Gift Graciously Bestowed

My dear friend Jo over at The Road Less Traveled
has graciously bestowed the Arte y Pico award upon me!
Apparently it was an award created for bloggers who inspire
you with their creativity and talents!
Thank you dear Jo for bestowing such an honor.
I am humbled and blessed by this.Jo is herself
a recipient of this award and I encourage you to
go and read her blog as well.You will enjoy!
This award is special I am told.
Therefore it comes with some rules:

1.)Pick 5 blogs that you would like to award this honor to.

2.)Each award has to have the name of the author and a blog
link to be visited by everyone.

3.)Each award winner has to show the award and put the name
and link to the blog that gave them the award.

4.)Award winner and the one who was given the prize have to show
the link of Arte y Pico blog so everyone will know the origin
of the award.

I bestow this award upon:
Adrienne

Ann

Brenda

Melissa

TeriLeigh

Blessings all~Sharon
PS~Keep me in prayer as I am getting over an upper respiratory infection.
Thanks so very much.

Berry Bliss

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth;
One is nearer God's heart in a garden,
Than anywhere else on earth.
~Dorothy Frances Gurney~
1858-1932

We had opportunity recently to spend an unmeasured amount of time out in nature recently.I craved it.Desired it.Turns out I truly needed it as well and my soul and spirit knew that.God knew it.Too much of my life is spent indoors.Taking care of business here in the apartment.Inside the van on the way to run errands.Inside businesses and stores.Little time spent in the sun,fresh air and out in God's lovely and restorative nature.So,off we went to a local berry farm.To pick blueberries, we hoped.And we were grandly rewarded.They were ripe and ready to be picked.The sun was warm and the wind was cool and there was nary a cloud to be seen.We took our buckets and gingerly made our way over the uneven terrain to where the blueberries were.Acre upon acre of various fruits and flowers were laid out before us.I began to be at peace.There is something very calming and cathartic about picking berries in a garden for me.It's as if God Himself dwells there and He speaks peace to me as I pull the sun ripened,blue orbs off their delicate stems.His peace begins to permeate.And I am transformed.Unaware that I have been carrying any stress internally I begin to feel it melt away as the sun,the wind and God's presence do their much needed work within me.I move onto the next bush and with each bush I peruse I feel my pulse slowing.My heart rate calms.I feel,I think,what the first humans must have felt in the Garden of Eden.And I smile for I am suddenly aware of His presence here more than any other place I have been.And this changes everything.My outlook is renewed.I feel internally refreshed.And I think to myself that it is no accident that time began in a garden.For I think God knew of it's ability to heal and restore and bless.And for that I am grateful.I am grateful that there are still green spaces,gardens,berry farms and such.I am not anti-progress but I am glad that there are still places in His creation where we as His children can go and gain a small glimpse into what Eden must have been like.

Blessings~Sharon
Image from All Posters

I am,I think Meme

I have been tagged by my dear friend Jo!So here are my answers to these wonderfully thought provoking phrases.I shall decline tagging anyone for Jo and I share many of the same blog friends and I got no response last time I tried this!

Blessings~Sharon

I am: A much loved child of an awesome God.

I think:God is the greatest artist there is.

I know: His plan for my life will be accomplished.

I have: Many who call me sister and friend.

I wish: I was thin.

I hate: Those things that separate people from God .

I miss: Many things and people.

I fear: Circumstances will remain the same.

I feel: Peaceful this morning.

I hear:The hum of our fans and husband's occasional snoring.

I smell: Freshly made coffee and the smell of a summer morn.

I crave: Books,books and more books.

I search:For God's will and for beauty as well as inspiration.

I wonder:What my family and friends are up to right now?

I regret: That I couldn't go to College.

I love:God,His creation,and all that is beautiful.

I ache: For those who need to be set free from sin's clutches.

I am not: Lonely.

I believe: God is good all the time.

I dance: Seldom.

I sing:Often.

I cry:When needing to release stress.

I don't always:Do that which I should do.

I fight: Seldom.

I write:Because I love it!

I win:In the end!

I lose:My patience sometimes.

I never: Say"never!"

I always:Try to remember to say "thank You."

I confuse:My priorities sometimes.

I listen:To beautiful or inspirational music most all the time.

I can usually be found:Writing or reading or cooking or cleaning.

I am scared: That inspiration in writing shall never return.

I need:To find Him once again.

I am happy about:My life in general.

I imagine:Heaven will be an amazing place!

Glimpses of His Grace

My husband and I have faced numerous losses in the last 6 years or so.Losses of health,employment,finances.Loss of friends and family members through old age and disease.Consequently we've faced times of fear as well as depression.It is a common thing,even among Christians.Sometimes we have even had to sell precious possessions to make ends meet.You do what you have to do.At least this has been our experience.But in the midst of all this grief,pain,sorrow and loss we've seen His grace as well.I was pondering this while in our bathroom yesterday.I was observing how pretty the stained glass angel night light was that one of my younger sisters had given me.They were a set of 2.One graces a small alcove in our living room.Sandy knew of my love of color,stained glass and angels.And she graciously bought these for Christmas last year.They have been a continual remembrance of His grace.How He provides light for us in the dark places in our lives.A bit of beauty in our day,just like the sun that rises and shines it's light on us.A reminder that He sends His angels,ministering spirits,to protect us and to guard us.And He reminds me of His love through the love of my sister.Glimpses of His grace.Sometimes they're small.Sometimes they're great.But they're always present in even the darkest times in our lives if we but look for them.

Blessings~Sharon

Summer's Rest

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. ~John Lubbock

We are off to the coast for some much needed relaxation and to enjoy this day's all too quickly fleeting beauty!Time flies much too quickly when one is middle aged.There are days I long for the seemingly eternal summer days of my childhood where time seemed non existent but for the ever changing position of that huge golden orb we call the sun.To lie on one's back and stare at summer clouds without fear of sun damage is a memory of my childhood I hold dear.What memories of summer do you treasure?
Blessings~Sharon

My Week

It's been quite a week here.Spring weather finally arrived just in time for summer to begin.God surely has a sense of humor.Smile.I ended up in ER again for my heart had jumped out of rhythm once again.I was shocked back into rhythm.But it took 2 doses of medicine to sedate me and three tries to shock me back into rhythm.That means my body is building an immunity to such things.I did not welcome that news at all.I am still in rhythm,praise the Lord.I see the cardiologist tomorrow.I do hope that he does not mention the dreaded"P"word.Pacemaker.I am too young and in many ways too healthy for such a thing. I know that is simply my non-medical opinion.And no one welcomes invasive surgery.But it is possible he will discuss it tomorrow.I am really hoping it all was just caused by a change of medications a few months back.What can I say,I am an optimist.Big grin.I know God is in control and that He loves me.I just don't understand His ways at times.It seems I have had need of a lot of sifting.And He has allowed it.I just must keep in mind that sifting purifies and refines us as His children.That it makes us fit for ministry and for heaven.And it is therefore necessary.We did some spring cleaning this week.I just love to look out of sparkling clean windows.It just brightens the day and allows for a clear,unobstructed view of the verdant beauty that is Oregon in the summer time.I feel so blessed,blissful really to live in such a state.I grew up in Sacramento CA and never thought, that at age 30, God would move me to Oregon.But He did.And I have been here ever since.Our apartment complex held a summer solstice festival here yesterday.I had thought of not going.It is very easy for me,a writer and avid reader to be what some would deem anti-social.My loves,my hobbies,my talents,my gifts,are solitary pursuits.I was created by God to be this way.I have never minded being alone.Consequently,I must sometimes force myself into the company of others,much to my husband's chagrin.He gently encouraged me to go and enjoy the festivities so I joined him,our daughter and granddaughter.And I am glad I did.There was a colorful parade of many of the children who dwell here and pets all decked out with balloons and such.Chalk art contests,hula hoop contests,prettiest pet contests.What fun I had!I chatted in the shade of a lovely tree with another tenant whom we used to attend church with years back.Occasionally a lovely breeze would grace us with it's refreshing presence, taking the edge off of the heat.Or an overly excited puppy would come over for some love and attention which I willingly gave for I adore animals.We finished off the festival with a donut provided by one of the tenants who works at a donut shop!And,Steve and I were also given pinwheels,along with the children to"play"with as we sat there enjoying the day's festivities.Huge grin now.They awakened a long forgotten childhood love of things that blow in the wind.They each now grace a pot of pansies on our patio,waiting for a delightful wind to set them in motion.I really needed this respite.This return to childhood.It's far too easy to become too mature,too adult like.I need to remember how to have fun.For this too,I think,is a gift from God.A way to alleviate the stresses that come with adulthood.Today we will babysit at noon.Right now I am enjoying the quiet hum of our air purifier and the gentle sleep sounds of my husband and cat.And I love it.It's peaceful.Comforting.Like a hug from God.May your day be filled with many hugs from Him too.

Blessings~Sharon

Potpourri

I titled this potpourri for it is not about one specific thing.It is about a variety of things that have all been blended together and have made up my life lately.I have not blogged in awhile nor have I been to visit many of your blogs.I miss it terribly but it seems that as of late the words won't come.They swirl about in my brain occasionally as if to tease me,tempt me,seduce,me,dare me to pour their content out upon this blank page.They come near,and then,like a skittish colt,they run off again,flying like the wind,and I am left alone to ponder their exit.Not completely alone for I know God is with me.But alone in that place writers know well at times.That place where the words seem frozen.Encased in ice as thick and unyielding as an Alaskan glacier.What does one do when the creativity seems to have vanished?When the words refuse to flow.For myself,I pray.I ask God to see me through this time of blank pages and seemingly dried up pen.And I await His warmth to once again blow His spirit,His presence, His breath,His"ruach"( a lovely Hebrew word)upon my life and writing.In this period of waiting I have helped hold a garage sale here in our complex.It was this last weekend.And I am glad it is done.We made a bit of money.And more importantly we were able to rid ourselves of things we no longer needed to hold on to.If we do that with stuff in our physical lives,how much more do we need to rid ourselves of those things that clog and clutter our spirit man.It was good to enjoy the sunshine and cool breezes God graced us with last weekend.We met some of our neighbors and their pets and children.And we survived all of it.If you've ever held a garage sale you know what I am talking about.Smile.Also during the last 2-3 weeks I finished my first ever proofreading job for a small,newly formed Christian publishing company called Revolutionary Disciples Media!They loved my work and want to hire me!That's pretty exciting for this 46 year old who has never worked in publishing ever.It will start small at first but God says not to despise the day of small or humble beginnings.I am rejoicing that I get to be a part of getting good writing out to those who need encouragement or need to be set free through the power of His holy spirit via the written word!If you are looking for a publisher please follow the link I have included above.I think it will be worth your time(of course I am slightly partial).Big grin.That's all I have for tonight dear readers.Be encouraged and blessed!Blessings~Sharon