It's A New Year And A New Season In My Life!

 I have been  observing the fields lying dormant.  It's the season where the ground is resting and soaking up the nutrients from the rain and snow that it will need for the next season.  Which is the one of growth and new life.  I feel like I too am in a season of rest.  And I too am soaking up what my soul needs to be prepared for the next season.  A friend reminded me that even though it appears nothing is happening on the surface that below ground roots are digging deeper and becoming stronger.  I trust that is what is happening in my life also.

       I am running a Retreat Center with a Lodge and a Cabin on the grounds  here in the Ozarks and loving every minute of it.  Meeting new people.   And learning to let the cares of this world slip away and enjoying the simple life. 

      So come along with me as I journal this new season in my life.    Time to look forward and anticipate what the next season of my life holds in store.. 

On your mark, get set, GO!

This guy is HUGE! Largest snapping turtle I have ever seen! I snapped a pic of him trying to cross the highway in town by our local theater. Cars were whizzing by on both sides of him and he wasn't liking it a bit! My grandfather always said if you got bit by a snapper they wouldn't let go until it thundered so I wasn't about to try to move him. Grandpa also
always said they made good turtle soup too but I'm not trying it.


Sometimes you don't know whether to stand still, go forward or just back up. I'm sure this big fella is wondering about that right now!

Ice crystals everywhere

Thought you might enjoy some pictures of our country road. Notice the snow has a tendency to "drift" out in the country which doesn't happen so much in town. My grand kids called these drifts "snow caves"

This morning when I got up it looked like ice crystals were everywhere. Apparently the fog froze in ice crystals on the trees and when I went in to the office this morning it looked like glitter in the air as these ice crystals began to fall. It was a beautiful sight. Only God could make such a beautiful scene as that was. I gazed in wonder as the air was filled with "sparkle" and loved the feel of it as it softly fell on my face!!! What a great way to start the day!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Isn't it great to wake up in a new year? Lots of people choose this time of year to make new resolutions of how they want to live their lives different and better. It's a time of hope that things will change or be different. But, in reality, every day has those possibilities. We can choose everyday to make changes, do things differently, make better choices. But the best change we can make is to start everyday off knowing our relationship with God is right, our goal is to live life as He would have us to and to show love and mercy and kindness to everyone we meet.

I'm gonna keep things simple in 2010. I have found that the older I get, the less satisfaction I get out of "things" and pursuing those things that only hold momentary satisfaction. Relationship is the key. My relationship with my Father God and my relationship with those God has placed around me. Gonna enjoy both in 2010 !!

May this be a great and fulfilling year for you too

Watchman, What do you see?

I was awake at midnight the other night and I feel like God asked me the age old question He has asked before "Watchman, what do you see?"
I see the harvest is ready....

and there is a change of seasons....

First, the natural and then the spiritual.

My question is, What do you see and what do you hear the Lord is saying in this day and hour we live in?

Leading the quiet, simple life today...

Was going to help clean out a warehouse for the Red Cross today, but instead stayed home and took the day off to enjoy the simple life. Went down to the pond early in the morning to talk to God and feed the fish....

Turned the ducks out so they could enjoy the fresh grass and the rain shower...

And sat on the patio watching this squirrel try to eat the corn off the feeder. My father in law made this feeder and I enjoy having it on my patio.

Reminds me of the joke where the squirrel lying on the shrink's couch....There's a little "nut" in all of us. And some of us are just plain "squirrely". Ha. Ha.

What a beautiful day it was. Aah, the simple life. Life is what you make it. Take time to enjoy it!

Life's Like A Foggy Road...

Sometimes it's hard to see where you are going when you can't see very far down the road... Life is like that too....Full of uncertainties... Put your trust in God. He knows what is further down the road! Once I started moving forward, the fog would part just enough that I could see a little further. Just like real life!!

Sun's coming up

I got up early this morning and headed back out to the 80 acre wood and stopped to shoot this picture of the sun shining through the fog. God reminds us to let His "Son" shine through the "fog" in our lives!

A moment in time...

Doing genealogy research begins to put your life in perspective a little bit. Here are some of the thoughts I have been having lately. As I do research, I realize people are born , they grow up, they marry , they have families and eventually they die. Those that have went before us lived lives very different from ours. Most of them lived very hard lives filled with lots of pain and sorrow. Women married young and had lots of babies and many of those babies died young with diseases we don't have to worry about today. Men worked long, hard hours just to provide food and shelter for their families. Many of their wives died young , probably in childbirth.

Then, many of them went through the Civil War which I think was the worst thing that could have happened to this country because it pitted brother against brother, family member against family member. I read in some of my research that after the war was over and men and fathers and sons returned home after fighting against one another, that the only way they could deal with it was by never mentioning it again. I pray we learn something from that too. Some things cannot be fixed and some hurts only God can heal and the more we talk about them and rehash them , the more bitter we get over those same hurts. Sometimes, we too must go on, leave those wounding and hurts in God's hands and never mention them again. It's not denial, it's just trusting God to help you go on and put those things behind so you don't get bogged down in bitterness.

Here's the other thought that has plagued me all week. I see myself as living in a moment of time. God has seen fit to place me in this moment of time in history. Many have went before me and there will be many that will follow after me. But the question is, what will I do in this moment of time that I have been placed in? Will I make a difference in the world that I live in? Even to my immediate family? Will I have been one that stands up in this generation and declares there is one true God and I will serve Him all my life no matter what? Will I boldly declare His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven? Will I declare His Word even when it is not popular and no one wants to hear it? Will I be one who looks up and outward instead of always focusing on myself and my own wants, desires , needs and goals as this society we live in today encourages? Will I let my heart be moved with compassion for those God has placed me among in this life? I don't want to live life never having made a difference in someone else's life, whether that be my kids, or my grand-kids or just someone I brush by as I pass through in this moment of time. I want to be God-centered, not self-centered.

Because some day I too will pass from the scene and it will be the next generations turn to stand and hopefully make a difference in this world. And hopefully, they too will serve the God that I also chose to serve. You may be the first person in your family line that stood up and declared "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." And because of that, a Godly lineage will have been born in your family history. All because you made a difference in this "moment of time" we call today. So my prayer for you is to wake up , don't waste this day, seek God and ask Him to light a fire within you to know Him and to give you a burning desire to see His Kingdom come , His will be done in the world you live in. In this moment of time. called today! If He lights the fire, you'll never be the same!!

Love those lilies...

"Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Luke 12:27

Lilies have always been one of my favorite flowers ever since I was a little girl and mom had Tiger Lilies.  They brighten up our world that's for sure!  Hope you love them as much as I do...

Life Can Be Hard Sometimes..

I have a tree in my yard that reminds me that life can be hard sometimes. But, the important thing is what you do with those hard times. You know that old saying that goes, "when life throws you lemons, make lemonade." Sometimes, if we will let Him, God uses our hard situations to cause us to grow. I do not know what has happened to this tree, but instead of growing tall and straight , it's main trunk bends way over. If it could talk, I am sure it would have a sad story to tell of what has caused it to bend so low. But, it makes a perfect tree for hanging a porch swing on and watching the activity going on in the 80 acre homestead. From under it's branches, I swing slowly and reflect on life's happenings. And I want to be one that can go through life's hard situations and come out the other side a better person because of them. How about you?

The Tiny, Little Spot

Taken from my journal Feb. 06:

I stopped in at my daughter's house on my way home from work tonight. My plans were to work in the greenhouse while it was still warm outside. When I got to her house and my young grandson heard I was going to be outside, he begged me to let him go too. I was in a hurry, but I told him if he would bring me his shoes and if he hurried, I would take him with me.

He crawled up on my lap and just as I was about to put on his shoes, he noticed a teeny, tiny ketchup spot on his sock. He kicked and squirmed and had a little fit because he did not want his shoe on with that little spot on his sock. Being in a hurry, I had to forcefully put his shoe on and make him get up and walk.

I am reminded that many times we are like this little child. We have some little, thing that we are focusing and obsessing over , and it is affecting our walk too. It might be a hurt, an offense or whatever. Instead of focusing on that , God wants us to get up, put our shoes on and walk with Him!

How Will I Be Remembered?

I have an old fashioned porch swing on my patio and I love to sit on it during the quiet part of the day and think. I have a reflective side about me and sometimes I think about things that others might call morbid or things they would prefer not thinking about at all. I love life and try to enjoy every moment of it to the fullest, but at times I ponder how I will be remembered by those I care about and have been closest to while here on this earth. Have I been the kind of person that I can look back on and be proud of? Sometimes, it helps to ask those who are closest to you to help you out with this. But be prepared to not get offended. My daughter gives me a reality check sometimes--that I may not remember things exactly as she remembers them. I may not get the "mother of the year award" after all. Something about a hairbrush...So, just be prepared.

So I am thinking, if I died today, who would show up for my funeral and what would they remember me for? My idea of a really good funeral is a room full of people, all saying good things about me and having a great time being together. Kinda like a party. I wouldn't even mind if they all were wearing party hats. That may sound weird to you, but sometimes I march to a beat of a different drum, if you get my drift. And I want to be remembered as one who loved to laugh. I am glad my name has the word "joy" in it. By the way, it has been five years since I was diagnosed with cancer and I am doing fine and probably should mention that I have no intention of dying anytime soon, in case you are getting the impression this is my last will and testament. Just for the record!

I love family. My favorite show is "the Walton's." I belong in their family. They are my brothers and sisters. My name is "Nanny Walton." Get the picture? I may live in a fantasy world, but it helps me, so bear with me. And God must feel the same way, or He wouldn't talk so much in the Bible about the "family of God" and the importance of being a part of it. I love gathering around the "family table" so we can share the joys and sorrows of our day. I love cooking in large quantities and don't believe only two people should sit down to the table. Goes back to my "Walton" roots. Extended family should be sitting down at that table. That's normal and here in America we need to get back to normal.

But I regress. Back to what I want to be remembered for. I want to be remembered by generations to come as having been a Godly woman. One who set the stake in the ground declaring that "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." A space in time where Godliness entered into the family lineage where it may not have been before. So my grand-children and great-grandchildren etc. can tell their kids they had a grandmother back there in time that prayed for them way before they were even born. Kinda gave them a head start in life, if you know what I mean.

I want to be remembered by others as a woman who was bold about declaring her love for God, her Savior and for the Body of Christ. I don't want my relationship with my Creator to have been a secret to those around me--those I rubbed shoulders with every day. I don't want to pass through life doing my own thing, never making a difference in someone else's life. I don't want to have passed through this life (at which I only get one chance at) always thinking about me and how things affect me. I want to learn early on that "life is not about me." Because when I am not centering on "me", I can think about you. I can give you hope when you are discouraged and feel that things seem hopeless, because I have been there and have found that God is faithful and able to be trusted. Because I have not been sheltered from life, I can share my disappointments and also my triumphs with you, hopefully giving you hope because someone else has also walked down that same road and came out on the other side whole. I want to be remembered as a friend that was willing to be vulnerable and open and willing to share my deepest secrets and let you even see the ugly side of me. Because sometimes you are ugly too. And if we are willing to be real with one another, we can help one another.

I may not always have the answer as to why some things happen in life, but I want to always be there to walk with you through those things. I want to be remembered as a friend that you can trust at all times. I may not always tell you what you wanted to hear, but I want to be the kind of friend that loves you enough to tell you what you need to hear. And I want you to be that kind of friend back to me. We can love each other enough to accept one another where we are at, but also love each other enough to not let us get comfortable in that place and settle there. I want to be remembered as being a part of a family that circles in times of stress and by their very presence protects one another.

I want to be remembered as one who had a deep respect and love and a willingness to care for the widows and orphans because God says that is pure Christianity. I want to always be teachable and I know that the older generation (of which I am rapidly becoming a part of ) has much to offer to the younger generation. And I want to be remembered as one that also loves the younger generation and knows that God intends to use them mightily in the coming days. They live in a different day and time than I grew up in and life will not be easy for them. I want to not be judgmental but always hold them up to God in my prayers. They are the hope for my future as well as yours. They too will carry the baton we pass on to them. God help them.

Life is made of memories. Good ones and ones that caused pain. But, I believe God's plan is for us to journey through this life enjoying one another and enjoying having a relationship with Him and also understanding the value He has placed in each one of us and the importance He sees in being a member of the "family of God". The Bible tells us He sets the lonely in families. Everyone is meant to be a part.

So, I hope you too have a quiet place with a porch swing so you can reflect on your life. What is most important to you? What will drive and motivate you this year? Is it your job and making more money than last? Is it acquiring more things to make you feel better about yourself? Will it be pursuing financial security through savings plans and IRA's and stocks? A better education? Or will your goal this year be one of pursuing God? There is nothing wrong with those other things as long as you are not pursuing them instead of God. During this year, I hope you too will stop for a short time and reflect on the importance of "family" and don't forget that, unfortunately, sometimes relationships take work and time and sacrifices made for one another. My prayer is that each one of us would have a tender spot in our hearts for not only our natural family here on this earth, but also for those that God has knit us together with- our spiritual family. I want to make it a priority to spend more time with my "family" and remember to enjoy life and live it each day to the very fullest. How do you want to be remembered?