7/15/26
7/14/26
TUESDAY THOUGHTS
The wildflowers in the planter on my balcony have been a source of so much joy. All the different varieties opening up (I had planted a packet of mixed seeds).
One of my morning highlights, when I go out to water them, is to see what new color I can see. This day, it was not a color, but some delicate, intricate-looking leaves I had not noticed before.
Today, during my quiet time, a passage in one of my devotionals jumped out at me. It was about how easy it is to get your eyes so firmly fixed on the problems in your life that you completely overlook the blessings. That is so true, and I hope I'm not guilty of doing that so much anymore.
The joy my wildflowers bring, no matter how discouraged I may be feeling, is just one small example of the healing effect of opening my eyes to the blessings surrounding me instead of fixating on the troubles.
7/11/26
SHORT
Word prompt--SHORT
Five minutes to free-write about it
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At first I was going to skip this week's challenge, but then an old photo popped up in my Facebook memories of a granddaughter whose birthday is today. She looks so tiny in that shot. Definitely much shorter than I am.
That got me to reminiscing about other brief moments in time when I was not the short one, and to looking through old (and some not so old) photos.
These are of my two children--then and now...
...and my oldest granddaughter.
When my local great-grandchildren started to catch up to me, we started a tradition where whenever we got together at my daughter's home (their grandmother) we would stand side by side in front of a little mirror in her entrance way to see how much taller they had grown since my last visit, a ritual that was repeated each time until with great fanfare they were able to announce to one and all that they had passed me by and I was now the shorter one.
This is a picture of me and one of my great-granddaughters, standing in front of the little mirror that has witnessed the transformation from shorter to taller and taller to shorter so many times over the last several years.
And this is one of my favorite comparison photos--then and now--of my two oldest great-grandsons.
This short reflection really brought home how brief the time is that we have to enjoy our children, be an influence in their lives, and create happy memories together they can carry with them when they fly the coop and are out on their own.
7/7/26
7/3/26
OUTCOME
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--OUTCOME
Five minutes to free-write about it
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Though I have gotten good reports on my follow-up visits to my surgeon and GP, and I am feeling quite a bit better, the outcome of my surgery (so far) has not been what I expected it to be.
Rather than dwell on the frustration or disappointment, however, I'm trying to stay focused on the positives and trust that God did not miraculously work things out the way He did for this to become my new normal.
One of the issues seems to be that many of the things the hospital dietitian told me I should eat when I transitioned from liquid to soft mechanical diet, and that I could eat or drink if I wanted to, were actually things that make symptoms worse and that are on the GERD avoid list.
Come to find out from my GP that just because they do not seem to bother me was not an indicator that they are okay foods for me to be ingesting, because symptoms can take up to two hours to manifest.
So now that I have transitioned from soft mechanical to regular diet, and have the proper information as to what I should be eating and what I should not, I'm being mindful of my choices and hoping that this unwanted outcome is only a temporary glitch on the path to recovery that will eventually reverse itself with patience and the necessary corrections.
6/26/26
PIVOT
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--PIVOT
Five minutes to free-write about it
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The last few days have been pivotal (in the sense of a turning point) for both me and my plants.
The wildflowers I had planted and thought would be too strangled to bloom because I accidentally overcrowded them by adding too many seeds to the pot, are looking beautiful. And the tomato plant that had been sitting on a sunny windowsill in my bedroom and was looking half dead, immediately perked up when I moved it out to the balcony.
As for me, I'm perking up as well, and having a renewed desire to start taking pictures again as I'm out and about doing errands. Yesterday I had the energy to pull over twice and get out of my car to take these pictures of some pretty purple umbrellas outside a local eatery, and a July 4th fireworks stand.
6/25/26
THROWBACK THURSDAY
I never found out who it belonged to, and it fit perfectly, so it became a well-worn piece of jewelry. In fact, it's one of the few rings I ever wear anymore.
I wonder who it belonged to and what became of her.
6/24/26
6/23/26
TUESDAY THOUGHTS
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
(Psalm 34:8, NKJV)
Still pondering the events of the past almost two months and the amazing and unexpected ways the Lord moved in my life, providing tangible evidence that He is in control and can be trusted to know what's best, no matter how things may be looking from my point of view.
I'm also thinking of how perfect the timing of the messages in my devotionals have been. Like the one early on that exhorted me to welcome my challenge as an opportunity to trust God, and to hold His hand tightly as He walks through it with me. And the one today, at the other end, having personally experienced these truths play out in my own personal circumstances:
Do not presume to know what's best
When you begin to pray;
But say to God, "Your will be done,"
Then trust His perfect way. (David Sper)
6/21/26
VIBE
This post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--VIBE
Five minutes to free-write about it
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VIBE: A distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing (Vocabulary.com). -- Distinctive feeling or quality capable of being sensed--e.g. good, bad, or weird (Merriam-Webster dictionary).
That is what the promptings of the Holy Spirit feel like to me. It's that still small voice within that, if I am sensitive to, points me in the right direction by alerting me as to whether something or someone has a good vibe attached to it or not. However, in order to benefit from its guidance I need to trust God and obey--even when it goes against what my own senses or intellect would like me to believe.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not
depend on your own understanding. Seek his
will in all you do, and he will show you which
path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT)
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