I Chronicles 28:20
 ²⁰ David also told his son Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or terrified. The Lord God, my God, will be with you. He will not abandon you before all the work on the Lord’s temple is finished. 
This is a sneak peek into a father and son discussion where the elder father is speaking to his grown son....my goodness!! Who would have thought that Solomon in all his wisdom would have needed this type of encouragement after witnessing all he surely had seen of his father's walk with God by this point in their lives.  Goes a long way calming my irritation with my own self in what I see as my lack of character after all these years of studying and witnessing so many strong people of God and the direction of those that did NOT pay attention to trying to live a better life through following the Lord.....how they turned out. 

So...um...that last portion is a bit more garbled than I'd intended but it'll have to stand as as good as I can do right this second! LOL  

I want to do better...I want to see myself thinking of others as a natural thing instead of a conscious decision I've had to force myself into acting upon. Good grief!! I can be such a pain in the butt to myself sometimes! most times, at that!  Wanting to do better, but fighting with my own inclinations toward being a self-centered buttface.  ok, I know I can come up with better phrasing there...but, it works.

Giving of oneself to another....always heard it is more worthy if done anonymously... or, at least without fanfare....what would you advise a small child when faced with this as a learning situation? 
Play nice?
How do you feel when someone does something unexpectedly nice for you?
How do you feel when you've done nice things and you're witnessing their reactions?
How much nicer would you feel knowing it's done naturally and all the praises goes to our Lord?

hummm...good starting points...let's see how I can get this to go from here!! 

July 7, 2016

I'm going to try hard to go for following this book for it's 100days. 

Humorous in that it's Linda O's birthday, too. Maybe this will aid in keeping this in the forefront of my memory so I will get her a present in a more timely manner?

 

The name of the book is...

100 Days to a Radical Change.

God First...Others Second and Me Last

 

and....yes..it did include the period after Change on the front cover!!!

 

I'm not good with Bible studies on average. Could be I'm too harsh with myself, but I don't think so. Studies should produce some sort of change and rarely have I noticed enough of a change to make a dent in this hard head and heart.

 

Oh..not saying there's been NO change...just that it's not nearly as drastic as I'd have hoped for.

 

So...why not try something that is claiming to be more radical than not...maybe my stodgy studies have been the problem all along. Not appealing enough to produce that sea change we hope to see.

 

Do not know...we'll see...

 

First Day's verse...

Matthew 6:33 ERV

 What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.

 

bewildered

I just do not understand grandparents that don't like their kids or grandkids to the point of not wanting to help them when they're in trouble. I can see getting frustrated with the kids...I've been frustrated with mine more than once throughout the years, and, I can see not liking certain personality traits that you see being manifested. But, I can't see not liking the person at all...or, at least it seems to me that they don't. And...carry that on down to not doing whatever you can to help the g'kids when they obviously need extra loving and extra care at the moment. Just walking away doesn't seem to me to be an option...I could better understand not putting yourself into a position to know their condition in the first place, but once confronted with the need...to just walk away? Incredible behavior for an adult.

I could expand...but, as I'm pushed for time right now, I won't.

I'm just going on the record as being disillusioned....it's so sad.

I found this in my drafts...and...am surprised it was there...I do recall writing this, but thought I'd posted it too...Had to have been about 5yrs ago at least...I dealt with my feelings at the time, but never trusted this person as much as I had in previous years. Now....so much has changed...it's not an issue for this person any more. I'm posting this for me...as a reminder of how people aren't who we put our trust in.

Today I thought I'd follow fellow blogger, Holly's idea of listing some sensations and thoughts..observations...Let's see how this goes...oh, and also...am using her template for my first effort!

 Outside my window:  widdle birdie singing spring time song!

Thinking:  of this little bird...how happy he sounds

Thankful:  for so many greeting card choices I found

In the kitchen:  tickled I emptied DW and refilled already...cleared deck for upcoming supper duties!

Wearing:  jeans and sandals

Feeling:  thirsty

Seeing:  blue...screen keeps turning blue to go poof on me

Hearing: Scott rattling around as he's dealing with his project

Reading:  in here, Scottish Highlander book...The Hawk; along with Prince Charming by Julie Garwood on audio in back room

Listening: to that bird...he's still singing his heart out

Knowing:  God cares about the little sparrow...and me.

I can see where this could become addicting...switches each moment...Kaleidoscope of thoughts and impressions

vacation time is over

Okey Dokey

It's time to consider ways to energize and enthuse myself in the direction of reclaiming this house with the goal of being company ready.

ummm...

Not something I'm just raring to jump onto!

However...staying in this state isn't pleasing and beyond that it's irritating me that a grown woman will act in such a juvenile fashion to do anything she can to get out from under this task.

If I'd spend as much effort in just doing it, it would have been done a long time ago and kept up, too.

John Smith said

“He that will not work shall not eat.”

Well, we all know how well I like to eat! Maybe I should enforce this rule upon my own self to see some constructive activities happening around here!!

Either that or weight loss...one or the other!!

How does a person decide which book to read next??

For me...it's not anything I can put my finger on, but...assuming we're discussing already owned but unread books....

What did I read last....done with that style or go for more?

time period?? ready for a totally new feel or something out of my comfort zone?

I read a lot of different types of fiction. Rarely non-fiction. Rarely something that would be considered a "classic" as I've discovered those are normally hard work and depressing.

I don't read to be saddened. Nor to have my heart jerked around, either.

This is one reason I do not normally go for the current "best sellers" either...as they all feel that they have to make a statement or shock you.

So, lighter...fluffier...or, fast pace action...also, I do some fantasy because I know it's not real...will never be real.

 Last three books I've picked up to read...

Frontier western set in Minnesota...I stopped reading it as I figured out it has to be the 2nd in a set...want to read the first one first.

Contemporary set in the Hudson River Valley...two chefs, formerly married...deals with them opening an out in the country event destination and how they get back together....obviously still in love, but hurt from miscarriages and drinking problems. Handled lightly but thoroughly.

And...current book...Dragons and humans and countries pitted against each other....this around story number 5 or 6 in set. It's raw, humorous and rough. Not for the squeamish...though the humor helps tamp this down some. I normally stay away from magic, but she handles it in a way I don't find myself offended..it's more Harry Potter-ish than not. Sexy, but not nasty. Read more than half of book when it hit me, I've read this before! Hate that! They're also getting ready to kill off a main character, which is a main no-no for me, but, I recall they handled it OK, not as well if they'd left him alive, though.

I've picked out a bunch of books to take on vacation...yes...books...hard copies.  I'm a happy camper!!

I've been thinking of other types of house plans I might consider living in. One, which only comes up infrequently, is the idea of a condo or apartment. What would this need to look like, at this age right now, not later on in life..which no doubt would change a lot from what works now.

 

I won't go into location...much. Probably across the street from a fantastic beach with a small chance of flooding would appeal greatly. However, isn't very likely.

Would need to come with more than just 2 lonely parking places, though I realize that most people feel lucky to have just one.

And, I think it would need a minimum of 2 bedrooms with 2 full baths.  Preferably 3 bedrooms with an additional bath or at least another half. And...decent sized closets.

Maybe even an additional locked storage area included somewhere on the premises.  

I'd want a full kitchen, and plenty of cabinet space, especially if there's not a dedicated pantry area.

Not sure about an eat-in kitchen...probably not important.

I'd like laundry facilities...would really like them inside the unit, but realize that this takes away space you can use elsewhere, like pantry! However, I'm getting too old to be sitting in a laundry room or traveling back and forth between unit and laundry. Gets old fast!!

Plus...a lot of times those are pay machines and who knows what people will try and clean in them!

I would also like some sort of decent view of something pretty. Just not the side of a building or even worse...the parking lot or machinery.

Wonder how people in large cities stand being cooped up in high rise apartments? What if the power goes out?? how are you going to manage the stairs then?

Hummm...things to think on!!

OK..assuming I'm not stuck on the 131st floor...I think I'd like to do a living room in blue, white and yellow.  I've always like that combination, but I was looking at photos the other day and also stopped when I saw a room done in shades of red, green and white...it was really pretty. Not the Christmas hues, but more subtle than that.  

What would you do...would you carry a theme throughout the unit or...each room separate? Here it's a combo...some tying into each other while others will blend being next to each other.

I think I'd like a balcony that's deep enough to be in the shade while having enough room to have some in the sun.  Maybe the penthouse unit with the whole top?? whoaa!! That would take some work, wouldn't it??!!! might be worth it!