LOOSE LEAF NOTEBOOK ~A tribute to fall

Do you think of all the changes that this season brings? Each season brings in it's beauty but Fall is a Royal time of year.

Even though every season has its special beauty, Fall is no exception.  Watching the trees on my photo/walks at this time of year, finally, here in Southern California is a spectacular experience as they turn from green to all varieties of gold, yellow, and red.

How can this beauty be a sign of death and decay?  The sadness sets in for a winter’s spell.

“I saw a leaf fall to the ground today...for an entire season it had clung proudly to its place, gleaming brightly in the summer sun. It had felt its usefulness and beauty. But when embraced to Autumn's cold breast, its beauty faded, it became shriveled and sere. Still, it clung tenaciously to its accustomed spot on the branch. After much urging by a gentle wind, it wavered between its desire to remain with the known, and the desire to experience the unknown. Finally, it embarked on its new adventure, and sailed happily with the breeze and gently fluttered to join many of its old companions, and to meet many new brighter hue.

When it came to rest, I think I heard it release a sigh of contentment.”

I am now in the summer of my life—enjoying my place, feeling of some use and service. When the late Autumn of my life comes, I think I shall be like that leaf I saw fall today. Certainly I shall hesitate to leave the accustomed.

But I know that once the great adventure is begun, I shall sail into eternal contentment. You who see the leaf of my life fade and fall: Do not mistake that final breath as a groan. It will be a joyful sigh of release into the hands of my Great God, Creator and Saviour.

Here is praying you all have that Hope we have in eternal life with Jesus. ~Anon

Oct. 11, 2012

"Every day is a surprise party." Cousin Heidi said. (Thanks, because every day IS different and carries its own adventures.) Each day is a splendid day delivered in color regardless of the season.

We get to enjoy that feast of color. Nature beckons us to enjoy this fall finery as well as each season that follows. Fall is one of my favorite seasons of the year.

"To all my Women Friends of "Age''... We are all going through it. We are at that age where we see the wrinkles, gray hair, extra pounds. We see the pretty 25 year olds and sigh....we were once 25, and just like us, they will one day be our age. They cannot even compare to bring to the table what we can with our wisdom, experience, and good hearts.

For all we've been through earning each gray hair....taking care of grandparents, parents, children, bills and ills and whatever else life brought us over our 40's, 50+ years....We are survivors....we are warriors.....we are Women.....Like a classic car....or fine wine....while our exteriors may not be what they once were...it is traded for our spirit....our courage...and our survival to enter this chapter of our lives with grace and pride for all we've been through and accomplished.

October, 13, 2017

Never feel bad about aging. It is a privilege denied to many. God Bless each of you!" ~shared fb post

Age: 72 and very proud of it!

Oct. 17, 2015  GCC Women's Fall event.

Oct. 17, 2015, Hillary, Laurie, Me

October 17, 2015

October 22, 2016  · 

Shared with Your friends

GCC WOMEN'S FALL EVENT

"Truly holy affections in a saint are balanced. This is the dominant trait of their sanctity. The whole image of Christ is impressed upon them...there is in Him every grace, and He is full of grace and truth. Thus there is apparent in some saints the same beautiful proportion that there is in the true image of Christ." (Johnathan Edwards, Religious Affections.)

We were reminded of keeping our balance and strive to avoid the Extremes of Life and trusting God.

We truly had a blessed time of fellowship and hearing from our speaker Pam Hardy. She imparted many truths to take to heart.

Hillary & Becky

Denim Day with Ina Strong, Oct.20, 2019

Oct. 20, 2018 Memorial service, with Andrea Cardenas

October 23, 2019  · 

Shared with Your friends and Pamela's friends

EWG

So blessed to sit with this joyful sister, Pamela Vonstowver

2012, Lunch at Dennys with Co-Caregivers, Joci & Joy

Pearlie Girlies

Oct. 14, 2018

Scared myself half to death when I looked into the mirror this morning.  Oct.14, 2019

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came -

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band.”

― George Cooper

LOOSE LEAF NOTEBOOK~Heidi

“God certainly knows of some happiness for us which He is going to bring out of the trouble, only we must have patience and not run away. And then all at once something happens and we see clearly ourselves that God has had some good thought in His mind all along; but because we cannot see things beforehand, and only know how dreadfully miserable we are, we think it is always going to be so.” 
― Johanna Spyri, quote from Heidi

The little girl’s lips quivered as her mother reluctantly said goodbye.  She turned her back and walked  with her father to the  waiting Jeep.  Jumped into the front seat and set off over the stone bridge to begin a 22 hour trip.

  The mother turned her back to hide her tears.  It was hard to let her little six year old go into a world of uncertainty, handed over to other carers, strangers for her first year of school. The departure was upsetting the whole family which included two other siblings at that time.

 

Up until now life in the remote village had been joyous.

Never the less she was left with others to figure out a world with in a world.  Left in a household with three boys and a house mother that had no clue of caring for a little girl.  Her long golden locks were soon a tangled mess and lice infested.  Homesickness set in.  She learned to steel her emotions.

FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL.  

    LENGTHY SEPARATIONS

Perhaps the book Heidi became endearing as it resonated such with my early life.  It was a simple life and away from the restraints of adult supervision.

"Just because we are poor doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us.”

LOOSE LEAF NOTEBOOK~Our Status

God carried me through 2020 and has carried me through almost 2021.  We have walked through those times while God has provided and promised his presence.  It's been longer, harder, and painful times than expected.

Lite at the end of the Tunnel

The path God has chosen for me may not be your path. Yet to my shame I still find something to complain about.  Sometimes, I find myself as impatient as the Israelites did in Numbers 21:4-5.  

We just want 2021 to end but that is how we felt about 2020 to end not knowing what was ahead was even worse than we had envisioned.  The kind of life we so desperately wanted has not happened.  Like the Israelites, we long for the good things of 2018 or 2019.  After telling Moses, no, he could not go to that promised land, he told him he could take a peek from the mountain.

Oct. 30, 2021,

With the strands of worship & words still lingering in my ears, the words from Psalm 32 on the blessings of forgiveness resonate with that author and this author.

David shares his status before God as forgiven. He celebrates the joys, the peace, the relief of forgiveness.

He describes his experiences of how sin was "heavy upon him" with his strength and vitality nearly gone.

The aspects of forgiveness that hinder one from asking God's forgiveness, the erroneous thought that sin is so heinous it can't be forgiven or that of using the excuse to sin freely because if God forgives me when I sin, then why bother to stop sinning if all we need to do is ask for forgiveness each time.

Citing other verses:  Gal.5:13,  I John 1:9

 "SIN AFFECTS EVERYTHING":

Sin affects ALL aspects of life.

Conflict with God.

Lifestyle choices

Alienation from God

Alienation from others

Rebellion

SO WHAT DOES GOD DO WITH MY SINS?

32:1, Rom.4:7. He covers it

32:2 He does not charge me with iniquity.

Ps.103:12 He removes it from me.

Ps.51:2 He washes away my guilt and cleanses me.

He lifts it off my shoulders

He forgets about it.               wow!  WoW!

In the words of a testimony, I recently read:

   "I was reminded that my past makes my present all the more remarkable, my weaknesses reveal God’s abounding strength, and my unfaithfulness makes His faithfulness even more astonishing." 

LOOSE LEAF NOTEBOOK~Only the beginning

What if I told you that after Moses lived through all those miracles, he says that it was only the beginning.

 If he considered this the beginning then what if tomorrow is a beginning of something for us.  What do you suppose God has beginning on our timeline?

  Worth the consideration after reviewing our timeline and all the evidence of His care for us.  Will our past events be only a whisper of what is to come? And then Moses had the audacity to ask God if he could enter the Promised Land.  God told him, "no".

Deuteronomy 3:24

What if I told you to appreciate where and what part of history we are in.

 

LOOSE LEAF NOTEBOOK~A page for today

What if I told you that my writings are a desire to leave a sure guide to myself, my family, and friends for uncertain times ahead?

What if I told you some of my regrets?  That I have been thankful for the roses in my life but not valued the thousands of thorns.

What if I told you, I sat in my "tent" and complained?  Author Ian Thomas warns grumblers like me, "Ignoring what you need, you will begin to clamor for what you want, and if you are not careful~God will give it to you!"

What if I told you, I would like to be transported back to the many blessings and benefits that God has showered me with?  What if I told you how often God has caused His benefits to pass over me and how poorly I have responded to that goodness through those benefits?

What if I told you, one of the reasons I am so drawn to Spurgeon writings is that he was so skilled in the use of words and his descriptions so honestly and blunt found great comfort and delight in God's Word.  His frequent use of illustrations from common incidents and fiery use of words are fascinating to me.  "...beneath the magnificent canopy of the blue sky..." or "...among the trees and garden to feed in quietness."

What if I told you that this quote struck at my very bones:

"On looking back upon the character of our prayers, if we do it honestly, we shall with wonder that God has ever answered them.

Oh! it is marvelous that the Lord should regard those intermittent spasms of insistent request which come and go with our necessities.  What God is He thus to hear pressing wants, but neglect Him when they have received mercy; who approach Him when they are forced to come, but who almost forget to address Him when mercies are plentiful and sorrows are few.  Let His gracious kindness in hearing such prayers touch our hearts, so that we may henceforth be found to "pray in the Spirit" on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests." ~Charles Spurgeon 

What if I told you that my changeable experiences often led me to ask "Why is this happening to me?"  Is this God's plan for me?

In great Spurgeonese, "The eclipse of your faith, the darkness of your mind, the fainting for your hope, all these things are but parts of God's method of making you ripe for the great inheritance upon which you shall soon enter.  Those trials are for the testing and strengthening of your faith--they are waves that wash you further upon the rock--they are winds which waft your ship the more swiftly towards the desired haven."   "Oh, do not think that your sorrows are out of God's plan; they are necessary parts of it."

What if I told you that many years have been difficult?  "They who navigate little streams and shallow creeks know a little about the God of tempests; but they who 'do business in great waters,' these see His 'wonders in the deep'."  "Thank God, then, if you have been led by a rough road; it is this which has given you your experience of God's greatness and loving kindness.  your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge to be gained by no other means; your trials have been the cleft of the rock..."  more Spurgeonese

2 Corinthians ~"For just as the suffering of Christ flow ever into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

What if I told you that most of my life I have lived in a context of financial deprivation but living in a context of abundance.  Living financially lean years has become a tool for maturity and growth.  I confess, I still need molding in these fixed income years.  "When the barn is full, we can live without God; when the purse is bursting with gold, we try do do without so much prayer. But once our gourds are taken away, we want our God..."

What if I told you, I am still the Mrs. and my "path of love is rough", "still loving through thick and thin and heaping coals of fire on the head."

What if I told you that the best piece of advice ever given to me was, "If they are difficult to please, don't seek to please them, but to please your Master."

"If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." 1 Corinthians 10:12

What if I told you, that I have been in slumps off and on.  How do I get out of a slump?  Go to Psalm 13, Appeal to God-plead with God.  Trust God, and Sing praises.

LOOSE LEAF NOTEBOOK ~What if?

 Let's play a little game of "What ifs".

I rode the waves of hope and despair, alone in my feelings, anger, and…then it happened, I became a Mrs.  What if I never became a Mrs.?  I became a mother.  What if I never became a mother?  

What if I told you that I have climbed many “low peaks” and climbed many silent mountainsides?

What if, I told you that my many paths were at times particularly tricky because what began as a jubilant, rejoicing time looming in the long distance was the steep incline requiring careful placement of feelings and emotions.  Looming in the distance visibility was moment by moment.

What if I told you, I was fortunate to stay on the trail with its unexpected disappointments.  There were many times filled with annoyances and obstacles that threatened to tarnish my reputation and marriage. 

What if told you, I had choices to make, I could resort to despair, throw in the towel or trudge along or enjoy the  sporadic panoramic views I was afforded through the treasures of Scripture and hymns.

What if I told you, there were days I felt very lonely as I discovered that I would be struggling with health issues for the rest of life, I would be struggling to maintain relationships, I would be trying to keep from stumbling as I climbed my daily mountains.

2 Cor.4:6-18

What if you had THE CHANCE, would you change something in your personal history?

If you had a chance to live perfectly, how would that look?

What if you woke up suddenly because the house was on fire?  What three things would you grab as you ran out?  Figuratively speaking, my house was on fire many times, however, I had several resources available to me:  An all-powerful God who is working in me!!!!,

 God’s Word, “Is not my word like fire declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock to pieces?” (Heb.23:29)

Prayer “…intercessory prayer is a powerful tool in the hands of a righteous people.” J Mac (James 5:16)

What if I told you that God's mercies are new every morning, a fresh supply of love, inexhaustible supply of restoration and blessings.  If God's mercies never fail, then I depend on them more and more through out the day, again and again.  This is such an awesome concept.

What if I told you that none of us have ever been handed a perfect heritage.  We have received a mix of good and bad, because our parents learning by doing and limited by their own weakness did not always offer what was needed.  In light of this, God's concept of mercy is inexplicable.

What if I told you that "In the day when I cried out, God answered me." Ps.138:3. "Though I walk in the midst of trouble you will revive me." Ps. 138:7

What if I told you that God knows, understands, comprehends, is acquainted with all my way, and knows everything that I say. Ps.139)

What if I told you that life is compounded by circumstances of God's own choosing.  When seemingly breathless and stabbed by endless verbal attacks, that whisper, "Be still and KNOW that I am God."  that comfort, to know that God is present.  He is a help in trouble.

If it were not for the comfort of those words, the staggering burden would have driven me to despair.

What if I told you that we were created in God's image and likeness.  If that is true then why the push to change DNA?

What if I told you that God continues to use issues/events to spot light our sins that need the Masters touch and our repentance.  I pray that God would renew the vision amidst the daily routines and aging process.  (2 Cor.4:16)

What if I told you neighborhood walks bury cares and worries easily for a time.

What if I told you that when the decibels of multiple "little stresses" arise which make you want to scream, when praising God takes all strength, am I demonstrating a quiet dependence on God or does it leave me recovering from gripes, complaints and woes?

What if I told you that when my heart was weak friends have strengthened it with words of encouragement.  When my spirit was drooping, they have helped me.  I listened to their songs of deliverance.  Lest you think it might be you, yes, however, these words are from my journal from 2003.

What if I fold you that it was still a struggle to be the Mrs.?