Today I Make This Choice

This little light of mine

I'm gonna let it shine

This little light of mine

I'm gonna let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine

My life is just as much in His hands now as it was in 1963...

Most Treasured

It's been a beautiful weekend here in Sunny. We spent Saturday doing yard work...yes, even I pitched in which will be quite a shock to some of you. You know me far too well. After filling all our recycle bins and most of our trash cans with greenery, we sat down to relax for the evening. Our hopes of snuggling in with a good movie didn't last more than a few minutes.

DJ received a call that the gate had been left open on their job site. We all loaded up in the big truck for our adventure. (Max loves to go for a ride once in a while.) It took about 45 minutes to get there and that was some good snuggle time for our guy. He was a bit too scared to look out at the zooming traffic and scenery, so it was purely time to be with Mom & Dad!

Upon our arrival, we saw that not only was the gate open, but the lock and chain were missing. "Uh-oh." We then found that every lock box and some of the trailers (it is a very large building project) had been broken into. It seems tools were the primary target... or they may have been planning a return trip for more goods later.

Sunday morning we visited a different church and ran into our dear friend Ruthie after service. (We ran into her by opening her car door and sneaking into the back seat of their Buick while she was resting, waiting for her husband.) As our visit was ending, I noticed quite a treasure. Her Bible was on the floor next to her purse. The tabs were worn down and the spine was falling apart. Rarely does something touch my soul more than the sight of a Bible that's clearly been covered with tears, spotted with hand lotion and has a few pages worn at the top with those patches of thumb-rubbing...

I firmly believe the thieves at DJ's job site need a Ruthie praying for them. Perhaps they have one, but the prayers need to continue for awhile. If only they knew the Treasure in Ruthie's Buick is far more valuable than any jack-hammer, saw, roto-tiller or such...

Fun Friday

I had lunch with my good friend Kathy today. We go way back ~ around 20 years or so. There's just something about lunch with a friend you've known forever. We didn't have an agenda, no events to plan, no horrible news to share or concerns to cry over...just lunch. Turkey, tomato soup and a chip or two...

If you've had a friend for a long time and you haven't spoken to, instant messaged or met for tea in a while...do it. Call 'em, ring 'em or set that date. You'll be ever so glad you did.

I Don't Think So....

As promised, here it is. The story of Max and his long weekend.

We'd made arrangements for a house-sitter. He's one of JJ's friends. He came to visit last Thursday for some play time to gain Max' trust. We showed him the microwave, the garage code, the famed snack drawer, and of course, Max' treat cupboard.

Apparently, Max was being friendly on Thursday because his mama was home.

Apparently, Max was not happy that his dad had loaded up the car with those long sticks and jackets and big shoes.

Apparently, Max does know how to growl.

Apparently, Max did not want to play chase or keep away with the touch-down towel.

Apparently, Max preferred solitude.

It was a long, long, long weekend for both Max and our friendly house-sitter. Sometimes, things are just not right until Daddy's home...and the reunion was full of jumping, dancing and kisses for a half-hour or so until Daddy said he needed a shower from all the "kisses."

Not Exactly Sunny

We had a wonderful treat over the past weekend. DJ needed some time on the mountain and we loaded up in the wagon and headed north. Not quite to Alaska ~ but fairly far away.

The ride up was sunny, and then on Saturday afternoon this mysterious little covering of powdered sugar started falling all over the tiny town. It was amazing! Everywhere we went we saw little bits of it. And then...on Sunday morning we awoke to pillows of it all over the place!

It truly was a delightful weekend. We didn't do anything much of great importance, but sometimes that can be the most important thing to do.

Max was very glad to see us when we returned home...but that story will be saved for another day. There is only so much joy one can put in a single post...

Beautiful, but No Aroma

Ah, yes...it's springtime here in Sunny. We are blessed to have a few of these beautiful camellia bushes ~ trees? I'm not sure what they are, but the flowers are spectacular! We have three of them in the same area as this one, right on the front side of our home. I often say it rains more on one side of our house than the other...this is the rainy side.

We have another bush right by our front door. It's not doing quite so well. The leaves are sparse and the blossoms started out quite pale. They're up to a pale pink and starting to bloom in the deep red again.

I want to be part of the tree that has the deepest roots and the healthiest foliage. But unlike these beautiful blossoms, I want it all... I want to have the sweet aroma of the most blessed flowers in the Garden.

Hope your Wednesday is wonderful...and full of, "Miracle-Grow,"....grins!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I know, I know...he was a pagan and there's all that stuff about the early religion of Ireland and I haven't fully researched the life of our dear Saint... But the point of this post is to say, "Enjoy the day!" Grace Today does not intend to support or encourage you to go out and be completely crazy ~ drinking until the wee hours ~ or cavorting mindlessly with strangers in the street. However, our wee little family has always had fun with this holiday.

When JJ was young, at least until last year, St. Patrick would always find a way to turn our gallon of milk green before breakfast. We'd often have green pancakes, green eggs or oatmeal. I truly am a bit Irish (aren't we all on this day?) and celebrating life is one of the best Irish traits.

I'll try to find a green ribbon to add to Max' collar. I'll do my best with the corned beef for dinner. We may listen to Celtic music during dinner, as well. We'll probably listen to it until DJ sighs deeply and says, "Do we have to listen to those fiddles much longer?"

And at some point, I'll remember watching my dad kissing the Blarney stone...and I'll send him a wink through the clouds. I'm quite certain he'll wink back.

Daylight Saving Time

Master Max is finding this time change to be a challenge. He wants to sleep in until 10 a.m. every morning regardless of who may be in our garden. Please don't misunderstand, he gets up with DJ at 5:30 as is expected ~ the paper must be brought in promptly. And he certainly is in the right place to receive the morning's assortment of properly ordered treats (duck breast, beef sticks finished off with a bit of chicken jerky), but then it's right back to the cozy mattress-warmed bed for a few hours.

There are days when I think Max has been given a special amount of wisdom...

They Listened

Please read Chicken Tonight? if you're a new friend...

No, I don't know for certain that the folks over at the Big Box store have been checking in here at Grace Today...but I was overcome with glee to see the return of the unwrapped skinless chicken breast packages in the freezer there today! The joy of it all simply overwhelms me. No more chicken juice squirting out onto my hands and over the counter! No frustration rising up to cause me to want to say "Sugar!" when I can't get the little plastic packages to separate as they should and finding myself grabbing the closest knife to stab them all and show them what's what...

I also remembered to take in my large insulated shopping bag from Trader Joe's today. (That'll show 'em.) It worked! They didn't ask me if I wanted a box and I was able to carry the purchases in from the car all by myself. Not bad for a rainy Monday....not bad at all.

Louie

Louie's back! How is that for inspiring hope! If you're new to Grace Today, you may not know his story...you can find it here. He is chirping outside the window and it looks like he's building a nice little condo for the future family right in the same spot.

I'll have to put a cozy comforter on the ground, won't I...

Sunny Times

It's been a lovely week here in Sunny. Honey and I went to have a quiet hour at the seashore one day and today we're going up to DJ's project for lunch. It should be beautiful as he works in a woodsy part of our world. We thought about making egg salad sandwiches, but he said he would prefer we find a local eatery. Egg salad has never been a favorite of his, as you may surmise.

I've been watching the news and seeing the snow in other states. How can that be? How can it be so gloriously glowing with springtime here and snowing there? Is it fair of God to allow us to have amazing beauty and yet our cousins and friends have to shovel their driveways in bitter freezing air?

And then I began to ponder ~ snow. Just think about snow for a minute... It comes down so tenderly and gracefully. The scene of the Walton's Mountain Christmas special does pop in my head... However if you wait a few hours the ground may become hard with ice, cars may freeze, trees may break from the ice, oh the sight can change so quickly.

Perhaps the imagined snow scene is merely a reflection of my week. I'm looking forward to a drive in the sunshine today. I'll think about snow again when we're ready for a fireplace here. And I'll trust that God knows where I should live, what I should do and whether or not I'm fit to shovel snow.

A Beautiful Sunday

There must be a special sprinkle that God puts in the clouds on Sunday mornings. He must. It seems the sun is always brighter, the sound of the birds are a pitch higher and the air smells quite a bit cleaner.

Or perhaps it's just me. Perhaps on Sundays my eyes want to see clearer, my ears want to hear more closely and I want to breathe in more deeply. I know that's the plan for today.