Thanksgiving 2019

Hi friends,

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada so I'm popping in to wish my Canadian readers a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving weekend.

It is a quiet and more relaxing weekend for me though I am making the traditional turkey dinner. It is always sad to me when I meet many newcomers to Canada or immigrants who have come in the last few decades but they do not ever partake in a traditional turkey dinner at Thanksgiving or even at Christmas. Even vegans in Canada do celebrate thanksgiving with substituted dishes of course.  Whenever I am up to it I do try to invite people to my home for a traditional meal but the past two years I haven't felt up to it.

Even right now I am feeling tired and a bit run down. For some reason the Fall season doesn't agree with me physically.  It is a pity because I absolutely love the cooler (not cold) weather and the gorgeous colours in the leaves.

I hope you are all enjoying a beautiful weekend wherever you are in the world.  I hope you will also find something for which you are thankful even if you are not celebrating an official Thanksgiving like I am.

I've been away from this space a bit longer than I intended.  These days I am trying to get as much rest as possible and it takes a lot to deal with people with serious health or another needs who live half way across the globe.  But I will be back to more regular blogging soon.

Despite not feeling up to par, I want to close with a list of things I am thankful for at this time.  The list is always long but I will try to keep it a bit shorter for you *smile.

* Better health for a long time friend who was given very bad news by his cardiologist about 2 weeks ago.  He was told he would die imminently as the medicine he has been on hadn't been successful in restoring heart function which was now only 33%. Today he was called by his General Practitioner who said he had "great news".  Another test (I forget the name but it involves dye) given just last week indicates his heart is now at 55%. That is a real miracle and we give thanks.

*  I'm thankful I live in a country where there is freedom to vote for the leadership of your choice and that we can vote on election day without worrying about our safety (our national election is on October 21 for our Prime Minister and our federal ministers). We cannot take these freedoms for granted as things are getting more difficult in free countries each year.

*  I'm thankful that the Lord provides my daily bread and that I can choose (or not choose) to study his Word.

*  I'm thankful for young friends that feel free to discuss their spiritual walk and challenges with me and that they readily thank me for listening. Not only do I help them but they help me understand that I am in God's will concerning being a mentor for them.

*  I'm thankful that after several weeks of almost non-stop rain we've had a few weeks of mostly sunny days and blue skies.

* A friend in Kenya needs a Police Certificate called "Certificate of Good Conduct". They need such a document in Kenya for all kinds of purposes. He thought it would take a month but when he went to apply it only took 3 days and he didn't even have to go to Nairobi to do it!

* Another friend in Kenya has been studying for his English language test as part of his applications for graduate school in Canada. Praise God he has written several tests this week and we pray for great results.

* A friend from Tanzania has successfully defended his thesis at the University of British Columbia and can now call himself doctor.  I was invited to witness the event.

*  Another friend in Kenya has written and successfully passed his licensing examination for medical practise. He will graduate on November 10, 2019.

* Ernest in Kenya still has a leg plaster but his health is improving greatly due to a dear friend who contributed food money so he can eat nutritiously.

*  My friend Eunice has been in hospital for over 8 months now. We have a Go Fund Me campaign for her medical care, nutritious food needs and family needs as they don't live in the city where she is hospitalized. Though we haven't raised much of the funding needed, I thank God we have managed so far and that her health has improved. We are now awaiting results of tests to show how effective the medicine has been and what further course of action is needed. In meantime we continue to pray for the support needed. Check/click here if you are interested in the background.

There is so much more I can list but I will end it here. I hope you enjoyed reading and would love to hear what is on your gratitude list.

Until next time I wish you joy.

My Saturday of Simple Things

Hi friends,

They have testified before the church of your love and friendship. You will do well to forward them on their journey [and you will please do so] in a way worthy of God's [service]. 
  3 John 1: 6

Saturday went by in a flash. I was invited to a friend's for lunch today and had a plethora of errands to run before and after my lunch date.

Alas, I could not sleep last night. Though my eyes were tired I just could not sleep. I even woke up and warmed some milk to drink. That has helped before but not this time. It made my eyes more sleepy but I still could not sleep. I did a lot of praying for others over this time as God brought remembrance of each one and their needs forward. Maybe that was the real reason I could not sleep. Someone needed prayer support. Did you ever have a night like that?

So I woke up much later than anticipated after only a few hours sleep.  I just had time to get a few things done around the house and then I had to get going. No time for shopping.  Off I went to meet my friend, her husband and her children who were just getting home as I was arriving at their door step.

My friend woke up early this morning and made a wonderful lunch of: a tomato based soup, chapati (Indian flat bread), braised green beans and broccoli, roasted organic chicken, brown rice, and salsa (with avocados and other veggies).  She also made chai tea to drink and a nice fruit platter for dessert. I can always count on my friend for a healthy and delicious meal. I felt so blessed to have such a delightful spread for lunch and very much enjoyed my fellowship with her family and one of their boarders.

I actually took my camera with me hoping to get a photo of the food but was so busy talking and eating that I forgot to take the photo, lol!

After a few hours there, I helped to clear the dishes and rinse them so that whoever is doing dishes later (her husband apparently), had a lighter load of work. Of course like all good hosts they didn't want me to clear away dishes but based on personal experience, I know what a chore clean up can be after one has had the fun of eating and sharing good conversation. It was also great to see the children. They are such dears. They kept asking me if I was going home every time I got up. I said no but do you want me to and they would shout "NO, we want you to stay and come more often!". They were so cute and the eldest boy who is 6 said it had been sooooooo long since we had visited last and when can I visit again. It is so nice to have such loving children to visit as well as my good friends.

After lunch and tidying, I had to rush as the business day was almost done. I needed to buy some contact lens. It is getting harder and harder to get contact lens by shopping around for a price here. I'm not sure what has happened but this lat year all opticians are telling me about the laws in place preventing them from selling contact lenses without certain paperwork. When I questioned as to whether this is new law or regulation they tell me it has been in place for 10 years! I didn't understand why then, I am only now (well actually the last 2 years or so) experiencing problems getting a prescription filled without a "fitting" and without a prescription written in the last 6 months.

My prescription is about 8 months old and I'm told I need to get a new one. One optician even told me that I need a higher prescription for my contact lenses based on my eyeglass prescription. I told her my eye doctor doesn't share her opinion and I don't want to go to a higher power which will then make it difficult to read.  I'm due for my annual eye exam in May and I don't want to make any big changes until I know the results of that examination.  What it seems to boil down to is more ways to make sure the consumer pays more money to get more examinations which they do not need. Once a year should be quite fine unless you have an eye problem that needs more frequent observation.

About 2-3 years ago the government stopped covering annual eye examinations as part of the insurance we all pay into.  We now all have to pay extra for that unless you have diabetes.  So this rigamarole around special contact lens fittings seems to correlate with when eye doctors and opticians started insisting that you (the patient) get more frequent eye exams. One required for eye glasses and one required for contact lenses.  Before all they did was use the eye glass prescription to also fill your contact lens prescription. So who are they kidding?  But I digress.

My mission was to get some disposable lenses because I have run out of them and my eyes are feeling the strain. I can't wear my glasses because my eye sight has gotten worse in the last year and a half.  That means since I got my last set of glasses prepared with special lenses and all the high cost of that, my eyes have weakened and so the glasses are distracting to look through and tire my eyes out.  I am waiting until my next annual check-up in Spring to see what has happened since last year and what I should do about the glasses.

The good news is that I was able to find a nice optician who understood my situation and who has dealt with me a few months back.  I bought some lens from him and was so grateful and joyful. I told him he was a "lifesaver".  He said he liked being a lifesaver *smile.  Needless to say I will deal with him again should I decide to get a new eye glass prescription in the Spring.

After my adventures in hunting for vision aids, I hopped on the bus back to my neighborhood.  I needed to buy some veggies and spices that I will be needing for this week's menu plan.  I got home and prepared the lamb dinner from my new plan.  It was quite good. I made up the recipe based on lunch a long-time friend made for me many years ago.  Since I had that lunch with her I've made the dish about 3 times (I don't eat lamb that much despite really enjoying the dish).

After eating I made a quick phone call to my mom who told me she had been trying unsuccessfully to reach me. Whenever she dials my number, which she has memorized correctly (she recited it to me), she gets a  message that the number is not in service. This is very frustrating for her and understandably so.  She reported that she is still under quarantine due to an outbreak of influenza in her care home.  This is about the 4th or 5th day of quarantine. This is difficult to deal with too.  So we prayed together after a short talk and then I had to go.

Smoked Black Bean Dip recipe can be found at Oprah.com

After that I responded to a friend who lives several hours away by plane ride. He is going through a low point.  Wanting to throw in the towel after just starting to get back on his feet. I don't think he realizes how he sabotages his own happiness and success. He goes through a familiar cycle of working hard, feeling upbeat then inexplicably (to me) feeling in a funk and defeated. He is also very bright and has loads of trouble getting along with anyone for very long.  His relationships tend to be quite dysfunctional and I choose not to be too heavily involved in that but want to be a supportive friend where I can and within my boundaries.

I thought he had reached a turning point after going through a particularly difficult time in the last year.  He was  starting to realize that he needs God and a spiritual life to overcome his challenges. We've chatted briefly over several times in the last month and he's been very upbeat. As recently as two nights ago he had wonderful news concerning his future.  Today he sends me a note saying he is burned out and wants to quit.  I'm afraid I've not much patience. It is okay to feel tired and maybe even feel like quitting but don't drop these "emotional bombs" on your friends and expect them to "fix your emotions". In the past I've done it for him and many, many others. I recognized that in myself and put a stop to much of it when I realized I was a "fixer" or an enabler.

Until he can overcome his self-limiting behavior he will not be able to meet his goals. I suggested some emergency scriptures and daily Bible reading and prayer. (He thanked me later so I think he will be okay).  Of course he needs others to support him in prayer too so I will add him to my prayer list. He needs to learn how to cope with adult things and how to deal with and overcoming the challenges that arise in his life.  We all need to learn those skills. Some seem to learn much better than others and some have more negative circumstances and backgrounds to overcome but overcome they must if they are going to move forward in life.  They also need God and loving supportive friends but they must first and foremost take responsibility and become accountable for their own actions.

Oh boy, I did not plan to go there at all but there you have it. Maybe this post will help someone else who is an enabler or someone who thrives on chaos and dysfunction and needs to get beyond it. I hope so.

Anyhow friends, I still have to prepare the smoked black bean dip and pita bread for tomorrow's church social so I best get at it.  We gather every week after the service and have a little fellowship. We all prepare light snacks (different teams take turns preparing food on any given week) 3 weeks out of the month.  Once a month we have a full meal together and everyone who can brings a contribution to the food and drink.  It is always nice to find a simple, portable recipe to take to such potlucks.  It is also nice to sit and chat over coffee and refreshments.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Update: Friends I only made half the black bean dip recipe and it was plenty so if you are only making for family you might want to halve the recipe. I also found it very hot without adding the jalapeno. I think I accidentally doubled the chipotles so be careful if firey hot isn't to your taste. Here is a link to the recipe.

Day One of Routine ~ Not!

Hello friends,

I hope you all had a great day today.

I decided to postpone my regular routine and just took it easy for another day.

I did very little. I talked to mom, had a shower, a cup of coffee and am reading a good book in between doing a little of this and that around the house.

The 3rd and last book in Ken Follett's Century Trilogy.

This book is extremely popular and has many holds on it at the library.   had better finish it quickly as it is due soon. I've haven't been reading as much over Christmas holiday as I had hoped so I still have hundreds of pages to go before I am done.

I love reading. It gives me a lot of joy.  How about you?

Two other books I've read this past week.

Each year I am steadily increasing my reading goal. At the same time I don't want to make the goal so high that I don't achieve it.

Last year I started my reading goal quite modest. I think it was 25 books and I kept gradually increasing it because I kept surpassing the goal. I ended the year with 56 books read and that didn't seem too onerous.

This year I've set my goal at 45 books. If I find myself getting behind I will simply reduce it so it doesn't become a chore.

Over Christmas I posted on my blog that the highways through the mountains to go and visit my mom were mostly bare and clear. Then we were expecting a snow storm over the weekend but it didn't affect where I live. However it did affect most of the rest of the province and there are a number of road accidents. Unfortunately, I also had some sad news.  One of my brother's friends passed while he was shovelling snow the other day. This is very sad because he is under the age of 50 years. It really drives home how dangerous it is for people to shovel snow. Especially if they have any unknown heart issues.

Please be careful if you are shovelling snow. It might be better to hire someone if you aren't feeling up to it. This is not activity in which one should push themselves to do more. If you are tackling the job yourself, read these tips on how to take care of yourself. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Affiliate/Shoveling-Snow-Health-Hazards_UCM_426562_Article.jsp

Keep safe and enjoy the snowfall if you are affected by winter snows. It can make everything look so clean and pretty.

Post Christmas Doldrums

Hi friends,

We are now well into the New Year and I'm a little in the doldrums.

I was bracing for cold weather and snows this weekend but it didn't happen.  We did have coolish tempertures last night as I went out to a friend's house for dinner. Maybe the snow is just a bit late. I'm ready for it if it arrives.

I am still feeling a bit tired as I have been in a long cycle of not going to bed at a good hour. I hope to change that tonight.

My cousin who was supposed to visit with my family this Christmas never made it. As an alternative, we agreed that she would visit between Christmas and New Year's but she never made it due to her brother-in-law getting sick. Now she is far away visiting her daughter before she goes home.  I'm glad she is with her daughter who had a heart attack a few months ago.  But I really did want to see my cousin again briefly so am sorry it didn't work out.

I am a bit behind schedule with getting my Christmas decorations put away because instead I've been trying to buy a few things that I need and while they are on sale.  I finally got a chance to take down the decorations this afternoon.  My things don't look so colourful anymore, lol.

It is a bit funny because I have an artificial tree and it sheds needles like a real tree. I still need to vacuum.

See the pine needles all over the carpet.

Joy is my theme word for the year and today I wasn't feeling much of it.

So how can I find joy today?

I think that joy is a choice.  Not just something to be felt only when outside circumstances affect us.

Today I choose to feel joy even if I feel a bit sad too.  Although my cousin did not visit and I am feeling a bit tired and behind schedule in some ways, I can still choose joy and to look at the bright side of things.

Things to be joy-ful about are quite plentiful.

I had a terrific visit with my mom, my niece, nephew and brother. We had an out of town journey that went off without a hitch. When I returned home I was able to unpack, do laundry without delay and put clothing away. This is something I seldom do and it often takes me weeks to fully unpack and put things in their proper places.  I had so many bags of things to put away this year that I made a point of doing it right away.

I also managed to think ahead and take advantage of some sales on household items (bedding, linen, pillows) and some crafting items (rotary cutters and replacement blades, yarn and fabric pieces) so that I'm all set for the New Year. I did purchase some things on credit though so I have to pay those down as soon as possible.

Other ways I am on top of things include keeping in touch with friends. I had a nice dinner invitation yesterday and have another one next Saturday with a friend I haven't seen in awhile. I have so many people to try and keep in touch with so when I get a chance to meet with some of them I feel a bit more breathing room to be able to get in touch with others I haven't had a chance to see yet.

I like to be ready for the year so that I can be as organized as possible. Each year I seem to be getting a little more organized for the coming year.  Maybe that's why I'm feeling a bit tired.   After a month of my routines getting out of whack I'm hoping I can start getting back into a schedule this week.

I hope you are all set for your year. If you are also feeling a bit down after the Christmas whirlwind, I hope you too will choose "joy".  Let's make 2015 a great year!

It's a New Year

These first two photos were taken with my phone camera about 1 hour before the last two photos.

The light changes fast at this time of year.

Last year I chose two words to guide me for the year rather than setting out a long list of goals like I have in year's gone by. The list of goals really helped me and for the most part I achieved them but I now feel like trying something a bit different so will choose one word this year to guide me.


The word is

{You can see my review of  2014 in pictures here}.

Joy

From the Meriam Webster Dictionary

¹joy

noun \ˈjȯi\

Definition of JOY

1

a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight

b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety

2

: a state of happiness or felicity : bliss

3

: a source or cause of delight

— joy·less adjective

— joy·less·ly adverb

— joy·less·ness noun

 
I am feeling joy today. I had my  Hemoglobin A1C test done last week to determine my average blood sugar level over the previous 3 months.  I am so happy to report that my average blood sugar was 6.6 % and less than 7 % which is the target. Normal level is 4.5-6.0 so I still have a little ways to go in getting it back to normal. 

I've been working very hard since October and taking not only my pharmaceuticals and newly prescribed pharmaceuticals, but alternative medicines as well. I've also cut my food intake in about half. I eat half at one meal and the other half at the next meal or the next day. Exercise is key also.  But due to the pain levels in the knee(s), I simply haven't been up to it. It is hard exercise just getting around the house and going out of the house for the odd errand or appointment.  I do intend to get back to exercise of the official kind as soon as I am able. Another thing I am doing is making sure I consistently take my medication and at more or less the same time every day. I admit I had become quite lax in that regard. I pray I can sustain my renewed efforts and get back to normal sugar levels soon.

I'm also feeling some joy over completing a simple household chore. I cleaned and re-organized a cupboard and a drawer Saturday and managed to get my bags of flour off of the floor and into the cupboard. I decided that for now I do not need an airtight container taking up my limited floor space.  I don't have any pests so this should work out fine. 

I've put the flour into one of the very few of my cupboards that is deep enough.  I'll just have to be careful when I want to take flour out of the bag so I don't spill it all over the place. I could purchase glass or plastic containers and fill them with flour before putting them into the cupboard.  But I've already got so many containers in use and I really don't want to add  any more.  I will try this new approach for awhile and see how it works out. I see that I also need to re-arrange my other cupboards soon for greater efficiency. I know there are things in there that I no longer need and can give away.  It seems there is always something that needs cleaning. I'm sure it is like that at your house too.

All the oil (for cooking) and vinegar for cleaning is on the top shelf. I buy big jugs of olive oil, canola oil and vinegar and then decant them into smaller containers for ease of use. At the very back of this shelf is where I store my thermoses (not in the photo).   On the bottom of the cupboard are my bags of white flour and whole wheat flour.  In front of the flour bags is a small basket  where I keep an apron or two, some cloth serviettes and extra boxes of plastic baggies.

This drawer used to hold my good cutlery in a storage box which has been moved to the top of the kitchen cabinets because they aren't used so often. I now store all my baggies (which used to be where my flour bags now rests) and some tea towels and "good" linens which were gifted to me behind all the baggies. I don't have a linen closet or a pantry and so you can see that finding appropriate storage for everything is a challenge.

I posted my giveaways on Freecycle on Saturday and within an hour or two my toiletries and books were spoken for but not the kitchen items. Perhaps when I wake there will be some expressions of interest for those items too. By today (Sunday) I hope to have most of my giveaways out the door. Not bad since I only put them together the day before yesterday. I have more purging to do. I think one more good round of purging (maybe two) ought to do me for quite awhile. Then I need to finish the paperwork on which I made a good start a few months ago. 

Lessons Learned:

For those that have followed my blog for awhile, you will know I've been doing giveaways on Freecycle and to the local charity shops for awhile now.  I would say that I've been at this major decluttering project for at least a two and a half year period of fairly steady going.  It started after the fire two floors above me and after having to move out of my home and into a hotel for four months.  (While in the hotel I started my blog  as a way of trying to keep positive through illness, fires and family sickness).   Living in the hotel with only the barest of essentials, I began to realize just how llittle of what we own is actually used, needed or missed when you don't see it.  I was also struck by the overabundance of  my "stuff" as compared to many in Africa where I had travelled not so long before the fire. I also had to move my mother into a nursing home and had  to deal with disposing of all her stuff. Years and years of accumulated stuff which she never wanted to get rid of for various reasons, many of them sentimental (I've inherited some of her ways, ha!). It was ironic that someone who wouldn't let anyone go through and organize or help her sort, had to completely rely on someone else to sort it all and make decisions when the time came.

I decided that I needed to offload a lot of my stuff and start to live more simply.  There were multiple  reasons for making this decision including:  to have a greater sense of freedom when I no longer had to maintain or look after so much"stuff", to live gratefully for what I have and more mindfully about what God has given me and how he wants me to use it, to live more frugally so that I could be of greater help to my family, charities that I value, and the missions in Kenya through my friends and contacts there.

It has taken me a lot longer to go through my things than I originally thought. due to a variety of reasons. In the  meantime I've also inherited quite a lot of "stuff" from my mother and previous to that I have "stuff" from my sister and all of that needs to be sorted as well.  Much of what remains is photos and paperwork which requires more of my time to carefully scrutinize and decide what to keep and how to organize it. From my mother I also have a lot of crafting items which I don't want to get rid of though I have gotten rid of her yarns, patterns and a lot of fabric. I've kept more fabric than I reasonably have room for which explains part of my feeling so "crowded. I do want to use as much of the fabric as I can and I have several projects in mind. I just need time.

I'll be so glad when it's all finished though I realize that keeping on top the clutter is a never ending cycle.  I don't think I will ever again be undertaking such a huge purge as I've just done, especially after I finish the paperwork.  From this entire process I've learned about my weak spots (books, toiletries, clothing and paperwork) and where I need to keep a watchful eye in future (spending and accumulating).   I've also learned that I do not need to keep years and years of paperwork or every single photo or keepsake that was ever in my hands or in the family hands. I've learned that I need to keep those things most meaningful and let go of the rest though that process takes lots of time and organization. I've also learned that some things can be turned into memories (example, some of my sister's clothing will be incorporated into a quilt or two for her children) and some of mom's fabrics can be turned into quilts for her use and for other members of the family. I can also make some photo albums with select photos for key family members and get rid of the rest. I've learned a lot through this process. I've probably missed out a few lessons learned but these are the ones that come to mind at this moment.  Within the next year I hope to have made more gains and gradually get rid of things currently being stored (photos, books, fabrics, craft supplies, papers).

In conclusion, this whole process has been a very long and sometimes challenging journey. But there is "joy" in the journey also. It is a simple joy borne of overcoming challenges. Clutter. Who knew it held so many lessons for me?

Joy Cloud

I got this very neat idea from my blogging friend Jan. I wrote down a bunch of things that give me joy and put it into this wordle program (on line) and it makes a "CLOUD"  out of your words for you. I call this one my "Joy Cloud" following Jan's lead but you can make different kinds of clouds too.  There are other things that give me joy but these are the ones that came to mind rather quickly.

You can adjust the fonts and colours within the pre-set limits.  The program (here) does allow you to identify and give prominence to words but I couldn't quickly figure out how to do that in the context of so many words (I'm sure there is a way but I wasn't able to intuit how). Still I really like this program and the idea of having a "Joy Cloud".

Originally I started this blog with the intention of helping me remember that there are many things for which I can be joyful even though a lot of what I've had to deal with over the years really sucked.

This cloud would be a nice visual way to help me remember some of the joys in my life. I can always tweak my list and make more lists for printing and meditating upon.

What do you think dear reader? Do you think a cloud like this would be helpful to you, or do you just see it as a messy piece of words that would give you a headache?  We all learn and remember differently I know. What is appealing to one is not necessarily appealing to another person.

If you want to give it a try visit Jan's blog here and see what she has to say about how she is using the "joy cloud".

Today I am Thankful

Stephanie at her blog post here asked what is it that we are joyful about today. This blog exists because of my desire to be joyful each and every day over the small things. Today I will give a short list of things on my mind right now to be joyful about:

1.  I am happy that though my mother is not well physically she is still here on planet earth. Whenever it is her time to go I will miss her terribly and so I do what I can right now to visit with her and be there for her despite the challenges. No photo of my mama is posted here as she wouldn't like that.

2.  I am grateful that I connected with an old friend I haven't seen in ages. She is retiring early and leaving the city and I am sad about that but we will get together for brunch tomorrow before she moves into the next chapter of her new life.

3.  I am happy I have a new hobby, knitting. I am so glad I have finally learned how to knit and I am on my 3rd pattern for dishcloths. I hit a snag with trying this new pattern but I believe I've figured it out and will try it out over the next week.  I made 6 dishcloths while I was away. I still have to weave in all the ends so they are not quite finished but here they are.

4. I am happy that I am going to take swimming lessons. I have a real fear of water after almost having drowned 3x. I have taken lessons previously and have learned a little but haven't been in the water for a long, long time. I start my lessons on Tuesday. I need to get to the store tomorrow to buy some plastic thongs so I don't slip.

5. One of my goals for 2010 is to crochet a doily which I haven't done for many years. I started a new pattern the day before yesterday and I hit some snags getting going but at last I think I've got it, lol! I hope to make some progress on it this weekend.

6. I am grateful that while I was away recently my brother tried to plant the rest of my garden. He didn't do a good job, lol but at least he tried.  I hope the strawberries and the corn do come up. If they do I will post pictures later.

7.  I am happy to be seeing the nurse practitioner today. She will help me with dietary issues and give me a glucose monitor as I've very recently been diagnosed with diabetes.

8. I am happy I finished reading the book "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" and will get to start a new book soon. So many possibilities.  I think I will be reading "The Shack".

9. I am happy to see my small garden growing; that is those things I planted before I went out of town. It has been raining an awful lot and it is just nice to see something growing and blooming rather than being drowned in all the rain.

 

10. I am happy I have such nice blogging friends.

Give thanks in all things. Life is short and choosing to be happy and grateful makes us realize how much we really do have. God bless you all.

Update:  My friend Jan requested I post this blog to Simple Joys Saturday in case you are confused about why it is posted on a day other than Saturday *smile.  Please join Jan and others here and  let us know what gives you joy.

Roots

Job 8:11-22

"11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?
Can reeds thrive without water?

12 While still growing and uncut,
they wither more quickly than grass.

13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God;
so perishes the hope of the godless.

14 What he trusts in is fragile;
what he relies on is a spider's web.

15 He leans on his web, but it gives way;
he clings to it, but it does not hold.

16 He is like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
spreading its shoots over the garden;

17 it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
and looks for a place among the stones.

18 But when it is torn from its spot,
that place disowns it and says, 'I never saw you.'

19 Surely its life withers away,
and from the soil other plants grow.

20 "Surely God does not reject a blameless man
or strengthen the hands of evildoers.

21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.

22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame,
and the tents of the wicked will be no more."