Mews from Meowmix

Today was a repeat of yesterday except for the nap.  No nap today but cold and rainy again, with a winter weather advisory for tonight.  And today was a work day, it being Mr. C’s once-a-month housecleaning job.  We finished in record time.

Tomorrow is Michael and Brigitt’s housecleaning day, but with a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, we are postponing to Wednesday.  (I hope Michael remembered to tell Brigitt that I called this morning!!)  :)  Often, unless she and I talk, something gets lost in the translation.

Being a pretty much regular kind of day, I’m just going to go into those things that made me smile and made me happy today!

1. An exchange of e-mails with Caril.  After I think and pray a while longer, I’ll get back in touch with her about what I come up with!
2. Seeing Michael on Facebook.
3. Doris has had a good day and went with me to clean Mr. C.’s house.  THAT’s why we finished in record time.  She’s really much quicker and better at this than I am.
4. Ordering in pizza tonight.  It’s Randy’s fault.  He blogged about pizza, and then I felt compelled to eat some!
5. I hate to keep saying this, but……………Barney.  He’s just so cute!
6. Conversations with Steve, Phil, Jonathan, and Sherry.
7. Thankful for a warm, comfortable, and restful home and evening.

I’ll see you tomorrow night.  Much love and joy from my house to yours.  God bless.

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Barney tried to make me get up on time; he really did.  But I ignored him, and THEN I heard the clock in the den chiming 9:00am.  It’s the one clock in the house that is always right!  My bedside clock said it was 8:15!!  We’d had some power surges last week, and I guess I didn’t get it set back right.  Oops.  But all was well.  We made it to church on time.  The lady who had nursery duty for class time is completely trustworthy to be there when she’s supposed to be, and Mae showed up at worship hour for her turn.  Those are good things.

After church, we went to PS for lunch, and I enjoyed some gravy and biscuits.  (Yes, Brigitt, I know………………but I didn’t OVERindulge!!)

After arriving home, I went through the Sunday paper, pulling out the circulars with coupons to clip later.  John, I always think about you when reading the Sunday paper!  I remember you saying in a sermon once that we flip through those sale ads on Sunday and find stuff we just gotta go and spend money for, and we didn’t even know we needed those items ’til we went through those sale papers!! 

Then………….the nap!  It’s been cool and rainy all day, and what better way to dispose of a couple of hours than a nap in the recliner, part of the time with a cat in your lap?  (I know, I know………there are LOTS better ways to spend two hours, but………..!)

….and then, ALMOST late for church again, and it’s Kenny’s fault.  I don’t think Kenny reads this blog, but it’s still his fault, anyway, because he’s the one who got me hooked on PathWords on Facebook.  When I start playing, I just can’t seem to stop.  I’m addicted to trying to beat my personal best and trying to keep up with Angela!  I always say, okay, 3 games.  That’s all.  And then it’s “just one more!”  I have to start exercising some discipline in my life!!

TODAY’S SMILES:

1. Sort of…………..in remembering someone whose birthday is tomorrow.
2. Caril’s e-mail “For the Girls!”
3. Barney.
4. Doris was able to attend morning and evening services today.
5. Mae and Martha discussing their hairdos.
6. The list of proposed new elder and deacons for our congregation.

See you tomorrow night.  Maybe I’ll amount to more tomorrow than I did today!!  God’s blessings to you.

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The television and newspapers are full, of course, of looks back to 2008 and sermons are filled with encouragement and hope for 2009.  When I opened up my brand-new Power for Today for this morning’s devotional, January 1st surrounded thoughts about the story of the prodigal son…………..or more specifically, the older brother.  Most lessons I’ve heard about him have more often than not talked about his part in the story as being one of selfishness and judgment and jealousy.  I have always thought that guy had a side, too!  I was gratified to see that the writer of today’s devotional saw it that way, as well.  The author suggested the older brother’s biggest problem was not that he wasn’t right in his feelings (human, after all) but that he simply failed to discern life as it is.

But what I’ve remembered all day from my morning devotional are the thoughts in the foreword of the little book.  Thoughts I’ve been dealing with a lot recently.  Thoughts of past failures, lost opportunities for good, and being able to forgive myself for some of my choices.  The editor’s foreword talked some about the parable of the good Samaritan and suggested that, in life, in 2009, and all subsequent years……………we will all find ourselves, at different times, in the roles and positions of all those characters.  That helped me.  Some days I will be the one who stopped to help, and that’s good; but then, some days, I’ll be one of those who pass by on the other side; and, unfortunately, some days, I will be the one needing to be  ministered to.  Most of us TRY to be the ones offering love and support but, being human, we won’t always do the right things or make the right choices.

I’m so glad that One came Who DID always do the right things and make the right choices.  He’s the only One who ever did or ever will………….and He’s the One who will ALWAYS be at our side, loving us and aiding us and helping us back on our feet.  Thanks be to Him for His unspeakable grace!

TODAY’S SMILES

1. The squirrel email video.
2. I clipped Barney’s nails!!!
3. Another beautiful day with clear skies and sunshine.
4. Mae.
5. We ate our black-eyed peas and hog jowl!  Well, actually, the flavor of the hog jowl will have to be enough for me!!  I did eat the peas, though.
6. By now, I know Brigitt’s home from work where she wanted to be earlier in the day!!!

See you Sunday night.  God bless and keep you.

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……………to you and all those you love.  May God bless each of you in the coming year.

TODAY’S SMILES:

All of you!!!

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That’s what today is!  I’m tired tonight so the creative juices are not flowing.  I’ll just say hope you have a wonderful evening and a good day tomorrow.  May God’s blessings rest on you and those you love.  I’ll see you tomorrow night!

TODAY’S SMILES:

1. We finished our cleaning job today in record time.
2. The roast I fixed in the slow cooker for supper was some kind of fine, if I do say so myself!
3. Jimmy made an issue tonight at church of pointing out that the color of his tie is peach and not pink………………….and it is most definitely PINK, not peach.
4. A question posed by our class teacher tonight was, “Have you ever messed up, and did you learn anything from it?”  Betsy spoke up and said yes, she had learned not to tell anybody about it!!
5. It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL, pleasant, clear-blue-sky kind of day.
6. Amy had left a book on her coffee table entitled, “1000 Baby names.”
7. Hugh.

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A day that started out not to be so good ended up rather well.  I won’t go into that in much detail because I would be violating the boundaries of one of those very private people that I am close to.  How they put up with me I’ll never know because I am an open book, to say the least.  :)  A conversation that was difficult but I thought necessary (whether or not it really was remains to be seen, as well as its effectiveness!) moved into the past tense, and all is well……………….as far as the conversation goes.  For that I am thankful, and I am thankful for the tie that binds.  My heart feels warm now that it’s over and love and peace reign.  You know how sometimes you just feel like you have to speak up and speak your mind?  Well……………like I said, it remains to be seen whether anything productive will come of it. 

I’m reliving a Christmas memory now that also warms my heart.  At the relative’s house where we went for our Christmas Day meal, the head cook wouldn’t let anyone eat ’til all who wished to voice their thoughts did so…………….about what they were thankful for in this year.  I’ve heard of people doing this at Thanksgiving, but it’s an okay Christmas thing, too.  From start to finish, 95% of those who spoke their thoughts aloud were thankful for God and family……………..and the same 95% were choking back tears before they finished.  I know it doesn’t SOUND fun, but it wasn’t really MEANT to be fun, after all…………….just honest and thought-provoking.  Most of my family are emotional, okay? :)  I knew better than to get very deeply into it, so I just generalized it all by saying, “I’m just thankful!!”  This branch of the family is not one I would have expected this from, and I am deeply appreciative of them for sharing their hearts, and it warms MY heart to remember it.  And if I had thought quickly enough, my comment would have been, “There’s an old saying that blood is thicker than water.  I am MOST thankful to know that LOVE is much thicker than blood!”

A friend made a comment on Facebook regarding some items on my list of “16 Random Things About Me.”  Actually, more than one made a comment.  Thank you, Steve, for your comment and for your support and love.  The other came from someone who was a close friend in high school.  She and I, as well as some others, reconnected by way of the high school reunion in the fall of 2007.  It had been close to 40 years since there had been any communication between us and, in fact, I lived those years believing I had disappointed her with some of my choices back in those days.  The fact that she WANTED me to come to the reunion and WANTED to see me enough to send me a note specifically asking me to come………….well, that just fills my heart with warmth in knowing that the bond of love and friendship is a lot more resilient and stronger than youthful stupidity!  For her to care enough to comment on Facebook in a positive way about her friend, Judy, is one of those blessings of the past year.  Both she and another close friend from those days read this blog on a regular basis.  I am thankful for both of them, that they would be interested in reading anything I might have to say.  My heart is full tonight with thankfulness for Caril and Sharon.

Another Christmas memory warms my heart.  That of Michael, Brigitt, Hailey, and Emily and the Christmas time we had together, simply sharing barbecue and hamburgers, and opening gifts.  Besides all that, they brought gifts for Barney!  Now I already loved these 4 people immensely, but when they brought in gifts for Barney, I just knew all over again that my love was well placed!  The girls love him and talk about him all the time, and I just expect them to be down in the floor with him.  But Michael plays with him and loves on him, too, and talks about how soft he is……….and Michael’s 6′4″ and weighs over 200!  And Brigitt.  She’s an animal lover from way back.  She was down in the floor with him, taking pictures of him, and telling him she loves him.  These four provided a Christmas memory that will last until my case of dementia sets in!!! 

Then there was Rhonda.  We had already promised our meal-eating to another house when she let us know when her meal would be.  We did, however, drive the 45 minutes to her house from the first one, just to see her on Christmas.  We visited briefly.  Then Rhonda looked at her Mom and said, “Mom, you look like you feel awful.  I would understand if you want to just go home.”  (Rhonda has her own set of health problems and does truly understand.)  At that, Doris stood up and made ready to do just that because she did feel terrible.  The love and empathy Rhonda displayed for her mother moved me deeply.  (And she wasn’t just trying to get rid of us!) 

Christmas morning provided another cause for warmth in the simple act of helping another daughter with her holiday meal.  Her oven was busted, so she came to our house early that morning to cook for her family.  All either of us did much was give her some instruction and encouragement, and she turned out a pan of dressing that was to die for.  She, her friend, and her son spent part of the day with us thusly, and it was fun.  I’ll treasure that time.

Then tonight………………..an episode of The Cosby Show made me think of a certain dear friend and brother who left pulpit ministry to become involved in funeral home ministry.  He has a dry wit that cracks all of us up, but he has a heart of gold.  Never is that heart more evident than when he talks about his family.  Of late, this heart has been particularly soft when it comes to his grandchildren!  On the TV show, Cliff Huxtable was babysitting his very, very young twin grandchildren.  He was so silly, as Cliff could be………………..showing the grandson his big old foot so he’d know how big his foot would grow to be one day!  Then he told the little girl and boy the story of his brother, their uncle, who had passed away at age 7 and how special he was.  He also told them he didn’t think he was old enough to be a grandfather because old people walk like this…………!  They both just laid in their carry-alls and watched him like he’d lost his mind!!  I told Doris I could see Greg doing just such shenanigans to entertain the twins and Jackson!  Everybody knows the kind of dad and granddad Cliff Huxtable was……………….but my heart is warmed because I know people who are REAL whose children and grandchildren turn them inside out.  The pulpit to funeral home guy is one of them!  There are others in this blogging family who encourage me daily by the absolute devotion that moves them when speaking of their families.

Just sharing some random warm heart ruminations tonight…..

TODAY’S SMILES:

1. Friends
2. Family
3. Pets
4. My blogging community, who are also family
5. A warm, comfortable home
6. People who love me enough to put up with me when I decide I need to speak my  mind

See you tomorrow night…………..if I’m able to blog.  It’s a work day, and you know what those do to me!!!

Love and joy to all.  God bless and keep you.

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Tonight, in a closing prayer at church, someone thanked God for sending the Lord Jesus to the earth to save the world from sin.  And He certainly did that!  All the people who ever have lived, lives now, or will ever live in this world.  What a sweeping, magnificient act of grace to extend to us!

But in hearing the prayer, it turned the bulb back on that lit up for me this morning during services.  In the comments and prayers surrounding the Lord’s Supper, something that was said made me think of an old, old, beloved hymn which I turned to and read through, trying to focus on something that isn’t always clear to me.  I used it as the basis for centering my heart and mind during the communion service, and I wanted to share it with you.  The words are oh so familiar to you, as to me, but the light bulb that came on this morning had to do with removing His grace and friendship from the world view and bringing it down to a personal level.

Here’s the song and some substitutions I made that speak volumes to me right now.

What a Friend “I” Have in Jesus

What a friend “I” have in Jesus, All “my” sins and griefs to bear.  What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!  O what peace “I” often forfeit,  O what needless pain “I” bear, all because “I” do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Do “I” have trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?  “I” should never be discouraged, but take it to the Lord in prayer.  Can “I” find a friend so faithful who will all “my” sorrows share?  Jesus knows “my” every weakness, so “I” should take it to the Lord in prayer.

Am “I” weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?  Precious Savior, still “my” refuge, I need to take it to the Lord in prayer.  Do “my” friends despise, forsake “me?”  “I” should take it to the Lord in prayer.  In His arms He’ll take and shield “me.”  “I” will find a solace there.

To be sure, singing the words in community with each other is a wonderful encouragement.  But sometimes I find the need to bring it down and apply it to my life, my weaknesses, my joys, my sorrows.  Substituting “we” for “I” makes me look directly into the face of the One who did all this for me.

I thought these musings of mine might be worth sharing.

And speaking of friends, and our Father surely blessed me with many.  I’m going to share some pictures of some precious family and a special furry gift from God.  New pictures taken around Christmas.  These may be small, because I’ve already tried this once and was not able to enlarge for better viewing.  But maybe they’ll be where you appreciate them!!

Left to right: Hailey, Mamaw Doris, As Cecil would say, “yours truly,” and Emily.

Barney the Red-Nosed Kitty Cat!

These are my Sunday evening thoughts.  See you tomorrow evening.  May God bless and keep you.

TODAY’S SMILES:

1. Some dogs and cats in the neighborhood romping in their yards.
2. Phil.
3. Cheryl and the angel candle  holder.
4. All of Mary Lee’s family being with her at church tonight.  And they all sat together, they all sing great, and one of them was directing the song service!
5. Buying a new remote control for the TV and actually getting it programmed to work!  (Now there’s no more need to wish for a big screen TV.  And the remote cost a WHOLE lot less!)
6. Getting up this morning and enjoying the re-arranging of the furniture that I did yesterday.  Barney was a bit upset because his chair was moved, but by this afternoon, he’d forgiven me and hopped up in my lap!

P.S.  Sorry.  I can’t get this fixed so that Barney’s picture doesn’t cover up some of the numbers!!!

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Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.  God bless each of you.

TODAY’S SMILES:

All of you!!

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As the kitties at www.lolcats might say, “Purrs-pectv, Iz got it!”

Since I’ve been in a somewhat bah-humbug frame of mind for a few days………for various reasons………..let me share with you a couple of stories I heard today.  They pretty much aligned everything in my head and reminded me how much I have to be happy and thankful about!

First, I shared a prayer request a few weeks ago concerning a young couple named Jennifer and Benjamin.  Ben was a patient of Brigitt’s.  He was 31 or 32 years old, had cancer, and the prognosis was not good.  They have two young ones, I believe, and his life insurance had lapsed.  He was recently transferred to a facility in Minnesota as a last-ditch effort to save his life, involving possible bone marrow transplantation, I believe it was.  Anyway, he wasn’t a good candidate for this, and I found out today that Ben has lost his battle.

That was perspective lesson #1…………….and doesn’t need any more narrative from me.

Perspective lesson #2 was supplied by Michael.  Michael is a firefighter for the City of Memphis and is an EMT, as well.  There had been a news story in the last week about a house fire in which a family with several youngsters had lost everything.  The story aired that, though they had lost all earthly possessions, no lives were lost……………..but, oh, two pets perished in the fire.  I got the rest of the story today from Michael.

The firefighters had gotten everybody out except one child.  They were trying desperately, of course, to find this one and finally did…………………alive, under a mound of clothes on the floor.  But also in/on the clothing were the two pets that didn’t make it…….dogs……….one lying on either side of the child to protect him!  What a selfless, loyal act of love from these two dogs.

I told Michael he really didn’t have to share all this with me!  He said his days often go like that!!

As I said about the first story, this one doesn’t need any commentary, either.

…………..and you know what?  Compared to these two families, I don’t have ANY problems.  Sometimes life can weigh heavy, to be sure.  But it’s still LIFE, isn’t it???

TODAY’S SMILES:

1. Michael helped me finish up his own house today by mopping for me!
2. Getting together with Michael & Brigitt, Hailey and Emily and exchanging gifts tonight.  We had barbecue and cheeseburgers for our holiday meal together.
3. The love I feel for the 4 people mentioned in #2!
4. The freezing rain outside early this  morning turned to just rain later in the day, and the termperatures have warmed some.
5. The privilege of praying for the two families in today’s blog.
6. Sunshine for a brief time between rain clouds.
7. A Christmas card and funny message from Thom.

See you tomorrow night.  Hope you have a great Christmas Eve.  Love and joy to you.

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That’s what this time of year is for me………..a mixed bag.  While it is a happy, exciting, magical, fun time with family and friends, it can also be a time for retrospection and not a little sadness.

Some weeks ago, maybe a couple of months by now, one or two of my fellow bloggers spoke of thoughts, feelings, and ruminations of slip, slip, sliding away.  I understood from whence they came at the time, and still understand tonight.  I feel much the same way.

On the other hand, early on, another fellow blogger mentioned, tongue-in-cheek, that blogs should not be used for whining on a regular basis!  :)  So, tonight, rather than go into the bittersweetness that make up, for me, the whole stretch from Thanksgiving through Christmas, I’m going directly to the sharing of some things that made me “smile and be happy” today.

TODAY’S SMILES:

1. On a cold morning, finding the newspaper on the front porch, due to an unknown person’s kindness!
2. A video of the 4-year-old little girl singing at the lighting of the Christmas tree in Washington.
3. Some of the other Christmas e-mails I received.
4. Bright sunshine.
5. Ginger’s surgery went well.
6. Talking to Sherry.
7. The cashier at Walgreen’s who was moved to tears because a customer gave her a $10.00 tip.
8. All the folks at The Pancake Shop.
9. The section of yesterday’s paper containing the story of Clarabell, the Christmas Cow.  I saved it ’til I had time to read and enjoy it………again.

Hope you are having a good evening and are anticipating a terrific Tuesday.  Tomorrow is a work day for us.  We plan to drop off two of our munchkins’ Christmas gifts tomorrow, as well.  Most of the others have been delivered to their trees already.

See you tomorrow evening.  Have a blessed and peaceful night’s rest.  Love and joy to all.

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