Life As I Seize It

I had quite the wine collection back in Florida.  Some very fine vintages that I had collected or been gifted with, others . . . well, I'm not quite sure how they ended up in my wine stash.  Possibly bottles that people had brought to dinner and left . . . I do not have a wine cellar on the QEIII.  She is quite a comfortable highway-sailer, handles well, has all the comforts of home, a decent sized galley with a side-by-side fridge/freezer, a convection micro-oven, an adequate head, but there was no provision for a wine cellar. (What were these designers thinking?) For those of you just dropping in, the QEIII is a land yacht, chosen for her three separate living areas, which makes it appear that I have more room than I really do.  I mean, how much room can there be in a 40' motor coach? There is a media wall between the dining area and salon, and that visual break gives one a sense that there is more going on back there than there really is. I like the fact that she can s

I had this written back Thanksgiving and am now just getting around to posting it.  I know that the purpose of a blog is to blog and then post . . . obviously I had to amend a paragraph or two . . . I have had a lot on my mind lately . . . other than the change in latitude . . . Every day, periodically through the day I have begun unconsciously doing a spiritual check-up, and have been asking myself: When people see me, do they see Christ?  Do I reflect Him?  Am I giving the non-believer, the unsure, those seeking something more from life, a glimpse of Christ?  Over the past months I have been spending more time with the Lord and less time with the distractions of the world.  I am in the world, yet somehow I feel as though I am detached from it, especially from things that steal my inner peace and time with God.  I have an incredible hunger for more of the Word that seems insatiable. It's a thirst I cannot seem to quench. God has put it on my heart that a few kind words to

Written December 12th. 2009. In taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy, but in passing it over, he is superior.  ~ Sir Francis Bacon For some time God has been interrupting my life.  When God interrupts it is usually unexpected, often unwanted, and generally poor timing . . . at least on my part. Lord, I'm kind of busy at work right now . . . Lord, I just can't take time . . . Lord, I am not the one who should be apologizing . . . and on and on I go, arguing with God.  When does arguing with God ever accomplish anything? A few months back someone in my family acted in an inappropriate, mean, and most un-Christian way towards me; I was hurt and surprised, but considering a lifetime of selfish behavior from this person I have no idea why I was caught off guard.  In retrospect, I think I was stunned because I am generally the peacemaker in my family; besides, we are orphans, all grown up and beyond past misconceptions and hurts, or so I thought, and with

Today three boxes from "home" greeted me at my front door, two expected, one not. I dug into the smallest one first and pulled out a gift from my best friend.  She sends me "hugs"from time to time to remind that she is thinking of me.  Warm thoughts from "home" and a reminder that we will be BFFs regardless of the relationships, miles and years between us.  Every woman needs another woman to make certain that she doesn't run out and do something drastic, like getting a tattoo and a Harley or trading in the mini-van for two-seater convertible when she is a soccer mom with triplets, without first talking her down from "the roof" and suggesting that she think on it over night. Today's "hug" was a new book: she knows me well.  Going Rogue: An American Life, the story of the remarkable Sarah Palin.   Tucked inside the book was a charming card - the "lamb of God" in a ten gallon hat and cowgirl boots acknowledging my lov

In my last post, an eon ago, I mentioned that I had moved across country and was in search of a new church home so that I would feel as though I really had a home here in North Texas. What I didn't mention in that post is how God encouraged me to make the move. I know people talk about wanting a sign from God, but God was so determined for me to come out here that He was making it nigh on impossible for me not to get the message that I was to pack and GO! NOW! As I was saying in my last post, I ended up visiting my niece's Baptist church for three weeks because she asked me to attend with her. Now, the fact that she had been saved and dunked like a donut by the Baptists is especially funny to me because it reminds me that when praying to God, be careful what you ask for because you just might get it . . . but not in the way you imagined! I forgot to ask God to make any non-saved relatives Presbyterians, or Lutherans, Methodists or Episcopalians, so He dropped her down among

It's a crisp, cold, clear day and my dog finds possibly the best spot in the house: she is sitting as though beside Queen Elizabeth, poised and quite pleased with herself on the wool oriental in my foyer.  Contentedly, she is basking on the rug where the morning sun is falling onto her through the leaded glass door, creating a kaleidoscope of warm, fuzzy sunlight which sprinkles dapples of gold onto her.   I watch her momentarily before she spots me.  She gives me the look, the same look she throws me when we cruise together in the car with the top down.  The look that says she's very pleased. The one that says she is happy with her life and diggin' this moment. She may be "just" a dog, but she has taught me one of life's most important lessons: happiness is a series of moments basking in contentedness.  Just throw your head back and howl at them.