Giving thanks for old friends. NO! I don’t mean the aged. I mean long-term. Those who endure me for years on end. I am ultra blessed that there are many souls who have met me and still call me friend years later. Sometimes, even their husbands find me tolerable. Shocking!
I pray that you too have friends new and old in your life – no matter their age.
I give thanks for friends. My mom pointed out recently that I have met most of my recent friends through my obsession, I mean hobby, of scrapbooking. Therefore, I give thanks for scrapbooking as well.
This is from an event at Pretty Lake Aventure Camp. Our adventures consisted of fussing over paper color coordination with photos, aggressively hunting down the appropriate sticker for the event, pushing your neighbor into testing out the newest tool to see if it’s something you want to buy, and climbing over each other to buy the last quality tape runner.
May you find friends who enjoy the same activities.
In Vegas, next door to the M&M store, is the Coca Cola store. Lots of things to choose from, but three of us settled on sharing a tray of flavors from around the world.
I was surprised how many of them were some sort of tea. Alas, even with three of us, I think we only emptied about 4 of the cups. Many of the flavors were too strong with only a sip. So glad I didn’t go it alone!
Moral of the Story: A little help from your friends goes a long way.
Bliss by Eric Weiner was an interesting mission to seek out what happiness means to people around the world.
This was an intriguing read. In Eric’s travels around the world, he talked with people from each area asking what made them happy. The answer varied from place to place: friends, family, free time, work, money, and alcohol availability were just a few of the answers.
I read this slowly, and didn’t finish in time for book group. I couldn’t get into it at first. It took me about 6 months to complete, as the least. Perhaps it will go more quickly for you. For me, happiness was not reading this book, but having finished it after so long a time.
The image I’ve selected for this portrays two of the things in life that put a smile in my heart: reading and pets.
This weekend I was with friends. It came up that some of these gorgeous women don’t even consider themselves beautiful. They even go to far as to find themselves repulsive. The only thing repulsive is that they don’t know they are beautiful.
All of the people I know are beautiful. All of the people I don’t know are beautiful. God created them, and all God touches is beautiful. Therefore, they are beautiful. (Okay, that’s a little over-zealous. There are people I don’t find beautiful, for example, mean people. But right now, I don’t have any mean people in my life. I hope it stays that way!)
I wonder how much of their feelings about beauty come from television, magazines, and glamour shots? That’s not human beauty, that’s technology: photo editing software, clothes that highlight certain aspects, make-up, and more. It is NOT what makes a person beautiful. That is merely technology.
Real beauty radiates from the inside. All of the beautiful people I know have something that shines from the inside out. Therefore, no matter what these people wear, make-up they select, or hair style they opt for, their beauty glows through to the outside. Just like the image below. It’s not perfectly clear, but I can see the beauty in it.
These women I was with are mostly of a healthy weight. Yet, one thought she was fat. Trust me, I know fat! And she’s not it. Another thought her bone structure did not allow her to wear a bikini. A bikini body is one that is in a bikini. Another thinks her chest is too small, so she’s not beautiful. But her personality is so feminine, a larger bosom would deter from her elegance.
If we’re talking physical beauty, falling into a certain weight category, having delicate feet, and the in hairstyle, then I would be the least beautiful in the room. But I have learned that is NOT beauty. Yes, I’m overweight – that is a health issue, not a beauty issue. No, I don’t wear make-up – it makes my face itch. I also have fat and wide feet, gapey teeth, and man bones (no skinny fingers even when I was skinny).
Yet this I know: I am beautiful. Perhaps it’s because I know that God made me in love, by love, and for love (as our pastor reminds us continually – or is that nagging – no matter, because he’s right). Or maybe it’s because I blame my weight on medications and not the over-eating that I sometimes do (never-you-mind my love of carbs). Perhaps it’s because my dad had gapey teeth, and I loved my dad. The reason isn’t important (or is it?), I know in my heart of hearts that I am beautiful. I also know that you are beautiful, and you are beautiful, and you, hiding in the dark corner, you are beautiful!
Morale of the Story: Please! Learn to know what beauty is. Look. In. The. Mirror! If that isn’t beautiful, then there is none.
Sometimes some colors shine more brightly than other colors.
Sometimes other colors are glad to enhance some of their friends in the rainbow.
Morale of the Story: Color is an amazing gift of nature.
Today I ran an errand on the other side of town. Since the “back roads” were quicker to travel home, I enjoyed a country drive this evening. But the closer I drove to home, the more people I thought of in my life.
About half way home, I thought of my niece and nephew who both own homes nearby. I enjoy their company and am so glad they are doing well.
A little further and I saw the street to take to one of my cousin’s home. She’s a fellow scrapbooker, but has been working too much to go lately. I always feel loved in her company.
Next was a new friend from my scrapbooking life. She is a great cat mamma and is very creative. Her home has a full room dedicated to scrapbooking, but she allows her husband to think he has a desk in there. (No, he has a chair, the desk drawers are hers.)
Soon I drove by our neighbors only a couple of miles from home. They are so good to us and my mom and I both enjoy any time we get to spend with them.
Within only a quarter-mile was my sister’s home. I was glad to see she was already home for the night since she can work long hours. I need to spend more time with her.
I encountered more homes of loved ones before I made it to my own. What a blessing to be able to take a drive and encounter joyous memories of so many people.
I pray you find good memories the next time you’re traveling home.
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"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx
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