new goal... new dream for 2026

 "You are never 

to old  to 

set another goal

or dream a new dream."

C. S. Lewis 

Pray for God's direction.

Thank you Lord

 Thank you Lord for the gift of salvation, Lord Jesus,  the Bible,  family, a safe place to rest my head,  friends, food, laughter, sun, sand, sunglasses,  swim suites, tissues to dry tears, prayer partners, tea, physical therapists, clean sheets, clean running water, homemade dressing, cranberries, flip flogs, sweaters, fireplaces, cousins,  children, grandchildren, red finger nail polish, hymns, Bible study, book discussions, parties, marriage, weddings, memories, aqua fit classes, nature walks, libraries, classrooms, Sunday School, iPhones, Instagram,  candles, lotions, herbs,  table settings, and so goes the lists... 

 

Walking in the woods

 

Monday Musings ... hurt people

 

Friendship Friday

 

Christie, my friend, is a poet. Ordinary life gives her inspiration. Her poems  give voice to the issues that matter in  our  community. She is also a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. 

Years ago, we were work colleagues. For a few magical years, we were a part of a  women's organization. We cared deeply about  issues  that impact women. She was   instrumental in helping  establish the first women's shelter for victims of domestic violence in our community. . 

While we no longer live in the same community, we stay connected.  True friendships are maintained and fostered regardless of our geography. 

Monday Musings ... birthdays

 It has been become popular to celebrate birthday months. I like the idea of making each moment count. I wonder if we have a little excess if we want to make it all about us. 

Then, I'm reminded that as a person of a certain age, life has no guarantees. So savor each moment. 

November, I love you

 November

Orange pumpkins full and round ... 

Cornstalks gathered on the ground ...

Blue skies clear and autumn-bright ...

Harvest moons and frost at night ...

Leaves rakes high in great big piles ... 

November sights bring thankful smiles. 

Poem from Pinterest 

Pete the Cat

 Pete is an adorable and mischievous pet of the week. He is certainly photogenic. 

Depending on the culture, black cats have been associated with good luck and bad luck. Some black cats are considered lucky charms. 

What do you think?

 I think Pete is super sweet. 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Monday Musings... losing things

Do you ever lose things? Do you have an annoying habit of misplacing items? Have you spent countless hours looking for keys, a misplaced file, or a piece of favorite clothing? 

I have misplaced countless things. Years ago, I attended a conference in Kingsport, Tennessee. I left my Bible. My sweet Daddy gave me a Scofield Bible. In my hurry to get on the road, I left my Bible. I wonder did some use the Bible. I wonder, did they donate it to church or give it away. Maybe the Bible has found a good home in someone's house. 

Today, I was continue to often find myself looking for my phone and keys. I  remember good advice my great -grandmother gave me, "Everything in its place, and a place for everything." While the advice is not original, it is very good advice. 

 

Wednesday Walk with Josie

"A dog can't think that much about what he's doing, he just does what feels right.'

Barbara Kingsolver

 Josie loves a good walk. If she could read, she would stop and read these chalk sayings. 

Tasty Tuesday

 Delicious food, lovely decor, and great conversation 

Monday Musings... joy

 What brings you joy? Last week, Suzie posed that question to me. That little question has been circulating in my brain and over several conversations. I simply love all the sweet interactions that have unfolded since last week. 

I have posed same question when I met with friends. Here  are  a few of their comments:

1.        My morning coffee 

2.        My great-granddaughter

3.         grandson’s smile brings me joy 

4.        New adventures

 Then, Sunday morning, the sermon titled, “A Shout and Tears" gave me another answer.  The scripture text was from the Old Testament book of Ezra. 

In her message, Minister Brown, shared that sometimes shouts of joy may also be mixed with some tears.  I encourage you to research the context of the book of Ezra.  Why were there shouts and tears? I could relate to the message. Indeed, sometime there are times of joy and tears.

... For me,  the joy of the Lord

 

 

 

Saturday Farmer's Market

"Supporting farmers, one market at a time."

When I am able, I enjoy shopping at our local farmers market. Over the years, I have been fortunate to become friends with a few  of the local farmers.  Farmers are a dedicated and hard working group of individuals  . Their tenacity is admirable. They inspire me ...  

In October, this market will close for the year. They will return in April of 2026. . 

Farmers from several counties come to sell their produce. This year, I have purchased the following: bell peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, purple onions, ground beef,  honey, green beans, squash, cucumbers, flowers, and so much more... 

Support local eat local. 

Some communities  have year-round markets. I hope you community has one. 

Today, September 20,  2025 Farm Aid will celebrate the 40th Anniversary. 

 

...not our political enemies

 On September 10,  Former President George W. Bush  issued this statement;

"Today, a young man was  murdered in cold blood while expressing his political views. It happened on a college campus, where an open exchange of opposing ideas should be sacrosanct. Violence and vitriol must be purged from the public square. Members of other political parties  are not our enemies; they are our fellow citizens. May God bless Charlies Kirk and his family and may God give America toward civility."

Wednesday Workout

 Working out is not always easy. It's  almost always of great benefit to me.   My favorite workout... Water Fitness.  Workouts are beneficial to mind, body and soul. 

Monday Musings... traditions

 "When another family invites you into their traditions, meals, or everyday moments, it's not something small - it's a gift. They're choosing to love you like one of their own. Always appreciate it, because not everyone gets that kind of belonging."

Source; Raising Athletes

Tasty Tuesday

 

Family Reunion

  This weekend marks our 70th Family Reunion. Each year, family meet together to reconnect, hold new babies, celebrate milestone events, and take time to plan games. Tomorrow our reunion will end with  church attendance and gather for an afternoon meal. 

It has been a lovely time of savoring time with family. 

Do you enjoy family reunions?  Reunions can be a simple gathering over a Sunday dinner or a planned family cruise. What is most  important? Spending time with family. 

School never ends for this group

 "A group of fish is called a school. A school describes a group of fish that swim in a synchronized or coordinated manner ... "

This art is colorful representation of a school of fish...  School never ends for this group...

Monday Musings ... is religion good for your health

Is faith in God helpful to you? According to several studies, faith in God is a benefit to those who believe and trust God. 

I trust God to answer prayers... It may be yes, no, or wait.

"Research has repeatedly shown that people of faith report feeling better and healthier."

In what ways? 

• lower blood pressure
• reduced risk of heart disease 
• enhanced over well-being  
• lower rates of depression
• faster recovery from illness

Sources: 

Stanford Report -Nov. 2020  - Deep Faith Beneficial to Health

Kettering College - The  Invisible Link: Exploring the Link Between Faith and Health in College Life

David DeSteno, Professor of Psychology  at Northeastern  University, How God Works: The Science Behind Spiritually  

 Earlier in the service, each name of individuals who needed help was lifted to the Lord. 

Tasty Tuesday

 Tea Time

with 

Family  and Friends

Menu

Chilled Water

Lemonade

Peach Tea

Cucumber Sandwiches

Strawberries, Blueberries, Grapes, 

Salad Cup

Gluten Free Cupcakes

Friendship Friday

 "To keep the heart unwrinkled - to be hopeful, cheerful, and reverent - that is to triumph over old age." Thomas Bailey Aldrich 

I am  fortunate to have friends who have those qualities ... and  who teach exercise classes... I am fortunate ... this is my exercise teacher... Wendy 

Wordy Wednesday

 

Friendship Friday

Life is better 

with 

friends

 

Tasty Tuesday

 Donut underestimate the power of a good pastry. 

Monday Musing ... mortification

 Mortification is a word that we do not hear in everyday conversations. Yet, it in Christian theology, we often strive to put into practice in our daily lives.  Christians use this term in way to practice self-denial. Why is this important? 

Christians are called to put to death our sinful desires and align our will to. God's will. What does it look to practice self-denial in daily life? Maybe it looks like a fast.  It some cases it might mean we do a digital diet from social media. 

 July is hot afternoons and sultry nights and mornings when it's joy just to be alive. July is a picnic and a red canoe and a sunburned neck and a softball game came and ice tinkling in a tall glass. July is a blind date with summer. 

Hal Borland 

Let Freedom Ring

 

Tasty Tuesday

 "Eating good food with good friends always makes for a memorable lunch."

Pet of the week, Cason

Cason was the most well-mannered at the Evening Edition Book Club gathering. She was content with a treat and a quiet place to rest. 

 

A flower's fragance

 "Love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. To have been loved so deeply  through the person who loved us is gone will give us some protection forever."

Remembering my mother on what would have been her 95th birthday. 

My  mother's favorite flower was the Gardenia. When I were a perfume that smells like a Gardenia, I think of her. 

Her memory is a blessing. 

Haiku

 grandma's lozenges

the sweetness

in her palm

Author

Mason. Grade 11 

Juneteenth

 Juneteenth the national holiday  celebrates freedom and honors those who fought for freedom. Communities around our nation held celebrations, parades, and events to mark this holiday. 

 I was not able to attend the official unveiling of the monument of  Lewis and Harriet Hayden. This evening, I  took pictures. This couple represents a brave couple. I am reminded of the many unnamed and unknown, people who were a part of the Underground Railroad. Lewis and Harriet Hayden  of formerly enslaved people who would become abolitionists.

 

Tea Setting at St. Regis

 

Monday Musings ... all of us

 "All of us

were created 

by same  God,

all of us

were broken 

by the same Fall,

and all of us

might be redeemed 

by the same Grace."

Elisabeth Elliot 

June

 June

Birds just waking up to sing

as nighttime slips away

Dewdrops sparking in the sun

to great a brand new day.

Fireflies lighting the dusky skies

and strolls beneath the moon -

What could be more perfect 

than the lovely

Month of June

Happy Summer

Monday Musings... Memorial Day

 Memorial Day 

"Let their remembrance 

be as lasting as the land they honored."

Monday Musings... finish well

 ""Finishing well requires patience, persistence and reliance on

 God that comes from facing God-size dreams." 

Amy Lively 

Sunday

 

Sightseeing Saturday

Sunrise... Parks, monuments, statues, gardens, hotels, restaurants, cafes, lobbies, museums, tours, tour guides. guest services, servers, waitresses, families, babies, grandparents, grandchildren, baby strollers,  carriages, parades, protests, graduations, taxies, Ubers, police, sirens, street Haikus, muffins, tea, coffee, water,  egg sandwiches, energy drinks, elevators, stairs, sneakers, shoes. flip flops, tips, gratuities,  smiles, frowns, grimaces, laughter, shouts, whispers, conversations, phones, outside cafes, inside dining. bills, tips, and photos, relaxing, walking, exercising, napping, sleeping, worshiping, praying, reading,  sunset... 

"...from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised. Psalm 113:3

Friendship Friday

 "Let us seek friends that will stir up our prayers, our Bible reading, our use of time, and salvation. 

J. C. Ryle 

Travel

 "We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and the world the glories of our journey," 

John Hope Franklin

Are you planning trips this year? Will you visit familiar places? Or are you planning a new adventure?  What do you enjoy most about travel? I encourage you to find something new in your city. Go hiking at a nearby park. Return to a city and discover something new.   

Today

 "Write it on your 

heart that every day

is the best day 

in the year."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Resurrection Sunday

Jesus said to her, 

"I am the 

Resurrection 

and the life.

 Those  who believes in me,

even though they die, will live,

and everyone who lives in me 

will never die."

John 11: 25- 26

Holy Saturday

 Holy Saturday 

Your grief

will turn to 

joy. 

Maundy Thursday

 "What is the meaning, importance, and history of this day? Maundy Thursday is the day that commemorates Jesus Christ Last Supper with his disciples .  This day reminds of us of the importance of humility, selfness, and service to others." online source 

Monday Musings ... Holy Week

 "During this Holy Week, may we unite our sufferings with those of Christ and find meaning in our trials through the lens of His passion. Let us embrace the cross with faith, knowing that it leads to resurrection and new life."

Friendship Friday

Last year, I met Susan at a Christian retreat. We laughed, worshiped, listened to talks, prayed and dined on delicious food. On our last day of the retreat, we got stuck in an elevator.  I was panicking. Susan wanted to sing. 

"Life is like an evaluator, sometimes up and sometime down ..." 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Tasty Tuesday

 Sprinkled, Glazed, Powered, Chocolate, and Powdered and  Cinnamon 

Just picture all the delicious donuts that are in this box.  

Donuts were a part of the food choices available at our recent  Sunday School Fellowship.

Friendship Friday

 Mah Jongg is a microcosm of life, filled with unexpected  twists, strategic decisions, and the occasional stroke  of luck and it is always more fun which you share it with friends. 

Unknown

I appreciate my Mah Jongg friends. I  enjoy our weekly gatherings. 

Spring has arrived

 "In the Spring, I have counted 136 kinds of weather inside of 24 hours."

Mark Twain 

Table Setting

Last week, my granddaughter was the assistant in helping set the table. 

She also created individual place card settings. 

It was a joy having her help.

 

Monday Musings... St. Patrick's Day

Friendship Irish Blessing

"May the love of God bring you peace.

And may the friendship of your friends bring you joy.

May the laughter of your loved ones light your way.

And may the blessing of St. Patrick be upon you always."

Source Unknown. 

A few of the images from my community and those nearby places 

Here is a picture from a medical facility 

Here is a picture from a brick and mortar store

May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty.

I am sharing this picture from a friend. 

Check out the menu

Lucky Charms Cereal 

Irish Soda Bread

Irish Beer

 

It is a good thing

 Psalm 92 

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,

to sing praises to the Most High.

It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the 

morning. 

your faithfulness in the evening,

accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, 

a harp, 

and the melody of a lyre.

You thrill me, LORD with all you have for 

me! 

I sing for joy because of what you have done. 

O LORD, what great works you do!

And how deep are your thoughts. 

Only a simpleton would not know, 

and only a fool would not understand this:

Though the wicked sprout like weeds,

and evildoers flourish,

they will be destroyed forever.

But you, O LORD will be exalted forever.

Your enemies, LORD will surely perish.

all evildoers will be scattered.

Verses 1 - 9 

Friendship Friday

"There was a definite process

by which one made people into friends,

and it involved talking to them and 

listening to them for hours at a time."

Rebecca West

Lent

 Let is begin our Fast with joy.

 Let us give ourselves to spiritual efforts.

 Let us cleanses our souls.

 Let us cleanse our flesh." 

unknown 

Peace of God

 

Tasty Tuesday

This afternoon I met with dear friends at Bronte Bistro for lunch. We told stories, laughed and enjoyed a tasty meal. 

Pet of the week, Josie

 Josie is our sweet little pet. She brings us so much joy. 

Friendship Friday

"The best kind of friend is a praying friend." 

 

Wisdom Literature in the Bible

 J. I Packer shared these words regarding wisdom in the Bible. "The Bible is overflowing with humanity, full of wisdom about the business of living. There is in fact a whole section called the Wisdom Literature: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon,  and Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament, and James in the New. What seems to me the wisest thing ever said about the five Wisdom books of the Old Testament is this: the Psalms teach how to pray, Proverbs how to live, Job how to suffer, the Song of Solomon how to love,  and Ecclesiastes how to enjoy. That's good philosophy given under God for our learning and our blessing. And then comes, James, the New Testament Wisdom writer, who strikes  all these notes together within the compass of his five brief chapters. 

Wisdom regarding the business of living.  

Charming Charlie ... the pet of the week.

 Charming Charlie is a fashion brand for women - known for fun and colorful stores across the US... This brand had to pivot from a brick and mortar stores to online stores.  Now, I have to pivot to share about our Charming Charlie... the kitten of the week. 

Charlie is certainly charming. 

Looks like Charlie is cuddling with a stuffed toy.