Monday, March 13, 2017

Pages from my Journal ~



Blessings to you, my sweet and faithful followers ~
Just where has this New Year gone?
The hours, days, weeks and months are just zipping by, aren't they?
This has been the strangest winter I have ever experienced
here in the Rocky Mountains.
We have experienced more Eastern like weather;
while it is usually dry here producing light fluffy snow
leaving us with blue skies and cool crisp air,
old man winter has been harsh sending us wet snow, rain, freezing rain, gray skies, 
thawing, below zero temps all creating quite the ice build up on our property. 
 

In January both my husband and I had a nasty fall hitting,
 or rather *SMACKING* our heads on the ice!
For myself, I was out of commission for and entire week
and slept pretty much of that week away with the aid of my essential oils 
then having to resort to Bayer Back & Body to help relieve some of the neck pain. 
My husband, on the other hand, ended up with a concussion
and some short term memory loss. 
When he came in the house not sure of what he was doing that day,
asking where he was to be and what job site was he headed to
I knew we had a problem. 
With the hand of God and time as a healer my husband's memory has come back. 
With grateful hearts we are praising God for the many prayers He answered. 
Our aches and pains have subsided and we now venture out of the house
here on the property wearing our ski helmets, being very careful. 

~~~~~

Donatella has become comfortable with the winter weather here, remember,
 I rescued her from Arizona so she had some adjusting to do. 
The first below freezing temperatures hit her hard, 
she didn't like the cold on her paw paws at all!
I purchased some pretty pink dog boots hoping they would help,
but instead, it was as though she had ice skates on. 
We videoed her skating across the front yard
and had a good laugh at her expense. 
My cup runneth over with the joy she has given me. 
Doesn't she look as if she has found herself a comfortable home?


I love her so much! ♡

For the first time ever I claimed a word for the year, or rather, 
God pressed my heart with a word.
UPLIFTING has been my word and I have to say that it has been
both enriching as well as challenging. 
I have made it my purpose to be UPLIFTING in every conversation 
I encounter and with some that is a huge challenge,
but very rewarding when I aim for words that will uplift,
edify, encourage, strengthen and inspire.
I'm constantly looking to use positive words that will bring blessing. 
My word may be a challenge, but it also holds me accountable. 

~~~~~

My quiet place with the Lord has been rich this year. 
I've always kept a note book where I write out three verses a day
from a book in the Bible.
 I was challenge by a Pastor who inspired me years ago. 
This year I decided to write out chapters in a book of the Bible
and I'm finding that I glean more from a full chapter at a time. 
As a child in school, two of my favorite subjects were dictionary work
writing out the definition and writing my spelling words a number of times. 
I guess you could say that I enjoy writing things down. 

~~~~~

February was my Birthday month and the Lord Blessed beyond!
It was one of those years when my Birthday was celebrated
for days on end and every celebration was joyous. 
Have you ever had one of those Birthdays?
My daughter's both had the same thoughts in their gift giving, 
spring time and gardening, I was thrilled!
Thank you to those of you who knew it was my Birthday
and sent your love and best wishes. 
My heart was certainly blessed! ♡


My dear Stephenie gave me one of her fiction books to read back in the Fall
and it took me months to pick it up and read. 
Stephanie knows that my reading material is usually
Spiritual growth books and missionary stories, 
but she believed I would enjoy *Waves of Mercy* by Lynn Austin,
and boy was she right!
Once I picked that book up I could hardly put it down
and I realized just a few chapters in that I was going to need 
a box of tissues and some eye drops.
What a tremendous Author Lynn Austin is!
Here is Stephanie's book review should you want to know more,
but from my heart I must share that throughout the book
I appreciated how the Author spoke about faith in God. 
One of the main characters struggled with her faith
through years of trials and change that took place in her life, 
but she shared with her granddaughter some encouraging words
that struck me right in the heart and the Author 
couldn't have expressed it more beautifully.
I have to share these words with you ~
♡♡♡
"I'm overwhelmed by how much my grandmother has endured
during her lifetime. I marvel at Oma Gessje's abiding faith 
in God through it all.  I tell her so when she comes outside
to sit with me on the porch."
"It has so much more to do with God's faithfulness
to me than the other way around, " she replies.  
"But you have done so much during your lifetime, "I tell her. 
"I know God probably has a purpose for my life, too,
but I don't know what it is. "
She smiles in her gentle way,  "Often it's not one great, 
dramatic thing that God asks us to do but hundreds
of little everyday things.  If we want to be used by Him,
if we're ready to be used and aren't all tangled up with our own
plans  and projects,  then He'll show us the work He has for us. 
He sees your heart, Anneke. 
You can trust Him to direct your path. "
♡♡♡
I cried and cried when I read these words ~
"It has more to do with God's faithfulness to me."
That is so true! 
Many times our faith is weak, but our Great God is the faithful One. 
There is comfort in knowing that my God will be faithful 
even during those hard times in my life when I'm not so faithful. 
I also appreciated the Authors way of expressing God's plan for our lives, 
it's the every day little things that make up our lives
not some dramatic thing that God asks us to do. 
I can remember when my girls were young
I would remind them that in life we will have moment by moment choices
that we will have to make, so make right and good choices
in your every day life situations.

~~~~~

As I come to the close of this post I must share that it's 
the time of year when I head south to enjoy warmer weather
and spend some time with my mother. 
I will be leaving my winter gear behind, no more ski helmets,
walking tracks on my boots and warm down jackets.  *Yippee*
I'll be away from my Blog until April,
returning with excitement for Stephanie's Teacup/Mug reveal party. 
That dear girl puts such love and time into theses exchanges
and I know you dear ladies who participate
enjoy the blessings that are poured out.
Stephanie is a beautiful and gracious hostess.
As Stephanie's mother, I have the privilege and joy
of hearing your testimonies through her, and what a blessing it is. 
I'll be thinking of you all as you gather up your treasures
and send them off to the lady who's name you've been given,
enjoy and have fun. 
See you back here in the Spring!!

God's Blessings and joy to you!
~ Debbie ~

34 comments:

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

I am so glad to read that you and your husband both recovered from your falls onto the ice. How scary! Have a wonderful time with your Mom in warmer climate, enjoying spring.

Belated Happy Birthday ~ Love & hugs ~ FlowerLady

Sylvia said...

So thankful your and your husband are doing better, Debbie. That was scary! I agree it's God's faithfulness that carries us through these times in our lives. Praises to God!
Enjoy your time with your Mother and stay warm.

Anonymous said...

Good morning dear friend...I am sorry that both you and your husband got hurt while falling on ice. Here in the mountains, that is such a constant that we have learned to read the black ice under all the fluffy snow :) Praising Our Lord that you and your hubbie are doing fine. Happy Belated Birthday! February is also my daughter's birthday month. Miss A. has reached 18 years old. Unbelievable! How joyful that you will be able to visit your mother and spend some time with her. Both my parents live in the South, and since the diagnosis, it is just too hard to travel by plane by myself. But Our Lord will provide the perfect time that I need to travel back. Well...enjoy your time away sweet friend :) mari

September Violets said...

I'm so glad to hear you and your husband eventually recovered from your falls. That's a scary thing, but you knew who to call on for help. Your dear pup looks quite happy to spend the rest of winter snuggled in a blanket. I put booties on my dog last winter, and they helped keep them free of ice and salt (his big issues). They were 'disposable', like thick balloons, and stayed on his feet even when he ran through deep snow. I really enjoyed this post with little snippets of your walk with God. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Good luck with your inspirational word. That really would be a challenging one, but I'm sure you'll find uplifting becomes very natural to you the more it is practiced. Have a wonderful week, and Happy Birthday! I hope you have a great time with your mom.
Wendy

Debby Ray said...

Oh my goodness, Debbie...I am so sorry you and your hubby took those awful falls but Praise God that you are both okay now...how scary that must have been for both of you. Although I don't do it as often as I need to, I too have always like writing thoughts and prayers down by hand...mostly to be able to go back and read how God had answered prayers and such. Donatella looks so comfy there all snuggled on the couch...aren't our fur babies so precious to us? I sometimes am in awe of God creating these darling fur babies for human companionship. They bless our lives in so many ways. Well, listen Debbie dear, you have a WONDERFUL visit with your mom in Arizona. I know you will come back refreshed and renewed! Hugs and safe travels! ♥♥♥

AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa said...

How nice to catch up with you. So happy to hear you are doing well after your fall. How scary for both you and your husband! Happy Birthday and have a wonderful time with your Mom.

Anonymous said...

Thankful that you and your husband are better from your nasty falls. Your sweet dog is absolutely precious. I wish you a very nice visit with your mother.

Christine said...

Dear Debbie, thank you for this post, it was truly UPLIFTING! Thank you for sharing God's faithfulness to you and your family and I'm so glad both you and your husband have made good recoveries.
Wishing you a very blessed time in the days ahead!

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Yes, "UPLIFTING" is a wonderful word...and I feel so "uplifted" just reading your post today. So thankful that you and your hubby are OK after such terrible falls on the ice. I know you will be thankful to get into the warmer weather in the south and spend time with your mother as well. Have a safe and happy journey. We will look forward to hearing all about it when you return.

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Oh my goodnes, dear friend, I'm so glad you and your hubby have recovered from your falls to your heads. God bless you both, and I know God has definitely UPLIFTED both of you. Your Donatella looks so happy and comfortable in your home. What a joy! May you have a good visit with your mom and then you have Spring and gardening to look forward to. Love and blessings to you.

Pom Pom said...

Your pup is cozy!
I am SO sorry that both you and your husband fell and hit your heads! Yikes! I hope you are okay. Be careful!
Rest. When spring comes there are so many things to do.
God bless you, sweet friend.

Dianna said...

What a beautiful and heartwarming post, focusing on the faithfulness of God, Debbie. Thank you so much.

Your Stephanie is such a gracious lady. She's such a blessing.

I will miss you while you are gone, but enjoy your time with your mother.

xx
Dianna

Karen said...

I didn't know about your falling. I am so grateful you are feeling better and your husband is recovering. I have had a few falls, and I know how it slowed me down for a while.
God bless you.

Regina said...

Oh Debbie I'm so sorry to hear that both of you fell down! I'm glad you two recovered as falls can be very painful. Enjoy your visit with your mom here in AZ. Where will you be visiting? I'm near Prescott.

Rose L said...

Have you read the book THE SHACK? I did ad just recently got to see the movie. Both are wonderful! I wrote about it on my blog. Touching and poignant.

Cheryl said...

I am SO sorry for your falls this winter, bless your dear hearts. I am so thankful for God's mercy in healing you both and not allowing things to be any worse than they were. Happy Belated Birthday! It looks like you had a wonderful time and received many much-deserved blessings. God is SO good! Thank you for sharing with us, dear friend, and enjoy your time away with your dear mother. God bless and protect you until we "meet" here again. Much love and many blessings to you!

Kim said...

Another lovely post, Debbie. So glad you and your husband are now well. How nasty to fall like that. I agree about those little moments of every day, where we can decide to enjoy them and live them in an uplifting and beautiful way. You are much loved and thought of if the lovely cards and sentiments displayed on your table are anything to go by. A belated happy birthday, lovely lady. Have the most wonderful time with your precious mother. Enjoy all that lovely, warm weather.

Melanie said...

Oh my, Debbie. I am so sorry to hear of your falls. How scary for your husband and you when he had the memory loss. I'm so glad to hear things are better. Happy Belated Birthday to you. I'm glad that your gifts were so spring-like. Enjoy your time from the blog and we will see you in April. By then I will be in Tennessee!! Be blessed.

hobbyloes said...

Oops, what an awful falls from your both, luckily its going better with you and the memory of your husband.
You've had beautiful birthday presents.
Donnatella is so cute she is totally at home with you.

Brenda said...

Hi Debbie,
glad to hear that you and your husband are well now, falling on ice can be very dangerous. Thank the Lord for His healing power. I love how you have rescued you little doggie. All our cats have been rescue cats, and one brindle female lived until she was twenty four years old - hard to believe I know, but brindle females live longer than other cats.
Have a lovely break, relaxing and enjoying yourselves.

Celestina Marie said...

Hi Dear Debbie, So glad you and your hubby and doing better. Not fun to take a fall. Sometimes the effects happen long after the fall.
Such a lovely post filled with beauty and encouraging words of hope and love.
Your sweet pooch is a darling. He looks so sweet curled up sleeping so peaceful. Love your beautiful birthday table. I know it had to be very special with your families love and pampering. You so deserve it.
Looking forward to the exchange ones again. Stephanie makes each event so wonderful and this one being #10 is special!!
Wishing you springtime blessings soon. Six more days!! Yeahhhhh!!
Blessings to you my friend. xoxo

Anonymous said...

So sorry for your hard times, but grateful that you and your husband are well again, thank the Lord! Happy belated birthday, and enjoy your trip! :)

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

Uplifting - yes indeed, that is a word that the Lord indeed is using through you! Your posts never cease to serve up a joyous blessing of encouragement. Such a terrible thing that both you and your husband suffered a fall this year on the ice. Oh, that is one thing I worried about here too - even going outside to feed the chickens or get the mail was dangerous, and something I had to do. I'm so thankful though that both of you recovered, that is indeed such a scary thing! The Lord is so good!

And look at all the beautiful blessings that came your way for your birthday, oh what a beautiful display - it just shows how much the Lord loves you through all your friends and family who love you :)

I love that sweet Donatella, I know she is a sweet precious little cuddler, and companion for you! On that long trip to Arizona I bet, she, you and the Lord will have a time! I will be praying for you as you travel, and will miss you, but am thankful for the time you will be with your mother. Hopefully all that snow and ice will be melted when you get back! And the teacup exchange - yeah!!!! So exciting :)

Hugs to you today dear friend, your friendship is so precious to me :)

Creations By Cindy said...

Dear Debbie, I am so glad that you and your husband are okay now. WOW! That is truly frightening my friend. God's hand was upon you both. So glad that you had a wonderful birthday. Another year that our Lord has granted us to enjoy the life that He has given us! Sounds like your little getaway will be warmer for you for sure. Stay safe dear lady. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

Lady Linda said...

Good morning Debbie....oh my! I was so sorry to read about your falls and your injuries. i do hope you are feeling better now. Take good care of you and your hubby. I am so ready for spring! It's so wet and rainy here now...flooding and more landslides. Ugh.
Love your joyful spirit. It lifts me up.

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

Dear Deb- I am so sorry to learn of your and your husband's fall. It is SCARY! I fell and knocked myself unconscious last year on black ice right in front of my front porch! I didn't have any residual problems, thank the merciful Lord Above.....but it scared my husband half to death himself. You poor two!!!

As for your birthday past, please allow me to say "Belated Happy Birthday Blessings" be yours now and for the whole year! By the looks of that table I think you have been blessed, indeed. ♥

Hugs.

likeschocolate said...

What a beautiful journal. I use to write in one, but now I keep mine all online. What a darling dog too. Have a lovely weekend!

Anne Payne said...

Debbie, How horrible for both of you but I am SO GLAD there is no lasting damage and that it was not worse!!! God is the great Healer! I know you'll enjoy some warmer temps. Have fun and soak up some rays. I, too, am looking forward to turning off the heat! :) Lots of love to you. sweet friend! Talk soon...

Deborah Montgomery said...

What a good idea to have a re-cap of a season. I think it's a good idea to remember what we've been through, what we've suffered and what we've enjoyed and what the Lord is teaching us through it all. I enjoyed reading this. Oh, a fall on the ice can be so serious. Glad you are both recovering.
Have a wonderful trip dear Debbie, and come back refreshed, and hopefully, to some beautiful spring weather.
xo Deborah
your little Donatella is a dear.

Sue said...

As always, Debbie your thoughts are so encouraging, and uplifting. I am glad to read that you and your Dh have healed from your falls! God is always so faithful.
Enjoy this break and time spent with your mother, and the warmer weather! ~smile~
I have been absent from blogging for some time but am hoping to return soon!
Yes, Stephanie is such a wonderful person and hostess, Maybe next time I can join the exchange!
Blessings,
Sue

Daniela said...

It's always such a delight to my heart to come and visit you here, Darling Debbie and to read your so lovely words filled with Wisdom and Faith !

May your break be generous with peace and contentment, enjoy your time, my lovely lady !

Thank you again for this so lovely post and for having shared Grandma Anneke's words, they've sincerely touched my heart !

With sincere love and gratitude

XOXO Dany

Kelly @ Homespuns 'n Hayfields said...

Hi Debbie, I was shocked to hear about both of your falls. They sounded serious! I'm glad you're doing well now and off to be with your mom in warmer temperatures. Did you take Donatella with your? I'm assuming you did. I'm sure she would enjoy the warmer temperatures again. Dad told us last night that Randy is checking into something...we smiled! Take care, Kelly.

Sheryl said...

Goodness, what dreadful falls you and your husband experienced, ice is so dangerous. What a beautiful dog Donatella is and may you enjoy your winter stay in warmer surroundings.

Linda Walker said...

Dear Debbie,
My goodness, so sorry to read about your falls. Glad to hear that you are both fine. Concussions are scary....my middle daughter recently suffered one and spent quite a bit of time recovering after 2 trips to the ER. My oldest daughter suffered one about a year ago and was out of commission for quite some time. I told my youngest to put on a helmet whenever she goes out! ;)

It will be nice to spend some time with your mom and it will be much warmer....Enjoy and relax!

Your sweet pup is so cute! I can tell you are so in love with her. Our pets do bring us so much joy!

Will look forward to your return and of course the great tea cup reveal! Stephanie spoils us with all this fun! Take good care, xo
Linda

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