Sabbath Keeping - I bless you

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord life up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace."

~ Numbers 6:24-26 ~

"When I started counting my blessings,

my whole life turned around."

~ Willie Nelson ~

"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day." ~ Thoreau ~

"A blessing is a circle of light drawn around a person to protect, heal and strengthen."
~ John O'Donohue ~

"Get up every morning knowing 

God gave you everything you need 

to fulfill your destiny." 

"You must pay the price if you wish to secure the blessing." ~ Andrew Jackson ~

"Almost everyone has experienced some sort of loss, perhaps the greatest is the life of a family member. There is a truth to this; you never get over it. Time wounds some of it but not all of it, so the scars will remain, but interestingly, scars are tougher than the previous skin that was there. The skin where a scar is at can take a greater force without tearing. In a similar manner, what we lose in life and what pains we suffer can be used for good. They can help us come alongside someone who's hurting from the same thing we did. Our pain can help others. God never wastes suffering. What seems a great loss at the time can be great gain later." ~ C. S. Lewis ~

We are unable to count the blessings God pours upon us 

and we've not even asked.

"And God is able to bless you abundantly,

so that in all things at all times, 

having all that you need

you will abound in every good work."

~ 2 Corinthians 9:8 ~

Please pray for ~ Gladys and Jim ~ Marti and Ray ~ Dan and Leigh ~

We've had late March snows and are expecting more mid-week but today was wonderfully sunny, warm and absolutely perfect. Earlier this week I moved 70 bales of orchard grass hay, twice, and have paid for it ever since. Apparently, I've developed hay allergy and it's been brutal. So brutal, I have laryngitis, swollen eyes and a terrible lethargic feeling that's been a constant companion. Today, after church, I came home and took a long nap...felt wonderful and I was able to shake the slight fever I've had for a few days. If someone had offered me a nickle, I would have laid down in the pew and napped, that's how rotten I was feeling. To my right, the sun streamed through the window and my poor eyes took a beating until I just gave up and kept them downcast.

Pastor Mat's sermon was terrific and I always take notes; he's continuing his talk on hero's and today was quite inspirational. He asked, "What is Your Superpower?" and gave the following:

1. Spoken word - Prov 18:21, Ps 33:6 (Do we speak blessings or curses over ourselves and others? For example, do we say, "You're an idiot" or "That was a idiotic thing to do?" It makes a HUGE difference in the way we perceive ourselves or others. As Pastor Mat said, "Say it and the ears hear it and the heart believes it."  We all do stupid things but we are not stupid. How do you talk to yourself, your spouse, your children, your friends, etc.?)

2. Praise - Ps 22:3 (Shake yourself out of a bad day...good music, uplifting talk with a good friend, read Psalms and, my favorite, I talk to the Good Lord and, yes, He answers me.)

3. Say the name of Jesus - Acts 3:6 (There's power in the name of Jesus! I like to sing Jesus Loves Me or a little song I made up, Thank you, thank you Jesus.)

4. Live a righteous life - Job 17:9 (Live a right life before God.)

5. Be kind - Prov 16:24 (Kindness is SO lacking in this cold, mean world!)

6. Pray - James 5:16 (Trust me, if God doesn't get tired of hearing me, you're quite safe!)

7. Have Faith - Heb 11:32 (This, the "Faith Chapter" of the Bible is a good reminder of why we should remember. Knowing others have walked similar paths, bolsters our faith and gives us strength to carry on.)

8. LOVE - John 3:16 (God loved us so much, He sent Jesus, the Light of the World to show us the way Home.)

9. Live in Truth - 2 Cor 10:3-4 (The truth, Jesus, sets us free!)

Lately, I've gotten so lax about updating this blog; actually, I'm lax about all social media, e-mailing, snail mailing, telephoning...some of it has to do with so many boxes still to be unpacked. In a box, somewhere, is my address book and when I first moved, Century Link (my telephone company) told me the problem was with my telephone and I had to buy a new one. So I did, only to find out, two months later, the problem was with Century Link but they graciously gave me a $30 credit for not being able to telephone for those two months. My old telephone system had my contacts and phone numbers but without the address book or that phone system, I've been at loose ends. The only numbers my head contains are those of siblings and parents. I've missed talking with old friends and only wish they felt the same; I've not heard from them since I've moved...wonder what's going on there? It certainly can't be something I've said...chortle!

Finally found my pots and pans; I've been making do with one smallish pot and a soup pot. Some years back I bought a convection oven and that gets a lot of use. The box containing kitchen knives turned up as well so I'm moving closer to having an actual, usable kitchen! There's a good chance my furniture will be delivered this coming weekend; yes, the restored furniture of the Epic Mess of January 2017!

I'm helping with family and moving closer means I'm able to help with medical appointments. Since Mom has been home from hospital, I've been making and delivering meals with Beloved Siblings and their spouses doing their bit; it's been a family affair.

The animals are doing well, thank God, as am I (except for the hay allergy) and life is good. As a treat, I've bought Acorn TV and have enjoyed a lot of Agatha Christie and other such that I enjoy greatly. (By the way, Acorn has a special...$49 for the year...and it's been lovely!) If those blog 'bots don't stop giving stupid comments, I'm going to go to comment approval (or whatever it's called).

Sadie just told me it's well past her bedtime and as I look at the clock, I see it's dangerously approaching tomorrow. This is one reason I'm slow to update, it's because it takes me so long to post. I've been on the computer for hours. So, I'll leave you with a blessing...

May God bless you, yours and the work of your hands and heart. 

May His blessings overflow in your life 

and into the lives of those you love and like.