Song for a Rainy Day~

Our family was discussing 'songs' last week as we sat around. I love children's songs and have so many rattling around in my head. I started singing this one.....Dave was the only one who remembered it. I couldn't believe it! I sang this song with everyone of my kids! Go figure!

~Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam~

Jesus wants me for a sunbeam,
To shine for Him each day;
In every way try to please Him,
At home, at school, at play.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.

Jesus wants me to be loving,
And kind to all I see;
Showing how pleasant and happy
His little one can be.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.

I will ask Jesus to help me,
To keep my heart from sin;
Ever reflecting His goodness,
And always shine for Him.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
I'll be a sunbeam for Him.

I'll be a sunbeam for Jesus;
I can if I but try;
Serving Him moment by moment,
Then live with Him on high.

A sunbeam, a sunbeam,
Jesus wants me for a sunbeam;
A sunbeam, a sunbeam,

I'll be a sunbeam for Him.

A very nice song for a rainy day, don't you agree?

So my kids think I'm nuts, I don't care....

Singing here ~

Lynette

DayBook~

Outside my window~ rain, rain, rain. Very green grass, wet deck and deck chairs and 2 tables that very much need washing down. That is one job I hate.

I am thinking ~ today I am off and so wanted to get outside and weed and trim my flower beds. I go around the beds with a shovel type tool that is straight and cut in every spring to keep the bed lines sharp and grass free. Not today. Flex. I have 2 closets left in my de-clutter goal. After today I will have one left, Lord willing.

I am wearing~ jean capris, I am barefoot. Wearing my green "Cape May Lima Bean" shirt my hubby bought me from the Lima Bean Festival last year during our Cape May Adventure with Chip and Kim and Doug! I think it's cute!

I am thankful for~ rain God sends because it means May flowers.

From the learning rooms ~ Books, books and more books!

From the kitchen ~ Coffee made by my honey. He does make the best coffee ~ even better than Starbucks. That is a fact.

I am creating ~ margin in my house. De-clutter continues. I want to be able to open a closet and find room. So far the closets I've done are efficient and have room! I have decided I only keep what I really like. I'm not a knick knack type girl. But I do like dishes....ha.

I am going ~ nowhere in the van today. Bible Study tonight! I like Bible Study!

I am reading ~ a new book. I did something unusual for me this week. I picked up a book, read 2 chapters which were not very good. I actually closed the book and returned it to the Library. I have always finished books I start. Not anymore. There are way too many good books to waste time on the not so good ones!

I am hoping ~ the Lord uses me today for his glory!

I am hearing ~ the pitter patter of rain against the wood deck just outside the sliding door. There are 3 birds chirping also...so wonderful to hear.

Around our home ~ we are all moving slow. Me included. I should not have stayed up into the wee hours reading last night. Not good.

A few of my favorite things ~

• Spring
• Root Beer Floats
• Flowers....all kinds
• Digging in the dirt.
• Holding babies
• Grass between my toes.

Thanking God for this time of year,

Lynette

Marriage Monday

Today is Marriage Monday ~

How often do you really really 'look' at your husband? Not the causal glance but really look at him, deeply into his eyes?

I had a friend in Kingston who was very frustrated. She was a little older than me but married for just a few years. She said he hubby never looked at her. He did talk to her but never looked at her. She was pretty, stylish and slim. I talked with her about men, marriage and relationships. I asked her if she 'smiled' at him? Did she speak softly, drawing him in? We spoke at length about what femininity is. One day she called me up and asked me out to lunch, (a major planning for a Mom with 5 kids at home, homeschooling) which I accepted.

She told me a story. She had spoken to her hubby of her frustration. He didn't agree. He thought he looked at her all the time. She wanted eye contact. She wanted smiles AT her. So she got up one morning, washed her face and drew a big black 'dot' on the end of her nose. She used an eyebrow pencil to do it. She also put on some make-up, did her hair and dressed as usual.

She made his breakfast and sat down to eat with him, the newspaper spread out before him as he ate. No reaction. They had a wood working design studio and he went to work on that in the garage. Still no reaction. She made him lunch. She worked around the house, running into him many times during the day. Dinner over she settled in for the evening with her hubby. At bedtime she took the bull by the horns.

She took him by the face and looked straight into his eyes. He said "you have dirt on your face"! She said " all day I have had this dot on the end of my nose and you never noticed!" He didn't notice and he knew it.

I remember this story often. We look, but we don't see. At our kids, at our friends, and yes, even at our spouses. Take time today to really see ~ with the eyes of love!

Lord, teach me to SEE! Lynette

PS. Yes, they are still married. He's learned to 'see' better and she learned to give her expectations to the LORD ~ HE always 'sees'!

Energy from God~

Are you ever super super tired? Do you run out of gas some days? Do you struggle with your long 'to do' list?

I know I have at times. I have a little picture frame by my front door on the wall that states-- "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 It is the JOY of the LORD that gives us strength.

God gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. —Isaiah 40:29

The dictionary defines energy as the vigorous exertion of power. It has to do with effort, strength, potency, and might. Who has all these attributes? The Lord!

Scripture tells us that God not only has his own power and strength, but he’s given that same power to us. He enables us to have energy when we tap into HIS.

David says to God in Psalm 31:4, “You are my strength.” And again in Psalm 27:1, “The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” What great verses! What comforting verses! God gives us all the energy we need.

When I’m exhausted and fall into bed at night, I often think I’ll never get up the next morning because I’m so tired. Or when I have no more strength to take care of a need or do the things that have been assigned to me, I have to force myself to remember my strength comes from God, not from inside me. There’s a vast difference.

So, remember—strength doesn’t come from exercise; strength comes from waiting on God. Tomorrow is another day, and God energizes us for it . . . no matter our age. Every day that I get older, his strength brings more comfort to my own life.

I have all the energy I need, Lynette

Friday Funnies This is a very funny story from my favorite blog...Girltalk! Enjoy! A Homeless Man's Funeral As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky back country. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played 'Amazing Grace,' the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full. As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years." Apparently I'm still lost.... it's a man thing. Laughing here, Lynette

Random Thought Friday

Spring Flowers are Blooming!

~ Do you 'dream' at night? I do, and some of mine have been not so nice lately. It was upsetting to me, I wake asking "what does this mean"? Are you trying to tell me something Lord? Etc, etc, etc. I did realize though that dreams are not reality. If fact, when I woke up this morning after a not so nice dream, I prayed. I gave it to the LORD and proclaimed the 'truth' to my own heart. GOD knows. HE cares. HE is for me. The Bible tells me so! Don't let a bad dream ruin your thoughts or torment you!

~ I am a journalizer. I love to journal. I not only journal, I like writing down lists. I have lists of lists. Pretty funny. I have prayer lists, books read lists (wish I had started this one a great deal earlier!), quotes I like, letters sent to people or desire to send to people, Bible verses I am memorizing, answers to prayer, character list (ones I am praying for myself), places to visit (near and far), friends to encourage, Sabbath list, word studies and the list goes on.Keeping a little book in your purse helps remember quotes etc. Do you journal? Tell me about it!

~ Did you know you can go into the Library and talk to one of your librarians about books? (some are more 'willing' to chat than others) Now that is a novel idea! Really, we are in our library so often that I have come to know 2 very well. If you like a certain author (say Francine Rivers--my favorite!) she can print out a list of authors of the same genre for you to try. It really works. I have found many many authors I didn't know about by this method. Try it out with your children. You will be amazed!

~ Our whole family opts out of TV for books. Not that we don't watch TV (ESPN---what can I say?) just that books take you places!!! I grew up in a family that didn't read much. Boy, what I missed out on!!! I have my awesome husband to thank for turning me into a 'book woman'! He bought me my first real 'book' back in 1971. We lived in Bad Aibling, Germany with no TV, no friends yet, and he worked 12 hours a day, six days a week. The name of the paper back book? It was "EXODUS" by Leon Uris. I loved that book. I may go back and read it again this summer just to see. We were overseas with no library, so it was a challenge. He was up to it though. He joined me in a Mystery Book Club in the USA and they sent me 4 books a month for a very cheap price (cheap paper too). The bug bit and I have been reading ever since!!! How grateful I am for a really great Library-- FREE! FREE! What books do you like to read? The options are endless!

~ Speaking of books ~ THE BEST BOOK ever is the Bible! I read through the whole Bible every year now. I used to use 'McCheyne's' but now I use 'Discipleship's program' (they have 3 different ones). When my children were little, I read my Bible but not systematically. I usually read one Proverb a day and then just hit or miss as I was led. Now, I see the wisdom of having a 'system'..... reading it is the important thing. God loves us. He wants to reveal himself to us. He does that through reading the Bible and praying. I have the habit of not reading anything else until I have met with HIM! I am glad! I have had my struggles in this as I think every believer has at one time or another. Pursue it....it is so worth it!

~ Rainy here yet the grass is looking sooo green and spring really has arrived. Our lovlies are popping up all over the yards here in Maryland! Thank YOU Lord for flowers and bushes! YOU are good and give us good things!

~ I am so happy to have my hubby and son back form Mexico. It was wonderful in Mexico and they have shared so many wonderful stories and pictures of our dear ones in Mexico. What a privilege to be apart of all God is doing in Chihuahua.

~ My closets are looking good. I am very proud of our 'coat closet' ~ the only closet on the main floor. It has margin now. It is organized and looks very nice! I de-cluttered it and got rid of stuff~ taking things to 'Tabitha's House', our local thrift store that ministers to abused women. Nice! Makes me smile! It is funny how getting rid of stuff makes one feel 'lighter'---true for you too? My mission continues.......

Ending with a question. What song do you sing, hum or rattle around in your head as you work?

I love to sing although not very well. I am a very good 'hummer' though. I hum all the time!

Five of my (work) favorites are :

"Love Lifted Me"

"You are my Sunshine" (I learned this one from Dave many moons ago)

"Count your Blessings"

"At the Cross" (I don't sing it slow....I speed it up--that is okay you know)

"If You're Happy and You know it" (Kids song)

Humming right now, Lynette

Marriage Monday

Went to the Airport on Saturday and picked up my wonderful, awesome hubby and our son Caleb after a week in Chihuahua, Mexico on a missions trip with 14 guys. God is amazing. God is at work in the hearts of men, women and children there.

Yesterday was a really really huge blessing to our Church family. Each of the twelve men (two were not there, Juan and Rich) shared a 'snapshot' of what God did in their life during the week. It was amazing.....I cried through it all out of happiness! The Spirit was really present. It is hard to put into words of the blessing of it all.

My heart is full. I am so thankful. I am overflowing with gratefulness and happiness to be envied. Because God is good, so good. He has a plan and it is for our good and for HIS glory!

Since today is Marriage Monday I am sharing a link. It is about intimacy in your marriage. Taking the initiative in your physical union. Sheila says it well and I agree 100% with this one blog.

I don't usually read many blogs other than Pioneer Woman (recipes--yummy) http://thepioneerwoman.com/ and Girltalk http://www.girltalkhome.com/.

Yet, I think this is one very good post from Sheila. She says it well. If this is a struggle for you (tired, worn out etc.), I would say, pray and ask the LORD to give you a willing heart. He will! I know, because HE has done it for me!

http://internetcafedevotions.com/2011/01/a-new-years-resolution-lets-initiate/

Bless your hubby soon by taking the initiative! If you love him you will care about this too!

My cup runneth over, Lynette

Random Thought Friday

~ Everyone is sayin' it snowed. NOT on our street! The Lord heard my prayers because I prayed for no snow ~ he loves me whether it snowed or not ~ smile!

~Spent time daydreaming this week.

~ONE more day and my hubby and Caleb return with the other 12 men from Mexico and ministering to the Indians there and the Church in Chihuahua. They ARE hard workers! My heart has been in Mexico all week!

~Hannah has made coffee for me everyday this week (early) without me ever asking her too. AND done lots of other things I won't tell about except we haven't starved! Hannah is our resident 'suzy homemaker' ~ Kudos to Hannah!

~Cleaning out two closets today ~ drizzly and damp day! Must put on some loud upbeat music to get me started and motivated.

~This was a cold rainy week ~ yet SPRING is coming I know! Our yard needs lots of TLC, raking, raking and cleaning up. Glad I still like to rake!

~We have only run the dishwasher once all week. We usually run it once a day. What does this mean? Either Dave and Caleb use a lot of mugs and glasses or Mom hasn't been cooking---which do you think is true?

~Only three loads of laundry all week for us girls. We now know where all the laundry comes from--tee hee!

~I have not heard once this week "do we have to watch ESPN again?".

~Never realized before that my honey or Caleb always always do the "all doors locked" routine late at night. AND turning down the heat to 56 degrees at bedtime. Bekah took over these jobs this week. She forgot the heat last night.

~ I forgot to go to Giant by Thursday and get chicken breasts on sale for $1.99 pound. I usually buy 10 pounds to last til it goes on again! Oh my! Hope it goes on sale somewhere soon around here. Bekah is not the only one who forgets!

~You are thinking "so what did you do all week Sherry?" Well, I logged in miles of walking around our house looking at things here in the house and thinking 'how many more days?' Oh, and I attacked all the dust bunnies in the corners and high on the walls. You see them when you walk around and 'daydream'.

~Not much book reading going on by me this week---unusual but then I have gotten a great deal of 'daydreaming' done. What does this say about me?

Signing off to attack the closets so I can tell my hubby I had a productive week!

God is good ~ hope daydreaming is okay with him, Sherry