5/16/24

A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN



This year we celebrated Mother's Day at my grandson's house.

He has a beautiful garden full of different colored roses, sweet smelling peonies, wild daisies, and many other bushes and flowers I don't know the names of.  







































I was particularly intrigued by the holly bush full of blue and turquoise berries. I never knew that's what holly berries look like before they turn red in winter.







The trees were full of birds chirping away as they flitted from branch to branch, and it was such a beautiful day I enjoyed just sitting on the deck and taking it all in. 





I watched my daughter and my future granddaughter-in-law bonding as they picked flowers to turn into Mother's Day bouquets.

































Making the bouquets.












5/12/24

SOMEDAY


T
his post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--SOMEDAY
Five minutes to freewrite about it
----------------------------------------------------------
Someday never seems to come.

I still have not caught up on all the things on my to do list I expected to have completed someday, or sorted through the boxes cluttering my bedroom floor, or read the books in a growing pile waiting to be put into a bookcase. 

There are goals I have set and resolutions I have made, all with good intentions of achieving; and books and blog posts I've started to write, still hoping they will someday get done.

As I draw closer to the end of my journey in this world, however, there is one someday I can be absolutely certain will come to pass. I know that someday I will pass through the gates to my eternal home where Jesus Himself will wipe away every tear, and where "there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:4). What a wonderful someday that will be.

You too can have that someday assurance (see below).
-----------------------------------------------------

Because of Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden, we are all born with a sin nature that separates us from God. Because of it there is a great gulf that separates us from Him, and there is no way we can cross it through our own efforts. There is only one path that can lead us to eternal life, and that is through the blood Jesus shed on the cross to redeem us of our sins. 

Jesus came to earth to die on the cross so we could be forgiven of our sins and set free to spend eternal life in Heaven with Him, enjoying the fellowship we were created to enjoy with the Lord before sin entered the world. This gift of salvation is a free gift that can only be received by grace through faith. It cannot be earned by good works. And as much as it is not God's will for anyone to perish, He will not impose His will on you or force you to accept it. The choice is yours. 

Jesus stands at the door of your heart, knocking and waiting for you to answer. I pray that you would open the door before it is too late, and accept His invitation to enter your life, forgive your sins, and make you a new creation. 

Life is brief, and none of us is promised another day—or even another moment, for that matter. Tomorrow may be too late. 

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23, NIV) 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23, NIV) 

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. (John 14:6, NLT) 

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NIV) 

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9, NLT) 

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. (Revelation 3:20)

5/4/24

SOME


T
his post was written for Five Minute Friday
Word prompt--SOME
Five minutes to freewrite about it
----------------------------------------------------------
Some days are great, and some days are not so good. (Kind of like the two pennies I found while walking around my parking lot.) And some days are a combination of both highs and lows.

One big and very unexpected high happened on my trip to the dentist for my six-month cleaning and follow-up. 

My teeth have been super sensitive lately and I anticipated some major work would be needed. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that everything was looking good. 

Apparently the Sensodyne Pronamel repair toothpaste I started using has been doing its job.

Life has its ups and downs, but there is always something we can find to be grateful for if we look for it.

--------------------------------

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24, ESV)

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NIV)

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)

The LORD is my strength and shield, I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. (Psalm 28:7, NLT)

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.  (James 1:2-4, NLT)

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds--who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:1-5, ESV)