This has been an amazing week so far!  With VBS every night and so many activities, I have been on the run.

Yesterday was made extra special by the enormous art project that my granddaughters and their friends created for me.  My grandsons called and sang to me, and Ron stopped by with muffins (topped with candles!) and sang right in my office! Wonder of wonders!

The girls at work gave me a mug imprinted with the cover of ‘Letters to Mary’, and my sister made a mini-book also with the cover. And that was just the beginning! Such clever and loving people, to make my day so special!

When God says he made us special, I believe that – not just for myself, but for all of those wonderful people who are also very special, and add to my daily blessings! Thanks to all of you – have a great day!

Tonight started our Vacation Bible School, and it appeared to be a resounding success!  The kids liked the new songs, the rec time, snack time, and of course learning about God’s word.  Tonight’s lesson taught the kids (according to my little friend Penny) that ‘God is with us all the time’.  I teach tomorrow night, and I am ‘the woman at the well’.  That lesson focuses on God loving us even when we are different.

I don’t know about you, but I am very glad about that statement.  Sometimes I feel VERY different (square peg, round hole!) and am glad that God doesn’t expect me to shove myself into that man-made hole – ouch!  VBS is such a blessing, and the children always take away a life lesson – even if they don’t realize it!  Thanks to all the teachers, planners, people who sent snacks (yes!), and parents who went out of their way at the end of their busy day to give their kids Jesus.  A blink in time – possibly the difference in eternity.

HAPPY VBS WEEK, HEMPFIELD KIDS!  GOD BLESS….   M

The sun is shining!  This is the day that the Lord has made!  Today and tomorrow I plan on frolicking in the gardens – pulling weeds and trimming and fluffing and singing to the flowers. 

Last night Ron & I went to see GODSPELL, put on by the Bethany Players.  My friend Bear had a part and I ALWAYS go see Bear in his plays!  The actors did an amazing job of presenting the book of Matthew in song and drama and even comedy.  So happy to be in the audience of the plays Bear performs in.  Great job to the cast and crew!  It was an added bonus to take away new insight into God’s message to us.

Now it’s time to play in the dirt!  Have a great day—-  M

When I got to work this morning there was a tomato sitting on my desk.  My friend Ron had dropped it off for me.  All day I looked at that tomato, and kept wanting to pop it in my mouth and just munch it down!  But when I considered the whole picture, I decided that I should just savor the thought and bring it home to have with supper.  Right now I have eaten that tomato about six dozen times in my mind!  And it was delicious in my thoughts every time.

I just now finished all my little household chores, ran 2 miles just barely ahead of the brewing storms, and now it’s time to eat the tomato!  It may seem like a small thing, but having something fun to look forward to at the end of my work day made waiting worth the effort.  When I’m tempted to jump heedlessly into projects, I try to make myself look at the whole picture.  I can often find the best choices and ultimately get the best out of my efforts by doing taking extra time to think things through. This is difficult for me as I am a whirling dervish most of the time. But worth the extra considerations. 

Something to think about….  

Everyone should have a puppy for their birthday!  Really it’s just a cute little 2-person cake, enough to add a festive flare to an ordinary evening – just to make it a little extra-ordinary.

A few bites of cake, some Oreo Ice Cream, a long walk through the neighborhood, and the evening is complete.

It’s a great thing to share special occasions with friends (Yes, Aunt Joan – friends!) and know that one of life’s biggest blessings is that of friendship and another day to enjoy living.  A gift in itself!    M

What a fabulous time we had in Albion!  My mother and her sister (Aunt Joan – AJ to the inner circle!) are just wonderful to be around.  Sharing memories, which include laughs but also some ponderings, is a highlight, and we always discover something about our family that we didn’t know! 

On thing I did learn was that I could not ask for a more supportive family.  At one point on Friday evening my cousin Susan picked up the Nook copy of Letters to Mary and read chapter one aloud to the group.  So many discussions sprang from that, as to the history of Mary, Daniel, Charlie, and Alice – and the house that Charlie built. Thank you all for your interest and encouragement. 

Right now the sun is shining, the sky is blue streaked with puffs of fluffy clouds, and it is indeed the day that the Lord has made!  I’m off to teach my little Kindergarteners and worship with my Church family.  Have a blessed day.  M

Today the Skunk Hollow girls are getting together for our spring fling!  We hang out, eat too much, dissect the universe, take walks, and basically accomplish nothing important!  We all have skunk hats and/or scarves and tramp around town making people laugh (or shake their heads!).

So glad to have these special people in my life, and glad for the opportunity to celebrate life with them!  Here’s to the sweet-smelling fragrance of family and friends!  M

As I sit and look out my door, it is raining.  Everything is wet and there is a damp mist rising from the distant hills.

BUT!!!! It’s not snow!  The rain is refreshing the gardens, and tomorrow the flowers will be drying themselves happily in the June sunshine.  And so will I!

There are few things I love as much as being outside (other than the special family/friends in my life!) and knowing that the beauty of a garden washed fresh and clean in a late spring rain will just make it a tiny bit better.  So rain  if you will, but soon, the sun will shine, and I will BE OUTSIDE, playing in the dirt!  🙂  M

Last summer my sister and I spent an afternoon picking blue berries at my parents’ farm.  We nibbled a few, dropped a few, but bucketed most of them.  Chatting with each other and the disgruntled birds was part of the experience, but so were the stains on our hands. But those blue berries have sure tasted wonderful in salads, pancakes, muffins…  Yum!

Nothing really worth doing is completely effortless or without issue.  Planting flowers, cooking, doing research, relationships, housework, raising children, writing stories and books…. all of it requires getting a little stain on the fingers.

Don’t be put off by the thought of a little ‘mess’ or possibly more effort than you originally planned.  Just do it!  You won’t regret doing it, but you most surely will regret NOT doing it!

Have a great week, and read a book!!! 🙂  M

My word garden is planted and watered, and now I just have to wait for the harvest.  It is such a wonderful experience to have the opportunity to share Mary’s story with all of you, and I hope you will be blessed as you read.  Mary’s story is one of courage, faith, determination, and fulfillment.  I wish the same for all of you! 

As we springboard into the summer months, take time to ENJOY! 

God bless … M