Are you blood kin? & Mamaw’s Sunday Dinner

August 20, 2014August 20, 2014 / kstrick7 / 1 Comment

I am so fortunate & blessed to be surrounded by good people. And when I say good, I mean Godly folks. I come from a family full of Christians. My church family is wonderful, as well. It is such a great feeling to know my blood kin are related to me through Christ, too. My Sunday School teacher made such a terrific point Sunday about our relationship with Jesus. He posed the question,

“Ain’t it wonderful to be blood kin to Christ?”

He went on to say that we are made “kin” to Jesus through His blood that He shed on the cross. We come into contact with that blood through baptism. I always knew that, but it was a nice warm fuzzy reminder that Christ is my blood kin.

Matthew 26:28 (NKJV)For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Acts 2:38 (NKJV) “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost“

Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV) In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

In the South, we take kinfolk pretty seriously. We take care of our own. We love our own. We are proud of our own. We are loyal to our own. It doesn’t matter if one of our relatives is a little off or strange. We just shake our heads & say bless their heart.

I remember very well the Sundays growing up. My Daddy was the preacher. So, we got up & went to church every Sunday. We worshipped with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, & cousins. We ate Sunday dinner, that my Mamaw fixed, every Sunday. She cooked fried chicken every Sunday. Her table was full of peas, potatoes, slaw, casseroles, deviled eggs, homemade pickles, cornbread & whatever else this sweet lady came up with. She always made a cake, a cobbler, or some sort of delicious dessert type dish. It did not matter what you had going on. If you weren’t there for Sunday dinner, well, let’s just say she did NOT understand. Also, she made such a big dinner so that if a visitor showed up at church, she could invite them over. My Mamaw was just awesome like that.

Blood kin means a lot to me. That’s where I feel safe & secure. My Mamaw’s brother, my great uncle would hug us kids up, every Sunday. He would say,

“Ya’ll my kinfolks.”

As I get older, I love knowing about my ancestors & where I came from. I have pictures of my great grandparents hanging in my house. I look into their eyes & there I see who I am. It’s an interesting thing to know what you are made of. From a religious standpoint, I am made up of my blood kin- Jesus. I love that! I just want others to see less of me, in me, & more of Jesus. That’s the kind of resemblance I want to have.

I am so glad you came by to visit with me today. Thank ya’ll for always listening to me & what I think. The weather has turned back off H-O-T. It rained & stormed some this weekend. Since then, it’s been so muggy. I think we are making up for the nice weather we got in July. Ne’er a summer passes in Mississippi without hot, humid, can’t let the kids out outside to play kind of weather. Before I go, Miss Neenee came home & asked could she be in the chess club at school. Since she does not actively play chess, I asked the crazy question,

“What made you interested in the chess club?”

She matter of factly replied, “Well, that’s the only club they have for us.”

Oh well, then. Looks like we will be learning to play chess. Until then, I will be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits:writtenreality.com, pinterest

More stuff that I think:

Do you want a piece of me? & what a wonderful life it is…..

July 31, 2014 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

As I get older, my life gets more full & blessed. I am so thankful for the people in my life. I am so glad our family is close knit & loving. Even though my daughter is married, with a baby & my middle daughter has a busy life, we still can’t hardly go to town without calling each other to see if the other one wants to go. Just the other day, I asked my 10 year old daughter if she ever felt like I didn’t give her enough attention. You know I got these grandbabies, now, that we just gush over. Then, the older girls, my 2 sons, my daughter in law, my sweet husband & I try to keep up with my Daddy, as well. I work full time, teach a Bible class at church, try to keep a house, cook, clean (sorta) & sometimes, after all that, I feel like she may get a little left behind. But when I asked her if she felt left out, she looked at me in utter surprise.

She said,

“No, I love my life. I couldn’t imagine it any other way.”

Whew,nailed it.

Isn’t that what we all strive with our kids? We just want them to feel safe, loved, & well, happy. Now, ask her how happy she is when she can’t keep Mr. Sweetie Pants out of her room messing with all her stuff & you may get another answer!

Nonetheless, with my big family, something is always going on. Ne’er a dull moment. My oldest daughter got her degree in May (Yay!) She has gone to work for a school district. They had a 2 day kindergarten camp with the kids to get them ready for the school year. She said there was one little boy that was a mess. On the first day, he kept asking her,

“Miss K.K. do you want a piece of me?”

She kindly reassured him, she did not.

On Tuesday she finally had to get on to him. She said,

“If you don’t stop doing that, you are going to have to come stand beside me & hold my hand. Do you want to have to come hold my hand?”

He sweetly replied, “Maybe.”

Looks like she will have her hands full & heart full by the end of the school year!

I am so proud of my daughter & her love of children. Her grandmother loved children, too.

Jesus had encounters with children.

Matthew 19:13

Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. (NKJV)

Jesus knew the value of children.

Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (NKJV)

We should be ever mindful of these little fellows. They have an innocence & trustful, loving, heart just like we should have. Those are the kinds of things that will get us a 1^st class ticket to be with Jesus.

I am so glad you came by today. I hope your week has been full of good days. If you have not had the grandest of days I want to share this quote I saw this week:

You were born for a purpose,

You are here for a purpose.

When live knocks you down,

Remember your purpose.- Billy Cox

Now, go out & make it a great day! As for me, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

What is gumption & where do you get it?

July 24, 2014July 24, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

I would like to talk about something today, that some people may not want to hear. Before you stop reading all together, it does not have anything to do with blood, guts, or anything you might have to squint your eyes, just to look at it. This is more personal. You know when we start to get personal, things can get hard. People don’t like to face their short comings.

Since I was very young, I have been of the opinion, that when hard things are presented to me to take responsibility for, if I don’t admit it’s a problem, then it’s not. I don’t try to put the blame on someone else. I just don’t want to acknowledge it. If you don’t admit it, then it’s not really happening, right? My Daddy loves to tell how when I was little & got caught doing something I should not, I would say,

“Let’s just not talk about that.”

Not much has changed. Although, I do try harder to be more responsible, now that I’m older & wiser, ya know. So, let’s all get on our big girl(or boy) pants & open our minds to what I am about to say. If it applies to you, I ask that you think about what you really have going on. And make things right. If it does not apply to you, great! Try to help someone that it might.

There are things that have happened to us in life or will happen to us, that is not pleasant. Things that you would just rather not have to deal with. Problems that come up or untimely issues, that just have a way of surfacing. These are things that need tending to. These things cannot be put off. Like when someone passes away, or you lose your job, or your husband or wife decides they would rather run off & chase a rabbit than be responsible for a family. Maybe someone’s health has failed them. Or your health has failed you. You know, hard stuff. When you are on the receiving end of these tragedies, how you react makes all the difference in the world.

The most positive way to react is to get you some gumption. If you do not know what gumption is, nor where in the world you would get it, let me tell you about it. My Mama used to say in a bad situation,

“He just needs to get some gumption & go on with it.”

Or she would say,

“He ain’t gonna do it , because he ain’t got the gumption.”

Either way gumption is the same as courage or guts. It could mean having the common sense to do something, too. Now, if you have trouble getting you some gumption, then, I suggest you pray about it & let the Good Lord help you with it. Gumption is necessary in life. We have to have it many times, whether we want to face things & or not. People who do not have gumption are sorry, lowdown, cusses who deserve what they get. Life is like a circle. What comes around goes around. You reap what you sow.

If you have things happen to you, & you don’t get you some gumption & handle it in the right way, then, whatever comes to you comes. I pray one day you will see the error of your way, before it’s too late. A person who may have not had the gumption to do the right thing, in one situation, may take a turn & decide to make things right. You have to give that person the benefit of the doubt. However, when presented with several opportunities to do right & they just won’t, don’t waste your time with those people. It’s Just.Not.Worth.It. I hope you don’t have to deal with others who refuse to get some gumption. If you do, just remember, they may eventually come to their senses. Then, we have to be there to have some gumption, as well.

Gumption is sometimes hard to find. However, if you want gumption bad enough, it will come to you. Pray about it. God will be glad to help. He said so.

John 14:14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (ESV)

King David found out that not having gumption was a hard thing to live with. When he decided to sleep with another man’s wife & then kill that man, his regrets finally caught up to him.

Psalms 32:3-4For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. ⁴For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. (ESV)

But David did the right thing. He got him some gumption & asked God’s forgiveness.

Psalms 32: 5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. (ESV)

I am so glad you came by to visit today. Thank you for letting me get that off my chest today. It’s nice when you just lend me your ear like that. I hope it is a beautiful day wherever you are. The humidity has been released, yet again, in full force, here in northeast Mississippi. It’s just like the top was popped & ever so gently pulled back. The humidity just came pouring on out! I hope to be seeing you all again, soon. Until then, I will have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: pinterest, adodsons.com,shebrands.com

Have you prayed about it as much as you’ve talked about it?

July 22, 2014July 22, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

One Sunday our dear Bro. Brad gave us a lesson about the Lord’s Prayer. He made some wonderful points. He talked about prayer & how important it should be to us. Since my One Word for 2014 is Pray, I was all in on this message! He made us look at how special prayer really is.

Prayer is a way to get involved with things, you otherwise would not be able to be involved in. Take for instance, my daughter just went on a mission trip to Nicaragua. I was not able to go on this trip with her. However, I felt like I could be a part of it by praying for her & the work our church group would do. I could not go on the airplane with her. But, I could pray for her to have a safe trip. I could pray for the pilot of the plane & all the attendants on the plane. I could not be with her as she worshipped with the church in Nicaragua. However, I could pray for the church family there. I could not be at the hotel where she stayed or the city she went to. However, I could pray for her safety & the safety of all of those with her, as they traveled around the city & as they slept. I have never set foot in Central America. However, with the avenue of prayer, I have been involved in many things there.

Prayer is where you start, not where you end. We should not say,

”I have tried everything I know to do. I guess I could pray about it.”

Let prayer be your first choice, not your last resort. Be proactive in prayer. Pray about things before the need ever comes along. Always, always, always remember there is power in prayer.

Matthew 21:22New King James Version (NKJV)

²²And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

I am so glad you came by today. I wanted to share this thought with you about prayer. I hope you are doing good & having a blessed day. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

Oh and by the way, this sweet girl had a birthday this weekend.

And this sweet boy really enjoyed the ice cream…..to the last drop!

photo credit: http://www.spirituallythinking.blogspot.com

Why we don’t have to forgive & forget & what we’ve been doing

July 17, 2014July 17, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Well, hello my online peeps! I hope all ya’ll are having a wonderful day. I have been busy doing lots of summer stuff here lately. We had our Super Saturday VBS at our church last Saturday. We have had youth group events, going to the movies, summer devotionals, shaving cream wars, etc.,.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

Miss Neenee went bowling with the Girl Scouts & will be going to a movie with them, next week as well. My beautiful niece has been at my house, visiting from a faraway land. My sweet husband has been grilling lots of wonderful stuff. We have a birthday to celebrate this weekend. My grandbabies have been coming by for visits. Of course I have been as accommodating as possible. My daughter in law was telling Mr. Sweetie Pants just last night to quit writing on the kitchen floor with a magic marker. Well, Lord have mercy, that’s what Mr. Clean is for. Mr. Sweetie Pants kinda gets away with a lot at my house. And when I say a lot, I mean everything. Except back talk. We don’t do that at my house. Everything else we can pretty much handle. I have been doing my best to keep up with my 100 days of scripture. With that, my Sunday School lesson & Wednesday night class I have been studying my Bible.

I try to be attentive to what people are saying. Words mean a lot to me. I really take them to heart. I guess that’s why I get so irritated when people use words in a hurtful, disrespectful, or uncaring way. Words can’t be unsaid. And forgetting what someone has said to me or my family is something I work on daily. That’s why when my uncle said this the other day, I took note.

He said, “The Bible teaches forgiveness. It does not teach to forgive & forget. Man said that. Not God, because God knows we are human.”

I had never considered that. So, I did what I normally do, when someone makes an expounding statement, like that, about the Bible. I go look it up. Here is what I found out.

William Shakespeare in King Lear made the statement, “Pray you now, forget & forgive.”

In the Bible, the apostle Paul had a big problem with forgiving & forgetting. It all had to do with himself, too. Before Paul became a devout Christian, he persecuted Christians. He never got over that & what he had done to the church. You can tell by how he addresses it all.

I Timothy 1: 12-13 ¹²And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, ¹³although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. (NKJV)

His former life humbled him. He understood that he was a chosen vessel. However, he did not take it lightly. He talked about his past openly.

Acts 22:2²⁰And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death,^[b] and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’ (NKJV)

He did not let his past cripple him of his service to the Lord. He did not say, “I’ve done too many bad things, the Lord will never forgive me.” Or “I’m not good enough to serve the Lord.” He made mistakes, but then got him some gumption & did what he was supposed to do. He did not let his past sins hold him back from doing what was right.

The Lord knows we are human. As humans, we make mistakes & are not perfect. For our sakes, we should be willing to put things behind us & move on. Paul finally got to that point,

Philippians 3:13-14 ¹³Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, ¹⁴I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.(NKJV)

God is the only One capable of selective erasing events from His memory. When we receive Christ’s forgiveness, He acts as sin hasn’t happened. We aren’t made up that way. We are commanded to forgive.

Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.(NKJV)

Forgetfulness is a much needed discipline of our emotions. Which is hard, because we are stubborn creatures. But let’s be stubborn for the things that matter. Like our faith & family. It’s a good thing to put things in their place & focus on what is to come, rather than where we have been. You have got to have some peace somewhere. Not dwelling on how someone has wronged you is a good way to put things to the side. Then, peace will come.

I am so glad you took time to visit with me today. Our weather has been oddly FANTASTIC. July in Mississippi is normally hot, humid, & unbearable. A big thank you goes out to whoever ordered the awesome weather we had on the 4^th of July. That was stinkin’ wonderful. We were at some of our friends Tuesday night. Just sitting in their backyard enjoying the cool weather. I had on a long sleeved shirt. It was crazy. I’ve so enjoyed you today. But for now, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: Pinterest, someecards

The time I broke up with Walmart

July 2, 2014September 4, 2014 / kstrick7 / 2 Comments

It was the summer of 2009 & I had had it. Every time I turned around, I was running to Walmart for something. My husband had been laid off from his job. We were turning off lights, taking shorter showers, limiting our cell phone usage, and basically only going to church & to & from work. We cut way down on eating out. Lots of things we learned quickly we thought we had to have, we didn’t.

One day, after coming out of Walmart, I was studying my receipt. Now, I know Walmart is the place you have to watch out for falling prices. They also price match anyone’s ad that’s a lower price than theirs. So why, pray tell, could I not come out of there under $150? Hmmm….I got to investigating more on this mystery. I went down the list & low & behold I found the answer.

Walmart was sucking my bank account dry.

I was going in & making my price slashed purchases. However, I was coming out with stuff I could very easily do without. I made up my mind right then & there, I was not going to take it anymore. So, I did what any full-blooded Southern, penny pinching consumer would do.

I broke up with Walmart.

There were others there to comfort me through this life changing decision. K-mart stepped right in & gave me a card, that when you buy your wares, you start racking up points. In return, you can cash those boogers in & get money off. Right off your total purchase! I thought they were just flirting with me, until I bought a nice birthday present for nearly nothing out of pocket.

Next, Dollar General became my new love. Do you know you can get $5 off coupons that make $25 worth of necessary things only cost you $20? I’ll take $5 free dollars. The Dollar Tree got on my list of favorites, as well. Do you know how many things you can get in Dollar Tree for $50? (Yup, 50, that’s how many.) They even have food now. As I happily started seeing my money being put to better use, I realized Walmart had too many distractions. Yes, I can get soap cheaper at Walmart than Dollar General. However, I am not bombarded with stuff, as soon as I walk in the door. Stuff that I & lots of other well meaning, moneysaving shoppers think they have to have. (But honestly do not.)

Sometimes my spiritual life seems to get spent the same way. Temptations & enticements easily lead me away. There are times I have so many things that try to get in the way of me reading my Bible. Often enough, I don’t take the time to stop & encourage someone. Or I let other things get in the way of me stopping to send a card to someone sick. I don’t take the opportunity to acknowledge someone’s problems because I’m too busy doing things that really aren’t helping me at all.

Such as reading all the wonderful, uplifting posts on my Facebook news feed.

(Ha. Haha. Hahahaha.)

Or perhaps I might find a wee bit of time to help someone if I weren’t on Pinterest pinning funny sayings to my board. Or looking for new hair styles, or pinning lots of lovely things to my crafty project boards – that I will probably never get time to do anyway.

James 1: 22 says But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

That means I have got to be a doer. A doer for good. Then, maybe my temptations won’t seem so big.

John said in

I John 2:16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (NKJV)

This means all the stuff I was seeing that I just HAD to have, was not only not necessary, it’s not of the Father. SO, I had no business with it anyway.

The apostle Paul cautioned Timothy in

I Timothy 6:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.(NKJV)

Buying more things than I needed was foolish & harmful. It just wasn’t doing anything but leaving me with less money. At the time, I just didn’t need to be doing that. While things are more on track now, I still don’t need to throw our money away.

Now that we are in 2014 & we have been back to a 2 job home for a while, I still do not go in Walmart very often. My break up with Walmart taught me a few things.

I have to hold myself to my shopping list. If I go in to buy notebooks for $.10, but still wind up with $103.17 worth of stuff in my buggy, those $.10 notebooks weren’t really that cheap, were they?
I can survive without Walmart.
Change may not be as bad as you think.
I am not willingly subjecting myself to a store’s ploy to take my money. Because, hey I admit it. I am a sucker for a bargain & Walmart is FULL of them, plus lots of other stuff I don’t need.
I can do without a lot of things I thought I could not.
Even if I have money to purchase things, I need to ask myself if it’s a need or a want.

Just so the elephant in the room can move on out, this is not a paid endorsement from Kmart, Dollar General, nor The Dollar Tree. These are my own personal opinions, in which have been perfectly approved by the president & CEO of I should be washing clothes (Which is me.) I’m not bitter with Walmart. I think they taught me some valuable lessons. Some that I would have never experienced, if not for them & their stuff.

Thank you for coming by to visit with me today. I have enjoyed our time together. I hope you are able to provide for your family’s needs and wants. Just remember, too, God will provide. He provided for us while we were a one job household & He will provide for you, too. I hope you enjoy this beautiful holiday weekend. As for me, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: sodahead, tattoodonkey, & howtobreakup.net

My sweet helper & Someone who needs no help

June 12, 2014June 12, 2014 / kstrick7 / 3 Comments

My little girl loves to help. She especially loves to help me & her Daddy cook. She has become quite the baker. She got cupcake pans, cake pans, and a lot of bakery paraphernalia for Christmas last year. I have to say she has put it to good use. She loves to help her Daddy in food prep for the grilling he does. She has her hands in the muffin mix & can peel boiled eggs like nobody’s business. I love having her around to help me out.

Miss Neenee’s cupcakes before going in the oven.

Do you know there is Somebody who does not need my help? That would be the Lord. You see, He is quite capable of doing whatever He deems necessary, without my input. Sometimes it’s easy to try to compare ourselves to others.

I think, “What should I be doing about this or that?”

You know what? Jesus has it all handled. There are times, I just need to have faith & sit back & let Him have his way. Isn’t that hard, though? When you pray & want a situation, a person, or a relationship, to be like you want it all to be- it may not always come out exactly like you had it envisioned.

So, I get to thinking, “How can I make this better?”

Next, I may do or say something that doesn’t help the situation at all.

Or I may think, “I’m doing all I can do to be a Christian. Why, then, are things going so great for this one over here, that’s well, not?”

Again, I need to remember, the Lord doesn’t need my help. Just because I don’t see Him working behind the scenes, does not mean He is not.

The apostle Peter found out Jesus does not need our help either. He questioned the Lord about the person He had predicted would betray Him. It’s not said why Peter wanted to know who it was. Maybe curiosity was getting the best of him. Or maybe he wanted to help or protect his friend from someone. Jesus let him know right quick that He had it handled.

John 21

²⁰Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” ²¹Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”

²²Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

²³Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”

Peter’s attention needed to be focused on following Jesus. The Lord had a much bigger agenda for Peter than worrying about who was going to wrong Him. Jesus was pretty much trying to tell him,

“What business is it of yours?”

I need to remember that. I need to make sure my focus is on Jesus. Not on who is wronging me, who has a nicer house than me, or who makes more money than me. Jesus was trying to tell Peter & He is trying to tell me to have faith in Him & I won’t have anything to worry about. When the worries & stresses of this ol’ world try to beat us down, we have got to remember Who we have on our side. Even when we don’t realize it, He is working in our lives for good.

I am so glad you came by to visit with me today. We have had rain, rain, and then some more rain. But you know what? I have seen some of the most beautiful rainbows…there’s a blog post for another time! I hope you have a great week. I have to be going for now, because I should be washing clothes.

Lipstick woes & Jesus has a fix for your vices

June 7, 2014June 6, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

I love putting on lipstick. I also like lip gloss. I have one of them on, most all the time. There’s just something about applying lipstick, that is kinda like a sedative. I can be having a bad day at work. But then, take a minute out to re-apply my lipstick & I just get a better perspective. Weird, I know.

I told Miss Neenee the other day,

“Look at this new lipstick I got”

I proudly held up my tube of dollar store lipstick. Then, I started painting my lips.

I said,“ Ya know, I don’t know about the color, though. It kinda makes me think of the lipstick funeral homes put on dead people.”

Without missing a beat, my Miss Neenee says, “Yet you still put it on.”

How many things do we do in life that we know might be wrong or not flattering or not advantageous for us, however, we just keep on keeping on? Like the fat free, sugar free candy I eat. That always makes me lose weight. What?? That candy’s not sugar free?? That explains a lot. Or it really could be anything. Ask an alcoholic. Do they know what they are drinking is not good for them? Sure they do. What about a drug addict? Don’t you figure they know what they are taking is not what they should be doing? I would say a big probably. However, it’s something inside of them that makes them continue on. Even though knowing, nothing good is going to come out of it. Can I add complaining to this list? Lord have mercy, some people complain & have a negative attitude toward any & everything. Gossipers & people who are judgmental know better. They just do it.

When you get tired of doing things, that’s not helping you none, Jesus has a fix for it.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (KJV)

We can go to Jesus anytime, anywhere. He is the true One who will give us rest from our vices. Only in Him will we have peace & contentment. What are you waiting for?

I am so glad you stopped by to visit with me today. It has been a beautiful day, here in northeast Mississippi. My flowers are growing in the yard. Good times. Come back when you can stay longer. As for me, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.

Lovely flowers given to me by my friend Karen.

World MS Day – May 28, 2014

May 29, 2014May 29, 2014 / kstrick7 / Leave a comment

Yesterday was World MS Day- so I pretty much messed that up. Because I am telling you about it today. A day late. Oh well, such as my life.

As many of you may be aware, MS is a disease that took my family by surprise, about 30 years ago. In the mid 80s, my Mama started having all kinds of crazy things happen to her. She was losing feeling in her legs & hands. Her memory was failing her. She had chronic UTIs. She was having back problems & other assortments of painful ailments. And she was only in her early 40s! After many doctor visits, much worry, lots of praying, & a plethora of medical tests that we had never heard of in our lives, Mama was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Thus, began her journey & ours with her, as the long road home. It was not pretty, convenient, or anything that she ever imagined doing. However, we learned, out of all the things in life you can really do something about, sometimes, your health is not one of them. We learned we loved her & each other more than we could ever know. We stuck together & supported one another. My Mama, Daddy, brother, grandmother, & I had people come out of the woodwork to help us. People that were right there with us, until she passed away May 24, 2002. For that, we will be forever grateful. You just can’t handle all of this by yourself, ya know? It was a humbling, painful, heart wrenching, exhausting, loving, heartbreaking, beautiful something you never want even your worst enemy to go through kind of experience. And I did not know the World MS Day of recognition- for all these wonderful people was yesterday. Serves me right. I am just awesome like that. Anyway, I got on the website, which you can go to here.

I did give my One Wish.

Maybe you might go over there & honor these folks, too. May I just say may God bless the people with this disease & their care givers. I love all y’all.

Thank you for taking time to stop by today. I am always glad to see you! I hope you have a good rest of the holiday week (this is Friday, right?) No wait. I’m not sure. I have to be going now, I will be much better off washing clothes!

Why you should stop putting things off & will someone come hang up these clothes?

May 19, 2014May 14, 2014 / kstrick7 / 1 Comment

Those who know me know, I am a first class put-ter off-er. I put stuff off until the last minute quite often. Like right now, I have a said amount of clothes (that belong to my husband) folded mind you, sitting on a chest in my bedroom. They are clothes he wore last week, this week, back at Christmas (wait, those are in the floor of the closet). I need to hang those clothes up & put them away. But you know what? I have more important & fun stuff to do at the moment. Like making a dress for my brand spankin’ new granddaughter. Or watching t.v. or surfing the internet for ideas on how to repaint my bedroom suit or having a nutritional snack of peanut butter or Nutella out of the jar or counting the times Miss Neenee asks can we go to the One Direction concert. You know things that distract me from doing what I need to. What are the consequences if I don’t put that laundry up? My husband has to look for matching socks? Pttthhh! He don’t care to do that. Well, for a short period of time anyway. But I won’t stop the world with my pile of clothes or cause anyone to epically fail in life because of my unorganization, so some things just get put off.

However, there are a few things in life we should not put off. Why? Because time goes on & we miss the opportunity. Those things happen, ya know? There is no telling how many great & terrific chances I have missed because I put stuff off. One Sunday at church, Bro. Brad preached about several things we should never put off.

1. Be quick to take action. We should discipline ourselves, because often times we wait too long to take action. We make excuses why we can’t do something. However, you don’t have to know everything to do something positive in life.

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.(NKJV)

2. Don’t wait too long to be kind to others. Make kindness a part of your everyday life. Let your first reaction to any situation be kindness. The giver the apostle Paul speaks of in this passage is not only regarding of our monetary offering, but a giving of ourselves, as well.

II Corinthians 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (NKJV)

3. Be the best parent you can. We have our children, in our homes, for such a short time. They are born & before you turn around, they are in school. Then, graduating & having kids of their own. Take time now to make a difference in their lives. Teach them right from wrong. Don’t think you will address this or that later. Do it now or you may miss your chance.

Ephesians 6:4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.(NKJV)

4. Read & study your Bible. We often make the promise to ourselves, “I am going to be a better Bible student.” Today is the day! You can’t grow your faith without spending time in God’s Word. Blessings will pour on you, when you spend time with God. Don’t rob yourself of that.

II Timothy 2:10 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (KJV)

5. Realize today is the day to make things right. Don’t put off making things right with God. We are not promised another day or minute. Don’t meet our Savior unprepared.

II Corinthians 6: 1-2 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ²For He says:“In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

I am so glad you came by to visit with me today. You know what? I think I may put those clothes up today. Maybe. If the sun in not shining & I can’t sit out on the deck. I will definitely put them up. Lawdy chile, I have got to quit my lyin’. I ain’t foolin’ with that today! Maybe if you aren’t doing anything, you would like to come hang these clothes up for me? No? I can’t say I blame you. I hope you have a great week. As for me, I have to be going, because I should be washing clothes.