Joyous Path of Life

Joy fills us internally while happiness is fleeting and usually based on external circumstances. As many of you know from following my blog, my mother has been terminally ill for the past four months. She created some of the best memories as we laughed together and dealt with the sad reality of  end-of-life issues.. My mother had grown up during the great depression, married young, worked a farm as entrepreneurs of the dairy business with daddy and raised two children to work more than play. Here at the end of her life she freely expressed her joy and hope in Jesus Christ she knew. One day while mamma, daddy and I sat at the dining room table watching doves feeding outside, she took my hand, looked over at daddy and said, " You know I always loved your daddy".
Hospice called me to come home as mamma had taken a change for the worse. When I entered her room and told her who I was, she reached up with both arms and held me close in a hug. That was her final hug to me as she went into glory later that night with me at her side.
Later in the week, I glanced at the date of her burial on the calendar. It said "New Moon".

 "You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16: 11NAS Study Bible

He Anchors My Soul

Lightening streaked closer and closer and the thunder kept getting louder. Even though it was not raining yet, it was evident by the black clouds that a storm was brewing. My daddy’s dog Jack, also known as Baby, is very frightened by bad weather. Daddy opened the back door and let Jack into the utility room.  When I arrived to drop off groceries, no one could find Jack. We called as we searched throughout the house. Daddy found Jack in the old fireplace behind the artificial logs. He was happy and unafraid and refused to come out until the storm was over.

It seems that life’s circumstances can bring joy or grief, happiness or despair. It is so great to know that for those who love the Lord Jesus Christ there is safety from all harm. The challenge is to simply believe that God’s assurance of His everlasting love is true. If we want to live a life without fear, we must trust and obey God completely. v. 19 “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19 NAS Study Bible

 Psalm 112 v.7 “He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.  v. 8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look with triumph on his foes.”

Following her Whim!

It is so important to seize the moment when your mother is on Hospice. She told me how nice it would be to go for a ride to where she used to work. The outdoor temperature was in the high 90's and the air was humid with threats of rain. My husband helped me load her oxygen,portable nebulizer & medications in the SUV. She and I sat in the back seat so I could observe her breathing and condition. Daddy talked about his memories of many rides to work on the old Hwy 10 to Jackson, La.. They both laughed about when in the 1940's , Hwy 10 was gravel and rains would flood the road. When we drove by the tall brick structure covered now with ivy and vines, mamma pointed to a screen door and told me that used to be the entrance to her apartment when she first went to work at CC1. She showed me where the bench had sat where daddy first held her hand. We had a "picnic" in the car since mamma was too weak to get out in the weather or go inside a restaurant.
I can now look back and know how happy it made her for us to follow her whim to go down memory lane.
v. 14 " When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future." Ecclesiastes 7 :14 NAS Life Application Study Bible

Joy in God's Creations

I located a wonderful new blog site.  http://heathertimagery.com/blog Heather post beautiful pictures and scriptures that glorify God. She is a photographer who makes day to day events like fishing and ballgames show natural appeal. Pictures taken at her friend's wedding had creativity I have never before seen in wedding photography. I have been inspired by Heather's fun creative way of applying scripture to God's creations and have begun to look up scripture to accompany pictures I take.  Visit Heather at her blog and enjoy  "Scripture and a Snapshot".
V1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.Psalm19: v1 NAS

Strength To The Weary

I am delighted to finally find a site that writes about the role of being the caregiver for others. Caregiving.com has expanded my opportunities to share not only my stories, but to respond to those from all walks of life who have found a venue for expression of cares and concerns of caregiving. Fears, fatigue, physical and emotional stress and the unknowns that are yet to be faced are things that caregivers feel safe in expressing. This week on their home page, I requested membership in a group called Christian Caregiving  and felt blessed to be welcomed into this group.  I make it through each day by the grace of God.


v.28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. 
v.29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
v.30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
v.31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint. Isaiah 41: 28-31 NIV Life Application Study Bible

Fun Shared in the Kitchen

My 15 year old granddaughter and I decided to make a special burger with  ground venison. She cooks with either me or my husband at least once a week and always wants to prepare something different that she can add to her recipe file. We began adding ingredients and the burgers turned out moist and flavorful. Here's the recipe for the masterpiece burger that would probably be just as good if made with ground lean chuck.

Hunter's Choice Venison Burgers

2-2 1/2 pounds ground venison

2 eggs

1 package onion soup mix

1- 6 oz bag soft bacon bit pieces

3/4 cup Fat Free Half & Half

1 slice toasted wheat bread

Salt & Pepper

Thaw the ground venison. Place in medium mixing bowl. Add eggs, onion soup mix and bacon bit pieces. Scrap the crisp bread crumbs from the toast into the bowl. Pour the fat free half and half over the remainder of the slice of toast. Let soak until even the edges are soft. Mash the bread and add bread and milk to the meat mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Thoroughly mix and shape into burgers, thin or thick as you like. We used the George Foreman grill to get both sides of the burger a nice brown crisp while retaining moisture. The meat is so lean that less than 1/2 teaspoon fat  drained off the grill. 
I would love to hear from you if you have a great venison recipe.

Our God is an Awesome God

v6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.  v 7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. v9And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. Genesis 6-8 KJV

The entire mission team walked through a village in Nicaragua to distribute bags of sugar, oil, meal and flour. Glancing off through the dense lush green on the side of the trail, we were awestruck with the glory of God as we saw this volcano in the distance.

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