Saturday Musings

I consider today a successful day:   I didn't think about work one time!!  *laughs*

This is the first weekend I've been home in three weekends, and boy does it feel good!  I'm still trying to get caught up from my 10-day work week, and a trip up to my folks.  Four loads of laundry so far, and still 2 more to go.  And loads of housekeeping that needs to be done.  You can only let it go so long before you really need to dig in and get stuff done.   And here in the Valley of the Sun, fall is a great time for "spring cleaning" -- the mud and dust from monsoon season are over, and we can open our windows again.  Got my living room floor vacuumed and sharked, all the dusting done... ahhhhh feels much better already.

My pup Sadie is hilarious.  We have a neighborhood cat who thinks he's "King of the Jungle" and wanders the backyards on our block.  Sadie, of course, does NOT like this at all, and barks at him every chance she gets.  When I let her out, she goes into stealth mode:  she creeps up behind the potted plants, holds very still and gazes out over her domain to see if the King is anywhere near her territory.  When he is on the fence, her hackles raise up and she dashes over to chase him off, barking up a storm.  When he's not visible, well, she barks anyways, just to let anyone within hearing range that she is the Queen of this domain!

Working on the back yard, its that time of year where we dig up the things that didn't survive summer, hose the dust off everything and get our patios in shape to sit out and enjoy.  This is the best time of year to be outdoors!  I spent some time out there today, and when I went to pick up Brian, I dashed in for a bottle of fertilizer for the cactus -- and ended up checking out with $70 worth of plants to cheery up the yard.  lol

For dinner, I made a broccoli salad based along the lines of the Amish Broccoli salad I used to enjoy in Ohio... broccoli and shredded carrot (since I didn't have cauliflower), mayo, sour cream, sugar, dash of salt, cheddar cheese and bacon.  It went perfect with my bbq'd steak and tater wedges.  Deeeee-lish!    On deck for tomorrow:  meatloaf cooked in my dutch oven, along with baked potatoes. 

There's nothing better than a Saturday where I get to do the things I want to do..... :)

Prayer Power

"Dear God:

I say your prayer every night,

'lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us some e-mail'

but I never get an e-mail from you...

Do you have my right address??"


PS:  Had a great time with crazy photo ops with my family, and this one made me giggle!




There's a sign on the fence that reads:  Prayers for Sale!
An old woman tending her garden looks up when a young woman who appears new in town asks:

• How much do you charge?
• Is it more if you're in need than if you're wanting a favor?
• Do sinners pay more than the righteous?
• What if the Lord doesn't answer back?
• Do you get your money back?

In this world, we've learned that we need to pay for things; we've learned that certain conditions or restrictions may apply; and we expect to get a refund if it doesn't work.

But prayer doesn't work that way. Prayers are simple, free, and can be prayed by anyone. When you look up prayer in Wikipedia, or Google, you get "a reverent petition to a deity". There are many different types of religions. But prayer is something they all have in common. There may be different "rules" or ways, preferred methods; but the one thing they all share is someone's need to be heard. All of us long to connect with someone who can identify with our circumstances and share in our day-to-day life. Prayer can be just that.

Just think if you had to pay for prayers. Could you afford the ones you need? Would you be more cautious about what you prayed for? Saving up for the bigger things and stop praying for the little things? What about prayers for others? If we had to pay for prayers, would we pray for the needs of those around us in our lives? What if we had to pay more because we'd done something wrong? And the last thought about getting our money back if our prayer isn't answered .... how would we know our prayer wasn't answered? After all, as Garth Brooks sings: "just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care ... Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers."

Grow flowers of gratitude

in the soil of prayer.

~Terri Guillemet

 (To my folks:  You're always in my thoughts and prayers!)