Blessed is the heart of a child

Truly I say unto you, unless you are converted and become like

children, you shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Whoever then humbles himself as a child, he is the greatest in

the kingdom of Heaven.

Whoever receive one such child in my name, receives Me.

Matt.18:3-5

Have you ever noticed the purity and innocence of a child in prayer? It is inspiring to watch a little one pour out their hearts to their

Heavenly Father, focusing on Him and tenderly seeking His Heart for

their needs. In a world that pushes us to be self-absorbed and "all about me"

this goes against our natural instinct yet this is the very thing the Lord wants

for us; to seek His Heart and to focus on others, not ourselves. I am humbled

when others bring me before the Throne of God, are you?

If you are reading this and would like prayer for yourself or your loved ones please

feel free to leave me a message with your email and I will respond. It is a blessing

to lift others up.

Be blessed today.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for life and health.

I am thankful for Jesus, my Savior, Master, Friend and Lord of my life.

I am thankful for the Word of God that daily gives me insight, guidance and comfort; His love letter to His children.

I am thankful for my beloved husband, my daughters and their families.

I am thankful for grandchildren who make me laugh. I am thankful I am able to spend mornings with my daughter and two granddaughters. I am thankful that Shannon loves to look at flowers with me.

I am thankful for the purple finches, house finches and other birds that grace my yard each day.

I am grateful for my Irish roots that have been passed down to my granddaughters and how they love to sing Irish songs.

I am thankful that my parents nurtured a love of story telling and writing in me, which has also been passed down.

I am thankful for the ability to take long walks with those I love, enjoying warm summer days.

I am thankful for how friendly people are in our little Colorado town, and how they stop to visit with children and adults.

I am thankful for our entire family going camping together tomorrow, in a new state, in a new state park.

I am thankful for chocolate and marshmallows and the light of campfires where the family tells stories.

I am thankful for weird, wacky weather here; one minute it is sunny and the next we have thunder.

I am thankful and filled with gratitude to the young gal from our church family who will dog sit for me so we can go camping.

I am thankful for the body of Christ, the community here in Colorado, the church family in California and for the body of believers I have met on the internet and blogs.

I am thankful for friendships I have made with my sisters via their blogs-L.D. bless you today.

I am thankful that I live in a time like this.

I am thankful for our country and the freedom to worship, to display things of faith and not worry about persecution.

I am so filled with praise to my Maker for the abundant life He has blessed me with and the time to enjoy this life.


What are you thankful for today?

All of creation in heaven and earth bow down before Him and cry Holy, Holy
They cry Holy, Holy is the Lord

Recently John and I spent a week near Yosemite, California. We had an amazing time visiting this national treasure; one we've been to many times. Each time I go I am awestruck by the beauty of our world and the creativity of my God who laid this out for our enjoyment.
I love waterfalls of all sizes, even man-made and nature always makes me reflect on the Creator. What a loving Father we have that would give us such priceless gifts just for our pleasure. Hopefully though we don't need to go to national parks to enjoy the beauty of His world, His creation; may we see His Hand in the small things as well as the big things that adorn our world each day. Each day as I walk in our little neighborhood I try to appreciate the flowers, the birds, the smells and praise Him for all that He has blessed me with.

Take time today to enjoy the world around you and let Him know how thankful you are.
Blessings.

For the Love of a Dog

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a dog person. I can't remember a time in my life where I didn't have a dog or two; in fact as a young grade school girl I spent most Saturday afternoons at our local humane society while my mom did her grocery shopping. So it is only natural that I am trying to nurture that love in my grandchildren.

My husband and I took our two grandsons to an exhibition of Disc Dogs yesterday. For those who aren't familiar with dog terms this describes a sport of Frisbee throwing for dogs. There are many competitions and it is wonderful to watch the dogs fly through the air to catch their Frisbees. There are also many tricks that they perform in the sport. Although it is a game there are some high level competitions in the sport and one of the main jobs the owner/handler has is to teach the dog to watch him as well as the Frisbee. What struck me while watching the handlers and their dogs was the intense concentration of the dogs on the handlers and also on the Frisbee. When they don't watch and focus they miss their goal, in this case catching the toy.

Our grandsons and their family are the proud owners of a Border-Collie mix, just 8 mos old. Right now I am working on the basics with their dog but would love to help get him into agility in the future but that will come as he matures and learns obedience. I am also beginning to work on training the dog to focus on my face when I give a command. What I continue to marvel at is how intelligent these dogs are and how eager to please.

Through the exhibition and my training of the dog I have come to make a parallel observation in the spiritual realm; in walking through this life if we take our eyes of the Lord we will get into trouble and often loose our way. He is the author and finisher of our faith and He will lead and guide us but we must continually look to Him and not at our surroundings.

No matter what our day may look like as long as we turn our eyes upon Jesus we will be alright.

Be blessed today as you seek His face.

The Love of My Life

If anyone was to ask me who the luckiest woman on earth is I would quickly reply that I am for I married my best friend, the love of my life and just celebrated 30 years of marriage to this wonderful man. I met John when I was just 14 yrs old and although we didn't date for another 7 years, he was always the one who caught my eye the way others didn't. John can be described as steady, faithful, loyal, giving, abundantly patient especially with me. He is a friend to all and always eager to help others. John is gifted in wood working and loves working on projects with his two grandsons. He is an avid golfer; any sport he attempts he plays well. His grandchildren are a joy and he is always there, ready and waiting to spend time with them.

I have been blessed by the husband of my youth and I thank God for giving me this man.

I love you babe.

Photo: June 2008 Estes Park CO.

Little Ones

I am blessed with having 6 grandchildren ages 6 mos-7 yrs, 1 grand baby in heaven with Jesus, and one grand baby due in Oct. As I child I never knew my own grandparents, they were deceased long before I was born and I can remember longing to enjoy them, even as I watched my friends enjoy theirs. I think because this was a void in my life and heart, a seed was planted to pour into any grandchildren I would have. From the oldest to the youngest I love each and every one; they are uniquely different yet we are all bound by familiar traits. I love to laugh with them and play games and especially sing with them. I am blessed to live within a very close proximity to all of them and it is my joy to spend my days delighting in who they are. With being a grandparent though comes an awesome responsibility-to not only shower them with unconditional love and acceptance but also to gently teach and guide them towards the Lord.

There are ways in which I can teach them that is unlike what their parents instill in them. There is a freedom to share in different ways and a willingness to learn on their parts. I am able to give them my best and the wisdom that comes from living a longer life; I am also able to let go of many childish things because I know this too shall pass. I am thankful that I can pray with a passion for each one in a way others can't.

Lord Jesus, I praise You for the little ones You've blessed me with. I ask that You would pour forth Your Spirit upon them this day, this week, this year and lead them into a deeper more abundant life in You. Increase their desire for Your Word and give them a insatiable hunger for more of You. May it be so according to the riches that You have blessed us with. Thank you for every moment spent with them. Amen.

Joy In Simple Things

So often in daily life we become hurried, driven by work or tasks or even a hectic schedule. We may pass by things of beauty just because we haven't slowed down enough to notice. The trappings of this world draw and entice us to add more to our lives but it is then we forsake the beauty of a simple life, the joy in living a quieter life, the freedom of not being controlled by external trappings. It is a war we often fight; we see others who have more or want for nothing and we ponder "Wouldn't it be nice..." but those things that entice us away often drown out that 'Still Small Voice' that whispers to our heart, speaking the language of love, breathing into our beings life. It is a conscious effort that we must make to slow down and enjoy the beauty of our world, to see the hidden blessings of a road less traveled and to listen to the quiet things.

Lord teach us to slow down and listen for Your Voice. Help us to enjoy the beauty of the world You have blessed us with. Amen.

Photo credit: A.Parker

A Thankful Heart

All of life is a journey, sometimes up and sometimes down but the outcome often is determined by our attitude. My life began a new adventure last December when our entire family left our home state of Ca. to move to a small town in Colorado. There isn't a time I didn't desire to live here, maybe in another town but even in college I wanted to be here. The timing was the Lord's and after finally relinquishing that desire all the details fell into place. Of course I never would have left my daughters and grandchildren behind and the Lord actually led through them. Our family is so close that it was natural for them to include my husband and me. As the trip came to be one lesson that I continued to learn; it was having a grateful heart whether it was in the weather that we experienced during the move or the settling into a new area and climate. I continue to try to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness each day and am grateful to the many blogs that publish Thankful Thursdays. This in itself has caused me to look at life differently. Just last night my hubby and I were talking about an issue with his car and the cost of fixing the problem. Instead of whining I was able to say how thankful I was that it wasn't the transmission that broke or something else that would cost more. Daily I am thankful for the abundance of birds we see and the beauty of our area. I am thankful that we came through the tornado with only minor damage compared to others who lost everything. I am thankful for His Hand of Protection on each of our family members. I am thankful that although I don't have an abundance of friends I have been blessed with my daughters, who are my closest friends along with my hubby and also the friends I've made that are as valuable as pearls. I'm thankful for the friends of many years who will travel to see us and for the fun times spent with those I love.
I'm mostly thankful for the greatest Friend of all, who willingly gave His Life that I might have life abundant and eternal, filled with His grace and Spirit. I am blessed beyond measure.

The Beauty of His Creation

Recently while in Estes Park, Colorado I came upon this beautiful bull elk. He was used to seeing people so allowed a picture to be taken. Whether I am at home in town or in the mountains I am continually amazed by wild life and how different each animal is. Thank you Lord for showering our world with so many wonderful animals.