Dancing Penguin

 

This penguin believes in me......I'm here this morning, dancing into my Friday like I have finished all of my responsibilities for the day...

I HAVE NOT .....Probably won't!

It's Friday...

And this little penguin has given me a permission slip to shake off the week, slide into the weekend, and let my inner penguin learn to dance.  

Current status:

Unavailable for stress

Booked for dance lessons

Hope you all will join me in Waddling into a great weekend..

Love You all..

Shug....🐧

Thankful Thursday Positivity

 

Thankful Thursday..

One Small Thought

This little sign sits quietly and what is so neat is that it reminds me to be positive.

"One small positive thought in the morning can change the whole day."

How simple is this? 

The same day, the same responsibilities, the same unknowns...

But seen through a lens of thankfulness instead of hurry and worry. 

I am so very thankful for how FAR one positive thought can carry me. 

Happy Thankful Thursday, Y'all.

Shug... 💛💛

Joining Michelle

Here

A white shaded Hodgepodge

 

It's Wednesday Hodgepodge

Joyce asks the questions:

We answer the questions.

HERE

1. What kind of winter person are you-snow lover, fireplace snuggler, winter adventurer, or indoor hibernator? Elaborate. 

I would be a snow-lover if we lived in an area where there was snow.  We rarely get snow but when we do....I LOVE it.  I would also be a winter adventurer if we had a cold winter.  

2. The Pantone color of the year is cloud dancer, described as a gentle, billowy off white shade. The color symbolizes 'peace, clarity, quiet reflection, renewal, and a soft reset'. Of the terms just listed which do you need most in your life this winter? 

Out of these words, I would choose quiet reflection for me.  I think my soul is tired of the constant noise in life.  The media!!  The constant complaining from people!! The entitlement era. 

3. Every cloud has a silver lining, on cloud nine, head in the clouds, storm clouds gathering, or cloud of suspicion...which 'cloud' idiom do you most relate to currently? Explain. 

Hmmm... I think "Every cloud has a silver lining."  Why?  Because I am choosing to believe that even hard moments carry hidden purposes. This reflects hope.  I like the idea of thinking that a struggle is never wasted and that something good can emerge from difficulty.  Look beyond the storm and trust that the light is still present.....EVEN WHEN IT'S HARD TO SEE!

4. coconut, cauliflower, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, onions, ranch dressing...of the white foods listed, which would be the hardest for you to give up? Do you like all or any of the foods on the list? 

I don't do mayonnaise and I for sure don't do onions.  Cauliflower I could do without and coconut is not a fav.  Cottage Cheese I suppose.  Only if I have cottage cheese with fruit.

5. Thomas Wentworth Higginson is credited with this quote-

"How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose, if there were no winter in our year." 

Agree or disagree? Tell us why. 

I agree with this quote because winter, both in nature and in life, teaches lessons that other seasons simply cannot teach us.  I think that Winter slows us down and invites reflection into our lives. Don't you think that without winter we might would miss the beauty of endurance?

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Thank you Lord for an answered prayer.  

"You have not because you ask not"

James 4:2

This very verse came to my mind yesterday morning around 3:00 am.

I was praying for a specific need for my granddaughter.  She was facing a very hard Test yesterday morning that she needed to pass.  I prayed not out of fear, but out of faith, believing that God cares about EVERY detail of her life....even a single test on an everyday morning. 

Whether the answer comes exactly as we hope or if it comes in a way we don't expect, I know this....God hears when we ask.  

** Tori called me around noon yesterday crying...these were happy tears...She PASSED the test!!  

Thank you Lord!!

Sending hugs to everyone:

Shug..♡

The story of the road and creek

                   

Yesterday, I drove down a road that never rushes me.  I enjoy this drive every time I travel on it.  This road never fails to whisper calmness.  

As the road stretched out in front of me, I so enjoyed seeing the bare branches that reached way overhead, creating a tunnel effect.  This isn't just any back road. This is a road where something historic once happened. There isn't a sign of any kind flashing details, but the weight of time certainly lingers here. 

I drove slowly.  Not because I had to, but because when Winter is here and the leaves are all gone, you can see through the woods so clearly.  I stopped and took a picture of a weathered gate that has clearly stood season after season. It was bent just enough to show its age, but yet it was still standing strong. Its things like this that excite me....I have a love for the old and a bit of rust makes me love it even more. 

    

And then.....there was a sheep!!

It was just resting like it had nowhere else to be and had all the time in the world.  It was completely unbothered.  Not one concern of a schedule or notification.  Just a sheep doing what sheep do. I couldn't help but smile. 

Nearby, is where the  quiet creek slips through the woods and its water was moving gently, catching sunlight in patches.  The trees along the banks of the creek stood like witnesses....silent, steady, rooted in stories older than all of us.  

The Story of the road and and the creek!!  ↓↓↓↓↓

Battle creek runs underneath this road.  This creek is where BATTLE OF THE NECHES took place.  This was a turning point in East Texas history. In 1839, forces of the Republic of Texas clashed with the Cherokee people led by Chief Bowles. 

The Cherokee were resisting removal from the land they had long called home. The battle ended with devastating consequences....the Cherokee were defeated, Chief Bowles was killed, and the tribe was forced to leave East Texas.  

It's hard for me to imagine that kind of turmoil that took place in this area.  Many local residents have found arrow heads as well as all kinds of clay pots and such, as they explored the creek.  

My husband (Sam) used to play in this creek as a young boy, not even realizing the history or the battle that took place on these grounds.  

Sure makes me sad to know that these people were once living their lives in peace and that this battle took it all away from them.  

Hope you enjoyed learning this bit of history that happened right here in my home town.  As for this old road....it is only about a mile from our home and every time I get a chance, I take this drive. 

Shug...