Shall We Dance?

I love how fuchsia flowers look like little ballerina's!

God's Purpose

Yesterday, I discovered so much about our purpose here on earth.
It was a very emotional, with a huge spiritual awakening for me.
My mother is currently in a nursing home
to gain her strength back after'
being ill. She will be coming home next week,
but in the mean time it has been very difficult for her.
She is tired, misses being with her family, and very
depressed and emotional.
I went to visit her , and found her in tears.
Besides her extreme yearning to come home,
she was experiencing terrible pain from
a bad flare up with gout in her wrist. It was very
difficult to comfort her, but hugs and a lot of love
helped ease some of her pain.
In the bed next to Mom, is a wonderful woman
named Arlene. My heart goes out to this poor lady.
She is in pain all the time, and has limited movement
in her hands. Yet, her faith and spirituality are what
keep her going. She and Mom support each other,
pray together, and share their love of God.
When lunch came, Mom wasn't hungry, and ate
very little. When I asked Arlene how she was doing,
she said she was having her tray taken back.
I asked if she too wasn't hungry, she answered,
"I'm very hungry, but my hands won't work."
I went to her bedside and slowly fed her, and
helped her drink her juice. It was a very humbling
experience. In between bites, she stopped and said
"When I was hungry you fed me, when I was thirsty
you gave me drink." Tears came from her eyes. "Bless You".
I gave her a kiss on the forehead, "God Bless You Too, Arlene."
After knowing they were settled for a nap, I left for home.
On my way out, there was a young woman sitting on a bench outside
the doors, in total distress. I stopped to ask her if she was alright,
and through her sobbing, told me her boyfriend, only 44,
had just died, with her at his side. My heart just broke
in half for her. The pain was more than she could bear.
I sat down next to her and just held her. I talked with
this broken, devastated soul praying for the words to say.
I mean, what comfort can we be to a total stranger at
such a tragic moment in their lives? Yet, the words came,
and we shared our love and faith in Christ even in death.
I stayed til I knew she would be ok til her son arrived to
help her clean out his room.
I cried on the way home, so touched with the days events,
and so sad for Mom, a friend, and a total stranger.
Then, I opened this e-mail from Guideposts when I got home:

A Time to Think

Make no mistake about it, responsibilities toward other human beings are the greatest blessings God can send us.—Dorothy Dix

A Time to Act

Cherish your purpose in life.

A Time to Pray

Lord, keep me alert for opportunities to ease another's suffering.

I couldn't believe what I was reading. Even without seeing this before I left to see Mom,
God knew I would need this reminder that we are put on this earth
for one reason. And we all have this same purpose:
To Love our neighbors, and to be a testament to His love.
We are His tools, and through us, he will preform miracles,
provide love, be a comfort and give peace to the weary.
Thank-you God, and Bless all who are suffering, through those
who love you.

More than a Dog

Bobby.
What can I say about Bobby.
Well, I have a lot to say!
As you probably know, I rescued Bobby, or should I say he rescued us,
when I found him at the post office, where he was sleeping in the car port for several days.
The pound was coming to pick him up, and when I went to get our mail he jumped in my car. That day changed his and our lives forever.
We love this dog. He's a purebred border collie, and a border in every way.
Bobby has decided we are his job. And he does his job exceptionally well.
This is how he "runs" our household.
5:30 a.m.
I'm awoken by a nose in my face and a little grumpf.
"get up Mom,The cat wants out".
I get up, let Toby out, go back to bed.
8:00 a.m.
Same thing.
This time, I have to go to the bathroom. Don't ask me how he knows this, he just does.
I get out of bed and am led to the bathroom, where he waits outside the door.
Then it's back to bed. No, I don't stay up, I need time to drift back to sleep for a little bit.
8:30
I should just stay awake.
The chickens are at the side door, and waiting for me to feed them.
Bobby is very verbal, making sure I get up and take care of the girls. He then leads me to the food bin, I get the feed, and head out the door. He and Chip go with me.
At this time, Bobby herds the chickens to the gate, and waits inside the fence for me to finish taking care of the girls.
Chip goes to do his duty out back, and visits with his brother next door.
We come back in, and Bobby leads me to the cats dish, I need to feed the cats. Then he stops at the pantry and waits for me to get his and Chips food.
There. Everyone is taken care of. Thank-you Bobby I don't think I could do it without you.
I go sit down to watch Steve Harvey's new show. (If you haven't watched it, make sure to catch it. It's a riot.)
About 20 minutes later, I receive his paw on my arm, and he runs to the door.
Chip is sitting on the porch, ready to come in.
Now. Everyone is settled, has had their food, has been out, and now, he lays down to relax and take a well deserved nap.
During the day, he'll let me know everything that's going on, including and not limited to:
The phone is ringing, go answer it.
The chickens want a treat. He lets me know they're at the side door waiting.
The cat needs in or out.
The water dish needs filled.
It's time to gather eggs.
It's time for Ken to go to the post office. One of his favorite times of the day,
he loves to go for car rides.
Meal times.
Something is going on at Robyn's.
So what would I do without Bobby?
I don't know, and am not looking forward to that day.
He keeps us on our toes, gives us tons of love, and we reciprocate with no problem.
We love our big hairy guardian!

Morning Glories

I'm loving today! The sun is bright, the sky is so blue, the temperatures are mild, and the morning glories are really starting to bloom.

Against the sunny skies, they look so beautiful,

even against the roof, they just pop!

They're also bringing beauty to the white picket fence. I only wish they lasted for more than a few hours. The nice thing though, is every morning brings a whole different picture.
I hope all of you are enjoying beautiful weather, and are having a wonderful Monday.

Aaaarrrggghhh!

Is anyone else disgusted with the new word verification for publishing comments!? So many times I've had to go through 3 or 4 just to get the letters right. They're so run together that it's hard to tell when one letter ends and the next begins! I disabled mine and just went to approving the comments first. It's really frustrating!

Naptime

I know I've posted many pictures of Toby, but this morning he looked so content I couldn't resist one more time.

He sprawls out on top of his chair, like a bear skin rug.

Ahhhh, perfect peace.

Blue Moon

While at my brother's we were fortunate enough to have clear skies for viewing the Blue Moon. It came up over his pond, and was so beautiful. Of course I had to grab my camera for the perfect photo op!