The Robin

A little robin built a nest and laid her eggs. One day, while the little bird was busy gathering food, a cuckoo came and laid an egg in the robin’s nest. When the robin returned, she didn’t  even question why a new egg had appeared - she was far too busy for that. When her chicks hatched, she didn’t question why one of her chicks was distinctly different from the others - she had too many jobs to do. And she did not question why one chick ate three times as much as the others - she just worked three times harder to feed them.



One day, while she was busy at work, the cuckoo chick pushed the other chicks out of the nest. When the little robin returned, she did not question where her other chicks had gone – no time for that as the cuckoo chick was demanding to be fed. The cuckoo chick continued to command attention around the clock. The little robin exhausted herself trying to obey. Never did she once question why the chick was three times her size, sounded nothing like her and shared none of her characteristics.


Ritual without reality blinds us from the truth. When doing things, we must always check our motives. We should continuously test our priorities lest something of no eternal importance starts taking up all our time and energy. We should guard our beliefs against impostors - otherwise it is easy for Satan to lay an egg in our nest (life) for us to raise. Christianity is about having a right relationship with God. If we work on this, everything else will fall naturally into place. 


                                             ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Laugh everyday.....it's like internal jogging!


Blessings All.....
shug ~

Being on the Wrong

Hey There guys!   Have you ever had to deal with yourself being on the wrong side of nice?  Like as in, Attitude Adjustment Required???
I certainly have been guilty of doing such....As a matter of fact, just this past week, I felt like I was fixing to have a complete melt down...


I was incorporating anger into my day without even realizing that I was doing it.  I can best describe my attitude like a tight fitting bra that keeps digging deeper and deeper into ones  rib cage.  I caught myself trying to make a few adjustments, only to find that I was really in the popping kind of mood...(as in "Pop that tight fitting bra across the room)


This mood that I am talking about, probably did not start at the Verizon store, but that it where it decided to show it's ugly face....


You see, sixteen days prior, I had Purchased  a new iPhone S
and was so very excited about all of the new apps that I was going to be able to use...  Little did I know that the very phone that the sales rep brought me, was going to be YELLOW,  LIKE LEMON  yellow!


The phone itself was not actually yellow, but it evidently is a lemon phone because it does not work!!  If someone called me, all they could hear was an echo....if I called someone, all I could hear was myself repeating myself!!


I returned to the store within a few days to talk to the sales rep about it....They simply tuned it off and turned it back on and said it was fixed.  A couple of days later, I called the Verizon office....Oh, they did something online and now it "IS FIXED!"  NO...it still did not work...


I walked into the store on Friday and ask to change phones..."Well, you can't, because you only have 14 days to do so!"  I said:  "Well, why did you not do something about it the first time I came in?"    Them:  "Well,we thought we fixed it but now you are past your 14 day time period."  Me:  "You are telling me that I just PAID   for a phone that does not work properly....as in I'm just going to accept the fact that you say you can't do anything about it?"


This conversation went on and on for about 15 minutes and then I ask to speak to the manager....the girl stated:  "I am the assistant manager."  "I can send you a refurbished phone, but you will not get it until next week."


Let me tell you, by this time, that bra that I've been talking about, was a size 30 A trying to fit on a size 38 double D body!!  I was more than upset....I already had deep indention's digging into my skin and I was about ready to make a sling shot out of that BRA, using my phone as the stone!!


Then....thank goodness, I embraced the realization that I was in desperate need of an attitude adjustment.  I gently smiled, took a deep breath, and made the decision to follow through with the plan of sending me a different phone.  


It takes a whole lot less energy to look at things on the bright side, than it does to battle with the opposite rules or opinions of others.  


The remarkable thing is that we have a choice as to what attitude we chose to embrace....


 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:6-7


    An angry person stirs up conflict, 
   and a hot-tempered person commits many sins. 

                                                         Proverbs 29:22




All I could think about was..."Lord, I do not want to stir up conflict, because I am too weak and they might beat me up!!"


I definitely do not like being on the wrong side of nice....Sure, there will be a lot more of those kind of days when I am not happy about certain things, but, I know that I do have a choice when it comes to keeping my attitude GOOD!  Thank you Lord, for opening the right side of right for me!


Blessings,
shug ~

My Winnings!

Howdy!


Rain, Rain ......isn't there a country song that goes something like  RAIN IS A GOOD THING....??


I'm certainly not going to complain about a little rain, as in 5 to 6 inches of rain....NO, NO..not after this past summer, when the lakes and ponds disappeared almost over night.


WELL....I have to tell you just how excited I was Monday morning when I went to the Post Office.


There was a key in my box, which meant that I had a package or something way too big to fit into my regular P.O.Box....


 Isn't it fun to get surprises?  I was the winner for the give away over at  Faithfulnessfarm and let me tell you, I honestly felt like it was Christmas around here when I opened the package...

gorgeous kitchen towels, an apron to match and a Gooseberry Farms cook book!

I could not wait to get in the kitchen and fix one of the recipes out of the book....Since we are trying to eat light these days, I chose to make the Broccoli salad (which was sooo good) and I served the salad with a piece of BBQ chicken.

I added some cauliflower and for those of you that know me well, you know that I left out the red onion that the recipe calls for!  I know, I know....most of you are probably thinking that the onion is what gives the salad flavor....  You see, we don't like onions, BUT the salad was super delicious without it.

Aren't these just absolutely adorable?  I am one happy lady, and Blessed as well....


Stop by and visit Gail....You will love her place and she truly is a sweetheart...


Blessings Ladies...Blessings Gentlemen....


Shug....

The Storm

In the dark dreary nights, when the storm is at its most fierce, the lighthouse burns bright so the sailors can find their way home again.  In life the same light burns.  This light is fueled with love, faith, and hope.  and through life's most fierce storms these three burn their brightest so we also can find our way home again...

There is much to think about when you are out in the middle of a storm in the wee hours of the morning...


Last week, on Friday......Sam began having problems and not feeling very well...."Kidney Stone!"  Yes, it was a kidney stone!  He was sick all day Friday...all day Saturday and then on Sunday morning, he was better!  Or so we thought!


On Monday of this week, he was back home from work by 9:00 in the morning, and he was in pain.  He called the urologist and the nurse advised him to drink lots and lots of fluids all day long and that he probably would pass the stone....(Of course, she did not know that Sam's bladder was completely blocked and unable to empty)


It was windy all day long and  were expecting storms with heavy down pours....This was what the weather forecast was calling for....


Around 7:00 p.m.  Sam decided that the pain was too great and that he needed to go on to the ER..
Of course, as we get in the car, it starts to drizzle and the skies were looking dark.  I drove him to the hospital, only to find that the ER was totally packed!!


Every seat was filled and people were even standing outside.   Sam immediately told me just to turn around because he was not staying....he said he would try to drink more fluids and wait for the stone to pass (we did not know the bladder was blocked either)....finally, we were safe and sound at home!


And then it hit!! I was awakened around 3:30 by the loud noise of thunder clapping all around us..
The Storm was Hitting!!!   And wouldn't you know it?  Sam was up and dressed.....He said we had to go to the hospital!!  In the car we went, and I spent the next 30 minutes, driving in heavy down pours and heavy winds....The storms were here and would hang around all day long.


I was more than nervous, but I knew he had to get some help.  His bladder was totally blocked!  He was almost screaming in pain by this time.... By 11:00 a.m. he was in surgery to remove the stone.


It was a large stone and it was lodged in the 
Urethra tube.

Around 2:00 he was out of surgery and in recovery.  We finally made it home around 6:00 this afternoon.  Praise the Lord!


Sam is in bed (sleeping) and he is feeling much, much better.....


God is with us even in the storms and I give Him glory, for keeping us safe and for giving Sam the strength that he needed to endure all that he has had to go through....


See y'all tomorrow!
Shug