Mailbox…
Who doesn’t like walking down to the mailbox? Maybe yours is by your door and you don’t have to go far – or maybe yours is grouped with others and so sometimes its a meeting place…
I think the postal carrier smiles whenever she/he comes across an out of the ordinary, ‘look at me’, load me up mailbox…there are some creative boxes out there!
The sad thing is the art of letter writing or sending a note is becoming a thing of the past… My mother made me send a thank you note for everything someone did for me or gave to me. I, in turn, made my children do the same…
If someone has a birthday, an anniversary, graduates, buys a home, is sick, there’s a card for every occasion – and I don’t know for sure but I bet not many of those make it in the mail anymore. In some respects at forty-nine cents for postage I can understand. But getting a card in the mail is the b-e-s-t…just a simple ‘thank you’ or ‘I’m praying for you’ – brightens anyone’s day…
Now I can’t put down email and texts, I do plenty of that myself, but seriously – you can’t hold a text, sit it on your desk or counter, smile over it more than once…
I have a friend I haven’t seen in 20 years and she still writes me about a twice a year…I l-o-v-e getting her letters.
My poor hubby had to learn over many years that though I think flowers are nice and a gift is sweet, what really makes my heart beat is a note or card with words of love written in it from him.
I can tell a friend that I’m thinking of her, praying for her – but I can show her and give her something to look at for a little while if I write some thoughtful words and include a verse.
So go to the dollar store, load up on some note cards, some special occasion cards, some pretty paper – and even if its just a couple of lines, tell someone you’re thinking of them…
Oh, and maybe you could jazz-up your mailbox a little and give your neighbors and your postal carrier a smile…
Squishing Worms…
In the garden department I spotted an ‘all in one’ plant, a combination of several small flowering beauties that grow well together. The dangler on the collection said ‘it’s small now, but put in a large container and watch fill it out and give beauty for months to come’. What a great idea, I only have to make room for this amazing combo and it will do the rest!
Sure enough, it did – spreading out, overflowing, and cascading down the sides of the planter. Wow, container heaven! Then one day I went out to find half eaten flowers, leaves with holes – each passing day it got worse. Time to investigate – slipping on some gloves I began to pull individual stems away from each other – yuck – juicy worms…
Feasting at the expense of my ‘beauty for months to come’. I reacted the way any loving gardener would: I plucked one off, threw it on the ground – and without the least hesitation, squished it. After doing that another six times, I isolated the plant before the hungry critters got the idea to try the smorgasbord of other containers nearby…
Early mornings and evenings (when I remember, out of sight out of mind you know) will find me plucking worms. I truly don’t understand why God didn’t make worms to only enjoy weeds instead of just the good stuff…
This isn’t my first encounter with worms, I tried zucchini in the garden once. Everybody can grow zucchini I was told. No sooner would mine get about a 1/2 inch around and about 2 inches long when I would discover a worm had eaten right up the middle of the little zucchini! Tomatoes, have you seen the worms that tomatoes get? They are disgusting to squish, but what’s a girl to do?
I guess, in the end, worms are a lot like us. God could have made it so we only liked broccoli and spinach and not the good stuff like ice cream and bread loaded with butter… Hmmm, glad I’m at the top of the food chain, don’t want to get squished over my raid on chocolate chip cookies…
If you stopped by because you read my devotion over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME! So glad you are here!
Resurrection…
Our good friend and pastor in California recalled the following story when his oldest daughter was six… His wife couldn’t pick her up from school and had asked Larry to get her. Realizing he was running late he got over to the school as fast as he could. The younger children wait behind a fenced area by their classrooms and as Larry got out of the car it was easy to tell no one was left. As he walked through the gate he spotted Kelsey sitting crosslegged by her classroom door. He thought to himself ‘She’ll never forgive me, I won’t get to walk her down the aisle, I’m a terrible dad’. As he got closer he could hear Kelsey singing. She jumped up when she saw her daddy, smiling and saying “Hi, daddy!”. Larry said “Oh, Kelsey, honey, I’m so sorry I’m late, please forgive me, were you scared?” Kelsey said “No daddy, I wasn’t scared I KNEW you would come for me.”
As God’s children we can have the same childlike faith, daily saying: “I KNOW He will come back for me’…
Max Lucado said in his book The Final Week of Jesus – “The story of the gospel: Jesus piercing His hands in order to prick our hearts.”
What a great word picture for us to ponder today, Good Friday. Sometimes I wonder how today got the name ‘Good’ when it seems that what happened about 2000 years ago was so horrible. But then I remember: what He did was definitely good for me and for you…and He did promise to come back for us.
When Easter is no longer just eggs and baskets, dresses and dinners – it becomes thankfulness and gratefulness…
These are lovely: grandmas in hats and little boys in bow ties – church and worship songs – jelly beans and chocolate – tables set and savory dishes passed around. But this is a remembrance – not just a ritual celebration. Remember Who it is about and what He did for us.
A rugged cross with nails – a crown of thorns – a bloodied man – a final breath… a reminder of a great love and the hope of eternity and all it promises…
Wishing you a thank-full, grace-filled, blessed Easter celebration – may the pierced hands always prick our hearts…
If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME! So glad you are here! Please stop by on Fridays as well, Paris Renae is new each Friday!
Aprons…
Aprons are making a comeback, at least I think they are. I see them in gift stores, home stores, clothing stores, everywhere…
My grandmother, better known as Nanny, always had an apron on – but she always had a dress on too. While there are lots of things about the ‘old days’ worth missing, I for one am glad that we don’t have to wear dresses all the time.
Just a couple of years ago my friend related the story of how she was baking cookies with her granddaughter and she didn’t want her to get stuff all over her cute outfit so she tried to put an apron on her. She wouldn’t have anything to do with it, especially since her grammy wasn’t wearing one. When I asked her why she wasn’t wearing one, she told me she only had one – the one she was trying to put on her granddaughter.
I was astounded, who only has one apron? That may be a silly question these days. Maybe most people don’t have any. But between ones that have been passed down, one that my daughter made for me, and one my daughter-in-love gave to me, I have several. You can guess what I’ve been sending as gifts to my best friend since then…
I recently read the story of a woman back in the 1800s whose husband was gone a lot looking for work to feed his family. This left her home to mother their 10 (yes ten) children and to take care of their home. It was said of her that when she needed to have quiet time with God, she would sit in a chair and pull her apron up over her head. The vivid picture left me smiling for a long time…
I’ve noticed if I work in the kitchen without an apron on, I get stuff on me – but if I put an apron on, I usually don’t even get anything on the apron. Got to be a life lesson there right? Something about being prepared…
Be sure to answer the weekly poll question on my site, I’m curious how many people have aprons…
Fresh Air…
Time to throw open the windows and…breathe, don’t you think?
First day of spring, that’s today. Time for fresh air…
Changing seasons, changing us. Fresh air – like a cool, clear morning. A float down a lazy stream. A drive down a back road to…nowhere.
Fresh air – like toes in the sand and fresh ocean sea spray, hiking a mountain with blue skies above, a meadow bursting with wildflowers.
Spring with all its hopes and newness, has it become ordinary? But it isn’t – it’s still…miraculous. Baby birds, tiny lizards, new lambs, baby opossums. Green pushing up through warming soil, flowers dressed better than any fashion designer could dream.
How grand are the March winds giving way to April showers – how renewing the grass being mowed, soil being turned, the chatter of birds in migration.
Ordinary is us doing our day to day and missing it – until we don’t. Until we step out with kids in tow and breathe in fun. Barefoot and spinning in circles on the grass isn’t just for 4 year olds.
Inhale promise, exhale hope: the 13 year old inventor wowing men and women twice or more his age; the wrinkled face with glint in eyes remembering ‘back when’ but lives ‘here and now’ touching your soul…
Kissing the neck of the one you love, that oh so familiar, yet brand new scent. Walking in the cool of the day, exhaling serenity…
Fresh air – free for the taking, and for the sharing. Inhale His creation, no ordinary here…
Seeds of…
Eighteen years ago I dug up a tiny sapling from beneath the huge tree in our front yard. I went to the back yard and gauged where I thought it should go (seriously I thought it was way far from the deck). Today it has reached that maturity point where it is producing a kajillion seeds. At the time I planted it, it seemed like a good idea. My vision: It will grow as big as it’s parent and provide some shade and separation from the neighbors. Reality: shade, separation, lots of leaves (twice a year) and now these feathery seed things…
Kajillion is a number I’m sure – it’s just not countable. So what does one do when a kajillion seed things are everywhere? My husband decided a drastic trimming was needed, I’m not so sure – but we shouldn’t have any seeds for a while…
When at Home Depot or the Dollar Store and they have those displays of seeds showcasing all the things you can grow, for eating or looking pretty, I have to stop to look at them. Sometimes I can’t help it – I buy a few. Sometimes I even get around to planting them…
I have had sunflowers grow from seeds, really cool. I have had carrots grow from seeds, strange (see pic to see what I mean). Marigolds are really good to grow from seeds, beware they actually throw their own seeds everywhere and marigolds come up no where near where they started – that’s ok, surprises are fun…
I’ve noticed that the seed I put in the dirt never looks anything like what grows up reaching for the sky. Like us – we start out in the secret place of our mother’s womb and emerge a little person. As we grow, change, and mature at some point we become what God means us to be. Along the way we shed many leaves (disbelief, unkindness, worry) and produce fruit (faith, love, patience).
Plant some sunflowers – they’re easy. Share them when they grow, spreading sunshine. Has someone caused you to grow in unexpected ways? Do you have a story that will encourage another’s growth? Leave a comment and spread a few Seeds of Wisdom with the rest of us (pictures are welcome too)…
If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME! So glad you are here! Click on the Living Braver link at the top, perhaps fear is an issue you would like to chat about…
Handkerchiefs?
I have a collection… A little unusual as the use for these originally was to blow your nose…
My collection started when my Nanny, a.k.a. grandmother, died and I was sent a few of her things. Some were doilies she had crocheted and some were her pretty handkerchiefs. I have a feeling she never used them for their intended purpose, or at least she washed them well…
Since then whenever I wander around an antique store I am drawn to the linens. I love looking at the old tablecloths, napkins, quilts, pillowcases – and hankies…
Having grown up in the Kleenex era, I had to look up how the name handkerchief originated – putting together the various information it appears that kerchief was a covering usually for the head – these were for covering your hand when you sneezed, coughed, blew your nose.
Men continued to use the plain white ones well into the second half of the 20th century, I can remember my daddy and uncle pulling theirs out of their pockets and ‘using’ them (gross…)
I like the Renaissance era of handkerchiefs where the fair maiden dropped hers so the handsome courtier would pick it up for her…
My mother taught me how to crochet when I was little. Once I got the hang of using the crochet needle she showed me how to make a pretty pattern around a plain handkerchief. I taught my daughter how to cross stitch and embroider, one of the first projects she did was to embroider a rose onto a handkerchief…
When a friend’s child gets married I have started giving them a handkerchief as a keepsake of the special day (and to dab away the tears)…
Hand me downs through the generations, no telling what my grandchildren will make of my collection. In this age of disposable everything, it will be fun explaining to them what they were intended for…
the Violas are back…
I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like remembering — remembering their childhood, remembering crazy things they did, remembering a loved one, remembering God’s faithfulness, remembering how things used to be…
It is fun to watch the animated faces as people recall and often act out their fond memories. You should see us Floridians remember the hurricanes of ’04 and ’05 – our tales of being without power for weeks, blue tarp roofs, long gas lines…
Watch a senior tell how it was when they grew up, places that are big cities now were their stomping grounds as children…
Watch moms tell about their baby’s antics, or a dog owner his best friend’s accomplishments…
Watch a baby boomer tell about the concerts he went to or the clothes she used to wear…
Recently I heard the story of how a now sixties something woman used to go out to play in the morning and not be back home til dinner – the freedom and innocence of that time makes one wish for those days again. Or how we used to leave our doors unlocked when we left home and didn’t give it a second thought…
Women love to tell the details of their pregnancies – divulging information that the other person simply must know…
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“The way you live your ordinary days is what adds up to your one extraordinary life.” Ann Voskamp
The point is: tell your stories. Right now my story is how I planted a whole bed of violas last spring instead of vegetables. Just going out and looking at them as they spread and the colors changed brought such joy. Their bright faces always light up mine. So this year I put in some herbs at the end of the bed, but I couldn’t resist doing the rest in violas again…
L. O. V. E.
Do you know these people? She always shows up with a baked goodie when she comes over. He always gets called upon for help with home repairs. She has an infectious laugh that warms your heart. He has a way of putting his arm around your shoulder and calling you friend. These people are…
I want to be one of those people, someone Living Out Valentines Everyday…
Each year about 1 billion Valentines Day cards are sent (2nd only to Christmas in card sales). That’s a lot of love circulating through the mail… Speaking of which…
A year ago on Valentines Day Paris Renae The Stories of Our Lives was launched with a sweet love story from yesteryear. Today, a brief story called: Lost Valentine…
Charlie was 19 in 1969. He and Carol had been dating for a little over six months. The first draft during the Vietnam War was broadcast on television for all to see – and Charlie’s number came up. The holidays were bittersweet as they spent as much time together as they could before he shipped out for bootcamp.
Carol clung to Charlie outside the bus station in the small town they lived in. She told him she would be waiting for him. He promised to write and told her to look for a Valentine from him. True to his word a beautiful valentine filled with loneliness arrived from Charlie right on time. The last line read, we will ship out for Vietnam immediately after bootcamp.
Carol never heard from Charlie again, he was listed Missing In Action in the spring of 1971. A year later Carol married and raised a family. Now a widow she spent most of her time volunteering at the local hospital and one particular nursing home where a lot of Vietnam vets resided.
Carol made a big deal of holidays for all those she visited making sure everyone got at least a card and candy cane at Christmas, a card and a chocolate on Valentines day, and so on. This year as she sat assembling her cards and chocolates for Valentines day, the doorbell rang…
A mail carrier stood with a letter encased in plastic and explained that when an old mail facility on the other side of town was recently prepared for demolition a bundle of mail had been found and this one had been addressed to her. They had tracked her down through town hall records for the year 1971 and matched it to her married name. The carrier handed it to her “Is this you, ma’am?”
Carol recognized the handwriting on the envelope and shakily took the card. “Yes, it’s me. Thank you.” Closing the door she sat by the window in the waning sun. The stamped post date was February 7, 1971. The letter was a handmade Valentine.
“My dearest, Carol, forgive me for not writing all these many months. It’s all pretty depressing over here and I could never figure out what to write. But Valentine’s day gave me a happy topic. I have covered this in hearts and each one is a kiss and hug from me. They say I will be allowed to come home in March for a month. If you can forgive me and haven’t moved on, I will look for you at the bus station. Love xoxoxo Charlie”
Carol folded the letter – how many other Valentines never returned back home to those that loved them? Many that did often returned home to ridicule. More determined than ever, she decided each card should have two chocolates this year…
Thank you for allowing me to share each week with you. I would love to hear from you, you can email by clicking on Contact on the website…
If you stopped by because you read my devotion today over at Encouragement Cafe, WELCOME! So glad you are here! Click on the Living Braver link at the top, perhaps fear is an issue you would like to chat about…
parisrenae 
Delight…
Posted on March 6, 2015 by Paris Renae
2 Comments
Did you know its both a verb and a noun? Something you ‘do’ – and something you ‘get’. Sometimes we hold back and don’t describe things with fun words like this…
Homemade apple pie with vanilla ice cream and crunchy crust is delight-full. A blue sky spring day complete with birds chirping, a lawn mower going in the distance, and slight breeze is delight-full! A little toddler looking up from mud pie making with chubby toes and pleased smile is delight-full!
The next time a friend asks me to lunch I think I will say “Yes, that would be delight-full!” At the store when they say “It’s senior discount day, do you qualify for our 15% off?” instead of thinking ‘yuck, yes’ I will say “That would be delight-full!”
Finding a front parking space, getting to your appointment five minutes early, a hairdresser who hides all your gray, a $5 off coupon for eating out, the way a cat sleeps without a care in the world — these are all, you guessed it, DELIGHT-FULL…
Thinking… What about the verb part? How can we delight others? As in our smiles, words, thoughtful notes, phone calls, emails, encouragement, helping hand, teaching how to make something – with these and many more we can be delight-full to someone else…
I want to hear from you… What delights you? How have you been a delight lately? Join in, leave a comment, you never know – what you share just may delight another – for sure it will be a delight to hear from you…
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