Story

The weather has been fabulous the last couple of days.

So I am trying to finish this real quick, so I can go clean a garage or something ! :)

I had the second treatment on my leg,

It wasn't bad at all.  We actually all giggled a bit

about getting woozy over things.

My Dr. used to be a fainter too.

I go back tomorrow for an ultrasound .

I'll keep you posted.

  

This morning I was standing at the kitchen door with my coffee,

watching Scotty chasing shadows,

and Ollie chasing Scotty.

Then Ollie jumped up in the chair

to take a little time out

[and to avoid getting run over].

So I grabbed my camera.

I also have a sweet little story that I read...

it has stuck with me,

and...

it's too good not to share !!!

So I am sharing it with you !! 💝

  

" There was a lovely woman who walks to a stream many miles away,

fills her two clay pots with water,

and carries them back to her house,

dangling each pot from either side of a long stick

 that she drapes across her shoulders.

When she arrives home each day with the water,

one of the pots is full,

and one is half empty.

The half-empty pot is all sad

 and feels like a big fat loser because it has a crack in it,

and it beats itself up for wasting water,

for doing a bad job,

for not being as perfect or effective as the crack-free pot.

It tells the woman how ashamed it is,

but the woman thinks the pot is doing a fabulous job

and tells it how the world is a better place 

because of it's crack.

She explains that the path to the stream 

that she's walked every day for two years

now has a stunning line of flowers growing along one side,

thanks to the water that's dripped out of the pot.

She tells the pot how much joy these flowers bring her

every time she sees them

 and how they would never have been able to grow

without the crack in the pot.

She reminds the cracked pot that the side of the path

with the flowers is full of life and color and bees and birds."

I. Love. It. !!!

I am grateful for the reminder,

that God can take our flaws and cracks, 

and use them to create something beautiful !!😊

Love and hugs !!💗

Healing

When hubby comes in, and I am snuggled in my chair reading,

and he hugs me around the neck and says,

" Today I am going to take care of my girl."

Because something was on the agenda, that I was a little 

nervous about. 

And they recommended I take a Valium.

Which added to my angst.

And hubby's words were a comfort.

And Brandon meeting us afterwards for lunch.💕

I know... I look a little dopey.

That's because I was !

Because yesterday.... Ablation surgery happened.

Those of  you who know me , have seen this leg before.

I have had these varicose veins as long as I can remember.

I had them examined this year, 

and they found reflux in the vein. 

It can become very painful.

So I had the procedure to eliminate the problem.

For me...it was a cringey experience.

[I don't do needles well]

I almost fainted.

*side note* It doesn't take much to make me faint.

*note* grateful for Valium.

I'll leave it at that.

It's been over 24 hours.

I feel good , and so does my leg!

 Now I am waiting for hubby to get home,

so I can remove the bandages.

Just in case I faint. 😉

Love and hugs!! 💗

P.S.  I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Friends

Gary had to work the Sale Barn one evening.

So I sent out a few text messages.

Changed into my PJ's.

Popped popcorn on the stove.

Turned on the Christmas music...

and then poured myself a glass of wine.

Friends gathered in the living room,

 twinkle lights & laughter.

And a couple of hours reserved just for us !

This is my definition of holiday happiness.

And Sale Barn night ?
It might just become a thing. 😉

" A sweet friendship
refreshes the soul."

Love & hugs !!💗💗

Ambition

This morning I sat in Gary's recliner,

staring at the Christmas tree with it's twinkle lights,

and hand-made snowflakes, the ones Brandon and I made...

[thirteen years ago , on our very first Christmas that it was just the two of us.]

I was feeling very tired,

&

sore from yesterdays PT. 

Plus... I had already started being too hard on myself,

 for not jumping out of bed with tons of gratitude,

 singing "Oh Happy day!"....

or even just the simple act of jumping out of bed !

I said my morning prayer.

Sipped coffee from my big smiley face mug.

Wrote more than usual in my journal.

Read scriptures in the Bible,

then picked up my devotional.

Then another.

And another.

Jotting down words in my journal as I read.

Words that were sinking into my soul,

 like little drops of peace.

Until the *slap* !

" A pervasive and exaggerated fear of ambition

can become an excuse for complacency."

Why did that feel like a slap?

Well, maybe... because I feel like doing things or sharing things,

beliefs,

thoughts,

inspirations,

 and I don't. In fear of judgment?

Maybe because I can look back,

at the hardest things I've had to do in life,

and KNOW that with out a doubt, God has hovered

over me and given me the strength I have needed, and

the direction that was best for me.

But fear that if I share my stories with too many, I will witness eye rolls and doubt...

and feel the sting of rejection?

 I sit here...knowing I would NOT be where I am today...

curled up in hubby's recliner, coffee in hand, staring at the tree...

safe,

protected,

healthy ,

loved,

& feeling a little sorry for myself😉....

if I had not been including God in my plans along the way.

I know, that this would not have been a teeny, tiny, fleck-of-dust possible!!

[I mean seriously ....I raised a son mostly on my own & then married my Vet. The guy we used to call "Marlboro man" ? !]

I couldn't even get out of bed this morning 

with out a little prayer, and His help !

So maybe I need to worry less about what others think, 

and focus more on giving God the praise.

Share my thoughts, even if it leaves me a little vulnerable.

Because...sometimes

fear likes to keeps us small.

This mornings motivation:

"Be set free:

It's not a sin to want to be the best at what you do.

It's okay for you to want to achieve as much as you can with your life

for the sake of God who gave it to you.

I sincerely doubt God is going to look at you at the end of your life

and say, " You did too much for me."

But I do sincerely believe that God is going to look at many people

and say, " You were too falsely  humble for your own good

and for the good of countless people you could have

impacted if you'd had a little more ambition."

*slap*

Let's all be more ambitious! 

Deal?

Love and Hugs !!💘

Appreciation

".... a little 'appreciation' sometimes does

quite as much good

as all the conscientious

'bringing up' in the world."

I have a growing appreciation for life's basic experiences.

The pleasure of a simple friendship,

creating something,

helping someone,

reading a good book,

hot soup on the stove,

snuggling a pet [big and small], 😊

laughing with someone I care about,

watching the seasons change....

You know.

The ordinary things.

Love and hugs!!💖

Home

I took off on a mini adventure.

A little time away to refuel my love tank,

slow down, and savor my family.

Home is New York 💝

Home is the faces and places is my. 💗

Home is Missouri 💗

  

Wherever

home may be, there are so many

ways to appreciate it...

and treasure the ones we love.

Lord knows I am grateful.

Love and Hugs!💖

Moments

I'm taking a little time out to share a few photos,
and one of my favorite songs as well....
you know...for a little more ooomph!
Because,
  I am a little busy right now,
and the words fit my feelings.
And it's just a great song!
 😉

And now for a quote to ponder for a moment...😊

" Where a great moment knocks on the door of your life,

it is very often no louder than the beating of your heart,

and it is very easy to miss it."

Love & hugs 💗