Faith

What is faith? The American Standard Dictionary defines faith as: Confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea or thing. Belief that does not on logical proof or material evidence.

I say faith is a complete trust and confidence in God, not only trust and confidence but also a reliance on Him as well.

I teach the Middle School Sunday School Class at my Church, grades 6th-8th and this is an Acrynom that I gave my class to remember what Faith is.

F-orsaking

A-ll

I-

T-rust

H-im

When we have Christ in our lives we put everything, our all, all of our trust in Christ. Faith is believing in the unseen. We can't see God, but we know He's real. And we know that He loves us, and that He cares for us, and the He hears us when we speak to Him.

Matthew 17:20, " I assure you;even if you have faith as small as a mustard seed....nothing will be impossible for you."

Have you ever seen a mustard seed? A mustard seed is very small and tiny. We all have days when our faith seems small and when it does, we need to refer to the verse above. If we just have as much faith as a mustard seed is tiny, we can move MOUNTAINS. Isn't that an amazing thought...you gotta have FAITH!

Day 5

Today is Day #5 that I am still in pj's and still sick! Yesterday was the first day since Sunday that I have been out of the bed and that was because I had to go to the Doctor and on Tuesday afternoon when I had to go to the Doctor. Started feeling sick on Saturday evening, just with cold symptoms, by Sunday morning that had developed into a cough, stuffiness, etc. So Sunday, Monday and all day Tuesday until I had to go to the Podiatrist about my heels, I was in pjs in the bed...sick! I was looking so forward to going to the Podiatrist on Tuesday afternoon about my heels, that I made myself go, I was not going to cancel no matter how sick I was and I'm glad that I didn't! I loved him, I believe that I may be on the road to feeling a lot better in my heels, which he diagnoised me with extreme plantar fasciitis. So, I have two exercises to do with my heels, inserts for my shoes, I new presciption for the intense pain, and he also gave me two shots of cortizone in my heels. I go back in one month. My heels are in no pain today!!! Praising the Lord, thank you for a Doctor that knew what to do! God is so good!! And I ordered two pairs of shoes Tuesday evening that are specifically for people with plantar fasciitis....I can't wait to get them in the mail, they look just like normal shoes, so I am so excited about trying them! Yesterday morning, I woke up took the Princess to school and made up my mind that I was sick of being sick! So, I called and actually got an appointment with my PCM and off to the see her I went! I knew that I would get taken care of when I saw her. I love our Doctor, God surely sent her to us, we needed her! It is so nice to have a Doctor that is Christian and isn't afraid to profess it! Love, love, love her! So, wheezing was heard in my lungs, which means bronchitis, which means almost pneumonia, which means I am now on an antibiotic, prednisone, and an inhaler along with my other two daily meds. and my new med for my heels! Plus throw in the tylenol and robitussion with codiene that I have to take at night and that is a grand total of 8 meds.!! I don't care how many meds. I have to take I am just ready to get well! Still raining here and is suppose to rain through tomorrow. I figure it's the perfect week for my body to decide to get sick because we all know that I love to work outside in my garden/yard and that wasn't going to be an option with the rain this week! Praying I am better for our Neighborhood yard sale that we will be participating in on Saturday, if not I will chug through it! Be blessed friends, do something for someone else today that will make the Son shine :)

Rain, Rain and More Rain

It's been rainy here since Saturday afternoon, and there is no sign of it stopping until Saturday. I am not complaining, I love the rain, and it is especially good for my garden. The grass will def. need to be cut this weekend after our neighborhood yard sale on Saturday. We have a garage full of stuff to sale at our yard sale! It will be nice to get it all out of the garage and be able to claim our garage back! I'm still sick, this makes day 3. I am praying that it is just a cold and not the lymphnoid infection that I had a few months ago. I'll give it a few more days, then I'll go to the Doctor. For right now I am just going to continue resting, although I may make a batch of my Granny's chicken-n-dumplings for dinner tonight, this rainy, cold weather puts me in the mood for them, although I can't taste or smell! The kids start their Spring Break this weekend, it looks like they will start their Spring Break with a break in the rain, which will be nice for them. The Major and the Bookworm are planning on camping in the backyard this weekend, we'll probably build a fire in the firepit and roast hotdogs and marshmellows. I know that both of the kids are ready for alittle break from school.....Summer will be here soon! They only have two months of school left, their last day is the last day of May. We'll probably take some vacation soon after they are out. This year we are staying close to home for vacation, we will go to the beach for a week and the mountains. It'll be nice not to have to travel far. And of course the kids will be going to their Christian Summer Camp as well. The Major and I will probably take advantage of the week that the kids are gone and we may go somewhere ourselves. As for now, I am enjoying the rainy day, thanking the Lord for today and the blessings in which He has given me.

The Cottage

Our home, we call the Cottage, is slowing taking on much added TLC and extra features. We are proud to own our own home again, it's fun being able to do things to it and add things as well.

Front of the house has had many updates since we have moved in: shutter replaced, mailbox and post painted, house numbers added to mailbox post, flowers added around mailbox, gutters added, boarder grass added along the front huge flower bed, and up along the sidewalk and around the front flower beds, basketball goal cemented in the ground by the driveway, front porch painted and the trim on the garage, peep hole added to the front door, and the whole house pressure washed and cleaned(by us). I would say that we are finished in the front :) And we are proud, it looks nice and has a very nice curb appeal.

Not only has the front yard taken on a new look, the backyard has been transformed as well: flower beds added along the whole back of the house and shrubs and flowers planted, gutters added to the back of the house, back of house pressure washed(by us) and back porch cleaned, garden fence up and garden planted, asparagus beds cleaned out and border put around them, swing put up, all fruit trees cleaned up around and pine straw added, blackberry and raspberry beds cleaned and border added, shed cleaned out and flower beds added around shed with shrubs and flowers planted, tons of trees and shrubs planted from my Mom's and Grandparents homes. View of the back from when we bought the house to now.....PRICELESS!!

So now on with the new projects! Exciting.....deck was started yesterday, should be done, we are estimating next Saturday :) And of course once the deck is done, flower beds will be added around it to give it alittle punch! After the deck will be the fence for the backyard. Can't wait, it will be nice to have a fence so that the dogs can stay out without us, although they are pretty good about not running off, they usually stay right in the back with us. I also want to paint the white trim around the shed and spray paint the hinges black. Later, we would also like to tile the back porch, maybe we will do that when we are done with the deck ;)

Love, Love, Love being outside! And Love, Love, Love our cottage!!

Danke Schon, Merci Beaucoup, Muchas Gracias, Thank you

Every one in the world knows the phrase, "thank you". If every language can speak it, then why doesn't everyone say it? What does thank you mean?

Thank you: An expression of gratitude.
An acknowledgment of appreciation.

Please and thank you are two things that parents start teaching their children when they are very little, along with yes and no. Or in our case we teach yes ma'am and no ma'am, and yes sir and no sir. I can't stand to hear children say yes or yeah, or no or NO. To me, it's rude and shows no respect, but that is just my opinion. So if we are teaching our children from an early age to say these things, shouldn't we be incorporating them into our life as well? Shouldn't we be an example to our children? If we want them to use manners, we should be using them as well.

I am a strong believer in thank-yous. A thank you is a showing of apprection to someone. A thank you can be verbal or written. Lots of times many have no trouble at all giving verbal thank- yous, but many have trouble giving written thank-yous. This is another big pet peeve of mine. I believe strongly in written thank-yous. I have always sent written thank-yous, I believe that it is an important acknowledgment. Why? A written thank-you is especially important because it is showing the person that did something for you that you value their time and consideration.That you noticed what they have done and that you are very appreciative. I send thank-yous to people that have helped me with projects, or have brought a meal over to our family if one of us has been sick, or if one of us has received a gift say for our birthday or Christmas, etc., or if someone did something like check our mail for us while we were on vacation, etc. You get the idea. Many people receive gifts, etc., from people that don't live close to you. It's especially important to acknowledge that person with a thank-you note, why, for two reasons: #1 it lets the person know that you received their gift, etc., and #2 you are giving a note of gratitude and appreciation. If the person that sent the gift, etc., never hears from the person that they sent something to, how will they know that you received their gift, etc?

Many complain of not having anytime to send thank-you notes. Sorry people, but that is no excuse! We are all busy with our daily routines and life in general, and if we can't take the time to acknowledge what someone else has taken the time to do for us, we are in the wrong. And this is the day of technology.....hello, send an e-mail! We all check our e-mail daily and send e-mails, send a thank-you by e-mail, or text. The most important thing is to send a thank-you somehow.....just do it! Preserve what little traditions we have left, I want my children to learn from me, and when they are out of mine and the Major's home and own their own, I want them to continue carrying on the tradition of sending an old fashioned thank-you note.

There are many references of "thank-you" in the bible:
2 Timothy 1:3 "I thank God for you".
2 Samuel 2:6 "May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this."
Ruth 2:12 "May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done."

It's My Birthday, It's My Birthday, It's My Birthday

If you haven't guessed, today is my birthday. It was actually a nice, warm, spring day today. Usually on my birthday it is cold and rainy. You can never tell what they weather will be like from day to day in the spring here where we live, but today was a really nice day.

I had a really blessed birthday today. The Major woke the kids up this morning, packed the Bookworm's lunch and took the Princess to school. My Mom came up and we went to lunch at the Olive Garden and then went shopping at too many stores to name. We had a fun time hanging out together. I love my Mom!

The Major got home early today and fixed dinner. It was nice not having to cook and being waited on :) We had cake and icecream after dinner followed by presents! The kids got me two beautiful ferns to hang on the front porch. The Major gave me a new Bible cover(which I desperately needed) and a tiller! Yes! I have been wanting a tiller! I can't wait til tomorrow so that I can get out in my backyard and till some spots in the garden!!

Thanking the Lord today for wonderful Christian parents that had me. I am honored to be their daughter. I am also thankful to the Lord that He blessed me with a wonderful, Christian husband. I love the Major with all my heart! I also thank the Lord for my two precious children. They mean the world to me and I love them both, the Princess and the Bookworm, with all my heart.

I praise the Lord because, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made", (Psalm 139:14).

St. Paddy's Day(Luck of the Irish)

Go green people, go green! Hope that you have on your green today because it's St. Patrick's Day. I remember back to when I was little and in Elementary School, I always made sure that I wore green on St. Paddy's Day because all of the mean kids would definately pinch you if you didn't! Mean bully kids, wonder what they are doing in life now!



Our St. Patrick's Day is so nice here, the weather is so warm and beautiful and it's suppose to continue through the weekend. I'm going to definately be outside the whole weekend! I'd rather be outside than inside any day!



This morning I was up and out early, right after the kids were off to school. I had to go back and see my thyroid doctor to get my test results from Tuesday's bloodwork. The Major and I prayed for our Doctor before we went in, we know that he isn't a Christian, it's pretty obvious. We prayed that he would treat me, adjust my meds. so that I can get on the road to getting better! I went in and picked up my lab results prior to my 9:20 appt., so I knew that my levels were off. I'm called in to see him and the Major and I pray we get answers to why I have been feeling so fatigued and so sensitive to cold. So sensitive that I have been having to wear a jacket when I sleep at night! So, my Doctor looks at the results of my plasma and sees that my TSH Sensitive is way too low and that my FT4 is alittle higher than it should be. He said that my FT4 will never be within the normal range and will always be alittle high, but it was higher than he would like for it to be. My TSH was so so low. It was to the point of almost nothing! And if it were to go to nothing, that would not have been good! I think maybe that is why I have had trouble recently when I go to speak and it's hard for me to say things or remember what I want to say or hard to get words out of my mouth because I know what I want to say, I just can't say it. I left seeing my Doctor with a word of caution to not take any thyroid meds. until Monday when I start my new dose. I am praying that my new dosage regulates quickly so that I can start feeling normal again, whatever normal is!



After the Doctor I decided to go to the Commissary....I have not been to the Commissary in like 2 years here! I was dreading it, because there are so many retirees there all the time, but to my surprise it was not bad today! Maybe it's because I went on a Thursday! Anyway, I picked up some groceries which I had about 40 dollars in coupons for....yes! And for now I am watching the show Four Weddings with the Princess. The Major has an engagement with work tonight after work, and the Bookworm is on a field trip(in which his chartered bus broke down and now he will get back 2 hours later), so the Princess stopped and got a yogurt at our Town's yogurt shop on the way home from school, now we're just hanging out spending some Mom/Daughter time together.



Thanking the Lord for answered prayers today :)

Daylight Savings, Decks & Doctors

This past Saturday we set our clocks up an hour, fourtunately, it hasn't affected us in our home. No one has complained about the time or has wanted to sleep later. I know that the Major enjoys getting home with daylight now. Before he left for work in the dark and got home in the dark.

We are starting a new project at our home. The new project for us is putting a deck on the back of the house when you come out of our screened-in porch. The Major and I are so excited about getting this done, it will be nice to have a deck where we can put the grill and patio furniture. Although the patio furniture is in the screened porch as of right now, I can't wait to have it out and on the deck. Ground breaking,I believe the Major said, will be on Saturday, gotta feeling we will buy the wood Friday evening. Next project after the deck will be a fence, and hopefully we will have it up and done before the kids are out of school and before Summer :)

Doctors: Yesterday I spent the majority of the day on Post seeing my Doctors. I called yesterday, "Mom is taking care of herself day", and that is exactly what I did. Starting out the morning I saw my family Doctor and addressed the issue that I have been having with my heels. My heels have gotten to the point that I dread to get up because I know that they are going to hurt me so badly, it brings me to tears. Luckily I have a Doctor whom has the same thyroid disease that I do and she also knew exactly what the problem was with my heels because she has the same problem: advanced plantar fasciitis. What do we do about it? Podiatry consult, which will then in turn give me inserts for shoes/shoes/surgery and possibly a device in which to help my heels at night when I sleep so that they are not so painful when I get up. We will see once I go to the Podiatrist. The other thing that I addressed with her was my hands. Both of my hands have been going to sleep at night when I sleep. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night trying to wake-up my hands. She believes it could be one of two things: carpal tunnel or a reaction to a medicine that I am own. We will see, in the time being, my Doctor has put me in a 24/7 arm splint for my right arm(since my right arm fingers are still numb when I wake up and are numb most of the day) and I got blood work done too, so we will see. At least we are on the road to get answers :) Then after lunch I went back to my Thyroid Doctor, Dr. Blue. I wasn't suppose to see him again until September, but I am sick and tired of being cold all of the time and tired of feeling fatigued all the time too, my thyroid medicine is suppose to be taking care of those problems! So, more blood work was done on the other arm! On Thursday we will see if my levels for my thyroid are off or not. If they aren't then I am supposing that I could be having a reaction/side effect to my thyroid medicine as well. All in all it was a good day, and such a blessing to have a family Doctor that has two of the same problems that I have! It is nice to know someone that stays cold all the time(because you have a thyroid disease) and has to wear a coat or a jacket all the time like I do, and who also sleeps with a jacket on and has layers of blankets on their bed. Someone that knows how painful it is with my heels, someone that knows first hand! And did I mention that she is also a Christian?! What a blessing it is and a difference it makes to have a Christian Doctor.We talk about the Lord and His blessings together, so wonderful! Def. a blessing with being able to see her, because my thyroid Doctor is obviously not a Christian and there is a huge difference when I see the two. The Major and I prayed together for him before we saw him yesterday and we will pray for him again before we see him tomorrow to get my results.

A cloudy, dreary day here today. Hopefully the sun will shine just alittle today because the Princess starts softball tonight. Be a blessing to someone today, be an encourager, be a listener, be a helper, be a friend, be spontaneous, be doer.

Spiritual Tsunami

God is powerful and His love for us is unchanging. I awoke this morning to the news of Japan being hit with a tsunami and a 8.9 earthquake. I immediately began to say prayers for Military friends of ours that are stationed there, then I immediately got on FB to see is they were alright. Praising the Lord that their family is doing well, and I am continuing to pray for the people of Japan. There are so many that lost their lives and belongings. It is a huge devastation.

Not only had Japan been hit, but Hawaii and it's islands were in jeopardy as well. I immediately beginning praying for our Military friends stationed there as well. We have many many friends stationed in Hawaii, and once again I jumped on FB to see if they had posted that they were OK. It was nice to see that a few had posted that they were doing well, but I have still not heard from some. Still praying.

When things like this happen, it humbles us to re-realize how mighty our God is.

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

though it's waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at it's swelling.

God is always with us, no matter where we are, He is always there.

As I saw on a friend's FB page this morning, what we really need here in America is a "spiritual tsunami." Many have lost sight of Christ. It is so sad. Wake-up America, we're dying. When we start knocking God out of government, society, schools, our lives, we will die, America will crumble, we are already crumbling. Take refuge in the ONE who died for you, the ONE who shed His blood for you, the ONE who died for our sins, the ONE who sits at the right hand of the Father waiting to come and call His bride home.

Christ's return is close, closer than it was yesterday, are you ready? If you are, then pray for those that aren't and lift up those that were affected by the earthquake and tsunami.

Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday(Shroud Tuesday),National Pancake Day, Ash Wednesday, Lent & Easter

When March hits we know that we are entering the season of Spring and when Spring is in the air, we know that it is getting close to Easter. I have many friends from all over the world(an advantage to being in the Military), and although we may have different views on some things, we still are friends. Lately, I have been intrigued by some of my friends views or traditions and today I am going to address some of them and what my views and beliefs are.



First, Mardi Gras. What do you think of when you here, "Mardi Gras"? I was talking with the Major about this and the first things that I think of are drinking and rawdy people. Yes, that is what I think of because really what is Mardi Gras, and how did it start? Mardi Gras( known as Carnivale in Italy or Fasching in Germany) dates back 1000's of years. Mardi Gras is a prelude to Lent, the forty days of penance between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. So, traditionally in the days leading up to Lent, people would binge and eat all of the meat, cheese, milk, eggs, etc. in their homes. Why? Because they knew that for several weeks they would only eat fish and fast. Thus, making the day before Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday or Carnivale or Fasching) . What does carnivale(carnelevarium) mean: To take away or remove meat. Regardless of what country "Fat Tuesday" is celebrated, it is still celebrated with drinking and rawdiness. I have lived in Italy and Germany and I have seen this first hand. Crazy! Not only was yesterday "Fat Tuesday", it was also National Pancake Day! Did you have pancakes yesterday?!?



Next, Ash Wednesday. Today is Ash Wednesday and it marks the beginning of Lent. This is usually the time when some will prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting. Many hold Ash Wednesday services, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anglican and Roman Catholics are some that do. During these services, the minister or priest, will rub the sign of the crosss with ashes on the foreheads of worshipers. Why? To show a sign of repentance, mourining, fasting and spiritual discipline. Baptists do not believe in this tradition. Although it does mention repentance and mourning in ashes(Esther 4:1, 2 Samuel 13:19, Job 2:8, and Daniel 9:3), it does not mention Ash Wednesday or Lent.



Next is Lent. What is Lent? Lent is a time when some prepare for Easter by fasting, repentance, moderation or spiritaul discipline. Do all oberseve Lent, no, not all religions or Christians or Churches do. My family and I are Baptist and we, nor our Church observe Lent. Many of my friends observe Lent and I have enjoyed seeing what they are giving up/fasting til Easter. Things such as: chocolate, coffee, internet, FB, tv, sweets, etc. What is fasting? Some connect it or call it a spiritual discipline. Some connect it with prayer, Bible study and meditation. We do not fast or observe Lent. Do we believe in fasting, yes, but as an individual private spiritual matter, not as a centralized church authority commanding worshipers to fast over a certain period. We believe that each individual is responsible and accountable individually to God.



Palm Sunday and Good Friday.....Palm Sunday is the Sunday in which we remember Jesus' triumphal entrance into Jerusalem the week before his death and resurrection. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and many threw palm leaves on the ground as he rode through and waved palm branches as he passed. Good Friday is observed the Friday before Easter Sunday. On this day we, as Christians, remember the passion, suffering, and death on the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ.



Finally, Easter. Easter is the Sunday in which we, Christians, celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Jesus rose from the dead 3 days after he died and we celebrate His resurrection at Easter. Easter is also the one of the two Sundays of the year (the other is Christmas) when you will see your Church packed with limited seating. Very sad to see all of those in Church on Easter that "feel" they should be in Church on Easter (or Christmas) and no other Sunday of the year! Sad, very sad. If we can not attend Church when our Church has services and worship the Lord, then what do you think heaven is going to be like (if you are a Christian)?!?! Heaven is going to be our heavenly home where we will worship the Lord constantly, and praise Him with dancing and singing. Yes, I said dancing! Many Baptist do not believe in dancing, but I am not one of them, it says that we will be dancing in heaven. Don't believe me? Get your Bible out and go to Psalm 149:3, Psalm 150:4, Psalm 150:1-6 and Jeremiah 31:13.



I talked about a lot of things today, but it's things that I have really been thinking about lately especially since we are entering the Spring season. Can friends of different faiths, traditions and religions be friends? You bet they can! If we were all made the same the world would be a very boring place. The only important thing in life is the one very importand decison that you need to make in life, and that is: Where are you going to spend eternity, heaven or hell? Have you invited and asked Jesus into your life? If not, I encourage you to do so. It's so easy to do, as easy as A,B,C.



A: Admit that you are a sinner.

B: Believe that Jesus Christ is God's Son and He was crucified, died and rose again on the third day.

C: Confess that you want Jesus to be Lord of your life. Trust Him to be your Savior and Lord.



Blessings to you!

The Princess

The Princess has had a lot fun lately, and has been enjoying being a Freshman this year in High School. She has always been out-going and this year has been no exception for her. A few months ago, she decided to participate in the Junior Miss Pagent at her School. She had so much fun participating in it and is already talking about doing it again next year. She was so beautiful on stage, we are so proud of her!A few months ago the Princess had Region Band Auditions. She did very well and made 8th Chair Flute in the the Clinic Band for her Region, Region 3 in the State of SC. She is the only Freshman flute player from her School that made it! Last weekend we were honored to hear her play in the Clinic Band Concert. She was so excited, and you could tell she was by the expressions and smiles that were displayed on her face the whole time she was playing. Congrats Princess....Mom and Dad are proud!

The New House: Inside Our Cottage

The inside of our house is finally finished and decorated, it has been for a few weeks. All of my time lately has been devoted to the outside, especially the back yard; pictures of the back yard to come later. I must say that thus far, the back yard has been turned upside down from where it was, it is looking great!

This first picture is of our living room when you first walk in from the front door and are standing in the foyer. You can see Sandy, our dog, we call her the Queen since she rules over the new puppy. My Grandfather's flag, that was draped over his coffin, displayed on the mantel of the fireplace.

This shot is looking at the living room from standing in the kitchen. You can see Daisy, our newest addition, the Bookworm's puppy. The yo-yo quilt, that my Mom made for me when I was a baby, adds that punch to the living room that we needed.Our dining room, as looking at it from the kitchen.

A picture of the kitchen as looking at it from the living room. All of my enamel ware that I collect, most which I found while being stationed in Europe, is showcased from my pot rack. We thought that it would look great hanging from the pot rack since the rest of our house, the walls, are full of painted color.

A couple of views on the way upstairs. You can see Milo, the Princess's cat. My Grandmother's hutch is the piece of furniture pictured here, it was just the right size to put here on the landing go up the stairs.

Next we have the Study upstairs. This is where we have our computer and where the Major does his studying for Seminary. There are a lot of special items in this room that mean a lot to me and the Major. My Grandparents' furniture is pictured here, and his Grandfather's cuckoo clock which you can see hanging on the wall.

Next we have the Hallway upstairs which leads to the Entertainment Room/Kids Upstairs Room.

Finally the last room is of the Entertainment Room/Kids Upstairs Room. This room is one of our favorite rooms in the house. It houses all the kids video games, board games, their computer, tv, etc. It even has a little fridge that is hid away in a cabinet! This is a wonderful place for the kids to hang out with their friends, as you can see in one of the pictures, the Princess is hanging out with her friend.

We love the house and thank God for providing it for us. We had faith and held tight while we patiently waited for it. It was a roller coaster, but in the end it was all worth it! Oh yeah, we do have 3 full baths and 3 bedrooms, but I wasn't up for taking pictures of those, my camera battery died anyway :) Pictures of the outside to come soon!

The Golden Rule: Luke 6:31

The Golden Rule, I am sure that you have heard it before: "Do to others as you would have them do to you." Luke 6:31



Although you have more than likely heard this from the time that you were very little, did you know that it just isn't a saying, or a rule, it's scripture? Look in your Bible in the book of Luke, chapter 6, verse 31.

Wow, yep, right there in the Bible, God's manuscript for us.



We're going to look closer at this verse today. I would say that it is fair to state that all of us would like for everyone to be nice to us and to treat us fairly, but lets face it, it doesn't always happen that way. We are to treat others as we would want them to treat us. Lets get real about that too, sometimes we know that we should treat others the way that we would want them to treat us, but there are lots of times when we don't want to be "nice" to people, but we are anyway. Then there are the times we say oh forget it, they never treat me nice, so I'm not going to treat them nicely.

Don't just sit there thinking I'm never like that, be honest with yourself, yes you are!



If the world was a perfect place, no sin, everyone would be nice and sweet to everyone all the time. But let's face it, because of sin, there is evil and hate in the world.



So what is one to do:

This is something that I have had to deal with, is it easy, NO! Can you prevail, YES YOU CAN! How?!?



I generally try to treat others how I would like for them to treat me, but there are those that can get on your last nerves and whatever you do they don't care how they treat you or others. My answer, try to be as nice as you can to everyone, even the meanies! Usually overtime, they will notice that their actions toward you are not bothering you. What if this doesn't work, and trust me there are those that will be mean to you forever, in this case, remove yourself from the situation. This is what the Major and I tell the Princess and the Bookworm. If there is a problem, then remove yourself from the situation, even if it is a person. No one deserves to treat anyone in a way in which they would not want to be treated or disrepected or talked to. Sometimes it isn't just words, it's actions as well.



We all know that saying, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Ummm yeah, not true! Whoever made this statement is wrong! Words do hurt and so many people abuse their words, and many do not even realize what they say and how they say it.



The Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Luke 6:31



Think before you talk, and listen before you act. How simple, now to put action behind it.

March? Really!

Today is March 1st! Wow...can't believe it is already March!

Garden is done! Wooohooo!!! I have my garden ready to go. Planted beets yesterday, today I plan on planting amy lettuce, onions, carrots, brussel sprouts and whatever else I am forgetting. These have to be planted now, all the other: tomatos, squash, peppers, cucumbers, can't be planted until later.

Give me dirt and I am a happy girl! There is nothing else or anywhere else that I would love to be doing than out in the yard!! Fresh air and God's wonderful nature and earth!

Of course March is my favorite month because I was born on the 21st of March. I love March because that means that Spring is really near. The beautiful flowers and trees start to bloom. All of the bulbs that have been hiding all winter start to emerge and showcase their beauty. This Spring is especially special because we are in our new house and outside holds surprises for us as we eagerly watch as our yard wakes up in front of us. We have no idea what will have flowers and how everything will look. Can't wait! Our cherry trees have already bloomed, and they are beautiful. And yes, they are the ones that you can eat, they are not ornamental :)

New beginnings is what March and Spring is about....with that said, I am changing up my Blog. More to come on that later.