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.   

 

 

 

 

She's no small thing, but she is pretty wonderful. Its my baby sister's Birthday today!  I hope that she has the nicest day ever and gets a tiny bit spoilt at least. She's been one of my bestest friends for all of her life and I will just say that is a pretty long time!  I may have objected a tiny bit when my mother first brought her home, but once I decided she could stay, she has been blessing my life in a multitude of ways ever since. She has always been incredibly kind and caring. She supported me emotionally when nobody else would.  She's always had my back and I know she always will. She is one of the greatest gifts my parents ever gave me and I hope that she knows that.  

 

 

 

I hope its a good one sis!  Love you to pieces! 

And I hope your package got there.

 

 

    

 

 Prayer. I believe in the power of Prayer.  We may not always get the answers we want.  WE may not always like the answers we get. The answers may not come in the time that we want or the way that we want. We may have to wait a long time for answers, but I can speak with assurity that answers do come.  Maybe not today, or even tomorrow, but to the faithful, they come most assuredly.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The tender mercies of the Lord.  They are real to me and I have experienced a great many of them in my lifetime. I may not have been able to recognise each of them immediately, but in retrospect all have become abundantly clear to me. A tender mercy can be as simple as somehow having the strength to move forward in an incredibly difficult situation, or as slap-in-the-face obvious as coming across exactly what you need, exactly when you need it, exactly where you need it. They are constant reminders to me that God knows who I am and loves me exactly where I am. The Lord's Tender Mercies are simple and sweet and constant to those with hearts that are willing to recognise them for what they are.  

 

  

 

 

Being able to embrace this truth and to live it. This is how even the poorest and neediest of mankind are still able to find joy.  Joy comes in giving and in receiving.  It comes in reaching out and stretching beyond our immediate sphere of existance and influence, and to those who may think they deserve it the least of all. It is up to us to show others that nobody is beneath or beyond the reach and the light of Christ. We are His hands.  And we can show this in large and in small ways. Never stop trying to do the best that you can for whoever you can whenever you can.  People who seek to serve others are always happy people, and those who do it without expectation of reward are the happiest of all. 

 

 

 

I spoke to my father for about an hour on the phone yesterday. It was a good conversation. He seemed to be more filled with the joys in life than he had been the last time we talked. He had more to talk about and the time flew by quite quickly.  He had just finished watching Mass on tv.  We talked about his  mother and how she had given birth to fifteen children. Three were still born, a brother died at the age of two, a sister at the age of one, and a brother at sixteen years of age. She had had tuberculosis when he was a very young boy and was sickly much of her life, but she still outlived her husband by many years. I love listening to his stories of when he was growing up and about his family. I always liked to listen to mom's as well.  In fact, I have always loved listening to what people have to say about their upbringing, family history, etc. 

 

My mother had an Uncle.  John Best.  He would have been my great Uncle John. He was born in 1880 and had fought in the Boer War.  I have many fond memories of visiting with him and listening to his stories. He always gave me humbugs. When he passed, he left me his daughter Marie's watch. 

 

My Grandmother Nina always said that she loved all of her grandchildren but that I was special to her because I always had time to sit in her lap and cuddle and to listen to what she had to share with me.

I suppose I have always been a good listener. 

 

  

 

Sunny days amidst the rainy days.  The last few days have been a real mix, and actually quite cool.  I would rather have things comfortable than hot and humid. I am not a great lover of excessive heat and humidity!  

 

 

 

Church at home. I am so grateful for all of the resources that are available to us.  Hymns sung by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square on YouTube, likewise uplifting and inspiring talks having been given by our church leaders throughout the years, available on YouTube for us to watch and feed our spirits with.  A Sunday School Teacher who goes the extra mile and does a live lesson on our SS facebook page every second week.  Live Devotionals put on by the England Manchester Mission on FB and so many other inspirational things.  Modern technology has the ability to bless us in countless ways. 

 

 

 

Hope.  Where would any of us be without it. 

And with that I will leave you with a thought for today  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *Words kill, words give life;

they're either poison or fruit.

You choose.

~Proverbs 18.21 •。★★ 。* 。

 

 

  

 

In The English Kitchen today.  One Pan Italian Pasta.  Sized for the smaller family and cooked in just one pan.  Yummilicious! 

 

Hope your week ahead is filled with small and wonderful things.  Along the way, don't forget! 

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And I do too!     Stay safe!