Day 5 - SILENCE {2016}

Today is Day 5 of the "write31days" challenge; and I am linking up with Kate Motaung and the Five Minute Friday group for this years' "free writes".  Check out all of my posts in this series here.

The word for today is Silence...

Finding total silence is really hard to do!  Even if I am the only person in the apartment ...

The TV is usually still on; the ceiling fan fills the emptiness; and if it's really silent inside, I can hear the birds or cars or planes on the outside!


If we can quiet our hearts and block out the noises around us, in the silence of a moment, perhaps we can hear God's words, assuring us that everything will be alright, that He has our future (and our present!) in His hands.

And, even if we don't hear His words, we can feel His presence, deep inside our soul ...

Still reassuring us from inside ourselves.

Quiet!  Listen to the Silence that really is around us; we only need to stop and listen intently for Him.

Day 4 - BREW {2016)

Today is Day 4 of the "write31days" challenge; and I am linking up with Kate Motaung and the Five Minute Friday group for this years' "free writes".  Check out all of my posts in this series here.




The word for today is Brew...

The first thought I had when I read this word was that "ha ha joke" that keeps showing up on Facebook...

It isn't up to the women to make coffee because the Bible says, "He Brews"!

I am not a fan of coffee; but I love the smell of it as it surrounds the house or restaurant where it is being brewed.  The pleasing aroma fills my nostrils and gives me happy feelings.

What about our "aroma"?  What does our aroma give off to others?  Does it give them happy feelings, like that coffee does for me?

"For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life."  (II Corinthians 2:15 NRSV)

Let's take a look at verses 15 and 16 in the New Living Translation:

"Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God.  But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.  To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom.  But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.  And who is adequate for such a task as this?"

Although this version doesn't use the word "aroma" as the other one does, we can still get the idea from the reference to "perfume"...

Same thing, right?

Aroma; Perfume ... a brew that is sure to touch each person with whom we come into contact.

Whatever "brew" we share in our cups, may we always know our cup overflows with God's blessings; therefore, we are able to bless others with His "life-giving perfume".

Day 3 - WARDROBE {2016}

Today is Day 3 of the "write31days" challenge; and I am linking up with Kate Motaung and the Five Minute Friday group for this years' "free writes".  Check out all of my posts in this series here.


The word for today is Wardrobe...

My closet - wardrobe - is full of clothes I wear on a daily basis; nothing fancy or formal ... not even very many outfits that are suitable to wear to church or a wedding or funeral.  Just the basics; yet that is really all that I need in this retired life!




In Matthew 6, God tells us not to worry about the clothing we put on; we do not need to worry about such things as clothing or the food we eat.  In fact, we do not need to worry about anything!

Yet, as Christians, we should be concerned about what we put on; we should dress in appropriate ways.  Not in ways that are unflattering or unattractive, and certainly not in sexy or revealing ways.

OK, so perhaps there is a way to dress appropriately, maybe even a little sexy, that could be attractive and flattering, yet not inappropriate. But, we should certainly be aware of how we look to others.

Colossians tells us in Chapter 3 that we should dress in the wardrobe picked out for us by God:

Found on Pinterest

Shared by forgivenandfreed.tumblr.com

God wants us to attract others with our compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, forgiveness, patience ... and love; not the clothes we put on our back!

So, whatever you put on each day, be sure to put on love!

Day 2 - PAINT {2016}

Today is Day 2 of the "write31days" challenge; and I am linking up with Kate Motaung and the Five Minute Friday group for this years' "free writes".  Check out all of my posts in this series here.



The word for today is Paint...

Found on Pinterest

Shared by carolinacoastt.tumblr.com

What would a canvas of my life look like?  There have been so many ups and downs along the road of life ... I am sure it would look something like the canvas above...

A pretty mixed up, splattered mess!

It would look as if someone just threw paint at the canvas and let it fall however it would.  

Perhaps Danny Kaye had it right after all!  Our lives can't always be rolling hills and sunshine and flowing rivers and all is well in the world!  We have also seen life's challenges; crises and losses and concerns...

But, whatever our lives throw at us - even splatters of paint - God has it all planned out!

He is the great painter, the one who has painted the canvas of our lives.  Our life's journey doesn't have to be a mess.  By following God's plan for us, we have the road map necessary to stay on the right path...the canvas of our life that God has painted for us!

Found on Pinterest

Whenever I look up at the beautiful sky, whether the clouds are puffy white or gray, I know the Greatest Artist has painted another masterpiece!

Found on Pinterest

And, we are also one of His great masterpieces!

Day 1 - WALK {2016}

Today is Day 1 of the "write31days" challenge; and I am linking up with Kate Motaung and the Five Minute Friday group for this years' "free writes".  Check out all of my posts in this series here.



The word for today is Walk...



Every day I determine to walk the right path; to do the things that I know God wants me to do; to be the person He wants me to be.

It isn't an easy walk; caring for one with dementia - possibly Alzheimer's Disease setting in.  It isn't an easy walk for anyone.

And, I know that I don't always walk the right path; don't always do the things that I should; and am not always the person that I should be...


Many days I feel like Paul:

"I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want but I do the very thing I hate.  Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good.  But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.  For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh.  I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.  Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me...

"Wretched man that I am!  Who will rescue me from this body of death?  Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  (Hebrews 7:15-20, 24-25).


Whatever path I walk, I know that God walks beside me; and if I do wander from the path He has set for me, He will be there to lead me back on the right track.

This journey we are all on is never easy; but as long as we travel with our God, it becomes easier...

Whatever may be in our path.

Found on Pinterest

Shared by sewnwithgrace.com

So, let's all pray for a closer walk with God; and please enjoy "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" sung by Anne Murray:

Introduction - Write31Days 2016

It is that time of year again!  The leaves are changing; the weather is cooler; and there are thousands of writers getting ready to share their thoughts in a 31-day writing challenge!

This will be my third year of participating in this annual challenge.  And, for the second year, I will be joining the five Minute Friday writers, using the Free Writes from Kate Motaung, hosted by Christina Hubbard at CreativeandFree.

I am excited to be joining this challenge once again!  For more information about the "write31days" challenge, check it out here.


I am also excited to announce the "Five Minute Friday" Book of which I am one of the many contributors!  This collection of stories have been compiled from last year's over 100 of the FMF Family members!

All profits from the sales of the book will be divided equally between two special ministries in South Africa:

The Vine School and Ten Dollar Tribe

To order your own copy of the "Five Minute Friday" book, and help support these two ministries, go to CreateSpace, or Amazon.

Lisa Jo Baker says about the FMF Book:  "We threw caution to the wind and we wrote our guts out!"  @lisajobaker, #FMFbook

And, Kate Motaung says:  "All it takes is five short minutes.  Set a timer, and set your fingers free." @k8motaung, #FMFbook


Don't forget to check out my daily posts for this challenge, beginning October 1st!  They will all be listed here.

WORD WEDNESDAY - Shared Joy

Today for my "Word Wednesday" post, I am excited - and honored - to share the joy of a new book that launched on Monday!!

And, not only is this shared joy a "double joy", it is a "150 times or more" joy!!




The "Five Minute Friday" Book released on Monday, September 26th!  

This collection of stories from the FMF Family is an amazing compilation of over 150 contributors - and is the first in the history of the Five Minute Friday community!

And, I am honored to be one of the 150 contributors.

Though I am familiar with many of the names of contributors from the "write31days" challenge and the weekly Five Minute Friday posts, there are still many new writers I am getting to know through their words in the book.

Each of the posts included in the book have been shared during a Five Minute Friday weekly link-up, or during a "write31days" annual challenge.

What is Five Minute Friday? you ask.  It's a weekly link-up where a word prompt is given at 10:00 pm (EST), and everyone participating writes their post using that word ... in only five minutes!

That's right!!  Only five minutes, no editing, no worries about grammar or sentence structure or  ... even making sense!!

In the Forward of the FMF book, Lisa-Jo Baker confesses that it took her more than five minutes to write the forward ... well, I also must confess to "running out of time" before "running out of words" during many of the Five Minute Friday posts I have written!!  But, that is quite alright!

Just imagine hundreds of people writing a post using the same word prompt.  The posts could go in so many directions; and, then again, they could almost mimic each other!  And that's what makes this challenge so ... challenging!

The Five Minute Friday word prompt idea joined with the write31days challenge in October 2014, using the free writes word prompt for each day's post.  This year will be my second year to join the FMF family and the third year of participating in the 31 days challenge.   

I, personally, am so very thankful to Kate Motaung and Susan Shipe for their hard work in getting the book put together and published ... and for the FMF link-up and Facebook "survivor" group!  Check out this group 31 Day Survivors/We're Better Together - a virtual "support group" for those of us who have "survived" the 31 day challenges!

I am also excited to announce that the proceeds from sales of the FMF book will be supporting two ministries in South Africa:

The Vine School and Ten Dollar Tribe

Be sure to check out these ministries at the links above; and order your copy of the "Five Minute Friday" book at Amazon.

So, pick up your pen and paper, or sit down at your computer and write on!  You might even be encouraged to join the FMF family!!

Five Minute Friday - FIVE

It has been quite a long time since I've followed the Five Minute Friday prompts; but we have been challenged by Susan Shipe at HopeHeartHome to write on this week's word .

And, since the "write31days" challenge is only a week away, I have decided to accept Susan's challenge, to get into practice for a month's worth of writing!  For this year's challenge,  I will be following the FMF "free writes" following along with Kate Motaung and the Five Minute Friday writers.

So, here goes my post for this week's word:

Five

Five?  And I thought bacon was a hard one in last year's Five Minute Friday free writes for the "write31days" challenge ...

But, it turned out to be one of my favorite prompts!

In fact, when we were invited by Susan Shipe to submit one of our posts for an upcoming book, the post on bacon was the first one I thought about ...

And, here it is!  Scheduled to be released on Monday, October 26th; and I have just received my advance copy!  How exciting is this?!

I think, perhaps, it took only FIVE days for me to receive this book ... actually, I think it was more like four - I'm stretching it here to get five minutes worth of writing in on this number!!

FIVE!

Growing up, there were five members in my family: my parents, two brothers, and myself.  My brothers and I were two years apart; I was the oldest.

When I married my second husband, and we had a child, our family grew from four to five members: my husband and I, my son and daughter from first marriage, and our daughter.

In seven days, I'll be attending a scrapbook retreat; but it will take me at least the five days leading up to the retreat just to get my stuff together!  And, then I will have four days to work on several projects, once I figure out what they will be.

I'm stretching it here, but I think I have exceeded my five minute time frame anyway; but, I wrote it!!

Challenge Accepted!

Now, won't you check out this amazing weekly challenge with the Five Minute Friday family; and the write31days that is scheduled to begin on October 1st...

Then, be sure to check out the Five Minute Friday book ... You can order one for yourself here.

Simple Woman's Daybook - September 19, 2016

http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

For Today

September 19, 2016

Looking Out My Window
Cloudy, thunderstorms expected; and, though they could help to cool things off...

They didn't!

It's still in the high 80's and low 90's.  I am so ready for much cooler weather!

I am Thinking
About my role in this life I am living.  As a caregiver, I need to "embrace" that role; yet, it's hard to do that in the face of one who doesn't treat me in kindness...

I am Thankful
For family and friends who will let me vent; give me encouragement and hugs; pray for us...

And, just be there for me whenever I need them.

One of My Favorite Things
Looking back at things that happen, and thinking:

I am Wearing
A pair of denim capris, a blue, white and gray striped shirt and my slippers.

I am Crafting
I completed three Halloween tags and a door hanger last weekend:

I also completed a Back to School ATC for a swap:

I am Reading
Just started reading "Sunset" by Karen Kingsbury...the fourth book in the "Sunrise" series...

I am Learning
That I need to "embrace" my role as caregiver...

It is what my role is in this season of my life; and I need to be the caregiver that I have been placed here to be.

But, it is hard!

In My Kitchen
Rotisserie chicken and potato salad; and I think I may be ready for some soon!

Shared Quote
"Even if we cannot seem to walk that mile in someone else's shoes, we are still capable of standing beside them to be a supporter until the day they learn to smile again."  (Hannah Brenchen from the Lewy Body Dementia Association).

A Moment From My Day
On the way home from babysitting yesterday, I decided to stop at the used book store to find a new devotional book to use in my morning quiet time.

I spent a few minutes standing and searching the titles; found one that was a possibility; then I sat down in the chair in front of the next shelf...

All books were by or about C. S. Lewis!  And, right on the edge of the shelf, right in front of my eyes...

"A Year With Aslan"!  I have been wanting this book for quite a while now; and there it was, just waiting for me to pick it up!!

And, if that wasn't enough of a sign that I needed to buy it?

When I was checking out, I discovered I had a credit of $7.50!

So, of course it was meant for me to have that book!!

Closing Notes

This week's Simple Woman's Daybook is being written on Tuesday evening.  This may be my normal time for writing since I am babysitting my granddaughter every Monday morning!

Have a blessed week, and join me again next week for another look into my "daybook", or my life as a retired grandma!

WORD WEDNESDAY - The Joy of Cats

The past few weeks have been quite busy, in one way or the other; and I haven't written a Word Wednesday post...

In fact, I've found it rather hard to even think about joy, much less write about it!

But, as I was browsing Facebook, and some of the posts from my online friends, I spotted one that always posts a "Cat-urday" picture of her cats on Saturdays...and shared "The Joy of Cats" as a source for more photos!

So, I thought why not lighten up this joy feeling by sharing a few photos of my cat!

Because, even if I'm not really feeling very joyful, she is always there to cuddle with and help bring a smile to my face.

When I am at my computer,

this is where she lies...

most of the time!

She would like to think

this was her bed;

it isn't!

Just let me drag out the suitcase,

and she knows something is up!

She loves boxes

as much as I love Diet Pepsi!

And, that's my joyful post for this week's Word Wednesday!