Mary and her friends -the weeks after

 It was early morning.The sun had yet to break it's first a beam of light across the countryside. Mary slowly woke up, her first thoughts of the day begin entering her mind.Normal,every day kind of thoughts.But not fully formed.When in an instant her mind is fully awakened because she remembers.
 Sitting up on her cot,she rests her forehead in her hands and sighs a deep,long sigh.Sadness envelopes her whole being. Because she remembered -the angry crowd, the cross, the blood ,his words just before he died. Behind her closed eyes memories in the form of mind pictures begin their journey,but she quickly shakes her head to remove the images.Although she is still confused by all the events of the previous days She stands up because she knows in her heart that she and her friends want to do what they need to, to honor Jesus. Sabbath day was over...
The above part of the story is only my imagination. The Bible start here:
 ^1-4 After the Sabbath, as the first light of the new week dawned, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to keep vigil at the tomb. Suddenly the earth reeled and rocked under their feet as God's angel came down from heaven, came right up to where they were standing. He rolled back the stone and then sat on it. Shafts of lightning blazed from him. His garments shimmered snow-white. The guards at the tomb were scared to death. They were so frightened, they couldn't move.
 ^5-6The angel spoke to the women: "There is nothing to fear here. I know you're looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed.
 ⁷"Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' That's the message."
 ^8-10The women, deep in wonder and full of joy, lost no time in leaving the tomb. They ran to tell the disciples. Then Jesus met them, stopping them in their tracks. "Good morning!" he said. They fell to their knees, embraced his feet, and worshiped him. Jesus said, "You're holding on to me for dear life! Don't be frightened like that. Go tell my brothers that they are to go to Galilee, and that I'll meet them there."


I wonder. I wonder what the sabbath day was like.Jesus died on Friday afternoon. The Sabbath was Saturday. "They" arose early on Sunday morning to go to the tomb to prepare Jesus' body for burial. I know what the waiting feels like after someone close to me has died.The death.Than waiting for friends to come.Waiting for the body to be brought from the funeral home.Waiting for the first calling hours.Waiting for the funeral to start.It's like walking through a fog the whole time. So yes, I wonder what Saturday was like for the disciples, Mary and all the friends of Jesus.
  This week I have been thinking about how this week (and 40 days hence)must have been like.I cannot imagine the emotion of witnessing that horrible, cruel death ,feeling the grief and pain in my heart of a person so wonderful as Jesus to be taken away from me, the confusing thoughts of second guessing everything but yet wanting to believe everything that Jesus said and is now saying.But yet, he speaks in such mysterious ways sometimes that it takes some thinking to figure out exactly what he means.And my o my he can put those pious pharisees in their place!Now he isn't dead- HE AROSE! He's going through wall like a spirit form,he is talking about things that don't always make sense.BUT HE IS ALIVE!! Those 40 days with Jesus....must have been incredible!

  Read Mathew,Mark and Luke's accounts  of this story.So much is not recorded! But I do know they were human, with questions and wanderings like me. http://www.biblegateway.com/
  The other day I was in a dreamy kind of sleepy state too.I was stealing a much needed nap in the afternoon and I was thinking about this when I was  filled with wonder,joy,and a sense of feeling so loved ! Why? Because this "man" Jesus that we read about and talk about is the God  that I speak to ALL THE TIME.He is my friend.I have conversation with him!He is real! I am struggling for words here to really say how I felt.I of course always have known this but at that moment i t was ---seriously I don't have words here!
  I began to think of the Holy Spirit and his role in the trinity.How strange it must have  been for them to get used to this idea.A comforter? How do we relate? Will he always appear as an angel? Tongs of fire on our heads?  Can you imagine the conversations they must have had with their first encounters?
WOW!
For me,
It's always been this way...
To talk to Jesus, I pray.
The Holy Spirit speaks to me.
But this,
this was all new to them.

  It just makes me wonder.....

Favorite Things

A list. I love lists. I’ve been making a mental list of some of my favorite things . Ironically one of those things is “setting up” objects and making a setting for a photo. I guess in photography it’s called “still life”. It started with cleaning out my closet-organizing my summer clothes and putting away the warmer items till fall. (yes-I live in Florida but that is still a necessary chore :) ) I began to make a list in my head of things I Particularly like/love and thought it would be fun to blog -which of course led to …this! (Talk about “yak shaving“-an epic example happening as we speak-!)



Here's to honesty!~The pile of "to go to goodwill" that I left lying on the floor when I decided to start my list



Newly organized shelf!



~Crocheted flowers made by my late grandma~ Thinking about adding them to the purse below,I saw some much more expensive purses like this at a store with the flowers added..???



Goodwill find - I was pretty delighted! Not the name brand "The Sak" but pretty close!



So feminine! The "pearl" earrings I found at an outlet store a few
dollars-fun find! 



Hats, lace,scarves and silver jewelry. I found the off white lace blouse at Bueall's  outlet- so happy!

*sigh* -makes me wanna dress up to go out!



Not listed on my actual list(pardon the over-use of the word list!) This is my new favorite yummy scent-Not floral at all which I cannot do-a hint of yummy and a lot of romantic!




BOOKS!- LOVE! On my new bookshelf that Chip created-



The children's instruments minus Grant's HUMUNG-O drum set.Our "living room" has been changed to a music/library room-it makes our house ..."HOME"!

A sign of encouragement made by yours truly. It hangs in my kitchen. Note that the green checked wallpaper is NOT on my list of decor favorites!

The cooperative flowers-flowers work pretty well for me when I remember to give them water...:)

Now for the actual lists....

Summertime fashion favorites:

• Silver jewelry- hoop earrings
• Big stud pearl earrings
• Lace
• Neutral colors (Especially crisp white)
•  "Airy” scarves matched with sleeveless tops
• Hats- LOVE LOVE LOVE!
• Sundresses(of course!)
• Shorts matched with loose comfortable tops
• Sequined sandals
• Crocheted stuff- picky here about the style but I’ve seen a few things that would definitely make this list!
• Flowers in hair-still haven’t decided if 40 is too old for this trend???

Places:

• Beach (absolute favorite!) 
• North Carolina mountains-IF I ever get there again!
• John Ringling Bridge park (for lack of formal park name) 
• Pastry Art with girlfriends  
• Restaurants with outdoor seating , namely- The Hub, Station 400, L.K. Old Salty Dog , Rotten Ralphs, Café on the Beach…only to name a few!
• My patio -I had a picture,not sure where it went!
• Goodwill - seriously, I can find such fun stuff there and without the guilt of spending so much! Plus the 5$ off coupon is a great bonus!

Quotes from:

• A.W. Tozer
• Frederick Buechner
• C.S. Lewis

 Decor:

• Anything Vintage
• White-although this is not reflected in my house. I LOVE all white!
• Painted wall signs
• Stringed lights on a patio
• Comfy patio chairs(on my wish list)

Other favorites:

• Hearing my children play music or singing 
• Lingering at the table after supper is over - family time! 
• Lazy mornings 
• Saturdays with no plans 
• Sunday afternoons 
• Kari Jobe worship music 
• Random Conversations  
• The book of Philippians 
• Books-all kinds of books
• Flowers that cooperate and bloom after I buy and plant them

There you go…it’s been fun to think about this list and get it together! I could have gone on but ...

 Below is a a sample of quotes from the writings of the three gentlemen from my list . I have learned that I have a hard time focusing on some of the deep style of their writing ,but bits and pieces pulled from their books give me plenty to think about!

"What we hunger for perhaps more than anything else is to be known in our full humanness, and yet that is often just what we also fear more than anything else. It is important to tell at least from time to time the secret of who we truly and fully are . . . because otherwise we run the risk of losing track of who we truly and fully are and little by little come to accept instead the highly edited version which we put forth in hope that the world will find it more acceptable than the real thing. It is important to tell our secrets too because it makes it easier . . . for other people to tell us a secret or two of their own . . . "



— Frederick Buechner (Telling Secrets)




"I can safely say, on the authority of all that is revealed in the Word of God, that any man or woman on this earth who is bored and turned off by worship is not ready for heaven."



— A.W. Tozer


"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself."



— C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity







Thinking thoughts...

  So many thoughts have been circling my brain lately .I can be at work in my own little world with thoughts swirling around in my head. At times I wish there was a way to record them immediately somewhere for retrieving later. Sometimes (when I finally) get the time to sit here and actually write I can’t near remember what all I pondered earlier in the day or week. Today I felt as though I was having partial conversations with God. I have bits of songs going through my head, along with all the variety of thoughts than I pray and ask questions and feel a response from God in my spirit, my thoughts continue -but of course, customers come and go between these conversations -get my drift? O my, maybe that is why I am so tired by evening! Today, the main song in my head was
“ I will follow you into the homes of broken, I will follow you into the world ,meet the needs of the poor and the needy…”

  That thought alone can bring so many tangling, attached thoughts, prayers and questions. It can either bring a feeling of delight that God wants me to be part of his plan of duty or suspense hinged with a little fear of the what if’s. I ask God “how, where, and what” ? How in my life and the people I meet, could I do a better job at this? I feel as though God is somehow confirming me but yet nudging me to be more.

 Relationships. I have been thinking about that too. I have good relationships. I crave relationship when I feel alone . I enjoy watching other people in their relationships, and how they interact. God desires relationship. It’s what God intended in the beginning when he created Adam. Interestingly enough, after God created man he knew that humans would  also need that interaction so he created Eve. What is it? (Some call it "chemistry")Why does man need it?Can a person be fully healthy without it? Why does it seem like some humans turn others away rather than attract friends than the next guy is just "himself" and everybody loves him/her?
 Here a few definitions ;

1. connection: a significant connection or similarity between two or more things, or the state of being related to something else


2. behavior or feelings toward somebody else: the connection between two or more people or groups and their involvement with one another, especially as regards the way they behave toward and feel about one another


3. friendship: an emotionally close friendship,


4. connection by family: the way in which two or more people are related by birth, adoption, or marriage, or the fact of being related by birth, adoption, or marriage
Encarta ® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1998-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
  Of course, ther is the idea of how different it is for the various temperaments and personalities. How some people mesh but others just seem to collide and it seems impossible to cohabit. I have friendships that took a long time till trust was built. Than, there are those that the moment I meet the person, “ta-da” there you have it a friendship is formed. I know for myself ,all the variety of friendships and people God has placed in my life makes it exiting, ineresting and at times I'm not sure what to expect! There are always going to be the "sand-paper people" that are good to have in my life because as someone once said "those are the people that rub off our rough edges".:)


Perception…of life and other things.That’s another thought for another day…yeah, I will save that for another post.

Funerals,Birthday Parties, and Treasured Titles

 Saturday night.I am tired. This has been a long week.My uncle Richard went to be with Lord on Monday night .All week has been draining and full of emotion. Yesterday was the funeral.Richard was the father of Natalie and her family owns the market where I work so... it affected so many areas of my life this week.I thank God that He knows and plans the weeks for us and does not let anything go into our days without his approval-He knows what I can handle!I feel so much for Erma (my Aunt).Richard was a wonderful husband to her, loved her and brought out the best in her.She married him when she was 60.Her first marriage ,his second.His very large family accepted her as "mom" and "grandma" ,loved her and she them.This is going to be difficult.I pray I will know how to reach out to her.


A few weeks ago I stared a post and never got it finished.I copied and pasted it here because it was a significant weekend I wanted to blog about.

 So, here is the post within the post:


We had a huge surprise this weekend ! Friday evening, Chip's sister and sister-in-law and a niece were at our front door! It took a bit to get it soaked in my brain -that it actually happened .We have pictures to prove it! Chip's birthday was on Monday so they decided to come and help us celebrate.What a great weekend it turned out to be.Outback steakhouse was a real treat for all of us on Friday night.We splurged and got a Bloomin onion-so fattening but so good!

To list the hi-lites of the weekend:


1.Visiting Detwieler's Farm Market (also my workplace).They have the best tasting blueberries we ever tasted,Martha bought a half flat in which we snacked on all weekend. We made fruit smoothies with,of course blueberries,strawberries,bananas and mango-delish!


2.Walks.I don't have an actual tally of the miles but we walked the huge man made hill close to our house,the John Ringling bridge than from there all the way to Lido beach.

3.Grilled burgers than a cozy bon fire in the fire bowl on the back patio.


4.Birthday food.Thanks to Chip and his choices we dined on grilled BBQ ribs,baked potatoes, corn than Key lime pie and cheesecake for dessert.Yumm-o! We ate outside under the umbrella to shade us.

5.Jungle Gardens,and the beach-hmmm the beach-how I love the beach!

6.Lastly but surely not least-GREAT conversation!


It was a busy weekend.We took time for quiet on Sunday afternoon when I actually fell asleep on the couch.I am not much for surprises like that.I like to be prepared.:)I must say tho-this weekend was great and Martha had everything figured out including their lodging in my parents camper in the back yard.She has a way of making me feel at ease,even when I feel so unprepared!




Chip and his sister Martha





Walking the John Ringling Bridge



Tasty fruit from  the Farmer's market





Becky and Olivia



Grant Holding A python at Jungle Gardens!!!!



Olivia with the flamingos





Beach stop



Goodwill Bookstore-gotta love it! I figure I will let others purchase/read the books first than I will enjoy at a discount price!  A few weeks ago I found these and was delighted...!

http://www.amazon.com/What-Dog-Saw-Other-Adventures/dp/0316076201/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301792875&sr=1-1#_

http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Enneagram-Practical-Guide-Personality/dp/0618004157/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301793145&sr=1-6




http://www.amazon.com/My-Utmost-His-Highest-CHRISTIAN/dp/1577489144/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301797241&sr=8-1

The copy that I found was copyrighted in 1935!

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An A.W. Tozer quote to share.It struck me when I first read it- and have had to read it several times and soak in it a bit.

"The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One.While he looks at Christ, the very thing he has so long been trying to do will be done within him.It will be God working in him to will and to do."

Why is it that I ry to fix myself ? Why do I forget it's not me or my own weak "tinkering" that will "fix" any part of me?