I'm feeling my age, ladies.....

On the tenth, the morning we left for our cruise, I tripped and had a terrible fall.  I proceeded on to the airport and caught my plane.  As the day progressed, my misery intensified and consequently, I spent most of my week in my stateroom---first on ice and then on heat.  Needless to say it was a very long week, and I longed for home. 

I have been home now for eleven days and last night was the first night I was able to sleep on my side, so I'm so thankful for that!  (I don't sleep well on my back)

Anyway, these last eighteen days have been a time of reflection for me as I have sat and endured the very slow process of healing.  I have made some decisions that will make me sad, but I have come to believe that they are best for me.

I am leaving this blog, but will be keep my card blog open.  Believe me, when I say, that the friendships I have gathered through you, dear fellow bloggers, have been precious to my soul.  I plan to continue to follow all of your blogs.  I may not always comment, but rest assured, I am reading your posts and am being blessed by them!

I hope that you will feel free to email me or call anytime.  Please do. 

I didn't finish writing my spiritual journey in depth,  as I had planned, but much of the end of the story is here.  If you skip down about half way, you will learn the "rest of the story"!

This has been a great "ride" and I've gleaned so much through blogging, but it is time to spend more time in the things I have often neglected in the past few years.

So I say good-bye from blog land, but hope to continue the friendships which I have with so many of you.

I'm off to see the world!!!!

I interrupt the saga of telling my spiritual journey to let you know that I'm on my way to the Mexican Rivera for a week on a cruise with three ports of call.  I've been there at least five times, but always enjoy the ship, visiting the towns, and just relaxing.


This is a small group this time--my daughter Tammy, by brother and his wife, and me.  We'll have a great time.  We're all game players, so I know we will be having fun with that.  I always have books to read along, and Tammy and I are both in different Bible Studies, so we will have to carve out daily time to work on that so we don't fall behind.  I enjoy sitting by one of the huge windows in any of the lounges and just drinking in the greatness of the ocean when we are on the high seas.  Those times alone are wonderful for reflecting, praying and praising!!




Thanks to all of you who have been praying specifically for my back to hold up.  It has and it is!!  I'm praising the Lord for that!!  I'm really looking forward to the sunshine, not cooking any meals, and having all of my temporal needs met--even having my room cleaned daily and my bed made for me!!  Awwwww--I tell you, its the life!!!  : )


Two years ago for Thanksgiving we did this same cruise, only with our kids and the grandchildren and we had a great time.  I will leave you with a few scenes from same area, 2007!

I'll miss visiting your sites!  Until later.......

My Spiritual Journey, part 3--a taste of Heaven!

“We write to taste life twice, 

in the moment and in retrospection” 
~Anais Nin

FAll 1950

Westmont bound

healing begins

I left for Westmont in Santa Barbara that September, glad to escape the terrible grief and sadness which permeated our home after our little David's early Home going.

Arriving on campus was a little like a foretaste of Heaven.  True healing began as I found myself in the arms of a wonderful Christian atmosphere, which bathed me in love, prayer, God's righteousness, and so many blessings.

The friendships I formed at Westmont were deep and still strong today.

One of the things we did at Westmont was sing.  We sang in dinner lines, we gathered in the lounge after dinner and sang, we had 'sings', we went to the beach and ended up singing.  I learned that year that music is a 'balm' to the soul.

Our freshman class song was "Living for Jesus".

As I sang that song again and again throughout that year, the Spirit softened my heart, and I learned to rejoice, again, in who I was in Christ.  I have no words to explain the heights and depths of my emotions that year as I fell in love with Jesus Christ with so much more depth than I had ever experienced!

How could I sing the chorus from my heart

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

without life changing happenings in my heart and life?
 

...and then, there was the first verse which I soon could honestly sing and mean every breath of what I was singing!

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me.
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne.
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone.

It was a year of 

beautiful experiences,

beautiful friendships,

beautiful memories,

amazing healing,

and

life changes which have been with me through out my life!

*******
a postscript--today's Daily Bread had this quote at the bottom
"A heart in tune with God can't help but sing His praise."