Strangely Dim - Sunday Singing

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I keep seeing the merry-go-round from the children's play ground.  Well the old children's playground, they are now band.  I would run to jump on while someone was spinning it round.  I would try to stand in the middle without falling over, as everyone laughed while pushing it harder and faster.  Later would be my turn to spin.  I remember during high school the drill team would go to the elementary school playground and spin each other.  We would see who could survive without losing their stomachs.  Giggles would pursue as someone would try to walk once they stepped from the merry-go-round.

Life can bring back the funniest memories as we spin around in all directions.  Trying to stand while feeling the ground moving beneath me brings me to the solid rock.

I am spinning...not sure who or what will grab the handles of the ride and slow it down, speed it up or yank it to a halt.  During this season I embrace songs.   This song has such a catchy beat that you just smile as this artist draws you to the truth.  More than once her songs have lifted my soul and turned my eyes upward.

So for my Sunday Singing....Strangely Dim.

Francesca Battistelli - Strangely Dim Lyrics

When I can retrieve my balance I will re-enter the blog world.  For now so many decisions, so many appointments, so many adjustments, so much learning  while the spinning continues,  yet  I stand on the Rock for my foothold.

Who, Not Me?

Don't you just love Debbie at Words on Wheels?  If you haven't met her you must.  She just enjoys yakking and with her yakking we are convicted, cry, laugh...yes, laugh a lot and then see ourselves in her daily walk.  So this week she just went to meddling when she posted on hoarding.  Now I must say, when I started her post I had my finger pointing at others, but not myself.

Well you know that saying...while pointing with one finger you have three pointing back at you.

So I must confess...I have a hoarding issue also.  I have 10 thousand plus pictures...in boxes, in photo albums and tons of storage on my computer.

But the hoarding that touches my heart is when I am glad I just didn't throw that away.

June 14, 2013 my hubby and I celebrated our 33rd Wedding Anniversary.  Now I must say, this day wasn't wrapped in excitement but frustration.  I really just wanted to over look it and go forward.  The stress of unemployment and lack of any financial security can make us both look at each other as if we are growing horns...demon horns.

My wedding dress.  The picture I had torn from the magazine in 1979. Behind the picture are the sheets of music for the song my husband wrote for our wedding.

Yet, through all of it God will gentle reach down and give me hope.  So it was as I went through a box of hoarding memories looking for my misplaced birth certificate.  There they were....memories of the past...memories of dreams that were fulfilled.  I sent them by text to my children, whose response was, "Why did you keep that through all the years?"

Our  dream house plans we drew out during a church service before we married.  In 1982 these plans were very close to what we built.  I didn't even remember us drawing these plans.  I do have on the back of this church bulletin that we needed to stop or we would get in trouble.

I kept them because God knew that one day I would need encouraged and I would thumb through an old box and smile.   Through the little pieces of forgotten paper God would show me that He still knew what was happening.  He would remind me of my vows and His place in my marriage.

A copy of our wedding vows provided by the church.  I am sure I haven't seen this in over 32 years.  Re-reading was a good reminder of the covenant I entered into 33 years ago.

So Debbie...thanks for your post and letting the three fingers point back at me.  Isn't it amazing what God can use in our lives when we allow Him?

Summer Paint Bucket

This summer I am adding to two buckets instead of a sand pail.  I have a cleaning bucket and decorating bucket.  This summer the motivation is income!  Now income only comes when your skills have been honed in, which I am also doing.  The results are starting to show at my home as the windows shine and other decorating projects get finished.

As I was applying another coat of paint to a chair I looked down and noticed something that made me grin.  There were my pretty manicured toes and they were glaring back at me through the matching paint!  Yes, my toes matched the chair.

I didn't realize that I was starting to enjoy this color, but evidence showed up everywhere.  So here it goes through word pictures.

That dreaded bathing suit I added last year, after decades of not having one.  I found the color here as I pulled it from my closet.  Benjamin so enjoys me going swimming with him and my confidence is starting to rise as the scales continue to decrease...yeah!  At least one things is working around here.....weight loss.

My summer coverlet and pillows!

This color just wakes up my eyes after the winter heavy comforter.

I looked down and there it was on my shorts!

Now it has found its way to my chair! 

What can I say?  I seem to bring the colors I enjoy into my wardrobe and into my house.  I think this is a season of cheerful colors for me.  Kinda like the poem...When I Am I Old I Will Wear Purple!

Have you noticed, do you match your house?  I can tell with my clients.  If they are still wearing colors and clothes for decades ago then their house looks the same.  If they are scared to change their hair cut, then they are scared to change their furniture arrangement...they usually want to stay matchy, matchy. If the colors they are drawn to are the colors of the early 2000's or even the 90's, then so is their wardrobe and the new colors of clothes or decor scare them. Sometimes life's changes call for us to get out of our rut.  Just a change in color can help your navigate those changes easier.  Many of my clients are dealing with new empty nest.  Just changing things is helping them enjoy this new season of life.

Now who would guess that what we wear could speak so much about our home?

Are you in need of some color?

All of Life Can Be Learned in a Children's Book

My love for children's books, mainly what are called picture books, fill my bookshelves.  During my short reign as a first-grade teacher, I had the desire to ignite that same passion in my precious little first-graders.  Each week, I picked out one author/ illustrator to share with the children by learning about the author's life, along with read-out-loud time from the author's works.  The kids became hooked.  We would place the author's birth on our timeline, locate the place of their birth and note the personality style of each author, while enjoying their talent.

What I didn't realize, until the last author was studied, was the theme that passed through each author's life.  Each had huge obstacles to conquer in order to achieve their dreams.  Some came from broken homes, one was diagnosed with dyslexia, and each were told they wouldn't amount to anything.   I didn't plan the theme...God did.  Each time I read through an author's life, I realized that obstacles didn't stop their gifts from being shared with the world.  Many of them didn't live lives that fit in a box. Yet, by not being in a box, they became very creative.

We visited a garden after our Book Club on Beatrix Potter...can't you just see this in Mr. McGregor's garden?

Each book we read was packed with life's truths.  Now why do we make life's truths so complicated as we age?  The kids heard  the story one way, I heard it another....all of us heard the truth.

This summer we continued learning.  We started a weekly Book Club.  We kicked it off with Beatrix Potter and just finished Virginia Lee Burton. Who knows all the authors we will discover before the end of summer? Each mom is taking one author and expanding with the kids.

Our first Book Club meeting ended with them feeding catfish.  Now truly, that is the way to ignite imagination!

But like so many things, I think the real learners at the end will be the Moms.  May we all see the truths that can come from the pages of children's book.  May we not let life's obstacles stop us by making life too complicated.  If it can't be put into a children's picture book...well, it probably isn't worth learning.

Grounding My Feet

Last Sunday, I found myself taking my feet back to familiar territory.  I needed to feel my roots.  This little town holds roots of the past seasons of my life, and I needed to feel grounded.

As I entered the city limits, I passed the cemetery where my cousin is buried.  Cancer took her in her thirties, leaving behind a young daughter and husband.  I said a "thank-you, Lord" for the fact I am still alive and well.

As my car pulled into the square, my memories went back to over 35 years ago, when a young teenage girl and young man were deeply in love.  A love that was so innocent they felt they could take on the whole world's wars and win.  He was so in love with her that he drove up from Central Texas to meet her here at the courthouse.  Her grandmother was involved with a "Singing".  My Sunday songs are dedicated to her.  People from everywhere met in this courthouse. Songbooks we handed out as every type of voice and sound was lifted up to the Lord in praise....a "Singing".  The winter Texas weather turned frigid and they all scattered to beat the storm.  The drive back to Central Texas was hours and hours of battling snow and ice.  They didn't care, it just meant hours of talking and sharing in the car.  They would later marry...this June, it will be 33 years.
The storms have been strong this past decade.  That innocent love, lost at times...but they still move forward.
That season of my life is sketched in my heart forever..  I can still hear my grandmother.

I parked my car.  You now have to pay.  As a child, we just parked anywhere and got out ready to wander down through First Monday, Canton's world-famous, monthly, city-wide flea market.  It wasn't a popular place when I was a child. It was just one of those "East TEXAS things".  I can still recall the tree my great-aunt sold her wares under.  The sights, sounds and smells took me through all the seasons of my life when I would come here.  As a child, a madly in love teenager, a young mother, the owner of a store I called "Mother's Keepsakes", sharing the place with my own children, as an older adult and today, a business owner once again.  This place has always stated, "one man's junk is another man's treasure."  The crowds today showed that many have decided this is a chic place to visit.

I strolled through, as I have in the past, looking for vendors I could possibly use.  This time, my eyes noticed something my "younger" eyes hadn't noticed.  The faces of the vendors were mainly older.  Many should be home, living what we call the "America Dream", which is retirement. Instead, they are battling the crowds and heat, bringing their wares to market.
My eyes loved this large booth.  The women were delightful, the colors of their creations were cheerful.  I decided to ask where they were from.

The retirement-age woman shared the little East Texas town where she lives.  She didn't expect me to know anything about this town. My heart jumped as I told her who my husband's aunt and uncle were that lived in that town.  She smiled as she told me about knowing his aunt.  This aunt was very special to me....she loved me and I fought back tears. I promised to come to their shop in that little town...why would I come to that little town they asked?  I said, because I need to remember.  With each step I took,  more roots kept pushing down through my stubborn soil.

I finished up the day with tired feet and a hand full of business cards.  I enjoyed seeing and hearing the women from East Texas share their wares... and stories.  I was encouraged by their tenacity for living at this stage in life.  This time, I won't return with items to resell as before, or items to decorate my own home, but I will return with lessons that "all things are possible".

I finished my tour looking at aprons. I was pulled toward a booth with brightly colored aprons.  The lady stepped out to help me, while walking with a cane.  She would no longer be at the booth, but continued with me through her Esty shop.  Can you guess the name of the apron I was drawn to?   I didn't have a clue until I picked up the tag...

LUCY!!!

That's right...the apron's name was Lucy.  Doesn't God have a sense of humor?

Thank you Lord for allowing my feet to walk on familiar ground.  Thank you for reminding me of my roots...both my earthly roots and more importantly my spiritual roots.

• If you would like to see the websites of the booths I enjoyed, they are listed below.  Today, this flea market can be seen all over the world.  In past decades, it was just people trading and selling their wares locally:
• www.dressings4u.com
• www.specialtycreations.etsy.com
• www.grandparentssecret.com

It Isn't Gonna Happen

There are just some things that aren't meant to be.  Like........

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No matter how high and straight I could kick my legs in High Kicks...I will never dance on Broadway. I will never be a Rockette.   I spent a couple of years teaching children dance, but my feet never made it to Broadway...it wasn't meant to be.  Then there are those who can change roles.............

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Only to find out that it isn't as easy as it had looked.  This is where our family is right now.  I can tell you...there are some thing that aren't meant to be.

We heard a pop!  Where had it come from?  No one else was  home except Benjamin and I and we were upstairs.  We started to investigate when we found this..............

yes!!! the eggs were boiling on high and left unattended.  Hubby and son had left for school.  May we say, hubby will never be one of these

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Some times things aren't meant to be!  We are just so glad that eggs blown all over the kitchen was the least of our worries...as hubby continues to put on shoes he hasn't worn before.  Oh my!  an unemployed hubby isn't always a good sight to see.   I did chuckle and sent this picture through text to family and friends with a plead for a Job!!!  Well who knows, maybe some one will have mercy on us!  Burnt eggs stink!

Thanks for your wonderful words of encouragement - Lucy and Ethel both appreciate it.  My new shoes...remember that was my accessory for the year...a good pair of tennis shoes for cleaning and a new pair of dress shoes for a B2B luncheon tomorrow.  Yes, Business to Business....my first ever in my life...now is this meant to be????