Category Archives: Blessings

Happy Presidents’ Day!!

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I’m off on Monday!

Yippee!!

A day off…

That’s the way I like to celebrate!

Happy Presidents’ Day!

According to History.com, Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February.

Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government.

Traditionally celebrated on February 22—Washington’s actual day of birth—the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers.

While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

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America,

Let’s Bless God…

And He will Bless us!!

Amen!

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“…if my people, who are called by my name,

will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,

then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14  NIV

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“Do not pray for easy lives. 

Pray to be stronger men.”

John F. Kennedy

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“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant

and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.”

Ronald Reagan

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“Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world

must first come to pass in the heart of America.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower

(www.brainyquote.com)

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According to Wikipedia, the national flag of the United States of America

consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white,

with a blue rectangle bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars

arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of 6 stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of 5 stars.

The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States of America

and the 13 stripes represent the 13 British colonies that declared independence

from the Kingdom of Great Britain

and became the first states in the Union.

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According to Flag Code and Regulation,

“No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America.”  (Section 8)

“The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing.”  (Section 8j)

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“The school is the last expenditure upon which America should be willing to economize.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

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Nicknames for the American flag include the

“Stars and Stripes”

Old Glory”

and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

(History.com)

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“My family, frankly, they weren’t folks who went to church every week.

My mother was one of the most spiritual people I knew

but she didn’t raise me in church,

so I came to my Christian faith later in life

and it was because the precepts of Jesus Christ

spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead.”

Barack Obama

(www.brainyquote.com)

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God Bless our President

And give him Your wisdom to lead our country!

Sniff It Out!

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What’s that smell???

My Crazy Siberian has a very keen sense of smell!!  She always knows when something smells “fishy!”  Ha!

If it seems out of the ordinary…she perks up…and is at full attention…until she can figure it out!

When she was an immature puppy…her senses were not mature yet…so she would ingest anything and everything!

Socks (dirty or clean!), rubber bands, plastic bottle caps, plastic beach shoes, dust bunnies, etc., etc., etc.

You know dogs even (YUK!!!!!!!) eat their own vomit…they’re so disgusting!

They sniff out everything (including their poop!!!  YUK, again!!), and are certainly not too discerning at all!!

Once, she ate the entire black substance inside a tennis ball/bar bell-looking toy we got for her at Walmart…

And threw it up for days!

So knowing this history of our crazy dog…I don’t expect too much from her…

However, I was surprised yesterday, when I realized I left the dryer lint where she could reach it in the laundry room…

AND IT WAS STILL THERE!!

An “AHHHHHH HAAAAAA!” moment, for sure…

My precious, little, 6-year-old girl is growing up!

She’s making better decisions!

She sniffed it out…and decided it was not worth ingesting!

She still eats questionable things for a healthy dog to eat, but seems to be restricting her intake to food items!

She still chooses peanut butter, cheese, burgers, and anything else we’re eating over her own food…

But, I say she is maturing in the area of what she will put inside herself!

Hallelujah!

Hey everybody!!  God feels this way about us, too!

We need to grow up!!

Sniff it out, first…

BEFORE you ingest it into…Your Body…Your Mind…Your Heart…

If it stinks…Don’t eat it!

“Stinkin’ Thinkin'” isn’t good for us!

That’s for babies!

Don’t be a baby!!

As a  mature Christian, be discerning!

Sniff it out…whatever you see, read, hear, think, say…

If it doesn’t smell good, according to God’s Word…

Don’t put it in, and don’t let it live in you!

Throw it out!

Philippians 4:8  NIV

“Finally, brothers and sisters…

Whatever is true…Whatever is noble…

Whatever is right…Whatever is pure…

Whatever is lovely…Whatever is admirable…

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy…

Think about such things!

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me…

Or seen in me…put it into practice…

And the God of peace will be with you!”

Amen!

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Sniff!  Sniff!

Hiding From God???

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You Can’t!

So Don’t Try!!

You can run, but you can’t hide!

He’s everywhere!

That’s bad for you if you’re trying to hide from Him,

But good, because you can be assured that He’s always there!

He’s already found you…

Now stop, turn around, look up, and there He is!

He loves you!

It’s like “Lost and Found” to Him!

His love embraces you…

Wraps around your hurts, your pain,  your despair,  your scars, your mistakes…

It wraps around everything!

“…because love covers over a multitude of sins.”  I Peter 4:8 NLT

Come out of hiding…

If He loves even me…

He can love even you, too!

What are you hiding behind???

Your job?  Your family?  Your health?  Your money?

Your wants and desires?  Your reputation?

I assure you, He knows who you are and where you are!

Look up!

Or, if you knew Him in the past…

Look inside!

To that place in your heart that can only be filled with God’s Holy Spirit…

Where it can be refilled…

And ready to overflow again with His Joy…

Even in life’s difficult situations with your job, family etc.!

Adam and Eve tried to hide, too!

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God…

As He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day…

And they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’

He answered,

‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked;

So I hid.’”

Genesis 8-10  NIV

In Bible study, while watching the DVD series called Frequency by Robert Morris…

Pastor Morris talked about God feeling sad when Adam said…

“I heard your voice and I was afraid.”

God created Adam and Eve to have a relationship with Him in Paradise…

He did things with them…

He walked with them in the garden…

He was always anxious to spend the day with them…

But, one morning, He finds them hiding…

They’re afraid of Him…

How it saddened God…

To lose that close intimate relationship…

Their sin had separated them from their God!

Jesus can restore the relationship…

Between you and God!

Don’t hide from God…

Even when going through a difficulty…

Come back…

Ask for forgiveness…

Do what it takes to be in a right place to hear His voice…

Don’t fear God’s voice…

Draw near to God!

You’re perfect together!

Psalm 139:1-18 NIV

“You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts,God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.”

Don’t hide from Him

You’re Beautiful!

You’re Loved!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

“Behold, He Is Coming With The Clouds…”

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“And every eye will see Him…”  Revelation 1:7

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“Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds

to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”

I Thessalonians 4:17

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“…and they will see the  Son of Man

  coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”

Matthew 24:30

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“Jesus said to him,

‘You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter

you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power,

and coming on the clouds of Heaven.’”

Matthew 26:64

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“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above;

and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

Daniel 12:3

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“When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars,

which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him,

and the son of man that You care for him?”

Psalm 8:3-4

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“To Him who made the great lights,

for His steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:7

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“The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it,

for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”

Revelation 21:23

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“And the street of the city was pure gold…”

Revelation 21:21

“Up On The Roof”

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“Hoo…Hoo!”

The way the sun’s shining, makes this dove seem as if  it’s made of clay, like our roof!

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But, it’s very real!!

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Looking up…I caught these black birds perched on a neighbor’s roof!

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They have a great view of the Heavens!

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And not a care in the world!

Jesus, if we would just learn to look up, too!

And stay fixated on You…

I know you’d care for us, also!

Amen!

When I look up (fix my eyes on You!)…

I see some amazing things!

I remember all your promises…

I see all Your faithfulness…

Help me in this new year to do just that!

“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2  NIV

The Gifts…

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I heard this song on the radio last week, and immediately thought of the precious children…

And others in the tragedy in Newtown…

And those grieving for them…

“The Gift” by Brenda White

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Here are the lyrics…

Please insert your loved one’s name in “Grandpa’s” place!

“Grandma spilled some water…

When she fed the Christmas tree…

She said her eyes were blurry…

But she’d been crying seemed to me…

‘Cause of all the gifts God gave us…

One’s no longer here…

You see, Grandpa is the gift…

They got in Heaven this year!

So you might hear an angel singing now..

A little bit off-key..

But Grandma says his shirts stay white…

And his skin is wrinkle free…

And when Jesus opens this one…

She says Heaven’s gonna cheer!

Because Grandpa is the gift…

They got in Heaven this year!

Grandpa loved the snow…

Because he loved the snowball fight…

And Grandma says that Jesus knows…

What He got Himself alright…

Grandma said the reason…

We didn’t get much snow down here…

Is that Grandpa is the gift…

They got in Heaven this year!

Now someone else is gonna wear…

The cotton-ball beard…

I remember he used shaving cream…

Instead of it one year!

And Grandma says that Jesus gives…

Everything we pray…

So us kids got together…

And asked if Grandpa had to stay!

So you might hear an angel singing now…

A little bit off-key…

But Grandma says his shirts stay white…

And his skin is wrinkle free…

And when Jesus opens this one…

She says Heaven’s gonna cheer…

Because Grandpa is the gift…

They got in Heaven this year!”

Also, a dear friend of mine forwarded this e-mail to me...written by her friend's daughter who lives in Newtown, Connecticut.  I have her permission to share it with you!  It's very powerful!

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 “I thought I’d share some experiences here in town…

In case you were curious…

 It’s been a hard (almost) week here…

 Initially, filled with utter shock, fear…

 Then sadness and grief… 

 I spend most of my days either working from home…

 Or tootling about getting to other destinations either in town…

 Or in neighboring towns…

 Thereby going through town…

 Not necessarily Sandy Hook proper…

 Just town…

 I ventured out a few times earlier in the week…

 And was met in the grocery store with utter silence…

 Except for some light Christmas music on their intercom system…

 Which is normally fun 60s and 70s music…

 There weren’t many people there…

 And those who were…

 Were visibly numb…

 Looks of shock…

 Just staring…

 Moving in slow motion…

  Then there was the ride back from walking the pups in Field Hills…

 Which is a staging area for therapy…

 And overflow of police officers from the state and neighboring areas…

 I didn’t realize that ’til I walked past a field with literally lines of cars…

 All the same make and model…

 And realized they weren’t starting a used car lot…

 They were housing all the undercover cop cars there…

 And, of course, all the yellow crime scene tape…

  Then there’s the sirens…

 Or helicopters…

 Take your pick…

 But essentially if it’s not one…

 It’s the other…

 We don’t know if they are further “events”

 Or some sort of escort… 

 Recently, on the ride back from Field Hills…

 I was greeted with stopped traffic on RT. 25…

 And decided to take a short cut that runs parallel (by a cemetery….) 

 I turned and started up the side road…

 And ran into a blockade ahead…

 Which was allowing a funeral procession to enter the cemetery…

  It hit me like a wall…

 That everywhere I went in town…

 There was evidence of the massacre!

  Not just TV evidence…

 But palpable, touchable, hearable, physical, experiencable evidence!

  And this realization that some parent’s…

 Some “neighbor’s” child was being buried just then…

 Was overwhelming!!

 I found myself shrouded in such overwhelming sadness…

 I questioned if we really could continue to live here!

 Then it changed…

 We realized that unlike 9/11, or Columbine, or any of the other widely known events that have changed our history…

 We can’t turn this off!

 We can’t choose to just watch a different channel…

 Avoid the news, ignore the newspapers, etc.!

 We are living in it! 

 I have a new empathy for the people who have experienced these other disasters…

 And what it is like to not be able to just turn away…

 So I decided, if we can’t avoid it, and I really didn’t want to…

 Then let’s immerse ourselves in it!!

 So, last night after a light late dinner at a local place in town…

 We drove into Sandy Hook center, at about 9:30 at night…

 We drove past the memorial site where the large Christmas Tree is…

 We went right, came back, drove past the display of Angels on the hillside, turned around, went back to the left,

 Turned around again, and decided, “We can do this!” 

 We parked, got out, and went and experienced it!

  As I sit here sobbing…

 And trying to put into words something that cannot be put into words…

 I will tell you this…

 It was probably the most moving human moment of my life!

 The beauty that is there…

 The LOVE…

 The overwhelming love, the poetry, the symbolism, the words of peace, all the candles, toys…

 All the things any 6 or 7-year-old child would adore…

 It’s just unimaginable!

 It is sad…

 But sad in a different way…

  Sad that they are no longer here with us…

 And that they were taken away far too early…

  But what is even more prevalent, is the LOVE! 

 I cannot even express it…

 That and the sense of peace…

 There’s not a stitch of anger there…

 No one writing of anger or resentment or hostility…

 None…

 Just a huge garden of peace, harmony, tranquility, joy, and spirituality.

  It’s not something I think everyone can do…

 But if you’ve ever wanted to be a part of something so much bigger…

 And feel beyond your own needs/wants/feelings…

 It’s an experience I won’t ever forget!

 We both said we felt so at peace walking through the display…

 It was cold and windy out…

 And neither of us ever felt cold, hot, nothing…

 We just felt in the moment…Peace! 

 Sadness for the loss, but more peace than sadness…

 Today is another day full of funeral processions…

 I see so many people dressed in their funeral black best…

 And the police presence is huge…

 Cops from everywhere! 

 Yesterday there were about 5 cops on bikes from Yonkers! 

 We’ve seen them from North and South, all over… 

 I just got word that every Newtown Police Officer will spend Christmas Day at home with his/her family…

 As neighboring departments have tons of volunteers to stand in for their shifts…

 So they can be with their families…

 But these funerals will be over soon. 

 I think people can truly begin the healing process thereafter… 

 So, I no longer feel like we can’t call Newtown home…

 Now I feel proud! 

 I don’t want to leave….

 In fact, I’d like very much to get to know more of my neighbors…

 And be a part of this community!

 I hope more and more people feel touched…

 I personally have decided to take an oath with myself to try to do more random acts of kindness… 

 To have more patience with people…

 To realize everyone is going through something…

 Everyone has a story…

 So when someone is in such a hurry they cut me off…

 Or if someone is grumpy to me in a check-out line…

 Maybe it’s for good reason…

  Maybe they just need a warm, understanding smile…

 Or maybe that person is rushing to pick up their sick child…

 If I can be more understanding…

 Maybe someone else can too…

 If we all were a little more caring and understanding…

 Can you imagine how much nicer our world could be?”

 

 

Yes, I can!!

 

Amen!

 

“Christmas On The Beachside”

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I just heard this song on the radio last week…

I love it!

And if you’re from a beautiful tropical area…

You’re going to love it too!!

It’s by Austin Adamec, and featuring Lindsey Ciresi…

It’s called “Christmas On The Beachside”

I couldn’t find the lyrics…

So I listened to it a thousand times!

  Ha!

  I hope I got them right!!

“Christmas on the Beachside…

Gotta love the Beachside…

It’s wintertime…

And it’s so far from snowin’…

The palms are swaying…

And we’re jumpin’ in the ocean…

The sun shines on the waves in December…

The Birthday of the Savior…

We celebrate together!

Christmas on the Beachside…

Underneath the blue sky…

No need for sleigh rides…

The surf is just right…

Christmas on the Beachside…

It’s the Salt Life…

Because Jesus is the reason…

No matter what the season…

On the Beachside…

Fire from chimneys…

Presents near the fire…

It’s getting hotter…

Soakin’ out the weather…

Snuggies and comfy Christmas sweaters…

Can’t compare when you’re…

Breakin’ in the water…

Though the Holiday may fade away…

We will always find a way…

Red & green may dissipate

We will Always Celebrate

Christmas on the Beachside!!”

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“If you look for Me at Christmas” by Valerie Kingsbury

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Someone sent this to me through e-mail…

Perhaps you’ve seen it, too!

It’s worth sharing!

I love it!

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One Of Us!

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Kids Church object lesson taken from the Called To Kids website, July 19, 2010 by Marla,

Filed under Holiday Lessons, Jesus

“…She will give birth to a son…

And they will call him Immanuel…

Which means ‘God is with us.’”

Matthew 1:23 (NLT)

There was once a man sitting in his living room by the fireplace on a cold winter’s day.  Outside, snow was falling and had already covered the ground.

The man heard a tapping on the window and turned to see a small bird pecking at the glass with its beak.  It was lost and cold, suffering out in the bitter weather.

Feeling sorry for the bird, the man walked outside so that he could help it inside and save its life.  But when he came close to the bird, it got scared and flew away.

So the man went inside once again, realizing that his plan to help the bird had failed.

A few minutes later as the man rested by the warm fire, he heard once again the sound of tapping on the window.

He turned to see the same bird trying to get into the house and escape the freezing cold weather outside.

This time as the man walked onto the front lawn he saw many other birds also trying to find warmth.  One by one he came close to them, trying to help, but each of them got scared and few away.

Frustrated, the man walked back inside.  “If only I could become a bird,” he thought.  “Then I could speak their language.  They would know that I am only trying to help them and save their lives.”

After Adam and Eve sinned, they began to die.  Since then, we’ve been like those little birds—lost and suffering in our sin.  Every time God has tried to come close and take us into His loving care, we’ve run away from Him.

    Like the man trying to save the birds, God had to find a way to become one of us, to speak our language and help us to understand Him.

So He sent His son Jesus, who is just like Him, to come and live on this earth with us.

Just like that man left the comfort of the fireplace to go out into the cold and try to help the birds, Jesus left His home in Heaven to come to this earth to save us.

Jesus spoke our language and told us of God’s love for us.

He told us that God wants to take us in as His children.

            One of the names of Jesus is Immanuel.

That means “God is with us.”

God came to us as a person, as Jesus, and walked on this earth.

He understands us and He loves us.

Instead of running away from God, we need to run to Him.

Remember, Jesus is God with us.

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Someone e-mailed me this photo…I’m sorry I don’t know who the photographer is…but I love it!

“How precious is your unfailing love, O God!  All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 36:7 (NLT)

“He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust…”

Psalm 91:4