Monday 27 January 2020

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 which bring untold joy into my life.   It's the small things in life which truly mean the most.  Simple abundance . . . it's the best. 
 
 
I can't believe that we  are already staring the end of January in the face.  This month has whizzed by. Its been a really tough month but I have been able to find many tender mercies along the way . . .
 
 
  
 
This year our church is studying the Book of Mormon again.  This year, using Come Follow Me.  I am also watching the Don't Miss This videos on YouTube.  I don't know how to explain it but my walk with the Saviour has deepened.  The promises are true. With all that's been going on this month, with all of the loss and the sorrow, I have felt the Saviour beside me every moment of every day.  
 
I have always loved this song, I can only Imagine.  Its a song that was written by the lead singer of Mercy Me.  It always makes me cry.  I was listening to it the other day right after I did my BOM studies and it dawned on me.  The song talks about a future time, when one has passed on and finds themselves in the presence of the Lord, but I realised that I don't have to wait until I pass to be in the presend of the Lord, but I can feel His presence every single moment of every single day of my life.  That awareness is life-changing.  Oh how we need this in the world we find ourselves living in. 
 
 
 
I will forever be grateful for the prompting that encouraged Todd and myself to go and visit Doreen early in December. It took a lot of courage as I did not know what would happen. I wasn't sure of the reception we would have.  I had not seen her in almost a year, although I had continued to send her cards and things.  I figured that the worst thing that could happen is that we were told to get lost, but at least we would have done the right thing.  I am so happy that we did.  I realise now that if we hadn't, then Doreen would have died and we would not have had a chance to say the things and do the things we needed, wanted and had to do.   I am so thankful that we did.  There is never a wrong time to do the right thing. 
 
 
  
 

I am so grateful that we were able to be with Doreen when she passed, with Jenny and to sit with her during the last few days of her life.  I am so grateful that she felt loved and that she was not alone.  So many elderly people these days are alone and die alone. I am so grateful that we were with her and holding her hand.  It was peaceful and I just know that she is happy to be reunited with her husband who had died so many years ago and who she missed tremendously every day of those years. What a joy filled reunion that must have been.  It cheers my heart to think of it. 
 
 
 
I have had a lot of time to reflect on and think about mom this month. Mom never had an easy life.  She was born into poverty.  She had to work hard for everything that she had in life.  She worked hard to educate herself.  She scrimped and saved and worked hard (along with our father) to give us the best childhood we could have.  She endured the breakdown of their marriage and kept going, despite how very sad and heart-breaking that was for her.  She stood strong for what she believed was right and true always.  She faced not one, but two battles with cancer and won. She, who was always so fierce and independant, suffered through the loss of her independance and her weakening mind over the last years of her life with humour.  She never lost her faith and faced her final challenge, the amputation of her leg, with courage and hope.  When I think of the challenges that face me in life I can see that all along she had been teaching us that we can do hard things, face hard things . . .  become strong in the face of adversity.  She loved God and Jesus Christ.  She had to rely on her faith in them many, many times, but she never lost that faith.  I will forever be grateful for the lessons she taught me, and I look forward to seeing her again one day.  
 
 
 
 
Old photographs.  I have only a very few of my children when they were very young.  This is amanda when she  was perhaps two to three months old.  I found a few of them this month and they cheered my heart. Note the gun tape and cardboard taped to the side of her crib.  I was so afraid that my babies would fall through the bars when they were tiny.  I couldn't afford bumper pads.  I did my best.  Like Douglas, she had a lot of hair right from the beginning. 
 
 
   

 
This is my oldest son Anthony. He was perhaps 10 or 11 in this photo.   I am really looking forward to seeing him and Eileen in April.  It will truly be the highlight of my year. 
 
So thankful for having something like this  to look so forward to!  

 
 
 
 So grateful for this son who makes an effort to get in touch with me via facetime every single week.  I hope he knows how much it means to me.  Somehow I think he does, because I think it means as much to him as it does to me.   

 
  

 
She brings so much joy into my life.  I love her so much. 

 
 
This wonderful man that I love and get to share it all with.  
 
A thought to carry with you  . . . 
 
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•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *
You can't reach 
for anything new if
your hands are full
of yesterday's clutter.
~Louise Smith •。★★ 。* 。 
 
 
 
 
 
Nothing new today in the kitchen, but thought you might like to see this Mock Lasagne Casserole I made a while back.  Sized for two or three, depending on appetites.  Its delicious! 
 
 
Have a wonderful week!  Don't forget!  
 

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And I do too!  


  
 

 
 




9 comments:

  1. Always nice to have that grateful feeling:)Have a great day!

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  2. You have so much to be thankful for that it somehow overshadows your loses. The word of God, reading the scriptures, always make sense of life and the way to go forward.

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    1. You are right about that Pam! Indeed, every day may not be a good day, but there IS something good in every day! xoxo

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  3. Hi Marie~

    So many things in this life to be thankful for. I have just loved studying, Come Follow Me.

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  4. So sorry Marie...it posted before I was finished!! Come Follow me has been a true gift, and has helped me draw closer to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. What a blessing it is!

    I'm so glad you are finding photos of your children, they are adorable! Doesn't it seem like it was just yesterday that they were little?! I'm so excited for you to get to see them later this year, you are going to have so much fun!

    Loved this post!! Love you sweet friend! XOXOX

    Hugs and Love,
    Barb

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    1. I think that the CFM just opens up the scriptures so much and is a wonderful way to share with your spouse, family and friends things that you learn and that they learn also. A brilliant opportunity for sharing! I have very few photos of my kids. My ex took them all and gave me a waterlogged box of negatives, so if I have any photos at all they are indeed very precious! Love and hugs to you also and to Bob as well. xoxo

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  5. "There is never a wrong time to do the right thing." Boy, that speaks volumes. I'm glad you and Doreen made peace before she died. Your faith is a real source of strength for you, Marie. Gosh, your mother did go through a lot in her life but she stayed strong and brave. You must be a lot like her. Old pictures are lovely. What I like about them is that you can hold them in your hand, turn them over to see if there is anything written on the back, frame them and hang them on your wall. You can't do that if they are stored in the ether somewhere. I'm so glad you have Anthony's and Eileen's visit to look forward to. Anthony was a very handsome young lad. I've got rice pudding in the oven. It's from the 1989 Milk Calendar and is called "The World's Best Rice Pudding". It's very good but how do you prove it's the best, lol? Take gentle care. Hugs, Elaine

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    1. Thanks Elaine! I think we all have bits of our mom in us. I like to think some of the best parts, but we have plenty of good from our dad as well! I love to sit and look at photos. If they are online they can easily be lost. Your rice pudding sounds lovely. I would love the recipe! Yes??? Love and hugs to you and Larry. xoxo

      PS - Anthony was always very handsome and still is, albeit with a lot less hair. He was considered to be quite a catch in high school!! In his last year he had a 28 year old girlfriend that I was not very happy about! I had huge questions as to why a 28 year old woman wanted a boyfriend who was 17. She had a pierced nose which I thought was wierd at the time and she was a twin. And then he met his wife. Thank goodness!

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