pleasure

Saturday was hot, hot, hot again here in the midwest. In the afternoon we were a bit restless and Joe, my husband, wondered out loud where we might get a milk shake. My very practical nature thought he meant after dinner. After all one "shouldn't" spoil one's appetite for dinner. However we thought it through and knew we could get one at the nearby fast food drive through. So out we went in our sloppy clothes, drove through the drive thru 3 blocks away and had the delicious treat of vanilla and chocolate milk shakes --not long before dinner.They were sooo good.

It was such fun to "just do it."

When have you treated yourself to a delight, spur of the moment? Do you talk yourself out of it more often than not? Do the "should's" or "shouldn'ts" take the delicious moments away?

Enjoy. Have pleasure. That is part of God's plan!
Blessings-Penny

more moments

Last week was truly a week of "moments." A close friend, a young, dynamic woman physician, was in a head on collision on a rural road during a thunderstorm. A young man in a new pick up truck was adjusting his seat and ran right into her. There was no place for her to pull off as the hill to her right came down to the road. As she sat in the car she had excrutiating pain in her neck. A woman two cars back came up to her and said, "Sit absolutley still. I will hold your neck until the ambulance arrives." Later XRays showed she had a broken C2 vertebrae. That's the one known as the "Christopher Reeves" vertebrae. If she had moved and the broken vertebrae had cut her spinal cord, she would have been paralyzed from the neck down. Angels? Moments that change our lives.
The tragedy in Colorado is another "moment." Why? How?
There are no answers in the human scheme of things.
All I know is that I am safe in God's love...and so are all the people I love and those I don't even know.

Do you step back from "moments" and consider your safety in God's love?

Blessings-Penny

another moment

I had not heard from Helen for several months. I had sent an email during our move-no response. Helen is my friend whose husband has early onset Alzheimer's disease. They are both in their fifties...professionals, nurses, athletic,  a 12 year old adopted daughter. Their situation defines "tragedy." Yesterday Helen called. It was fairly early in the morning. I cannot tell you what a relief, what joy it was to hear her voice. No miracle has occurred. Their lives are still incredibly stressful. But to hear her voice, to be reassured they are not drowning gave me a bit of peace.

Is there someone who would love to hear from you today? Would a call from you give them some peace? Making that is call is your gift to them.

Blessings-Penny

more about moments

An article I read this week said, "these sweet, funny little moments...how the little moments are the most tremendous prayers." Isn't that wonderful...to think of these moments as prayer. They speak to my relationship with God-something He has given me- a moment-and I treasure back to Him in prayer.

What moment today is a "tremendous prayer?"

Blessings-Penny

moments

As we left church last week the priest, a mssionary from Kenya, said to each of us, "Have good moments." It struck me, "Yes, that is what we should hope for---good moments." Very few days are "good" all day but they are filled with "good moments"...moments we should pay attention to, be grateful for. Too often we pass by those "good moments"--moments someone smiles at us, moments when someone calls unexpectedly, moments when the sun sets as a red fireball.

Did you have some good moments yesterday? What were they? Did you notice and apprciate them? Did you thank God for them?
Blessings-Penny

Book

I just finished reading Contents May Have Shifted. It's a good summer read-funny, sad, insightful. The style is unique and a little hard to get into but worth the time and effort.I connected with the writer's restlessnes and though at times I thought she was trying too hard to be profound, there were several times I smiled in agreement. At one point she said something like "A question loses it power when it has only one answer."  My take on that is a 'question loses its interest when it only has one answer.'

Listen to the questions you ask and are asked today. Do they have more than one answer? Are you open to the discussion? Think of the energy we waste when we have to defend the "right" answer.

Dear God, let me be more open, less controlling, more interested.
Blessings-Penny