I believe that all of us from time to time need to hear encouraging words or a receive a gentle hug to help us face the battles of this life. So I send you this cyber hug and include some encouraging words in hope that your spirit is lifted a bit to help with today’s woes or the winter blues. Remember God never puts more on us that we can stand. The burdens may be heavy but He promises to be by our side to help us carry them. Lean on Him and He will hold your hand or carry you through.
God is always with you
Remember sometimes when we are hurting, if you get out of our own way and help others, our hurts are temporarily relieved and our actions are strengthen by God to help us get through our own issues easier. So I encourage you to press on in helping when you can and to always be kind.
I saw this definition on adogslove.com and thought it very appropriate for my house and a good source of my stress relief.
“Canine Paralysis – The condition of a person’s inability to move due to a dog being in their lap.”
Partial paralysis – only holding down left leg under plaid blanketFull on ‘You ain’t going nowhere’ paralysis
They make us laugh, cuddly us when we are sad, sit with us when we are quiet and understand us better than anyone else. There is just something special that our pets do for us, whether is be a dog or a cat. For me, I prefer dogs, they seem to be more in tune with what I need.
I found several pictures on Pinterest that I have saved as they touch my heart strings and I thought I would share. Its Friday, after a cold icy week, and we all need some warmth. And even if it is not icy where you are, puppy love is always a comforting warmth.
So very true
I don’t go to shelters when its time for a new love without abundant support as I would bring them all home.
True
And one last one…
Just something about dogs
I could post picture after picture after picture but I think you get the idea and my love for dogs. And if a dog can be that devoted to its person, think how much more God is devoted to you. Both are His creations and both deserve abundant love…as God gives. So I remind you to carry the devoted love of a dog to those strangers you meet on a daily basis and be kind.
Linda G Hill’sOne Liner Wednesday is usually a challenge for me. How can I say only one line? So I found this picture the other day which I think will be a great one liner.
The Ultimate Test
And remember even though you may be going through hard times, your ability to show kindness during the test usually adds a curve to the grade. Always be kind.
Winter is usually a time to rest with spring being the time to clean but this cold has just about done me in so I took the time to go through a closet I have not open since we moved in 6 years ago. In it I found a framed picture of a drawing and poem I wrote for my mother. Now I loved my mother but she was…a mess.She was an alcoholic and as an adult I understand why and that is probably why I don’t touch alcohol, other than it taste gross. I guess it is an acquired taste and I have has some of the better and more expensive to taste and I just as soon leave it be.
Sometimes God puts people in our lives to help us heal from issues we have faced and He did so with me with Miss Mary Lou. Miss Mary Lou is well in her senior years but has the most gentle soul I believe I have ever met. The first day I visited the church I am currently worshiping in, she came and sat me as she said she didn’t want me to sit alone. I am one of those weird people who to sit up front, second pew. With ADD, I don’t need any distractions. But the wonderful stories I had heard about Miss Mary Lou and her ever gracious husband never seemed to surprise me as they were always sharing God’s love.
The other thing about Miss Mary Lou that shocked me the most when she first sat by me was how much she looked like my mother, or rather how my mother would have looked had she lived the same age as Miss Mary Lou. They were probably within 10 years of each other in age. I look at Miss Mary Lou and believe this is how my mother could have been if she had been close to the Lord as she also loved people.
So I post this poem I wrote for my mother, probably for Mother’s Day, in May of 1986, along with the tea rose I bought for me. I send it to mom again in heaven in her honor and also with love and honor of Miss Mary Lou for giving me peace from a matronly figure.
Like A Rose
Like a rose’s sweet fragrance that floats through the air,
So does a mother’s love as it flows through the home.
Like a rose that reflects its rich vibrant color,
So does a mother when she is loving her children.
Like a rose’s thorns that beckon you to beware,
So does a mother who safely guides her children.
Like the velvety softness of the rose’s soft petals,
So soothes a mother’s hand and voice calms a fear.
Anita Neal 5/11/1986
And in closing as I always remind readers to do – Be kind. Share your gentle softness with the fragrance of God’s love.
An elfchen is an 11 word poem written in 5 lines— Line 1=1 word, Line 2=2 words, Line 3=3 words, Line 4=4 words, Line 5 =1 word. Lines 1 and 5 should not be the same word. Devereaux Frazier and Beth Amanda are currently hosting the Tuesday Writing Prompt Challenge which was started by our star writer Christine Ray. We hope to offer all of you something that will spark your creativity and willingness to participate.
Since I had never heard of an elfchen, I thought I would play along and see what I could come up with. The three word choices are You, Stronger or Alive to be the first word of your poem. I accidentally used all three.
You
Dear Lord
Are the reason
I am stronger and
Alive
And as I close from this fun, I remind all to be kind. The kindness you share may be the only sunshine that person may see that day.
Linda is winding up Just Jot January with us sharing a favorite post from the last year or month. I have not been blogging but a few months(Aug 2018) so I will just go with a favorite of mine plus one that seems to get a lot of likes for it. It started first as a picture from Irene of Heaven’s Sunshine and I loved that photo so much I wrote a poem about it. Since it is a small poem, I will just repost it all here.
TO THE TOP for THE BOTTOM
One of the most enjoyable things about blogging is the amazing photographers, professional and non-professional that share their photographs for all to enjoy. A lot of the photographs that are shared are due to various challenges as the one I will be sharing with you today, well technically it’s night (2:30 am)but I couldn’t sleep so I am writing.
Irene from Heaven’s Sunshine was following the challenge for stairs from Pic And A Word by Patrick Jennings. Her picture was so inspiring to me, I told her I was going to write about it, so I did. I hope you enjoy it and do stop by Irene’s blog for some wonderful pictures.
Bailly Cemetery – Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
THE CLIMB
I see and maintain it still is not fair,
I have nothing to lay at the top of the stair.
It’s not my fault, I did nothing wrong,
Well, maybe I did, it’s just been so long.
How long has it been since I climbed to the top,
I remember it’s relief, Why did I stop?
How can a symbol of such astounding grief,
Be given to us to bring so much relief?
With love so amazing, to the cross did He die,
To flood us with gratitude that still makes us cry.
The burdens we carry don’t always seem fair,
Always we can lay them at the top of the stair.
The first step looks brittle, can it carry my weight?
This burden is heavy and may seal my dire fate.
As I touch each step and climb ever higher,
Is this what I should do, is this really my desire?
As I clear the last step, the cross is before me,
I question my worth, did He also die for me?
As my knees get bent, I am smothered by His grace,
And I lay all my burdens at the accepting cross base.
– Anita Tillman Neal –
Always remember there is a burden carrier and it isn’t you. Scripture tells us repeatedly that He is there to carry our burdens for us, we just have to be willing to give them to Him.
And as always, I remind everyone the much loaded value of kindness. Carry it with you where ever you go and share it as much as possible.
In all of my post I ask all readers to remember kindness to others. It is the easiest and most difficult thing you could do. The book of Galatians reminds us the effects of not being kind in Galatians 5:15 – “If you bite and devour each other, beware as you will destroy each other.” But then in vs 22 the list of good attributes of following the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, KINDNESS, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. And again in Colossians 3:12 -“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, KINDNESS, humility, gentleness and patience.”
All of these commands come straight from the heart – God’s heart. And it is passed down to us for us to share with others in reflecting God’s precious love.
I ran across this posting the other day, not knowing who wrote it but I wanted to share it with you to remind you no matter how small an act of kindness you share, it makes a very large mark on life.
Your kindness always matters
So I ask you to leave fingerprints of kindness where ever you go and help the world to smile.
In trying to visualize to someone how big or small something is, we will often use our fingers…
It was this long
While that may look really small, if you are describing the size of a mouse dropping found in your cabinet that is a BIG mouse. And using that method again, I don’t care if the snake is only that big…he is too big for me. Just sayin’.
Alrighty then, let’s think on things that we are told are really big, like the moon at 2,159 miles in diameter. That seems big but not compared to some other moons. Jupiter has the largest moon, Ganymede at 5,262 km. Those of you who live in the US, that is more than 3,629 miles so our moon does not seem not that big. Of Jupiter’s 79 moons, it is also credited with the smallest moon at 2 km equaling 1.25 miles. Now how in the world can you see something that small from a roaming satellite. Amazing.
I saw this picture I am enclosing today that I thought was fabulous. I don’t know the photographer but the tree seems to think our moon fits right in between it’s fingers. So I thought I would share.
This big
Sizes are always relevant to your measuring device. Like guys that go fishing and tell stories of the one that got away.
This big
In the 70’s there was a quirky little figure with his arms spread wide showing you he loved you this much. The 70’s were the love generation but they just kinda forgot some of the other things that needed to go with that love…but I digress. It is the symbol of measurement I want to focus on. That symbol is still used today and will always remain true.
He loves you this much
What an amazing measurement. Many songs have been written about this amazing amount of love. And even though we can not fully understand this amount of love, we can still measure out a reflection of this love by being kind to those who so desperately need it. Sometimes you may not even realize someone is hurting but your kindness may be the one thing that day that releases enough pain to be able to go to the next day. So remember to ALWAYS be kind.
Linda’s Just Jot January prompt is being lead by John Holden of One Hand Typing. And that prompt is “inch”. And while I did not use the actual word I did measure it out. Come join in on the fun.
What a exciting word Debbie Smyth has challenged us with for One Word Sunday. I don’t really have my own pictures but tomorrow promises to be a new day so I thought I would join in. New means a fresh start, replacement of something old or broken or the beginning a whole different adventure. For me its a whole NEW adventure or job as it were. Last February I retired from 40 years of quality control and management of the manufacturing process. A much needed and well deserved rung of my latter but of late, even though I have fully enjoyed my writing and my new found friends across the world, something was still lacking. So when my church asked me if I would be interested in being the secretary for the church, I thought about it for a while and then said yes. Going from standing the firm line on making sure the manufacturing process was correct to answering the phone and being gentle like the previous secretary was may be a bit of a challenge. While I have always been a strong proponent of always being kind, now I have to add gentle into the equation.
Can it be done
So as I start my new chapter( its only part time) I will have to add a reminder not only to be kind but to also be gentle. That also is a fruit of the spirit mentioned in scripture.
For the Love of 