MAY JOY!

This is the month of May-ing, the trees and flowers all swaying, with drops of rain and bits of sun, God's glory is reigning.  Here is another month of remembering moments of joy and thanksgiving.

#1403-1405  Gifts Tasted:: Oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast; A sense of renewal as the sun shines brightly; Honey in my tea.

#1406-1408 Gifts Flat:: The floor I am standing on as I type; The little stone bench in the gardenI will soon begin to sit on; A bunch of annuals waiting to be planted . . . a 'flat' of plants.

#1409-1411 Gifts Found in Difficult People:: Grief stuffed deep; Unforgiveness waiting to be released; In need of a hug and encouraging words.

A very cold Spring but tulips
still bloom.

#1412- 1414  Gifts before 9am:: Beautiful sunrise; Quiet time with God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Morning exercise.
#1415-1417  Gift in a Sign:: God affirmed sermon words as a sign to move forward;  Smile:: Sharing the peace with church family  Snack:: Great Coffee Hour

See the smoke floating through
the meadow? A wet burn.

#1418-#1420  Gifts found in Christ:: Affirmation that our God reigns; His constant presence through the Holy Spirit; A hand that will lead us into a new place a we respond to the "call" of another church.

#1421-1423  Gifts about my home:: Amish buggies at the feed store;  Tulips bursting forth a little late; The smokehouse in the farm behind us blowing a cloud of smoke into our little valley.

A trip to the 'feed' store for garden supplies brings all of out.

#1424-1426  Gifts inside a Closet:: More clothing than I can wear; Tidy piles of T-shirts and shorts for when summer finally arrives; Shoes: both fun and practical.

#1427-1429 Gifts Found in the Dark:: A greater ability to see; Stimulation of other senses; The quiet of night.
#1430-1432 Gifts Outside:: My Garden, Inside:: A warm haven of rest, Upside--Down:: Well planned days that takes life in another direction.

This was taken last year but dad is still going
strong at the age of 98!  His sister is still
amazing in her 101st year.  Their 'little' sister
 just died at the age of 92.  Amazing genes.

#1433-1435 Gifts about my Parents:: Great genes; Smart and articulate; Curious
#1436-1438 Gifts Held in my Hand Today:: Christ's Body as I take the consecrated bread; The Cup of consecrated wine that becomes Christ's blood to my spirit; A child's hand as we walk to the altar.



#1439-1441 Gifts Found in my Mother:: Courage; Imagination: Joy of Life
#1442-1444 Gifts Picked-Up:: Weeds from the garden; Put Away:: Heavy winter clothes; Put Back:: Retrieve my down vest as winter lingers with chilly days.

Christian Doctor has
created a plan for
those who choose to
live a healthy life.

#1445-1447 Gifts about ME:: Curiosity as I glean scripture daily; Perseverance as I continue to wait for the Lord's direction in work; Determination to live JOYfully even on tough days.

#1448-1450 Gifts found in His Word:: the Spirit, who gives life (Rom.8:1);
One body and One Spirit (Eph.4:4);  You send forth Your Spirit ... and renew the face of the earth." (Ps.104:30)

#1451-1453  Gifts in a Box:: My favorite crackers;  Bag:: Fresh green beans from our local farm;  Book:: Prime-Time Health by William Sears, MD.

#1454-1456  Gifts unexpected::  Hubby's offer to cook breakfast!  A gorgeous WARM day with only a slight breeze so perfect for working in the garden; A bird's next with new hatchlings under a corner of our porch.

#1457-1459  Gifts from my Childhood:: Curiosity about odd things :-)     Two parents;  A never-ending wonder about God even though I rejected Him when I was ten . . . and found Him again when I was thirty-one.

#1460-1462  Gifts Sweet:: Birthday cake left over from our Pentecost celebration yesterday Sour:: Lemon juice I put in our hummus  Salty:: Chinese food we enjoyed at lunch.
#1463-1465  Gifts found in Little People:: Watching the TV series "Little People" teaches me Tenacity;  Perseverance; great accomplishment in living a 'normal' life with HUGE surrounding them.

#1466-1468 Gifts that made me Laugh:: My hubby almost daily; Girl-chat at our bible study luncheon;

I'm thankful for all the fresh produce that we are able
to buy at our local farm store.  YUMMY!

Baby birds in our huge rose bush - blind but with mouths wide open waiting for mama to return.

#1469-1471  Gifts found in Community:: Shared caring; Always something to do with a neighbor; plants, especially day lilies, that others want to get rid of and which I so love to plant in my ever expanding garden.

#1472-1474  Gifts in a Plate:: Haddock with sweet potato and asparagus, YUM!  in aPot:: Garlic buds bursting flavor to override the smell of fish!  Package:: New summer shorts for hubby - look great!

#1475-1477  Gifts Hard Giving Thanks for:: Stepping back from work in a specific area;  Waiting for doors to open in a new place; Lingering in more cold spaces as I wait for summer to come.

#1478-1480  Gifts Worn:: The righteousness of God eternal  White:: Trinity Sunday so wearing a white jacket with my blue and white skirt.  Whispered:: Prayers for so many who have asked for prayer.

#1481-1483  Gifts Found in Memorial Day:: Flags waving! , Sad memories of those who died so that we all freedom to worship . . .  or not; A fun day of fishing, food and being with friends.

#1484-1486  Gifts in Today's Work:: Helping a friend clean out her attic of 65 years worth of 'treasures.'  Filling the dumpster to almost full; Great teamwork and a sigh of relief from our friend who could only watch due to her health.

#1487-1489  Gifts at 8 AM:: I've been up two hours and have quiet time and morning workout completed.  12 Noon:: Lunch meeting where we enjoy lingering together.
 8 PM:: Relax! and then early to bed for another early day.

#1490-1492  Gifts Blue:: My favorite pot for plants (see picture above);  Skies when the morning fog lifts;
Beautiful clumps of iris all over the front yard.

#1493-1495 Gifts I Gave Today:: A Silent Time . . . for my husband to linger in bed this morning without noise that makes him restless; Loaves of Molasses Bread for the community bake sale tomorrow; Prayers for others in need during the time I gave in reflection with God.