The Secret Place ...

Abiding in the Shadow of the Almighty

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare

and from the deadly pestilence. 

He will cover you with His feathers,

and under His wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your right side, 

ten thousand at your right hand, 

but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, "The LORD is my refuge,"

and you make the Most High your dwelling, 

no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

for he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra; 

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

"Because He loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him.

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.

Psalm 91

Far more connects than separates us.

So many of us believe we are alone

in our shortcomings and fears and 

challenges and questions and hopes 

and dreams that we must keep 

ourselves undercover, lest we be 

seen for the imperfect people we are.  

But nothing could be further from 

the truth.  There is far more that 

connects us than separates us.  

We are all struggling.  

We are all on difficult, 

sometimes tortuous,  journeys 

that are really meant - designed, 

in fact, by God - to lead us to 

the best in ourselves.

Keith Ablow, M.D.

2011

What's Your Value?

      We should not allow our jobs to establish our standards of 
worth, purpose and value. Your work shouldn't define your 
sense of identity.


      Resolve to reorient your priorities and regain a balanced
perspective of faith, family and, last, work.


      Consider this when measuring success:

If tomorrow the job, or your business is gone, does 

your family still stand behind you? 

~ 

Does your faith withstand the trial?

~  

Are you still thanking God for his blessings upon your life?

If so, consider yourself a success.

Deliberate, ritual motions maintain an easy order.

Easier than wrestling order out of invading chaos.

The most important work you and I will ever do

will be within the walls of our own homes.

Harold B. Lee

Inspired . . .

This morning, while going thru countless emails, I came across an art related newsletter I've been receiving for several years.  Robert Genn's site - Subscribe to The Painters' Keys newsletter! Always a good read!

A couple of clickbacks later, I stumbled upon these words . . .

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away."

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma--which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

Steve Jobs, Apple
(1955-2011)

Remember that country song by Tim McGraw ... Live Like You Were Dying?
 

He said: "I was in my early forties,

"With a lot of life before me,

"An' a moment came that stopped me on a dime.

"I spent most of the next days,

"Looking at the x-rays,

"An' talking 'bout the options an' talkin’ ‘bout sweet time."

I asked him when it sank in,

That this might really be the real end?

How’s it hit you when you get that kind of news?

Man what'd ya do?

An' he said: "I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,

"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.

"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,

"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."

An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,

"To live like you were dyin'."

He said "I was finally the husband,

"That most the time I wasn’t.

"An' I became a friend a friend would like to have.

"And all of a sudden goin' fishin’,

"Wasn’t such an imposition,

"And I went three times that year I lost my Dad.

"Well, I finally read the Good Book,

"And I took a good long hard look,

"At what I'd do if I could do it all again,

"And then:

"I went sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,

"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.

"And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,

"And I gave forgiveness I'd been denying."

An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,

"To live like you were dyin'."

Like tomorrow was a gift,

And you got eternity,

To think about what you’d do with it.

An' what did you do with it?

An' what would I do with it?

"Sky diving, I went rocky mountain climbing,

"I went two point seven seconds on a bull named Fu Man Chu.

"And then I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter,

"And I watched Blue Eagle as it was flyin'."

An' he said: "Some day, I hope you get the chance,

"To live like you were dyin'."

He Said "No" . . .

He said No.

I asked God to take away my habit.

He said, No.

It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.

God said, No.

His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.

God said, No.

Patience is a byproduct of tribulations;

it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.

God said, No.

I give you blessings; happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.

God said, No.

Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares

and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.

God said, No.

You must grow on your own, but

I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.

God said, No.

I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

(author unknown ... but, God knows)

THE SOUTHERN TEN COMMANDMENTS

This is much easier to remember...

(1) Just one God.

(2) Put nothin' before God.

(3) Watch yer mouth.

(4) Git yourself to Sunday meetin'.

(5) Honor yer Ma & Pa.

(6) No killin'.

(7) No foolin' around with another feller's gal

(or 'nother gal's feller).

(8) Don't take what ain't yorn.

(9) No tellin' tales or gossipin'.

(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Now that's plain an' simple.

And, Bless your little cotton pickin' heart.

A FB friend posted this today!  Couldn't resist sharing!

Summers on the Farm

Childhood Summers on the Farm

When I was in grade school (maybe even before that, but as long as I can remember), I spent every summer with my grandparents in Baker, Florida.  I'd often arrive within a week after school dismissed and return home in time to shop for school clothes for the new year.  This was back when summer vacation lasted longer than three months.  There might be an occasional visit from my parents and sisters during the stay,  stopping thru on their way back to the Interstate after a weekend visit with my other grandparents in Red Level, Alabama.  For awhile my oldest sister was part of the mix.  I remember one year my cousin, Kim, staying the summer too.  That was the summer we both became ill on macaroni and cheese (only because we begged for more until it was coming from our ears!) and it was also the summer Pa took my cut-off jean shorts and burned them.  There was lots to do all summer long: gardening, harvest, canning, freezing, gathering eggs, shelling beans, washing dishes, church camp and tent revivals, pot-luck dinners, mosquitoes, kittens, Sears & Roebuck paperdolls, party-line radio and Mama's cat head biscuits! 

I learned so much during those 1/4 year long visits to Mama and Pa's.  I remember Pa plowing the side garden behind an old plow pulled by an old mule.  I remember Mama in the bean patch with that huge flour sack bonnet tied beneath her chin.  I had one too!  I remember the two acre corn field out back.  I remember china berry wars with my sisters while riding the propane tank horse in the back yard.  Gathering eggs was a favorite activity and The Price is Right was one of Mama's favorite TV shows (of course, there was no TV watching without a chore in your lap!)  Watching Mama kill a chicken after Pa caught it was not a fave.  However, sitting down to Sunday dinner of  fried chicken, butter beans, creamed corn, fresh tomatoes, fried okra, mashed potatoes and gravy, and hot biscuits, never brought to mind the early morning slaughter.  Followed by the blackberry dumplin's, who cared!  Every day of the week, Mama cooked breakfast and a big lunch dinner.  Early evening, we pulled the sheet off the table and re-heated the noon meal for dinner supper.  No microwaves then either!

We spent time in a hot kitchen a good bit of everyday ... blanching beans and peas, stewing tomatoes, cutting corn off the cob.  I still remember the box fan on the deep freezer blowing a cool breeze across a large towel spread with hot blanched beans, soon to be bagged and frozen for later meals.  We made our beds and swept the entire house and dusted every single morning.  I suppose it was necessary because there was so much food prep going on.  Mama washed her clothes with an old wringer washer until the day there was a regular washing machine delivered from Sears!  Oh yes! What a treat to go to Sears and cash in the greenstamp books!  She still always hung the clothes outside on the line to dry.  There were many runs to grab everything just before the afternoon showers came.  I remember several times Mama sniffing the air and quickly putting the dishpan of beans on the floor next to the rocker, and darting out the screen door to the clothes line, yelling behind her "Terri Lynn, come on, the rain is comin."  

My Mama, as we called her, taught me so much.  She played a large part in who I am today.  I learned to garden, to cook, to clean house, to store food, to pray, to have at least that mustard seed of faith, to be creative (she taught me how to sew on an old Singer machine, which I still have, as well as the first flour sack quilt I made with her help).  She also made me dresses from fabric the Alatex dumped.  Mama retired from the sewing factory so she knew where the good stuff was tossed!  There's no end to the things I learned during those summers.  She taught me to have a giving heart.  She was always up before sunrise, way before if there was someone in need of a meal, or grieving a loss, or sick, or in the hospital, or just needing a kind visit.  Sometimes I thought more food left that house than stayed.  They always planted more than needed just in case.  She always cooked more too ... just in case the preacher came by for a visit!

Perhaps one of my fondest memories was going to bed at dusk, two full-size beds in the room I shared with Mama.  Pa was in the next room ... only an open doorway separated us.  Except for thunderstorms, Mama slept in one bed and I in the other.  She knew it was a luxury for me, since back home I shared a bed with one sister and the room with three.  The only noise was the hum of the window fans and the occasional crickets chirping outside.  Lying there quietly, I would notice another hum ... soft voices....rising a little here and there as Mama and Pa prayed.  They prayed in unison and sometimes taking turns, one would echo a "Yes, Lord" in agreement with the other.  As I listened to the names of people they lifted to Heaven, it seemed no one was left out of their prayers for protection, peace and grace to face tomorrow.


I can only hope to be half the grandmother mine was to me.

"Mama" Eula  and "Pa" John Ward

Reflective Blessings . . .

"Breathe in God.

Breathe out everything else."

- Ardith Goodwin

I've heard my friend, Ardith, say this many times.  This morning I actually tried to do it.  It happened quite unexpectedly.  I'm grateful for the Lamaze classes my husband and I took before the birth of our youngest daughter.  Those breathing exercises have gotten me thru quite a bit of physical pain the last few months, especially the last couple of weeks.  But this morning was different.  While focusing on breathing deeply, the phrase crossed my mind.  I found myself  breathing in gratitude for my blessings, for strength, for healing, and breathing out the pain, the fatigue, the weakness.  I found myself more determined to walk the path of discipline it will take to recover.  I found myself in tears.  There are few I share this struggle with.  To those, I say, thank you for your patience, your encouragement and your shoulder  when I occasionally reach pity party phases.  And, thank God for those little things.  Especially the positive, kind things others say that come back to the surface of your mind when you need them most.  I thank God for that still small voice of grace.  Life is good.  Giving it my all ... and then some ... one day at a time.  Be Blessed!

Nobody grows old merely by

living a number of years.

We grow old by deserting our ideals.

Years may wrinkle the skin,

but to give up enthusiasm

wrinkles the soul.

~

Discipline is the abilitiy to continue

after the enthusiasm is gone.

Fast and Slow Down.

I always find comfort and joy in images of angels. I've spent a good bit of time in prayer for a sick friend and for an ever looming albatross which for better words, in the old religious text, an unspoken prayer need. I took a fasting hiatus from Facebook and colas. Don't laugh! I gave up two things that were a constant companion. I always do something similar during Lent just because I believe the nature of Lent is more about sacrificing for the greater good of self. I don't mean that in a bad way and perhaps some might think it a bad choice of words. But, I'm not catholic so it's my own interpretation ... how I feel personally. I just think it's a good opportunity to purge yourself personally of whatever has a stronghold on your life or your physical being; the jumping off point, if you will, of finally giving up a bad habit. On the other hand, to me, fasting is more about a personal sacrifice for the other person or for yourself where there is a need or for clarification. You know, that 'be still and know' scripture? Often that scripture reminds me to slow down as well. The hectic pace I often keep requires me to do that more frequently these days. Just slow down. Be still. Be quiet.

Currently, my friend is in need of physical healing. This constant state of a prayerful spirit has taken me down many unexpected paths. I'm grateful. I have another week of the same ahead and contemplate entering the Thanksgiving season truly thankful.

Nourish your Soul!

When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life. Jean Shinoda Bolen

Ah! My girlfriends and my art come to mind. Many of the girls I graduated high school with have recently reconnected thru Facebook and dinners and movies. What a joy! Though many years have passed and many events have taken place that molded and made us the women we are now, the laughter and personalities are still intact! We all lead busy, productive lives yet we make the time to get together as often as we can to catch up and encourage one another thru current happenings. Now, instead of crushes, sleepovers, and lunchtime gossip, it's marriage, divorce, children, grandchildren, aches and pains of aging, and ... still, sleepovers and dinnertime gossip!! LOL! Though, I must say, the gossip part has changed to a more "What's so-and-so up to these days" along with concern and joy and encouraging advice or words of wisdom and planning the next get-together! What a fun group of women to share popcorn, oh! and Butterfingers with! I can't end this paragraph without mentioning the many girlfriends I have in my neighborhood and otherwise. Sharing birthday lunches monthly and getting together at one another's homes to break bread, share a bottle of wine and giggle the night away! Also, the girls and friendships I've made on Facebook as well. I haven't met many of them personally, but we have bonded nonetheless. I think a FB Reunion is in the cards! It would be a "re" union cause we did afterall first "meet" on FB!! What a party it would be if we all converged in one place!

Another area I've made room for is my artwork. After being gently nudged...no, prodded! by my family to step out into the public eye three years ago, I have grown in so many ways. I'm not as shy as I used to be! I have a lot more courage than I used to have. I finally get it.....your friends aren't gonna dis-own you if you paint something they don't like. They may not hit the "like" button but they are still there to encourage you! And, wow! When they do hit the "like" button and say you blew their mind with that piece....well, just.... Wow! I've only recently come to realize how much I coveted responses from fellow artists too. I suppose that is my own personal measure of success. Though it shouldn't be the yardstick I gauge my work by. Perhaps that is the way in every profession ... approval/ acceptance/ recognition by those in the same field. I so need to get over that! After all, it is the purchase of a piece that ultimately brings personal rewards and recognition in my book! Not just the sales....but the joy that a piece of art brings into someones life. That probably sounds sappy, but I don't know how else to put it. I love interacting with my customers whether at art shows or on Facebook. To hear and read feedback and see a face light up along with a "I want this" and the piece finding a new home, makes it all so much more rewarding than a local write up in the paper would.

I'm glad I was nudged out of my comfort zone and have taken chances. I have already achieved a lot in a short period of time and still have a lot to learn. And, except for the aches and pains of aging, I'm lovin every minute of it! It truly does nourish my soul and bring joy to my life!

Joyful Reading!

This little read was a perfect start to my morning. Took me back to my "growing up" years and the words my mamma and gramma used to say. Those phrases stuck with me cause I used them with my own daughters and some nieces and nephews as well. Come to think of it .. even my daughters' friends! Reading this piece has rebirth a yearning to return to my own garden. I've missed digging and planting and growing the last few years since I've experienced back and neck pain and some nerve pain as well. So, I've had to hire others to do the grunt work for me as I direct them "dig a hole here and don't plant it too deep" while just hours before I was mulling over color combinations at the garden center.....and wondering the next day while driving around town where THAT bug came from!

Thank you Joy for sharing your daughter's writing with us on Facebook! You, my friend, truly live up to your name!!


Take some time to read this piece and peruse the site as well! Great way to start the day!

She Was Right About Some Things by Harper Woods
http://www.joyfulonline.net/nonfiction.htm

Plan B

What most fundamentally characterizes the well-adjusted, or highly sane person is not chiefly the particular habits or attitudes that he holds, but rather the deftness with which he modifies them in response to changing circumstances. ~ Wendell Johnson

The Shack

Two roads diverged in the middle of my life,
I heard a wise man say,
I took the road less traveled by
and that's made the difference
every night and every day.
Larry Norman (with apologies to Robert Frost)

The Shack by William P. Young

Highly recommended!!

My "Go-To" Women

Okay! I did it already! I changed the blog description from "slightly left of mid-life" to "slightly right of mid-life" 'cause I turned 50 about a month ago. Technically I won't reach mid-life til 52. I've always told my husband I wanted to live to be 104....as long as I could still reasonably take care of myself. It's been great thus far. Can't complain! Been married most of it to my wonderful husband, Tony. Of course, it hasn't been all roses. There have been some rough spots and some gut wrenching feelings come and go. But I would re-live it all over again to be in the exact spot I am now .... well, minus the nerve pain. Though even that has taught me to be kind to myself.

I recently went out for an evening with some girlfriends from high school. We had a great time! Went to dinner and saw a movie. Eat, Pray, Love. It was fabulous! I'd already read the book by Liz Gilbert twice and gleaned so much from it. I read it closely behind A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. Both spirit moving works. It's taken me years to feel comfortable in my own skin and these books helped nudge me more into that general direction. Though I'm still not totally at ease injecting my opinions ... especially in opposition, into conversations, I'm more confident I won't be dropped from the "A list" before the next social event if I do!

I've also made a new circle of friends over the last three years as I have been on this art adventure of mine! They have all be willing to share tips and shortcuts and opportunities with me, the new kid on the block. Again, our opinions and our tastes in art may be different but I've been accepted into a group of wonderful, talented artists and that is both comforting and exciting at the same time! Another great circle of virtual girlfriends exist on Facebook as well! I may not have personally met each of you but rest assured it brings a smile to my face exchanging greetings when I log on! Love you gals too!

I certainly must mention the friendships that have been ongoing most of my life. Those I have interacted with over the last thirty-five years. Several who are also neighbors. Many I see once or twice a year at Mardi Gras functions or on the Island. Especially one who has been my closest friend since highschool. I've had a couple of very meaningful friendships that have simply fizzled out....wasted really....either because of misunderstandings or which simply slowly drained the joy from my life.

I love reconnecting with old friends, getting together with new ones and spending time with long time friends. I miss my "go-to" women. The ones I talked to for hours about everything under the sun. One especially. My great-aunt Pete....affectionately called "Petie" by our family. She was my rock. We lost her a couple of years ago within two weeks of a cancer diagnosis. I still miss her terribly. I also lost my mom last year and another close aunt earlier this year. They were all mentors to me and from each relationship I brought away something valuable. How to be a wife, a mom, a friend. How to keep house. How to just listen. How to love unconditionally. How quietly observe. When to keep my mouth shut. How not to be. When to just let it be.

I thank God he placed these women in my life. And I thank God for the women he has brought back into my life since each of them passed away. All of my girlfriends fill a spot that can't be filled by my husband, my daughters, my pets, my art. All of these factors complete me .... for lack of a better phrase!

God bless you all and I look forward to sharing life's ups and downs and in betweens with each of you!!! Thanks for being my "go to" women now!

Matthew 5:13

You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. Matthew 5:13

~ One of my favorite scriptures.

Grace, Courage and Faith

Someone sent me the image of this beautiful cross a while back. I don't know who the artist is but the rustic style seemed to echo today's post.

I found myself talking about my mom a lot today while waiting at the Mitchell Institute while my husband's aunt received chemo. Visiting with the now familiar faces in the waiting room is somewhat sobering and humbling. I met a couple today. She had been diagnosed this past June with Stage Four Breast cancer and it had spread to her brain. She was receiving the current phase of treatment in Houston and had come in this morning for bloodwork. We discussed the side effects she was having and I suggested a couple of things that might alleviate a few. She said the doctor didn't want her taking anything at all right now, especially live bacteria. Live cultures as in acidophilus to correct the imbalance of bacteria in her digestive system from the high dose antibiotics she's currently on for a lung infection. I told her she could get around those orders by eating yogurt with "active cultures" to which she agreed. I also suggested food enzymes for the reflux and indigestion which was a constant companion. She was also experiencing side effects from steroids. Turmeric, yes, the Indian spice, is a great substitute. It's anti-inflammatory without the side effects. I had the same experience with my mom. She asked me to get everything for her and then wouldn't take it because the doctor said not to. Makes no sense to me. When my mom passed away, my sister returned the unopened bottles to me. My mom suffered unendlessly with indigestion and digestive issues because of antibiotics. The prescriptions the doctor gave her did little to help, yet she refused to take the natural alternatives. I suppose when you are in a desperate situation as a cancer patient finds themselves you just have to focus on the doctor. That is, I suppose, where your hope lies. I knew it was healing she was hoping for. A cure. Relief. It's just frustrates me to no end when I know complimentary medicine is available yet the vast majority of physicians are not educated in alternative supports without side effects.

Having experienced cancer with my mother-in-law, my great-aunt, my mom, and now my husband's aunt, God forbid it affect my body or my family, I am informed and will first and foremost seek out a doctor who cares about the whole person, not just the disease. Perhaps that is harsh. I know insurance companies play a huge roll in a patient's care, or lack of care. That is another issue which should have us all jumping up and down and waving our arms at our government because if they take over health care we are all in trouble. That's my personal informed opinion.

Okay, I have vented. Back to the waiting room.

After my aunt went to the treatment room and the couple next to us went in for her bloodwork, I sat and watched the room, trying to imagine the hope, the hopelessness, the pain, the nausea, the sheer exhaustion of it all. It literally brought me to tears. I had to excuse myself for awhile from the waiting room and get a grip. As we left to go next door for my aunt's radiation phase of treatment, I thanked God there is a St. Jude's cause if there were children in the waiting room suffering like these adults are, I couldn't bear it. I simply couldn't.

Father, thank you for your blessings and your protective hand on my family. Thank you that the physical ailments I am experiencing are bearable. Thank you for opening my eyes these past several years to the suffering, as heartbreaking as it is. I know you have a plan for me and will use these experiences to share my faith. Thank you for equipping me with grace to offer myself as a servant to the sick, the courage to show up knowing I will leave with a heavy heart. And, the faith to know whatever the outcome, your presence will be felt in each of their lives and you will see them through to the end, whether it be the end of the disease or the end of life as we know it. I suppose the latter would cover yet both.

Be kind. You don't know what that person is going thru or has experienced. And, occasionally, give a caregiver a high five!

Take more Bubble Baths!

When God is about to reposition your life know that the devil will began to attack!

I heard that on the radio a few days ago. Made me wonder about all that's been going on in my life.....physically, emotionally, spiritually. Began to ponder. Not about the "attack" but about the "repositioning" part. Is it a repositioning of my role as a woman ... grandmother. My role as an artist, a wife, a mom. I don't know. For the last few years I have been spinning my wheels in the mud and muck of life as I know it. I know I have been blessed by God in this life and know he's not finished with me yet. I wish I knew what he was trying to get through my thick skull this past few years. One of my favorite scriptures is "Be still and know." Herein lies the rub. Being still and silent is next to impossible these days. Too much busy-ness and chatter in my world to hear anything else. Hmmmmm. Perhaps I'm telling myself something. Women always do and take care of everyone else first. I need some "me" time.

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.


Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr