A Day Book . . .

 

FOR TODAY, December 9th, 2025

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

Its cold and snowy. Not snowing however.  We are expecting a clear day today. It is garbage day. Right now it is -10*C/14*F. It should warm up to -6*C/22.2*F. So, we are not expecting a really warm day today. Snow or rain is being called for the rest of this week.  It would seem that winter has arrived fully dressed!

I AM THINKING ...

My brother got the best news yesterday regarding his kidney cancer. I will copy and paste from his Facebook page as he says it better than I ever could.

"Well, an update on my cancer journey. One month after having the tumors burned with ablation treatment they did a follow-up CT Scan. There were no signs of local or residual disease recurrence and no metastasis, so it looks like they got all the tumor tissue. That's great news! I'll still have a follow-up scan at 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year, but it's looking good!"

Thank you all so much for all of your happy wishes and prayers! God is good!

I AM ALSO THINKING ...

 

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About how terrible it must be to be famous. To live in the fishbowl of public opinion.  Where everything you do (or don't do) is judged. Where people have no qualms about forming opinions on everything about you and everything you do. Where you get built up just so that you can get knocked down again.  I wouldn't want that lifestyle for anything. It is too high a price to pay for what? No thank you.

 

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I AM GRATEFUL FOR ...

Heat pumps, sweaters and cozy blankets. And carpets.

IN THE KITCHEN ...

Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup. Something else I am grateful for. Hot soup. Especially when it is as delicious as this was!

ON MY "TO COOK" LIST ...

Coconut Bundt Cake, from Life with Janet. I love Coconut cake.

THIS I BELIEVE ...

Not being able to forgive others is like carrying a sack of rocks on your back. It weighs you down and holds you captive.

 

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SOMETHING THAT IS NICE ...

Cranberry and White Chocolate Shortbread biscuits. Yummy!

 

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SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NICE ...

String music. I find it very relaxing and calming. Beautiful.

I AM WANTING TO CREATE ...

 

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Pretty button cards  . . . 

 

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Pretty bunting  . . . 

 

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Pretty little rag dolls  . . . 

 

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A teabag doll  . . .  so cute.

 

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Tiny little houses  . . .  what a cute spoon rest.

SOMETHING I ENJOY ...

 

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Puffins.  So cute.  There are three places to see them in Nova Scotia. The Bird Islands in Cape Breton. Pearl Island on the South Shore. Briar Island on Digby Neck.  (Cindy, next summer. We need to go.)

SOMETHING ELSE I ENJOY ...

 

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Otters  . . . 

 

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OH MY GOODNESS ...

Bread plates. So pretty.

I AM READING ...

THE REED OF GOD, by Caryll Houselander 

The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander, British Catholic writer and artist, has been cherished by Catholics worldwide since its first publication in 1944. This spiritual classic invites readers to encounter Mary, the Mother of God, not as a distant, untouchable figure but as deeply human―one whose openness to God made divine love visible in the world. 

 Caryll Houselander portrays Mary as a reed, hollow and open, through which God’s song could be played. With this powerful image, Houselander reveals how Mary gave her whole being to God’s plan and shows how we, too, can become instruments of divine love. 

 Years before the Second Vatican Council inspired renewed devotion to Mary, Houselander offered her own profound and approachable vision of the Mother of God―warm, intuitive, and accessible. She counters the stiff, idealized “Madonna of the Christmas card” with a portrait of Mary that is alive, intimate, and profoundly relevant for Christians seeking closeness with Christ. Drawing from centuries of theological tradition yet enriched by her keen understanding of the human condition and the modern hunger for meaning, Houselander gives flesh and spirit to the Church’s affirmations about Mary and presents her as a figure designed for contemplation and imitation. 

 Through essays and poems, divided into four parts, Houselander reflects on the mysteries of Mary’s life―her fiat, the finding of Jesus in the Temple, her assumption―and on themes of emptiness, fruitfulness, and the soul’s longing for union with God. In Mary’s humanity, Houselander finds the model for every believer: to carry Christ into the world. 

 As Houselander writes, “The one thing that she did and does is the one thing that we all have to do, namely, to bear Christ into the world. To this need, the imitation of Our Lady is the answer; in contemplating her we find intimacy with God, the law which is the lovely yoke of the one irresistible love.” Mary was the reed through which Eternal Love was piped as a shepherd’s song. 

The question remains for us: Are we reed pipes? Is God waiting to live lyrically through us?

I am reading this for Advent.

THINGS THAT CATCH MY FANCY ...

 

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Candle holders  . . . 

 

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Red barns  . . . 

 

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Bonne Maman jars. Any size.

 

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Spoons  . . . 

 

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A charcuterie board. So cute.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR ...

 

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The Scriptures  . . .  life's instruction books.

MAKES ME SMILE ...

 b

(source)

Such a cute doll  . . . 

SOMETHING TO WATCH ...

 

The Dwelling Place on Prime. I love Catherine Cookson.

A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

☾ ° ★° * 。  

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

*May my heart aways be open 

to little birds

who are the secrets of living.

~E E Cummings• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 

And that is my daybook for this week!  Thanks always for being here!

  ⋱ ⋮ ⋰

⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆

  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆ 

✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•. ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥╬

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Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget!  

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!