Here in Western Maryland where the weather is never quite what I would have it be, we have three inches of ice pellets this morning with the temperatures coming up all day. Yesterday morning we had a red flag high wind advisory with a temperature reading of just 10 degrees F. Today they are calling for the ice pellets to change to a steady rain at some point in the day. My trip to work , 60 miles away, should be a most interesting one this morning.
I pray that everyone who comes to this page will have a blessed day. I pray that God Himself will be able to find some use for you today.

Take care JB, and try to keep warm.

Here is something a friend sent me:

Their marriage was good.
Their dreams focused.
Their best friends lived barely

a wave away.
I can see them now, Dad in trousers,

tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a

housedress, lawn mower in one hand

and dish-towel in the other.

It was the time for fixing things. A curtain

rod, the kitchen radio, screen door,

the oven door, the hem in a dress.
Things we keep.



It was a way of life, and sometimes

it made me crazy. All that re-fixing,

eating, renewing. I wanted just once

to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence.

Throwing things away meant you

knew there'd always be more.



But then my mother died, and on

that clear summer's night, in the warmth

of the hospital room, I was struck with the

pain of learning that sometimes

there isn't any more.




Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.
So...
While we have it. ..
it's best we love it...
And care for it....
And fix it when it's broken.....
And heal it when it's sick.





This is true for
Marriage....
And old cars....
And children with bad report cards...
Dogs and cats with bad hips....
And aging parents....
And grandparents.
We keep them because they are worth it,

because we are worth it.
Some things we keep.
Like a best friend that moved away

or a classmate we grew up with.






There are just some things that make

life important, like people we know

who are special....

And so, we keep them close!


Good friends & family are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

I received this today, from a friend:


Their marriage was good.
Their dreams focused.
Their best friends lived barely
a wave away.
I can see them now, Dad in trousers,
tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a
housedress, lawn mower in one hand
and dish-towel in the other.
It was the time for fixing things. A curtain
rod, the kitchen radio, screen door,
the oven door, the hem in a dress.
Things we keep.

It was a way of life, and sometimes
it made me crazy. All that re-fixing,
eating, renewing. I wanted just once
to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence.
Throwing things away meant you
knew there'd always be more.
But then my mother died, and on
that clear summer's night, in the warmth
of the hospital room, I was struck with the
pain of learning that sometimes
there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.
So...
While we have it. ..
it's best we love it...
And care for it....
And fix it when it's broken.....
And heal it when it's sick.

This is true for
Marriage....
And old cars....
And children with bad report cards...
Dogs and cats with bad hips....
And aging parents....
And grandparents.
We keep them because they are worth it,

Because we are worth it.
Some things we keep.
Like a best friend that moved away
or a classmate we grew up with.
There are just some things that make
life important, like people we know
who are special....

And so, we keep them close!

Washington 's prayer for America:

'Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United States at large. And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion, and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.'

Laus Deo!

(this was emailed from a friend).

Blessings are the things we take for granted.


Blessings are the things we take for granted.
Each holiday we notice what we see.
Most know the Earth is utterly enchanted
Yet walk through life and love mechanically.
Valuing one's gifts takes resolution
After days and nights of fantasy.
Love brings the sweet relief of absolution,
Enveloping our hesitance in need.
No touch inspires so swift a revolution,
Transforming all the hieroglyphs we read.
In your love is the charity of spring,
Nor self-obsessed nor blinded by some creed,
Embracing the grey dawns that blessings bring.

Happy Valentine's Day to all.


"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Matthew 28:20b (NIV)

INSTALLING LOVE (sent from a friend)

Tech Support: Yes, ... how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running ?

Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components ." What should I do?

Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart.Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: Thank you, God.

***

H A P P Y V A L E N T I N E S D A Y ! ! !

HAPPY VALENTINES EVERYONE.........Hope everyone is doing very well......and staying happy.....

God Bless you all my dear friends....

Debbie

Britty got mail my sweet....

Thank you Debs, Hope you had a wonderful day today.

One of my favorite Josh Groban songs..

THE PRAYER

I pray you’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know

Let this be our prayer
As we go our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe
La luce che to dai

I pray we’ll find your light
Nel cuore restero
And hold it in our hearts
A ricordarchi che
When stars go out each night
L’eterna stella sei
Nella mia preghiera
Let this be our prayer
Quanta fede c’e
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we’ll be safe.
Sognamo un mondo senza piu violenza

Un mondo di giustizia e di speranza
Ognuno dia la mano al suo vicino
Simbolo di pace e di fraternita

La forza che ci dai
We ask that life be kind
E’il desiderio che
And watch us from above
Ognuno trovi amore
We hope each soul will find
Intorno e dentro a se
Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child
Just like every child

Needs to find a place,
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
E la fede che
Hai acceso in noi
Sento che ci salvera

I've always loved that prayer/song, beautiful as always. Thanks for sharing Britty, well some sun came out here in northern ohio yesterday it was soo nice to see it bright and feel the warmth the past couple of days. It looks cloudy out now...but I thank God for that little bit of sunshine...it fit for Valentine's Day and my mood My guy and I have been talking for almost two months, almost, except one, night. We did trade some simple but sweet cards. (actual snail mail ). We've had one phone call and we've also traded a postcard. Don't know where its going, but the conversations are nice and have actually helped me thinking about some things. So even if it doesn't go anywhere I thank God for the time with him and the friend I've gotten from Chet.

Thank You Britty, again for the email. I think I've gotten it before but its nice to see it again.

God Bless everyone
I'm going to have a Caramel Chai Tea...mmmm it has become my favorite.

Hope everyone's Valentine's Day was a happy one and we all remembered to celebrate not only a partner's potential love, but the love of your family and most importantly the love of God.

Tiff

Hi Tiffa,

I am glad things are going nicely for you and your guy.

I had an enjoyable day, spent a little time with
a dear friend. My mom called and we chatted for a
while.

I will take some
regular tea (for me I guess, I prefer not to mess with
perfection, )

It's 2:00 AM and I can't sleep. Did everyone have a good V-Day?

Hi Johnny, its good to see you, sorry to hear you were not able to sleep, I hope you got some rest later.

I did have a good Valentine day, thank you. I requested no candy though.

I hope you made a special day for your special girl (your daughter).

God bless

ABIDE With Me

ABIDE with me! fast falls the eventide,
The darkness deepens: Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O, abide with me!

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see:
O thou who changest not, abide with me!

Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word;
But, as thou dwell’st with thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free,
Come, not to sojourn, but abide with me!

Come not in terrors, as the King of kings;
But kind and good, with healing in thy wings;
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea;
Come, Friend of sinners, and thus ’bide with me!

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left thee;
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me!

Psalm 103.5

Bless the Lord, O my soul
And all that is within me
Forgetting not His benefits
Nor forgiveness of iniquity
Bless Him who brings healing
And redemption to our lives
Crowning us with loving kindness
And with blessings, satisfies

© By M.S.Lowndes

Abraham Lincoln


I have been driven many times to my knees
by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere
else to go. Louisa
Hello feralcaylady I made it

Another good one of Abe's


our hearts are fastened to this world by strong
and endless ties,but every sorrow cuts a string,
and urges us to rise.

louisa, can you tell I Abe Lincoln?

Louisa, I respect the fact that you love Lincoln and I do so resepct the man for his integrity. I heard a funny story about him once; He was attempting to court a woman but the woman found him unattractive. She told him, "I don't ever want to see you again and if I see another man that looks like you, I will get a gun and shoot him." I now how he feels being rejected.
On the other hand, when asked what song the band could play at the begining of the celebration of winning the war, He replied, "Play Dixie". He knew he had to pull the country back together and he forgave the south for their rebellion.

It's good to see you on here, Louisa. GOD bless.
T mie

Loisa I am glad you made it over sweetie........Hope you enjoy the coffehouse.



Well it's 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evening and spent the whole day and part of the evening praising God and in fellowship with the church....It was such a fun day. We actually had a couple baby shower....never been to one and it was a hoot...Especially the men playing the games...lol


I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the evening.....



AND LORD THANK YOU FOR SUCH A BLESSED DAY......FROM THE MOMENT I OPENED MY EYES......IT WAS ALL ABOUT LOVING, PRAISING AND WORSHIPING YOU.