A rainbow kind of a day....

Ken and I had a very busy day today.  It was raining and not really very nice outside, so we decided to continue on with the painting project in the camera room.  Since there is not much room in there, we have to move everything into another not very big room.  Ken had painted the walls earlier, but now the ceiling was getting painted!  (I know, you are supposed to paint the ceiling first, but that just didn't happen....didn't make any difference since everything is white!).  I mostly helped move stuff and position the ladder so Ken could paint the ceiling.  I was also his "eyes" to be able to see exactly where he needed to paint.  And then he decided to paint the closet.  Wow, what a job.  This entailed taking everything out of the closet and then I began to go through storage tubs......

Yes, this was long, long process.  I found some pretty amazing things.  I managed to get rid of one trash bag full of junk and consolidate three tubs into two.  I have two tubs of stuff to take to Gwen's and a big stack of pictures to scan.  And Ken did get the entire closet painted!

We had a couple of things to return to the store and needed to get some dinner, so we set off in the rain.  On the way home there was an amazing rainbow.  The picture above is actually NOT from today (I confess in honesty...its actually from 2008).  But by the time we got to a place to get a picture, the rainbow had faded and you could hardly see it in the pictures I took.  But, trust me, it was there and it was amazing.  It was one of those very thick rainbows were you could actually see the violet line clearly.

This morning I saw this incredible video.......Perfect circle rainbow that was shot over Niagara Falls.  It is just amazing!  I had no idea that I would see a pretty neat rainbow myself today!

Yes, that freshly painted white room is certainly a pick-me-up.  The smell of paint is lingering in the house.  And it is a good feeling to have purged some things and found new homes for some things.  And it is good look back at old black and white pictures and even a newspaper from 1945 VJ Day!
Top that off with a rainbow!  Yes it was a good day in our house.

To me a rainbow reminds me that HOPE is alive!  It is the promise of sunshine on a rainy and stormy day.  It is the reminder that we have a God who keeps his promises.  A covenant keeping God.  There is so much joy in the colors that take your eye off of the dark clouds behind it.  I know that I need a bit of a reminder that there is more going on than those dark clouds and rain storms.  It is so easy to take your eyes off of that promise when the darkness closes in around you.  So I am thankful tonight for a productive day that ended with a rainbow reminder!

Jesus, thank you for rest after work and a rainbow after a storm.  Thank you for reminders of days long gone and also the hope for the future.  You are an amazing God that cares so much for us.  You know exactly what we need.  Holy Spirit, remind everyone reading this blog that there is hope in the storm.  Renew our faith and trust in our covenant keeping God!  Thank you Jesus!  Amen

Feeling a bit under the weather....

So I spent a part of today in bed!  This is really unusual for me.  Its Saturday and I have a lot to do on the weekend.  Yesterday I was feeling a bit worse than the day before with my head stuffy but today I woke up coughing and with a very sore throat.  I really need to kick this crummy cold.  We went out this morning and did a couple of errands but it became clear to me that I just needed to get home and lay down.  So that is what happened.   We came home and I went to bed.  This evening I think I am feeling a bit better.  I can certainly tell when my medicine wears off, but it is helping.  So I am thankful for a quiet day.

It must be because we are moving into a new year, but suddenly Ken and I are thinking of more projects around the house.  Right now he is converting what was our "exercise room" into a camera room.  I can't complain since I appropriated the other spare room a LONG time ago as my scrapbooking room.  So this is only fair!  I love that Ken supports my love of scrapbooking and I am very glad that Ken has returned to photography.  When I first met Ken in high school, he was already a camera guy.  He was in AV and had a dark room at his home.  Somehow, over the years he moved away from photography.  I was happy several years ago when he asked for a new camera.  And I am so proud of all the wonderful pictures he has taken over the last couple of years.  So, I am very willing to clean up that under-used room and make it work for his hobby. 

There is a lot to the "New Year" thing.  This is a good time to clear away the old and get ready to move into the new.  I am glad that we are doing some cleaning and clearing out of our house.  And I am also glad that this is a time to clear away and move into new things in the Spiritual.  I love that this is a "New Year" time.  I just realized that November was a time of great Thanksgiving for me.  December was a month of celebration and memories and joy.  I am looking forward to January and the new things that are in store for me.

Jesus, thank you for healing and health.  You are a God of restoration and new things.  Holy Spirit continue to bring to light all the changes and new things that are coming.  Speak clearly to us and help us to be willing to clear out the old and unused things to make room for the new.  Thank you for Ken!  Amen

Day 18 - Thankful for Goodwill!

Today I am thankful for Goodwill!  We have a pretty small house and several years ago we realized that it was much more comfortable when it didn't have so much junk in it!  Over the last years we have been making trips to Goodwill about 4 times a year.  We have made it our practice to get rid of something whenever we bring something new into the house.  This has helped to keep our closets more clear and our house less cramped. 

So since we need to use our spare room over Thanksgiving, I decided today was the day to clean it out.  That room tends to be the dumping ground for anything that will eventually be taken to Goodwill.  So I gathered everything and made another search around the house before driving to our local Goodwill.  Since our Goodwill is in a rather upscale area, it is always crowded.  It doesn't seem to matter when you go, there is usually a line to drop off items.  And the parking lot is usually full for the store.  Today was no exception.  So after waiting my turn, a nice young man came to my car and emptied my trunk.  With a big smile and a pleasant "have a nice day!", he then said "God bless you for your support of Goodwill!"

I was stunned! This was so unexpected!  I should have been thanking him for taking all of my junk!  But, he was so gracious - and he spoke a blessing over me.  It was one of those times when I knew that he really was sincere.  So I gladly accepted that blessing and returned one with "God bless you, also!"  No question, today I was very thankful for Goodwill. 

I love these unexpected "Jesus" moments.  I went through the rest of my day with a smile on my face.  What a great reminder to just share a simple "God bless you" with people that we meet on the street, at work, in the grocery store, or in our neighborhood.  I was reminded today that these small words can change your day and put a smile on your face.   Yep, I am going to be speaking these words much more often.

Jesus, thank you for that special worker at Goodwill today.  Please pour out your blessings on him and his family.  Holy Spirit, remind me to bless people that I meet each day.  And Jesus, please help us all to remember to be open to share a blessing!  Thank you for the Goodwill organization.  Amen