Monday 20 November 2017

Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard  

A few of the small and wonderful things from the past week which brought untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.
    
Of course the biggest and best small and wonderful thing was Todd's blood test for his PSA levels coming back normal.  Six months and the cancer is still at bay!  We were both doing the happy dance over this one!  Colour us very happy indeed!  
This had me doing the happy dance one day also.  Hot new release on the Amazon Kindle store. Number one, for a little while anyways!  I felt like a winner.  
And then there was this.  Best selling "English, Scottish & Welsh" cookbooks . . . . never thought I would see my book sitting alongside of a bakeoff book.  Colour me amazed at this one. I cried a tiny bit. 
Plus I have had four five* reviews on the American site, and two on the British site, and one on the Canadian site.  All five*.  So that makes me happy. That anyone would want to buy it at all makes me very happy!  This has been a special blessing in my life.  Writing this book is what got me through and kept me busy while Todd was having his cancer treatments.  If you bought the book, thank you so very much. You did me a great honor.  If you bought the book and then took the time to leave a review on the Amazon sites, thanks, thanks, thanks.  You did me an even greater honor!  So very much appreciated.  Every review helps to raise the visibility of the book, and I am so very grateful to all of you who did for taking the time. 
 
I am not sure what the occasion was, but I am thinking perhaps this might have been a Santa Claus Parade.  Cam and Maryn.  It looks quite cold wherever they are.   I know to some people these might just be pictures of kids and not so special, but to me they are really special.  I have only ever seen Maryn in person 3 times in her life and I have never  seen Cameron in person. Any photo of any of my grandchildren thrills me to no end.  I hate having to live so far away from them, but it is the way it has to be for now and maybe for always.  When any of my kids posts or sends me a photo of my grandchildren I am over the moon.  These are the only glimpses I have into their lives.  I used to day dream through the years about how wonderful  my relationship with my grandchildren was going to be. Hasn't happened and its my own fault for living so far away. 
I do wish things were different and that I had more contact with all of my grandchildren but I know that people have busy lives, with jobs, school, and all sorts.  I am just so very grateful for any little glimpse into them.  These tiny glimpses are a great blessing in my life. 
  
Provisionally, a great deal of interest is being shown in my premise for a second book to follow on from the first.  In fact they liked it a great deal.  So fingers crossed this leads to something.  A lot will depend on the sales of the first I guess.  So lets keep praying that it does well.

Pinch me, I am an author. 
  
I know I cannot be compared to some  . . .  like SB, or Jane Austin,  or Emily Dickenson . . .  but I have managed something that very few writers manage to do at all, and that is a huge blessing that I will take.  A massive achievement, and I owe a great deal of thanks to each of you for it.  You who come here each day and take even a tiny bit of interest in what I write, and what I cook.  Your coming here over the years has brought such a great lot of joy into my life.  You are  not invisible to me. You are real people and I consider you all friends.  Your love and support has meant the world to me. The fact that you come back day after day, has encouraged me and helped me to believe in my dreams, so a huge thank YOU to each of you wherever you might be. 
You come here every day and read my drivel, no matter what it is.  You are to be highly commended for your loyalty and, if I were the Queen, I would be bestowing great honours on you. You would all have OBE's and Damehoods.  I am not the Queen however and so the best I can do is to just say, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou!

You have lifted me on days I needed lifting, and you
probably never even knew it.

♥ 
And with that I better leave you with a thought for the day.  I have to go for a blood test this morning, very early, and I think also a BP check. Here's hoping that the medication has been doing its job and that my kidney's haven't been damaged in the process. That is the problem with drugs. 

They sometimes create even worse problems. 
My fingers, knees, toes, legs, arms, etc. are all crossed!
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.˛.°  Walk away from the game that says 
you have to be something more before 
you are wanted or chosen.
Know that you are enough, right now.
~Unknown    •。★★ 。* 。  


 

BOOK OF MORMON CORNER - 1 Nephi 20:1-22 
Question:
What have you learnt from the reading today? How have you been refined by the Lord? What have you gained from the experience?  

What I learnt - The furnace of affliction is very real. I have been through furnaces of affliction, both with the Lord, and without Him. Both ways are uncomfortable experiences, but when I have gone through it with the Lord I have grown, I have become stronger.  I learn to trust Him that He won't break me, nor does He want to. When I go through it in my way, relying on myself, my understanding, my power . . . I am kicking against the trial and trying to find a quick way back to normality again. There is little end result in the way of growth, but I do learn/remember that God's ways are better.

This analogy is one I think of often during refining moments. It reminds me that Heavenly Father is working on me at this very moment, that my perspective is limited but I'm in His loving hands and I can trust what He's doing ❤

 'Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.' 

Tomorrow's Reading (Day 32) -1 Nephi 21:1-21 
Question: What have you learnt from the reading today? How has temple work blessed your life? 

 

In the English Kitchen today.  Escalloped Macaroni.  A delicious combination of macaroni, tomatoes, cheese and milk.  Old fashioned, yes, this is wonderful comfort food, and one of my absolute favourites.

I hope you have a wonderful Monday and that the week ahead is filled with a multitude of small and wonderful blessings.  Along the way, don't forget!

 ═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ ⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════

And I do too!  

  

16 comments:

  1. Hi Marie, what a wonderful week it was for you last week! It's lovely when you get times like this so make the most of it!! I think you'll definitely have another one of these weeks when your first novel is published. I can't wait!!!!

    Your grandchildren are adorable, they look so cold but cosy at the same time!

    Hope everything goes well at the Doc's.

    I've got a busy few days before going to Vienna with my daughter on Thursday for the Christmas Markets. I'm so excited, I've never been to Austria but I believe its beautiful. It was so kind of her to get me this gift for my 60th, she knows how much I love Christmas!

    Have a great week, lot's of love xxx

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  2. Thanks so much Kate! More pinch me moments in store I think! Oh, how lovely to be able to go to the Vienna Christmas markets! What a wonderful and very thoughtful Birthday gift! Beautiful Christmas stuff to drool over and time spent with a daughter who obviously loves you very much! You can't go wrong with any of that! I hope you have a lovely time and take lots of pics to share on FB! Love and hugs! xoxo

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  3. Sooo VERY, very glad to hear about Todd being cancer-free, Marie... Prayers answered!! Halleljuha!! And VERY exciting about your book at the top of the list--HOORAY! Sooo many blessing, so glad for you, my dear friend!! :))) LOVE YOU LOTS!! ((BIG HUGS))

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  4. I am truly so excited for you.
    I left a review too:) I am so happy the book is being received with such high accolades..Every author must remember their hard work..the years of devotion..and then seeing the result in print.I hope every author out there is elated fo you as we all are Marie..
    Paul Hollywood has an IG account..we watched a show last night..in Italy..he and cars..he loves cars and drives them well..I left a comment on his latest post about your book..
    Signed..Brazen me.

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  5. PS Had already told you about the great news and Monsieur T:)

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  6. Geesh me again..and the kids are adorb Marie..adorb..and yes kids are busy..jobs ..homes..sports..families..tons of friends..etc..

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  7. Congrats on the success of your cook book! How wonderful it's doing so well. Hopefully all will prove well with your check up and that those meds are doing what they should.

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  8. Thanks Tracy, we were both floating on air! It was such great news. Love and hugs to you! xoxo

    Thanks so much Monique! You are such a cutie pie. I have not seen this program with Paul. I did not know he had an instagram either. You learn something new every day! I will have to check him out! ;-) xoxo

    Thanks Pam! I am feeling much better now they have upped my dose, just need to make sure now that the higher dose is not damaging anything, hence the blood test. I am being hopeful! xoxo

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  9. Yippee. I've got in again tonight...I just love reading your blog every day...so long as I get in and hopefully leave a comment...it is sad that you don't see your grandchildren. And I can sympathise with you we lived up in Scotland my sisters and nieces lived down here. Fortunately Sarah never let the girls forget us every night they said night night Granny and Papa and Auntie Sybil to our photograph.....that way they knew us..but we did miss out seeing them just twice a year...I know yoh would be over the moon to see any of your wee ones for that amount of time, but it's something that we can't change so be grateful as you are for the few times you do see them.....my great great nephews and nieces live very close and I only see them perhaps at Xmas, although we havnt heard about a meet up this year.....like your we ones, they don't know what they are missing....I'm amazed that tonight I have been able to leave a descent message....typing has gone well....I'm so happy about Todd and the cancer result....we have so much to thank God for. Xxxxx

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  10. Hi Marie~

    I knew your cookbook would be a wonderful success! I'm so happy that you are thinking about No. 2!

    Your little grands are just adorable, those big brown eyes are just gorgeous!! I'm so sorry that you don't live close to them, but I know that they can feel your great love for them from a distance, it's just a grandma thing!

    I truly don't consider anything you write to be, drivel...you are a wonderful writer, who knows how to engage her readers. That's quite and art!!

    You are a blessing, sweet friend!

    Hugs and Love,
    Barb

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  11. So lovely to see another comment Sybil! Yay!! Yes, I have to agree, we are very blessed and must take our blessings where we find them! Love and hugs! xoxo

    Thanks Barb! You are too kind, lol. I know I do witter on sometimes! You are all angels to stay so loyal despite that! Love and hugs to you too! xoxo

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  12. So so happy for you Marie! Start getting the wheels turning bc I think there's going to be a second book. After all your an author now! Yay!

    Your grands are so adorable! I bet their very proud of you too!

    The comment box opened up, so I could comment.

    Big hugs!

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  13. Thanks Jan, we will see! I am still waiting on the advance for the first one! In all honesty, I don't think those particular grands even know who I am. but that's okay because I have five others who do. Love and hugs. xoxo

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  14. I am so happy that Todd's PSA came back normal! That is such a wonderful blessing.
    I am so thriled that your book is doing well; I knew that it would. I do plan on getting one soon. My friend Barb said it is a wonderful book. She is my daughter-in laws Mother. We are very close and I think of her like a sister. She is a very good cook; so if she says it is a wonderful one; it is! Of course, I knew that anyway.
    I love all the cute photos of your grandchildren. I know how hard it must be to be a way from them all and not get to see them. Hang in there; maybe your book will do so good you can plan a book back to where they are.
    Your grandchildren are so adorable. I can just imagine how thrilled you are when you get pictures of them. Most of my children live away but I do get to see them at least a couple of times a year. I pray that you will be able to see them soon. Maybe your book will do well enough that you can do some traveling.
    Yes, we all get to have moments in the Furnace of affliction. We all must experience these moments in order to grow. That being said, I am so graterful that I have have faith in Christ and his ability to heal us and help us through whatever we must pass through.
    Sedning you lots of love and hugs today!

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  15. Hi Marie, you know that I bought one of your wonderful books via Amazon but I have never seen anywhere to write a review or even a comment about it, any idea why that should be, or where I can say it's a brilliant book ?.......hope you have had a good day. It's been nice and sunny down here but the cold wind is coming straight from the Artic....tonight already it's freezing...think we will need the de-iced in the morning......night night NGOs bless. Xxxxxxx

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  16. Hi Marie, you know that I bought one of your wonderful books via Amazon but I have never seen anywhere to write a review or even a comment about it, any idea why that should be, or where I can say it's a brilliant book ?.......hope you have had a good day. It's been nice and sunny down here but the cold wind is coming straight from the Artic....tonight already it's freezing...think we will need the de-iced in the morning......night night NGOs bless. Xxxxxxx

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Your comments mean the world to me, and while I may not be able to address each one individually, each one is important to me and each one counts. Thanks so much!