Things Change

Things Change....

This is a season of change for me.
Aging parents.....
Just putting my Dad in a care center.......the day before Thanksgiving.
The realization that he will not always be around, and with Alzheimer's has been leaving us for awhile already.
My heart is sad of late, and tears flow without warning.

Daughter and family moving out to the country....
Not a big change. They are still close......but my drop in visits do not occur often any more,
and I miss them.

A son who has moved to another country. Who is not here with family for Thanksgiving.
A granddaughter who is missing the dad who moved away and is feeling sad about change, too.

Changes, life is so full of changes.

In the midst of it all, realizing God never changes, He is forever the same, loving His children with a love we will never quite be able to grasp or fully comprehend.
And He uses the changes in our lives to change us, to draw us nearer to Him, to show a love and and peace that only He can give.

So yes, life changes. What will be my response??
Will I draw nearer to the God who loves me with an everlasting love???  Will I let that love touch my heart? Will I let Him change me? Will I be an example of His peace to those around me? Will I show the same grace to others as He has shown to me?? Will I use what I have learned to help others?

Lord, thank you for change. Thank you for using it help me grow.
I draw near to you, in this season of change.

Sweet blessings my friends, and His Love and peace in the midst of life's changes.

Barbara Jean

More Vacation Pics

 Huge hollowed out Redwood tree.

 It was really not very comfortable, but a great photo op.

 more of my gatherings

 This old guy watched over the entrance 

to the cabins where we stayed.

A very cool, old carved piece of driftwood. 

I think there is a dog laying at his feet, kind of behind him on left side.

 I know this looks sideways, but it is not. 

And it is not a  plastic mushroom as it might look.

 On one of our walks, this real mushroom was placed on this branch.

Someone had ofund it in the woods, I'm guessing,

and palced it three. Maybe to come back later and get it.

We have never seen anything like it.

Anyone know about it???

 This is an old water tower in one of the towns

I walked around while Scott played golf.

 And here are some really cool trees.

Scott said they are Cypress.

 He was showing me how these branches just grow up out of the ground,

or curve around and grow into the ground.

and we found lots of moss laden logs and trees.

I gathered lots for the sale in November at the store.

All for now. I think 1 more day of pics for you.

You will love what I will show you next time!!!!

blessings

barbara jean

Vacation Pics

 

We just got home from a wonderful weeks vacation in sunny California.

The area is called Point Arena and it is about 140 miles north of San Francisco.

I was going to tell you the above picture was our cabin,

but I knew you would not believe me....

 

So, here is the outside of our real little cabin.

And here is the row of the other 43 just like it!

 Our little kitchen.

 bedroom

 and living room. A total of 350 sq. feet.

Just right for two people who after 42 years have learned

to share quite well. =)

 

Here we are at breakfast.

 Miss frugal ( meaning me) tore the paper towels in quarters to use as napkins.

This is my sweet fella 'complaining' sweetly about it. 

"C'mon. Can't a guy even have a whole napkin around here?"

Sorry, hon, when you are frugal you are frugal, 

whether the paper goods were bought by us or someone else.

(I did relent, and gave him whole paper towels the rest of the time.

After all, my fella deserves the best!) =)

 Here are a few pics of the beautiful coastline.

In most of the area there were cliffs rather than beaches.

So relaxing to hear the waves hit the rocks.

We usually went for several walks a day.

 We did find a couple of areas where little beaches were accessible.

Tomorrow I'll show some pics of the gorgeous trees we saw, and

treasures we found..

Thanks for coming by.

blessings

barbara jean

Outing at the Falls

Last week we went to Silver Creek Falls and hiked around.

can you see the water on the left?
I was actually in a recess behind one of the falls.
It was a perfect day.

My sweet fella helped fix a picnic lunch,
and after we hiked, and ate,
we did our Bible reading there in the park
with the sound of a stream in the background.
It was a wonderful day.

Beautiful falls....

and we even saw a giant lizard!
Isn't it great!!!

blessings
barbara jean

I'm joining outdoor Wednesday today.

Our Mini Coast Vacation

Yep. That's me, on a recent 2 day mini vacation.
We went to the coast.
Stood on the rocks watching the tide come in.
Splashing on the rocks.
Showing the mighty power of the Creator.
and that's me running away, when a wave got too close! =)
Here is my sweet fella enjoying the view too.
more waves. It was such a beautiful day.
Here is a whole pool of sea anemones.
It was a huge pool and I have never seen so many in one place.
My sweet fella being silly. =)

Even the simply Oyster shell fascinates me.
and little thingies attached to it.
Here we are going for a bike ride.
We had matching bikes. =)
Lots of sea gulls around....
till we ran out of crackers.


And here is my sweet fella again,
saying, thanks for coming by.

Blessings to all

barbara jean

This helped me, about my fear and anxiety

Courage is fear prayed for.

Everyone feels afraid many times during life. However, when the Bible instructs us to "fear not," it doesn't mean not to feel afraid; rather, it means to decide to press on even in the face of fear.

Several times, the Israelites were instructed to "be strong and courageous." For example, in Deuteronomy 31:6, Moses commanded Israel: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Even in the face of fear, we too must "be strong and courageous."

Indeed, we are encouraged in 1 Corinthians 16:13 to be men of courage; be strong. So, next time you feel afraid, overcome your feelings through prayer so that you can "be strong and courageous."

This is part of a morning devotional, Christ's Notes, that I read each day. It really helped me think about my fear (anxiety), in a different way.

That first paragraph, " Everyone feels afraid many times during life. However, when the Bible instructs us to "fear not," it doesn't mean not to feel afraid; rather, it means to decide to press on even in the face of fear." actually made me see I am a courageous person, a conqueror, because many times I have felt anxious, and I kept moving ahead with my day, my life.

I wake up anxious most mornings, and spend time trying to figure out why I am anxious, or trying to work through it, or beating myself up because the Bible said 'be anxious for nothing' and I feel anxious.

But, each day I do continue to get up, continue to function, continue to pray, continue to go on with life, continue to love and encourage and care about other people.

I do not take pills or drink to numb me, I do not just sleep the day away to escape the feelings I have.

I AM A CONQUEROR!!! AND I DID NOT EVEN REALIZE IT!!!

THANK YOU LORD FOR SHOWING ME THAT TODAY!

I hope this will help you see yourself as a conqueror too.

blessings
barbara jean

Life can be confusing

I'm sitting here this morning, with tears running down my face.

No, nothing horrible has happened.

That is part of what makes it confusing, hard.

If there were some big, sad thing, it would make sense.
It would make it.........OK? understandable? acceptable??

But there is nothing.

Then there is the soul searching.
What is causing the morning anxiety. The sad?

How much time to we spend on that? Trying to figure that out?

How many times we do claim the Lord's joy, and power, and peace, before we actually achieve it? Before we actually feel it?

How many hours a day can we work, how busy can we stay, to try to keep the feelings at bay?

Is there ever any understanding of what is going on?

Do we need to understand things in order to be healed?

If indeed healing is what needs to happen?

If there is wholeness at all?

Just wondering.

Tears have stopped, but emptiness? sadness? still there.

Time for my morning walk.

Thanks for listening.