Ahhhhh... I LOVE this season!

Ah the amazing crisp cool autumn air! It almost begs to be breathed with gusto! I get energized in the fall. All the sluggishness of summer "falls off" : P, and I am renewed with vigor!

Pumpkin anything is on the menu, and the aroma of cider meanders through the kitchen as I create masterpieces again.

Why I fall for fall: The air is comfortable, and rarely humid - even in New England.. he he he ... You can cook and "not bake!" The flies magically disappear! That alone is reason to celebrate!

With a new season are new adventures. When you purpose to find something new and exciting, it lightens your heart, and you dwell with an air of expectancy. As soon as I get through Halloween, which I don't celebrate anymore, I know that Christmas is coming soon. While I tolerate winter, I adore Christmas! Talk about expectancy! But I will get to that later.

Thanksgiving is another season favorite for me. I am discovering thankfulness. Let me tell you that if your heart is thankful, there isn't a lot of room for other junk to settle there. You DO have to be intentional about it, though.

I had a lesson from a dear friend a few years back- when she first got "Super Connected" to her Heavenly Father, she began to pray constantly, cultivating a thankful heart. It has carried her through some grueling storms, and what a life raft. It has been inspirational to me, especially in learning to stop complaining.

Then there are the fairs, apples, and Roger's Orchards. GREAT TIMES! Nuff said.

Fall, the A/C gets a break, and for a woman that runs like a furnace, all I have to say is one word.......... RELIEF!!!!!

So as you see, it really IS the best season. What is your favorite season, and why?

Have a great day, and remember to respond in kindness today... you never know what kind of impact that you might have on a hurting and lost world...


PEAS out!!! <3>

Some Assembly Required

Hello again! What are you up to tonight? It's Saturday night after all, and most people are either "old" and in bed, cuz that is what old people do, : P, or they are off cavorting because soon they will be old, and not ready for bed. The other possibilities I don't want to even delve into, it is after all a "G" rated blog. : )

So, tonight, I am writing, and reflecting. In case you are wondering what the scary looking pic is, I have been working all week at a great job. I mean, it is! Really. For me, it's amazing! Too bad it's just a temporary position...

Great pay... a good workout- hey it takes me fifteen minutes to walk from the car to my desk!... two in the office- no women, just me and an engineer with social skills. Best part? NO PHONES!!! Can't get any better than that! The pic is a blueprint of some lock or door related product. I have been helping this company get their UL books in compliance. File auditing. Pouring through book after book with a lot of really old illustrations and blueprints. Hyper-linking. Detailed stuff...

Which brings me to the point. I eventually DO get to the point................. if you are not feint at heart. : ) Looking at the mass of directions in the blueprint, I started contemplating. (there's a surprise!)

The pic... isn't that how life is? We don't come with schematics, directions, or even an understanding of a lot of things. Many things are just plain unknowable. Messy? We are ever so messy, and generally have way too many malfunctions. If only we came with an owners manual! But we do!

There is definitely some assembly work required with us, isn't there? Thank God that we aren't subject to recalls simply because we make a mess out of things!

Leave a message if you like, I love hearing comments! Have an amazing week and don't forget to check out the 'Owner's Manual' today! The warranty is unlimited! <3>

Cliff Hangers and Waiting

Happy Wednesday! It's funny... I get inspired to write in the strangest ways.. For those of you that know me, I know what you are thinking... keyword=strange.... lol...

Seriously, though, I was contemplating. I do that from time to time... keeps my mind guessing : P.

I love a good love story! A great plot, interesting and believable characters, and a little adventure or intrigue... Heat well, stir, and sip!

Keeping that thought in mind, what happens as your follow the story-besides the interruptions??? lol... well - as the plot unfolds, you follow and you wait... you wait to see how things are going to play out - unless you are one of the naughty ones that reads the end first - : P.

Wait... more's coming. Things are going to happen! Be patient (my personal favorite... ok... not! lol) If you sit tight, you will see change! Or the new catch phrase - "wait for it!" *eyeroll* NOT my favorite word... in my opinion, it's a four letter word. : P

Kind of like our lives. We spend sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much time waiting................................................... point made

When I record I wait endlessly for set up and drum adjustments. Thank God for laptops, iphones, and journals. Waiting AND being quiet?!?!?= interminable.

When I cook, I have to wait for the finished product. Who wants an apple pie that's half baked? Blech!

We wait for the weekend... the week can drone on and on, and the beloved FRIDAY hits like a champagne bottle on the side of a ship!

When I pray, I wait for an answer. Poor Daniel. In the Bible, his answer was delayed for three weeks due to spiritual "red tape" - aka - the old enemy of our souls mucking around and making trouble.

Someone precious to many of our hearts is waiting for a new lung, and discovering the infinite depths of the mercy of God. <3>

We wait in traffic. CT, FYI, does NOT wait well on the roads. Enough said.

We wait for results... tests, jobs, spouses, children, being reunited with those that you love <3>

We as believers wait and wait for our ticket to be validated when we enter Heaven's Gates! That ride is totally WORTH THE WAIT! ***see Owner for details, certain restrictions apply.. : D

So, here's the kicker: we are also waiting for Him to come back.. Here... really... He said so.. he also mentioned that we won't know when.

That is really the ultimate cliffhanger - don't you agree? and when He does, it will be worth the wait. Make sure you have your ticket!

Thanks to themorningsundotblogspotdotcom for the pic

Getting Older.... groan!

Ok... so the last thing I want to do is turn this blog into a gripe session. You've seen those senior citizens that sit and play bridge, or whatever it is that they play, circled around the card table, griping about aches and pains, groaning about high medicine costs, and constant doctor visits.... in between jabber-jawing about their children being too busy for them and what they can and can't eat anymore... oh, and the operations....ugh...

You SWEAR up and down that you are NEVER NEVER NEVER going to turn into one of "those"... constantly whining about all that you can't do anymore... crotchedy and miserable!

I was feeling that a little today at my neices' wedding. She had a lovely wedding, simple, and without the usual trappings that produce ten extra restroom visits for me: throwing the garter, assembling all the lovely single women (in my case - old maid) and the like.

I was sore as heck and feeling old... tempted to gripe about the accumulating list of body frustrations.

While it was really nice to see family - especially the ones that I don't see all that often, it was also a bittersweet time for me, too. For a myriad of reasons.

First and foremost, because I was engaged once, and that didn't pan out too well. I am not really into birkas as appearal - not for me. : (

Secondly, I never guessed that I would be sooooo "terminally single" at this age. You see, by a world standard, I don't have much of anything, and I am NOT AT ALL a success. If money is the gauge, I am below empty.

Thirdly, the man that I fell sooo much in love with decided that he would rather let fear rule his heart than risk love. Real gusty risk it all love.

Sooooo... as I sat there, today, missing my mom terribly- and knowing that she would be pleased as punch to share the day with Jenny, and us - it just hit me.

I watched nearly everyone there with their counterpart, and felt slightly out of place. You know that there are whispers. "You know, if she'd take off a couple of pounds, she might well be pretty." She's aging pretty well, not too many wrinkles, but she never really made something of herself." or my personal favorite: "She'd probably make a decent wife, but at THAT AGE, her chances are not too good."

If I base my life on that system, I am doomed! Thankfully, I understand that it's not my marital status, my financial status, or even my looks that determine my worth. Thank God...

It's not the car I drive, or the job I (don't) have. It's not the political views that I hold, or the amount of money that I make.

It's not my ability to pound the heck out of a bass guitar, or make a lucious batch of hot fudge!

Nor is it my ability to make others laugh. (I really love to inspire a 'holding your gut', belly laugh!) believe it or not, it's not even my heart to help the poor.

It's the fact that I am a child of the King, the Creator of all that is! He picked me before the world began and said. "Oh, yeah, I AM going to make a real piece of work!" lol...

He decided that I was going to have a lot of opportunities to shine His light into this sometimes pretty horrible dark world, and have the most fabulous relationship with Him.

So, while everyone around me is struggling with the growing older pains, I am winding down - getting excited about the homecoming... that portal, door, entrypoint, eternal dwelling, where there are no tears, fears, or cares... the streets really ARE paved with gold!

When I will rest in the Presence of One Who keeps always keeps me in His sight. Who guides my steps and sends angels to protect me. He can even answer prayers that don't even make my lips!

So, rather than growing old, I am growing closer... <3>