Stop That Thief

11 Apr

From My Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders

 

 

 

His name is “Procrastination”-
a robber of the worst kind.
He will steal precious possessions,
Such as your coveted “peace of mind”.

He whispers lies so subtly
You may be totally unaware
“You can put that off ’till tomorrow-,
Who will know?, “Who will care?”

Opportunities to be successful
are often few and far between!
Be alert to the possibility
that today is the day to be seen.

No successful person is a ” procrastinator”.
Time is of the essence, don’t you see-
“Today is the Day of Salvation”
Proclaims the Lord of Eternity.

If you pile up enough “tomorrows”,
You end up with a lot of empty yesterdays.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus-
He will help you change your ways.

“Tomorrow” is the most deadly word in the Bible.
It is presumptuous, it is reckless-
The word God prefers is “Today”-
Turn your eyes to Jesus, dear friend-
” He is the Truth, the Light, the Way”.

Hebrews 3:13 warns us to exhort one another
“while it is called “Today”

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Longreads Joins the Automattic Family

9 Apr

Since Bill had the day off today, I decided to post this interesting article.

WordPress.com News

Today we’re excited to announce that we are acquiring Longreads, the pioneering service that helps readers find and share the best longform storytelling around the world, for reading on mobile devices.

Over the last five years, Longreads and its community have created a new ecosystem for readers to find great in-depth stories, and for writers and publishers to distribute their best work over 1,500 words. Longreads will continue to do what it does best — recommending stories from across the Internet — and we are excited to have them join the WordPress.com team and continue in their commitment to serving readers.

Mobile reading and the appetite for longform content

As consumption has moved to mobile devices, there has been a growing hunger for longform content: phones and tablets are perfect for enjoying in-depth articles, and there are more moments than ever for readers to dig into a story —…

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First night

8 Apr

Jacob, the grandsone of our bloggers, Bill and DiVoran Lites is studying in Japan. He has his own blog sharing his impressions and experiences. I plan to re-blog one each week here on Tuesdays for our readers or you can follow his blog. I hope you enjoy following his days as much as I do~Onisha

jnightlight

I’ve only been in Japan for a day, and I’ve already experienced so much more than I would have expected. After a long flight to California, I began my 12 hour journey to the Osaka international airport.

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By chance, I sat next to an out going and somewhat verbose girl who was also in the program! She however, was a Japanese major, which did not reassure me about my current stance in the language, which was at about 1 and a half of their 2 alphabets.

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Gorging on Green Beans

7 Apr

My Take

DiVoran Lites

 

Author, Poet and ArtistGreen beans have almost no calories, but they’re full of nutrition and are some of those all important fruit and veggies we hear so much about. Our grocery store has wonderful fresh pole beans, right now. We’ve had them twice. But no matter how fresh veggies are, if they aren’t properly cooked and deliciously seasoned, they can be practically tasteless.

One of the weight loss plans we’ve been on, taught us to stop eating when we felt full. Another (the HCG plan) showed us that our weight was more affected by carbohydrates than by anything else. Of course, that included the supposedly magical whole grains we love. Now we try for one small piece of bread or a rice cake a day, and we’re keeping the weight off.

I was brought up to believe that for supper you should have

1 meat dish

1 salad (it could be canned pears on a lettuce leaf and some cottage cheese)

1 cooked vegetable (where I came from they were always canned, but later I sometimes served frozen)

1 carb, usually rice, pasta, or potato, sometimes two if you count the bread

1 dessert (half the time it was JELL-O®

I tried to feed my family that way. I think most American moms, in that era did.

In later years, it was hard for us become accustomed to fresh vegetables. I didn’t know how to cook them and because we didn’t use them fast enough they went bad in the refrigerator. Now we say, “Hmm, this broccoli, spinach, or asparagus, these artichokes, carrots, or green beans, are wonderful!Yes, we have learned to cook and season them properly. We cook them in one of three ways: pressure cooker, microwave steamer, or pot on the stove. For seasoning we use bit of salt, a chopped up garlic clove, and herbs. We grow basil, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and oregano. We have a chart that tells which foods go with which herbs, but we’re doing a lot of experimenting on our own. Every combination we’ve tried so far has been good. The only other dish we have for supper is our meat. All protein is the same except for fat count. Yes, we seem to be carnivores, maybe someday we’ll switch to vegetarian, but maybe not. Anyhow, we have semi-healthy snack in the evening and eat a few nuts. And our weight, blessedly, is holding well.

Oh, and by the way, we asked our internist who is well educated in nutrition whether we had to eat a large variety of vegetables or not, and she told us it wasn’t necessary. We buy the ones we like and for the present our weight and the food we eat are flowing together nicely. What a relief!

How do you feel about vegetables?

Green beans

 

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How to Get Rid of Headaches

6 Apr

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Does anyone out there have the answer or solutions to get rid of headaches? You know those pesky intruders that alter your day?

I wish I knew. The other day I had one of them. The aching throb spread right around the right eye socket. Yuck. It took my concentration away, made me a bit irritable. And since no meds enter this chica’s body, I suffered through it.

Then it happened. God smiled at me. He sent me the most experienced, dedicated and admirable physical therapist. Who, ahem, happens to be my dear friend.

– See more at: http://www.janetperezeckles.com/how-to-get-rid-of-headaches/#sthash.MpUZXHq5.dpuf

His Way

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grateful for the privilege of inspiring you…

My website in English

En Español

My story (video)

Inspirational video  just for you.

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My Best Friend

5 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Judy Wills

 

There is a “new” acronym – BFF – that has taken me quite a while to figure out. I could get the “B(est) F(riend)..” part, but what in the world was that second “F?” I finally saw it in a book the other day – Best Friend Forever. Nothin’ slow about me!

That truly describes my BFF. I still have girlfriends from my childhood, and some I’ve kept up with along the way. But the one who truly has my heart is one I met while we were in Panama City, Florida. She was in the church choir, as were Fred and I. We sat near each other, and just started talking. That led to lunches out occasionally. Shopping – of course! And just the way we thought – we could nearly complete each other’s sentences.

I guess one of the most fun remembrances is when her daughter was getting married. Fred and I had driven down from Virginia (on our way to Disney), and had planned our trip so we could be at the wedding. Her daughter and our oldest daughter were best buds from long before. As it happened, a hurricane was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, headed toward Panama City. With the weather so “iffy,” Fred let me out of the car to head into the church. She told me later that her brother saw me, and his thought was, “what is she (my friend – his sister) doing getting out of that car? And who is that man with her?” We really don’t look that much alike, but it’s fun to think that her own brother mistook me for her!

Even though we don’t see each other very often, we still send Christmas gifts to each other. We always look for something that we would like to have, and know that the other one would love it, as well. She gave me a Cloisonne neck charm – and I think of her every time I wear it, which is quite often.

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She gave me earrings that I treasure. I gave her some Kaiser figurines from Germany.

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We give each other Precious Moments figurines that exemplify our relationship. We give each other Willow Tree figurines that depict the same thing.

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I gave her a “how did they do that?” because I enjoy looking at mine just like it.

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When we moved to Orlando, we both were thrilled – we were in the same state! Surely we would see each other more often. Took us three years to finally get together. And now it’s been that long again. They have moved to northern Alabama – to the back of beyond, actually! But they love it there, and are happy. But she and I miss each other terribly.

Many years ago, when I was teaching a ladies Sunday School class (ladies much older than I), I mentioned something about a “good friend.” I said that a good friend is someone you can tell ANYthing to, and they will love you anyway. Two of those ladies looked at each other and giggled. I knew they had that same kind of friendship. That’s the kind of friendship I have with this precious lady.

My friend and I are both believers in Christ as Lord and Savior. After all, we met in church. And so, I know that she will, indeed, be my BEST FRIEND FOREVER! And ever and ever. God is so good to have blest me with this friend in this lifetime.

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The Secret to Happiness

4 Apr

From My Heart

Louise Gibson

author of Window Wonders;

 

We all harbor secrets
(facts set apart)
But I am compelled to share my secret –
It is a grateful heart.

Life presents many challenges –
We agree that this is true.
From birth to the grave circumstances change
And so does our point of view.

I am family oriented.
It was so important to me.
To raise and nurture children with love –
Became my top priority.

It took the death of my first born son
To draw my eyes to the cross.
The Lord didn’t do it to be mean –
Rather, He put meaning to my loss.

God didn’t ask us to understand him.
He only said, “trust and obey.”
I am so grateful for His promises.
He is “the truth, the light, the way.”

Footnote:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you” says the Lord.
“Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a Future and a Hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11 World English Bible

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Teodor Flonta – Author of A Luminous Future

3 Apr

Teodor is a gentle man, a loving grandfather and a wonderful author. His book, A Luminous Future is both heartwarming and historical. It is a story a two parents who wanted the best for their only child, who wanted him to know freedom. I highly recommend it.

AUTHORS PROMOTION

Interview of the week – Teodor Flonta 

Teodor Flonta

A Luminous Future: Growing up in Transylvania in the Shadow of Communism:

English Edition published in 2012

Romanian Edition published in 2013

A Luminous Future, the title of Teodor’s book, is a catchphrase which the Communist Party, the only political party allowed in Romania, used to promise the population a better life. It was a lie, shamelessly repeated day by day, as the general condition of the population was worsening from year to year, culminating with the collapse of the regime at the end of 1989. In his memoir, Teodor offers a glimpse into what life of the ordinary citizen was like and how people learned to adapt and survive the persecution and censorship of the communist regime.

When did you leave Romania and why?

First of all, Madi, I would like to thank you so much for inviting me to this interview…

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TICO Airshow 2014~Part 2

2 Apr

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Bill Lites

 

The weather was perfect, and we all enjoyed a great Airshow together. The Airmen were a little disappointed that there were no P- 39s, P-40s, or P-47s taking part, as they were some of the first fighter planes they had flown during the war. Then later, I met one of the young men (18 or 19) who will soon be going to college, aided by one of the many Tuskegee Airmen Scholarships, to study engineering or another aviation related field, and maybe even become a pilot. He reminded me so much of what the original Tuskegee Airmen must have looked like in the early days of WWII, when all they wanted, was to do their part towards helping protect America and other freedom-loving countries from foreign aggression.

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Overall, it was a great experience that I will treasure for years to come. Now as my “Two down and one to go” painting with its Tuskegee Airmen autographs hangs on my bedroom wall, it has more meaning than it ever did before. All I have to do is look at it and the memories will take me back to the day when I was in the presence of a group of special men who loved their country enough to put their lives on the line for us. Some of the airmen’s feats included; 15,000 combat sorties flown, 260 enemy aircraft destroyed, 150 Flying Crosses and Legions of Merit earned, along with more than 700 Air Medals and clusters earned by many of the 1,000 black pilots flying combat missions during WWII.

This included the Distinguished Unit Citation, which wasawarded to the 99th Fighter Squadron in July 1945 for its performance in combat over Sicily.

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However, the war was not over for the Tuskegee Airmen when they returned home to America. They had to face the many challenges of segregation that continued to rage in their own country. Then, after 60 years, in 2007, approximately 300 Tuskegee Airmen and their families were collectively awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush for their, bravery, outstanding performance and dedicated service to our country during WWII.

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Thank you Tuskegee Airmen for your service to our country.

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The Family Man

31 Mar

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Author, Poet and ArtistOn Sundays, our children’s class sings and plays percussion instruments. We have a special song called “Never Alone.” It was Bill’s favorite hymn when he was growing up and the concept of God staying near stuck with him. The kids like it too. Tina and Anna sing at the top of their lungs. They are cousins. Both their dads have been in prison for most of the girl’s lives.

When it was time to go outside to play Tina and Anna ran for the tire swing. Sometimes children from the baby class join us. Sunny is a favorite, but a bit small for the tire swing. Tina and Anna are careful so we set him near them and showed him how to hang on to the plastic covered chains. He kept giggling, however, and sliding off.

Then Big Tom came out. He’s a truly gentle giant and he has a deeply tender spot for children. In fact, he seems to come for a brief visit every Sunday. His own kids adore him, and his sweet and gentle wife, as well, but they don’t live with him, and he misses them.

Now he begins to turn the swing slowly by pulling on the chains. “I can reach all the way around and give Sunny a smooth ride,” he said. Suddenly a soft breeze blew through. The trees rustled. Everything hushed. Tom smiled to himself as the air was filled with peace and love. The children rotated slowly on the swing and were as still as still can be. In that moment, it seemed that Tom was free of pain and loneliness for his children, and that maybe Tina and Anna got a taste of what it would be like to have fathers on the spot to play with them. It reminded them, perhaps of God’s care for them. Though we may miss our nearest and dearest, God has promised never to leave us, never to leave us alone.

“God will never leave us for forsake us.” Hebrews 13:5

comforters

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