Grace in Unexpected Places...the List Continues On

It is starting to look and feel more like fall everyday and the graces are falling down on me like the rain and the leaves.

71     Fleecy Blankets
72     Opportunities to begin again and forgive....To be able to participate in the alumni band for the director's final Homecoming game performance. I cannot believe that I accepted this invitation off of Facebook from my cousin. You see, I was in marching band in high school (flag corps), it was not a great experience at all. Tho, I loved that I was doing it, it was the people that made it miserable. My self-esteem back then was not great and when the kids made fun of me, I did not understand and kept telling them to leave me alone. What really got me was, I was older than the kids that were teasing me! The real hitter was when I graduated and was in my 1st year of college, the alumni band did a trip and I decided to go. Big mistake. Those same younger than me kids were putting me down, and I was in college....UGH! Now, I am going back, even if I don't come back in contact with the ones that made my life crappy, but it is to be forgiving and go on where I left off in that point of my life. This is a HUGE step for me.

73     Funky food 'experiments' that actually work out.
74     Girl Scout cookies from the freezer.
75     Uncle's cows in the field grazing.
76     New necklace.
77.    Mid-Afternoon snacks.
78     Barbershop harmony music.
79     Post-it notes.
80     Another family reunion attended (now, my husband's side).
81     Fun, kitschy documentaries (Rick Seback's Unusual Buildings & Roadside Attractions)...but also
82     Raw, complex, healing ones too (9-11 Robert DeNiro/Naudet Brothers)
83     First Responders.
84     Old family photos.
85     Impromptu wedding anniversary dinner.
86     A bouquet of roses.
87     A still butterfly, to be able to 'pet'  at it's wing.
88     A dress that I never worn in awhile coaxes me to be worn for a night out.
89     The hope of 9-12. When the country came together after a national tragedy.
90    Journaling prompts.

Gratitude List from Labor Day

Hi all,

Got some rest over the holiday weekend and attended a family reunion (my dad's side). This Sunday, we are off to a reunion for my husband's side of the family. Not much to post other than more of my blessings list...Very THANKFUL for 51 & 55!

51     Husband receives 1st substitute teaching assignment at local elementary school (it is still early in the school year too).

52     My 'Healing Devotional - 40 Days to Pray for Wholeness'
53     My notebook
54     Kentucky Farmgirl Sisters
55     Husband quickly receives news of 2nd substitute teaching assignment in the same week as the 1st!

56     Cat is eating her food well.
57     Text messages to continue a started conversation
58     Leaves starting to change - I LOVE fall weather.
59     Thrift stores with 50% off sales.
60     Healing plants.

61     Family reunions.
62     Old barns.
63     Antique stores.
64     Clothes lines.
65     Hay bales in the field.
66     Cute little cottages with artsy screen doors.
67     The smell of wood fires.
68     Mom & Pop diners.
69     Old homesteads.
70     Memorials.

Thanks for visiting and remember to stop by some of the other blogs too :)

Huge Sighs from the Soul

 I have been really out many large sighs lately over many things that are so beyond my control.

I found this as I was searching the internet this morning - An excerpt from an online article from Grace Gems (Arthur Pink - 1947): "So by prayer sighs, we mean those agitations and breathings of soul which are virtually synonymous with groans. A "sigh" is an inarticulate declaration, an indistinct cry for deliverance. The saints are sometimes so opposed and troubled, that they cannot find language suited to their emotions: where words fail them, the thoughts and feelings of their hearts find expression in sighs and cries. The workings of a Christian's heart under the pressure of indwelling sin, the temptations of Satan, the opposition of the ungodly, the burden of uncongenial society, the wickedness of the world, the low state of the Cause of Christ on earth—are variously described in Scripture. Sometimes he is said to be "in heaviness" (1 Peter 1:6), to cry "out of the depths" (Psalm 130:1), to "roar" (Psalm 38:8), to be "overwhelmed" (Psalm 61:2), to be "distracted" (Psalm 88:15)."

Many times, for me it has been so hard to find the words to express what I have been feeling and then to say with prayers to God. Sometimes we are so worn with our worries and such, that all we can do is let out a big sigh and just try to make sense of everything. The good thing is, God does hear us, even wen we say nothing, our sighs are in a way a form of prayer.


Gratitude through my many sighs of anxiety and uncertainty:


41     Bonfire time with the family.
42     A Sunday nap in the sun with the a light breeze.
43     Online lettering course.
44     Homemade tuna casserole.
45     An encouraging mom.


46    Scotch tape.
47    Grocery lists.
48    Aromatherapy balms.
49    Country pastures with color.
50    Late transit vans.


Remember to visit others over at Ann's :)

A Holy Trust and Gratitude

Today I was listening to 'One Thousand Gifts' that I have on audio book, and I have came across to chapter 8. My heart really needed to hear this chapter today. I felt lots of anxiety over the weekend: Another hope for a job opportunity for my husband came and went; My cat scratching like mad only leaving behind scabs that I cannot explain but yet acting pretty much like herself - looks like allergies; My heart feeling overwhelmed by the notion of our current situation that our country is in; My job in all of it's 'unpredictiveness'.

John 6:29 (NLT) ~ Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”


Ann in this chapter mentioned that stress and acting on anxiety is actually an act of 'disbelief' - not really trusting on what God has done for us already and what he will do for us in the future. She used the symbol of a bridge that she crossed on one winter day, to speak of trust. The bridge has planks of thanks and gratitude underneath it. Those planks of thanks reinforce our trust (a holy trust) to God that all of this is in HIS care and not mine. That I need to look to Him and really 'believe' Him - not my anxious situations and racing thoughts. Focusing on thanks renews our troubled and cluttered minds.

Township road bridge near my house

**Bridge planks of gratitude for my troubled mind:

Be thankful for the little surprises

21     A withered mint plant renewing it's leaves. 22     Wind chimes moving gently in the wind.
23     Recreated leftovers in the fridge.
24     Cooler summer days after a long-term heat wave.
25     Riding lawnmowers that can be borrowed.

26    Peaches from a local farm market.
27    Jar from a freebie basket.
28    Unexpected lavender colored lilies on my desk at work that some one brought in from their garden (having flowers on my desk mind you is an extreme rarity at my office, so these were a very nice surprise).

29    Abundance in a crock pot.
30    Little purple butterflies flying around as I pull out really stubborn weeds.

Let the thanks feed our trust ~ Ann Voskamp

Don't forget to hop on over to Ann's place to check out other gifts!

Multitude Mondays on a Tuesday.....Blessings for Growth

I was not sure what to write today to share. I then noticed a 'loaf of fresh bread' in my inbox today and it is says everything perfectly!

Encouragement for Today:

"The godly are showered with blessings." ~ Proverbs 10:6 (NLT)

What a wonderful picture: blessings showering down upon you like a steady, gentle spring rain! How aware are you of these blessings, though? Do you make a habit of noticing the "everyday" blessings that God showers upon everyone, such as sunshine and color and the variety of birds and blooms? What about the marvels of modern inventions that we take for granted? Then there are the personalized "showers of blessings" that are just for you: your health, your family, or something from the Word that speaks right into your situation. Today, grow like grass from the showers of God's blessings. —Diane Eble, author of Abundant Gifts: A Daybook of Grace-Filled Devotions

Blessings to help me grow like the tall grass:

21     Beth Moore's book, 'Breaking Free Through Spiritual Strongholds'. She gives many scripture-based prayers to help the believer overcome the negative stronghold in our hearts and minds. Having this on audio book is wonderful!

22     The breeze flowing through the trees.
23     For making anticipated bad days not so bad after all.
24     Stained glass windows in the churches and synagogues, and the stories they tell/represent.
25     Seeing all of my family on a Sunday afternoon for an unplanned gathering.

26     Really neat artistic weather vanes in the city.
27     The many colors all around us to enjoy.
28     Little children that show a stranger kindness.
29     Faith can over come fear and doubt (passed a sign that was on a local Catholic church on my way into work this morning); Need that reminder everyday!

30     An invitation from a woman whom I have never met until now. She invited into her home and offered it for me to use for an Open House to kick start a creative business that I have been thinking about doing for a long time, just not too sure how to really go about things. She got my name via a small community store that we both visit. What is really unique about this, she owns an old schoolhouse. Believe it or not, my husband and I live in an old school too. She also has some other similarities to me, so I thought wow, this is for sure a 'God-insidence'.

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to visit others and see more blessings over at Ann's :-)

Grace and Patience within the Waiting

It is hard many-a-days to stay motivated and to be patient for things to take a positive turn. Still dealing with the unpredictiveness of my husband's very long-term unemployment period. I pray that he will have something that he enjoys to do really soon (He LOVES the media...so anything that pertains to radio and TV production, etc). There is some hope on the horizon for it, but it is still very blurry. He had to settle for the "to-do" for now, by taking positions that just help with meeting paying the living expenses for many years....not really using his gifts to the full. Unfortunatley, so many people are in this predicament right now. I must be patient and wait for God's timing on it; It is SO hard tho - to wait. I am even on the edge of my career path as well and waiting to make that move on to new opportunities, what God has in store for me. I do feel that "internal shift" that something good is going to happen, just don't know when or how. Oh Lord, waiting is so hard!!!!!

But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently. ~ Romans 8:25 (NLT)

Blessings within the waiting........

**11-20:

11  Day trips with the entire family (went to Dayton, OH with my sister, her kids and husband, my mom, dad and my husband) - especially when it is difficult to ALL get together.

12  Relief from the humidity.
13  The hope that my husband will receive a job soon.
14  For fun and fruity smoothies :-)
15  Quiet moments at my desk at work.

16  The hope for a change in my career path - so I can learn new things in a different environment.
17  Yummy cookies that a co-worker's wife made to share with people in the office.
18  That August is National Happiness Month (be nice if it was ALL year round).
19  For celebrating my grandpa's 80th birthday, despite the health issues that he is dealing with.
20  Thankful for the Grace that God gives daily and especially when we don't deserve it!


Don't forget to visit others linked on Ann's page! Thanks for stopping by :-)

Simple Things to be Thankful For

Hi all, I am new to posting for Multitude Mondays ~ looking forward to visiting with all of you!

Although I don't have any visuals (pictures), I wanted to at least jump in and write the beginning of my blessings to 'be thankful for' list.

**Blessings and Gratitudes:

1     Warm food to eat.
2     The air conditioning and the rain on a VERY HOT day.
3     My journal - where I can release all of my cares to God.
4     Public transportation to be able to be independent and get around to many places.
5     Cousins (by marriage) who welcome you with open arms into their home - during a very long-term commute to my job from my home a hour away.

6     Really noticing the fleeting and playful birds who are finding their daily bread.
7     Enjoying a light, cool breeze on my way into work this morning.
8     For being able to take deep breaths between the busyness.
9     My soothing herbal tea at night and my green tea in the morning.
10   Audio books from the library.

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.   ~ 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT)

Sharing blessings with others over at Ann's site, "A Holy Experience"

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week :-)