All things nice . . .

 

 

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The wintry west extends his blast, 

And hail and rain does blaw; 

Or the stormy north sends driving forth 

The blinding sleet and snaw: 

While, tumbling brown, the burn comes down, 

And roars frae bank to brae; 

And bird and beast in covert rest, 

And pass the heartless day. 

 "The sweeping blast, the sky o'ercast," 

The joyless winter day 

Let others fear, to me more dear 

Than all the pride of May: 

The tempest's howl, it soothes my soul, 

My griefs it seems to join; 

The leafless trees my fancy please, 

Their fate resembles mine! 

 Thou Power Supreme, whose mighty scheme 

These woes of mine fulfil, 

Here firm I rest; they must be best, 

Because they are Thy will! 

Then all I want-O do Thou grant 

This one request of mine!- 

Since to enjoy Thou dost deny, 

Assist me to resign.

~Robert Burns, Winter, a dirge  

 

I am sitting here all cozy in my little house this morning while a nor'easter blows about my walls,  and street, filled with snow and wind.  The snow is still falling, but I am warm and wrapped in fleece and have kittens gathered round my feet. Their fur is soft and it tickles my ankles.  Who would have thought, just a year ago . . .  that such would be my fate.  It warms my heart.  There are far worse fates than this . . .  

My printer is up and running again. It was always running, it just wouldn't connect to my WiFi.  It is a wireless printer, no wires to hook it up. So if its not connecting to the WiFi, no printing is getting done, that's for sure!

The two young elder Missionaries came over yesterday along with the Senior couple who is serving here at the moment.  The young ones could only stay an hour and had to leave but the Senior couple stayed much longer and Elder Child was able to get it up and running. I so enjoyed their visit.   It was really nice getting to know them.  

 

 

Pinterest 

We started talking about genealogy and the Temple and I mentioned that I had printed out cards, but that somehow they had not ended up here in Canada with me and I didn't know how to get more. So they showed me how to get the Family Search LDS app on my phone, and then while we were talking he mentioned this really fun feature of the app.  You can click on an icon and it will search the area for 100 feet around you and if you have anyone who is related nearby and they also have the app on their phone it will show you relatives which are nearby.  

I thought to myself, wow cool, and so I tried it and about fell over because, in one second, it was showing me I had a relative nearby and it was Elder Child!  Right there in the room with me! Amazing! He is my 9th cousin once removed.   We have a common ancestor that goes back 9 generations.  What are the odds of that happening. He is from Provo, Utah and here on a mission with his wife. We meet up and lo and behold we are related! 

So then we start talking more about our ancestors and I mentioned that I had an ancestor that came over on the Mayflower.  He said he had an ancestor that came over on the Mayflower and guess what?  Elizabeth Tilley is that ancestor for both of us! Talk about a goosebumps moment! 

I told him once the weather gets a lot nicer and spring is in the air I will take them to the cemetery where some of our ancestors are buried.

But in the meantime, I made a couple of new friends, found a new relative, and my printer is now working! 

 

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Now that I have two cases of it in my house, my cats have both gone off eating the wet food that I get them.  It first started with Cinnamon a couple weeks ago. She went off the Iams grain free pate, chicken flavor.  Then she went off the fish (salmon and tuna).  So I had accidentally bought a cuts one and they were both gobbling that one down.  So I picked up a case and then when I knew we were getting this storm, I got another one. (There are only twelve double pots in each case.)  That was going well and then all of a sudden yesterday Nutmeg turned his nose up at it (and he is not one to turn his nose up at anything) and now this morning Cinnamon is as well.  Sigh . . . 

Its a good thing I have in lots of dry food for them! 

Cinnamon is recovering well from her operation. I was a bit worried the first day or so because she was quite lethargic, but things have picked up exponentially since them and she is pretty much back to her old self.

With animals it is always something.  I find myself wondering about Mitzy and how she is doing.  She was my constant companion and my heart still aches when I think of her.  I assume and hope that she is doing well. I miss her every day, but I am very grateful that she is in a good and a loving home.  Grief is the price you pay for love. That is so true.   

When I got my own place about 9 months ago, I determined that I was only going to have in it things which brought me joy and which had deep meaning.  I discovered the artist Paige Payne a few months ago and was very taken by her work.  There was one piece especially that I loved and that was her Kintsugi Women piece.  Kintsugi is the art of piecing broken things back together with gold lacquer.   If ever anyone was broken, that was me a year ago.  In the intervening months my Heavenly Father has been painstakingly piecing me back together with seams of gold.  He has enabled me to be able to take the positives out of what was a very negative situation.   I have emerged from the ashes of my past life as a new creature, stronger and better . . . pieced back together with seams of gold. 

MUSIC

 When the light shines through me 

All the broken pieces 

Reflect His light 

It's a beautiful sight 

 All the scars and spaces 

Where the battles hurt me 

Let more light in 

Flood me with Him 

You may see Flaws in me 

I'm not perfect 

But I was never meant to be 

 Keep your view of your perfect world 

I was never meant to be that girl... 

 Broken And I am beautiful 

He'll use each piece 

To make a masterpiece 

From the ashes He's creating me 

I'm broken Broken and beautiful 

Every shade and color 

All fit together 

Each break designed 

With me in mind 

 Every brilliant facet 

Tells a different story 

In every broken dream 

His love is seen 

Keep your view of your perfect world 

I was never meant to be that girl... 

 Broken And I am beautiful 

He'll use each piece 

To make a masterpiece 

From the ashes He's creating me 

I'm broken Broken and beautiful 

 I'll give Him what's left of my shattered heart 

He'll piece it together brand new 

And each empty space that was damaged and dark 

Will light up with His love and truth 

Yes, that's what His healing can do... 

 Broken and I am beautiful 

He'll use each piece 

To make a masterpiece 

From the ashes He's creating me 

I'm broken Broken and beautiful

~Calee Reed, Broken and Beautiful 

We are all Kintsugi Women.  Broken each in our own way. Nobody gets through this life without being twisted and bent and broken.  All in different ways.  We all face challenges.  Some of us get injured physically.  Some of us mentally.  Some of us struggle daily with our faith.  Some of us can't find our faith.  I am grateful for the piecing back together of my broken pieces by my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  Oh, I am not so naïve as to think that there will be no more broken pieces. That is the nature of life.  But I am grateful for all of the golden seams that can knit that life back together after the breaking. 

I am becoming beautiful in the most amazing of ways. In the ways that count most of all. 

I was really excited about my studies in the Old Testament this week.   We were studying Genesis 3-4 and Moses 4-5.   In all the years I have read and studied the Old Testament I had not seen the Savior's presence in the story of Adam and Eve in quite the same way as I was able to this past week.  I am studying via the Come Follow Me program of my church, but also following along with Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler on YouTube, via Don't Miss This.   I love it when the scriptures come alive for me and when I am able to apply them to my life.  I am grateful for the Coats of Skins we are afforded in redemption and the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

It is still snowing out there.  The wind is blowing it across the yard and down from the rooftop of the house across the street, drifting and burying.  Right now it is all pristine and clean and white, but it won't be long before the snowplows come, and it gets messed about with the footprints of life.  In the meantime I am going to enjoy the beauty it brings, safe and warm from my enclave. I am so grateful that I don't have to be out and about in it.  I am just going to sit here and watch because I am blessed enough to have that luxury, safe and warm with my twitching thumb. Life is good.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

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

 *.Oh Lord,

You have searched me 

and you know me.

~Psalm 139  •。★★ 。* 。 

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Dutch Baby Pancake with Blueberries & Lime.  Deliciously simple.

I hope you have a wonderful Saturday. Wherever you are, whatever you get up to stay safe and warm and don't forget! 

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And I do too.