Tag Archives: Christian bloggers

When Months Fly

10 Jul

VaOn the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I’m not sure where the month of June went.

Photo credit : WordPress A.I.

Last I remember, it was May and our beach vacation at Myrtle Beach was ending. We were packing our car, but not to continue with our plans to drive north into North Carolina to visit family east of Raleigh.

The previous morning we received a phone call from our daughter in Florida, that she had been to the emergency room most of the night with chest pains and other symptoms of a heart attach. Praises to God, it wasn’t a heart attack.

My husband and I decided to not make an impulsive decision about our travel plans, ontinuing as planned or change them to check on our girl. We had made plans for a family get together and our cousins were looking forward to our visit, as we were.

We prayed for guidance during the day, then in the evening we shared our thoughts and feelings. We would be driving to Florida in the morning.

We spent a week in Florida. Our daughter was ok, but feeling extremely tired. I’m fairly certain she would have skipped suppers without some help getting the meals together.

Her Rose of Sharon bushes were in full bloom while we were there. I was hoping the Amaryllis would be blooming, but it was not to be. They bloom to their own timetable.

We were able to have dinner with our friends, DiVoran and Bill during that week and a lunch with another friend. And, of course, I got to spend time with my grand dog,

Back at home, reality came swiftly. When we headed to the beach we were in the middle of our mice wars and had emptied all closets, looking for mouse signs. Now it was time to “pay the piper” and put everything back,

Photo credit : WordPress A.I.

The chaos in our bedrooms was not this bad, but when we looked at our mess, it felt like the picture!

And then the month of June happened and suddenly it is almost mid July.

Photo credit : WordPress A.I.

Does anyone remember the television soap opera that opened each episode with this

“Life sands in an hour glass, so goes the Days of our Lives?” Well I can tell you, our hour glass is on steroids.

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’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 6 Continued

6 Jul

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

After we found “the door,”

we walked some more of the town and found a Jewish area that included a garden and some tombstones.  We took pictures of some of them.  We had never found this area before in all the times we had visited there.

When we lived in Germany, we were occasionally stopped by Germans on the street and asked for directions – in German!  Apparently we looked the part!  Made us feel pretty good, not to be ugly Americans.  All that to say that, as we walked out on the โ€œPinocchioโ€ part of Rothenburg, I heard โ€œEntschuldigen…Entschuldigen!โ€  (Excuse me…excuse me!).  A German couple wanted directions to a cafรฉ. They seemed a bit  put-off when I said –  in German – that I only knew it a little German.  After they moved on I turned to Fred and said, โ€œweโ€™ve still got it!โ€  Yea! 

Rothenberg is part of the “Romantic Road” through southern Germanyโ€ฆ”linking a number of picturesque towns and castles. In medieval times it was a trade route that connected the center of Germany with the south. Today this region is thought by many international travelers to possess “quintessentially German” scenery and culture, in towns and cities such as Nรถrdlingen, Dinkelsbรผhl  and in castles such as Burg Harburg and the famous Neuschwanstein.“ (courtesy Wikipedia)

Again from Wikipedia:  In March 1945 in World War II, German soldiers were stationed in Rothenburg to defend it. On March 31, bombs were dropped over Rothenburg by 16 planes, killing 37 people and destroying 306 houses, 6 public buildings, 9 watchtowers, and over 2,000 feet of the wall. The U.S Assistant Secretary of War John McCloy knew about the historic importance and beauty of Rothenburg, so he ordered US Army General Jacob L. Devers not to use artillery in taking Rothenburg.  Battalion commander Frank Burke ordered six soldiers of the 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Division to march into Rothenburg on a three-hour mission and negotiate the surrender of the town. When stopped by a German soldier, Private Lichey who spoke fluent German and served as the groupโ€™s translator, held up a white flag and explained, โ€œWe are representatives of our division commander. We bring you his offer to spare the city of Rothenburg from shelling and bombing if you agree not to defend it. We have been given three hours to get this message to you. If we havenโ€™t returned to our lines by 1800 hours, the town will be bombed and shelled to the ground.โ€  The local military commander gave up the town, ignoring the order of Adolf Hitler for all towns to fight to the end and thereby saving it from total destruction by artillery. American troops occupied the town on April 17, 1945.  After the war, the residents of the city quickly repaired the bombing damage.  Donations for the rebuilding were received from all over the world. 

We walked back to the bus and drove back to Wรผrtzburg.

As it had been a rather long day, I decided to go back with the bus to the ship, while Fred toured the Wรผrtzburg Residence.  Fred said later that, while it was most interesting, there were a lot of stairs, and I would have been uncomfortable. So, again, it’s a good thing I did not go on that excursion.

Dinner with the Richard, Judy and Lucy again.  10 o’clock to bed.

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

Here are some interesting shots of Rothenburg:

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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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 6

29 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

Wednesday, we arrived in Wลฑrzburg, Germany.

We were up early, showered and dressed.  At 7:30 a.m. we went to breakfast in the restaurant.  Richard, Judy, and Lucy joined us just about the time we had finished our meal.  We stayed and talked with them for a while. Judy and I compared piano stories, such as when I was playing for Margaret Nikol (concert violinist; see my post on October 7, 2012) and my sheet music began to fall.  I had to stop playing and place both hands on the music to make it stay up.  Margaret was on a long note, and just continued to play.  When she was ready to move on, I was ready, as well.  When I apologized later, she told me that no one noticed.  And she was right!  Even Fred, who had heard me practice so many times, didnโ€™t notice.  Judy said that happened to her, except that the piece of music fell to the floor and she just looked down at it and kept playing!

We had some time before our first excursion, so I transferred the pictures of Miltenberg from our camera to the flash drive I had brought with us.  And itโ€™s a good thing I did – we took a LOT more pictures!

At 9:45a.m. we boarded a tour bus for the 75 minute ride to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

While on the bus, the guide told us about part of Rothenburgโ€™s history.  Rothenburg has always been one of our favorite German cities.  It is a medieval walled town, and there is a 1.5 mile walkway at the top of the wall that encircles the town, that is still walkable.  According to the info sheet: โ€œThe wall connects five medieval gates, complete with guard towers that date from the 13th to 16th centuries.โ€  Fascinating!

When we arrived in the town center, there was an impromptu brass concert going on, with the players all dressed in German outfits.  They were quite good, and we enjoyed their music.

At 12:00 all of those on the Viking tour that had taken the Rothenburg excursion, met for lunch at the Gasthof Glocke.

It was a neat old eatery, and they were open just for us. 

Unfortunately, they only had one menu:  bratwurst, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes.  I know it was easier for them to only serve one menu for that many people, but we were really looking forward to schnitzel.  Fortunately, since Fred doesnโ€™t touch sauerkraut, he was able to get his without the sauerkraut.  It was still a good meal.  We sat at a table for four, kind of in a booth.  We didnโ€™t get the names of our table mates.  

After lunch, we were on our own to explore Rothenburg.  We found a shop we had seen on the tour, and purchased a Christmas table runner.  We found Kรคthe Wohlfahrtโ€™s Christmas shop – a favorite place to shop for Christmas ornaments. We purchased three Christmas brass ornaments for Christmas gifts. 

We walked around and found โ€œthe doorโ€ that we had been looking for (please see my post on December 13, 2015 titled “The Door”)

~~~~~~~~~~Part 6 – 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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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 5

22 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

After sailing all night, we have moved onto the Main River (pronounced mine).  Today was a sailing morning so we slept in.  We got up, showered, dressed and went to breakfast.  We were joined by Richard, Judy and Lucy, better knowing as Lucy B.

We went through one lock during breakfast.  We had gone through many locks overnight.  It is a fascinating procedure to watchโ€ฆand sometimes a bit nerve-wracking!!  The ship is designed so that, when we go under a low bridge, all the chairs on the top deck are flattened, the sunscreen is collapsed, and the “bridge” is banished to its hiding place, so that everything up top is “flat.”

At 10:00 there was a glass blowing demonstration in the Lounge.  The glass blower did the traditional demonstration in the Chilhuly style.  He makes his products like Pyrex. According to the info sheet: โ€œ(he) creates an exquisite work of art from industrial glass in this captivating demonstration.โ€  He displayed his wares, and they were fascinating.  He had oil and vinegar bottles that I would have loved to get for myself and our girls, but we had to think about shipment, and so didnโ€™t.  He had jewelry – earrings and such.  Really beautiful artwork.  Below are a few examples of Chilhuly glass works.

(Credit to:  By Patche99z – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5328589)

After lunch in the restaurant,  we began the walking tour of Miltenberg, “The Pearl of the Main River.”

It is a neat old town.  Fred and I thought we had been there before, when we lived in Germany, but we didnโ€™t recognize anything we saw.  Here are some good pictures of the town that we took.

They even have directions to the loo! 

We had a good guide.  (NOTE: all the guides that Viking uses are locals, and they really know their stuff about the towns we visited.  We were impressed)  There is a red sandstone that is used locally as well as sent all over the world, as it is quite desirable.  We walked and walked the town.  Quite unique.

Courtesy Wikipedia 

We were back on board the ship after a bus ride from the foot of the Red Stone Bridge.  The ship had traveled farther up the river, and we caught up with it and re-boarded. 

We had dinner in the ship’s restaurant, and our table mates were Velma and Jeff from Australia

and two others, whose names we didnโ€™t get.  Velma suggested a way that she designated her pictures:  She would take a photo of the daily information sheet that is given to each cabin, with the date visible, and any photos following that photo belonged to that day.  I thought it was a good way to keep track of the photos I was taking, and began doing what she suggested.  It seemed to work out quite well.  I was impressed with her suggestion, and told her so with my thanks.

We were really tired and so to bed early.  Our old age is showing!

~~~~~~~~~~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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The Cruise of a Lifetime-Part 4

15 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Reblog

After the excursion to the Marksburg Castle, we were scheduled for a cruise up the Middle Rhein River (from Koblenz to Mainz), and to see all the castles along the way.ย ย Unfortunately, the area had been having a drought for some time, and the river was low.ย 

Let me explain about the ship we were on.  It is a “long” ship (443 feet), only two passenger levels, since it must pass through some “locks” along the way.

A larger, deeper, ocean-sailing ship wouldn’t be able to navigate those locks.  Therefore, because the river was so low, we were unable to traverse the Middle Rhein River on the Gefjon.  All the passengers (185) – and a few of the crew – were transferred to another ship for the Rhein River cruise.  While our luggage and most of the crew stayed with the Gefjon, they were forced to dump of all the fresh water they had on board (over 100,000 gallons).  In spite of all that, there were spots along the way where there was only 12″ of water below the ship!  So I guess it was a good thing we were off!  Didnโ€™t want to get grounded!

So, instead of seeing the castles from our ship, we all were transferred to the Konigsbacher – a tourist/sight-seeing boat – for the remainder of the day.

 We played โ€œcat and mouseโ€ with the Gefjon all the way to Bingen – we would be in front for a while, then the Gefjon would be in front.  Fun to watch, with the crew waving at us as we passed each other. 

 We did see some castles (we counted 31) while we sailed, and Carl West described them to us.  However, as it was beginning to get too dark to see any other castles, Carl announced that it would be another 90 minutes before we could board the Gefjon again!  Many groans!!  I looked at Fred and vehemently said – โ€œwhereโ€™s my Kindle???!!!โ€  Unfortunately, it was locked up in the safe in our room.  It was a rather boring 90 minutes, for sure.  Billie (our concierge)  and the boatโ€™s crew brought out cake and tea for us – charged to Viking, which was nice.

There was a flag flying on the Konigsbacher and I wondered what it represented.  When I asked the crew, they said it represents their home town.

We finally stopped at Bingen, and both the Gefjon and the Konigsbacher were lashed together, so there were only a few steps to get across to get to the Gefjon.

We were finally able to get to supper at 7:30 p.m.  Our table mates were Nancy and Jim from Arizona (they formerly lived in Metro West in Orlando), and Rachael and her mother, Carol, from Sacramento, California.  Rachael earned her law degree from UNM (the University of New Mexico).

Bed by 10:00 p.m. and we were very tired!

~~~~~~~~~~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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Escape from the Mice.

13 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I mentioned last week that we were blessed with an unexpected beach vacation opportunity.

This came about while we were in the midst of the mice debacle. I was determined that the pesky mice would not deter us from the beach. Besides that we were experiencing mice fatigue.

How the vacation came about.

At the end of April, a friend texted and asked if we would like to join them for a week at a condo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Ironically, I had just been looking at the calendar and was pleased to see that we had an entire month with no doctor appointments. (If you are old, you know)

I told here we were available and she gave me the details.

Her friend had booked the condo but decided after the cancellation date to not use it. She offered the unit to my friend and since it had two bedrooms she invited us to spend the week with them.

We were still dealing with the mice invasion, our closets were emptied and the contents scattered. I debated for about 5 seconds whether we should go or stay and root out the vermin. We set out traps, packed our suitcase and left.

The condo was on the beach and we had a lovely beach view by day, and the lights at the pool area were beautiful and soothing in the evening;

Morning coffee on the balcony was a perfect start to the day. We spent time in the evenings chatting on the balcony while the men were glued to their devices.

One day we ventured out to find a seafood restaurant a friend had suggested in Murrell’s Inlet south of Myrtle Beach. I had looked them up online and their menu was enticing and the prices weren’t awful. Trusting the GPS we drove south. We weren’t sure what the restaurant looked like and we almost passed it by.

The food was delicious, each of us chose something different. I decided to step out of my comfort zone and ordered shrimp quesadillas. I was not disappointed. It was delicious!

Another day we visited a shopping and amusement area, Broadway at the Beach. It is laid out around a body of water and to walk around it is two miles. Fortunately motor scooter rentals were available and each of the men rented one. We women walked with a few rest stops. I was proud of us.

My husband loves hats and he enjoyed browsing but he didn’t buy anything. My friend adores purple and there was a purple shop. It was fun to see the variety, everything purple. Of course I had to browse the candy store.

There were a lot of shops to browse and Interesting restaurants. I wanted to have lunch at the Grumpy Monk, but the others weren’t enthusiastic about it.

On check out morning, we weren’t able to score a luggage cart. But the resort had very sturdy shopping carts and my husband grabbed one. It worked really well. Steered better than a luggage cart too.

It was a laid back beach week and exactly what we needed.

We had made plans to go from Myrtle Beach to visit with family in North Carolina.

But plans can change in a moment. A phone call from our daughter in Florida sent us driving south rather than north. More on that next time.

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’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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Unexpected Visitors: Mice

5 Jun

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

I planned to post a blog last week, but became caught up in dealing with one and maybe more unpleasant visitors…mice. And they were hanging out in my walk in closet.

We had these unwanted visitors in the past but thought that we had foamed any possible entry.

Needless to say I was horrified when I opened my closet door and found what looked like shelled peanuts on the floor. I slammed the closet door, yelling for my husband.

I thought it was peanuts because I keep extra non perishable items in a heavy duty storage tote in my closet. Turns out it wasn’t peanuts but a package of dried beans. The horrid creature had chewed a hole in the storage tote and feasted on the beans. I still can’t wrap my mind about something so small chewing that hole.

I wonder if the beans gave them gas.

As we cleaned up the mess we checked the whole closet, pulling out everything. It was exhausting. Along with the mess we discovered that the wretch had damaged two sweaters, one that was my mothers and a favorite one of mine. My husband said the vermin was trying to nest.

That idea sent me into “the vapors’ or it would have if I were a Victorian lady.

We also cleared out two other closets. Thankfully there were no signs in them.

We put out traps and sticky pads and captured two of them. We haven’t seen any new activity for several days, but I still search my closet several times a day.

I am so over the mice. Any tips for mice destruction appreciated.

On a more pleasant note, I am enjoying the changes in the landscape.

In winter, our yard is stark and open, with bare trees silhouettes against the sky. Their leafless branches reveal the road and neighboring houses in full view.

Come summer, the trees transform, their branches heavy with lush, green foliage that weaves a a verdant curtain and closes off the outside world. It shrouds the yard in privacy, the road and houses vanish from sight.

Time to get the lawn mower going!

May is my favorite month in the mountains, that is when the peonies bloom. They are my favorite flower.

I also have a beautiful reddish Peony plant but it bloomed while we were on an unexpected vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. More on that next time.

Last year’s blooms

We aren’t great at growing annuals in the clay soil here. Pots and hanging baskets fulfill my desire for lots of blooms with out the failures. This is my favorite flowering basket. It doesn’t tolerate cold so it “winters” in Florida with us. This may be its final summer here in the mountains as it has become too bulky to easily travel.

Don’t forget, if you have any tips for ousting the mice, please leave it in comments.

I’ll close this post with a picture of granddad Ollie. Our daughter and Ollie came to visit in April.

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’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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Living Water for a Weary Soul: Finding Strength in God Through Lifeโ€™s Troubles.

24 May

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged from JanetPerezEckles.com

A bit embarrassed to admit this, but Iโ€™m hoping you did the same at one time. After I washed my hands in the small but luxurious bathroom in the cruise ship, I was super impressed with the soap that left my hands incredibly soft and smooth.

So, like any silly Chica would do, as we packed to leave the ship, I wrapped the left-over piece of soap and stuck it in my bag. Why let that great soap go to waste, right?

Got home, washed my hands with that amazing soap. But to my disappointment my hands werenโ€™t soft, but dry as they are when using any cheap soap. Hate to admit my sillinessโ€”my hands were soft on the ship, not because of the soap, but because of the soft water that flowed through the shipโ€™s pipes.

That mistake was way too familiar.

Before I surrendered my life to Christ Jesus, I used the soap of deceptionโ€”believing that the religious rituals I followed would gain me Godโ€™s approval. What I accomplished would please Him, and I believed my own desires were His too.

None of the above softened the blow when heartache, hardship, and devastation crashed into my life. After a sea of tears, Jesus became the captain of my life. The relationship with Him became my anchor. The gentle fountain of living water softened my heart and washed my pain away.

In the pain of your own life, His living water will quench the aching of your soul. His guidance will help you sail through the storms, and the power of these truths will keep your life hydrated with comfort and reassurance:

  • Youโ€™ll know where your help comes from.ย โ€œI lift up my eyes to the hillsโ€”where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.โ€ (Psalm 121:1-2)
  • When trouble strikes,ย count on his help.ย โ€œGod is your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.โ€ (Psalm 46:1)
  • Similar to Paul,ย in your weakness, Heโ€™s working.ย And in Your insecurities,ย His power is active.ย โ€œโ€˜โ€ฆMy grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.โ€™ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.โ€ (Philippians 4:19)
  • Those around you may fail you and the world disappoint you, โ€œโ€ฆbutย God is the strength of your heart and your portion forever.โ€ (Psalm 73:26)

Jesus said heโ€™s the living water. If you drink of it, youโ€™ll never thirst. Youโ€™ll never hunger for fulfillment, for joy, security, or hope. Go ahead, toss out that soap of deception and allow the freshness of His living water to revive your soul.

Letโ€™s Pray

Father, how often I had given credit to things of this world. But itโ€™s You, Your grace, love, and faithfulness that washes the effects of adversity.

In Jesus name, Amen!

How will you allow Godโ€™s living water wash away your troubles?

Bonus article on todayโ€™s topic.

Janet

Would you like to invite Janet to speak at your next event? Contact her here.

To view Janetโ€™s speaking demo video, watch here.

Check out Janet on the cover of the 2025 February issue of Woman of Faith Magazine! To read the full issue, visit their site here.

Read Janetโ€™s latest award-winning book, Now I See: How Godโ€™s Amazing Grace Transforms the Deepest Pain to Shining Joy. Your copy waits for you 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 Ecklesโ€™ 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

Previous Posts

Living Water for a Weary Soul: Finding Strength in God Through Lifeโ€™s Troubles.
Janet Perez Eckles
5/23/2025

In My Darkness, I Saw Love.
Janet Perez Eckles
5/9/2025

Empowered to Overcome: Three steps to Stand Strong Against the Forces of Evil.
Janet Perez Eckles
4/25/2025

Two ways to overcome your fears.
Janet Perez Eckles
4/11/2025

How to Bounce Back Stronger: Overcoming Setbacks and Adversity.
Janet Perez Eckles
3/28/2025

When you possess this, miracles are in the making.
Janet Perez Eckles
3/14/2025

Hope always arrives.
Janet Perez Eckles
2/28/2025

Finding true love to ease the loneliness.
Janet Perez Eckles
2/14/2025

What to do when feeling overwhelmed.
Janet Perez Eckles
1/31/2025

How to see Godโ€™s way out of our troubles.
Janet Perez Eckles
1/17/2025

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Mother/Daughter Adventure Part 2

22 May

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Last week I wrote about our stop at Helen, Georgia on our way to visit Dahlonega, Georgia.

We visited Dahlonega briefly last winter and our daughter wanted to spend some time there exploring the shops and explore we did! I think we went into almost everyone. Sadly, I didn’t snap any photos.

After walking all over the downtown area we began looking for a place to get a bite to eat. I had spotted a British pub earlier and suggested we try it. Then my daughter opened the door and revealed a straight up long staircase. That was a hard no.

We walked on and came upon a cafe/diner. For the life of me I can’t remember the name. We both ordered the tomato basil soup combo. The soup was delicious. My daughter’s combo included a salad with fruit. I chose a bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich with their homemade pimento cheese. I am a sucker for pimento cheese.

We had one more destination. A practical one. I needed a new pair of glasses and after using Grok to compare price and quality I chose Costco Warehouse. The down side was that the closest one was two hours from our home. But…it was only about 30 minutes from Dahlonega.

I needed new glasses for a couple of reasons. They were about three years old and pretty well worn out. They frames were constantly needing to be adjusted so that the progressive lens were in the right place. The other reason is a good one. At my last ophthalmologist visit the doctor casually mentioned as he walked out of the exam room that my vision seemed to have approved.

I set up an appointment with my favorite optometrist for an exam. To his surprise my vision truly was improved.

We retrieved our car from the pay by the hour parking lot and navigated to Cumming, Georgia and Costco.

I should mention that Costco Warehouse operates on a membership basis. We have a membership which is why I included the warehouse in my search criteria.

We were blessed to secure a good parking space. Parking can be a major pain there. To my delight, the optical department was located almost directly inside the warehouse.

I totally dislike choosing new eyeglass frames. I put myself in my daughters hands and said “choose a frame.” And she did. Since I already had a vision prescription we found a sales associate, paid and was told the glasses would be ready in a week. Easy-peasy. Or as I like to say, Bob’s your uncle.

The drive home wasn’t nearly as pleasant with rush hour traffic but it didn’t matter. I was with our girl and that is always a good day.

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’m a general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  

My 2025 goal is continue to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media.

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The Cruise of a Lifetime Part 2 Reblog

4 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

The first real day of our cruise started with breakfast.  There is a โ€œbuffetโ€ breakfast in the restaurant, with a chef making omelets – made to order. 

Our ship, the Gefjon (gefโ€™- ee – on) is named after a Norwegian goddess.   Interesting. 

Our first excursion took us to Kinderdijk (kinder-dike), Holland (the Netherlands). 

This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We saw a building with three huge Archimedes screws.  

From the original 150 windmills in the area, only 28 are left, and Kinderdijk has the largest collection of working windmills in that small area – 19 in all. 

We saw the windmills – went into one – and saw the polders the windmills gather water from.  The windmills are used to pump water from the polders using internal or external scoops into reservoirs on two levels.   We were amazed at the size of the mills, and sails that are placed on the blades – it is all mechanical.  We were also amazed to see that the caretakers actually lived within the windmill.  Small spaces, and usually when the father died, the son took over.

The one we went in was old – made entirely from bricks.  The newer ones looked like they were made from โ€œshingles.โ€  Most of these windmills date from 1738 through 1740.

The ship supplied us with โ€œreceiversโ€ and ear pieces that we plugged into the receivers that hung from lanyards around our necks.  Each tour guide had a โ€œchannelโ€ that we tuned into.  That way they could talk normally and we couldnโ€™t hear what the other guides were saying (different channel).  It was a very convenient way to do the tours.  We had them with us at all times on our excursions.  The ship also supplied us each with bottled water on each excursion.

Back on board, we began our sail to Cologne, Germany.  Still being rather tired, we both took a nap, until it was time for the mandatory safety drill – including wearing our life jackets.  We have to get over that jet lag!

We had a light lunch in the Aquavit Lounge.  Usually set up as a buffet on the Terrace – much quicker and as good as in the restaurant.

After lunch we checked on our e-mail.  Fred got one of the hostesses to set up our phones to receive e-mail. 

We took in a Dutch teatime in the Aquavit Lounge.  They served lots of goodies, and flavorful, interesting hot tea.

Nearing dinnertime, there was a โ€œToast to Our Guestsโ€ by Captain Marcel Stephan and Hotel Manager Harald Halswanter in the Aquavit Lounge. 

It was a welcome time for the guests of the ship.  That room was used for many things, including the daily briefing about the next dayโ€™s excursions by Program Director, Carl West.  Carl followed the tours on each excursion, taking pictures.  Each evening, those pictures would scroll through the two monitors set up in the lounge.  It was fun to find pictures of yourselves on those monitors.

Dinner in the restaurant.  Everyone at the table had the Chateaubriand, and it was  wonderful! 

Our table mates were Steve and Jane from Colorado, and Lola and Judy from Minnesota.  Jane had recently had back surgery, and while in physical therapy, fell onto her back and re-injured herself.  She was moving rather gingerly and always used a cane when she walked.

Another long, busy day, and the bed felt really good!!

~~~~~~~~~~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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