Friday Freebie!

This will be the last Friday Freebie for awhile.

If there is interest, I'll bring it back this summer.

Enjoy!

ally and friend

Walking through life I find deep valleys and high mountains

but God is always with me.

Surviving the daily grind I struggle to maintain my wit

but God is ever present.

Fighting human battles, finding my choices of how to deal,

God is my constant ally.

Struggling with the enemy's forces I doubt my strength and ability but

God never does.

Seeking the right path, my true calling, and my real purpose

God encourages me to never quit or give up.

He believes in me and I will believe in Him.

Finding a creative release

My mind is clear today



On how to proceed with


Hope and faith.


My heart is pure today


Starting fresh with


Love and peace.


My soul is repaired today


Of hurt and pain with


Grace and mercy.

Angels

                  Heaven is full of angels looking over us each.

We never make a single step alone.

Our past influences our present and

our present directs our future.

If we only choose, we can see

the pattern for living.

We can fully know our existence is protected.

We can completely believe

in higher powers that be.

A New Psalm

Inspired by Psalm 123

I life my eyes to God
and see all I have
to be grateful for.
I tune my ears to God
and hear a wonderful message.
I speak my voice to God;
He hears and responds.
I give my heart to God
and He restores it
from permanent damage.
I find my spirit in God
and He is part of it.
I know my soul through God
and it is one of love and peace.

finding the way

The soul can only find its way home



Through an open window in the spirit.


The spirit can be found only


When the heart is willing.


The heart is silent only when the mind is at rest.


The mind finds its serenity


Only when the body is at peace.


The body reaches solace


When one with God.

blue days

Never easy to figure but often providential!

I don't know if the tears

are for them and their condition

or me and my condition to be.

I wonder if my fears are for what is,

what was, or

what is still to come.

I pray earnestly for

impossible situations

to have possible solutions,

and for obvious issues

to have less obvious conclusions.

I ask age old questions

about the people who once

had all the answers.

I see life in a whole

new light but still

feel in the dark.

to being real

inspired by Christine Kane's song

"to be real"

www.christinekane.com

Firday Freebie

Tree Friends

Realistic Wanderings of the Mind

We are all temporary.

Recyclable clay pieces.

Fragile to the touch.

Our beauty fades.

Our function lessens.

Our purpose becomes muddled.

God made us into

useful vessels while we live.

He takes us back to repurpose

our spirit.

From heaven's view point

we will see all answers clearly.

We will know lessons from our lives.

We will better understand our legacies.

**********

Heaven is full of angels

looking over us each.

We never make a single step alone.

Our past influences our present and

our present directs our future.

If we only choose to be awake in our lives

we can see the pattern we should be living.

We can completely believe in higher powers that be.

That should give us pure joy today.

Having the blues is sometimes fun!

Broken-Believing-Moving on

Broken into tiny

hurting pieces she

wonders if there's

anything left to break.

Writhing in the pain

of every imaginable hurt she
thinks she may never
feel whole again.

Confused by all of
life's twists and turns she
knows no one
ever understands it all.

Praying in desperation,
a last attempt to
be satisfied she
accepts her lot and goes forward.

Looking ahead with hope
dreaming of another chance she
goes about what
must be done this moment.

Believing better days
must be near she
doesn't look back.
Pity parties are over.

Thinking with positive energy
she  goes onward,
planning her future as
if she was just born.

Calming thoughts

A sunny morning

Blue skies

Birds serenade

No weary sighs.

A peaceful time
Happy days
Family laughter
No worrying ways.

A faithful reverie
Answers received
joyful life
graces believed.

the power is within

Rambling Thoughts

I only need faith for the next step.
Hope sees me through one thought at a time.
Joy is my companion breath by breath.
Courage exists in the doing what is uncomfortable.
Peace appears in the midst of struggles.
Inspiration comes when doubt subsides.
Answers show up when questions are honest.

How To Begin

live thankfully
smile genuinely
breathe deeply
pray fervently
work efficiently
play effortlessly
believe faithfully
listen thoroughly
trust unfailingly
hope continually
create frequently
inspire daily
know completely
accept lovingly
give unceasingly

My Psalm 119 and the Friday Freebie

O Lord,

Your word is unfailing.

Your laws are perfect.

Your commands are holy.

Your statutes are mighty.

Your precepts are eteranl.

Your ways are comforting.

Your decrees are hopeful.

I love when life is in sync. It brings a level of comfort I feel best wtih. My morning devotions  brought me to Psalm 119 from two sources. Having read this Psalm in its entirety in a single setting, this week I was readding it in little increments or stanzas of which there are 22. There are 176 verses. There are 8 verses in each stanza. AND there are 7 words repeated in each stanza: ways, word, decree, commands, decrees, laws, statutes, and precepts. Overall living by the message in this outstanding piece of literature one could live a near perfect existence. One last thought from my Bibles footnotes: this Psalm is an acrostic, each verse  of each stanza begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

I encourage you to find your own strength from the scriptures and rewrite it for yourself and share it with God. What an act of praise!

The image is a composite of 3 small canvases painted with acrylic for a local arts council mystery art fund raiser. Feel free to download and use in your projects.

An Artist's View

Without passion:

Faith seeps through

a crack in the soul.

Without zeal:

Hope slips out of

a heart's tiny hole.

Without enthusiasm:

Joy leaks past

the spirits door.

Without dedication:
Dreams escape a

single breath, no more.

Without commitment:

Peace departs a

broken life's portal.

Without perseverance:

Love releases its

hold on a simple mortal.

Face LIFE fully!

When life is darkest

I stand in the light.

When I am weakest
I lean on His might.
When I can fight no more

I walk through His open door.

When I fall short and need His grace

I turn myself round and seek His face.
When I fail to make it and  lose my way
I change direction and follow Him through the day.

When I can no longer find His joy
I turn to His word to employ.
When He sees I can no longer wait
He opens the gate.

Walking through life can be quite a task.
So I choose my battles and never need ask
He is with me through thick and thin
to the very end.

Trying

Trying to find peace.

Trying to find answers.

Trying to find respite.

Trying to find joy.

Trying to find reason.

Trying to find life.

Living in the Margins

Living in the margins

of my busy to do list

I find too much is crammed

into too little space.

This adds too much

stress to my already stressful life.

Too much to do seems to be

the current trend.
This must be altered.

Life is meant to be

time with family,

time with friends,

 time with God,

enough work to sustain,

enough play to refresh,

and enough rest to revive.

Reflection and assessment

should occur regularly throughout life

 just to balance it out.

It is time to release

struggle and restraints,

find peace and joy,

and express gratitude for all we do,

 are able to do,

all we have,

and are able to have.

"Living in the Margins" is a borrowed phrase from the movie "Up in the Air."

Time for Reflection

A quiet

wooded walk

settles frazzled nerves.

A simple

prayerful moment

calms a restless heart.

A few

written words

organize a jumbled mind.

A little

creative effort

revives a lost spirit.

A soft

chord of music

lifts a weary soul.

Progression

Written words comfort when voices can't.

Images spill from my soul when words won't.

Music expresses my heart when images don't.

This is my progression of understanding and

being understood.

leap

Friday Freebie!

God promises.....

She has a hole in her heart
nothing can fill up but God.
Why doesn't he?
She feels a pain in her soul
only God can remove.
Why doesn't he?
She cries tears that
never restore her spirit.
God can try but why doesn't he?
She aches with loneliness
that God could remove.
So why doesn't he?
She hides behind it all
with fake smiles God could
change to real joy.
Why doesn't he?
She is two people to the world.
She is a confident mentor, mother, teacher, and friend
but in the safety of her cocoon she is a lost child.
God, her Father, has a plan.
He keeps His promises.
He will never leave nor forsake her.
He will comfort her.
He will renew her strength.
He will give her peace again.
She only needs to believe and wait with patience.

Rise above.....

Rise above pain;

believe healing.

Rise above fear;

exercise faith.
Rise above sadness;
choose joy.
Rise above doubt;
experience truth.
Rise above hurt;
express forgiveness.
Rise above anger;
practice love.


Anytime you can, reflect on life,
what you can change by your attitude,
your thoughts and your self examination!

Opportunities

Every day we each wake up with the same chances:

• the same chance to choose our attitude                                                    
• the same chance to praise God
• the same chance to accept God's love and blessings
• the same chance to encourage someone who is troubled
• the same chance to accept help for our own troubles
• the same chance to count the many blessings in our lives
• the same chance to believe in our power to rise above negatives in our lives
• the same chance to pray for someone's needs, including our own
• the same chance laugh or cry as chosen
• the same chance to be our best self

As many know I spend a lot of time on the road back and forth to my parents' house to look after their needs. I have much time to think, pray and listen to inspiration on the car radio. This bit of advice came through today on such a trip. I hope it gives you food for thought as it did me.

More Ramblings...

Love the life you have.                               

Treat it with respect.

Honor each day you are given and

share it with allyou love.

Feel the blessings daily.

Know it's beauty, joy and peace.

Each day is a gift of

wonder and love.

Love those who matter most.

Take time to enjoy them.

Help them and listen to them.

Find answers to lifes' great questions.

Take a walk

through your life.

Find meaning in each step.

Believe
the power you own.
Use it for good.
Help others find theirs.
Help yourself use yours thoroughly.
Never want for what
you don't need.
Never ask for more than you need.
Share all you have.

Ramblings during Retreat

longing for sanctuary

a place to feel

safe and protected.

needing a quiet place

to feel

solace and hope.

wanting a day of my own

where rest and release

can be found.

needing a room apart

a retreat for

heart and soul.

hoping for a space

to find.

peace and joy.

God is the sanctuary.

Christ is the place.

 Spirit is the room.

solitude is the day.

space is in nature.

wholeness is possible.

Happy Easter!

May you be truly blessed

this most holy day!

God is waiting there.

The Carolina blue sky

is full of hope.

If only I could feel it

deep in my spirit.

God is waiting there.

The birds' sweet chorus

is full of joy.

If only I could hear it

deep in my soul.

God is waiting there.

The early fruits of spring

taste sweet on the tongue.

If only I could taste

it deep in my being.

God is waiting there.

The first blossoms of spring

 smell fresh and peaceful.

If only I could smell them

deep in my thoughts.

God is waiting there.

The grass is greening with

new growth.

If only I could see it

deep in my heart.

God is waiting there.

The world is full

of possibility and life.
If only I could sense it

in my own.

God is waiting there.

*******************

Comfort is found in the words uttered by others:

"God's love flows in and through me.

By staying prayed up, I make wise choices in all I say, think and do."  Daily Word

"When there is nothing left that I can do for God, He surprises me with what

He can still do for me."  Rev. Bob Dodd

"The grass withers; the flowers fall; but the word of the Lord

stands forever." 1 Peter 1:24-25

Friday Freebie

Spring Warmth

The sun warms my soul,

making me again whole.

The light shines into my heart

and I find my life is not apart.

The morning walk clears my mind

and I know peace I will find.

Spring is eternal hope

so I may as well not mope.

God is in heaven and all is right.

That I can trust with all my might.

Even though I may backslide a bit

God will help me deal with it.

Finding His love and forgiveness

I believe I need not feel hopeless.

Thus here I am the forever wishing for luck

when all I need is the faith to not buck.

My life is good and blessed.

I will stop feeling stressed.