I am home alone all day, in a quiet and clean house.
I wait for the call– scan results.
This music adds peace to the wait.
I take a spring walk, ipod in ears, playing the song “A Divine Romance” by Phil Wickham.
Fitting, for He romances me as I walk.
He places beauty along my path, then opens my eyes wide and allows me to see.
I delight like a child, my pace quickens, it has a slight bounce.
Everything is abloom, including my heart.
All is opening to the warmth of spring, coming out of closed bud.
Petals open with expectation.
I feel the same.
I, too, feel an expectation, a childlike trust forming and allowing this opening.
I open and He fills.
He gives gifts, so creative, so delightful!
On this walk, it seems He has left them all about just for me.
Scents of hyacinth, they rise up from the ground.
Their stay is short but full, and their scent leaves a lasting impression.
A squirrel, standing at attention on two hind legs.
He checks me out, then scurries away, mimicking my bounce with his tail.
A blue jay, twitters about, lands on a branch.
My chin is up as I pass, I’m straining to see.
Our eyes meet and it bursts out in song sung just for me!
It makes me smile, so!
I feel funny, bouncing along with this childlike grin.
Adding to the humor is my steel water bottle tucked away in my backpack.
The ice inside jingles with each bouncy step I take.
I am jingle bells in the springtime.
I think of a springtime, childhood, Easter song:
“Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing that we can be born again!!”
I do feel a rebirth.
I think back to last fall when all withered and died down.
Nature and me.
It was a harsh season. I wondered if I’d see spring–literally.
Spring is HERE!
It has brought about a new me that bounces and jingles and has eyes to see.
And–so typical–even in the midst of spring gift giddiness–
In the midst of open eyes and upturned chins
Life brings a reminder of my continued need of Him.
A nasty bug flies right into my upturned eye,
Within seconds I am distracted and fumbling.
Eye watering, makeup running, ipod dropping.
No mirror to get it out, and I’ve bounced too far from home.
A simple. childlike prayer:
“Lord? Would you help me get this bug outta here?
“Lord? Would you help me get this bug outta here?
I want it out of my eye so I can see the gifts.”
He does.
It is not pretty.
Bug guts mixed with mascara smeared on fingers and face.
It is messy.
Life is.
But in the midst of my mess, despite the smeared ugly, I am still romanced!
The Divine romancer woos and whispers, wipes my face.
I open to His touch and His gifts.
I bloom and I continue on my walk, with a slight bounce.
Divine Romance –Phil Wickham
The fullness of Your grace is here with me
The richness of Your beauty’s all I see
The brightness of Your glory has arrived
In Your presence God, I’m completely satisfied
For You I sing I dance
Rejoice in this divine romance
Lift my heart and my hands
To show my love, to show my love
A deep deep flood, an Ocean flows from You
Of deep deep love, yeah it’s filling up the room
Your innocent blood, has washed my guilty life
In Your presence God I’m completely satisfied
My mom gives the best gifts.
She made me smile so much this last week as we were together celebrating her birthday. She kept wanting to buy me a gift when we were supposed to be shopping for HER birthday! That is just how she is–a gift giver.
This is why it didn’t surprise me when on her birthday, she had gifts in hand for everyone else.
The gift she had for me made me LAUGH!!
She knew the hormone therapy I am on has done a number on my already moody self, so she bought me
47 different moods are included on these flip cards, with the definition of each mood on the back.
The cute, round, mood people on each card are enough to brighten my mood!
——————————-
We had a good laugh looking through the cards, my favorite being:
WONKY
definition:
turned or twisted toward one side; cockeyed. Not right, odd; funky
I’m not feeling too wonky today, but my hair is!!!
I also like
SNARKY
definition:
sarcastic, impertinent, or irreverent in tone or manner; snide.
Irritable or short-tempered; irascible
Snarky is describes as a witty mannerism, personality, or behavior that is a combination of sarcasm and cynicism. Usually accepted as a complimentary term, snark is sometimes mistaken for a snotty or arrogant attitude.
Snarky made me laugh because I had just had a conversation about that word the day before with a friend of mine (Hi, Deb) who described herself as Snarky.
I think this would be great sitting by the “time out” chair. I just may be the perfect way to calm and distract a moody child, and help them figure out how they are feeling and why!
Today, I would say I am
Copacetic
definition:
very satisfactory
I am grateful that for once, I am not:
*if you have a moody friend and want to help, you can purchase The Daily Mood here at Amazon
for a great price!:)
for a great price!:)**if you use a link to Amazon from my site, whatever you purchase, I will receive 6% of that purchase.
That makes me feel
and Thankful.
I’m laughing at myself because I posted this last year, and here I am again, dealing with procrastination because I GOT NO PLAN …ugh.
BUT, I do have more time to come up with one this year.
On to last years post…I wonder if I can just do the same pranks again?
Let me know if you have plans…
—————–
I have to quickly come up with some April Fool’s jokes before my kids come home from school.
Here is what I (with some help from Family Fun.com) have come up with:
Sweet Looking Cupcakes That Are Not Sweet! (pictured above)
I’m making meatloaf for dinner, and found this fun idea. It is perfect because we have art class today, which leaves little time to cook, so this breaks down the baking time. I am giving in and getting instant mashed potatoes, and adding enough butter to make them appear yellow, I may even put a few sprinkles on top. This one seems a little too mean, I may have to have real cupcakes sitting to the side ready to eat.
Super glue a quarter to the sidewalk:
My kids fall for this one every time!
the picture above says it all, or click on the link..
Pin The Panties/Underwear:
We did this one to dad last year. We took his underwear, and safety pinned the waist band of one, to the waist band of another, and so forth. This ends up making a “streamer” of underwear. Dad pulls one out, and ten others come out with it! Its too late to do this, but I have time to pin my girls jammies together…:)
Get Sprayed:
Wrap a rubber band around your sink’s sprayer, tight enough to hold down the nozzle. When your victim turns the water on, they will get a bit wet! Hee. Hee.
HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!
*due to my inability to think of anything more to write, I need to inform you that after today, I will no longer be posting and New Nostalgia will no longer exist. Thank you for all the amazing support and kind comments you have given to me over the months…
…APRIL FOOLS!!!!
We have never been too into St. Patrick’s Day in our family, but I DO take advantage of the opportunity to pinch lil’ buns if they are not wearing green!
Here are a few simple ways to bring in the fun of the day:
A Bowl Of This Sugar Fun For Breakfast
Eight Biblical Devotions To Prepare For Easter
{from John Piper’s Desiring God}
I just found this online and I’m excited to do this with my family this year. It is simple but meaningful.
We are going to start tonight and do it once a week until Easter.
I am using simple tealights as candles.
Below is the introduction,
then a link to click through to the readings
Introduction
Using These Readings
Each reading begins with a few sentences that summarize the thought for the day. All the rest is Scripture—letting God speak to us directly from his Word.
This devotional may be used weekly or daily. And if you choose, it also can be used together with seven candles, representing the Light of the World.
Reading Weekly
There is one reading for each Sunday of Lent and for Good Friday and Easter.
Reading Daily
Daily use should begin on the Saturday of Palm Sunday weekend. This leaves Saturday, the day before Easter, with no devotional, a reminder of the emptiness experienced by Jesus’ followers between his death and resurrection.
Without Candles
These pages may be used simply for personal or family reading and meditation in preparation for Easter. In that case, please ignore the bracketed candle instructions within each reading.
With Candles
The readings may also be used in conjunction with any grouping of seven candles. On the first day, all seven should be burning as you begin reading the first devotional. Bracketed instructions within the reading tell you when to snuff out one candle. On the second day, six candles burn as you begin reading, and you snuff out one of them when instructed, and so on. On Good Friday, the last candle is extinguished. Then on Easter, there are instructions within the reading to light all seven candles.
The Symbolism of the Seven Candles
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). But for a while it seemed as if the darkness was overcoming—for a long while.
Your seven candles symbolize the Light of the World—the Light that was God’s glory and that illuminated God for us—the Light that, in the end, seemed to have been darkened. As we move through the season preceding Easter, the candles are snuffed out one by one, until all are dark on Good Friday, when Jesus died and the earth was covered with shadow. Darkness apparently had won. The Light of the World had been extinguished. It was finished.
But NO! Easter brings resurrection! Life! Return from death! The Light has won and all the candles burn as we praise him—the Light of the World, the Bright Morning Star, the Glory of God.
Click here for the readings…
I’m contemplating this song today.
It has been another hard day. I’m just not feeling like myself, at all.
I’m adjusting to a new medication, one that messes with hormones
and causes any rogue cancer cells to commit suicide.
Today it is causing hot flashes and and a down mood and head.
I did have a very “normal” feeling day yesterday, which was day 2 on the medication. That was really nice.
I had one person describe this medication as “puberty in reverse.”
Fun times.
My heart is also heavy for Japan.
The images are just unreal and hard to imagine that it is reality.
Such suffering is so hard to see, and I am reminded, as the song says below,
that “This is not our home.”
Songs like this help give me perspective, and lift my heart and lift my head.
We pray for blessings
We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things
‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom
Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
All the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not our home
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise