Archive by Author

You Are a Star

13 Dec

From my Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders

 

Being good isn't good enough
to meet another's expectations-
I'll be the best I can be,
But I have to be ME-
What do you see in YOUR reflections?


God created us just as we are-
He had a plan, don't you see.
In His plan for your life,
You are a STAR!,
But I will still remain Me!



Oh, but God has a plan for all of us-
even though we can't all have top billing.
On the "Stage of Life" we all have a part-
To serve takes a heart that is willing!



God, Himself, came to seek and to save-
What an example He set for you and me-
Lay down your life for your fellow man,
We are here to love and serve all humanity.

1 Samuel 7:3, 12:14 “Thou shall fear the Lord and serve Him.

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Our Trip to UK~Part 2

11 Dec

A Slice of Life
Bill Lites

Bill

Now we headed west thru Portsmouth and Southampton toward Salisbury, with no Garmin, GPS tracker or cell phone to aid us.   I don’t know how we ever found our way the rest of that almost 85 miles to South Newton, Salisbury and to our first B & B, but 1we finally got there just before dusk.  Newton Cottage B & B was an “Olde Worlde” (circ.1670) thatched roof house, that we learned was listed as a building of historic and architectural interest.  It was typical of a lot of the homes in this area, many of which had been converted into B & Bs.  This was the only B & B reservation we had made from the U.S. and we were thrilled with the accommodations.  Of course, the doorways and ceilings were very low, the stairs and floors squeaked, and when the ad said “Central Heat” that meant warm enough for the English, not for someone use to Florida weather.

There was another couple staying at Newton Cottage with us and we all had a 2wonderful time comparing travel notes.  The local Pub, where we took our evening meals, was just across the street from our B & B, and down a small tree covered lane.  What a picture that made!  As it turned out, the Pub owner collected matchbook covers, as I did, and he gave me some of his duplicates.  I made arrangements to send him some of my duplicates as soon as we got home.  (Another fun hobby lost to the demands of the environmentalists).

 DiVoran remembers sitting in the kitchen one morning with Mrs. Clark, looking at a field across the road, full of gamboling lambs, and saying how sweet they were.  The mistress said, “Indeed they are adorable.  But, every spring when I see them, I must school myself not to think of roasted lamb.“

We stayed at Newton Cottage two nights while we spent the days visiting the sites in and around Salisbury.  Salisbury has a beautiful Cathedral which was finished around 31260 AD, after the city was first established in approximately 1220 AD.  We visited a unique War Memorial and cemetery for the men from this southern Wilshire area who fought and died in what was then called “The Great War” (1914-1917).

And, of course, we visited prehistoric Stonehenge, which is located only 8 miles north of Salisbury.  Archeologists now believed construction of the stone structure, as we know it, could have begun as early as 2500-3000 BC.  There are no written records of who built the monument or why, but the most popular theories are that over the years it was most probably used as an ancestral worship center and burial ground for 4many different cultures.  Whatever religious, mystical or spiritual elements were central to the construction of Stonehenge over the centuries, its design includes a celestial observatory function, which might have allowed for the prediction of eclipse, solstice, equinox and other celestial events important to contemporary religions of those different times.                                                                             

We asked our hosts at the Newton Cottage B & B to look over our guidebook, for the town of our next  planned night’s stop, and give us their recommendations for accommodations.  This turned out to be a wonderful way to set up our lodgings for the whole trip, as most of the time the B & B owners knew each other, or they knew of other respectable B & Bs which would best suit our needs.  This took a lot of pressure off us and made our trip much more enjoyable.

 

 

 

—–To Be Continued—–

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Stress Cracks

9 Dec

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and ArtistBill shows me the stress cracks in the round tray that goes into the bottom of our pressure cooker to keep things from burning on the bottom. I’ve never heard of a stress crack before, but I see them, tiny tracks from one air hole to the next. Bill studied them in Aeronautical engineering school, could tell me a lot about them. The engineer friend he admires could tell us even more.

I’ve used the pressure cooker for forty years. Bill’s aunt Jessie gave it to us. My dad used it when he and mother came to visit from California. He loved cooking beans, and he is still famous for them, at least in our family.

I cooked roast beef, custards in small bowls, and what on Sunday our boy called Pharisee chicken (for fricassee).

The block cracked on our Corvair right after we drove it from California to Florida with two toddlers constantly trying to climb into the front seat with mommy through the opening between the bucket seats. Is that a stress crack? No matter. This is what I recall about getting here.

We drove into amazing lightning and thunderstorms, dark jungle of night, no lights, frogs jumping in our headlights. We knew they were squishing under our tires, but there was nothing we could do. We were alone in the dark, no house, no car, no moon, driving on a raised highway on a bridge over a swamp like river. Nothing to do but keep going.

When we arrived at The Town Motel, our destination, I got sick in the night. The next day Bill went to work at his new job at the Space Center and the children and I stayed in the room all day. It was too hot to go out, anyway.
Town Motel Old Postcard

During the three weeks we looked for a house the children and I began to walk down to the Indian River and watch the fish jump. Our three and a half year old daughter walked alongside me, but our two and a half year old son sometimes needed piggyback rides.

We had come to a quiet place unlike the smoggy city where the children were born. We found a house, we found a church, we found the woods, and we developed ourselves as a family. I don’t think any stress cracks show now, or do they?

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Mom’s Handwriting

8 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

JUDY

                                             

 My Mother’s handwriting was really beautiful.  From what I understand, she and my Aunt Jessie were taught “penmanship” in school.  Not only is that not taught in today’s schools, but I’m afraid that cursive writing is a thing of the past.  I suspect it will be as difficult for our grandchildren to read as the Old English is to us.  What a pity.

In any case, I loved getting letters from Mom.  While she nearly always hand-wrote all her letters, I always type out mine.  My handwriting is terrible!  Almost unintelligible!  But Mother wrote lovely, loving letters and I enjoyed them all.

As I was growing up, we never heard of automatic dishwashers, so I learned to wash and hand-dry the dishes from our meals.  Since the humidity in Albuquerque, New Mexico was very low – very dry – it didn’t take long for those dishcloths (T-towels, we called them) to dry out.

One Christmas I received a set of T-towels from my Mother, that she had hand embroidered for me.  Now, embroidered T-towels were not a novelty, but these were special.  Mother had written out some “sayings” and embroidered those sayings on the T-towels.  I told her once that I would always have her “with me” – since I had her handwriting on those towels!  Here are the things she wrote:

Psalms 118:24
Hi
Hello There
Have Fun
Good Morning
Have a Nice Day

I used those towels until they literally had holes in them, before purchasing new ones.  I don’t know how to embroider – I’ve tried many, many times, but just can’t get the knack of it, so my T-towels will remain plain.

But I always have the ones my Mother made especially for me – in her own handwriting.  They are treasures for me.

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Relishing on the Journey

7 Dec

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

“Mom, please, please, can I have that for Christmas?”

Christmas used to be seasoned with pleas from our kids to get them that one more toy. We weren’t perfect parents; we gave in sometimes. But why wouldn’t we? Just like our kids, we’d fallen for the popular competitive race. It used to be called “Keeping up with the Joneses,” but now the Jones family is bankrupt. You’d think we would have learned, but no. I would put on my running shoes, slip on my headband, and put on my T-shirt that read, “Heading to Win – I’m on a Mission,” and dash off to the finish line. Anxious voices cheered me on: “Get the best, gather more, and grab every opportunity!” That included indulging our sons so they too would be a tinge above the competition. Finally, with wobbly knees, I reached that elusive finish line. But to my disappointment, rather than contentment, another finish line awaited. There was ALWAYS another finish line to reach.

Competition often throws us into the compare snare. And caught in its web, contentment is as elusive as snowflakes in Orlando. Way back in 1927 poet Max Ehrmann wrote, “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter.” Now, years later and with a bit of wisdom flickering in me, I broke loose from that snare. By replacing competition with contentment, stress is greatly reduced. I learned this from a pretty great guy. He found contentment in ways foreign to most of us. He’d been in prison, beaten, insulted, and even left for dead, yet, he found real contentment. How did he do it? Paul is his name and he wrote a letter revealing his secret. “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:12-13) The “Christ” in Christmas is what gives us the strength to change competition to contentment. So, while sipping on a cup of hot apple cider, I’ll ponder on this truth: Contentment ushers in, not when reaching goals, but when receiving His grace to relish on the journey.

For nuggets of inspiration, visit Janet at: www.janetperezeckles.com
Legacy
Janet Perez Eckles,
Grateful for the privilege of inspiring you…
Inspirational video  just for you.

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Stressful or Stressfree

6 Dec

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders



The answer is in our attitude-


is how we view our life.


Do you let small things bother you?


That only leads to strife!


The proof is "in the pudding".


It doesn't happen overnight.


I, too, let things bother me-


That's why my hair is white!


Why did it take so long, Lord,


to recognize the need?


The Bible has the answers.


It is Your Word we need to read.


We all treasure love letters-


Their words we hide in our heart.


The Bible is God's love letter to us.


From His love He will never depart!




Deuteronomy 4:31 “For the Lord, thy God, is a merciful God. He will not forsake thee nor destroy thee.”


1 Chronicles 28:20 “And David said to Solomon, his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it.Fear not, nor be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God will be with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.”


Hebrews 13:5 “Let your manner of life be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have, for He hath said, I will never leave you or forsake you.”


P.S.  God honors His word even above His name.

				
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Throwback Thursday

	
		5
		Dec
	

	

	

		
My Take


Onisha Ellis


On Facebook and Twitter, Thursdays have become “Throw Back Thursday. People post old photos of themselves, their family or places with fond memories. Then there is the Facebook page, You Grew Up In…. There is a lot of nostalgia going on, I wonder why that is?
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My thoughts linger on the past, remembering all my loved ones who have moved to heaven. I miss them and remembering makes me feel close to them. Sometimes I look back on my life with regret, wishing I had make better choices and been wiser but I am also thankful for how far I have come and the sure knowledge that even when I was distant from Him, God was not distant from me. He was just waiting for me to move forward.


Are we looking to the past, which has a safe, secure feeling because we subconsciously don’t feel secure about the future?  I have always loved Matthew 6:26


Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?


Or as my mother would say, “What do you have a Lord for?”


“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Isaiah 40:8

				
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Our Trip to UK~Part 1

	
		4
		Dec
	

	

	

		
A Slice of Life


Bill Lites


Bill


Our Trip To The UK Part 1


By Bill Lites


 


In the first week in October 1991, DiVoran and I boarded a Delta Airlines L-1011 airplane in Orlando, Florida to begin a three week trip-of-a-lifetime to England, Scotland and Wales.  The occasion of this special trip was to continue our 34th wedding anniversary celebration, which we had started the month before.  We flew from Orlando to Atlanta, and connected with another Delta flight across the “Pond” (Atlantic Ocean) to the London Gatwick airport, just south of London.  What a delightful trip that was.  We were served a magnificent 3-course Filet Mignon dinner, with our choice of wine, and dessert.  After several sleepless hours, we were given hot towels to freshen up with, and then later we were served a wonderful full-course breakfast (Oh, for the good old days).  We landed in a typical English fog and mist, which gave us a taste of what we could look forward to in the way of weather, during our upcoming UK travels.


1


The first big surprise was at the rental car office, where I discovered the car we had rented was “stick shift.”  Now, I can handle a normal stick shift transmission here in the U.S. where you drive on the right side of the road, steering with my left hand and shifting with my right hand.  But, since we were now in the UK, where they drive on the left side 2of the road, and steer from the right side of the car; that meant I was going to have to drive with my right hand and shift with my left hand, while trying to keep from hitting a pedestrian or running off the road into a ditch.  Are you beginning to get the picture?  All this, while trying to read the road signs and dealing with the “Round-A-Bout” intersections, that were new to both DiVoran and me.  I was going to have to retrain my brain if we were going to live to see the rest of the UK we had come to visit.  DiVoran and I agreed that she would remind me to stay on the left side of the road every time I started to stray to the right.  Leaving the rental car  agency parking area dumped us right into Charlwood city traffic, so it was white knuckle driving from the “get-go” with DiVoran yelling, “KEEP LEFT” – “KEEP LEFT” at every cross-street and round-a-bout.


By some miracle, we made it out of the Charlwood city area.  Then as we were heading south toward Brighton Beach, the windshield wipers stopped working.  We used one of 3those cool looking red telephone booths to call the rental car agency, who told us we would have to take the car to a Vauxhall dealer in the area to get them fixed.  Great!  Now we had to locate a Vauxhall dealership in a town we knew nothing about, and pray they wouldn’t give us a hassle reserved for “American Tourists.”  As it turned out, we were able to find the Vauxhall dealership without too much trouble, and they fixed the wiper motor, without as much as a, “And where are you from, Yank?”


Since we had arrive at around 8:00 am, and the repairs hadn’t take long, we decided to go ahead and make the short trip to Brighton Beach to check out the Brighton Pavilion & 4Museum there.  The Royal Pavilion was built in three stages, beginning in 1787, as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, and was not finished until 1822, where it was used as a remote location for the discreet liaisons of the then King George IV.  The Brighton Museum & Art Gallery contains beautiful displays of Art Nouveau, Art Deco furniture and other decorative art.  There are also Sussex area archaeology relics and the history of Brighton.   The Booth Museum of Natural History, the Preston Manor and the Grange Rottingdean are short distances away, but we were getting tired and saved them for another day.


                                    


 


 


—–To Be Continued—–


 


 


 


 


 


 

				
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Listening

	
		2
		Dec
	

	

	

		
My Take


Author, Poet and ArtistDiVoran Lites






 I hear the cardinal's, "Tu-tu-tu."
 I know exactly what he'll do.
 He calls his mate; they build a nest,
 she lays the eggs, and there they rest.

 I hear the chuck-will's widow sing.
 I know her song is praising Spring.
 I listen to her in the night,
 And all my fright takes off in flight.

 I listen to the dove's soft sound
 and sense that peace is all around.
 I'll listen to what God will say
 to me through birds (and you) today.





				
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Aunt Jessie~Part 3

	
		1
		Dec
	

	

	

		


SUNDAY MEMORIES


 Judy Wills


 


JUDY                                               


 My Aunt Jessie…..


Jessie was born in 1910, and died in 1990.  As you can see, she lived to be 80 years old – one of her goals in life.  As it turns out, she, her sister (my mother), and their mother (my Granny) all THREE died when they were 80 years old!  She had only one sibling, my mother.  I really enjoy these pictures of them as children.
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This one is one of my favorites.  When I showed it to a friend, her comment was, “Look at that – she’s mad as a wet hen, but still has a bow in her hair!”  Seems like Granny liked for her girls to look feminine – with bows in their hair a lot.


 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  


 This is also one of my very favorite pictures of Granny, Jessie, and Mother.  Someone must have said something really funny!
 
 
 
  
 
  
  




 


I’ve mentioned before her love of antiques.  This is an antique drop-leaf table that she treasured.


9


For Christmas in 1955, one of her friends “wrought” a tapestry for Jessie that is truly amazing.  She had it framed and hung on the wall between the dining room and living room.  This picture shows just how huge it is!


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


Jessie had a really unique house in Albuquerque.  This window corner is in the kitchen.  When Granny was alive, she had pots and pots of African Violets in that East window.  She loved to tend to them.12  After she died, and Jessie couldn’t keep them up, she placed some of her knick-knacks and beer steins there, so she could enjoy them.


The upstairs bathroom was a neat room – the tile work 13was fascinating.  Actually this same theme was throughout the house wherever there was tile – kitchen (white with black), downstairs bathroom (green with black), etc.


The wall between the dining room and the living room was a “stair-step” affair, and she used it to advantage.  At Christmas, she would make candles, using waxed cardboard milk cartons.  She would literally whip some of the melted candle wax to make a foamy outer layer, and she would sprinkle sparkles in it before it hardened.  When the candle was burned, it glowed through the foam (and sometimes color) to make a delightful ambiance in the room.  I really loved those candles. (If you look in the background, you can see the “cove” ceiling I mentioned last week)


 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 


She had a real talent for decorating.  She loved Christmas and went all out to decorate the house for her – and our – enjoyment.


 
 
 
  
 
  
 
  
 
  
  


She was a delightful lady, and I’m glad she was in my life.




Philippians 1:3


 I thank my God every time I remember you.

				
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