A BLESSED THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

A happy Thanksgiving to all who stop by here. Before we know it the carols will be playing, snow will fall once again, and our Christmas trees will be up and decorated. But let us not forget to give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus. How very thankful I am this holiday season. Blessings to you and yours.
Love,
Cyn

WINTER WONDERLAND?!

Walkin in a winter wonderland? Yep, winter may not have officially begun, but it definitely sent a message that it is on it's way! We had about 5-6 inches of the white stuff fall this week, with more predicted for this next week! Lovely to look at, ungodly to drive in, work in, wait for the bus in,...you get the picture! No worries...just what, 5-6 months from now, it will all be gone and we will once again be living in the land of Oz.
Happy holidays!
Love,
Cindy

CHICKADEE SITING!!!

Does God answer prayer? Does God even HEAR my prayers? Well, let me tell you a little story of a prayer that was answered recently. We have lived in our farmhouse out on the prairie, for nearly 4 years. Until that time, I had lived for almost 20 years where there were giant pine trees in the yard. We had all sort of birds, and I began to take them for granted. Cardinals, "snow" birds, Blue Jays, Wrens, Goldfinch, House Finch, (the homely cousin of the beautiful Goldfinch) several varieties of Peckers, Tufted Titmice, Red and White Breasted Nuthatches, an occasional Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, and of course, every variety of sparrow imaginable! After moving to the country, I thought my bird sighting would increase dramatically|! There were "new to me" species I hadn't seen much of in the city... Hawks, ducks, geese, cranes, wild turkeys, Eastern Bluebirds (with babies just 10 feet from my front door) , swallows, and an American Bald Eagle!!! BUT...no Cardinals, and no Black-capped Chickadees. So...last spring I began praying that the Lord would bring these two special birds back into my life. A couple days later, Pete and I were on the front porch swing, enjoying our early morning coffee, when I told him of my prayer. He said, "There's a cardinal, right there!" Sure enough! A bright, red male was chipping away on a tree branch. And right behind him flew his mate! I was nearly speechless! (hard to imagine I know!) It was weeks later that I spotted my first chickadee. OH MY GOODNESS!!!! I quickly called Joy, who knew of my desire to have the chicks back in my life. But then, no chickadees for the longest time. Oh, here and there, I would spot one, flitting in for a quick bite to eat. But weeks, yea, even months have gone by with not a chick in sight. Then today! I have seen chickadees off and on all day!! Perhaps this time they are here to stay? Never the less, God has answered my simple, selfish prayer. No, it wasn't "world peace" I prayed for, although that certainly would be a good thing. And no, it wasn't "the cure" for all the world's pain and sufferings. Although there will come a day when the Lion will lie down with the Lamb. It was just the heartfelt prayer of a woman in need of something from her past. He heard my cry, and He answered me.
Love,
Cyn

Thankful: part 2

With Veterans Day just past, I have had time to reflect on all we have to be thankful for, concerning our freedoms. Freedoms that we do not think twice about. Freedoms that cost our forefathers , our great-grandfathers, grandfathers, fathers, brothers, uncles, neighbors, etc., yes, even our grandmothers, mothers, and sisters, their very lives. Both of my parents served in the U.S. Army in the 1950's, actually meeting in Texas at an army base there. Because of these men and women, we can sit openly in the church of our choice, and hear the Word of God being preached. We can own, for ourselves, the written Word of God, and not be stoned, burned at the stake, or tortured. We can share our faith with others, without looking over our shoulder for "big brother". We can go to the polls each November, and vote for whomever our conscience dictates. We can stand up, in public, and let our views be known to all, without fear. We can have as many, or as few children as we wish, without having them torn from us when we have reached "their" limits. We have much to be thankful for. Give thanks.

Love,
Cyn

Thankful: part 1

Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks, because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son. And now, let the weak say"I am strong." Let the poor say "I am rich." Because of what the Lord has done. Give thanks.

Oh the myriad of things I am thankful for. I want to use my next few blog entries to speak of some of the blessings the Lord has poured out upon me.

First, and foremost, and of the utmost importance: He has saved me from my sin, washed me clean , set me free. How can I ever thank Him enough? "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and THANKSGIVING and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen" Revelation 7:12

Love,
Cyn

Ten things I hate about me

1. I hate that I still deal with lots of fears
2. That I am still 10# overweight, despite running and eating mostly right
3. I am STILL computer challenged
4. I am bossy
5. I am NOT an evening person
6. My curly hair (love/hate relationship with the hair)
7. no neck, to speak of (when I wear a necklace, my neck disappears)
8. I am not a better student of the Word
9. I get awesome ideas, but many times fail to follow thru
10. sin still has a grip on me in some areas of my life

"For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate...For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.... Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?. THANKS BE TO GOD THRU JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD!!! ...THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS!!!" Romans 7:15,18,24, 25...Romans 8: 1


Love,
Cyn

Ten things I like about me

1. I think I have a good sense of humor
2. I think I am sensitive
3. I think I am a good friend
4. I now like my curly hair
5. I like that I am short (5 feet, on a good day)
6. I like that I have a diverse bunch of friends
6. I like that I am a mom of 5 and a memere of 1
7. I like the fact that I married my high school sweetheart over 34 years ago, and stayed married to him!!
8. I like that I run 3x a week, 3 miles each run (after always being picked last for any sport, I now am a runner)
9. I like that I care about what I put into my body, as well as the bodies of my family
10. Last, but not least...I like that I am a child of the King, and the Most High God is my daddy

"THE WAY WE WERE"...MEMORIES

Memories...like the corners of my mind. Misty, water-colored memories...of the way we were.
Wave upon wave of memories came washing over me last night as we attended my 34 year high school reunion. Bittersweet. When I look in the mirror, I see myself as I was 34 years ago, or so. A few wrinkles here and there, but basically the same young face looking back at me. Not so. In reality, I have a 52 year old face, a 52 year old body , and a 52 year old mind! All going in the same general direction...south. It hit me square in the face last night when I saw my peers looking just about like me. Oh, the women looked pretty good. But ladies can use all kinds of deception to get you to look at anything BUT their wrinkles and sagging boobs. We've got hair color, highlights, curling irons, crimping irons, flat irons. We've got Maybelline, L'Oreal, Lancome, Wet and Wild, Clinique. We've got Allure, Chanel, Opium, Poison, Dior, Romance. We shop at Field's, Target, Nordstroms, and yes, even thrift shops . We wear wonder bras, minimizer bras, girdles, control top panty hose...anything to keep what we have from shifting out of place, drooping, sagging, or bulging. We wear diamonds, CZ's, rubies, emeralds, fake stuff, real stuff, vintage stuff, hand-made stuff. For what? So no one can see what's behind the mask. So you'll look at anything but how old we REALLY look. The men, on the other hand, have very few resources. How many men do you know who color and highlight their hair? Or wear fancy/schmancy jewelry? Or the latest designer duds. Or the newest fragrance. Or, for that matter, even shop for themselves??? And it shows. The guys looked 20 years older than their wives. Chunky, balding, and dressed, for the most part, as if they were going out to a ballgame with their buddies. But all of that is OK with me. And it's even more than OK with God. "For God sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 Thank God He sees right thru all the make-up, designer clothes, the fog of perfume, and the curled and tinted hair. He sees the real me. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Love,
Cyn