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.

 

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Spring is just busting out all over the place here.  What a difference even just a few days makes. I see huge changes with each day that passes.  Oh how I miss the English spring. When I was in the UK, Spring was my favorite season.  Our garden was so beautiful and it was such a blessing watching everything come back to life again in the spring.  I think here in Canada, Autumn is my favorite season.  I can't explain the difference, why I love one season in one place and another in another.  There is no excuse but the heart. The heart loves what the heart loves.

 

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This past week I have been tackling big chores and getting big chores done. There is a special sense or feeling of accomplishment that comes when you finally get to the things you have wanted to tackle and get them done. I have more mountains to climb, but I have learned in life that the only way that you can eat an elephant is to take it one bite at a time and that's what I am doing.

 

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Sit and stare time.  I have allowed myself more of that over this past week.  More time to just sit and stare and drink in the world around me.  Sometimes we can get so caught up in the busy-ness of our days that we forget that we need to take a few minutes every now and then to just relax and breathe.  This is an even bigger challenge when you work from home.   Having "Sit and stare time" is vital to living a balanced life.

 

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I am so pleased with my new internet connection. What a difference it has made over this past week.  My old connection was so slow that it was taking me ages to do my work.  It was taking me literally hours to edit and upload my photographs. Making collages in PicMonkey was almost impossible. I would get one done and it would hang, making me wait sometimes for up to fifteen minutes in order to be able to finally save it to my desktop.  Now everything is getting done in seconds.  I no longer have to keep unplugging and rebooting my internet. This has freed up so much time for me.  Worth every penny.

 

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A powerful expression of that love

is what scriptures often 

call the grace of God --

the divine assistance and

endowment of strength

by which we grow from the flawed and limited

beings

we are now into exalted beings

of truth and light.

~Dieter F Uchtdorf

I am so grateful for Grace in my life. Grace to become and to become more.  Where would I be without it.  Grace, this supernatural enabling power which has somehow led me through all of the storms in my life, safely to the other side of them.  Which has somehow, as if by magic, not only led me through them, but also strengthened me and enabled me to become a better person despite the cracks and stumbling blocks and weaknesses that might have held me back.  I cannot explain it . . .  I only know it to be true. All the cracks have only ever made my life into something more beautiful and worth living.  I can truly say that I am grateful for all the bad stuff, because with it came the Grace and strength to become.  And I am not finished yet.

Postcards from much beloved friends. Knowing that you are not forgotten.  That someone thought enough of you to take a few moments out of their day to write you a postcard and then post it to you.  That you mean enough to them for them to want to do that. That is such a wonderful thing.  And I am grateful to be so thought of.

Being able to bid farewell to masses of cardboard.  What a load off, and this is only half of it. Cindy and Dan were going to the dump on Saturday to drop off their cardboard and offered to take mine as well.  I was so happy to get rid of it.  Its amazing how much that stuff builds up.  Everything you buy comes in a box, and sometimes even two boxes.  Some of the boxes are huge.  I was so grateful to them for taking some of it away for me. Most of it.  Whew!  What a blessing! 

Sunday Dinners with family.  Cindy cooked a lovely Roast Beef again. She makes the best gravy. Its always delicious but the best part is being with family.  

And there was a delicious banana cake for dessert.  Family times are the best of times.

 

How did I get so blessed  . . . 

Not once, but twice blessed.  I must have done something very good to deserve such blessings.

My life is overflowing with goodness.  It always has been. I have never known true hunger, or the sounds of bombs dropping, famine or pestilence. I've always had a roof over head, clean water to drink, food in my belly, clothes on my back.  A chair to sit on and a bed to sleep in. True joy comes in wanting and appreciating what you already have rather than in wanting more.  I am living a life of joy.  Faith, family, home and friends. I have it all.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

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

 *"If there be beauty in a world of ill,
A quiet valley where a church bell rings,
Where there is faith and love and little homes.,
Speak on these things."
~Edna Jaques •。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Easy Cheesy Stuffed Bread.  This is such a simple make.  5 ingredients 15 minutes. Done and dusted. Delicious too!

I hope that your week ahead is filled with loads of small and wonderful blessings. So much so that your cup runneth over.  Whatever the week holds for you, don't forget! 

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And I do too!