Fantastic Fall

I love fall!!

Everyone has their favorite season... for most it's probably spring or summer... for some it's winter, but as for me- I love the fall!

I enjoy the other seasons (for the most part) but I feel rejuvenated in the fall. Weird, I know. I just can't help myself, as the Lord begins to wave His paintbrush over the landscape my heart leaps. There is nothing that can match those colors, seriously!

God made each season unique, and to me the fall is the culmination of things.

Winter is the time of rest in many ways, most of the plants go dormant, the weather does it's best to keep us indoors. The daylight is less, we tend to be more willing to take time to be quiet... yes, like nature we know it's a season of rest.

Spring is a season of rejuvenation, new life is blossoming around us, it is a time to plant. Whether that is in the natural and we are preparing to plant our garden, or seeking the Lord to plant new dreams in our heart.

Summer comes with the warmth of the sun and longer hours of daylight, and this gives us time to play and allows the plants to grow.

Then comes fall and with it the wonder of the harvest... something that began months before with the turning of soil and planting of the seeds is now bursting for with produce.

I am reminded in this season that we also go through seasons, though they may not always align with the season of nature we are in at the time.

In my personal life I have seen seasons of winter, with it's darkness and sense of loss, I have gone through seasons of spring with new life and optimism... prayers of new dreams for my life.

Then comes a summer season... a time to rejoice in the beauty around us, maybe a trip to the coast to watch the ocean and ponder the power of the Lord. It is a time to allow the dreams that the Lord has put in our hearts to grow. To trust that, if He gave us the dream, He will bring it to pass.

But the best time of all, the one that is so exciting to come into, a fall season!! Sometimes we know when these are coming- maybe it's the completion of a project we have been working on. But sometimes, and these are the best, are those times of dream harvest... That moment that the Lord brings into being those dreams He gave us in that "spring" however long ago it was that we got the dream.

So back to the physical fall outside, yes, I love the colors, the sounds and smell of this time of year, what I really love is that I see it as the Lord's reminder that He will bring my life into it's season of harvest in His timing. And His timing is always best!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving is here once again, and though we learned in school that it was the celebration by the pilgrims celebrating the arrival, harvest and first year in the "New World" giving thanks to God.

I try to make sure that thanks to the Lord is on the top of my every day list, not just Thanksgiving day.

What it has become is a day of family, and you know, that's not bad. Family is something to be thankful for.

It is the number one traveled time of year, people looking 'homeward' where ever that may be. Gathering with parents, siblings, extended family-- the laughter of children of all ages!

I was blessed to be among about 23 family members today, covering 3 generations, a group that gets together for it's own brand of family fun and insanity each year, and I am thankful that they are mine.

Traditions like who gets the first deviled egg make it fun.


This is a time of year that stirs memories for many, I know it does for me... memories of many childhood Thanksgivings filled with my watching the parade on TV, then my Dad, Granddad and Uncle taking us kids to breakfast so 'the ladies' could get the food in the oven and most of the prep out of the way. And if the weather permitted, football in the yard with kids from the neighborhood until it was feast time.

Memories of my children small and us eating our cinnamon rolls in the morning, out of the oven they came and in went the turkey when we would host the family. Memories of so many happy times. Those memories are especially cherished now that some of those that were with us, are no longer here.

Take time this holiday season to make some memories, those around you will not always be there. Love them while you can, enjoy, appreciate and laugh with them!!

Keep the feeling of thankfulness in your heart all year, an attitude of gratitude makes life so much better.

Happy Thanksgiving and a very Merry Christmas season!!!

                                                    Mary

A.K.A Prairiemouse

Childlike Faith

This morning at during worship service at church I observed a small child, just doing what they do. She would leave the security of her parents arms, and bounce and clap with the music, then she would wander, just a bit, look back, and return to that safety spot, close to their side. As parents, we want to see our children gain the boldness and confidence to move out from that tight spot in our arms, or close to our side, knowing that we are there for guidance and comfort when needed. The reason- this is how they grow to eventually become independent adults, and move forth into their own lives.

And as I watched her it got me thinking; I want to be like that, not afraid to step out, yet all the time, knowing that I am safe with in view and reach of my Heavenly Father. God is ever present, His eye is always on His children. When we need Him, all we have to do is to run to Him.

I know, I have those times that that I just want to stay there, in the security of His arms. And when I need this, He is there for that... but He is also there to encourage me to step out, moving into all the things that He has called me to do. 

That is what I am trying to do that with my life, I want to follow His lead and walk the path He has set out for me to walk. I want to do all that He has called me to do, and this means that I will have plenty of moments that I need to step out in Faith, knowing that He is always there for me to run to, because He is close at hand. I want to always keep moving forward, but to do this, I must keep my  heart on Him and my eyes and looking closely at Him.

His grace is so amazing, He sent His Son, Jesus, to give His life for me. Through my act of receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I became a child of God, through the spirit of adoption. And as such I have the full blessings as a member of the family... 

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I want that Childlike Faith, and the confidence that comes with it.

Blessings!

Prairiemouse

A.K.A - Mary

Fun Memories and Personal 'Gilmore Girl Moments'

Thinking about the holiday today and my November thankfulness postings on Facebook took me back to a sweet and humorous memory. This particular memory dates to the holiday season of 1979, must have been about mid to late December, it was my senior year of high school and was after I had met Glenn. He was one of a couple guys I had dated that fall, but this event is what turned the tide to us moving toward a relationship.  

I was active in Rainbow Girls and all the activities of the local Rainbow, Jobies and DeMolay. One of the things that happened that year was a barn dance and box dinner. For those that don't know what that entails, well a Box Dinner means that you make a meal and wrap it up nice and pretty for it to be auctioned off... in theory no one knows which dinner was made by who. The dinners are auctioned and then whoever is the winning bidder eats with whoever made the dinner.

If I remember right mine had Fried Chicken, rolls, some sort of veggie and pumpkin pie... and yes of course my date knew which dinner was mine, and everyone knew their dates box so that they would bid on it, lol-- it was for a bunch of teens after all.  

Glenn's band, Easy Street was playing the dance, and he was there with his date, and I was there with a guy I'd been dating since the Halloween dance. It seems like there was a hayride before the auction and dance, it was a lot of fun, but the story really starts at the auction. The dinners were each auctioned, and the girls dates were of course the primary bidders with a little bidding by parents & chaperons that were present, to at least make it some sort of auction. For me it got a little interesting when my box came up for auction, my date bid, and then Glenn bid, and this went on for a bit... increments weren't huge. It was a bit awkward, though, since we hadn't really talked since the Halloween dance when I kind of got together with Eric, my date, so I was a bit surprised. So was Glenn's date, lol... oops.  

During the dance, I had snagged Glenn's favorite hat from him, yeh, I was bratty that way. Well after the dance a large group of us did what we always did after dances, we all went to pizza. I know, we hadn't eaten that long before, and as I said, we were teens and pizza was a post-dance ritual. I think Glenn must have still been at the barn tearing down equipment while we were at the pizza parlor. Since he didn't show up by the time I was leaving I returned his hat to his mom.

The next day the guys from the different DeMolay chapters in the area had all met in Medford for some football and after their game Glenn showed up at my house unexpectedly, looking for his hat- for some reason apparently his mom hadn't given it to him or told him that she had it. -- Thanks mom!

My silly teen flirtations and hat snatching were enough to encourage him that I was still a possibility for connecting with, so he started calling again, and he came over a few times over the next couple months, until he asked me to go steady on Valentines Day. From there the rest is history, and many happy memories to look back on.

I do enjoy looking back and seeing how the Lord orchestrated events to bring the two of us together. 

May your Holiday's be blessed with many events that will become happy and fun memories!

Blessings, 

Mary

Resolutions or Goals?

It's the start of a new year and that means "New Years Resolutions." That's the tradition, right? The only problem with it, is more people fail at them than succeed.

So in pondering the year ahead, I decided that I'm not doing "resolutions."  I am setting goals;

• Those that I know I can reach with minimal effort.
• Those that I can reach with more focus and effort.
• And finally those that I would like to reach, though some parts are beyond my immediate control. 

All goals take diligence and effort on our parts. I would rather set them and maybe not achieve all of them, than not set any and end up doing nothing. A friend once told me, just shoot for the stars and if you only hit the moon, that's okay. I agree.

Last year my basic goals were simple, pay my bills each month, plant a garden - which I did, and I learned where I will adjust and improve on things this year, a doable goal. And last was to make fudge for Christmas again, which I also did.

I realize that to some, those aren't really big deals, and that's okay. For me though, since I am still in the process of learning to live life without Glenn, they were significant. I am so much better at balancing life this year than last, those were steps I needed.

The bills, were a blending of faith in the Lord for provision, and making sure I was diligent with the finances He gave me. I can tell you this-- The Lord is faithful!

The garden was a desire to take some control of my food sourcing and it was simple to start. The maintenance wasn't, hard, per-say, but it required me to remember to water it daily and to take care of it... and this year I will build my own tomato cages, lol, I need sturdier and larger than I used last year.

The fudge, well that was an emotional hurdle, but it was something I enjoy doing and I wanted to do it again- in 2013 I just couldn't bring myself to make it since it was something I had always done with Glenn. This year, I was determined to make it, and I did, and I enjoyed it! I took back and area that brings joy to my heart, and that's huge.

At this moment some of my goals for this year, some are easier to implement than others:

• First and foremost, continue to grow in God.
• The garden- with improvements in place! 
• Re-do my yard somewhat, I would like to replace the bark and do a bit of landscaping. This one has so much to it that there will be mini-goals along the way.
• Lose 10-20 pounds... we shall see, lol. Really what I want is to continue improving my health.
• Find a way to take a cruise sometime in the next 12-16 months. 

I know I will be adding more along the way, some I will make and others, well, we shall see. No matter how you look at it though, if I only achieve 1 then that is forward progress! 

Remember- goals are doable, resolutions are easy to push aside or give up on.

May the Lord give each of you a blessed and prosperous 2015!!

Mary

Thanksgiving Thoughts...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I really wasn't sure how I would be emotionally going into today, but as of this moment I can honestly say, I think I'm going to be okay... yes moments, but really okay.

I did something that I have done for the past few years that really has helped. Each day of November up to today, I posted something I was thankful for. It really did something.

It may seem trivial to say, "count your blessings," but trust me, if you do, you will realize that there is so much to be thankful for. I see the hand of God on my life, yes, even in... no, especially in this last 20 months. I am blessed! 

I miss Glenn immensely- especially this morning, in a funny way. You see, I know how to cook a turkey, well at least I used too, but Glenn's love of cooking had a way of overtaking him so that no matter who started cooking he seemed to take over the job- even last year when the girls were doing the Christmas dinner, he just couldn't help himself. It started about 5 years after we were married, and well, this morning I had to remember how to do a turkey- yes, now I was a bit annoyed at him because of this, darn it, he should be doing it! LOL 

I am thankful for the sense of humor that the Lord has given me, it's a little warped but He uses it to jog memories that can't help but make me smile. He is so good and faithful to me, gently helping me through every day. With each memory I find more reasons to be thankful- here is my thought, if you want to find joy in the everyday, have a thankful heart!

I am blessed today with all of my children, my grandchildren and Glenn's parents coming over for the holiday meal; and we are doing a mini-Christmas for Jeremy, Whitney and Asher since they can't come back from Alaska next month... It will be a joyous day and make more memories.

Beginning tomorrow on my facebook I have a sort of spin on what I did this month, it will focus on holiday memories... helping to stir thankfulness in the every day.

Be Blessed and Have a Great Thanksgiving!!!
Rejoice and in all things give thanks!!