The Seamstresses in My House-Final

5 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I really didn’t do much more sewing after that – mostly just repair work.  And that continues even today.

Somewhere along the way, when we lived in Panama City, Florida, I purchased a Bernina sewing machine from a store in town.  It wasn’t the top-of-the-line, but it was still an amazing machine!  I still have it.  One thing that impressed me about it, was that it could go “from nylon to leather in one stitch.”  I’ve never had to try that, but it is still an amazing machine.

Credit Pixabay Images

At the same store, they offered classes in sewing.  I had Karen take a class once, and she made a pillow case and a nightgown in the same nylon fabric – in lavender.  She wore that nightgown for many years.  Apparently it was quite comfortable.  Unfortunately, she hasn’t done much sewing since then.

Here is a picture of us in Albuquerque, at the Sunport, just before we headed off to Heidelberg, Germany in 1980.  The top I have on is one that I did make, and liked it very much.  Short sleeves, but a cowl neckline.  Cotton and polyester blend.  Very comfortable.  I believe I made the slacks I had on, out of polyester as well.

Here’s a picture of Janet and a dress I made for her when she was in high school.  As I recall, it was made out of polyester fabric.

But one of the things I enjoyed most, was making this bedspread, dust ruffle, matching curtains for both windows in Karen’s room in Heidelberg.  I think I had the pink-and-white gingham cotton fabric when we went to Germany.  The bedspread was out of already-quilted cotton fabric.  I had already made the bedspread and dust ruffle for her bed in Virginia.  But when we got to Germany, I discovered an entire bolt of the cotton eyelet lace, and I purchased the entire bolt, and added it to the curtains.  It made a lovely addition to the curtains.  Karen was thrilled.

As I said earlier, I’ve really not done much true sewing recently.  Not that I’ve lost my love of sewing, but just haven’t found the time or inclination to do so.

However, it’s been a nice journey throughout my lifetime.  I hope you’ve enjoyed my ramblings, and the pictures that have gone with them.

~~~~~~~~~~The End~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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6 Traps Perfectionists Need to Avoid

4 Jun

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged June 4 2022

June 3, 2022

If you should read my bio, you might think I’m a confident, well-accomplished blind gal. Not so. I mess up sometimes. Here’s a time when my confidence went out the window.

Some years back, I sat in various sessions and workshops at a writers’ and speakers’ conference. As part of the evaluation process of an effective speaker we were to prepare a 5-minute presentation. Piece of cake for this seasoned speaker, right?

With God-given confidence and passion that bubbled up in me, I stood in front of those ladies who were to evaluate me.

With vivid illustrations, I delivered my presentation. Once I finished, they handed me the scores which I placed inside a folder.

When I got home, hubby read the results and comments. I gasped. I sunk. I dropped my shoulders in disappointment.

How, just how could I get top scores in all areas except the one for volume and the effective closing. The closing of all things. I’ve always been told that my closings leave audiences on the edge of their seats.

With my lower lip dragging on the floor, I eased onto the pillows of discouragement.

Then as I sipped from the glass of insecurity I stepped into the six traps when perfection doesn’t happen.

  1. I focused on the failure.
  2. I fell into the negative-thinking tank.
  3. I dismissed the positive, the wonderful and the promising.
  4. I embrace the enemy’s lies that I didn’t measure up.
  5. I wasted time worrying about the consequences.
  6. And the worst one of all, I let the desire for perfection drag me down with unnecessary pressure.

Lesson Learned

So, lesson learned: when we focus on the one negative aspect of our journey, we’re blinded from seeing the great, the best and the wonderful.

They all come to view when we lift the need-to-be-perfect veil. Then is when we see that imperfect, vulnerable, and flawed is how the Lord accepts us. And more importantly, these weaknesses are precisely what He will use to make us grow.

When we choose to rise above mistakes and glance at the other side of failure, we can take a deep breath. And we then reach for God’s hand to keep moving forward.

Along the way, we exchange our desire to become perfect for His perfect love and acceptance.

In Paul’s words:

He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

The enemy reminds us of the failures, but Christ repeats the power of His grace.

His grace is sufficient to correct the wrong, turn failure to lessons, and usher success through opposition.

That’s why our strength doesn’t come in perfection, but in the perfect trust that His grace is truly, completely sufficient.

Let’s Pray

Father, grant me wisdom to focus on the positive, the blessings, the good and the promising. I vow to look beyond my handful of flaws and gaze at Your hand at work instead. In Jesus name.

Where are you placing your focus these days?

Janet

______________________________________

I invite you to dance with me—celebrating one of my books, “Contagious Courage: A 30-Day Journey to Overcoming Stress and Anxiety.” Get your copy HERE and tell your friends, too.

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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The DARN Bear is back…and Other Things.

3 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I gave the bear top billing in the title but I think his video will be at the bottom of the post. Kind of my passive aggressive way to deal with my frustration.

Since we arrived back in the mountains, I have sort of checked out of the world’s goings on. I blame it on our porch and the sweet, cool breezes. I read a lot. The only “fly in the ointment” is that darn bear. As I am writing this, my husband is sitting with me on the porch carving and one of the two visiting hummingbirds is sipping nectar from the petunias. I am loving petunias this year.

When our daughter was here over Easter she placed a basket of petunias atop the rise behind the porch. They are now blooming riotously and bring me joy everyday.

We did manage to get ourselves off the porch in mid-May. It had been over a year since we visited my extended family who live clear across the state of North Carolina.

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

On our way there we stopped outside Charlotte, NC to visit with my brother, his son and daughter-in-law. We had a broken relationship for 20 years and God brought restoration shortly before my brother’s wife passed away the end of February. Since my brother was alone in Florida, his son moved him up to be with him. We spent the night and had a wonderful time together.

On to the visit with the extended family. We spent three days there before heading back to the mountains. My cousin has an outdoor cat and one morning at breakfast I observed it guarding a bird feeder.

We have visited this area many, many times so it’s hard to find something different to do. After a delicious country lunch in a diner with an aunt and uncle, my aunt asked if I would like to visit a market that only sold pork. We said sure. After all, Eastern North Carolina is pig country. Think Smithfield ham. I had no idea what to expect but it was interesting and for me at least, fun. It was like entering a huge butcher market but the only meat on offer was pork. And it was pork from every crevice of a pig. There was even a whole frozen pig in the meat case. There were plenty of staff (butchers?) on hand if one wanted a different cut than was in the case.

It has been decades since I have seen country cured hams that weren’t in some sort of packaging or wrap. I had recently reminisced about seeing them hanging in stores. I remember one of my aunts kept hers hung in her utility room and would send her husband out to cut some slices.

Nahunta Pork Center

We enjoyed our visit but it was nice to be home for awhile. The lure of the porch is hard to resist. Two weeks later, over Memorial Day we returned to Charlotte for a family gathering, this time my other brother would be there. Fortunately the Charlotte family has a huge porch, so I didn’t have porch withdrawal, and we spent lazy hours talking, remembering the past and savoring the joy of all being together again.

husband chilling

My nephew’s wife is a horsewoman (not sure if this is the correct term). She rides Dressage and we enjoyed watching her practice.

I am so blessed and thankful that God brought restoration to my family. I remember a line from the last episode of Downton Abbey. The sisters who were usually at odds, were sitting together and making peace. One of them said something like this, “in the end, we will only have each other to remember the past with.”

Now about that pesky bear. We have been taking in our feeders at night but he remembers where they hang!

We keep the feeders in a plastic tub to discourage mice in the garage. Not sure how he did it, but this fella got in the tub. We rescued and released him this morning.

Not all thieves sneak in the night. This brave and crafty creature was determined to score some seeds! Final picture/video. I promise.


The end. The porch is calling and I must answer.

I'm a winner

After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2021 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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Our Trip to Spain-Part 10

1 Jun

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 8

Today DiVoran and I had a free day to relax and do anything we wanted.  As it happened, it was the time of the year for the local ‘Feria de San Miguel’ and Torremolinos was ready to celebrate.  So, after breakfast, we headed into town to join in the festivities.  We admired the decorative tiles as we strolled down San Miguel Street and enjoyed browsing the many small shops.

Photo Credit: https://www.gct.com/destinations/country/spain/

The streets were filled with people ready to have a good time.  Many of the locals were dressed in festive traditional costumes and didn’t mind having their picture taken with us tourists.  Many of the costumes related to the traditional Spanish Flamenco dancers for women and bullfighter paraphernalia for the men.

Photo Credit: DiVoran Lites

We had lunch at one of the local (approved) cafés, and then strolled back to the Bajondillo for a short rest.  In the afternoon we joined many of our group, in the park, to enjoy the celebration of the local festivities, as a musical team lead singing to honor ‘Feria de San Miguel’ from a bandstand.  As the excitement picked up, there were also several shikhat dancers in the troupe who performed flamingo dances for the enjoyment of us all.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

After the performance was over, DiVoran and I took advantage of the tour’s ‘Dine- Around Program’ that set us up to visit a local family home and get to know them and some of their local culture.  Neither DiVoran nor I spoke Spanish, so we were very lucky that the two ladies we visited that afternoon spoke good English, so we could communicate freely.  The program had arranged for the host family to prepare a traditional Spanish dinner meal and to enjoy it with their guests.  I can’t remember what the meal they served was, but it was excellent.  What a wonderful time we had with those two ladies during that afternoon visit.  After that delightful experience, we had a leisurely stroll back to the Bajondillo for a good night’s rest.  It had been a wonderful day and we felt lucky to have been on this tour just when the ‘Feria de San Miguel’ celebration was taking place and to have been able to join in on the festivities.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites                 

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 64 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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One Answer

30 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Credit Photo: Pixabay

Keep on praising

Keep on raising 

Asking God in Song.

Keep on thanking

Keep on banking

Joy by suffering long

Never weary of the journey 

Jesus is our great attorney

Always keen and strong. 

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The Seamstresses in my House-Part 12

27 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

When our Karen was just a little thing, I tried to sew up some clothing – usually dresses – for her.  For the most part, she was happy with what I did.  But occasionally I would be in the process of making something for her, have her try it on, and she would say “I don’t like it…take it off.”  That’s when I decided that all the work and time I was putting in on clothing for her was not worth the effort.  That’s when I decided that I could purchase her clothing – with all the “bells and whistles” much cheaper.  And so I did.

However, Here are a few examples of things I made for her.  You will notice how simple the lines are – more straight stitching than fancy.  I made this “jumper” for her, and she seemed to enjoy wearing it.  That was a “church” outfit.

And here is another dress – a sun dress she could wear during the summer.  It was made from cotton, and so was cool, and could be worn throughout the summer months.

Here’s a dress I made for Karen for a Halloween costume years later.  It was a very light-weight cotton, easy to sew, and she loved it.

This is a picture of the singing group I was in when we lived in San Antonio, Texas.  Obviously we all had the same style and fabric of clothing.  As I recall, it was a 100% polyester fabric, that was nice and “swingy” that we all enjoyed, and that made for easy maneuvering up and down those risers.

When we lived in Panama City, Florida (Tyndall AFB), we lived not too far from the Gulf of Mexico.  The girls and I would frequently walk down to the beach and just have fun in the white sand that was there.  Here is a picture of the three of us (perhaps Fred went with us that time – who took the picture?).  I had made the outfit I have on in this picture.  The top was a cotton jersey, and the shorts were polyester.  Very comfortable, easy to wear, easy to wash.  I made several outfits like that, in different fabrics.

In the outskirts of Panama City, there was a shop that sold fabrics, some of which was  cotton jersey – and some of the cotton jersey (T-shirt fabric) was in an “unending” style.  Buy just the length you needed for a T-shirt, and there were no side seams!  Loved it!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

Our Trip to Spain-Part 9

25 May

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 7

The next morning after breakfast there at the hotel, a professor from the local Abdelmalek EssaâdiUniversity (ENSA) came and talked to us about the Islamic influence on Moroccan life.  He told us about his own modernized family, and how most of the Muslim world are not extremists.  He emphasized that most of them only want to live a trouble-free life, as we do.  I’m sure this presentation had been hurriedly arranged by the Moroccan government to give our tour group, and all Americans visiting their country, a feeling of security after the recent 9/11 attacks.

Photo credit: Bill Lites

After that informative presentation, we packed our bags so we would be ready to head back to Spain after our morning adventures. We were offered an opportunity to take a quick trip thru the bazaar again, and we jumped at the idea.  It was in the bazaar this time, as we finished our shopping at one of the small shops, that the owner approached us and said, “Please come back, we need you.”  I guess the working-class people were already beginning to feel the effects of the global shutdown of tourism.

Photo credit: Bill Lites

After the quick trip thru the bazaar, we were taken to a local café, there in Tangier for a wonderful lunch (with Moroccan rhythms playing in the background).  We were always so pleased to know our tour company had contracts with the local cafés and restaurants where we took any of our meals, assuring us that all food and water was safe for our consumption (no side effects).

Photo credit: DiVoran Lites
Photo credit: Bill Lites

After lunch we boarded our bus for the short trip from Tangier back to the ferry landing.  Our Program Director was pleased that we had all had a good time and again drew our attention to several points of interest, as we made our way north along the shore of the Atlantic Ocean.  A boy and his donkey was there to bid us ‘Fair Well’ and to ask us to come back soon.

Photo credit: Bill Lites

It was another beautiful clear day, and we enjoyed the 1½-hour ferry trip back to Gibraltar.  On this ferry trip from, Morocco back to Spain, DiVoran got really thirsty and purchased a bottle of water from the snack shop there on the ferry.  We didn’t think anything about the water not being pure since it was sealed but, upon later thinking, the safety procedures for that bottled water may not have been as stringent as those in the U.S.  

Photo credit: Bill Lites

Our bus was waiting for us at the ferry landing in Gibraltar.  On the ride back to Torremolinos our group was treated to another one of our Program Director’s discourses on the various points of interest we may have missed the day before.  We arrived at the Bajondillo in time for a short rest before dinner at the Cetus Restaurante’.  It was really good to be back at the Bajondillo where we could unpack our things and sleep in our own bed tonight.

Photo credit: DiVoran Lites

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 64 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Praise Song

23 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

God, you want our heartfelt praise

You want to guide us through our days.

When times are hard or very sad,

You’ll always be the God we’ve had. 

You don’t want to hear us fuss.

You only want two things from us

You want to know we love and trust

And live on with you as we must.    

For evil comes around these days

And we must be here in our praise

All the evil will be bound 

As we hear the angels’ sound. 

Please help me to recover 

From all my gaffs and slips.

Tell me please just when to speak

And keep me holy meek 

For all the chances we have had

For being drawn away from bad. 

You’ve done it all for us, dear Lord

And we pray to live in one accord.

WE WILL PRAISE

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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The Seamstresses in My House-Part 11

22 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

I’m going to jump ahead in years here.  While on one of our trips to England, I purchased some of Fred’s family’s tartan.  Since I had learned that daughters retain their father’s tartan and clan, I purchased that particular tartan.  It is a beautiful tartan, and unique in that both Fred’s Mother and Father were from the same Scot clan – the Gunn clan.  Here is a picture of that tartan.

I had purchased quite a bit of the fabric – in a soft, light-weight wool, and debated for several years just what to do or make for the girls out of that fabric.  I thought about making a skirt for each girl, but thought that might not be a lasting choice.  Then I thought of a “vest” – but just never got around to making it, either.  And so, I finally made up my mind to make a stole for each daughter.  A stole is a type of shawl.  So I set to making them as Christmas presents a few years ago.  

I made each one with a relatively short “fringe” all around the stole.  That probably took more time than anything else, as it needed to be done by hand, pulling the threads on both the short ends, and the length of the stole.  

Here are some pictures of the girls in their stole pinned with the Gunn clan pin:

Karen:

Karen stated:   I looked it up, and apparently normal people should wear it over their right shoulder; only important people, like daughters of clan chiefs, are supposed to wear it over the left shoulder. Who knew.

Janet:

There is a “Scottish” store in Colonial Williamsburg that we like to visit whenever we are in Virginia – The Scotland House.  I found some fabric in my family’s tartan one time and purchased enough to make a lined vest from it for my Aunt Jessie.  Unfortunately, I have no pictures of that vest, nor of Jessie in it.  Here is a picture of my tartan – very similar to the Gunn clan, but with a different color stripe in it.  My clan is Colquhoun – it’s where we “Americans” get the word/name Calhoun.  I’ve never made anything for myself from that tartan, and I’m not eligible to make something for myself from the Gunn clan.  And that’s strange, because I’ve always liked plaids.

Also at the Scotland House, we found and purchased a new tartan tie for Fred, and also one in the “Ancient” or “weathered” version of the tartan.  Interesting.

Credit to Google Search and Houston Traditional Kiltmakers website

You can see the difference between regular and weathered.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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5 Reasons to Count on God’s Promises

21 May

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged May 22, 2022

May 20, 2022

I was shocked. “No, tell me you didn’t,” I said to my friend on the phone, “Did I hear you right, you did what?”

“I said I went target shooting.”

I gasped. “Shooting? Like with a gun?”

“Yep.”

Nothing strange about that. Many women are taking that measure for safety. And thinking that was a good idea, I asked, “Can I go with you next time?

She laughed. And I did, too, when I realized that blind people might not have the best aim.

Raise the Flag of Gratitude

In contrast, those men and women who took up the weapons of courage to defend our country and her freedom possessed the clear vision of sacrifice. That’s why we raise the flag of gratitude this Memorial Day.

They fought to defend our country, but closer to home we need another kind of protection. Intruders cross through the borders of our heart uninvited and invade our security, peace and confidence.

We pace back and forth, wringing our hands, hoping our human, feeble and flawed efforts to protect our own are adequate and effective. But they’re not. Our own protection is as lame as this blind gal firing a gun, hoping to hit the target.

And when our own lame, futile efforts fail, doubt comes in and questions surge—does God see our fear? Does He know our worry? Is He aware of what we dread? Is He close by? Does He see our tears?

His answers arrive in the carriage of our faith. When we trust and rely in the power of God. In His Word. And in His promises that carry the strength of a mighty army.

He has the ability to fight our battles to make our safety certain and our future secure. And while sound sleep fills our nights, these five promises in Psalm 131 whisper sweet reassurance in our soul:

  1. “The LORD watches over you…” Under His vigilant eye, His close watch and his constant observation, what could harm us?
  2. “The LORD is your shade at your right hand…” His presence is close by, within reach and available, what danger could come near us?
  3. “The sun will not harm you by day or the moon by night.” His round-the-clock promise to protect us adds comfort during our sleep and puts confidence as we wake up.
  4. “The LORD will keep you from all harm…” All means all—spiritual, emotional, mental or physical harm cannot touch us if the Lord keeps us.
  5. “The LORD will watch over your coming and going…both now and forevermore.” No matter where we go—unfamiliar places, new terrain or different surroundings—He’s observing our steps, following our path, and is aware of our journey into tomorrow.

Let’s Pray:

Father, how could I find reason to fear when you promise that our life is in your hands? Our days are under your protective watch and our steps are followed by your promises of safety. In Jesus’ name I thank you.

  • What do you fear the most?
  • What protects you from harm?
  • How do you find safety and security?

Janet

______________________________________

I invite you to dance with me—celebrating one of my books, “Contagious Courage: A 30-Day Journey to Overcoming Stress and Anxiety.” Get your copy HERE and tell your friends, too.

Did you know I wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

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Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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