Beguiling Time

Glenda, over at Gg-Notes on the Journey, has written she's cutting back on her posting; her hands and her time tell the tale. I wrote her to say I wear braces on both hands; they help rest, support and protect my hands. At night, I slather my hands with muscle rub, making the dogs crinkle their noses and question if they want to sleep with me. Really? After the stuff they roll in and eat!
Glenda says she'll continue to read blogs of those who comment on her blog; as well, she must be captured and drawn into the plot within three sentences. Eh, no pressure there (haha) but I value Glenda and want the gift of her present on my blog.

As do I want yours. In the darkest grief days, of those that have come, I would visit your blog, yes YOUR BLOG, to see normal. My normal was gone, upended and poured from me when Dave died. People said, "now you have a 'new normal' but, I didn't. There wasn't anything normal about my life, nor was there anything new. Just the same tired old story of love gone ahead, leaving a vacuum even nature couldn't fill.

I questioned God, still do sometimes, as to His timing which, has proven to be excellent and, always, proving He had/has my best interest in His great heart. Yet, some days there are nothing but questions.
He understands.

Dave died in November and after burying him beside his first wife, Cathy, in Hollywood Cemetery, I returned home to begin the real struggle. Dark days, dark nights and even darker thoughts. What was the use? What was my purpose? Did I want to live?
Now, now. Before you blast me with, "and you call yourself a Christian?!" Know this: YES, I am a practicing Christian because I've never gotten it quite right and I never will.
God's grace (giving me what I don't deserve) and God's mercy (not giving me what I do deserve); Christ, at His Father's right hand, interceding for me and the Holy Spirit to comfort me have carried me. As John Newton said, "I am a great sinner but Christ is a greater Savior."
Your prayers as well, as God brought me to your mind, have carried me; you've stood in the gap and may God bless you tenfold as you have blessed me.

At some point in blogging, I added Prayer Keeping to each Sabbath Keeping post. Some of your names are there and many people pray, including me, for you. It's a privilege and honor to pray, one for another. It's been said, time is the gift of eternity and I believe prayer should be our first resource and not our last resort. Pray as if life depended upon it...because it does.
Dave always slept later than I, sometimes by hours, but when he got up, we'd begin our day by sitting in the sun room, drinking coffee or tea, always enjoying each other, our beasties. Dave was a java man; he liked his coffee straight, hot and black while I drink about half cream and half coffee so my poor stomach doesn't suffer. Sometimes we'd talk, a lot, other times we'd sit quietly, enjoying the view you see in the header photo. We were planting deep roots to withstand whatever might come. For all of us, the mission field is under our feet so bloom where you're planted. Grow deep roots, build strength for the journey, pray and read your Bible daily and, if you don't have a Bible, let me know and I'll see you get one.
Pilgrim, prepare yourself. If you don't use the sunny mountaintop days wisely, you'll perish in the valley darkness.

Where ever you are...BLOOM! 

Blessings ~ valleys ~ mountaintops ~ grace ~ mercy ~ foals ~ Cathy ~ Dave ~ YOU ~