Pet of the week

Do you have pets? If so, do you allow them on your furniture?  Are your furnitures purchases based on the needs of your household pets?  If your pet takes up too much space in a chair ... you might consider establishing some boundaries.

This pet is at home in a local fabric store. 

Friendship Friday

" I don't need a friend

who changes when I 

change and who

nods when I nod;

my shadow does that 

much better."

Plutarch 

Workout Wednesday

"All progress takes outside the comfort zone."

Michael John Babak

When do you exercise? I exercise in the morning.  It is uncomfortable to get up at 6:00 a.m, drive in rush hour traffic, look for a parking spot, and hunt for a empty locker. It is uncomfortable.

All of the minor frustrations melt away once I am in class. I have a fantastic instructor who offers great music that  inspires movement. Another bonus in this class... a supportive group of friends who encourage one another. When we missed class... we check on each other.

Now it feels uncomfortable to stay at home. Exercise has become wonderful part of my day.

Where do you need to challenge yourself to go outside your comfort zone?

A Proper Table Setting

" A proper table 

setting provides 

no place for 

a cell phone."

Frank Sonnenberg 

Source: Instagram

Friendship Friday

Looking from the outside, I see a friendship that has flourished for twenty years. I listen as they recall their first meeting during their freshman year of college. “S” recalls the angst of traveling to enroll in college.  She was experiencing real  anxiety.

As she was retelling this experience, I kept wondering… will she stay on campus? 😀Yes of course! She was reflecting on the experience.  This is the just the beginning …

Since their undergraduate days, they have both attended graduate school, share similar work history, traveled around the world, experienced the joy of mature friendships, and now share the joy of living closer to their parents. 

It is my prayer that God will bless them in the next season of their lives. I trust that they will continue to cherish the joy of friendship in new and exciting ways. 

Thrifty Thursday

"The price of indulging yourself

 in your youth in the things you 

cannot afford is poverty

and dependence in your old age."

Dorothy Dix

Moon Walk

"An early-morning walk

is a blessing

for the whole day."

Henry David Thoreau

I love early morning walks when the stars sparkle and shine. If I scoot out the door between 5:45 a.m. or 6:00 am, I'm able to enjoy a few moments of silence before neighbors begin easing their cars out of their garages. In addition, the school buses have yet to begin their routes in our neighborhood.  

Who do I encounter when I walk in the morning?  Mostly dog walkers or runners. My kind of people. 

Last Saturday morning, I enjoyed a full moon for my morning walk. 

When my schedule allows, I leave the neighborhood take a walk in the park.
 Being in nature is one way that God restores my soul. 

"A walk
in nature
walks the soul
back home."
Mary Davis

After weeks of recovery from surgery, I am enjoying the ability to walk greater distances each day. 

9/11

In speaking about 9/11

Sandy Dahl

Wife of 93 Pilot Jason Dahl 

shared this thought ...

"If we learn

nothing else

from this tragedy ,

we learn that life is

short and there 

is no time for hate.

It is good ...

It is good to praise the LORD
and make music to your name, O Most
High,
proclaiming your love in the morning
and your faithfulness at night,
to the muse if the ten-stringed lyre
and the melody of the harp.
For you make me glad by your deeds,
LORD
I sing for joy at what your hands have
done.
How great are your works, LORD,
how profound your thoughts!
Senseless people do not know,
fools do not understand,
that though the wicked spring up like
grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they will be destroyed forever.
But you, LORD, are forever exalted.

For surely your enemies, LORD
surely your enemies will perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
You have exalted my horn like that of a
wild ox;
fine oils have been poured on me.
My eyes have seen the defeat of my
adversaries;
my ears have  heard the rout of my
wicked foes.

'The righteous will flourish like a palm tree.
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the LORD
they will flourish in the courts of our
God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, "The LORD is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no
wickedness in him."
Psalm 92: 12 - 15 (NIV)

Fashion Friday

Here are two of my favorite people ... My brothers -in-law.  These hardworking men are taking a break from their work life to relax for the evening. Not everyone is able to successfully wear a zebra print. Yet, I think "M" is a sure hit in this shirt. "D" is wearing season ready seersucker. After last weekend, the seersucker will be packed away for the fall and winter.

What are you wearing this fall?

I took this picture last week.
I cherish visits with my husband's family. For years, we would enjoy an annual trip to St. Louis. Our annual trip took us to  St. Louis, then on to a  visit with friends in Kansas. As our annual road trip continued, we would visit family in Nebraska. I missed those visits. Now, we have to be intentional about planning  other visits.

Who do you need to visit? If a visit is not possible, call or text.

... the joy of family

A few days ago, our nation celebrated a national holiday, Labor Day. This holiday is often associated with the official ending of summer. For my family, each Labor Day we hold our annual Carter Family Reunion.  For sixty-four years, our family has gathered together to celebrate our family and heritage. 

Each year, folks travel to different cities for the event. In the past, our reunions have been hosted in California, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Alabama. This year, the family gathered in Ft. Worth, Texas.

Why do we travel to different cities? As summer draws to an end, it also allows us the opportunity another share a summer experience with family. We take tours, visit, shop, play games,take time to enjoy the local cuisine and worship together. 

I appreciate the intentionality of the reunions. It is a fact of life, that each year we will experience unexpected events. The reunions offer an opportunity to gather and focus on the joy of family.

This year, we missed the Carter Reunion. 

Instead, we joined with family members in Columbus, Ohio to celebrate the well lived life of our dear Jay.  While we miss her, we celebrate the fact that she lived a life of purpose and meaning.  In her short life, she made a difference to  her family and friends. She lived a life service to the Lord Jesus.