Letters - Tender Expressions

 ~ Grace Gift ~
Letters

"Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter - My love to all of you - " - Paul in his letter to the Corinthians

Are the days of putting pen to paper and handwriting a letter obsolete? Does old fashioned letter writing still exist?

 These days, the invention of smart phones, iphones, ipads and the humble old computer are giving people faster options of sending friends, colleagues and loved ones messages.

 

It could be said that the problem with letter writing is that is that it is far too time consuming. Yet on the other hand, people will say that they appreciate receiving a hand-written note.

 Letter writing is an essential skill. Despite the prevalence of technology, everyone will have to write a letter at some point. Encouraging children to write letters from an early age will improve their communication, handwriting skills, and teach them what they need to know about writing and structuring letters.

 
Every Christmas and birthday that I can remember followed a similar pattern: wake up, open presents, spend time with family, and have a nice dinner. There have been variations over the years, of course, but one thing never changed – my mother’s insistence on writing thank you notes. After receiving any sort of present, my mom would immediately compile lists of every gift and who gave them to us. For years, my sister and I would roll our eyes, annoyed.

 

  Like most people, I love getting actual letters in the mail and I've discovered that I enjoy writing letters, too.  I found that even though it's not the fastest form of communication, letters have a personal quality that makes them different from texts, emails, or facebook.

 Don't let this classic old-fashioned art fade.

Traveling By Trains

                                          Grace Gift
                                            Trains

After a recent ride on Amtrak from Memphis to Chicago to Ames, Ia, I just had to include 'trains' as a grace gift. I was going to add comments along with the pictures but sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.
To be continued..........

 

 

God's Creation

~ Grace Gift ~
New Beginnings

.Philippians 4: 13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength.


My first Google image I've saved on my new laptop....

Thank You, Lord for all Your help in doing this; I couldn't have done it with out You.



:-)

Hot Cocoa, Kitty Cats, Quilts, a Good Book and a Nap

 Grace Gift
~ A Perfect Day ~

 

Numbers 6:24-26

²⁴ May Yahweh bless you and protect you;
²⁵ may Yahweh make His face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
²⁶ may Yahweh look with favor on you
and give you peace.

 

 

A perfect day to stay indoors and enjoy
a cup of cocoa, kitty cats, a cozy quilt, a good book and a nap.

 

 

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ 2 Timothy 1:2

Therefore encourage one another  and build one another up,  just as you are doing.  ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:11

For behold, He who forms the mountains and creates the wind,
and declares to man what is his thought,
who makes the morning darkness,
and treads on the heights of the earth—
the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name!
~ Amos 4.13

Believe God and live accordingly.

Determine to know  God and His Word intimately.

Take time to study God's Word, to be still and know that He is God.......

 ..... that I might, indeed, lead a peaceful and quiet life - without obligation for words on days like these. 

I sit here now in the quiet darkness of early morning - tapping out my final *10,000 Reasons*  thoughts, and I am deeply, truly, grateful for this new day.

Something For Saturday

~ Grace Gift ~
Abundance Of Beauty

I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.  Psalm 89:1

We can see the azaleas' pink profusion sparkling in morning's dew or nature's delight in her nectar. It's the subtle " fair flowers" - the wind's whisper through spanish moss, the buried seeds of hope in barren ground - for which I must train my eyes.

 

  But some things are just too fleeting, too beautiful, too sacred, to capture.

A smile. A hug. A twinkling eye.

Forgivness.

Kindness.

Faithfulness.
Grace.
The joy that is my strength.
The peace that passes all understanding.
The LOVE that covers my multitude of sins.

 While there is beauty all around me every day - in a smile, a whisper, a cool breeze through an open window and the sun that rises and sets in a majestic blaze - they are only a glimpse of the beauty of Christ that never fades and in His presence, a beauty I'll one day gaze on forever.

Where do you see glimpses of Heaven in abundance and beauty this day?

Over The Hill

~ Grace Gift ~
Acting Our Age

Psalms 90:12 "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

It's time I act my age......

There's no such thing as "over the hill," I tell my friend Babette in a comment I wrote earlier this week. We're all on the same journey toward home. There's no turning back, just moving forward. Some of us are closer to home than others, but wherever we are, all any of us have is today.

 

Years ago, I attended the funeral of a woman, who, if she had lived just one more month, would have been celebrating her 101st birthday . I never saw her go over a hill. I never witnessed a moment when her life became less vibrant or significant. If anything, she grew more lovely, more treasured, and more full of grace.

I wish I'd embraced my age long ago. Rather than being coy about it, I should have announced my 40th, 50th or upcoming 60th birthday with joy and gratitude for God's faithfulness over the years and for the grace He gives - one day at a time.

 

 I wish I'd been less peer-group-focused and valued the council of the women I knew who were further down this sinuous path and whose wisdom could help me navigate where they've already traveled. 

My declaration to act my age isn't a resignation, but a thanksgiving that the LORD has allowed me to become a woman of a certain age. There will be just as much to rejoice and celebrate at my 90th birthday {should the LORD leave me here that long} as there was at my first.

To my dear family and friends from 8 to 100: let go of those ties to the years past and those fabled hills that try to make you feel old, with gratitude embrace each day and year God gives, and hold onto {treasure} the friends of every age that He brings into your life.

Love well, listen attentively, learn from those who walk around you and pick up those who stumble. Lets live this one life well together.

Memories

~ Grace Gift ~
Memories

Philippians  1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.

 A number of years ago, while our house was still bursting with teenagers, I mused on what life would be like when they were gone. Here is part of what I wrote:

Someday when the teens are gone, our car insurance payments will once again be smaller than our house payments. There won’t be any more white-knuckled rides, arguing about how fast is too fast or how close is too close.

Certain sounds won’t echo in our home-

sounds of hair spray,

 squeals of delight over a new boyfriend,

 the sound of doors being slammed in a fit of anger

 or the kids wrestling downstairs.

 

 Windows won’t reverberate and bulge with bass notes coming from CD songs that no one understands the words to.

Gone will be the dishes in the sink,

 the help for Saturday chores,

 discussions about whether a movie is acceptable or not,

 Bible studies,

 late night knocks on my bedroom door letting me know that someone is home from a ball game.

 The telephone will occasionally ring for me for a change.

  But there will be memories ... 
memories of bedside chats,

 Mom’s meat loaf, 

 fishing and hunting trips, vacations,

 dogs,

 dates with Mom,

 more dogs,

 dinners at Cazador's on birthdays,

  and prayers—
yes, prayers by the thousands that have been offered up on their behalf.

 So in the end, our home won’t be empty. Instead, every room, every corner of the house, every nick in the coffee table will be crowded with memories.” And  I will sit quietly by the fire and listen to the laughter in the walls.

 I thank God for the gift of memories.

A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. Ecclesiastes 3:2