What Is Worry Worth?

I'm a worrier.  There I've said it.  Ahhhh....

Normally at this time of year I'm worrying that we won't get any fall and that these hot days will continue right up until Christmas.  Fall is my favorite time of year.

But this year is different.  This year we've had such a comfortable summer.  The weather has been the most comfortable I can remember in decades!  We've gotten an abundance of rain and everything looks gorgeous outside.  Okay, maybe I could use a few more sunny afternoons for beach time, but I'm not going to complain.

So now I have a new worry this year.  I'm concerned that the end of summer is coming too fast.  Even though we have warm days way past August, my mind tends to say that beach days are over in September.

September just says fall to me.  The magazines are touting cozy sweaters and muted colors.  It's a return-to-nature time of the year. Watch for wine, grays and camels this year.

The days of wearing your Lilly Pulitzer citrus explosions are coming to an end.  Truth is we can get away with wearing them a little longer here in Florida, still I can see the days creeping up when it will be time to take them from their honored place hanging in the closet and lay them to rest under my bed.

I remember having this same anxiety as a kid, as soon as the calendar would flip to August. School held no interest for me. I would feel sick to my stomach for weeks before school started.  Now here I am in my 50's with twinges of those same feelings.

I can't help but think of this bible verse: Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? ~ Matthew 6:27

So why not.....

Trust in God & let your worries go...

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

~ John 14:27

Jesus' face appears in Florida

A woman right here in Florida says she looked up and saw Jesus' face in the power box.

Accorging to MSN, a Florida woman says Jesus has returned -- to a power box across from her mobile home. "I came out on the patio and I was praying and I just looked over back towards the woods and I seen this here," the woman told WKMG. "And it was a comfort to me." The Jesus-shaped likeness attracted her neighbors, who crowded around the nonworking meter to take pictures of the image with their cell phones.

What do think? It's a shame the picture's not bigger or clearer so we could get a better idea. Wouldn't it be wonderful to think that Jesus sends image reminders out to give us all faith and hope in such difficult times. What a great way to get the message across....

JESUS IS ALL POWERFUL.

 
I don't know if this is a true miracle. There have been so many sightings over the years by over zealous people trying to make the unbeliever change their mind. Maybe they did it with good intentions (not that I think it's right- quite the contrary).

If it is dis-proven as a hoax that's terrible. If it's never proven to be a miracle, does it really matter? The point is, it got us talking, thinking and more than likely just a little bit hopeful that YES, Jesus does want us to know that he's right here with us, listening during these hard times. I know that the woman in Florida is probably sleeping very good tonight.

Sorry that I've been missing in action lately. I'm obsessed with spring cleaning, renovations, DIY projects and even yard work. By the way, when you clean does it seem to get worse before it gets better? I have to drag everything out at once which leads to another thing and so on and so on. I've got at least every room in my house totally messed up. Neils doing sheet rock repairs so everything comes out of that room. In the mean time I tackle another room. No kidding we have mudding going on in 3 rooms right now. Everything is in the dining room and living room. Not a clean room in the house, I tell you.

When I'm not doing one of the above I'm usually rubbing my arthritis aching foot or nursing a sinus headache. Darn spring pollen, it's killin' me. Anyway, I'm having a hard time even going to the computer. I'll try to get my time organized this weekend and be back on track next week.

Hugs ya'll......Tracy ♥

Miracle Mondays - Have you been blessed?

Hello Dear Friends.

It's another Miracle Monday.

Often I like to take my bible and flip to a page, praying that the Lord will give me a message that I need to hear. It seems to give me comfort when nothing else will. It makes me feel like God is giving a visible message to me. This time I specifically prayed for a positive message, hoping that this is what all my Monday posts will consist of.

This is what I received and would like to pass on to you.

Psalms 107:1-2 ~ 1. Say "THANK YOU" to the Lord for being so good, for always being so loving and kind. 2. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others he has saved you from your enemies.

Psalms 107:13-15 ~ 13. Then they cried to the Lord in their troubles, and he rescued them! 14. He led them from the darkness and shadow of death and snapped their chains. 15. Oh, that these men would praise the Lord for his loving kindness and for all of his wonderful deeds!

We will never know the reason the people of Haiti have had to face the horrific tragedy that they did last week but our faith in our Father should never falter. We are human and we sometimes can't help but question why but isn't that where faith takes over? Isn't that when we know we have to trust him? We teach our children to question everything, we tend to question everything. There's nothing wrong with that. It would be unwise not to. That is, unwise not to question everything. However, there is a place in our lives for blind faith. The blind faith only a Christian can know. Most of us, (I say most because, I believe some have) have never seen Christ with our own eyes. We've heard his voice whisper in our ears, maybe it's a thought heavy in our hearts and on our mind, maybe it's something in the beauty of nature that is awe-inspiring. I'm sure there is something that you have experienced that you knew was a message from God. Maybe you just felt God's love. Isn't that blind trust?

The people of Haiti are a strong nation of believers, even as a countless number of their people die around them you still hear voices of praise. This week we've seen our fellow Americans come to the aid of the Haitian people. Even in the depths of our own depressing economy, people have found a way to give. No matter how large or small, I am certain the people of Haiti see it as a miracle, a miracle of God. I know I do.

I believe that Haiti's devastation has provided Americans and other countries around the world with a new message of love. The message, that each person can make a difference to another person. Each person has something they can offer to someone else no matter how poor or how insignificant they think their own life is. Suddenly we realize that we are much richer than we thought we were. We are blessed more than we deserve.

So here is a Miracle that I'd like to share with you.

The economy has not been good to us the past year but we have been much luckier than most. Well the trickling down effect has finally reached us full blown. We have been retired for a while now. This has not been a lavish retirement. Really no extras at all. But God has a plan and though we didn't know it, we would be required to take care of Neil's mother and this has allowed us to do that. Fortunately we have rental property that has been our income. In one office we had a mortgage broker. Well as you can imagine the economy hit them hard and they had to move. Then the next two tenants had to leave as well, so we're down to one. This week we got what we had expected, (maybe that's part of the problem, we shouldn't have expected it), the last tenant said he is leaving at the end of the month to work out of his home. So here we are with 4 empty offices and mortgages just like everyone else.

Because of this I felt that I couldn't give to a charity at this time. I couldn't help out the people of Haiti. This bothered me so much. It really was weighing on my mind. Well Friday night we watched Hope for Haiti, where the celebrities came together in the most moving way. It was touching and the music was so moving. I don't normally watch music award type shows.

Well one person (remember, sometimes it only takes one person to change a life), called in and said if only everyone could give $5.00. That's when I realized I had $9.00 (pathetic, hun?) left in my paypal account. They accepted paypal and I gave $5.00. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not boasting about this. You'll see this is a part of my miracle.

Ebay has been very slow the last year or so because of the economy. Everything and everyone is hurting somewhat. I haven't been selling much at all. Days go by with no sales. When I woke the next morning I went to check my email. Now I never wake up this early, 7:30 am, we are night owls, boring, stay at home night owls, but night owls non-the-less. Well one woman (remember one person can make a difference), had went to my store and purchased 3 items and had questions about more. She ended up purchasing 5 items for a total of $51.00. I keep feeling like you will think I'm boasting, look at the good thing I did. Even the Lord says to give or pray without boasting, but that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to share his miracle in my life, his goodness to me with you. I was in utter amazement as I knew this was straight from God. By the next day I had sold 3 I had been given a return of 10 fold on my small gift. more items. The point that I'm trying to make is that my head told me I didn't have it to give but my heart had the message of the Lord telling me to have faith and step out without fear.

It doesn't matter what you give. It could be clothing; no matter how bad we think it may look it could provide covering for someone who has none. It could be food, for surely they are lacking. It could be your time of collecting donations, helping a charity sort items, load a truck, etc. Each person has an opportunity to help. And prayer for these people is a mighty thing and everyone can do that. See if your heart doesn't feel better. It sure took my mind off my troubles and depression at least for awhile.

I hope all of you start the week with the promise of hope. I pray that blessings fill your home. Please take a moment and share your blessing or miracles with us. If all you do is shout out I'm here, that is a blessing to me!

With much love and thanks..........Tracy :)

Welcome to the very first MIRACLE MONDAYS

Welcome to the very first post in a new series called MIRACLE MONDAYS. First I’d like to thank you for stopping by. I’ve had this idea on my mind for years. Way before I knew anything about blogging. I love to hear of others miracles. Big miracles, little miracles, it doesn’t really matter and why should it? Aren’t all miracles huge? I believe there are miracles happening every day, all over the world. It’s funny, we have every kind of news media there is, the newspaper, television news -the local news, the national news and stations dedicated to nothing but news, we even have satellite radio with just news shows. We hear every sensational news story there is. Oh sometimes they throw in a feel good piece here and there but it’s very limited. And I for one refuse to believe that there aren’t miracles waiting to be told. Maybe people don’t talk about them because they don’t want to come across as fanatical or crazy. Maybe the news doesn’t share them because they can’t be substantiated. Well I would rather look on the bright side. I’d prefer to think that most people who are interested in miracles and our Lord want to share their blessing with others and not just someone wanting to write fiction. So I’m appealing to you my friends. Do you have a miracle to share? Do you know someone who shared a miracle with you that you would like to pass along? Big miracles are wonderful but isn’t it the little everyday miracles that keep us going, that remind us of God’s goodness, his ever presence. Those of you that follow Debra’s blog ~ a day in the life, have already heard me share this miracle so please bare with me. Since this is the first in the series I thought I would share my biggest miracle with you. It’s one of those in your face miracles. One of those that is irrefutable to me. The one that God said “Never doubt my love for you, I’m always listening”. I believe it was about 15 years ago Ty (my son and only child) and I were living in an apartment community. I used to work in the office but wasn’t any longer employed by them. I was hanging wall paper as a contractor for them at this point. My own hours, it was perfect for me at the time. Neil and I were on a break. I started spending a lot of time studying the word and spending time in prayer with the Lord. The more I spent time seeking him, the more I enjoyed reading the bible. The more sense it started to make. I seemed to be absorbing it, instead of just reading the words and trying to hurry through. For those of you who don’t know me, let me tell you I have always been late. Late everywhere. It’s not that I don’t respect other peoples time, this has just always been a big issue for me. Just like my dad who my mother said would be late for his own funeral. The reason I’m telling you this is to give you an idea of how much I was sincerely seeking the Lord. Whenever I would wake up late or be running late for church, I would speak out loud that nothing was going to stop me from getting up and going on to church. I basically would rebuke the devil. I was feeling good and very content at this point. Oh’ a little background. I have battled depression for a long time. Similar to bi-polar, kind of an up and down thing. Well working my own hours was perfect at this time. I was trying to find peace with myself being without Neil. Every other day or three, I drove out to the beach in the mornings and stayed for 2 to 3 hours. Got a great tan that year, ha-ha. I took my bible and would spend most of that time in prayer. For me the beach or water in general has always brought me peace and relaxation. One day I said to the Lord “Father, I know this sounds crazy, I don’t have the money and don’t see me ever being able to afford a home on the water but Lord it brings me such peace, it calms my high strung nerves so much. Please father I pray that someday, somehow I might be able to live on the water so I can enjoy the beauty and peace of it, I have no earthy idea how but this I ask”. Now, even as I’m saying this I’m thinking to myself this is crazy, you don’t ask and have things drop in your lap. But somehow this didn’t feel wrong. I even remember believing that all things are possible in his name and speaking that. This wasn’t asked for in the text of I’d like a pretty house, new clothes, a fancy car. This was truly about seeking relief and peace. I'd better get on with this story. Is everyone still with me? Within 2 weeks of asking this (maybe even less) I got a call from an apartment community needing an assistant manger. I was hired. That same week I called another very nice apartment community about doing wall paper for them on the side. A few days later I went to meet the maintenance Manager (really big apt comm.) He told me he'd be happy to hire me to do their wallpaper but asked would I be interested in applying for assistance manager there. The apt complex just got bought and they were hiring all new staff. The next day I met the manager and she and I hit it off immediately. She said the job was mine if I wanted it. She then asked would I like to live on sight because she had her own place and wouldn’t be living on the property. Of course I said yes. Free rent!!!! That was a miracle right there. But don’t think that was it, oh no! The manager had a leasing agent show me around. She told me about what the manager might offer me to move into. I was told no one that worked there had ever had a river view apt. These were the most expensive. Well God had something else in mind. This manager offered me the only river view apartment available. 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 1600 square feet with a fabulous view! Can you believe that? Then she said take a look at the carpet samples and we’ll put in what ever color you choose. A day later she told me that they would re-tile both of my baths including the master walk in shower. And she had all my appliances refinished. Oh’ my Lord you can’t imagine how my head was swimming. I wanted to shout to everyone what the Lord had done. He hadn’t just given me a better life, he had actually heard me and exceeded my dreams. Here I was with a new job, a better salary, a bonus on all leases that any agent made, a HUGE new apartment on the RIVER, free cable t.v. I was already so blessed. Well that wasn’t the end of it. Neil and I did get back together. While we were separated he rented out the house he was living in and moved to a condo at the beach. So of course when we got back together, here I was on the water again. The beach can you believe it. What I didn’t see possible God did. The beach condo was just a year stay, while waiting for the renters to leave a house he had bought years ago and had been renting out. This house was on the river. A 1920’s cottage that he had done some remodeling to and then moved to a new house which was where I first knew him from. We moved back to the cottage. We call it the Campbell House (Campbell Ave). We have totally knocked out tons of walls, built on, bricked the exterior, new roof, new kitchen and on and on. Unfortunately we are still working on it, and probably will be for the rest of our lives – ha-ha. But my point is ~ that prayer to my father was over 15 years ago. Within three weeks of that prayer I was living on the water and have moved 3 times and each time was to a place one the water. I have never been off the water since. I know in my heart that was an astounding miracle! I was blessed to have seen the grace of God. He knew my heart and answered my prayer. I was an emotional wreck when I made that prayer and feeling so lost. The Lord did this to show me that he had never left me and was always listening to me. I had been suffering so much after the deaths of my parents. I had felt orphaned, he showed me I was not. Please if you have a miracle or someone else miracle that you could share please do. I love the small miracles as much as the big ones. Maybe you’ve had a friend show up at the perfect time, maybe God’s answered your prayer or perhaps you’ve just felt the grace of God. In this time of so much turmoil and financial hardships your story could give hope to someone else. Let’s pass on some good news. We can never have to much of that. Next week I hope to link up with McLinkey so you can share your stories. And my sweet friend Sarah from Gypsy Mermaid Life has offered to create a button for me. I hope that you’ll check back and maybe put the button on your side bar to share the news. Thanks to everyone for reading my long post. May God bless each of you this week in all you do. Love…..Tracy :)