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.

Getting to spend most of the weekend with these three and their parents.  My three "J's."  Jake, Jon and Josh. We had so much fun and it will be repeated later on this week.  We had a lot of laughs.  Josh and I played Star Dew Valley together, or at least he tried to show me how to play it.  Jon got my electronics sorted from them having been messed up when I got my new Internet. (He is an electronics genius.) Jake and I enjoyed a lot of laughs together. Then the two younger boys and I got to play Slamwich together which was a lot of fun also.   My little house and heart  have been full!

Getting to cook together with my son Doug and also spending some quality time alone with him on Sunday afternoon. He is a good, good man. Kind, generous, loving.  He is a great blessing to this mother who loves him very much.  A good man, a good husband and a good father, a good son.  I am very proud of him, but I always have been.

 

(source)

Sunday dinners with family. I love that Cindy includes  me each Sunday and has me over to dinner with her, Dan and Dad.  It is lovely to be together as a family. Cindy always cooks a delicious meal. We have a few laughs together and just enjoy each others company.  It is good to gather together as a family.

Lunch at Jonny's with Cindy and Sheri and Sawyer.  It was so much fun.  This is not what we had, but I wish I had!  No, it is probably good that I didn't! haha  Must be a trillion calories in it.  Anyways, it was just really lovely to be together as a family like that. I imagined my mother and her sister Freda looking down on us and being happy that as a family we still feel the connection that they fostered between us all. It was just a great afternoon. We will do it again soon!

As always, family times are the best of times!

Being able to go to church on Sunday and partake of the sacrament. To renew my Baptismal Covenants and take the Savior's name upon me.  That is such a vital part of my week. A renewing of my Spiritual battery.  We feed our bodies regularly, but it is a good thing to feed our spirits regularly also.  Afterall, they are the part of us that is eternal.

I have been reading this book over the past few days as a part of my bedtime reading routine. 

"What woman would describe herself as "holy"? And yet, the Lord has commanded us to "practice holiness ... continually." What is the meaning of holiness? How can we become a little more holy day by day? Is that even possible? Or is holiness just a lofty, impossible goal?"

I like reading things like this before I go to sleep.  They help me to ponder the things of life in a meaningful way.  They inspire me to want to do better, to be better. Anything that does that cannot be bad.

These two are two years old now. Its hardly possible that I have had them as a part of my life for almost that long. They have added a wonderful dimension to my life.  I always have company. They make me laugh and they bring a great element of joy into my life.  They are each one very unique in their personalities.  I love them to pieces.  They spent a lot of the weekend sleeping under my bed, lol  I guess they are not used to a lot of action and noise.  Then yesterday when it was just Doug and I here, Nutmeg sat right next to me the whole time, leaning against me and watching Doug. I am not sure what kind of message he was trying to send. I thought perhaps he was trying to guard me in some way?  Who knows!  He is a cat who always likes to be near me. Its quite comforting.

Mr White Boots.

My life is a beautiful blend of family and faith, friends, fun.  My heart is full and I am at peace.  I never thought I would be happy again, and I do have my sad moments, but they are becoming fewer and farther between. Life is very good.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

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

*Be careful what you set 

your heart on

for it will surely be yours.

~Ralph Waldo Emmerson

•。★★ 。* •。★★ 。* 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Classic Eton Mess, a traditional British dessert that is composed of only three simple ingredients.  Strawberries, cream and meringues.  Its simply delicious, quick to put together and doesn't involve any cooking at all.

I hope that your week ahead is filled with loads of small and wonderful things, a multitude of blessings. May your cup runneth over.  Don't forget along the way  . . . 

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!