The “Will” Dance

~ Denise ~ 3 Comments

Almost every morning begins the dance of “will”.

“Will” I get a few more moments of sleep, wake up on my own, stretch; or “will” the cats (usually Fudge, the male) commence “wake up routine”?

Even though the cats are technically our son’s Alex’s, they find themselves on our bed at night.  (Probably because they have annoyed Alex and he has either shut his door or does better at ignoring them.)

Fudge approaches the dance floor by pawing at the covers, beginning at my feet and then generally moving upwards.  During colder weather, this isn’t too much of a problem as the covers are thicker, but when the blanket is lighter, I catch a claw sometimes, and oww!

Pansy, always the lady,  waltzes around my head and daintily lays down and purrs.  This prompts Fudge to see what is going on, and then both cats commence dancing back and forth across my pillow.  They will sashay back and forth, perhaps laying down, (plopping might be a better term for Fudge) until he determines it really is “time to get up”.

He then will proceed to poke at my face with a paw.  When he first started doing it he  jabbed at me and there were times when it was like little punches.  Now he is gentler, but the message is still the same.  “Hey, look at me, hey, hey, here, here, let’s go.”

If I push him away, he might go away for awhile, however he has been known to go under the covers to nibble on body parts.  (Let’s just say he’s chomped on my butt a time or two.)

Alex says “He doesn’t do that to me, he has you trained, he knows once he gets you up then you will feed them.”

True.

Usually however, all that happens around my normal wake-up time, and my body is telling me it is time to get up anyway.

So, the “will” dance is really how “will” I choose to greet my mornings?

Annoyed with the little minxes, or scratch their heads and enjoy their purrs?

I choose to enjoy the purring and their affection.

They are really cute after all.

Clutter Control A.K.A “CC” (not to be confused with Canadian Club)

~ Denise ~ Leave a comment

Bottles of Canadian Club whisky for sale in Fu...

The first things to get rid of in “Clutter Control”, to be abbreviated as “CC” (not to be confused with Canadian Club, even though it is a fine choice if you like whiskey.  I myself prefer Jack Daniels; however that could be another post) has been the “de-clutter” and “re-organization” ideas, tips & magazines I’ve collected.

I already have this urge for order and “everything in it’s place” so when I read blogs, magazines, and see all the suggestions,  it can cause a sense of frustration at times to what I have already set in place.

So:

  1. I have thrown out Storage and Organization magazines with pictures that make me want to organize different rooms, closets and drawers with expensive and pretty accessories (that should save me some money).
  2. Weekly organization & de-clutter calenders along with corresponding daily to-do lists (that should save me guilt that I am not “using” them on the days when I see them and haven’t “checked off” the item they “suggested”).
  3. Miscellaneous torn pages out of magazines of articles on “organization tips” and “household tips” (see numbers 1, 2 and 3.)
  4. Any pins that I have pinned to my boards on Pinterest.  (see numbers 1, 2, 3 and freeing up computer time).
  5. Removed “bookmarks” to blogs about said interests, and removed myself from email lists.  (you can pretty much figure out how that will help!) 🙂

Will I stop reading & looking at the pictures in magazines?  No.  But, here is what I figure.  If I haven’t taken the time to do what the pictures have shown, or what Ive pinned to my Pinterest, or utilized the hints from the organization blogs, or calendars – they are just clutter for my mind, my home, my computer, additional paper piles or files, guilt, and sometimes just plain jealous thoughts of what I couldn’t or haven’t achieved of what I see.  Sometimes they have just been a way to get me to just want more.  Who needs that?

Like I said, I already have an urge to have things organized.   Reading or seeing things has me wanting “re-do” or “re-structure” existing systems to “make better” or “prettier” or “be-moan” what I don’t have “structured”.

At the core, don’t we really know what to do with any clutter we have – eliminate it.  Once that is done than we can decide how to organize what is left.  Sometimes looking at all the pretty options of containers and organizations enables us to keep more clutter & items that we have to store.

So…off to the recycling bin goes the paper!

I feel lighter already!

Ezekiel 34

~ Denise ~ 1 Comment

Ezekiel 34

The LORD Will Be Israel’s Shepherd

1 The word of the LORD came to me: 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

7 “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 10 This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them.

11 “‘For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. 12 As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. 14 I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. 16 I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.

17 “‘As for you, my flock, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will judge between one sheep and another, and between rams and goats. 18 Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture? Must you also trample the rest of your pasture with your feet? Is it not enough for you to drink clear water? Must you also muddy the rest with your feet? 19 Must my flock feed on what you have trampled and drink what you have muddied with your feet?

20 “‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says to them: See, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, 22 I will save my flock, and they will no longer be plundered. I will judge between one sheep and another. 23 I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. 24 I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.

25 “‘I will make a covenant of peace with them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety. 26 I will make them and the places surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. 27 The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. 28 They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. 29 I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations. 30 Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign LORD. 31 You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign LORD.”

I know I have been very quiet on here as of lately.  That is because I wasn’t sure exactly what to say or how to start.  So, I thought I’d just start today, with some of the verses that I have been reading for the last few months.

The Lord has been talking to me about trust.  Trusting in Him.  He has reminded me of how He has been faithful to me in the past, how I can depend on Him.  He has pushed me to confront unloving behavior.  During my quiet time we have compared notes on how I have handled past hurts with recent ones.  I praise Him for the refining work he has done in me over my life, and the grace He extends and continues to do.

This is what I have been remembering:

F orsaking

A ll

I

T rust

H im

The Lord will always take care of His sheep.  We I just need to trust Him.

Purrrfect Pamperer

~ Denise ~ Leave a comment

Out of the two kittens that came into the house, there is a difference when it comes to getting ready in the morning….

Pansy, the female, likes to hinder me help me when I’m putting on my makeup.  I guess she figures I’m blind as a bat without my glasses and she better help me select what I need.

It also doesn’t seem to matter where I lay my glasses down, she will always try to pick them up.  I have to hide them when I go to bed at night.  Silly kitty.  🙂

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OSS Reflections

~ Denise ~ 2 Comments

Today’s visit to the park was more crowded than I thought it would be.  But, we were blessed to have enough food to feed everyone in line!  That is something that is always amazing and you know is God’s hand at work!  While we are serving  I was watching as the line kept growing and growing.  Then I’d see a lid close on a pot, meaning it was all, and I’d look and I’d see more homeless getting in line.  God is good though, for somehow all the “first timers” were served and we still had some left over for a  little of seconds.  When we get down to the last bowl, we often talk about how it reminds us of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish in Matthew 14:17-21.

Usually it is after all the serving, while we are cleaning up, that someone will stick around, hang out, perhaps have a cigarette, and then maybe talk a little about how things are going on and what is new with them.

When talking with one of the guys today about the life lessons he has been learning, this was his pearl of wisdom:

“Just because there is an open door or window to go through, doesn’t mean God opened it.” – Ed

Think about that.  Think about your life choices.

I know.    W.o.W.     Right?

I know there are many doors and windows that I’ve walked through God didn’t open. Then usually after I was there, crying out to God, He reminded me He was there all along…if I would just turn toward Him.  And then I would need to be reminded, again.  Sometimes, again and again.  Sigh.

Ed’s words are a reminder to be seeking His will first before we decide whether or not to go through those open doors and windows.

Well said Ed.