Five-Minute-Friday ~ Hospitality

Hospitality...

In five-minutes...

"GO..." 

I know when one is writing for a Christian Writer link, and on the prompt 'Hospitality,' I should write about our fellowship gatherings or Bible Study Groups, but those doors closed a few years ago, and I haven't been able to find my way back just yet.

I could share how it feels to be looking inside from the outside, watching those enjoying the gatherings, but I don't need to go down that path either. 

God, along with the love of Jesus, has moved me past it and onto other things.

That's the great thing about His plan...He allows us to walk a path, even when it's not His, but what happens, as He knows it will, His pathway will cross the one we are on sooner or later, time doesn't matter to Him. He has all the time of eternity. 

So when a crossroad comes up, and one can find Him standing by, we have the choice to change direction with Him, or wave and catch up with Him later. He's already set everything in place. He knows the end of our road before we ever will!

So when I found this article about our differences, yet our similarities, we all are trying to reach the non-believers who just happen to show up along our path, and He already knows they will encounter us on it! He knows we will always be hospitable to them in His name.

He knows what we will do before we ever really do it!

He has me right where I am supposed to be...

"STOP!"

...rather I understand or not. 

One thing I am excited about is hosting our annual Boo Bash. It has been one of my favorite things we have done for our Grand's and their small community of church and school friends for the last 10 years. 

The kids are always excited about coming and talk about it continually from the day they get their invite. 

This year it will be bittersweet though.

The older Grand's and friends that this Bash began with...

...are now teenagers!

But we are not stopping yet! 

There are still younger brothers, friends, and cousins who are still 8-10 and under, that still enjoys coming, and hopefully will for a few more years. 

We will be pulling out the many boxes and props out of storage over the next month, maybe create some new games, develope a menu plan, share cake decorating ideas, (we do a cakewalk) and begin to bring my yard to life allowing the little superheroes and princess to enjoy!

Remember...

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Have a great weekend!

See ya' next week!

Five-Minute-Friday ~ Again

It's FMF, and just like any other week, here I go, again, writing for five minutes on the word prompt, again!

Timer set...

"GO!"

Having to do something over and over again, isn't just because you did it wrong the first or second time, it could be because it actually worked the first time and it's the best way to do it or to get from point A to point B. 

So you do it again, and again.

To develop a new habit, you need to repeat the task, over and over. Again and again, for at least 60 days, so they say. They also say it depends on the person, the habit, the time, and other variables and realistically it can take as little as 18 days to 254 days. 

When I quit smoking 5 years ago this month, I did it "cold turkey!" Breaking a bad habit is probably just as hard, but again, and again I just took it one day at a time. My incentive was a brand new trailer sitting in my driveway. To wash the desire out of my mind, I kept busy, kept in prayer, and would sit in the trailer, thankful something so wrong for me provided something so right for me.

Now I have to do the same thing with the weight that found me. It's not as easy as smoking was. Without realizing it, the hand to mouth habit I had for over 30 years was replaced with chips to mouth. Fries, cookies, and candy-filled the void. So I told myself the same thing I did with the cigarettes, "Don't buy them, I won't smoke them!" Only it's the cookies, chips, and candies but this time, and it's not as easy!

I am now 9 weeks along with the Noom thing. 

Every day I have to weigh in, do the lessons, which takes about 10-15 minutes, get my steps in, and log my food.

Again, and again, and again, and again. 

Even when the numbers don't move but ounces, I still step on that scale!

Just like anything or even everything...

"STOP!" 

...if we do it again, and again, it becomes a routine, a habit, something that just automatically gets done.

My devotionals, my garden time, the time I spend writing or snapping pictures, along with this new fitness and healthy eating stuff, they all fit into this schedule that just works and it repeats itself each day, again and again. 

Somedays, might not go as smooth as others, but there's always tomorrow, a new day to try again like when we are traveling or driving to doctors, a road trip can call the munchies really quick! It's taken some adjusting, but each part, which is a part of me, continues those steps, making the new day better than the day before, comforting the bad days with a new day tomorrow and not binging on sweets today!. 

I don't mind the, again and again in life, they are just part of the journey.

Philippians 4:4(NLT)

4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

Philippians 4:4(NLT)

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Remember...

Click this link to visit Kate's blog.

Click this link if you want to join us.

See ya' next week!

The Simple Woman's Daybook ~ August

For this month, August 2019...

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window...our view was different for a few days.

I am thinking...about how blessed my life is. God's grace upon us allows some of the most memorable moments. None of which could happen without the plan He has for us. Accepting His terms and conditions instead of what the world can throw at us, make all the difference. The worldly ways are not in our best interest. His are!

I am so thankful...for all things...

One of my favorite things...photographing my Mexican Bird of Paradise.

I created...my own temporary space to do some exercising in. Bought a yoga mat, some weights, more bands, and downloaded some videos. Starting out slow and gaining ground each week. It must be contagious cause hubby brought in his incline stationary bike. It's old like us, still works, no computer or power needed, but it's a start. I keep hinting I want a treadmill for the summer months, it's just too hot to walk outside most days.

Then a light bulb went off, what if we turn part of the stalled guest house project into an exercise area!

We'll see how far that thought travels. 

Add some prays, a plan, it could just happen!

I am wearing...a blue floral and stripe print sundress.

I've been watching...my weight go up and down, and then down and back up again! I got discouraged because I didn't think it was working, but I have managed to lose 11 pounds over the last eight weeks. That's over a pound a week.

Not bad! 

My weight graph might look like a snake slithering along the line, but the line is declining. It's a life-changing experience, not a marathon. A year from now, when we are on our Alaska Cruise, I should be at my target weight, in awe of not just our surroundings, but how good I will be feeing! 

I am hoping...all the preparations made turn out the way God has planned.

I've learned...to cherish all the moments I possibly can!

Time flies even faster when it comes to grandchildren...

These two are my oldest and my youngest grandchildren. One was the first grandchild, the other the last. Ones entering the third grade, the other starts his senior year. Life with an eight-year-old and an almost eighteen-year-old are so different.  The oldest does enjoy and likes teaching his younger brother about things. Watching them work as a team just tickled my heart and filled my soul. 

When building a sandcastle, always start it between the watermarks left from the high tide. Add a moat and a canal. Then when the tide begins to rise, it fills it up. 

Eventually, the sea takes back what you built...

In the garden...I've just been trying to keep what's left of my little patio garden alive! Our summer might have started out cooler than average, but boy has it been sizzling lately. 

I moved what wasn't baked to the shade.

My Hens and Chicks, the green kind not the two-legged ones, were struggling.

We had our first monsoon go past us yesterday.

Only got a dozen drops of rain, minimal wind, the humidity level made it sticky, but eventually, it will be what helps to cool us down. 

From the kitchen...we continue to buy healthy. No more chips or cookies in the cupboard. Bread goes bad before we can eat it since we rarely do. It's been weeks since I have had pasta, but I plan to make it a reward of chicken alfredo when I can get those darn RED foods calorie count down and under control.

Shared quote...

A few moments from my days... 

See ya next month!

you can join the simple woman's daybook where every day is a blank page,

and participate in creating a list of the simple things and everyday moments of our daily lives.

Five-Minute-Friday ~ Five

Hard to believe it's already August!

This year is just zipping by. School has begun for some of the Grand's and coming soon for the others. A blended grandson graduated this last school year and starts Army Bootcamp this month, while our first grandson is beginning his senior year, and his graduation next June will arrive before we know it!

Our next three will graduate in 2022, and we have no idea how we will manage to attend them all. One lives here, one lives in Mesa, and the other is in Florida. Hopefully, the dates will be spread out.

We get to do the same thing nine years from now for the three youngest Grand's, who are all 3rd graders this year.

Summer is almost over, and fall is just around the corner. Looking forward to the cooler days it brings.

My timer is set...

"GO!"

I'd like to thank Kate for taking on this endeavor five years ago.

I found Five-Minute-Friday the spring/summer of 2017. I'd like to think God was nudging me to clink on a link on a blog I was reading, which led to another, and another. I wrote maybe a dozen times, and I stopped.

I had been in this funk, and it might have been that words just weren't forming in my head or heart. Health frustrations were dragging me down again, and I just stopped writing about my faith, my love for God, and focused on our journey through life. The book I've held over my head wasn't writing itself, and maybe its something that didn't/doesn't need to be written.

Then last year, after recovering from my broken shoulder, I saw a thing about 31 Days to Telling Your Story in October, so I joined in. I'd been struggling to write a book, and felt like I had no business even trying, since I don't write as well as others do, and the rest is history.

I fell in love with this group of Christian writers...

"STOP!"

...and I made a commitment that I will continue to keep working on that book after that. I also made a commitment to myself to writing along with her word prompt for the entire next year...and here I am.

Remember...

Click this link to visit Kate's blog.

Click this link if you want to join us.

Click this link if you want to read what other's wrote on the prompt. 

See ya' next week!

Five-Minute-Friday ~ Middle

The first thing that I thought of when I learned what the word was this week was;

"Stuck in the middle with you..."

 by Stealers Wheels

"GO."

In the middle of a book.

In the middle of a bible study.

In the middle of a movie.

In the middle of a song.

In the middle of dinner.

In the middle of housework.

In the middle of the road.

In the middle of a storm.

In the middle of a conversation.

In the middle of _______________________________

Fill in the blank!

It seems like we are always in the middle of something.

One thing I am not is STUCK in the middle!

I wasn't sure what band wrote that song or if they had any other hits. Until today, I never knew who actually sung it. I have just heard it many, many times.

After all Rock and Roll is here to stay!

However, so is God!

If I were stuck in the middle, having Jesus on one side and God on the other, I surely wouldn't be calling them jokers or clowns.

Along our journey, we have traveled many miles over the years. Often, there might have been some jokers to our left or hilarious clowns to the right.

Yet, all I can do is smile!

"STOP."

Don't get stuck in the middle! Keep going, you're halfway there!

UPDATE:
Sat 10:30 AM

Eight PM is late when you wake up at the crack of dawn when I posted this last night. Usually, I would have expanded on the raw, unedited thoughts as the exercise goes, helping them make more sense, where they might have come from, but I was just so tired.

We've all been stuck at one time or another. We might be stuck because we ran out of materials or money. Sometimes it's because of medical stuff that needs dealt with, or possibly work. Imagine that! The book had to be put down for a number of reasons a number of times. Stuck, more like stop in the middle of bible studies, for very personal reasons. Getting through the storms takes time. As for the middle of the road, we tend to pull over.

Whatever the reason, it's only for a time. A time to take a breath. A time to reflect. A time to pause, pray and be thankful your stuck in the middle with the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit!

And I have no idea where stuck in the middle of dinner came from, what a hoot!

Have a great weekend.

Remember...

Click this link to visit Kate's blog.

Click this link if you want to join us.

Click this link if you want to read what other's wrote on the prompt. 

See ya' next week!

Five-Minute-Friday ~ Distant

The prompt for Five-Minute-Friday this week is: Distant.

"GO"

The perfect word prompt for this week!

Distant; far away in space or time! 

That describes how three astronauts felt on July 16, 1969, at 6:32 AM, when they lifted off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to land on the moon. 

Tomorrow, July 20th at 4:13 EDT, marks the fiftieth anniversary of when two of them, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, stepped on the moon for the first time.

Distant: (of a person) not intimate; cool or reserved. Keeping people at arm's length. Detached. 

I was 12 years old, and we would have just gotten home from church, and was probably sitting in front of the television watching it live, as it had more than likely preempted any programs that were already on. I just don't remember feeling anything about this monumental step in our history. 

I might have even rebelling about it being on. It's about the age I was when I began being distant from my family. That age when you realize things aren't as they appear. Questions, so many questions of what I was trying to understand came with answers that made no sense. The beginning of when one realizes secrets are hidden, and truths are covered up, and you're a liar!

For our country, it marks an incredible milestone. 

For some, it's a reminder of a time when the truth was a distant thing as well! 

For me, it was a time I didn't know what would be ahead or of how others didn't know how to understand. Simply put, it just wasn't talked about!

Facing the truth, hurt. 

"STOP"

Since then, my life has been full of triggers! Even an anniversary such as this can bring up unwanted memories and reactions. As an adult, I have learned how to handle them differently than that 12-year-old child could. 

By the grace of God, that time, those years, some foggy, yet others are as plain as day, allow me to be an influence to other young girls who unfortunately had similar experiences.

Why, after all these years are we still a country, a state, a town, a family, dealing with something that is so easily swept under the rug when technology has given us a tool to help prevent it but doesn't stop it. 

It affects me to my soul when I read or see a newscast of yet another young girl being assaulted!

Why!

"God, please, help these young girls find their way through that darkness, so that they can see your glory and grace, for a life full of love and honor. Without you in my life, I wouldn't be where I am. Thank you for sending your Son, for cleansing me of the sins I committed when I was in that same place. Show them the light I was shown so that they can find their way to you." 

Sometimes, words take me on a journey, so unexpected, yet deep within my being. This weeks word did that.

Click this link to visit Kate's blog.

Click this link if you want to join us.
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See ya' next week!