Hey friends, how are you today? Can you believe, as I sit here to write this post, it is actually snowing? I mean, we have about two or three inches on the ground and this snow is coming down rather ferociously. Spring came and went away again in a flash, not sure, she was even here […]
Even though I wore a heavy sweatshirt, blue jeans, and a heavy coat the wind went through me as I trudged across the parking lot to the post office. Already under the effects of some sort of virus, I felt worse as the wind whipped across the lot.
A man wearing a work uniform walked toward his vehicle. Abruptly he turned, walked back to the post office and held the door open for me. Startled, I thanked him, twice.
That little incident occurred last week, and I still marvel at his kindness. He did it not like he was going back to the post office because he forgot something, and he just happened to hold the door for me. No–he did it as though it was important to him to do it for me.
His kindness inconvenienced him. At the very least, it cost him a few minutes of time. No law told him to do it. Yet he did it anyway.
In a world where speed and selfishness are so prevalent, his act stands out for me. It also gives me an example to remember and follow.
©P. Booher
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The concept of living in someone’s shadow seems strange for most people. It niggles at our pride. For some people it stirs up memories of sibling rivalry or other painful family comparisons. As Christians, we live in Someone’s shadow – The Lord’s! He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in […]
via A Hiding Place For Me.(Dwelling in God’s Shadow, Part 2) —
I’ve never been able to get pictures of Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks, and I enjoy these pictures my friend over at The Squirrelseye put up.
Now that warm weather is back, my husband and I have been spending the evening hours relaxing on the front porch and watching the birds that come in to the feeder. Some of them have been frequenting the feeder since their parents first brought them as fledglings. The people on the swing no longer frighten them. The chickadees in particular are courageous enough to occasionally use a human being as a landing strip. But the boldness that these two, rose breasted grosbeaks displayed was quite a surprise as they bounced around our feet picking up seeds. In spite of the fact that we had never seen them before, these two boys seemed almost tame. I think there is a chance they were a “raise and release,” and see humans as a safe food source. We are hoping they find lady grosbeaks and decide to stay for the summer. If anyone…
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God cares more about our character than about our comfort. -Rick Warren I have been repotting plants that are long overdue for new places to live, so the term rootbound is heavy on my mind (and back). Plants become rootbound when they are left in one pot too long. The roots continue to grow, and […]
I thought this article by Jill McIlreavy was well worth reading.
P. Booher
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“And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground,for out of it you were taken; for you are dust,and to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:17-19
Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.com
I do not till the soil nor do I cultivate seeds. I am not a farmer.
I am not a rancher. I do not graze livestock nor do I breed cattle.
My wages do not come from agriculture.
My wages are derived…
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Some sort of virus ambushed me a couple days before Christmas and gave me a sore throat and cold. The sore throat left; the cold symptoms are hanging on tenaciously.
I’ve always been able to work through having a cold, but not this one. I reported off work three days over these past few weeks, and left work early one day, feeling too drained to complete the shift. That’s not me.
While feeling better now–I worked a 2 pm to 9pm shift Friday followed by 7am to 2pm shift yesterday without feeling drained–I’m still not up to par.
With this cold, I have to practice personal energy conservation. I do some things, then decide to let other things go until another time, rather than continuing to work and making myself too tired. For instance, following an overnight snowfall, this afternoon I swept the car off, swept the upstairs porch steps, cleaned the sidewalk off and scattered de-icing material on it, took cans out and put them in the recycling bin and walked my route around the house to feed the birds. By then I felt as though anything more would be too much. Taking the garbage out would have to wait. Cleaning up pine tree branches in the yard definitely will have to wait for a day when the weather is better and my energy and enthusiasm are back to rights.
Practicing personal energy conservation isn’t fun, but my body is enforcing the idea right now. I look forward to the days when I’ll be even stronger; as it is, I now have greater sympathy for, and a lot less judgment of, people who must practice personal energy conservation all the time due to chronic illness or pain, whether physical or emotional.
©P. Booher
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Author’s Note: Most of this is a repost from 2014.
Here are a couple ideas for anyone doing some last-minute Christmas shopping. While they are not original with me, I’ve used them, and they’ve been well received. They do cost you in time/money, but you can easily adapt them to your resources. (Please note: these ideas work best if you are familiar with the recipient’s age, circumstances, and likes/dislikes.)
1. Is the recipient someone who doesn’t drive or someone “who has everything” and you’re stumped on what to buy him or her? If you are close enough to the person to know what kinds of everyday products the person uses–facial soap, body washes, facial tissue, for example–buy some in bulk and wrap the items. Let your creativity come into play when you do the wrapping.
Some years ago I came upon this idea for gifts for my mother. It made such a hit with her that this is my “go-to” idea for Christmas and her birthday. I buy products she uses and put them in a basket. I hide gift certificates for restaurants or stores among the items. Depending on the time/energy I have, I either wrap each item or just wrap the basket. My mother enjoys opening her customized gift basket and finding each item hidden among the tissue paper.
True, “everyday stuff” isn’t glitzy. But you know the recipient will use it. If the person comes into a situation where money is tight, the person will appreciate having those everyday items to fall back on even more!
2. Give the gift of time. If the gift recipient needs a certain project done and you have the skill and the means to do it, consider scheduling a time to do whatever the person needs. Your time is worth as much or more than the money you would spend on a gift for the person. You may be surprised at how appreciative the person is!
There’s my gift-giving ideas. Nothing fancy, nothing particularly new about them, but they work. They are flexible and adaptable to your situation and the recipient’s.
Have fun giving gifts!
P. Booher
Filed under Gift-Giving, Tips to Avoid Stress, Uncategorized
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