ACORN GIVING THANKS JOURNAL

At the beginning of October I decided I wanted to make a journal for the month of November. The purpose of this special journal would be a daily record of gratitude. So in keeping to my true "Colette" self I had to make it a themed journal. Not just a travelers journal, or a random notebook but something creative. While sitting at my desk and entertaining this creative thoughts I noticed the journal I made last year. It is a large pumpkin and the front is covered in white paper that has large gold circles.

 So that sent my mind into create mode! After much thought, way to much thought, I decided to make my journal into the shape of an acorn. So began my "process". First is sketching out my pattern on graph paper so I can decide dimensions, scale and size for best use of my paper that is going to fill it. The next step is cutting out the front and back cover from chipboard. Following this step I have to make a decision on whether I will paint the cover or cover it with scrapbook paper. Well, I decided on scrapbook paper and that is where this blog is headed.

First, hang in there with me! I can already see that this is getting a little long but try to go the distance with me! LOL! Over the last two weeks I have looked through my stash of paper, I have looked online at paper, when I was grocery shopping at Wal-Mart I looked in the craft section for paper. I have this picture in my mind of the colors I want my acorn to be... my acorn gratitude journal, my acorn thank you book to God! But I just haven't been able to find what I am seeing in my head. Let me make a longer story shorter. I went to a craft store yesterday, picked out a bunch of papers I loved, spent more time doing this than I had anticipated only to get to the checkout to be disappointed. I had bought from this group of clearance papers recently and they were priced an over $5.00 a sheet. In taking them previously to the checkout the price was changed to a real clearance price...nine cents a sheet. This time, and it was the same lady behind the register, said that the $5.00 was the clearance price. We had a discussion and long story short I left the store leaving behind my 25 sheets of paper and pretty unhappy with the entire thing!I spent the rest of the day stewing. I mentioned the paper issue multiple times to anyone that was willing to listen. I was upset, frustrated, and bordering on angry. 

What started out as a project to honor God, enable me to focus on his goodness, and to enhance my time with Him spiraled south real quick! How often does that happen when our intent is all for good but we lose sight of that somewhere down the line?! A few examples come to mind...offer to serve but then decide to only serve doing what you want to do instead of what needs to be done. Or offering to volunteer your time but instead decide things need to be done differently and you know the right way.What about sharing your thoughts with someone to offer help and support but when the discussion ends you realize you have been judgmental, unrighteous, and downright rude. I am sure that once you think about it more examples will come to mind...either from seeing it happen or from it happening to you. RUT-ROW!

My first side step was on this project I forgot to pray! "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful init with thanksgiving." Colossians 4:2. And I am learning more, and more, and more than in whatever I do, small or large prayer needs to be the first, second, and third step. My creativity belongs to God! He put that love and excitement in me. And for His glory! And that is true in every part of our lives. Our vocations, our service, our lives and all that we do is a gift from him and for him. When I begin getting frustrated in my projects I need to pray and ask God for direction before it goes south. "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." Romans 12:12. In the same way I need to always be praying in my relationship with my husband, dealing with my children or grands, serving my neighbors, volunteering my time, sharing with my friends. Does it sound a little silly that I should pray for 2 sheets of paper to cover an acorn cover?!" Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". Philippians 4:5-7  Yet, if God has numbered my days He also has numbered the minutes and seconds. I want those minutes and seconds to be joyful, to show gratitude for those numbered day and to give thanks for the passion he has given me. I truly want God to know that i recognize that ALL of me comes from him and that I grateful to Him for who he made me! 

Onto my acorn journal...say a prayer with me!

"Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over ALL, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone." 1 Chronicles 29:12

TRUST

Last night as I was listening to all the commentaries of the upcoming election, and trying to breathe, I thought about my precious daddy. Daddy loved politic! He was a conservative republican and proud of it. He and mama even went to one of the Bush inauguration balls! Every election, for many years, he would talk with the candidates that were running locally but also for state seats. He would get to know them and ask them questions about their views, aims and goals. He would study their past record and weigh what they had done against what they had promised if previously elected. Many times I saw him in action, taking him to Atlanta to the capitol to met with politicians and party heads. One year I helped mama and Daddy throw an outdoor barbecue for Paul Broun who was running for a congregational seat. And I remember when I took them to Washington, DC for my niece's wedding he had to go out to the suburbs to spend the day with one of his buddies who had won a seat in the Senate. He was heavily involved in politics and it was one of his passions and also one of his strengths.

Only this blog is not a tribute to my sweet daddy....though when I begin to talk about him so many thoughts, memories, and feelings take over. I know though you will give me that moment of digressing!  Many people went to Daddy for direction and guidance when they went to vote. Every election year Daddy would do his legwork and his homework. He would then make a list of all the candidates he deemed worthy to vote for. He would make copies of "Chuck's List" and then pass it around, mail it out, and hand it out! I clearly remember a phone call I answered before the election in 2016. His phone rang and so I answered it for him. He said to tell whomever it was that he couldn't talk right then. But on the other end was a very nice woman who insisted on speaking with him. She told me she had "his list" but had some very important questions to ask. Daddy ended up taking the call and I heard all of his side of the conversation. After they talked for about twenty minutes or so she was confident that he had steered her in the right direction. And I found out that he had distributed 200 copies of "Chuck's List"!   

Wow...a lot of people put their trust in Daddy and his knowledge. And I can think of so many times and people we trust for our big decisions. We trust, or I hope we do, the people in our close circles whether it be family members or friends. When my children were of pediatric doctoring age I loved our doctor. If he said it that was the rule...just like Yul Brynner in the Ten Commandments..."So let it be written, so let it be done!" We have our doctors that we trust completely and know in our hearts they are only going to do the best for us.  So many of us have our favorite auto mechanic who we wouldn't think of second guessing when it comes to car repairs..".just get the parts, fix it and let me know what I owe you!" We ask for guidance on home repairs, car dealers, doctors and surgeons, schools, daycare...and the list goes on. And when we trust and love that person we usually take their recommendation and go with it. 

Which brings me to last night. God brought this topic up to me. He asked me to review my trust in Him...humbling stuff! Where am I on running to him? And then when and if I do, what is my track record for totally trusting and running with what he tells me? I must say I barely slept last night. I know the feeling of mama or daddy or both weighing in on something, anything in my life and the total trust and peace it brought me. Have I worked on that with the Lord? Is my first thought to take things to him? The big things YES!...but what about the smaller things? What about the everyday stuff? I talk to one of  my sister pretty much every morning. Even my daughter made the comment today that we hadn't heard from her yesterday or today...that was before she called today...LOL! Yet how many days this week has the day gone by and I realize I haven't had a morning, noon, or even evening conversation with God? If I am not going to him, if I am not sharing with him, if I am not asking him for guidance or direction in all things...how am I going to fully ever trust him?

Last night was a night of looking back. Today is the start of looking forward! That is where I start in getting closer to my Lord and Savior! I am still clay in the potters' hands. The shape is there and some of the details but it is not a finished product...it still needs more molding and shaping!And I praise him and rejoice in the fact that he loves me enough to not leave me as a lump of wet clay on a potter's wheel. He guides me even when I am going everywhere but on that direct line to him. He speaks to me even when I am have not given him the time and attention he deserves. Tonight I will sleep "When I lie down, I will not be afraid, when I lie down, my sleep will be sweet." Proverbs 3:4

And tomorrow.....

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal". Isaiah 26:3-4

 Khaki Colored Frog

My grandchildren are taking after their Poppy, Meme and Daddy in the love of nature. This weekend while they were spending the night we found a grasshopper and pretty cool moth floating in some standing water outside. Well there was only one thing to do but fish them out and take a look. My sweet cupcake was a little hesitant but honey bun {Aiden} reached right in and grabbed that bright green grasshopper by the leg. He laid it on the outside table and then went back to fish out the moth. This reminded me of an entry I had made in a journal i keep. This is what I wrote...

One day last week my sweet honey bun and I were enjoying the fresh air outside when we came upon a little tiny frog in the flower bed. The little guy was not much larger than a dime, a khaki brown color with dark brown spots, and a very fast jumper. Well, we had no choice....it's in the Grammie's book of rules when you come across a frog with your grandchild you must chase around trying to catch it. I believe some of these rules are there to keep us grandparents humble:) It was very fun and my honey bun was so sweet..."Go Meme! Me do it too Meme"! followed by laughing and much bobbing in and out of bushes. That little frog was so fast and also so camouflaged. He blended in so well with the bushes and the mulch that it was hard to find him if you took your eyes off of him at all. Later the same evening, as I came to my back door after dark, there were three fat bright green tree frogs stuck to the wall.  Those fat, bright colored frogs stuck to the wall were not camouflaged at all. You couldn't miss them if you tried. Those frogs stood out with their bright green color and they didn't move at all when I reached out to touch one. They just sat there glued to the wall waiting on their dinner to fly by. Much different from the tiny, fast, khaki frog we had seen earlier in the day.

Nature is so fascinating and can teach us so much. I watch the birds in my yard from the front window and have noticed the small Carolina Chickadees that hang on the pine trees. They are swift and small and blend in with the bark on the trees. But in contrast to that is this one BIG redheaded woodpecker that hammers away at a dead tree we have in the front. His jet black glossy body, snow white band around his neck, and they his bright red head is like a neon sign saying look at me. And if that isn't enough to get our attention then he drills away like an automatic jack hammer and it seems like you can hear him miles away.

There are so many contrasts in nature...everywhere you look if you pay attention. And that is not unlike the family of God. Throughout the Bible there are many people of God that stand out, their personalities big and colorful, their missions bold and conspicuous. And then there are many people in the Bible that are simple and quiet, unassuming and subtle. In nature God created each and every creature just how he wants them to be for a particular purpose...HIS purpose. And he did the same with all his children...God made each and every person to be exactly what he wants them to be.  This is a very important lesson to remember...we are not all the same and not called to the same kind of life, style of life, or purpose in life. God created some of his children to serve big and colorful lives, in the limelight or public eye. Others he created to be more in the background, subtle, unassuming, live quiet lives. And that is wonderful...it is wonderful that we all have our places in life...whether we live in the city, in the country, in a penthouse or a trailer, whether we are single or married, have 15 children or none....God is using us in one way or another. It doesn't matter whether we own a fortune 100 company, or whether we are a stay at home mommy, whether we make the news or can't even afford to buy a newspaper to read the news we are made by God for a special purpose and a special life and we should be seeking out that purpose, praising God, and rejoicing in who God made us.

Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's handwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

SHE CLOTHES HERSELF IN DIGNITY

I wanted to post this in light of the crazy weather we have had. A historical number of hurricanes this year. We never lived in a state that was prone to hurricanes but when I was young (elementary school) we lived in Taiwan. They have hurricanes but on that side of the world they are called typhoons. Just thought you might find this interesting! 

I found this one special piece of paper tucked in among some photographs in a box my mama kept. Let me read to you the first part...

"Taipei (Taiwan) Oct. 6

It is almost midnight and I just got home. Chuck's (my father) in Kaohsiung and the kiddies are in bed asleep. We're in condition '3' of typhoon Carla and it has been storming since about 4:00 this morning. "

It then continues to explain that on this night she was attending a baby shower at a friend's home. She explains that their friends Dean and Gayla arrived and she was happy to see them because mama and another lady were alone from Tien Mow (the city we lived in). "And we thank God again, because on the way home we got on the Shelin Bridge and discovered the T.A.S. (Taipei American School) corner was flooded and we couldn't get home. Dean led the way and we started back up the mountain and home by way of Peitow Chen. There was water over the road, a few trees down and a slide, but we made it through. Home never felt so good and I could only think "Thank you Lord," and now I can rest easy, safe at home with the kiddies. I know the Lord will watch over Chuck wherever he is." 

Now, let me give you a few facts that I read on the internet. Carla became an intense typhoon while in the Philippine Sea on October 15,1967.  She was labeled a "super typhoon " with her peak winds being 185 mph. While she was weakening she dumped record amounts of rainfall. The Philippines recorded almost 48 inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period with significantly more extreme stats recorded in China. In the 48 hours between October 17-19 she dumped 108 inches of rainfall killing 250 people and leaving 30 others missing. WOW!

 

She then has an entry from the next day...Oct. 17/67:

Wind and rain all day. No school at T.A.S. because of flooding. Electricity was off for a while and the phone went out. Papa tried to call but couldn't get through. Got the message-'he's fine.' "All clear" for typhoon Carla at 8:00 p.m. but wind and rain continues. We're in good shape here and we thank the Lord."

So....mama alone in a foreign country, on the small island of Taiwan with five (5) small children, long before cell phones and computers, isolated on a mountain (where our house was), travels through a "super typhoon" to get home to her "kiddies". She has the sole responsibility of her family while having valid concern for the safety of her husband. And her focus is giving thanks and praise to her Lord!  "Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come" Psalm 31:25 .

This is a woman of strength, of honor, of dignity This is a woman who loved her God Almighty, creator, who made the rains and the winds "For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind and declares to man what are His thoughts...the Lord God of hosts is his name" Amos 4:13.  Mama is a woman who knew that the Lord her God was going to protect her and was worthy of praise. "Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom." Psalm 145:3. Mama lived what she wrote.. and she left something for all of us to share. mama left you and I a legacy...she left you and I encouragement...she left you and I insight...she left you and I faith and a wonderful goal to strive for...

 

A woman clothed in strength and dignity...

Thank you Mama...I love you always!

 

 

"One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts"...for you are our GOD! Psalm 145:4