Sabbath Prayer

Helping Hands by Marilyn Hunt

O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry;
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted.
Amen.
- Samuel F. Pugh

Lillies of The Valley and Sunday Meme

Happy Sabbath, Sweet Friends!

I have been out of touch for awhile. Both my children have been fighting the flu and it has taken all my time and energy running between the two. My daughter is much better, but my son has taken ill again, this time worse than before, and so I am mothering overtime and have been unable to blog or visit blogs for awhile.

Having said that, I have a small period of quiet time and thought that I would share some pictures of my garden. The Lillies of the Valley are out in force. They are such delicate flowers. They remind me of my mother, because while I was still living in NC, I once gave my mother a small pot of them for Mother's Day.

These sweet flowers also remind me of a song my sister and I use to sing when we were children. It goes:


"White, coral bells upon a slender stalk,
Lillies of the Valley deck my garden walk.
Oh, how I wish that you could hear them ring.
That will happen only when the fairies sing."

We would sing this in a "round", while swinging on our backyard swingset.

Such lovely memories, all of them. And I leave them with you today, along with my wishes for you to have a wonderful Sabbath.

God bless,
Elizabeth

HERE'S A MEME TO READ FOR FUN:

A

• Are you available? For what?
• What is your age? XX
• What annoys you? Noise

B

• Do you know anyone named Billy? My cousins, Fallon and Val, have Billy for first names.
• When is your birthday? November
• Who is your best friend? I have several super close friends.

C

• What is your favorite Candy? Chocolate caramels
• Crush? Nope.
• When was the last time that you cried? I don't cry much, but after an upsetting dream.

D

• Do you daydream? Constantly.
• What is your favorite dog? Golden Retriever
• What day of the week is it? Sunday

E

• How do you like your eggs? Omelettes and poached.
• Have you ever been in the emergency room? Unfortunately, yes.
• Have you ever petted an elephant? Yes.

F

• Do you use fly swatters? I prefer persuasion.
• Have you ever used a foghorn? No.
• Do you have a fan in your room? No.

G

• Do you chew gum? Occasionally.
• Do you like gummy candies? Not really.
• Do you like gory movies? Rarely.

H

• How are you? Plugging along...
• What is your height? 5'3"
• What color is your hair? I say dark-blonde, but it's really light brown.

I

• What's your favorite ice cream? Chocolate chunk.
• Have you ever been ice skating? Yes.l
• Ever been in an igloo? NO!

J

• What's your favorite jelly bean? Licorice.
• Have you ever heard a hilarious joke? Yes. Favorite joke: "What's the last thing that passes through a fly's mind when he hits your windshield?....His fanny!"
• Do you wear jewelry? Earrings, mostly.

K

• Who do you want to kill? Mosquitoes.
• Have you ever flown a kite? Badly.
• Do you think kangaroos are cute? To other kangaroos.

L

• Are you laid back? Half of the time.
• Lions or tigers? Lions
• Do you like black licorice? Love it!

M

• Favorite movie as a kid? Mary Poppins and The Wizard of Oz
• Ever shopped at Moosejaw? What?!
• Favorite shop at the mall? Don't like the mall.

N

• What is your nickname? Beth (don't call me that!)
• What's your favorite number? 15 and 17.
• Do you prefer night or day? Day

O

• What's your one wish? For HEALTH INSURANCE
• Are you an only child? Nope.
• Do you like the color orange? Uh, no, but my son gave me an orange mug for Christmas and I LOVE anything he gives me!

P

• What are you most paranoid about? Being an idiot.
• Piercings? One set for earrings.
• Do you know anyone named Penelope? An old friend's basset hound.

Q

• Are you quick to judge people? No.
• Do you like Quaker Oats? Just plain quick oats.
• Know anyone who makes quilts? Sue!

R

• Do you think you are always right? Except when I'm wrong.
• Do you watch reality TV? Dancing With The Stars!
• Reason to cry? The loss of loved ones.

S

• Do prefer sun or rain? Sun!
• Do you like snow? Yes.
• What's your favorite season? Spring and Fall.

T

• Time is it? 2:15 p.m.
• What time did you wake up? 10:00 a.m.

U

• Can you ride a unicycle? No!
• Do you know anyone with a uni-brow? NO!!
• Uncles do you have? Three still living.

V

• What's the worst vegetable? Brussel sprouts!
• Ever watch Veggie Tales? Oh, yes!!
• Ever considered being a vegan? Yes.

W

• What's your worst habit? Picking my cuticles - yuk.
• Do you like water rides? Yes.
• Ever been inside a windmill? No.

X

• Have you ever had an x-ray? I glow in the dark.
• Ever xeroxed anything? Yes.

Y

• Do you like the color yellow? Yes, very much.
• What year were you born in? 1957
• Do you yell when you are angry? yes

Z

• Do you believe in the Zodiac? No.
• What is your zodiac sign? Scorpio.
• When was the last time you went to the zoo? Last year.

To participate, click HERE.

Show and Tell Friday

Kelli, from There Is No Place Like Home, is once again hosting "Show & Tell Friday". Today, I want to share some old photos that were part of my mother's belongings that were recently sent to me. Old photos and school records, which bring back many memories...

I love the above picture, taken when I was five and part of a dance studio. I was a very feminine little girl, fanciful and open-hearted. I believed in everything magical. The world was a rainbow to me, multi-colored and splendiferous. I was sure I would grow up to live in a castle.
Above, here I am in second grade. A wistful girl. An average student, I was given to daydreaming when I ought to be paying attention. A doctor wrote of me that I had "sensitivity rarely seen in a child her age". I easily made friends, but was shy and longed for solitude.

As the years went by, I grew to be awkward and buck-toothed. Braces didn't add to my self-confidence. I wore dark-framed glasses and struggled with style. I no longer felt like a princess and believed I'd be lucky if anyone would ever take a second look at me.

Then the braces came off. I traded my glasses for contacts. I found my style (romantic). I felt confident and I forgot about myself.

Here I am with Mark, years ago...

Now, I am middle-aged, chubby, at times awkward and not as stylish I once was. But that's okay, because deep inside, I feel like that little girl with the crown on her head. I know that the world can be a scary, sad place, but it can also be magical, where anything is possible .

As we experience life we can one day find that we are far away from our true selves. It's a journey to get to that place and it's a journey to find our way back. It reminds me of a poem that was shared at church last Sunday...
Beautiful Women
At age 3, a little girl looks in the mirror and sees a queen.
At age 8, she looks in the mirror and see Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty.
At age 15, she looks in the mirror and sees fat/pimples/ugly and says,
"Mom, I can't go to school looking like this!"
At age 20, she looks at herself and sees too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly, but she decides she is going anyway.
At age 30, she looks at herself and sees too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly, but decides that she doesn't have time to fix it and goes anyway.
At age 40, she looks at herself and sees too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly, but says, "At least I'm clean," and goes anyway.
At age 50, she looks in the mirror and says, "I am" and goes.
At age 60, she looks and reminds herself of all the people who can't see themselves in the mirror anymore and she goes out and conquers the world!
At age 70, she looks at herself and sees wisdom, laughter and ability, and goes out and enjoys life.
At age 80, she doesn't bother to look. She puts on a purple hat and goes out and has fun with the world.
Moral: Maybe we should grab that purple hat earlier!

Courtesy of the Purple Hat Society

Have a lovely day!
Elizabeth

A Lovely Spring Poem

Hello, Friends!

I'm sorry that I haven't been blogging or visiting much over the last few weeks. I have been going from one illness to another. First, the flu, then another UTI and now, a bad cold. So...Whew.

I would like to share with you a link to a beautiful poem, written by my friend, Ruth, over at Visions and Revisions...Spring Planting. Enjoy and I will be back to blogging again as soon as I can.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Lenten Cleaning and A Lovely Poem

Hello, Ladies!

Oh, gracious. I am singing Springtime songs in my heart, but it is all white outside. Yes, it has snowed again and threatens to do more before the week is out.

Speaking of Springtime...My church does not officially observe Lent (40 day period filled with fasting, personal sacrifice and reflection prior to Easter). However, I have personally found that by devoting myself to personal meditation on the four Gospels and the life of our beloved Savior for these 40 days prior to this wonderful holiday, Easter has so much more meaning for me than if it suddenly comes upon me in life. Does that make sense?...I rush around in life and then ... boom..one day it is Easter, the most sacred holiday of the year, in my opinion. I like to prepare ahead of time with fasting, prayer, self-sacrifice. Okay, you get the point.

Well, here's a link for a Lenten Cleaning Schedule (spring cleaning with the object in mind of having the whole house fresh and sparkling for Easter!). I'm way behind on this, but am determined to get caught up!

Another link is to Alexandra's blog, Happy Heart at Home. It is a sweet poem, a kind of meditation to have in one's heart as we go about the business of taking care of our homes and loved ones.

Have a beautiful day!
Elizabeth (who is still yearning for Spring!)

One life and one alone we have to live
Upon this earth.
One life in which to learn so much –to
Seek and find and prove your worth.
So many dreams there are to dream —
So many things to know and do.
So many rosy peaks to climb —
So many pathways to pursue.

So waste no time on fruitless quests that
Get you nowhere in the end.
The God of Time is yours to squander or
With care, to use and spend.
It’s folly to postpone good deeds. "Tomorrow
Never comes," they say.
The future belongs to God. Your only chance
Is now –TODAY. ~ UNKNOWN
Love,
Elizabeth

A Beautiful Hymn

My friend, Ruth, over at Visions and Revisions (link), posted the words to a beautiful hymn that is sung in her church. I fell in love with the words. So, with Ruth's permission, I am posting it below:

I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
he moved my soul to seek him, seeking me;
it was not I that found, O Savior true;
no, I was found of thee.

Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea;
'twas not so much that I on thee took hold,
as thou, dear Lord, on me.

I find, I walk, I love, but oh, the whole
of love is but my answer, Lord, to thee;
for thou wert long beforehand with my soul,
always thou lovedst me.

Have a wonderful day!
Love,
Elizabeth

I still find each day too short
For all the thoughts I want to think
All the walks I want to take,
All the books I want to read,
And all the friends I want to see.
— John Burroughs

We made ourselves a castle
Once after school was out;
We raked the leaves together
To wall it all about.

We made a winding pathway
Down to the school-yard gate.
And there we worked with might and main
Until the day grew late;

Until one bright star twinkled
Above the maple tree
And lights shone down the village street
As far as we could see.

We planned that every recess
We'd come out there to play,
But in the night it blew so hard
Our castle blew away.
~ K. Pyle
("Winnie the Pooh - Autumn Leaves, by Ellenshaw
Courtesy: Allposter.com)

"A smile's the thing for making friends --
much better than a pout.
And you can give your smiles away for years
--and not run out!"
Helen Caswell

Said the Robin to the Sparrow
"I should really like to know
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so!"

Said the Sparrow to the Robin
"Friend, I think that it must be
That they have no Heavenly Father
Such as cares for you and me."
~ Unknown