Inching my way back to blogging

I have a friend who is really crafty. She sews, crochets and makes the most beautiful hand painted decorations as well. She's a family type person. I don't know how else to say it but that, she lives a simple life as much as any of us can in these times at least. There are photos of children and grandchildren that also decorate her walls. It's a great thing to keep before our eyes reminders of what we hold dear. Deuteronomy 11:19-20 continues on in the chapter about love and obedience to God by saying, "Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." In my friends house there were also scripture verses in decorative wall hangings. One of my hobbies is rubber stamping, drawing, colored pencils , markers , making cards by hand although I have also just recently inched my way back into it as well as writing. I like to buy blank index cards large and small ones and decorate them and put verses on them. It's good to change them out every so often so they don't end up being there so long I don't notice them very long. One I had over my kitchen sink for awhile was from Psalm 121 A song of ascents. 1I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? 2My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. I would often read it and was able to quote it so one evening when the tornado sirens were going off and my family gathered in our bathroom (no basement in my house) waiting and praying for the storm to pass I was able to speak these verses. I'll never forget it. We remained safe but we lost 6 trees. Our huge blue spruce was gone a 20 year old oak also uprooted, a bradford pair snapped off and blew into the neighbors yard. There were other trees broken and down as well but the next morning as I walked out in the sunlight I looked to my right and the big maple my children climbed in was still standing unharmed. I smiled at the thought that the Lord is the shade upon my right hand. This is a reminder often when I see the tree and watch my grandchildren playing in it. We were showered with love from neighbors and friends and church family who helped us clean up and brought food over. Most importantly though we were safe . I am old enough to realise it's not always that way and sometimes bad things happen that are hard to understand. What I do understand though it is often in the hardest times that love shines the brightest when people gather together in compassion and service. My husband went to Henrysville Indiana this last year when the tornado devastated that town about an hour from us. For him and those working with him with the Samaritan's Purse outreach it was a humbling experience. To speak good things and encourage each other in life is one of the greatest things to do. “We cannot do great things on this Earth, only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa It is the small things that build upon each other and the words that spur us on to have faith and inspire us to use the God given talents that help us when those unexpected times of turbulence happen in life . In times of loss we can remember the words we hold in our hearts as precious and know that love never dies and God is ever near and it's in that God given strength we can go on perhaps not the same but more equipped than ever to minister to others with compassion because we know, we have lived through it. There is another decoration my friend had on her kitchen wall. It's not a Bible verse , just a simple saying. It is a big yard stick and it states "Yard by yard life is hard, inch by inch life's a cinch" So here I am inching my way back into the blogging world. Sometimes it may be just a photo or saying when life is busy but photos can talk can't they?