Celebrating our 40th Wedding Anniversary ♡

 "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."

~ Genesis 2:24 ~

♡

One man and one woman in a lifetime commitment.

God never intended for man to be alone ~

"And the Lord God said, "It is not good that man should be alone;

I will make him a help meet for him."

~ Genesis 2:18 ~

The very bone from which woman was crafted came from man.

"And Adam said, 

This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: 

she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

~ Genesis 2:23 ~

Woman was taken out of Man, then presented to man in order to complete him.

We were created in the image of God with physical and emotional needs

that only another human being could meet.

It is not good that man should be alone.

♡ ♡ ♡ ☆ ☆ ♡ ♡ ♡

42 years ago on the ski slopes of Vail Colorado

where I was a chair lift operator and my husband was visiting from Canada

we met...and fell in love. 

We believe it was the hand of God that brought us together,

and for 40 years He has kept us together.

We had a long distance relationship for two years before we married

which involved a lot of letter writing, and believe me, 

there was A LOT of snail mail sent both ways. 

Back then there were no cell phones and using a land line was quite costly.

If we phoned at the wrong time of the day it could cost as much as $1.00 a minute.

My husband remembers paying a $120.00 phone bill one time, 

 that was a lot of money back then. Ouch!

For myself, saving up for a long phone call was well worth it,

I was in love. 😍

♡ ♡ ♡ ☆ ☆ ♡ ♡ ♡

A while back I was reading some of A. W. Tozer's collections

and in his book "The Purpose of Man" he spoke on

 "The absolute worth-ship of Christ", he was writing about

"The Lord of All and His Bride."

"Our Lord Jesus Christ came into the world that He might

save us from the ugliness of sin to a beautiful heaven. "

How beautiful are those words A. W. Tozer penned!

"The old Testament gives us the story of a man named Isaac.

His father, Abraham, called for his servant to go find an

acceptable bride for his son (see Genesis 24). 

With the help of the Holy Spirit, that old servant went down into the town Abraham indicated and found a young woman there. 

The Bible pictures her as being very beautiful. 

Her name was Rebekkah and she must have been beautiful, 

because the servant was instructed to find a 

bride that was beautiful to look upon. 

Isaac is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

God the Father sent the Holy Spirit out among the 

people of the world to win a bride for Christ, 

one that was worthy of Him. "

One that was worthy of Him!

What a beautiful picture.

Those words actually took my breath away as I read them,

one that is worthy of Him, sigh...

As a wife, I am constantly asking myself, am I worthy?

Am I honoring the man God has blessed me with?

Am I the help meet God desires of me to be

each and every day of our lives together?

Daily in great humility I bow before the throne of God,

seeking His face as a wife, for I long for nothing else but Thee

as I strive to be first, worthy of God, then worthy of my husband.

Without God in my life, it would be extremely difficult

to be the wife I so desire to be. 

It is only by the grace of God that I am who I am.  

"The bride's significance was to rest in the groom.

She has no worth of her own, but her worth lies in her

relationship to the groom. Jesus Christ is the groom

and is worthy of our love, adoration and joyful worship.

Rebekkah was merely the daughter of her father.

But, when she was taken to Isaac, she took on a new identity-the identity

of her groom."

A picture we all know that comes with marriage,

the taking of our husband's name, such an honor to him!

Our identity is now in our groom.

"Our identity is now in our Groom. The past identity is now forgotten, 

with all its obligations. Our Groom is now our identity, 

and nothing in our past matters anymore. 

The bride not only takes on the identity of the  groom 

but also his name as well. She is now forever known by that name. 

The Groom Shepherd is worthy of our affection

and is deserving of us leaving everything and 

embracing Him as our own."

I found this to be such a beautiful picture, both in my 

marriage to my wonderful husband

and in the marriage of Christ and his bride. 

This isn't a new story to me ~ but knowing that our Wedding  Anniversary

was just around the corner it found its way into my heart

and touched those heart strings in a very special way. 

If I were to say it's been 40 wonderful years of BLISS I would be lying to you, 

and to God. 

But I can say,  that these past 40 years have been beautiful

because God has been there orchestrating the both of us

in our lives together as husband and wife. 
As Christ-followers, by faith we press forward in our daily lives together
knowing God will lead and guide us,
and by faith we believe He will never leave nor abandon us.

My husband is a steady man who loves the Lord, and because of his love for the Lord 
he is a wonderful husband whom I am honored to love and respect

until death do us part. 

♡♡

"But she that is married careth for the things of the world,
how she may please her husband."
~ 1 Corinthians 7:34 ~

Take Joy!
Debbie

Wishing you all a blessed Easter Resurrection Sunday,
as you celebrate the victory that has been won
through our loving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah ~ what a Savior!

Happy Tail on a Happy Trail ~

A happy trail in deed was the life of our sweet and gentle Toby.

This past week we said our goodbyes to our precious cat of 17 years.

Toby joined our family before he reached 6 weeks

coming from a home where there was the use of drugs.

Our niece picked him out for us, thus, saving him from

a life of who knows what.

Toby was special in more ways than one and brought great joy

into each one of our lives.

He was a Ragdoll ~ with a color point coat and blue eyes,

long beautiful soft silky hair ~ half Persian half Siamese

and one gorgeous handsome boy!

His temperament was docile and placid

making life with Toby a real pleasure.

Toby lived through three of our pet rabbits and because of his 

gentle nature he was like a daddy to those dear rabbits.

Those five week old bunnies would snuggle up in Toby's soft silky hair 
and find great comfort after having left their mother's so young.
Toby never turned them away.

There are so many things that make up the lives of our precious pets.

Those who have the joy and pleasure of a pet can attest to that.

Toby wanted so badly to be out doors, but I sheltered him trying to

keep him in doors where I knew he would be safe.

He was gentle in every way and with predators in our area

I found that to be such a concern. 

One day I caught Toby hanging on the screen door while reaching

towards the door handle with his right paw trying to open the door 
for his escape to the unknown world that he was kept from.

He would time it just perfectly waiting for one of us to head out the door then,

 he made his big escape and darted out the door

only to find himself carried back into the house.

Poor Toby 🐱

I used Toby and Lakota, one of our pet rabbits for character building lessons

for the children in Children's Church in between a missionary story,
 because Toby would entice Lakota to do wrong.

Those two were a riot playing together!

Toby would tease Lakota by dangling his tail as bait

to get Lakota's attention, then when Lakota went for the tail

Toby would slap him!

Other times Toby would get Lakota to chase him through the house

and end up in a place where Lakota would get himself into trouble. 

The Bible tells us ~
"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise:
but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."
~ Proverbs 13:20 ~ 
"It is as sport to a fool to do mischief:
but a man of understanding hath wisdom."
~ Proverbs 10:23 ~
Proverbs is a great book of the Bible that teaches on character building 
and with those two I had many stories to share
and the children enjoyed them.
Toby became famous in the eyes of those sweet innocent children.

From the time Toby arrived he was forever in something,
be it in a basket ~ a box ~ a cooler ~ a bucket ~ a shoe ~ even a ladies purse.
Yes, if you were a visitor in our home and owned
a purse or even a diaper bag, he was sure to claim it as his own.

  If we had a delivery I would sneak the box in and try opening it
with out Toby knowing, but it was impossible.

 I could go on and on with happy stories of our beloved Toby,
but it would make for a long posting that has already become way too long.
 I have to tell you one last story ~
As you can see, Toby was a long haired cat and long haired cats shed!
Well ~ One of Toby's favorite spots to sleep was in the bathroom vanity
on top of the bath towels. 
We always knew when Toby was headed to his spot because we could hear
the slight banging of the cupboard door. 
He would take his paw and open the door, but it took him awhile, 
so you would hear bang ~ bang ~ bang until he got it just right
and off he went for hours. 
We have some dear elderly friends who come and stay with us often
and they are not animal people. 
No pets in their home, no sirree ~ no way ~ no how!
This one particular visit the misses was having her shower and I had FORGOTTEN
to take the top towel out beforehand which was covered with Toby's hair
 and I'm telling you it was grossly covered with hair.
To her horror and to our horror she was covered with animal hair,
face and all!
Behind closed doors my husband and I had a great laugh! 😂
From that time on I was careful NOT to let that ever happen again. 

We knew Toby's days were numbered and that we were coming to the close of his life 
but its still hard to let them go.

 We will miss our Toby in the window where he sat quite often
watching the world go by while he was safe and secure in our loving home.
Toby hated the car, but he loved traveling in the motor home,
maybe because of the big front window where he could see the world.
I was so hoping he would have the chance to travel just one more time to Canada,
 but he enjoyed his last hurrah and his last visit with Grandpa Bill in the Spring of 2018.
Grandpa Bill, whose now in glory was not an animal lover either,
 but he loved Toby, and Toby loved him. 
We have learned over the years to enjoy the moments we are given 
because they don't last forever. 🐾

Today there are two very special Birthdays being celebrated.
Stephanie  and my grandson share their Birthdays 
and I would love for you to stop by her lovely place
and wish them both a very Happy Birthday! 🎂

The Joy of the Lord is my Strength!
Debbie
♡

Jewels that Adorn our Lives ~

 For a number of years now I have been collecting jewels,
well, jewels to me.
These jewels are brooches ~ pins that are quite unique in their own way. 
As I've collected these jewels my mind has been busy thinking of
a way to use them for God's glory. 
I've thought about using them in a Ladies Retreat
or a seniors program, with the youth or maybe during a Tea Party. 
It's all in God's timing but in the meantime
I will continue to gather up my jewels and wait upon the Lord. 
I thought a good devotion would be on the Fruits of the Spirit
using these beautiful brooches in representing the jewels
that adorn our life found in Galatians 5:22
on the Fruits of the Spirit. 

"But the fruit of the Spirit is ~
 love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self- control
Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's
have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, 
envying one another. "
~ Galatians 5:22-26 ~

As the bride of Christ ~ He will know us by the jewelry we wear.
He will know us by what He has bestowed upon us. 
The " fruit" of the Holy Spirit refers to the godly attributes of those
who " walk in the Spirit."
The fruit of the Spirit should characterize the life of every believer. 
These godly virtues are evidence of salvation
and the genuine work of the Holy Spirit. 
Each of the fruit of the Spirit responds to the nature of Christ. 
He looks into our life, sees what He recognizes as coming
from Him and accepts it. 
I'm thinking the biggest jewel of all is that of worship.
The glorious jewel of worship in all its beauty as we
practice the presence of God, pursuing Him with all of our time and energy
with amazement of His love and grace. 
To have hearts aflame for God!
When God sees our worship, purified by the Spirit and the Blood, 
He responds and recognizes it as His. 

~ The Fruits of the Spirit ~

Love ~ the love of choice, respect, devotion and affection
that leads to willing, self-sacrificial service. 
Joy ~ it's a gift from God. Its the sense of wellbeing experienced by one 
who knows all is well between himself and the Lord. 
Joy can even occur in and through painful circumstances. 
Joy isn't just a happiness of heart. 
Peace ~ the inner calm that results from confidence in one's saving relationship
with Christ. A sense of having it all together, even in difficult circumstances. 
Longsuffering/Patience ~ the ability to endure injuries inflicted by others and the
willingness to accept painful situations.
Kindness ~ tender concern for others, willing to treat others gently.
Goodness ~ moral and spiritual excellence manifested in active kindness.
Believers are commanded to show forth goodness.
Faithfulness ~ loyalty and trustworthiness.
Gentleness ~ a humble and gentle attitude. Submission to the will of God,
teachable and considerate of others. 
Self-Control ~ restraining passions and appetites.
When a Christian walks in the Spirit and manifests his fruit, 
he doesn't need the law to produce the attitudes and behavior that please God. 
Our Lord Jesus Christ knows who we are by our jewelry
which He has given us
He is our Lord and He desires our beauty.
As women, are we adorned with the jewels God has given us
to show the world Who we belong to?

"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning
of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold,
or of putting on of apparel.
But let it be of the hidden man of the heart,
in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, 
which is in the sight of God of great price."
~ 1 Peter 3:3&4 ~

Always choose Joy!
Debbie
♡

Go West Young Man ~

Like the Pioneers, I decided to head west 

for a little warmer weather where I knew there would be 

less snow, new baby calves streams that have melted and rivers with little ice.

I can go 30 miles west from our snowed in home

and find the weather to be extremely warmer, it's crazy! 

Right now, our home at 8,000 feet is nearly buried in snow,

while it is beautiful in deed, outside enjoyment is limited.

I've been taking Donatella to the walking/bike paths in our area

where we are able to walk at a faster pace and get some proper exercise.
While we have been walking on the road near home
it's just not the same with the snow and ice,
I need to be careful of falling with my new knee.

She and I both need to shed some winter pounds!

Donatella has to visit the veterinarian every 6 weeks

for an on going issue she has and she is up in weight a few ounces

with every visit, not good!

Of course the veterinarian reassures me that it's okay 

during the winter months.

Well...when I see my Doctor this week for my yearly check-up

I will be sure and tell him that my extra weight is okay,

after all, it's the winter.😉

The two of us have enjoyed our extra long walks

on dry ground right beside the river.

We are blessed with wonderful walking paths throughout this valley.

Just the other day, I decided to take a drive after our walk,

the sun was shining and we had clear Colorado blue skies,

so off we headed towards the west, off the beaten path

enjoying every bit of God's created beauty.

The river sounded glorious as it rolled over the rocks.

The bridge is an old railroad bridge that is no longer in use.

The deer were out being lazy and enjoying new growth under the trees.

They really blend with nature around them, don't they?

You could see some cow elk grazing on the hay

 that a rancher had put out for his horses.

Everyone gets along.

To my surprise, there was a ranch with a number of bison.

I had no idea this particular area where I took a drive had bison.

Donatella was quite intrigued with them as well.

Look at the size of this nest! 

Of course nothing was making it their home as of yet,

but soon enough.

As I continued along with my pleasant drive 

the dry road became narrower and muddy.

Mmmm... should I continue on?

Having never been on this road I wasn't quite sure what might be ahead.

What to do?

Then strangely enough I came across this snowman

standing on the side of the road. 

Why would someone build a snowman there?

He was out in the middle of nowhere as if he was trying to tell me something.

Was he telling me to turn back?

Was he telling me up ahead was safe for travel?

I chose to drive on and see just what the end of this road had to offer.

Well, not much further I came to a small parking area which indicated I was at the end of the road, I was able to turn around and safely head for home.

Did you notice this snowman had an extra roll?
I think he should join Donatella and I on our daily walks.

⊙ ~ ⊙ ~ ⊙ ~ ⊙ ~ ⊙

Awe...there's nothing like a warm sunny day and a drive in the country.

With my instrumental music playing softly in the background 

and the windows open allowing the fresh air

to wrap itself around us, my mind found itself in thinking mode

as I turned my thoughts towards God.

All that I had seen belongs God, He owns it all.

"For every beast of the forest is mine 

and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 

I know all the fowls of the mountains:

and the wild beasts of the field are mine."

~ Psalm 50:10&11 ~

Always Choose Joy!

Debbie

Birthday Give-Away Winner ~

 Hello my sweet friends!

♡

Have I told you yet...

How thankful I am for you...

Have I told you yet...

About all the happiness and joy your visits here bring!

Have I told you yet...

What blogging has meant...

Just in case I haven't...

I want you all to know...

My heart is grateful for YOU!

Have I told you yet...

God's the reason we have met.  ♡

♡ ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆

When I was in High School one of my English classes was taught

on writing poetry and I fell in love with it!

Unfortunately, I allowed critics to end something I so enjoyed.

I threw out a number of notebooks that I had written my poetry in.

Sometimes we do crazy things that we may one day regret, don't we?

My brother, who was my encourager 

cheered me on, in fact, he went to bat for me

and saw that some of my poetry was published in the school paper. 

My brother is now with the Lord in Glory, 

and I've often thought how I need to pick it back up just for him. 

We shall see...

♡  ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆

I'm now officially 60 years old!!

You know, I really am doing the HAPPY DANCE!

Growing older has never been an issue with me

and maybe it's because I belong to Christ 

and I know that one day I will be in Glory with my Savior?

Maybe it's because God wants us to grow old gracefully, 

not complain as each year goes by?

Maybe it's because I find the elderly beautiful in many ways

and I want to be lovely just like those who have touched my life

in some way or another?

Maybe it's because God's Word speaks to us on growing old?

As a Christian, I desire to grow Spiritually and press on

to the ultimate Christian experience.

But I'm not there yet ~ 

I long for my life to be totally committed to following after Christ Jesus. 

To be more like Him ~ To think like Him ~

To act like Him ~ To love like Him ~ To look like Him ~

Even as I grow older (I pray God grants me many more years) I do not want to miss

the glorious JOY of following after Christ. 

When God is ready, He will call me home, until then, 

my prayer is that I will strive to live out every day of my life

bringing glory to God, my Savior!

Walking with God is not always easy peasy, and I fail miserably

many times over, but the race that I'm in isn't finished yet
and by Gods grace I will run so as to finish well.
Don't we all desire to hear those words ~
"Well done thou good and faithful servant."

♡

"Wherefore seeing we also are composed about with so great a cloud

of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin 

which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race

that is set before us. 

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith;

who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, 

despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand

of the throne of God. "

~ Hebrews 12:1&2 ~

♡ ☆ ♡ ☆ ♡ ☆

My birthday was amazing, something I least expected
and I'm still in awe walking in the clouds.
My husband gave me a three night stay at the Hotel Colorado
in Glenwood Springs, the historic 145 year old Hotel
that was enchanted!
My husband wanted me to enjoy some "Debbie Time"
surrounded by girlie stuff ~ a Spa day ~ facial ~ pedicure ~ 
and time spent in the Hot Springs Pool.
Chocolate covered strawberries awaited me in my beautiful suite
on the Penthouse floor, what a room!
I received 60 red roses from my husband!
60 gifts from my dear Stephanie and her family!
These gifts ranged from practical to fun and some were heart felt memorable treasures.
Each gift was individually wrapped with purple ribbon 
representing my birthstone, amethyst and each with a quote indicating 
what the gift was.
Oh the FUN of it all!
I enjoyed trying to guess what the gift was by the quote,
the "clue" was in italics.
I am still humbled and overwhelmed at the love that went into these delightful gifts.
For instance ~
The first gift I was told to open was ~
"You're 60! Let's get the party started"
The gift was a tube of confetti 
"Age is like a doily, its delicate and beautiful"
The gift was a gorgeous doily
"The pieces of your life have been put together in a 
precious and beautiful way"
The gift was a beautiful garden scenery puzzle
in pink tones no less!
"Look in the mirror and see how beautiful you are, inside and out"
The gift was a gorgeous mirror for my purse
"You outshine every pearl"
The gift was a darling jar that Stephanie designed with her embellishing creativity
filled with pearl buttons ~ she knows I collect buttons
"You are an extra special person"
The gift was a pack of Extra chewing gum
You're 60, shoot out the lights"
The gift was bullet casing magnets from Stephanie's husband
"At 60, you should have wisdom to impart...
Penny for your thoughts?"
The gift was a key chain with a number 60 charm and a penny with the year of my birth
"You are one hot 60 - year old"
The gift was a box of hot tamales ~ (candies)
"At 60 - you are as fresh as a daisy"
The gift was a purple flowering daisy plant
"You are radiant at 60"
The gift was a bottle of "Rose Glow" by Revlon. 
Oh ladies...I will be buying this awesome stuff by the case loads!
This delicate cream with tiny pearls gives your face a slight glow
and feels like satin on your skin.
I could go on and on with this fabulous, not to mention fun gift idea, but 
a couple of these 60 gifts were memorable in a very special way.
"You wear 60 beautifully. Here is to 6 decades of loveliness "
The gift was a beautiful silver necklace with 6 rings representing each year of my life
with my birthstone (Amethyst) in the middle.
After 60-years of life you have one awesome story to tell.
Share it with those you love.
The gift was a beautiful lifetime journal ~ 
A keepsake of personal memories that I will record 
and my name is engraved on the cover making it very personal.
Are you as overwhelmed as I was?!
♡
The day after my birthday was spent at the spa and
while I was enjoying my "chocolate cherry" body wrap 
I began to ponder over the lovely night before
 when my dear husband stood at my hotel room door arriving to take me out for dinner
 holding a HUGE vase with 60 red roses;
Then my dear Stephanie and my grandson 
 stood there with my husband, each holding a box filled with pretty little gifts,
and as I pondered these lovely thoughts in my heart
 tears of JOY began rolling down my cheeks 
but I could do nothing about it as I was wrapped like a mummy.
I felt like I was crying tears of chocolate.
It was a gentle cry, just slow flowing tears of joy... 
 My heart was and is full of gratitude for the love of family, friends and strangers
who helped in making my 60th birthday very special!
Thank you ALL for those lovely Birthday wishes, for your visits and
for your gifts, cards and love.
My cup runneth over and over again.

You made my special day all the more wonderful.  
Thank You!

♡
I so enjoyed each one of your memorable birthday comments,
so many different stories and all colored by God's grace and goodness.

Now for the winner of this beautiful devotional book & journal set ~
My husband was so kind to draw the winner ~

Connie who crafts over at Connie's Crafty Creations is the blessed winner.
Congratulations Connie!

Take Joy!

Debbie