Waiting has been an operative word this winter.  Everyone has been waiting this year....waiting for winter to be over, waiting for the snow to cease falling, waiting for warmer temperatures, waiting for longer days, waiting for flowers to bloom, waiting for the green color to return to the grass, waiting for the trees to bud, waiting to hear birds sing, bees buzz and feeders to fill with numerous types and colors of our winged favorites.  Sometimes we get caught up with waiting to the point we don't enjoy or seek the treasures within each day.  It doesn't matter where you live or who you are, someone is always looking for something better to happen.

I've received via the internet the reading of "An Ordinary Day" by its author.  It speaks to the issue of waiting for kids to grow up and realizing all the wonderful "ordinary" events that surround the process of watching children develop and leave the nest.  Even the job of parenting is often filled with waiting.....for it to be over. 

Let's fill today with thankfulness.  Thankful we woke up this morning, thankful for the graciousness of our Lord to allow us to live one more day, thankful for sunshine or rain as the case may be, thankful for our children no matter what stage of growth they might be experiencing, thankful for the appearance of Spring whether it be a robin or a small crocus peeping through the snow, thankful for friends and loved ones.....generally being thankful.  Take a piece of paper and a pen and begin to write your list of blessings.  It will put an entirely different spin on the term "waiting" as you begin to realize the meaning of the term "thankful".....God bless, my friends!  "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24

There are numerous beaches along the Florida coastline which parallels the Gulf of Mexico.  Siesta Key is one of those lovely beaches which offers a stretch of white sand second to none.  The beach was full of individuals today seeking a good dose of Vitamin D on their faces and other body parts and the average age of those in attendance was 18-20...must be time for Spring break!  There were games of volleyball, throwing footballs, juggling and the ever popular boy meets girl.  It didn't seem that the cooler temperatures which have frequented the country this year bothered them in the least. 

Although observing their behavior was interesting, it reminded me of my contentment to live in the decade I'm currently experiencing.  I enjoy parking my beach chair in the sun, lathering on the #30 sunscreen, putting on the visor and relaxing with a good book.  My days of worrying about the size of my swimsuit and whether or not the bottom half is sporting a skirt is over.  I am who I am and my hubby loves me.....life is good.

Today we were out and about in the little town of Venice, FL.  It's a quiet, quaint little town and today there was an Arts and Crafts Festival.  All types of crafts (paintings, jewelry, clothing articles of varying sizes, shapes and mediums) were side by side as prospective customers lined the street to hear the music, taste the food and stop at each delightful booth. 
We also enjoyed breakfast at a little restaurant that served a "Hoboken" that actually was a huge, plate-sized pancake served with an egg in the middle of the pancake and bacon within the batter!  It was excellent!  Again, the sun was shining brightly although we continue to wait for the warmer, normal temperatures to arrive.  But once again, I am thankful to be seeing winter from an entirely different perspective and enjoying each and every moment we have in this newest of adventures!  God bless, my friends.  Have a wonderful Sunday in your places of worship.  Gary and I look forward to being in our new found church and being with all our new Christian brothers and sisters to sing and worship together!

In Psalm 29, scripture describes the power of the Lord's voice with adjectives such as powerful and majestic.  But the words that exemplifiy the God of Creation to me are the expressive declarations of; "the voice of the Lord BREAKS, MAKES, STRIKES, SHAKES, TWISTS and STRIPS".  Wow, now that's a visual picture of His awesome authority, command and control!  God can make us, shake us and break us and everything in between, but the last verse of the 29th Chapter of Psalm reads, "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace." 

After all the eye-opening actions our Mighty God, our Heavenly Father can perform on our behalf in our molding process, he wants to strengthen us, bless us and give us peace.  Thank you, Jesus, for loving us so much that after you show your authority and might, you rock us to sleep in blessings and peace.  Amen!  God bless you today, my friends!

The concept of "swaddle" has been brought to our attention lately.  Gary and I have observed members of our family as they have "swaddled" their baby before bed each night.  Grasping the true meaning behind the idea, we understood once it was explained a baby is bound in order that they do not wake themselves during the night by sudden movements of the arms to the face.  When you view a baby bound from the neck to the toes, you feel as though you need to release them....maybe they are uncomfortable or feel encased.  However, this precious little one smiles and gently closes her eyes to sometimes ten to twelve hours of sleep.  

The concept was taught in Australia when our cousins first became parents several years ago.  They are now swaddling baby number three and all their girls were great sleepers as babies.  The swaddling was discontinued around month six of their lives, but this youngest baby is going on eight months old and cries when she's not bound for the night.  

So I began thinking about the word "swaddle."  The only time I've ever heard the word used was in scripture after Jesus was born.  In Luke 2, verses 4-7 the term was used in older translations; "...Mary brought forth her firstborn Son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes.." 

Since I believe every thing written in the Bible has a significance, then this concept of swaddling wasn't thrown into the story of the birth of Jesus as an afterthought.  So, let's dig a little deeper.  Webster's defines the word "swaddle" as "to bind" or "to wrap up."  Isn't that the perfect picture of how we are to be in our relationship with the Son of God?  Aren't we to be so bound in our love, so wrapped up in our knowledge and desire of Christ, that nothing else can possibly weasel its way between us?  Some might think....whoa, that's way too enthusiastic about your work for Jesus or that's way to close for comfort.. or perhaps friends might comment, don't you feel too encased, too bound in your Christian life?

Personally, my desire is for others to see so much evidence of Christ in me that I would hear the comment, "Christ certainly has Cookie swaddled in His arms!"  Hope all of you enjoy your day and that you will revisit the word "swaddle".

A little "shout out" to my hubby today.  We mark the 31st anniversary of our first date, March 3, 1979.  Ironically, it was a blind date that we both wanted to cancel, but God of course had different plans.  I love you, Gary....

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it."  Matt. 13:45-46

As most of you know, Gary and I have been "wintering" in Florida.  We are in an area of Florida where the average age is 65!  We are noticing the lifestyle of the community corresponds to the age of the people.  Stores close a little earlier, the fashions sold in the store compliment the attire of the older generation and the streets become less busy and the neighborhood quiets around 8:00 at night.  It has been a nice change, believe it or not.  Therefore, I am looking at this experience as being surrounded with pearls.  Many of these individuals are in fairly good health, but we see health problems, slower movements and many warm smiles.  They are anxious to talk at every opportunity since many of them live alone and the stories they tell are heartwarming. 

So instead of getting annoyed of the time it takes in the postal line to mail a package, we look around to help those that are having trouble writing an address on an envelope or suddenly collapse because a knee has given out.  Pearls...the treasure would never be found if it wasn't intentionally sought....hopefully, Gary and I are seeking all the pearls in our older brothers and sisters in Christ we can find during these few months away.  There's always time later to live life in a faster lane.  God bless, my friends!

Today's word is grateful.  I'm so very thankful and grateful to God for His unending supply of giving me what I need when I need it.  Sundays and Mondays are big website days for me.  On Sunday I post the devotional thought for the week and on Monday I post the comments and assignments for the Bucket List Bible Study.  As I sat yesterday (Sunday) trying to decide what to write as a devotional thought, I just couldn't seem to get my thoughts in line.  The later in the day it got to be, the more anxious I became knowing there might be individuals in cyber space that might be looking forward to those postings. 

So around midnight on Sunday night the thoughts began to come together and by 2:00 a.m. I finished the devotiional thought.  This morning (Monday) I was given ample time and space to write for the Bucket List.  Tonight...I'm tired, but it's a good tired!  The sun shone brightly today and I was able to bike and then sit in the sun for a couple of hours.  A wonderful dose of Vitamin D!  So, I'm one grateful little puppy tonight.  God has proved Himself faithful once again

Looking over Ruth Graham's "Scripture Treasures" I find, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)  The forum I have been given is a gift of grace...it's not about me....it's all about Him.  God bless, my friends!

It's a rainy, cool Saturday in Florida.  Since it's been an unusually cool winter in the State of Florida, we wait with great expectation to the arrival of normal temperatures.  As I sit in our lanai watching the rain fall, I'm reminded of a line from the old hymn, "There shall be showers of blessings, this is the promise of God.  There shall be seasons refreshing, sent from the Savior above.  Showers of blessings, showers of blessings we need, mercy drops 'round us are falling, but for the showers we plead." Then a second hymn comes to mind today, "Count your blessings, name them one by one.  Count your many blessings see what God has done." 

So, here's what I think.  Sometimes we are so busy asking God to shower us with blessings that we don't stop to count the numerous blessings that already fill our plates.  If each raindrop that is falling outside my windows could be translated into previously received blessings, I'd be compiling that list until breath leaves my body.  And rightly so.  God does promise us showers of blessings.  Many of those blessings we overlook because they are normal, everyday blessings such as breathing, health, the gift of family, freedom to read our Bible, pray and to gather with other Christians to sing praises to our God!   And let's not forget beautiful landscapes, sunsets and sunrises, the warmth of a hug and the delight of a newborn baby. 

Today, I want to give thanks for being alive and well...for living in a country where I can speak of the Lord, write on a website about my faith and pray openly for the concerns the Holy Spirit lays on my heart.  Yes, today I'm going to count my blessings and praise my Lord for shelter and take comfort in resting underneath His mighty wings on this cool, rainy day!  And I'm going to include all of you, my friends!  God bless!

Today Gary and I ventured across the State of Florida to Daytona.  We received two complimentary tickets from a dear friend to visit the Daytona 500 Speedway, site of the Daytona 500 each February as the NASCAR circuit opens their season each year.  It was a great adventure for us.  A tram took us onto the track and do you realize the track itself sits at a 31 degree angle on turn 3 and an 18 degree angle on turn 1?  That simply means that if you don't have enough speed (say at least 90 mph) your car won't stay on the track at that angle!  It was amazing since I thought the track was an oblong circle!

There were pictures of the guys who have won the Daytona 500, the car of Jamie McMurray in a mock Victory Lane (the winner of this year's Daytona 500), the incredible trophy that sports the names of all past winners and many salutes to Dale Earnhardt, Mr. Intimidator, who in my opinion, was the greatest of them all. 

Gary tried his skill of driving on simulators which was interesting....and we were entertained with a 3D movie in their IMAX theater explaining the preparations made before a race for the car, the crew, the driver and the fans!  It was absolutely awesome to watch in 3D!!  So there you have our adventures for Thursday....tomorrow we head to Ft. Myers and the Minnesota Twins baseball camp.  I'm hoping to reconnect with a former student of mine who is one of the pitchers for the Twins, Kevin Slowey.  Who would have thought when he was in middle school he would end up in major league baseball??  God bless, my friends.  Have a wonderful Friday....hopefully your area is warming up....we went back into the 50's and 60's!  Winter just won't let go!!!

Probably you will grow weary of my story-telling, but what's the chance this keeps happening to me?  There are lovely places to bike here in Venice... roads that lead to bodies of water, lovely gardens, multiple housing developments and golf courses.  But among the places we bike there are huge black birds, similar to buzzards, that appear mostly around bodies of water.  They never seem to bother anyone.  They are just very imposing in their size which includes their wing span.

Since Gary has begun golfing on Tuesdays, I take the opportunity to either go for a brisk power walk or ride a bike.  Yesterday, I took the bike and headed out for a few miles.  On the 4th mile of my journey I was pumping along an area that has the wonderfully wide sidewalk that parallels a two-land road.  It's a safe place to ride and there are people everywhere.  After passing a body of water and coming upon a field, there they were.....numerous "buzzards" sitting by the side of the sidewalk!  Oh, my.....what to do? 

I slowed down my pace and decided to stay in the middle of the sidewalk and keep going.  If they attacked me surely someone would stop their vehicle and assist me, right???  As I approached these daunting birds, one by one they opened their wings and stood beside one another, wing span touching wing span!  I've never seen anything like it!  Even the few birds that were in the trees and on a close fence post began opening their wings as I passed. 

As I glided pass this gathering, I thought "thank you, Lord, for watching over me" and then I thought this had to be a lesson....so here goes.  As we travel the highway of life, God has given us boundaries.  Just like the fenced in backyard illustration that I've used countless times, this "highway" happened to be a sidewalk.....a wide one at that.  God gives us everything we need on the journey (the sidewalk was smooth, easy to ride, was located next to a road upon which were numerous individuals).  The outskirts of this boundary include the sights of lovely areas that might look good, but there are these "evils" that are eagerly awaiting us to cross over into their territory.  Many times signals are given, even by the evil that draws us, to warn us or maybe just to tempt us to get off the sidewalk and test if safety can still exist...

As for me, I'm staying on the sidewalk.  On the return journey of the trip, I crossed over to the other side of the road in order to stay completely away from these creatures.  When faced with the possibility of danger, I'm headed in another direction.  Hope you can gather a little lesson from this story.  Florida has beautiful sights, beautiful birds, lovely garden areas and terrific beaches and pools....but among all the beauty no matter where you visit or live, temptation and danger lurk to draw us in.....
"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me."  Psalm 17:9
God bless, my friends!