Detour to My Newest Blog

My new blog is up and running and I hope to post at least three days a week now.

Please join me at BLOGARITA!

I would love you to visit and leave a comment when you can. Thank You!

http://myblogarita.blogspot.com/

Summer Reruns- New Blog

I've got my summer blog up and running. I've titled it Tokens. Lots of memories here and some old favorites. Please bookmark me at: Tokens  http://blogtokens.blogspot.com/

Fresh Is Stale

I'm getting really tired of my blog lately. I don't like the layout or the design or the colors. I don't even like the name.
I suppose I'm notorious for changing backgrounds and for having more blogs than one crazy women should ever attempt to have. Yet, all the others are pretty much dormant...

I have decided that starting July 5th, I will create a side blog that is merely the best of my other blogs combined. I'll select one of my favorite posts from the other four and start a scrapbook of sorts- mainly less personal stuff- but a mix of humor and sentiment.

I figure this will get me through most of the summer (without losing my thimble full of followers)- and in early September I hope to start something better- a new blog that I've spent time considering, designing and being faithful to on a regular basis.

Check back here next week for the new blog address if you're interested. Until then, I'll be scrubbing the toilet, hoeing the garden and mowing the yard- and wracking my brain for a great name and design. Thanks to all my wonderful followers. I appreciate the comments!

Have a great 4th of July! God Bless America.

The First Day Of Summer

Even if no one had told me that it's the first day of summer, I think I still might have guessed. There's something in the air. A dusty breeze of fresh hay and rain clouds- a puff of honeysuckle and the chirp of new born birds.

There is a type of quiet that lays on the land. It is green and gorged- bursting with secret gardens and tangled forest- impregnated with fragrant bouquets and skies as blue as cornflowers.

Summer seems to be satisfied- proud to be the reigning season. As though she knows her control is short-lived. That autumn will eventually swallow her up completely and she will rest in a dormant grave.

But for now there is celebration and triumph- giddiness and giggles- freedom and frolic- as the landscape unfolds into a masterpiece.

The pond is thick with fat grasses and lean cattails- popping with hungry fish and sparking with dragonflies. The garden spot spits out plump plants that hang with blooms. The night sky opens up like a black velvet hole, scattered with glitter. And fireflies beat like tiny glowing hearts in the nearby fields.

I touch the clover with bare feet- dig my toes into dew covered grass- lift my eyes to the treetops- and breathe deeply all that is Summer.

Clouds threaten rain today- roll like gray cotton- and hover like indigo tents stuffed with raindrops. Lightning stabs the sky and I run for cover.

"Copyright by Martin Liebermann / zeitspuren"  http://www.flickr.com/photos/liebermann/3719583983/

This is a good day- this first day of Summer. It is sweet and real and soft with life.

And I celebrate all that it brings me.

Picking Priorities

I appreciate all the thoughts and prayers for my sister Jewel. Thank you. She had a four hour surgery on Friday and the outcome is not what we had hoped for. But at least the doctors believe there was no cancer- just severe infection in her colon that had to be removed. She seems to be resting more comfortably now and the pain level has decreased a little more each day. Your comments helped get me through the emotional weariness of the situation and I know your prayers will help the healing process. I love you all.

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When family situations like a serious illness occur, it makes us all put things into better perspective. We draw closer to our family members- think about our own lives- review our personal fears- and consider changes in our lifestyles and habits.

I know I have been more critical of my food choices lately- not only for weight loss- but for the pure health factor. What am I putting into my body- and what are the effects?
I hate the thought of growing old, but I know it would be a more pleasurable process if I am healthy and strong for the rest of my life.

These times also make us appreciate our siblings, our spouses, and our parents. I had an opportunity to spend the weekend with my sister-in laws, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew. Afterward, I felt so loved and so relaxed and so thankful for new memories. It made me realize that these days are important. We cannot get them back. God does not want us to spend all our time working and separating ourselves from those that care about us. Family interaction helps us grow in both gratitude and faith. And I do know I am blessed with a wonderful family that makes me happy.

And as I sit here worrying about bills and money and other problems, I try my best to put myself in my sister's shoes and I know she would trade her situation for mine any day. It's all a matter of perspective and we all simply need to be reminded once in awhile what is most important.

As you go through your day, please take time to think of your loved ones and let them know in some small way that they are appreciated. Plan to spend some time together soon.

When you plan your meals for this week, consider what you are feeding your body and try to make wiser choices. I know from experience that it is easier said than done, but eventually it will get easier to do.

And, lastly- don't forget to feed your soul...With thankfulness, prayer and generosity.