my rock and my redeemer

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t

Surely I wait for the Lord;

who bends down to me and hears my cry,

Draws me up from the pit of destruction,

out of the muddy clay,

Sets my feet upon rock,

and steadies my steps,

Psalms

40:1-3

Please feel free to scroll down and add your post to my Selah linky.

An InLinkz Link-up

I Am the Vine by John Michael Talbot

This is such a beautiful song. 

Our Priest shared it with the congregation one Sunday not too long ago

and I thought I would share it here with you. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

The old bureau

When we first moved here to this rather tiny sort-of-an-island

the bureau was in the kitchen.

It had a big old Norman Rockwell hanging over it

and all kinds of stuff stored in it...

hats and mittens in the bottom drawer

and foils, wraps, and plastic bags in the top drawer.

When I brought an old hutch home I moved the bureau to the living room.

It has a picture that my sister found at a tag sale hanging above it...

one of those old windows with a view painted on the glass...

a view of a path through some scrub bushes onto a beach.

It mirrors the view out the living room window just across from it.

The tiny chest of drawers holds rocks, and pebbles, and seashells

and I think some dominoes and a few old skeleton keys.

The drawers of the bureau are filled with light bulbs, batteries,

ribbons and various scraps of paper and strings.

But the star of the show is the old wooden truck.

Over the years it's blocks have spelled out Christmas, Thankful,

Easter and various birthday names but today...

Today it says SISTER....

My favorite little grandson Verne is going to be getting a sister!

She's due on Christmas Eve!

Family Friday

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I ordered from my cousin's BoHo String Crochet this week and my order arrived!

It is my cousin's Etsy shop so she put an extra little bag in my order.

So sweet.

The bag is just beautiful and it's nice and thick.

It has pretty little beads on the drawstring also.

One day this week Joe and I had some errands to run

and the window boxes were so sweet I couldn't resist a picture.

After work on Friday we went out to celebrate our anniversary.

We've been meaning to go the The Antique Table for a few months

and finally got there.

It was delicious!

My favorite little family is camping this weekend.

I wish I could have been with them but I celebrated Father's day with Joe and the boys.

Tucker who is the King of quite a lot really.



If you would like to join me for Family Friday

please feel free to add a link to a post about your family.

Richard Bach once said that rarely do members of one's family

grow up under the same roof.

In light of that, you may have friends that you think of as family

or pets that are certainly a part of your family as well.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Seeking Sabbath

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t

And the king shall answer, and say unto them,

inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren
ye have done it to me.

Matthew 25:40


See that you do not despise one of these little ones.
For I tell you in heaven their angels
always see the face of my father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:10

I have had the rather unique joy of being step-mother to 6 children

as well as mother to my own two daughters and grandmother to

one and one on the way.

I can't imagine the having any of those children ripped away

and not knowing if I would ever see them again or if they were safe...



People don't run from their homes, their families, their loved ones...

They don't take their children straight forward into danger and the unknown

unless they are running from the mouth of a shark.

I'm not saying we don't have issues with immigrants, or politics, or religion,

I'm just saying...

these are children.

A friend posted something on facebook this morning.

There were a couple of moments of serendipity today. I was at the doctor's office for an appointment and I recognized this woman and her daughter in the waiting room. I realized who she was after racking my brain for a few, how do I know her. But it finally came to me, that she was the mom of a family who came to Marblehead in the early 70's from Viet Nam. She had 5 kids, the youngest with disabilities from malnutrition. And also came with her brother, his wife and two kids in a two bedroom apartment across from Abbot Hall. I learned a lot more than I knew then as a 12 or 13 year old. I am pretty sure her husband was killed in the war. She eventually bought a house in Salem. Now four of her kids have houses in Salem , except the youngest who still lives with her. She was sad that they all lived in their own house and not with her. She has ten grandchildren. She told me when they first moved to Salem, she used to get up at 4am everyday to get her kids stuff ready for the day, and then walk back to Marblehead, to be at work at 7 am at Cran Barry, a clothing factory. She said people would see her walk everyday and stop to ask her if she needed a ride. (all the while, five kids at home!) She would refuse and lie and say she was almost home, because she was afraid to take any rides from strangers. The thing that hit me and an interesting detail I learned, there were a number of people and families together in Marblehead that all helped to bring them to their new home and supported the family, all, originally and then over time. She called them her sponsors and was fond and sad she said, most had died or lost touch with now. How she had stayed in touch with them for a while,
and went to visit them and brought them soup when they were sick, and sad when they died. SO a community came together and took on this family with their transition to America and they all had the dream, put their lives back together, made homes and lives. That is the America and one immigrant family. It as far from easy for any of them and I can never know what their life was before they got here. Look how America is changed. I just don't get it.

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thankful Thursday

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My husband had surgery on Tuesday.

The right half of his thyroid was removed.

We left for hospital at about 10:00 and arrived around 11:00.

His surgery was scheduled for 1:30 but he didn't end up going into surgery till 4:00.

I didn't get home till close to midnight!

The surgery went well and everything looks benign, praise God.

He was at Mass General hospital and the view from his room was spectacular!

It was absolutely beautiful at night.

He is home now and resting for the next 2 weeks.

t

In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; 

for we do not know how to pray as we ought,

but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.

And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit,

because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will.

Romans 8:25-26

Please feel free to add a post to my thankful Thursday link-up.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Selah

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t

Do nothing out of selfishness or vainglory; 

rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,

each looking our not for his own interests,

but [also] everyone for those of others.

Philippians 2:3-4

I read a post recently about self-care and it got me to thinking...

Yes...we need to care about ourselves. 

We need to keep our bodies healthy 

our minds and hearts in the right place.

It sure does seem to me that there are an awful lot of people

running around trying to fill an emptiness within themselves with self-care

but that emptiness can never be filled until we turn

our hearts, minds and bodies toward the service of others.

Now...I am not saying that we should not take care of ourselves,

rather that our own self-care is incomplete

until we have found a way to understand 

that there are things more important than ourselves

and to put that understanding into action.

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Word filled Wednesday

A wise woman builds her home

Moments of hope

Encouraging word Wednesday

An InLinkz Link-up

The Bell

Imaganing

Our world Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday

Wordless Wednesday life at Rosemont

Wednesday around the world communal global

of a morning in June

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The folks walked their dogs to doggie beach

or got out early for a bike ride...

I put my feet up on the balusters and sipped my coffee slowly

watched the morning comin' down

The door to the porch stands open almost all summer long...

Monday -Chicken soup

Tuesday -lemon, rosemary chicken, brown rice, asparagus

Wednesday -Fish tacos

Thursday -beef and broccoli in the crock pot

Friday -leftovers

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Cheerleaders of Faith

The Hearth and Soul

Inspire me Monday

Menu plan Monday

Make it pretty Monday

Selah

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t

Behold, Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the Lord a reward.

Psalm 127:3

Please feel free to add your link to my Selah link-up.

You may post anything relating to your walk with God.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

An InLinkz Link-up

Family Friday

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My grandson, Verne, helped to mow the lawn while I 

was visiting last weekend. 

There is so much love in those hearts.

Joe and I sat on the porch the other night

watching a boat fishing in the gloaming. 

It's been nice enough out in the mornings 

for walking on the beach.

The gulls are funny to watch as I walk along the shore. 

We both walked the beach one evening after work. 

There were a couple of families still enjoying 

the early season evening before heading home for dinner. 

Verne paused in his busy landscaping to enjoy the buttercups

growing wild in the yard.

If you would like to join me for Family Friday

please feel free to add a link to a post about your family.

Richard Bach once said that rarely do members of one's family

grow up under the same roof.

In light of that, you may have friends that you think of as family

or pets that are certainly a part of your family as well.

An InLinkz Link-up