To be here...

A sign  of the last of August which is when this post was supposed to be published. But, alas, "the best laid plans of mice & men (& women!) often go awry." ( from the poem 'To A Mouse' by Robert Burns. Ha! You thought it was by John Steinbeck didn't you? I confess. So did I. 😁) But the sunflowers are still with us in the first of September & will be for awhile along with other flowers & roses I'm happy to say, barring any of the aforesaid Ode to a mouse issues. I guess it's safest to say, 'if the Lord wills'. James 4:15  Of course, His word is His will & vice versa, but that's a different subject that I will address at another time.            Whew! I'm really getting off topic!

I have barely gotten started with my canning. So much rain has slowed (or is it slowered? or slown? They all sound right.) the ripening harvest & we have had unusually cooler temperatures in August which has also caused the dawdling progress. Then there's  the energy-depleting humidity (several days of 100 percent!) which is debilitating, falling into rhythm with 'the heart is certainly willing, but the slothful body says, 'uh-uh, not today. 

Oliver & Clooney above.
Fatsy Patsy beneath.

In the words of the Cole Porter song,

"Well it's too darn hot!" 😓

😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴

Air-conditioning helps. As well as the above respite. 

Some August blessings.

Our one little carrot from the garden.

Crunchy & sweet! 😋

My favorite, Black-eyed Susans!

I love stormy clouds

& August blue skies

Suppertime!!!

Husband dispensing supper! He loves his birdie-folk.

Here are turkey dispenser of-ers of the dreamer feline kind!

The rise of the August full moon.

"Shine on, shine on (August) moon, up in the sky...🎵"

Such beautiful August roses. & the fragrance is rapturous!

We did have an August sort of adventure when a bobcat showed up at our next door neighbors fish pond. Not exactly a blessing. It ran in the woods behind our house, so our cats are quarantined to our house again.

for awhile anyway. 
😑

Rounding up those straying thought doggies, I want to quote a poem that

Robert Louis Stevenson penned in "A Child's Garden of Verses",

"The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings."

The Bible says in Psalm 68:19 , "Blessed be the Lord who daily loads us with benefits." Now, benefits can mean different things, such as, things that promote peace or well being, or prosperity or healing. Benefits are always positive & can greatly enhance the quality of living. It's always life giving to live in the today of our blessings. To be here, to live in our 'now' is a very restful way to live. I have to admit, there are times when I hop into the 'time machine' of the past, when my children or grandchildren were small & I was young, or younger. How much fun it was, how sweet to have all of the shining faces around the dinner table, the laughter, the jokes, the camaraderie, the family games, the bedtime stories, the songs, bible reading & prayers. The bike rides,  the horseback rides, tractor rides, nighttime games of Hide 'n Seek, dart game competitions & on & on. Now the voices are mostly silent, the dinner table is set for two, my husband & me most of the time. The younger bodies we were are replaced by well, older bodies that can't do what we used to.

"Memories, memories...🎵"

But if those memories steal the joy & contentment of today, are they really productive?

& then what about the imagination projector that thrusts us into the future,  which sets us on a merry-go-round of 'what ifs'.

"I've had many worries in my life, most of which never happened." (Mark Twain)

To be here. This is where our life is, this 'Today'. This is where we see God. & hear Him. Of course, as I have said in a previous post, we can learn from yesterday, make good choices today that will produce life for future generations, but I want to live a passionate life for the Lord & that can only be done Today. Not yesterday. Not tomorrow. It's very wearying & energy-stealing,  to live on opposite sides of today. That's because it's impossible to live in three time periods. I want to be here because it's where I'm contented & peaceful, because here is where I can make a difference in my world. Here is where my husband, children & grandchildren need me to be. Here is where I get the daily benefit blessings. Here is where I have fellowship with Jesus. Here is where I can comfort those who mourn, heal the brokenhearted, set the captives free. Here is where I can pray, tell others about the love of Jesus, save a life or just listen. I am Jesus with skin on Here. & I can live the totality of my being...here.

 So, you know what I think? I think that Jesus really, really, really!! wants me...To.Be.Here. 

 

Raintree Perk of the Day

"This is the day that the Lord has made so let us rejoice & be glad in it!"