Prayers, Life, and Life in General

    It has been almost a month since my last post and lots of living has been going on. We have anywhere from 11 to 7 people here staying at any given time so it can and does get wild sometimes.
I was kind of complaining a week or so ago when God reminded me that 20 years ago when we were leaving homelessness that I prayed that He would provide us with a house large enough to take in homeless people and He certainly has. Sharrol and her family were homeless because of their house burning Feb. 2012. Robert came when his wife chose another man and asked for divorce and he had no place to go in Nov. 2012, Roger had been living in a tent in my yard summer of 2012 and asked to move inside last fall. Sharrol's grand kids are here because their mom lost her job and got power off so they couldn't stay in their home.  Now we have a problem as the only things we asked of them was they keep their rooms clean, no smoking (Al is on O2 full time) and no alcohol. Roger refuses to listen (he is almost 26) and we have found him smoking in his room, drinking and his room looks like a pig pen. A week or so we had almost no forks so Al went in there and found 15. 10 in his bed and 5 in floor. When he told Roger, Roger called him a liar. He has ruined the queen size mattress that is there  and other things. We have to tell him to find some where else to stay. Not sure how as this is a grandson but I can only give so many chances. He has no car and works an hour away at a gas station
so hopefully he will find something nearer work.
          I am reading my Bread and I am in April on my second time through and finding things I had not noticed before. I discussed this with my son and my pastor and they both said  that it makes people feel better to think  things that aren't in Scripture and that is why you hear such comments about heaven and when we get there. I wonder if we are wrong to let them believe a lie just because it makes them feel better.

So many thoughts

            We have had a active month. I 'm not sure where to start,. Memorial weekend is Al's annual family reunion and we always look foreward to it because it means we get to see some that we only see at this time of year. We had about 65 there but lots were missing and that makes us sad because we never know when it wil be the last reunion we get to attend.
             Al hasn't been well the past month and had trip to ER over the past weekend as was having trouble breathing even with his O2. They gave him lasix to get rid of fluid and medicine to lower his b/p and he feels some better.
             David cut his hand and required 5 stitches outside and some inside to stop a bleeder. It is healing good.
             Robert went with us shopping yesterday as it takes 3 people since we need some on to push a cart and we really appreciate the help.
             Sharrol and Brad got the garden out over Memorial weekend. Now to wait as I'm looking foreward to fresh vegetables.
             Al got me two old fashioned lilac bushes for Mothers Day. Brad was nice enough to plant it along with  peach & apple trees.
             We had some visitors that spent the night in a tent in our yard and several items came up missing after they left so they won't be camping here again.
              We had a good service at Church Sunday Am. The minister Bro. Rocky Green is suffereing from stage 4 cancer of bone and could use your prayers.
               I have been reading lots of the Amish novels and enjoying them. I'm thankful for those at Church who share their books with me.
               David ran over and killed his dog a couple weeks ago. We have a new addition named Kujo.
Sharrol is raising a baby blue jay that David found in middle of road.It had only fluff but is now feathered out and quite active. Hopefully soon he will  be able to fly and can be released. She calls him JayJay.
               I think I've rambled enough for this time.

Reading my Bible in 1 year

      I started reading my BREAD Bible the second week in January and finished it today. I'm anxious to start over and read it through again before the end of the year.
     There are a few passages I want to study deeper too. I have been seeing lots of comments on what we should or should not believe. I believe the Holy Bible (prefer KJV/Amplified) and I have read many versions. I see no reason to hunt for a study Bible ( I have read some) that the person who wrote it has the same ideas I do. I read it because I think it is God's Holy Word and it means what it says. I believe we are to try to follow Jesus and this is my road map to get to where I want to go. I would not achieve this with out my Bible. I want His Word to change me so I can spend eternity with Him.
    I'm not perfect and when I am I will no longer be here on earth. So many people claim to be Christians but their "fruit" shows other wise.
   I want to do what Jesus wants me to do and sometimes it will go against what my flesh wants but I find if I lean on Him and change I no longer have desires to do those things. He knows the beginning from the end and I do not.

                          Feeling Left Out


Have you ever felt left out? It is an uncomfortable feeling especially when it is a group that you have tried for several years to be a part of.
I get this feeling that I don't belong several times a year. I know I can't do some of the things most of the others do because of my physical limitations but wish they would at least ask if I want to do it.
If it to help provide a meal my daughter will gladly help with it in my stead.  But usually I don't know about it until it is over with.
I don't know why I'm not included. I know I don't have nice clothes and have to wear ugly shoes but I desire to be a part. I have children so I could be included in their contests. My child could be included with the other children but no.
I don't know if anyone reads this but if you do please leave comment  Thanks!

Seem's I Can't Do It Right

                             Seems I Can't Do It Right


      My daughter's birthday was in Feb. She has been asking for an outhouse for almost a year so I decided to have one built for her. One of my sons is unable to work so I asked him if he would help with this and he said yes. We got the supplies last week but weather has not been good so we have not got any more done.
     He was here earlier this week wanting to know where she wanted it put but she was not home at that time.Tonight he was here and was told where she wants it but now Brad wants to be here to help and he only gets to be here about two days a month so will be another year to get built and already over $500 spent.
     It makes me sorry I even tried to get it made for her.
     We used an out house here for many years before we got county water and now with only 1 bath and so many people it is feasible to have one again.

I'm Still Alive

                                           I'm still alive

I haven't blogged for a long time as I got sick in 2012 and forgot how to long in. After 5 weeks or so in bed and hospital  I have recovered but my memory has not improved. My daughter helped me figure it out as well as my twitter account.
We have had lots going on. My husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in Sept.2013 and has underwent two surgeries. He goes Wed, for another scope to see if he will have to have more surgeries.
Feb. 13 2013 my daughters home in Jackson Mo. burned to the ground and they lost everything but Praise the Lord no one was hurt. After a couple nights in motel ( thanks to Red Cross) they asked to come here to live. She has been a great help as well as Brad ( her over the road truck driving Husband) when he gets to come home. Robert has moved back home too . His wife,  Amanda who is in Military had a roll over accident in Tx. the day after Thanksgiving and was in hospital for weeks. She still suffer from the back fxs and the brain damage. She is in Ky. now in the Wounded Warrior's program.
My grandson,  Roger moved in when the weather got cold last fall after spending summer in a tent in our yard . So we have a full and sometimes over full house.
I said all this to say I'll try to  post to my blog more now that I have it figured out

Thoughts from God

I have been sitting here listening to Southern Gospel music and God has been speaking to my heart. I admit  in the hectic times I don't take time to listen like I should.
God was touching my heart about excuses that people give for not following Him.They say they are his children but find many excuses for not following His word or attending Church so they can be fed. For some it is work, "I would go to Church but I have to work". yet they are not there for any service night or day. Or  "it's the only day we get off so I spend it with my family". Church is a nice place to go with family !
There are many other excuses you can come up with but they are excuses.
When we are not following Him, we aren't getting fed therefore we get weak in our walk, stumble and fall more and eventually may turn away.
When we use work as an excuse it winds up being like in bags with holes in bottom and we find there is never enough money to supply our needs no matter how much we work. God has always supplied my needs.

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms

The Scent of Cherry Blossoms by Cindy Woodsmall is a romance from Amish Country.
Annie, a horse and buggy Mennonite who lives with her mom and several siblings. Annie's older brothers were drinking and gambling and running wild. Her dad had left her mom several years ago and sends money once a month but they had not saw him for 9 years.
Annie's mom did not get along with her dad or Annie so out of anger she sent her daughter from N. Y. to Pa . to stay with her grandfather. Annie loved being at her grandfathers. She also had eyes for a neighbor man Aden who had  a twin brother who was hurt in an accident and now was a paraplegic. Aden stuttered. Aden and his family were old order Amish. They ran a diner in town and had to have electric. Annie's grandfather went in partnership years before so they could run the diner.
Annie started helping in the diner but them more time she spent with Aden the more she cared for him. He was falling in love too and they would meet at night in the cherry orchard. Their Church would not allow them to see each other and they knew if they got caught they would be in trouble.
Grandfather saw them and started threatening to close the diner if they did not stop seeing each other.
Read the book to see what happens and if they decide it is worth fighting for.

Man Alive

Man Alive is a book written by Patrick Morley. It is directed to men and their spiritual life so I had a hard time relating to it.
Morley says men don't think God cares for them in a personal way. He tells how to fix this problem. He gives 7 primal needs of men;
1. To feel like I don't have to do life alone.
2. To believe---really believe that God knows, loves and cares about me personally.
3.To believe that my life has a purpose- that my life is not random.
4. To  break free from the destructive behaviors that keep dragging me down.
5.To satisfy my soul's thirst for transcendence, awe, and communion.
6. To love and be loved without reservation.
7.To make a contribution and leave the world a better place.

Going Deep

Going Deep is a novel written by Gordon MacDonald. It is a two year journal about his idea to cultivate deep people in the Church. People who have leadership qualities and are able to mentor young Christians. It is quite a thick book but after reading it I think it would be great to be involved in such a Church.
I received this book from book Sneeze free for me to read and review. Opinions are my own.

Reading my Daily Bread

I joined a dozen or so other people at my Church in reading the Bible through in a year. I had gotten a late start as had missed a couple weeks of Church but I now have caught up to where I should be and I should be able to read it through in 6 months. This means I'm not doing much other reading besides my Bible.
It brought to my mind the Scripture in 2nd Timothy 3;16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,and is profitable for doctrine. for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
It did not say some scripture. It says ALL so that includes the parts we don't like! It also sounds like He knows we need correction and instruction!
What a wonderful God we serve.

Longing

 Longing is a novel by Karen Kingsbury. I have read several of her novels and enjoyed them all. this is no exception.
It is about Bailey Flanigan, a young  girl who has been in NY doing shows and she has met a new guy , Brandon Paul. She is home for Thanksgiving in Ind. and Brandon is with her. She is reminded of her old boyfriend that she had thought was hers forever until he went into the military and told her it was over about a year ago. His name was Cody Coleman.
She hasn't heard anything from Cody but through the grapevine heard that he is seeing a lady whose husband had died when Cody was in the war.
Brandon is very much in love with Bailey but Bailey is still thinking of Cody and what might have been.






 

A Widows Hope

A Widows Hope is the first book of The Miller Family Series written by Mary Ellis.

    Hannah Brown lived in Lancaster County, Pa. She was a young widow  of two years who raised sheep. She had no children and thought of the sheep as her babies. She decided to sell her farm to her brother Timothy and move to live with her sister and family in Ohio. She was taking her sheep with her. Her sister had arthritis and several kids to look after. Hannah's brother-in-law  Simon Miller was a deacon in their Church and he and Hannah did not get along well. She was a little nervous about the move.
     Simon Miller had a brother Seth who lived near them who was a widower with a young daughter.Seth was interested in learning about raising sheep.

     After several run ins with Simon , he gets the church elders after Hannah. Seth was getting interested in Hannah and Simon did not want this.
The Sheep awake Hannah one night and she discovers the barn is on fire. They were unable to save the barn but got all the livestock out safely.
    Seth's daughter did not talk after her mom's death. Hannah started working with her in hopes of getting her to talk and learn English language too.
     After living in Ohio several months Hannah decides to return home to Pa. but Seth has other ideas.

Read the story to see what happens. I rated it a 5.

The Telling

The Telling is book three of Seasons of Grace written by Beverly Lewis.
 Heather Nelson an Englisher has agreed to drive Grace Byler to Ohio in search of her Mother who had walked away from her children and husband. Heather was 24 years old and had cancer. She had lost her mom to cancer recently. Her dad had told her she was born in Ohio to an Amish girl.
Grace Byler was hoping to bring her Mother home from Ohio but when they got to where she had been staying she was already gone. The lady she had stayed with said she was sure she would return home as soon as she completed her search.
The unanswered question was what is she searching for?
Lettie Byler had gone to Indiana to see a cousin. Actually she had gone there to look for a Dr. that had delivered her child and arranged to have her adopted. The Dr. told her to write to Ohio Adoption Registry to get information.
Grace and Heather spend the night and head back to Lancaster County with out Lettie.
Heather is to check in a Holistic place for treatment on Monday for ten days.
Lettic comes home on Sunday but goes to the Bishop's home as asks to stay there. She knew she had to tell her husband about the child she had given away and ask for forgiveness. She tells the bishop what is going on and he advises her.

Read this Amish story to see if Lettie finds the child she gave up to adoption and if her husband and family can forgive her for keeping it a secret.
I enjoyed reading this and rate it a 5.

Christmas in Lucky Harbor

Christmas in Lucky Harbor is romance novellas by Jill Shalvis.
Simply Irresistible is the first of two short stories
 about three half sisters ( all have same mother but different fathers) who were given an inn in Lucky Harbor when their mom died. The inn burned and they  had it repaired and now run a Bed and Breakfast.
Tara, the oldest of the sisters had  a romance with a young guy in Lucky Harbor when they were 17. She got pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption and had never returned to Lucky Harbor until after her mother's death.  Ford was still there and still in love with Tara. When their daughter shows up ( she is now 17) looking for her parents and takes a job in the B & B to get to know them better.
The second story is  The Sweetest Thing and is about Maddie, the middle sister who came to Lucky Harbor looking for a new start. She had gotten out of an abusive relationship and lost her job because of it. She meets Jax who own most of Lucky Harbor and they fall in love.
These were good romance stories.

Small Town Christmas

Small Town Christmas is three romance short stories written by Jill Shavis, Hope Ramsey & Katie Lane.
Kissing Santa Claus is about trying to find someone to play Santa.
I'll Be Home for Christmas is about a veteran from Afghanistan coming to bring a gift to the Grandmother of a best friend.
O Little Town of Bramble is about a church in Bramble Texas trying to have a live nativity scene when a gal returned home after going away to college for 7 years to be a veterinarian.

Say You'll be Mine

Say you'll Be Mine is written by  Julia Amante.
Isabel Gallegos is co- owner of Gallegos Winery with her Ex-husband Nick.Isabel is wanting to sell the winery and get on with her life. While they are working with buyers Isabel gets a letter from a lawyer in Argentina saying her cousin Brenda and Brenda's husband had died in  a skiing accident. Isabel had been made guardian of their three children.
Isabel goes to Argentina to  see that the kids are given to their grandmother because she does not want to be saddled with them. When she arrives she realizes that her Aunt is not physically able to care for the kids.
Read the book to see what happens when Isabel changes her mind and discovers she loves the kids and her ex.

Somewhere to Belong

Somewhere to Belong is one of The Daughters of Amana series, written by Judith Miller.
 It is about  two girls who were living in Amana, Iowa in a colony of plain people. Johanna had lived there all her life and Berta who came there at age 17 and did not want to be there. She liked the pretty clothes and fast pace of big city living.
Johanna and her parents shared their home with and elderly lady who had no family and Berta and her parents. They ate meals in a community kitchen and worked during the day. Johanna worked in the kitchen and Berta was assigned there too. Johanna was to train Berta but Berta wasn't interested in learning and caused a lot of trouble.
Johanna's brother, Willhelm had left the community and moved back to Chicago.
Johanna learned there were lots of secrets among her family. Berta learned this about her family too. By facing the secrets she and Berta discovered where they belonged.
I enjoyed this book and rate it a 4.

A Sound Among the Trees

A Sound Among the Trees is a novel by Susan Meissner.

It is a story about an antebellum mansion in Fredericksburg that survived the Civil War and the families that lived there. It was thought by those living near that the house was haunted by Susannah Page's ghost. Susannah was rumored to be a Civil War spy.
Adelaide, the current Matriarch of Holly Oak doesn't believe in ghosts but she thinks the house holds a grudge for is past.
Marielle Bishop marries Adelaide's grandson-in law and agrees to live with him and his two children in Holly Oak. Now she must figure out the truth about Susannah and Holly Oak.


I enjoyed this book and give it a 4 star. I received this book free to read and review from Blogging for Books. Opinions stated are my own

The Lucado Inspirational Reader

Max Lucado has written a book of his very best quotes and anecdotes.  It is of Hope, Compassion and Encouragement in your everday life.
A book you can go back and reread over and over again.
I really enjoyed reading this book and most of Mr Lucado's are very good reads. I rated it a 5 star
I was sent this book free from booksneeze to read and review. Opinions expressed are my own.