Monday 5 August 2019

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.  
 
  
 
We've had a very poorly baby yesterday and today.  She is a bit better today but still have the trots. So keeping a close watch on her.  I stayed home from church yesterday because she wasn't well. All she wanted to do was to sit out in the garden under the freesia bush. I finally got her to come in.  I haven't fed her today yet.  She is hungry, but it hasn't quite been 24 hours.  If she still has  not vomited by noon, I have some cooked chicken breast I will give her.  I hate it when our pets are sick because they cannot tell us how they are feeling.  She was very poorly yesterday, so I am especially grateful that she appears to be feeling a lot better today. 
 
 
 
Books have been my friends since I was very small. My father has always loved to read books and he used to read to me every day until I could read for myself.  I have many fond memories of this and can still hear his voice.  I don't think he read to my brother or sister. I am the only one so I am especially grateful for these precious memories I have of those times. I am usually reading more than one book at a time, because I get bored quite easily.  A book has to be totally fascinating for me to not be able to put it down and get stuck into another. 
 
 
  
 
Although we  live on a very meagre pension, we have plenty enough for our needs to be met for the most part. Always when we need a boost for one reason or another, the windows of Heaven seem to pour out the extra blessing for us in one way or another.  I am so grateful for that. I have never been able to find full time work since I was laid off 9 years ago and I am afraid now that at the age of 64 (next week) that is not going to happen now, at least not outside the home and with my health challenges.  But there is still much that I can do and I do try hard to do what I can. We will never be rich or own our home, but we do have a comfortable roof over our heads for the time being anyways, and somehow each month we manage to squeak through with the rent.  Phew!  Its a fine balance, but we do it. Grateful for that. 
 
 
I believe we all have special talents and I am grateful for  mine. Because I am a capable cook, I am able to feed us very well.  Dinner is very seldom mundane.  That in and of itself is a special blessing.  To be able to have a choice as to what we are going to eat is a huge blessing.  Just to have something to eat is a blessing in a world where many go to bed hungry each night.  

 
  
 
I have always been loved  . . .  by my parents, my siblings  . . .  friends, partners, children, grandchildren . . .  I have always been loved.  My Heavenly Father loves me most of all and with a perfect love that we cannot comprehend or even put into words.  I am grateful for that knowledge and for love, both the perfect and imperfect . . . 

 
I had a good mother.  Many do not.  My mother always did her best for us, her children, and we always knew that she loved us. I miss her so very much.  Not a moment of a day goes by when I do not carry her in my heart.  I hope she knows that.  

 
  
 
Prayer. It is a special power and a blessing that has gone with me all the days of my life. I can honestly say that, to my memory, I have not begun or ended a day without it throughout my whole life. I often find myself saying a prayer in my head as I go about my business.  Prayer is a conversation with God.  I know that He hears my prayers and that He will answer them. I have faith in that. I may not always like His answers, but I know that they are always to my benefit.  I have total faith in that also.  He does have a plan for me and I trust in that.  I am not sure where I would be without prayer.  I cannot imagine a life without it 
 
 
 
The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul.
No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each
have an inherant wish to  create something that
did not exist before.
~Dieter F Uchtdorf 
 
I am so grateful for this desire I have to create. It is something else which embroiders my days from beginning to end.  I am always creating.  Meals, a clean home, little things with my hands, with words, etc.  Most of all I use this great gift and yearning to help to create something special out of the gift that is each day of my life that I am given. Joy is there for each of us. Sometimes it is more apparent than others, but it is there if we look for it.  I am grateful for the ability I have to create something joy-filled out of each day I am blessed with, even if it is only in being able to appreciate the way the rain trickles down the window panes  . . .  
 
 
 
Having someone to share my abundant life with . . . a husband, a family,  a pet, friends . . .  you.  Love, joy, peace, comfort  . . .  all that is good in life is doubled when shared with others.  Magically all that is bad or that makes us sad or fearful is halved when shared with others.  Sharing  . . .  a blessing in and of itself, no matter which way you look at it. 
 
 
A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 
*
There are seven days
in the week,
and someday isn't 
one of them.
~Unknown  •。★•。★★ 。* 。
 •。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。 
 
Grateful for the miracle that is today  . . . 


 
In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Quick & Easy Bolognese Sauce.  This truly is delicious and  real doddle to make.  I also give ideas for 9 other easy and delicious sauces!
 
 
I hope your week ahead is filled to overflowing with a multitude of small and wonderful things.  Don't forget! 
 

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And I do too!  

 

 

 
 
 

8 comments:

  1. Hope little Mitzie is feeling better now. It is so hard when our little fur children are sick. You have a lovely way with words, Marie and you chose the perfect pictures to accompany them. Have a good week. Hugs, Elaine

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    1. Thanks Elaine! You are so kind. Love and hugs to you and I hope you also have a great week! xoxo

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  2. Thank you for the inspiring words today - sometimes we forget to have a grateful heart but your post today is a good reminder. Hope dear Mitzie is much,much better.
    Mary

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    1. I try always to be grateful if I can Mary, but I am not always perfect and have my moments. Mitzie is much better today thanks! xoxo

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  3. Well, Marie my husband does NOT like pastas too well...and never would choose to eat spaghetti. That just slays me cause I think some of the spaghettis I have eaten far surpass most other food. So when I feed him something I cannot eat (like fish)...then is when I get my pastas!! It is not easy to fix 2 meals but due to lots of allergies in the kin, I have done so a lot of times. However now as I age, I am just so lazy...but indeed, spaghetti...how lovely!!
    Elizabeth xoxo

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth. I have to have my pasta fix every now and then. I do make something else for him. He will have the sauce, but usually with potatoes. you know what they say, po-tay-toe po-tah-toe! Love and hugs, xoxo

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