Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Reflecting

After a long day of travel, 
a trip to the Post Office and grocery store
and then eating Chinese food
we are back home in our little apartment.

Ron is napping so I decided to read through some emails.

First one up was my daily devotion from Guideposts Daily Devotions

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. . . . ”
1 Peter 3:15 (niv)
John, how do you always stay so calm, even in the tough situations?” a colleague asked.
I was sitting across the desk from the division president of my company for one last meeting. We were chatting, wrapping things up, before I formally retired. Not expecting the question, I rambled, mentioning my faith and that I hadn’t always been calm. I talked about reading Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s books in my younger days and how they had helped me.
Later, I felt disappointed that my answer hadn’t come close to capturing God’s work within me to overcome the biggest struggle of my life: crippling fears and anxiety. I asked God to help me overcome all of my turmoil and inner conflict. I learned ways to live my faith. I began to pray and read the Bible daily. I used many of the action steps that Dr. Peale outlined to deal with daily life and to practice peacefulness. From that beginning, God guided me on an incredible journey, step by step, to a life of deep tranquility and quiet confidence.
I wasn’t prepared to give an answer when the question was asked. I missed an opportunity to tell firsthand what God had done for me. However, the conversation may have been another step that God intended for my journey. It caused me to look back and see more clearly than ever His presence and faithfulness throughout my life—and that He is “the reason for the hope” I have.

Digging Deeper: 

1 Chronicles 16:9; Psalms 13:5–6, 71:23
Dear Lord, help me be ready to boldly share stories of Your faithfulness whenever an opportunity comes. Amen.    
by John Dilworth
**************
I immediately went back to a conversation we had with our 9 year old grandson on Monday afternoon after spending a couple of hours swimming.  

He asked us why would someone choose an animal over their own family.  My heart ached as I wasn't quite sure how to answer him.  I stumbled through my reply ~ I'm not sure.  But what I am sure of is that God tells us in His word,


and even though we might be confused about some things that are said to us and about us we need to just keep putting our


and to remember that Mom and Dad will always have his back and do what is right for him and his brothers and their family.  

And so I sat here praying for him and his whole family 
along with asking God to give me the wisdom and words to share with him
and all those who I speak to 
reminding myself


and that we are never alone.


Tuesday, June 6, 2017

Home Again

We are safely back here in Waco.

What a great week we had
but like normal it went by super fast!

It was great to see both of our boys,
their sweet wives
and all five of our grands!!!

We spent lots of time swimming, 
played at the park two different days,
ate way too much ~ but the food was delicious!!

Had sleep overs with Grammy and Grandpa,
visited with our family,
shared lots of hugs and kisses!

We said "See ya later"
and can't wait till we see everyone again.

Thank goodness for Facetime!!!

Monday, June 5, 2017

Enjoying the Day!

Feeling Blessed Beyond Measure ~

We are so blessed and sometimes its just the little things that make that so clear in our lives.

A few weeks ago, I was seriously looking for a new job.
We love our boys at MCH but sometimes the administrators drive us crazy!!
But God has a way of showing us we are right where he wants us to be.

You may be asking "how does God show you these things?"
In this case we have had lots of encouraging things said to us and no doors opening on the horizon.
We have applied for about 10 different jobs over the past two months,
one was so promising
and then
doors were firmly closed in our faces.

Image result for THEN

a friend encouraged me out of the blue,
an admin called out of the blue,
our boss thanked me for something I thought was trivial
and most importantly,
peace reigned in my heart.

And today I am enjoying the blessings of being with grands!!
And doing something I have not been able to do in years ~~
PLAY on the playground and go down the slide!!!



Loving being with our family here in Gresham!!

Blog Address Change!!!!

Well I took the plunge and moved my blog over to WordPress! Below is the link to my blog. All of the blog posts I have written sinc...