Big Universe, Small World... ©2013-2020

And why beholdest thou the mote  that is in thy brother’s eye but  considerest not the beam that is i n thine own eye?                                                                   -Matthew 7:3 (KJV) I know we all perceive things differently than others at time. I may have to check the the mirror in a bit for my eye splinters...or my beam...I am not unaware of this. I won't comment on the whole back story here...it is too long and would need its own blog. I am bewildered...angry...emotions stir up from inside that I struggle with daily to overcome and move forward away from...Jesus leads my hand to be a better person and to let go and walk away. ...

Today in an email I received from a friend: Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never noticed this.... The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over The face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly Folded, and was placed separate from the grave clothes. Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the Tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I Don't know where they have put him!' Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see.. The other disciple Outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen Cloth lying there, but he didn...

  I am thinking about impact a lot lately. The other night, I remember thinking that if days were to end, I wanted my children to know that they had been enough . I know that might be a hard word to understand. Although, it explains it all: enough . They do not have to be the best in life. They just have to be their best in God . They do not have to please others. They just need to be what the Lord has chosen for them. And, they will find that their lives are enough . I want them to have enough  to make them happy, enough  to make them feel loved, enough  to make them feel complete. Enough ...Nothing more, no less. Enough . I look upon their lives and the impact that they have made upon mine...and they have been enough .  Enough to complete me.  Enough to make me happy.  Enough to make me know it was a life well lived, well planned, well sacrificed. Enough . And, in reflection, I don't want to leave them a legacy. I want to make them a t...

These are pieces of ivy that I am rooting to transplant and pot soon. The green ivy is from a plant I have at home. The purple and green striped leaf ivy is one that was thrown away, discarded, left unwanted. On the trip to Home Depot to buy the rain gutters for the rain barrel project recently, I walked through the garden center. There were two pieces of this striped ivy laying on the concrete flooring. It was somewhat withered. It was left laying to just die. Yes, I understand that the people that work at HD don't have time to be concerned about a few leaves or a simple piece of ivy that falls from a larger plant to the floor. I felt different. I felt compelled to pick it up and save it. The worker saw me and sort of made a face. Anyhow, I brought it home and put it in the jar with my piece of ivy to root as well. I did not know the name of the type of ivy. This past week, I was at a friend's house to gather our produce co-op foods. My friend had some of the same ...

been sick for days now...every time i feel better and start to do something, i quickly realize i should not have done anything... yesterday took its toll on me...5 hours teaching was too much...it equalled 5 hours in the bed yesterday afternoon...12 hours of sleep has left me feeling no better today... my children cleaned and locked up the resource center for me last night. my older child did boy scout runs and retrievals...my younger child is cooking tonight's dinner, feeding chickens and collecting eggs... i feel blessed...sick, but blessed. :)

Today, my family - most of it - met my half-brother and sister-in-law at a local Greek Orthodox St. Nicholas Festival. It was interesting. We had fun and learned a lot. I counted it as a homeschool field trip day for our Geography Unit. We are currently studying Europe, so this was perfect timing for this outing to occur! While we were there, we watched a lady making yarn/thread from corn fibers to use in a knitting or crocheting project later. It was awesome. I think the thing that intrigued us the most about this was the fiber being spun was made from corn. I was determined to look this up when I got home.                                                               ...

The younger child and I recently went for a short trip to the beach. The water was too cold to swim in for the most part (unless you are from the polar regions).  We were walking and as we are moving along...I realize how HUGE my child's feet are... I measured my own against his...I stood for a moment in his footprint and realized how his foot has long outgrown mine. My toes are where the ball of his foot is. I should not be surprised...his older brother wears a size 12 as well... The size 12s he has are growing smaller and in a few months, we are lready in search of some size 13 shoes. I often think of a small child who plays in the parent's shoes. I never had this luxury. I have one fleeting moment of my childhood when my biological sperm donor person was sober/sane enough to place me on his feet to dance...it was a few seconds only. I think it is perhaps the only good memory of the man I have.   In those moments when our children are small and they emulate...

So, the picture is fuzzy...but it shows a lot was accomplished tonight!!  9 jars of blueberry syrup made and canned. 8 jars of blueberry jelly made and canned. 12 ears of corn shucked and blanched and preserved for winter. Squash cut and preserved for winter. 7 pints of picked blueberry preserved for winter. Apples cut and preserved for winter. Peaches cut (still have to cut up more of those) and preserved. Beans were strung and blanched the other day and have already been preserved and frozen. Sun-dried tomatoes are waiting on the next batch of them to finish to preserve them for winter. Apples are drying to preserve and should be ready by tomorrow. This took most of the evening and into the night and wee hours of the this morning to do. It should be worth it this winter for fresh veggies and fruits. Time for bed to be able to get up in the morning and do intercessory prayer before church with friends.