When family comes to visit (stay with) you (overnight) (for two weeks) (at a clip), is that considered company?

CDW and I have decided that we have darkest before dawn (black) hearts. Ugh.

Okay, all my friends out there. I hope you are having a good time in the midst of everything that is going on...weddings galore, for one thing. CDW has been twirling with her daughter's wedding plans for the past year and she is READY TO BE DONE WITH IT. Her house is covered in wedding jazz and gifts, can't find the floor, etc. I am saying a prayer for CDW right now.

Today we went to a graduation party and I was so happy to see this family. The kids used to go to school together 10 years ago and I really love the mother, she is hysterical. We are going to have lunch, so we say. I hope so, I could use a few good laughs. Have only seen them a few times in the last 10 years, Wah, Wah, Wah. Life is heart wrenching, all the change, when I like things exactly the way they used to be. I'm afraid I don't cope so well, how do you all do it?

I guess just living today and moving ahead, eh? And looking forward to Heaven and no more sorrow.

Even though I promised myself not to skip ahead in the 3rd of the Amish novel trilogy, I am sorry to report that Nellie Mae marries the dip wad I was completely opposed to. Well, what do you expect when these kids marry at 18? Of course, I take it Amish kids are more mature than the average American teenager, I mean, they have certainly learned the meaning of hard work from an early age, if nothing else.

On this fine note, I shall go have a Butternut cookie.

KEM

Why is housework suddenly menial when you do it for someone else and get paid for it? But it's something almost everyone does in their own homes, housework, I mean. And we don't look down on ourselves for cleaning our own houses, I hope!

Did you ever put something in your Goodwill pile and then take it out because you had nagging doubts? And later discover you were SO GLAD you didn't get rid of, in one instance, your Paul Revere stainless steel bake ware? WHEW!!!

Or have you ever gotten rid of something and wanted it back in the worst way? Big Mistako!

Or did you ever see something you wanted to buy badly, but exercised frugality (nice way so saying stupidity), and wish ever since that you'd had the sense to bring it home? Yeah, once there was this little black dress. And once there were these Italian gray dress pants for Mike.

Well, it has finally dawned on me the secret of being a Christian in your heart. This is probably old hat to everyone, but I'm a little slow sometimes...lots of times. I do believe there is a direct correlation to the sweetness of our Christian spirit (when it doesn't come naturally) with how much time we spend in the Word. The Bible says so over and over. Aha. Once again, no effort, no results, no reward. I'm not talking about "works" Christianity or depending on oneself to change the vile heart. That is what God's grace does. But clearly in Scripture we are commanded to saturate ourselves in the truths of God, meditate on His precepts day and night, etc. The Word is life-changing power, sharper than any two-edged sword. Babies don't grow without being fed, and we aren't going to grow in the Lord unless we feed on His laws. Again, not discounting grace in the slightest, but we have to run the race and put on the whole armor and work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

I think today we have a bunch of lazy Christians, myself included. God has instructions to teach us to manage in this life, and it's high time we esteemed the manual. How else are we going to attain the necessary elements to be successful in our walk? If it's any help, Paul advises that we consider everything in this world to be dung, in comparison to the riches of knowing God.

So, my question is, What can we cast aside TODAY that will give us the time we need (and maybe pretend we don't have) to get into God's Word?

Gettin' There KEM

Last night at the baseball game: DTD, do any baseball players ever come to your restaurant?

DTD: No. Never.

Today: DTD texts Mike, A baseball player (opposing team) came into the restaurant. He asked me out.

End of story. She turned him down. For the excellent reason he was old enough to be her father. GOOD GRIEF!!! Glad DTD has a good head on her shoulders. (Some of) These professional athletes need to get a life.

Well, I mainly told this story because coincidences are one of the sparkles of my life. I love it that I just so happened to ask her about baseball players and her restaurant last night and the answer was NEVER. And then the very next day, not even 24 hours later, here comes a baseball player. And DTD ran and hid. That'll show him! Yeah, send 'em all packing, Baby!

Oops, that was a recap.

I'll tell you what, I didn't have these problems when I was a young lady. I was pasted to the wall.

WPKEM
(Wilted Pansy KEM)

I'm being bitten alive by something.

The Mighty Renowned Rays have just been swept and steam rolled by the Rascally Ratty Red Sox. Doggone it!

I like the saying, JUST BE NICE. There are two kinds of people in this world, the nice and the not nice. It's true.

Need the comfort of my Amish novel. It's blogette season again, with my MIL here for two weeks and a wedding coming up. But I'm so excited because I get to play with a lovely young cellist. Something new and fun for me! I ADORE cello. KEM needs to glue her lower portions to the piano bench for the next 10 days. Yep, I don't know when I'll ever blog again.

The Former Blogger,
KEM

What is finer than a brown paper sack full of sandwiches?

Since I like visuals, I was visualizing about the fountain in our hearts. A pure fountain produces lovely and good thoughts. I can see the clear happy spray. A dirty fountain coughs up impure and ugly thoughts. Do you see the vile waters pouring forth?

The Bible tells us that either our fountain is pure or it is not. It can't spew clean and dirty water. It is one or the other Wow. These lines of thinking...well...they get me thinking. And I believe that's the point. If I don't deeply consider what kind of fountain my heart is, and for certain it didn't start off pure, then I might not realize I need a new well dug. Only Christ can give us that fountain that springs eternal life. And sourced from that is the fountain of pureness.

I so want the fountain of my heart/thoughts to pure. Not a drop of meanness or unkindness. Not allowed, not even given room to be conceived. This, see, is the Spirit of Christ flowing through us. Jesus is the cleansing flood, he washes us white as snow. It's no coincidence that Jesus used many illustrations concerning water to convey His power to cleanse. He is the giver of Living Water. If our fountain runs clear, He did it.

There Is a Fountain

There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power,
Till all the ransomed Church of God
Be saved, to sin no more.

E'er since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave,
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing Thy power to save.

~William Cowper

KEM

Furthermore, one lady told me that a woman's self-esteem is tied to how she keeps her house.

That's all she wrote, Folks,
KEM