What if there isn't "anymore"?

Author Unknown

One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear, cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom, the wife was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't "anymore".

No more hugs, no more special moments to celebrate together, no more phone calls just to chat, no more "just one minute."

Sometimes, what we care about the most gets all used up and goes away, never to return before we can say good-bye, say "I love you."

So while we have it, it's best we love it, care for it, fix it when it's broken and heal it when it's sick.

This is true for marriage.....And old cars... And children with bad report cards, and dogs with bad hips, and aging parents and grandparents. We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it.

Some things we keep -- like a best friend who moved away or a sister-in-law after divorce. There are just some things that make us happy, no matter what.

Life is important, like people we know who are special.. And so, we keep them close!

Let every one of your friends know you love them. Even if you think they don't love you back. And just in case I'm gone tomorrow:

I LOVE YA!!!

Live today because tomorrow is not promised.

Shared by Patty B. ♥

The Flood

Author Unknown

Once upon a time there was a man of great faith. The man lived in a small town. One day it began to rain. The rain continued until the streets in the town began to flood. The mayor sent police officers through the streets, knocking on doors and shouting through bullhorns for the citizens to evacuate their homes. But the man said, "No, I will not evacuate, God will save me."

The waters continued to rise until the man was forced to climb the stairs to the second floor of his home. Soon the mayor sent the fire department on rafts through the streets of the town. They called to the man to get into the raft. But the man shouted from his second floor window, "No, I will not get into a raft. God will save me."

The rain fell heavily and soon the water rose above the second floor. Now the man had to climb to the roof of the house. The mayor sent the rescue squad in a helicopter. They dropped a rope ladder and shouted over the din of the propeller blades for the man to grab onto the ladder. But the man called back, "No, I will not take hold of your ladder. God will save me."

Soon the flood waters rose even higher and washed the man off his roof, and he drowned in th raging current.

When the man reached heaven, he angrily banged on the gates and demanded to see God. After some negotiation, he was taken to the Throne. The man said, "I am a man of great faith. Why didn't you save me?"

And God replied, "Well, I sent you police officers...the fire department...the rescue squad..."

Shared by Patty B. ♥

Carrot Cake

This is a family cake we have been enjoying for years. The cake is very moist and yummy!
Patty B.

Cake:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups wession oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cups sugar

Cream sugar and oil together, add beaten eggs and mix well. Sift dry ingredience together and add to cake mixture. Add carrots and nuts last.

Bake in greased cake pan at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Frosting:

4 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cube butter
1/2 box powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
few drops milk

Mix all above ingredence together.

Frost cake when cool and enjoy!

Household Hints and Tips

Alternative household uses for Bounce softener sheets:

1) Musty book smells: It takes the odor out of books and photo albums that don't get opened too often.

2)Eliminates static electricity from your television screen. Since Bounce is designed to help eliminate static cling, wipe your television screen with a used sheet of Bounce to keep dust from resettling. Works for venetian blinds too.

3) Dissolve soap scum from shower doors. Clean with a sheet of Bounce.

4) Freshen the air in your home. Place an individual sheet of Bounce in a drawer or hang in the closet.

5) Prevent musty suitcases. Place an individual sheet of Bounce inside empty luggage before storing.

6) Freshen the air in your car. Place a sheet of Bounce under the front seat.

7) Deodorize shoes or sneakers. Place a sheet of Bounce in your shoes or sneakers overnight so they wll smell better in the AM.

8) Repels mosquitoes: Tie a sheet of Bounce through a belt loop or place one in your pocket when outdoors during mosquito season. (I heard this one really does not work)

A Native American Tale

A young boy came across his grandfather sitting quietly and asked, "Grandfather, what are you doing?" The Grandfather whispered back, "There are two wolves fighting in my head." "Who will win?" asked the child. "The one that I feed," replied the wise old man.

                                   Author Unknown   

Shared by Patty B.                         

Book Review

The Secret Things of God

written by Dr. Henry Cloud

This book is a positive Christian alternative to the best selling book The Secret. It reveals the "secret things of God" - secrets about God, about happiness, about relationships, and about your purpose. These tested spiritual truths reveal principles that make life work.

Author Dr. Henry Cloud clearly and simply shares truths that have the proven ability to fill you with security, hope, purpose, and meaning - and make your life work. Cloud also explains how these truths, found in Judeo-Christian teachings, intersect and interface with the spiritual longings expressed in the principles found in The Secret and similar books; he further reveals where biblical truth transcends and differs from these principles. Recognizing and applauding the universal search for truth and connection with a power beyond the human. Cloud leads readers into relationship with a personal God who loves them and has given all to save them.

I recommend The Secret Things of God
Patty Billingham

Quote for the week...

Sow a thought and you reap an Act,
Sow an Act and you reap a Habit,
Sow a Habit and you reap a Character,
Sow a Character and you reap a Destiny.  
                             Author Unknown

Shared by Patty B.

JUST FOR TODAY

1. Just for today I will be happy. This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true, that "most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Happiness is from within; it is not a matter of externals.


2. Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.

3. Just for today I will take care of my body. I will exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse nor neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.


4. Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

5. Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways; I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. I will do at least two things I don't want to do as William James suggests, just for exercise.


6. Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticize not at all, nor fault with anything and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.


7. Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.


8. Just for today I will have a program. I will write down what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. It will eliminate two pests, hurry and indecision.


9. Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. In this half hour sometimes I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective into my life.


10. Just for today I will be unafraid, especially I will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is beautiful, to love, and to believe that those I love, love me.


Written by Sybyl F Partridge in 1916 and printed in
"How To Stop Worrying, And Start Living" by Dale Carnegie, 1951


Shared by Patty B. ♥

IN THE STORM

I saw a TV show where it told of the life of the coast guards who work on the seas rescuing fishermen and boaters in an area called the “Death Zone.” It is where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. This area has been called one of the roughest sea areas and is infamous for its treacherous waters that have caused countless shipwrecks. It has earned the nickname the “Graveyard of the Pacific” for the amount of ships and lives lost there. The coast guards talked about how the only way to get through these rough seas is to go straight into the waves. Straight into the twenty plus high waves that are notoriously violent and quick to change.

You know life is a lot like that. It often brings us unexpected storms; chaos and turmoil. And we need to go through our stormy times, face the pain and hurt to get to the other side. We have to face the pain we are not dealing with in order to get past whatever it is we are suffering with. Just waiting for the pain to go away is not enough.

The wonderful thing is that as Christians we don’t have to go through our storms alone. Jesus is there with us. He is our life-preserve. ♥

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” (Isaiah 43:2 NIV)

Written by Patty B. ♥

Heavenly Salad

1 small pkg. lime jello
1/2 cup chooped nuts
1 cup pineapple juice
1 small bottle cherries
1 1/2 pkg. cream cheese (small)
2 tablespoon sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 can crushed pineapple (small)
1 cup whipping cream (whipped)

Mix sugar into jello before adding boiling water, then add cream cheese until dissolved, add pineapple juice and set in refrigerator. Wait until jello is almost set, then add 1 cup whipped cream, cherries, nuts and pineapple. Mix thoroughly. Let set in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Patty B.

Recommended Book Read:

The DNA of Relationships
By Dr. Gary Smalley

Great book for working on improvement your relationships. Dr. Gary Samalley reveals the core problem of relationship struggles and provides solutions that work.

Shared by Patty B.

Quote by A.J. Cronin

"Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered, but a maze of passages, through which we must seek our way, lost and confused, now and again checked in a blind alley.

But always, if we have faith, a door will open for us, not perhaps one that we ourselves would ever have thought of, but one that will ultimately prove good for us."

Shared by Patty B.

WHAT IS REAL?

In the book Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams the Rabbit ask the Skin Horse “What is REAL?” And the Skin Horse tells the Rabbit “It’s a thing that happens to you. “ And later during that conversation the Rabbit asks the Skin Horse “does it hurt?” And the Skin Horse replies “Sometimes, but when you are REAL you don’t mind being hurt.” And the Rabbit goes on to ask “Does it happen all at once, like being wound up, or bit by bit?” And the Skin Horse replies “It doesn’t happen all at once. You become. It takes a long time. Generally, by the time you are REAL, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are REAL you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand….and once you are REAL you can’t become unreal again. It lasts for always.” And the Rabbit then longed to become REAL, yet the idea of growing shabby and losing his eyes and whiskers was rather sad. He wished that he could become it without these uncomfortable things happening to him.

As a counselor I have read this book to some of my clients or played the CD and inevitably it brings tears to the person, and it brought tears to me when I saw the Play in San Francisco a few years ago. There is something about this story that touches our soul. We all long to be REAL; to be noticed, to be appreciated, to be loved. And yet, in order for that to happen, we have to be willing to take risks. Risks that at times means we will get hurt. Like the Rabbit who had to let the little boy love him until he was all worn out in order to become REAL, we have to allow others to love us. And yes, sometimes it hurts. If we live long enough we know life will bring us heartaches, disappointments and losses. But the good news is we can live with the certainty that God is with us through it all ♥

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”   (Deut. 31:8 NLT)

Written by Patty B. ♥

Take Time To Dance

We can get caught up in the day to day grind of life and forget along the way what is important to us or forget to enjoy the moment. Our responsibilities overwhelm us and take over our lives. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to look back on my life and have regrets for not doing the things that matter the most to me, or regret I did not spend time with the ones I love, or did not take that dance class I always wanted to take. Everyday we need to weigh in on what and how we will spend that day, as it will never be given back to us. It’s important to examine our life and see if we are filling it up with clutter that is only taking us away from what we want in life and who we want to be. Are you going to stand on the side line and wait for life to just happen and allow others to decide how your life will play out? Or are you going to take that first step out onto the dance floor and dance and watch your life come alive?

“Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes, and dance.”
                                                                                                                    Oprah

Written by Patty B. ♥

Each day is a new canvas to paint upon. Make sure your picture is full of life and happiness,

and at the end of the day you don't look at it and wish you had painted something different.

                                                                                        Author Unknown

Golden Rules for Living

If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off.
If you unlock it, lock it up.
If you break it, admit it.
If you can't fix it, call in someone who can.
If you borrow it, return it.
If you value it, take care of it.
If you make a mess, clean it up.
If you move it, put it back.
If it belongs to someone else and you want to use it, get permission.
If you don't know how to operate it, leave it alone.
If it's none of your business, don't ask questions.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If it will brighten someone's day, say it.
If it will tarnish someone's reputation, keep it to yourself.

Author Unknown

He Simply Wants Our Love

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)

God has given us His Scriptures as a way to know Him. It is His way of revealing Himself to us. It is His way of engaging in an intimate relationship with us. If we seek Him out, we will find His love for us. More then anything else, God wants our heart, our whole being. He wants us to be in communion with Him. He simply wants our love. And when you love someone you spend time with them, you walk with them, you talk with them, and you listen to them.

So take some time right now and simply be with God and His Word. He will show you His love. You will always be amazed and never disappointed.♥

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
(Deut. 6:5 NIV)

Written by Patty B.

101 Ways to Praise a Child!

WOW • WAY TO GO • SUPER • YOU'RE SPECIAL • OUTSTANDING • EXCELLENT •
GREAT• GOOD • NEAT • WELL DONE • REMARKABLE • I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT • I'M PROUD OF YOU • FANTASTIC • SUPER STAR • NICE WORK • LOOKING GOOD • YOU'RE ON TOP OF IT • BEAUTIFUL • NOW YOU'RE FLYING • YOU'RE CATCHING ON • NOW YOU'VE GOT IT • YOU'RE INCREDIBLE • BRAVO • YOU'RE FANTASTIC • HURRAY FOR YOU • YOU'RE ON TARGET • YOU'RE ON YOUR WAY • HOW NICE • HOW SMART • GOOD JOB • THAT'S INCREDIBLE • HOT DOG • DYNAMITE • YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL • YOU'RE UNIQUE • NOTHING CAN STOP YOU NOW • GOOD FOR YOU • I LIKE YOU YOU'RE A WINNER • REMARKABLE JOB • BEAUTIFUL WORK • SPECTACULAR • YOU'RE SPECTACULAR • YOU'RE DARLING • YOU'RE PRECIOUS • GREAT DISCOVERY • YOU'VE DISCOVERED THE SECRET • YOU FIGURED IT OUT • FANTASTIC JOB • HIP, HIP, HURRAY • BINGO • MAGNIFICENT • MARVELOUS • TERRIFIC • YOU'RE IMPORTANT • PHENOMENAL • YOU'RE SENSATIONAL • SUPER WORK • CREATIVE JOB • SUPER JOB • FANTASTIC JOB • EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE • YOU'RE A REAL TROOPER • YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE • YOU ARE EXCITING • YOU LEARNED IT RIGHT • WHAT AN IMAGINATION •WHAT A GOOD LISTENER • YOU ARE FUN • YOU'RE GROWING UP • YOU TRIED HARD • YOU CARE • BEAUTIFUL SHARING • OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE • YOU'RE A GOOD FRIEND • I TRUST YOU • YOU'RE IMPORTANT • YOU MEAN A LOT TO ME • YOU MAKE ME HAPPY • YOU BELONG • YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND • YOU MAKE ME LAUGH • YOU BRIGHTEN MY DAY • I RESPECT YOU • YOU MEAN THE WORLD TO ME • THAT'S CORRECT • YOU'RE A JOY • YOU'RE A TREASURE • YOU'RE WONDERFUL • YOU'RE PERFECT • AWESOME • A+ JOB • YOU'RE A-OK MY BUDDY • YOU MADE MY DAY • THAT'S THE BEST • A BIG HUG • A BIG KISS • SAY I LOVE YOU!

Author Unknown

Nothing New Under the Sun

We all know the book of Ecclesiastes where Solomon preaches sadly about his own folly in looking for satisfaction in the things of the world, which in the end he finds more bitter than death.

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Eccles 1:9 TNIV)

“Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun. (Eccles 2:11 NKJV)

“This is not meant in a general sense; but that there is no new source of happiness which can be devised; the same round of petty pleasures, cares, business, study, wars, etc..” (Holden)

As Americans we enjoy the abundance of what the world has to offer materialistically. And often we place our value on what we have acquired and our identity is found in our jobs. Sadly we have allowed the world to define who we are and where we get our self-worth from. If we don’t have…, if we are not… , if we loss…,we judge ourselves and see ourselves as a failure by the world’s standards. How unfortunate. God has so much more for us. We are so much more to Him. Success is not measured by the things we have, the jobs we hold, or who we know. Success is really about the significance of the life we lead. It’s about how we treat one another, how we comfort one another. It’s about what we do with the people God brings to us, it’s about our character. It’s what we do when no one is looking. It’s what we do, because it is the right thing to do. It’s not about what we are going to get out of it, or to gain another’s approval.

So when you feel like your not measuring up, like you are not where our world says you should be; I would stop and reflect, because maybe you are far more successful in God’s eyes. He took notice when you went at 10:00 at night to check on a sick friend. He saw you give a friend a ride to work. And he heard you make the phone call to your grandma, who lives alone, just to say hi. God knows your heart and you have significant value in Him. And that is where our happiness and joy is found ♥

“We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the
size of our automobiles rather than by the quality of our service
and the relationship to mankind.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I am beginning to see that the things that really matter take place not
in the boardrooms but in the kitchens of the world.”
Gary Sledge

Written by Patty B.

The Ups and Downs of Life

We have all been there, you know, the days you feel like you are drowning and no matter how hard you paddle you seem to get further and further in deep waters and depression and anxiety sets in. And you sometimes wonder where God is in all of this. We women want to make it all better for everyone – and now! It’s how we are made up. But I often find it is a matter of letting go. Letting go of expectations, letting go of the controls, letting go of trying to fix it all. It is a matter of giving it up to God. Trusting he is in control and he is working on the matters of your heart. Is it easy? No. Do I need to give it to God often? Yes, sometimes moment to moment. It means to “cease striving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). It’s about “casting all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Does God hear us? Yes. And yes, He responds; sometimes it takes time, a long time. But His timing is always best. Just two days ago I found out one of my prayers was recently answered. I have been praying this prayer for 19 years, yes 19 years! And God answered it, in His timing, and it was better than I could have imagined. So let’s work hard on giving it up to God. Let go of the controls and watch Him work! Trust that He loves you and knows what is best for you and your loved ones.

Right now go to Him in prayer and tell Him you surrender the matters of your heart to Him to do a good work ♥

Written by Patty B.