Friday thoughts . . .

Source: via Marie on Pinterest

"Do not be slothful in zeal. Be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." ~Romans 12:11-12

I was thinking yesterday . . . I do that from time to time. It's funny how having something like renovation work going on in your bathroom gives you thinking time. Somehow it seems it should be the opposite, but what it actually means is that I don't go upstairs all day . . . so I have to busy myself downstairs. Not a lot to down here, and so I've had more thinking time. Who knew?? ☺

Anyways, I was thinking and this is what I thought. How can we possibly know what it means to really trust another . . . if we have never been betrayed?? If we have never been hurt in any way . . . then how can we truly appreciate not being hurt??? If we've never done anything to beg forgiveness . . . how can we appreciate God's grace, or the atonement . . . for that matter????


flentes:Catherine K Chen (via meggielynne)

One of the programs I like to watch on the television is "Who Do You Think You Are?" I tape them and then I watch them when Todd is reading or out. He finds them kind of boring, unless there's army stuff involved. Yesterday I finally got to watch the one with Greg Wallace. For those of you who don't know who he is, he's a television presenter over here. He does Master Chef along with John Torrode, along with a few other things. He's a former Green Grocer. It was a fascinating show. He had been told all of his life that his Great Grandfather had abandoned his family, gone awol from the Navy and run off to Australia. He didn't really have any respect for the man, and wondered how he could have abandoned his children. To make a long story short, he found out by the end of the program that this story was completely un true. That not only had his Great Grandfather not gone awol, but that he had retired with a superior Naval Record . . . that his Great Grandfather's wife had been an unfaithful wife . . . that he'd not only had to live through that hurt, but also the loss of not one . . . not two . . . but three of his children . . . and finally that he'd actually watched his second wife be killed by a car, not 25 yards away from him . . . there was almost more tragedy in this man's life than you would think any person could bear . . . and yet he did. At the end of the show, Mr Wallace said, that whilst he coudn't say he'd "enjoyed" the journey into his past, it having brought him more tears than anything else, he'd found it fascinating and he was happy he had taken it.

Trouble and strife . . . nobody is a stranger to them. We all come with a history . . . bad things happen to all of us, and some of us seemed to be more battered about than others. There is no such thing as a charmed life. No matter how things might appear on the surface. The sun does not always shine on the righteous . . . and rain does not always fall on the damned . . .


(Source: brattebakka.blogspot.no, via pentydeval)

I have a friend who has gone through some pretty rough times in her life. Really rough times . . . She had polio as a child which left her handicapped. To this day she needs to use crutches to get around on, and even then . . . does so with great difficulty. She spent her whole childhood being told nobody would ever want to marry her, and she would never have a family . . . never be able to support herself in employment . . . never amount to anything, and this . . . by her own mother. (Can you imagine?) She proved her wrong. She grew up to be a teacher and a good one at that. She met a man, got married and they had three beautiful daughters together. But then down the road . . . she discovered that her husband had molested all of her daughters . . . so tragic, and he ended up going to jail for it for a long time . . . so much sorrow in one life, and yet, my friend is one of the more cheerful people I know, and her faith is strong, her attitude joyful. She is a great example to me.

One of her favourite things to do is to watch the sun setting of an evening. I can understand that . . . it's one of my favourite things to do too. One observation we have both made though . . . is that the more beautiful sunsets are the ones in which the sky is filled with clouds. Those sunsets always seem deeper, more vibrant . . . richer . . .

A sun which sets cleanly . . . ye, it is a beautiful thing to behold . . . pretty . . . pink . . . but quite unspectacular really. In contrast however . . . a sky filled with clouds, all messy, patchy and dark . . . is a wonder to behold . . . the sky streaked with a magnificent spectrum of colour and hue. Deep purple, velvety gray, hot pink, flashing crimson . . . and dozens of other colours steak across the sky in a dance of unimaginable beauty. These are the kinds of sunsets which touch your eyes and your hearts in a beautiful way . . . almost rendering you speechless and awestruck in the face of the wonder of them.

Source: bing.com via Cito on Pinterest

And so it is with life . . . the life which has no challenges . . . it is a beautiful life . . . and a gift to be sure, but it is not as magnificent as the life which is filled with them, and the beauty of the strength of the spirit that rises to them and overcomes them with a heart filled with joy, and hope . . . and faith. That is a life which truly takes your breath away . . .

"There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world; there is only the comparison of one state with another. Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss. It is necessary to have wished for health in order to know how good it is to live . . . the sum of all human wisdom will be contained in these two words . . . . WAIT . . . and . . . HOPE."
~Alexander Dumas, the count of monte cristo



Guess who turns 74 today! Yes it's the Toddster! Happy Birthday to my beautiful husband! The man of my dreams come true!! You just know I will spoil him today . . . it's already started. A card is waiting for him in the kitchen . . . and I have big plans to make him a special cake and tea. Tis a pity we can't really go anywhere or do anything because of the work on the house, but oh well . . . there is always tomorrow.



(Source: thefoodclub.dk, via wistfullycountry)

As well, it is the 12th anniversary of our having met in person for the first time, a day which truly brought us both joy and happiness, so it is a day for a double celebration I think!

Wherever you go, whatever you do today, I hope you too will find cause for celebration!



Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . a delicious Roasted Roots Salad with a Lemon & Rosemary Vinaigrette!