Thursday Thirteen, Friday Thankfulness and Sabbath Hallelujah!!
Some may call me confused while others will appreciate my ability to bring 3 days into one! After all, I have been accused of being ‘an efficiency expert’.
“I try to take one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at once.” -Jennifer Unlimited
Actually this week has been wild with activity and a certain lack of organization but I was able to accomplish so much… except for my computer work. So when I woke this morning I thought why not kill three birds with one ‘stone’ and bring my world all together in one.
There are at the very least 13 reasons for thankfulness today:
1. It is Sabbath! This is my prayer…
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
So shall I constant be,
And live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.
2. Sisters
To my sisters I must say ‘thank you’. This week two of my sisters had birthdays. As we have all grown older the four of us have discovered our similarities and have decided that they bind us together with much better glue than our differences. We can look at each other, accept the oddities and grant respect and support to each other. At least I am hoping they see it that way too!
"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there." ~Amy Li
"Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply..." ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814
3. Panchito
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We take each day for granted going along at our merry pace thinking of others at a distance hoping that all is going just fine with them. This morning I was notified that our little friend, Panchito, passed away this week and will be buried today at Villa Juarez, Sonora, Mexico. My heart is very heavy.
We met Panchito some years ago when we began our winter habit of working with an orphanage in northern Mexico. He came to the orphanage as a wee child with no sight and paralyzed from the waist down. He was taken into the hearts of Robert and Annette Mason who got him the best possible care, driving him to Loma Linda University a number of times for check-ups and surgeries and therapies over the years.
His story is one of a beginning with severe tragedy but ending with a heart filled with the love of Jesus.
This is a thank you for all the orphans we came to love over the years who are sorrowful as they lay to rest their little friend. We miss them and love them dearly. They have all taught us some basic truths about life. God bless and keep them in His hands.
4. Sunlight
Heavenly sunshine…it is so good to feel the warmth of heaven’s light on our backs as we work in the garden…so good!
“The most beautiful thing under the sun is being under the sun.” –Christa Wolf
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.” -Helen Keller
5. Water
This week I had a reminder of the blessing of water, water for drinking, water for bathing and water for my gardens…all easily accessible and pure and clean.
“Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody.” -Mark Twain
6. Electricity
Every day on an island with electricity should not be taken for granted or treated lightly. We are so dependent on the electrics available to us here and actually are in awe of the whole phenomenon. Maybe we should be looking into some alternative energy sources but in the meantime we are very thankful of electricity.
7. Friends and Family
So thankful to you all who cheer me with your words on emails or phone calls which warm my heart. Even when the connections are brief it is so good to ‘hear’ your voices. In the past I have taken for granted the availability of my family and friends…island life kicks that out of you.
“Relationships thrive when one person feels the other's needs are as important as their own.” -Anon
8. Flowers
Take a close look at the intricacy of those flowers on your table or outdoors or wherever. The flowers at every turn this time of year are a feast for my eyes. If you don’t have flowers close by right now you are totally deprived (or highly allergic?) but I wish for you all huge bundles of flowers!
9. Eyesight
I am reminded again of the blessing of eyesight with the passing of Panchito from our lives and also because this week I finally got a pair of eyeglasses again to help me with my aging eyes. The fact that they don’t work for my computer, cello or street signs (the reasons I went to the eye guy in the first place) are beside the point. I am just so thankful that I can see!!! Speaking of the eye guy, he is also the one who after examining my eyes and hearing my pleas for help told me that I had ‘very high visual expectations’!!! Imagine that, but…
10. Smell/Allergies
This week I have been inundated with the smells of a huge bunch of daffodils, my lilac trees and my herb garden…oh heavenly smells. Which also brings me to the subject of allergies; they have shown up with a vengeance!!! Allergies teach me to treasure good health...
11. Computer
What did we do before the invention of the computer? Thanks to our children they started us out years ago with our first computer. They had already left home but it was important to be able to talk with them. They had both spent time in the lands of far away going to college here and there and it was tough to pay those phone bills so when our son decided he would spend some time in Korea we knew it was time. When I told my mother-in-law that I had just that morning spoken with said son in Korea and he had written right back she shook her head and said, tsk, tsk, it must be of the devil!
12. Creativity
Thankfulness abounds in this area of life. I am thankful for the people I know or see who are always coming up with something new in the world of ideas, writing, art, gardens, architecture or wherever. I suspect I was born with an extra dose of ‘aesthetic genes’ that give me a super high when an inspiration hits me. And I have learned to pause and look around me.
13. Laughter
There is nothing so healing as a good laugh. My favorite laughs are the ones that are so extreme that you just have to lay your head down on the table to get back any type of control! Your jaws ache and your sides are sore...sweet bliss.
“One should take care not to grow too wise for so great a pleasure as laughter.”
Joseph Addison
Now, do have a lovely weekend and may you feel refreshed and ready for a new week come Monday morning.
“I try to take one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at once.” -Jennifer Unlimited
Actually this week has been wild with activity and a certain lack of organization but I was able to accomplish so much… except for my computer work. So when I woke this morning I thought why not kill three birds with one ‘stone’ and bring my world all together in one.
There are at the very least 13 reasons for thankfulness today:
1. It is Sabbath! This is my prayer…
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Till I am wholly Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
So shall I constant be,
And live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.
2. Sisters
To my sisters I must say ‘thank you’. This week two of my sisters had birthdays. As we have all grown older the four of us have discovered our similarities and have decided that they bind us together with much better glue than our differences. We can look at each other, accept the oddities and grant respect and support to each other. At least I am hoping they see it that way too!
"Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there." ~Amy Li
"Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply..." ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814
3. Panchito
.JPG)
We take each day for granted going along at our merry pace thinking of others at a distance hoping that all is going just fine with them. This morning I was notified that our little friend, Panchito, passed away this week and will be buried today at Villa Juarez, Sonora, Mexico. My heart is very heavy.
We met Panchito some years ago when we began our winter habit of working with an orphanage in northern Mexico. He came to the orphanage as a wee child with no sight and paralyzed from the waist down. He was taken into the hearts of Robert and Annette Mason who got him the best possible care, driving him to Loma Linda University a number of times for check-ups and surgeries and therapies over the years.
His story is one of a beginning with severe tragedy but ending with a heart filled with the love of Jesus.
This is a thank you for all the orphans we came to love over the years who are sorrowful as they lay to rest their little friend. We miss them and love them dearly. They have all taught us some basic truths about life. God bless and keep them in His hands.
4. Sunlight
Heavenly sunshine…it is so good to feel the warmth of heaven’s light on our backs as we work in the garden…so good!
“The most beautiful thing under the sun is being under the sun.” –Christa Wolf
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.” -Helen Keller
5. Water
This week I had a reminder of the blessing of water, water for drinking, water for bathing and water for my gardens…all easily accessible and pure and clean.
“Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody.” -Mark Twain
6. Electricity
Every day on an island with electricity should not be taken for granted or treated lightly. We are so dependent on the electrics available to us here and actually are in awe of the whole phenomenon. Maybe we should be looking into some alternative energy sources but in the meantime we are very thankful of electricity.
7. Friends and Family
So thankful to you all who cheer me with your words on emails or phone calls which warm my heart. Even when the connections are brief it is so good to ‘hear’ your voices. In the past I have taken for granted the availability of my family and friends…island life kicks that out of you.
“Relationships thrive when one person feels the other's needs are as important as their own.” -Anon
8. Flowers
Take a close look at the intricacy of those flowers on your table or outdoors or wherever. The flowers at every turn this time of year are a feast for my eyes. If you don’t have flowers close by right now you are totally deprived (or highly allergic?) but I wish for you all huge bundles of flowers!
9. Eyesight
I am reminded again of the blessing of eyesight with the passing of Panchito from our lives and also because this week I finally got a pair of eyeglasses again to help me with my aging eyes. The fact that they don’t work for my computer, cello or street signs (the reasons I went to the eye guy in the first place) are beside the point. I am just so thankful that I can see!!! Speaking of the eye guy, he is also the one who after examining my eyes and hearing my pleas for help told me that I had ‘very high visual expectations’!!! Imagine that, but…
10. Smell/Allergies
This week I have been inundated with the smells of a huge bunch of daffodils, my lilac trees and my herb garden…oh heavenly smells. Which also brings me to the subject of allergies; they have shown up with a vengeance!!! Allergies teach me to treasure good health...
11. Computer
What did we do before the invention of the computer? Thanks to our children they started us out years ago with our first computer. They had already left home but it was important to be able to talk with them. They had both spent time in the lands of far away going to college here and there and it was tough to pay those phone bills so when our son decided he would spend some time in Korea we knew it was time. When I told my mother-in-law that I had just that morning spoken with said son in Korea and he had written right back she shook her head and said, tsk, tsk, it must be of the devil!
12. Creativity
Thankfulness abounds in this area of life. I am thankful for the people I know or see who are always coming up with something new in the world of ideas, writing, art, gardens, architecture or wherever. I suspect I was born with an extra dose of ‘aesthetic genes’ that give me a super high when an inspiration hits me. And I have learned to pause and look around me.
13. Laughter
There is nothing so healing as a good laugh. My favorite laughs are the ones that are so extreme that you just have to lay your head down on the table to get back any type of control! Your jaws ache and your sides are sore...sweet bliss.
“One should take care not to grow too wise for so great a pleasure as laughter.”
Joseph Addison
Now, do have a lovely weekend and may you feel refreshed and ready for a new week come Monday morning.
Efficiency expert, Amen! Lovely list, Shirley.
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