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.  

We had the best Sacrament Meeting yesterday.  After the Sacrament had been blessed and passed, the rest of the meeting was given over to music. Everyone was encouraged to come up to the front and tell the congregation what their favorite hymn was and why and then we all sang the first verse of that hymn.  It was a really inspirational meeting. Music has the power to feed your spirit in a most wonderful way.  It can make you feel happy or sad, uplifted, etc.  It made a lovely change from the usual talks.  I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed and I know I was not alone. It was enjoyed so much that we have been promised we will do it again another time. It was just really nice to be able to focus on the music of the church and why/how it inspires.

This is my brother-in-law Dan. I know I often sing the praises of my other family members, but I thought that today I would share with you how much I appreciate this man. There is nobody on earth quite like Dan. He has such a kind heart and is incredibly supportive of the people he cares about. He feels deeply for the environment and for his fellow beings. He would poo poo that, but it's true. He is a man who cares about people and the earth. He quit his job to move down here to Nova Scotia with my sister to help take care of my mom. And he does a multitude of things for my father that often go unappreciated.  Sweeping out dad's garage, helping to get his garbage out, washing his car, etc. just the tip of the iceberg. He's been out looking for Dad's cat in the wee hours of the morning.  And he does it out of the goodness of his heart, and love for my sister.  He is always willing come and do things for me as well, such as help me put together furniture, put my tires in the car, wash my car, etc.  That is how supportive he is of the ones he cares about.  He loves the holidays, every holiday, and he celebrates each one with gusto! I love that about him. And he adores my sister. That is patently obvious in the way he looks at her. He is a good and kind person. He always makes me laugh and smile.  I love him very much. Our family would not be the same without Dan.  

I'm really grateful for Zoom. All through Covid Zoom enabled me to be able to attend church remotely.  On Friday I was able to attend the funeral of my good friend Jewel's husband and support her in a way I could not have done otherwise. We are so blessed to be able to have the technology that we have and to be able to use it in the way that we can.

 

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Misty autumn mornings and bright autumn days.  I love this time of year.  It's not too uncomfortable to sleep at night, and I am a great lover of cozy. I love the cozy smells and feels. I love the colors, although in fact most of our leaves have fallen now. Tonight, we get to enjoy Halloween and see the children trick or treating in their costumes.  I love that.  Cindy and Dan are coming over and we are doing Halloween together again. I am having everyone for supper. Dan will come over after work. He has carved two pumpkins. I am not sure if he is dressing up or not. He may not have time to do anything like that. Glenna had said that most of the people on the street were not doing Halloween, but I am, and I know that she is. It's one of my favorite nights of the year! 

 

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Doing things with Cindy, even if it is only shopping.  I just love spending time with her. She's my best friend.  We don't see eye to eye on some things, but for the most part we do. We laugh together, we cry together, we just really enjoy spending time together.  Well, I do anyways, and I am pretty sure she does also, or she wouldn't be spending time with me. My sister is such a kind, compassionate, and talented person, a very caring individual. She would have made a great nurse, I am sure. Out of the three of us, she is the most intelligent.  I am not half as smart as she is.

Whenever I need good advice, I know I can rely on her to give me the best advice. I am far too impulsive. She thinks more before she acts. Oh, I just love her, so much, but you all know that. I'm her biggest fan.

This little guy was on my window for quite a while the other day. It's just a moth. Nothing spectacular.  He stayed for quite a while. I took a few photos of him and he didn't fly away. This was the best one, the one where he shows up the clearest. I think nature is just wonderful.  There is beauty in even the simplest, dullest things. It is wonderful to be able to look at things like this and see the miracle that they are. How everything around us is intricately woven, designed and put together with purpose. How it all fits. 

I know that lots of people don't believe in God and that's okay.  I do, and you all know that. I just see his presence all around me, in all of these small details and objects. It is all a miracle to me. I have always seen with my spiritual eyes, even when I was a child, and I am grateful for that.

I have started a new study through She Reads Truth, this one is on prayer.  I have always prayed.  And my prayers have always been answered, not always in the way I expected them to be, but always in the way I needed them to be.  I love prayer.  This two-sided communication with my Heavenly Father.  I feel His presence each day as I pour my heart out to him. I know He is there.

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This is one of the Challenges our Prophet issued to us during the last conference. I used to keep prayer journals years ago. It has been a long time since I have done so. Prayer is such a huge part of my life and so I have challenged myself to practice the art of prayer more meaningfully over these next months.  I'm excited to see where it takes me.

This is a book I have just started reading. Have you ever wondered about how you would change the way you do things if you knew you only had a limited time to accomplish the things that you need to do? How many of us procrastinate doing the things we need to do, thinking that we have forever to get them done?  I mean to change that. I want to make each day of my life, no matter how many I have before me, count in a way that I never have before. That is my goal anyways.   I think Tim McGraw had a song about living like you were dying.  I remember when I first heard it, I thought, how profound.  What things would you say or do differently if you thought you might never get to do them again?  How would you spend your days if you knew they were your last?  How would your priorities change?  Food for thought.  Food for action.

Well, I must be about my day here.  I have a lot to get done today, and I am going to enjoy every minute of it, and so I will leave you with a thought for today . . .

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

 *She was one of the rare ones,

so effortlessly herself,

and the world loved her for it.

~Atticus Finch •。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today . . .  Cranberry, Orange and Nut Bread. Quite simply delicious. A recipe from the old Purity Flour Cookbook.

I hope you have a wonderful week.  I hope it is filled with a multitude of small and wonderful blessings. I hope your cup runs over with them. Don't ever forget! 

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And I do too!