would cause me ulcers or some other equally bad thing. I was that run-to-my-room-to-cry child. I would stand there and act like nothing bothered me until I could get to a safe place where no one would see me and then I would quietly cry. It was not for show.
My throat would hurt like a huge lump was there. And it would interfere with swallowing. The stronger the hurt the harder that lump in my throat felt.

What was that lump? I don't feel that anymore.

Who do you share your deepest hurts with?
Do you allow anyone to really know your deepest, most private hurts?

Psalm 44:21
Romans 8:26-27

Feeding the Ducks

A few months back I had a date with the "out of school" grandchildren feeding the ducks at the river park in Bo...e. It was such a fun date and I got such fun pictures that day.

The kids were on top of the cement picnic tables and ducks were everywhere......mean ducks. You could not turn your back on them or they will come take the food right out of your hands, fingers and all if you are not careful. The kids were so cute. The ducks were ugly... no, really, ugly ducks not your pretty little cute things but ugly ducks.

When I take pictures I am always composing for a painting. I "photoshopped" about 7 or 8 of the photos together to create a picture of the four children on top of the bench with the ducks under it. After many hours of work creating just the look I want and drawing I am finally at the point of putting paint on the paper. I am so excited about having time to paint again. I have not done any serious painting in quite a time.

I have either had a block, did not have time or did not have the space to do it. Even now, the time is tight but the desire is there so strongly to paint. I will find time. I plan to do a periodic posting of the progress of the painting. The attached photo is step one: laying in the background color.

The big plan is to include each grandchild in a paintings so that each family can have a painting of their children.

The Quiet Life!

Today is the type of day that is best indoors in front of a warm fire, watching old movies, and eating popcorn candy.

In the "olden days" when I was a young mother that is what we looked forward to doing. We got our chores done early and then we would close the drapes, turn off the lights and find a good old movie to watch. It was warm and cozy inside. Sometimes, we would lay out a pallet of quilts on the floor and lay on the floor, all cuddled together. That is when I introduced my children to Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Sounds of Music and old classics. And that is when they introduced me to some of the newer movies they enjoyed like The Goonies, and The Ghostbusters and others that I have appropriately forgotten the names. Now years later, it is not the movies that I remember but the warmth of the family gathered together and the sounds of laughter and bickering mingle in my mind.

My children have children now and they are making their memories with their children. I loved those years with my children but when in the midst of those years, I did not know how wonderful and precious those years were.

How could I?

I dealt with little problems, you know those little problems that come from little people? Seldom were there any big problems with them other than those I preceived as being problems. You remember the kind...the unmade bed, the flooded bathroom floors, bubble gum on the sheets, wall climbing in the halls and closets that left smudged footprints a few inches from the ceiling and below (this preceeded the development of those indoor rock walls to climb), swinging from the drapes, running naked outside.....need I go on?

Now when my grandchildren do things I say, "oh, go easy on them. They meant no harm." but then!!! Oh, my! It was tragic! How could they be so silly, or so immature. Sometimes, I heard myself saying ridiculous things like, "Stop acting like children." Oh the great one, "Stop being so happy!!!!!"

We find little things that we allow to irritate us and we allow these things to block our contentment. How disappointed I am in my lack of ability to be content!
To be content shows maturity. I strive for contentment.

Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." [ Deut. 31:6]

1 Thessalonians 4:11
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,

Have A Cup of Hot Tea!

My great grandmother lived to a ripe old age of 107. One thing I recall about this English woman was that she was so short that we, kids outgrew her before we got to junior high, in fact, probably more like fifth grade and none of us were tall for our age. Although, only 4' 9" or maybe, even 10" she was not to be ignored. She lived most of her years as a woman alone, having lost two husbands and one baby in her early years. This woman defined independent woman. She made fruit cakes for sell, bought property and rented it out, sold vitamins, skin products and no telling what else. She had a head for business that is for sure. I never remember her ever asking for money from the family although the family does tell about her buying a car. She borrowed the money from the bank on a twenty year loan. The funny thing was that she had to have been in her 80's at the time.

I guess she just knew she would make it. When I was a young girl and she came to visit she always carried a small green overnight case full of all of her vitamins, minerals, and whatever else could fit in there. She started every day with a cup of hot tea and if she did not have tea then it was just a cup of plain ol' hot water. She said it got the system working. I never recall her ever drinking a cup of coffee.

Who am I to question this woman's theory of longevity?

Did I mention that I have begun to drink hot green tea?
And moisturize, moisturize, moisturize!
Aging.......It's just not pretty! And you can just not tell how long you may last!