"Lord of all Hopefulness"

   Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,

whose trust, ever child-like, no cares could destroy,

be at our waking, and give us we pray,

your bliss in our hearts, Lord,

at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,

whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,

be there at our labors, and give us we pray,

your strength in our hearts, Lord,

at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,

your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,

be there at our homing, and give us we pray,

your love in our hearts, Lord,

at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,

whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,

be there at our sleeping, and give us we pray,

your peace in our hearts, Lord,

at the end of the day.

P.S. You may recognize this as a song from church...it is one of my

favorites that jabo's quartet sings from time to time...it's just so beautiful to consider 

God's presence in each part of our day!

(Lord of all Hopefulness is sung to the tune of Be Thou my Vision)

**A sidebar concerning the picture of the moon**

In late January, my niece, Karen sent a mass text to everyone urging us to look at the moon. 

When I looked up at the sky the moon was 

beautiful but was nothing unusual from my prospective...not wanting to hurt her feelings I told her how amazing it looked!

Finally, she called me laughing and let me know that others 

were more honest and what we were

seeing was different from what they were seeing.

So the last picture is the magnificent view of the moon in January

as it appeared to my precious family in Daphne, Alabama.

This picture was taken by Michael Castrillo,

who is the brother of Dan Castrillo.

Thank you Karen and Michael!

"Sweet Surprise"

Today I decided to get back into yoga so when I found

my sneakers, which I haven't worn in a while, I

received a sweet surprise...my shoe laces

 had nice big loopy bows finished

with a firm double knot. Most certainly the work of

my oldest grandson Will! 

When he was here in January he tied everything he could 

get his hands on...my apron, my jacket 

and at some point he tied my shoes!

He has perfected the art of tying a bow!

Thanks for the smile, Will! I love you as high as the sky!

P.S. Looks like gigi needs a new pair of sneakers!
Also, Maniac McGee would have been proud of Will's double knot!

"Michelle"

We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed;

we are perplexed, but not in despair;

       

persecuted, but not forsaken; 

struck down, but not destroyed...

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

  

"Clay"

Because the foolishness of God

is wiser than men,

and the weakness of
God is stronger than men.

1 Corinthians 1:25

 

"A Flower for You!"

Happy Valentines Day!
XOXOXO

P.S. In September of last year I noticed this Gerber daisy

 in our garden beside the driveway...

it"s so amazing how it bloomed in the shape of a heart!

What a wonderful world!

<3

"The Lord is my Shepherd..."

I am so glad that Katie's favorite Bible verse is the 23rd Psalm as I have wanted to share my thoughts on it for a long time...she has provided me with the perfect opportunity to do just that!
                              
Many years ago, I was given a challenge to consider the 23rd Psalm without God as my shepherd. I was asked to write my own version of the familiar Psalm except that I should leave God out of my version altogether. This is how it went:

I have no shepherd!

I feel alone;

my soul is never satisfied - and I am hungry.

Rest alludes me.

I am lost.

 I am not comforted.

My soul yearns and mourns;

I am empty!

I am always afraid. 

In darkness and in light -

no one protects me; I have no shield.

I will starve at the hands of my foes.

My cup is empty!

Destruction surrounds me all the days of my life.

I am alone!

After writing this dark version of this beautiful Psalm, I was terribly sad. The very thought of God not being present was terrifying!  I instantly understood why the human spirit is so resilient...why we keep on going even when there are times that we would rather not...God is profoundly with us always! If our days were as my version tells it we would most certainly be paralyzed in fear all the days of our lives...but this is not how it goes! After I wrote this I was asked again to write another version of the 23rd Psalm only this time put God back in the verse. It is as follows:

The Lord is my shepherd,

I am more than blessed!

He wants me to rest in beautiful meadows.

He leads me always to peace and tranquility.

He fills my soul.

He shows me the way because he loves me.

When I am in darkness
I will call on him and he will save me.

He protects me;

he provides all that I need.

He runs towards me with open arms - he welcomes me.

He waits for me.

He will be with me - never failing me;

and I will live with him forever!

After I wrote these versions I embraced God's presence in my life in a new way. I had always understood that God was with me in all things but now I wondered if maybe I had taken God's presence for granted...I had never really consciously considered how or why I got through each day, (joyous days and not so joyous days). But through this exercise I realized that the only reason I have ever been able to take on any day is because, whether it was a conscious thought or not - God is, was and always will be with me. I had an immediate deeper understanding that I never wanted to be separated from God and I wanted to be conscious of him in my life. The very thought of just getting out of bed in the morning would be so frightening without the confidence that God is with me, with all of us. He is the reason...he is our all in all!

P.S. Why not try writing your own versions of Psalm 23?
I promise you will be changed!

"Katie"

The 23rd Psalm

"The Divine Shepherd"

The Lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures;

he leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

I fear no evil; 

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff - they comfort me.

Your prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

my whole life long.

"Patrick"

Whereupon the father of the boy cried aloud, in tears,

 "Lord, I do believe; succour my unbelief!"

Mark 9:24

P.S. Patrick's favorite Bible verse is taken from the Knox Version.

 Also, this photo was taken by Clayton Todd Whatley.

<3

"This is going to be so much fun!"

  ** January 2013 **

 While everyone was home for Christmas/New Years we decided to load up and play for a while at Chuck E. Cheese. Needless to say fun was had by all, though we missed Patrick and Katie. As you can see, for me the deal of the day was the photo booth!
                             

P.S. The title of this blog is a direct quote spoken by Daniel as we were walking into
Chuck E. Cheese.
                                             XOXOXOXO

"Kelly"

 "Ask, and it shall be given you;

seek, and ye shall find;

 knock,

   and it shall be opened unto you."

Matthew 7:7

                                                       
                                 

"Brett"

 

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

                              

Christy Jordan

Last July jabo and I went to The Blue Plate Cafe in Huntsville

and had the opportunity to meet Christy Jordan of Southern Plate.

She was their celebrity host and helped them raise money for the

 Manna House in Huntsville.

Christy has a wonderful website that I have been following

for over a year...check out SouthernPlate.com... 

her recipes are amazing and she always offers genuine encouragement!

Her Southern Hoe Cake is amazing...a must

for any meal but we personally

love her soup recipes such as Chicken Stew,

Shortcut Senate Bean Soup, and

Ground Beef Stew just to name a few!

Christy has been featured in Southern Living,

(I am still vowing to make the entire meal that she shared

in that issue...someday!),

she has worked with Paula Deen, has published her first book,

and was a judge for a cooking show called Beat the Chefs.

She is also a contributing editor of Taste of the South magazine.

It was such a pleasure to meet Christy, she is as sweet and kind

as I expected her to be and of course, I loved it when

she told jabo that he had "married up"...I know the truth though,

I am the one that "married up"!

It was such a fun evening and I wish

all the best to Christy.

Christy Jordan and Patty S. Whatley