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've always saved my pennies.  A few years ago Canada got rid of its pennies.  Apparently it cost more to produce them than they were worth. I reckon my Canadian pennies are now worth even more.  On its own a penny might not seem like much, but add them all together and they can come to a princely sum. I have loads of good memories attached to pennies.  When I was at school our classes each year would participate in Red Cross Penny Parades, where we would collect all the pennies we could to give to the Red Cross.  The class with the most pennies always won a prize.  One year my class won and we had the prize at the end of the year of a bus trip through the valley to some really interesting spots.  Then there are squashed pennies. My sister and I had ones with the Lord's prayer on them. Find a penny, pick it up and all the day you'll have good lucky. They still have pennies here and two pennies (tuppence) as well! 

 

I love these pretty little garden visitors who come to visit us each year. Peacock Butterflies. They are so pretty. I could sit and watch them for hours.  They sit there on the buddleia feeding, their wings slowly opening and closing.  They are just so very beautiful. 

 

Sundays are quite different now than what they have been for years and years.  But they are still special and I still mark them in a different way than I do the rest of the days of the week.  Our church has actually started up again, but with only a limited few being invited individually to attend. We were able to watch it via Zoom Meetings yesterday. It wasn't as long as the usual service and the sound quality was not that great for the music. No hymn singing is allowed, but we can listen to hymns in the place of that. It was all very strange. We have had our Sunday School and other lessons via facebook for the past several months and I have been enjoying them. But on Sundays we have the opportunity and chance still to relax, and ponder on the things of the spirit.  To listen to uplifting talks from past conferences. To fill our day with positive and life enriching things.  We watched a film last night called "Touched by Grace." 

 

 

It was really good.  Very entertaining, with a great story line. No swearing. No violence. No nudity, and a positive message.  We both enjoyed it very much. 

  

I had a lovely phone call with my father yesterday. I have finally figured out when I can call him that he will actually be there. Although he is 86, he still gets about. He loves to go out for breakfast with friends and he goes for a tea most afternoons.  Sometimes he is afraid to answer the phone because the number comes up as strange and he thinks it is scammers. He watches Mass for Shut Ins every Sunday though and I find if I call him right after that finishes it is a good time. I love my father very much and I am so grateful for all the time I have been able to spend with him since becoming an adult.  He was always a frequent visitor to my house for lunch. I would always make him the same thing that he enjoyed, a grilled Bologna and Cheese sandwich with chives in it and mustard.  Sometimes a Salmon Pie.  We were both living with my mom at one point, which was nice.  He also lived in my driveway in his Winnibago for a few months.  I love my dad very much. We had a great time yesterday talking about where he grew up  in the Saguenay region of Quebec and how very pretty it was, trips we had taken there, etc. My sister is so blessed to have been able to spend the time she did with my mom before she passed and now with my father.   

  

This is my goal each day to be a bit better person than I was the day before. Sometimes there are huge changes, but most of the time, the changes are only small.  But then again, by small and simple things great things are brought to pass. Each new day brings with it a fresh page to write on. What we choose to write on it is all up to us.  

  

My days are filled with reminders of my Heavenly Father's great love for me.   I am so thankful that I have a heart which feels His presence. I have never doubted it.  This knowledge brings me peace. 

 

I am ever grateful for the gift of prayer.  Most often my prayers are silent prayers.  Each night in bed before I go to sleep I have special silent prayers. I know He hears them.  These prayers bring me comfort. Another thing I have been doing lately is praying the Rosary.  I have a rosary even though I am not Catholic. I pray my way around it and as I go I meditate on the Joyful mysteries and fruits of the spirit. I love thinking about and pondering these things. Sometimes my prayers are so deep I cannot put them into words, praying the rosary helps me to pray even when I cannot put my prayers into words. I know He hears my heart. This is a special blessing for me.  

 

All the simple things I get to do here in my home, that I can do without thinking, mindfulness or mindlessness . . .  whatever it is, or whatever you call it . . .  I enjoy the gentle arts of homemaking.   

 

RHONY  I like to watch this show. I am on season 5 now. These ladies keep me grounded and help me to really appreciate the reality of the  life I have.  Oh boy I am a bazillion times more happier than some of/most of these ladies.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *Guilt moves us to change.

Shame keeps us where

we are.•。★★ 。* 。 

  

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Tandoori Cauliflower.  This is simply delicious. 

Have a great day. I hope your week is filled with lots of blessings small and large and in-between! 

 

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And I do too!     Stay safe!