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.

 

(source)

On his Instagram David Butler was talking about one of his son's friends giving a farewell Missionary Talk in his Ward and how this young man said he was excited about going on his mission and "bring happy to their heart" of the people of where he was going to serve.  Reading this made my own heart happy.   I thought to myself, what a wonderful attitude.  At an age where most young men (19) are only interested in bringing happy to their own hearts, it is nice to know that there are also young men who are interested in bringing happy to other people's hearts.  And I am not suggesting that this is only done by going on a mission and sharing the Gospel with others.  I am just saying its nice to see young people interested in caring for others in whatever way, shape or form. Bringing light into a world that is becoming increasingly dark for many, many people. Its a good thing.

This is the beautiful Lemon Cake my sister made for my Birthday supper.  What a beautiful labor of love.  Not only that but she made us all a delicious dinner of BBQ Ribs and roasted vegetables and beans from her garden. All delicious.

This cake was amazing. She knows my favorite flavor is lemon, and it was three layers of a beautiful lemon cake, filled with lush homemade lemon curd and frosted with a delicious lemon buttercream icing.  Then she had little lemon marshmallows decorating the top. Altogether it was one of the most delicious lemon cakes I have ever eaten. But even more special than that is having a sister who goes to such amazing lengths to make sure you have a nice birthday.  Thank you so much Cindy!

Plus I got some lovely cards from her, Dan and dad.  And some really nice gifts.  Dad gave me money, which always comes in handy. Cindy and Dan gave me a nice little sketch book, some really tasty looking mustard (curry pineapple), some shampoo that I love and my sister made me a beautiful cross body phone messenger bag.

I love LOVE it!  From the beautiful daisy fabric to the bee fabric for the strap, it is impeccably made (all her work is impeccable).  A nice zippered pocket inside to put your cards/drivers license in, another unzipped pocket, a larger pocket to pop your phone and anything else into.  Just the right size, with an adjustable strap.  It is just beautiful.  I am so blessed!

Look at what I was able to buy.  My old bedtime story book. Published in the year I was born. It arrived on Friday. It is well worn and much loved, kind of like me. What do you expect from something which is 68 years old!  I have been looking for one of these for years and years. What fun I have had going through it and revisiting the stories on its pages. As a child, I wanted to live in What a Jolly Street!  And as a child whose only living grandmother lived thousands of miles away, Mrs. Apricot (the old lady who lived at the end of WAJS) was all that I wanted a grandmother to be, except she, also, was not present in my life, but she told good stories.

Speaking of grandmothers, this lovely grandson of mine called me last evening to wish me a Happy Birthday. He also wanted to play Star Dew Valley with me, but I was too tired at that point but we are making a date to play it soon!  (I hope!)  I am not very good at it, so he will probably rue the day he invited me to play with him!  It was so special of Luke to call me like that.  I had spoken to his father earlier in the day with a facetime but Luke was still in bed. So it was nice for him to want to wish me a Happy Birthday like that and most unexpected!  What a special gift!

My friend Jacquie brought these to me at church yesterday. Four lovely china platters. She didn't want them any more and wanted to get rid of them. The one in the far left lower corner has a matching tureen/casserole dish. I believe it was her mother's.  This was so nice of her.  She also had a nice birthday card for me, although the platters were not a birthday gift.  Just a gift. She knows I like things like that and I had to leave all my stuff behind in the UK. They will come in handy for my food photography.

I don't know what I ever did to deserve such kindnesses, but I do not take them for granted. I know blessings when I see them and I count them, every one. I am a very blessed woman.

A lot of people might look at me and see just an older lady, who has failed at three marriages, crippled by arthritis, overweight, etc. but they can't see the gold mending my cracks.  I have a good, good life. Maybe it is not the exact life I had planned for myself, but it is still a very good life. 

"Every time a trial comes, 

it simply reminds me that now I have more to give."

This was in this book I am reading in bed, "From Grace to Charity." It was a response a woman made to Emily Belle Freeman to a statement Emily had made to her about how sorry she was that this woman had had to go through so many hard things in her life.  And I thought yes!  You can wallow in pity and feeling sorry for yourself, or you can use your hard experiences as a jumping board to help  enrich the lives of others.  This turns them into treasures.

I loved the music of Carol King's Album Tapestry when I was a teen.  The lyrics of the song Tapestry (on the album) went as follows:

My life has been a tapestry

Of rich and royal hue

An everlasting vision

Of the ever-changing view

A wond'rous woven magic

In bits of blue and gold

A tapestry to feel and see

Impossible to hold

Faith, family, friends, home, health  . . .  all good. And with that I best leave you with a thought for the day. I feel an adventure coming on. I think my sister and I are going to drive up to Berwick today.  Good times!

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

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

*The way I see it, 

if you want the rainbows,

you got to put up with the rain.

~Dolly Parton. •。★★ 。* 。

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Grandma's Mixed Berry Crunch. Delicious!  Simple to make as well!

I hope your day and week ahead is filled to overflowing with abundance of the things in life that truly matter.  Don't forget! 

═══════════ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ══════════ 

⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═════════     


And I do too!