Be a Rainbow in Someone's Cloudy Skies!

 

YAY! July VIDEO DONE!

INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLES:

How Not To Take Things Personally. YouTube. 

A Gluten-Free Food List from Frito-Lay. 

Coping with Shame. 

DIARY: 

July began with a bang and hot weather. Quite a few things around here are needing repair or perhaps I should say, are in the process of getting repaired (maintained). Like the cars, for instance, and my computer crashed and all my files with it. And follow-ups and tests with the medical establishment. Like for instance, the two JOY videos I was collecting for! (P.S. God provided more! PTL!) So my husband's brother-in-law rebuilt my system (Thank you, John!). Hubby purchased a couple of pairs of Mary Engelbreit leggings for me and they finally came in the MAIL! (If you decide to purchase a pair, a little tip, they run small, so buy a bigger size than you think you will need). Hubby and I went to the Brass Armadillo Flea Market to do a little shopping. I was looking for a metal kitchen scale that weighs pounds and several other things. Found one for $20.00 in white!!! Now that's my kind of bargain. Hubby has always wanted a glass butter churn -- alas, no deals there. I'm on the hunt also for metal kitchen funnels, but didn't find any that trip either (however found some later!). I took my rollator -- it was my mini shopping cart and "park bench" for it was wonderful for taking mini-sitting breaks while waiting for David to finish looking through bins. We spent several hours there and only got through half of the huge store. Hope to go back and finish the other half soon.  And we've been able to eat some from our garden. I made a taco salad and added in fresh lettuce from one of our tubs! It was good and sweet!  

And sad news too -- Dr. Grace Ketterman, the doctor who diagnosed us with ADD, prayed for us and so kindly gave advice to us out of her store of wisdom, passed away earlier this month. I've mentioned her before in a post or two and I believe God led us to her in time of great need after I prayed and fasted one Friday and then within two weeks, my prayers were answered for a Christian doctor to help us. After our experience in our son's previous school system in Kansas, I wasn't quite ready to hand the reins of my son's mind and heart to more school officials here.  I have two of her precious books, signed in agape Christian love. 

I'm also "spring cleaning" my kitchen. I keep my kitchen generally neat and tidy, but it's been a while since I have done a deep clean and stirred up enough dust to make me wheezy. When's the last time you counted how much plastic is in your kitchen? I continue to be amazed and I recently took my 10th bag of stuff to be donated to one of our local thrift stores with another one not far behind. We're replacing the plastic with stainless steel and glass items that we use on a continual basis and not replacing those items that we haven't used in a while. I've been diagnosed with lactose and fructose malabsorption and will be having a endoscopy in September. 

SCRIPTURES:

Ezekiel 1:28 = Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. 

Romans 8:35 = Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 

Romans 8:39 = Neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Corinthians 13:14 = May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Galatians 2:20 = I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 

QUOTES:

"Be a rainbow in the clouds." ~ Maya Angelou

"Some days you just want to send the devil the fly and say, 'Not today, Satan! You ain't gonna steal my JOY, for the Lord Almighty is for me! He is the source of all my JOY!'" (~ Stephanie Ackerman). 

"The Good News: Instead of looking at life's challenges as hardships, look at them as opportunities!" (Martha Sorren, Kelsey Hurwitz, Women's Day Magazine). 

GOOD MEMORIES:

When I turned sixteen, my Kansas grandmother gave me a complete set of white china banded in gold. That was the beginning of my hope chest. My Oklahoma grandmother embroidered and crocheted edging on several pillowslips, crocheted doilies and gave me an afghan she had crocheted for me to put in it as well.

When hubby and I became engaged, his grandmother who lived in Henley, Missouri, crocheted a large white lacy tablecloth to go under my china set. It was a true labor of love on her part for I have no idea how long it took her to make it. 

My Oklahoma grandmother, knowing my love of vintage things, told me there was a old iron double-sized bed frame down in an empty house on land they farmed and if I wanted it for our first bed together to go get it. So my hubby-to-be and I dragged it out of the house and took it home with us. We had it sand-blasted and then we repainted it.  It was our bed for many years.

My in-laws-to-be purchased the mattress and box springs for that iron bed. My mother-in-law also crocheted doilies for our first home, a duplex, and hosted our wedding rehearsal dinner. She later made us a quilt for our bed. 

PRAYERS and PRAISES

One of my prayers this month was a friend poem, for I had nothing in mind. Two days later, God provided. My friend, Carolyn sent this poem to me and told me a story about it. Apparently, she had helped a friend she discovered was living in his car and when he got on his feet, he found a plaque with this poem in it and gave it to Carolyn and her hubby in gratitude for their gracious help. 

Friendship is a Matter of Time

By Amanda Bradley.

Friendship is really a matter of time...

The time that it takes to be kind, 

The time that it takes just to listen and talk, 

To help someone find peace of mind.

Friendship is really a matter of time...

The time that it takes you to do

A thoughtful and generous favor that wasn't expected of you,

The time that it takes just to answer a call

To let someone know that you are there.

Friendship is really a matter of time...

The time that you take when you care.