the lesser lights

There haven't been very many beautiful days this January.....most have been gray, rainy, windy, and downright cold. This morning started out the same way, but bloomed into a gorgeous afternoon. Bright sun, blue skies without a single cloud. I got plenty of vitamin D today.

Bubba and I were hanging out at the storage house this afternoon assessing the situation in regards to our coming move. He brought his table saw and we commenced to make a table nine feet long and about four feet high to hold our Christmas decorations.

I held while he cut, but mostly I was the fetcher. I made many trips to retrieve nails and hammers and boards. The table turned out perfectly, and everything fit neatly like pieces of a puzzle.

I love to do work like that....it makes me feel good and strong. These muscles of ours must be used as we age or they will shrivel up and go away.

Maybe you read my 25 random things the other day. I spent a good bit of time today looking for a photography class. I would love to go to SCAD. I think I will at least check into their courses.

I am also serious about learning Italian. I think I can check out language learning tapes at the library. We need to exercise our brains as well as we get older.......these two desires should keep me busy. I don't want to live in Italy and not know how to speak the language. I would love to tell everyone about what Jesus has done.

My new medicine is working. I no longer feel as if I am spiraling down into a dark pit of sickness.......my allergist is amazing. He knows just what I need to get better.

We just returned from having a fun dinner with David and Erika. When I walked outside, the lesser lights were putting on quite a show in a perfectly clear sky. Walk outside and take a look. God hung the moon and that planet you can see right below it.

For your pleasure * * * * * * * * * *

"God determines the number of the stars: He gives to all of them their names." Psalms 147:4

a big one is coming....

As I mentioned in my 25 random things from a few days ago, I love all things weather related. I follow accuweather.com daily because they have lots of good pictures and maps and such and really up to the minute forecasts.

The USA Today has a quite exciting weather page that is the first thing I look at when I have access to that paper.....the actual news reporting is too liberal for me, but I do love their weather page.

All this week they have been talking about a big storm that is going to brew up on Sunday and head up the east coast. Here is the headline:

"A large, dangerous storm will take shape in the eastern third of the nation next week spreading a swath of snow, rain, dangerous thunderstorms, floods, and high winds northward from the Gulf of Mexico."

So now we know. Nobody can really pinpoint what this storm will do because the storm does not exist yet...........but at least we know it is coming and can get super excited.

I was back at the doctor today. This time they put me in a room with no window and I only had to wait one and one half hours instead of three.

It seems that I cannot get completely well and was given another round of medicine to take. I was awake from 1:20 until 4:oo am having one of my coughing fits. Bubba didn't even wake up and for that I am glad.

Hopefully we will get to go to Jacksonville as planned on Monday. We need to return the little doll bed that Santa brought to Lucy for Christmas......It seems as if it was not meant for a real baby the size of our Harry to sleep in.

It is also time for another PF Chang experience. The cravings start about six weeks after the previous trip to that wonderful restaurant.

Until later....cathy

lying lips

I have been lied to a lot in the last few months.
Most people, believers and unbelievers, lie with impunity.
Lies come out of the mouth with no thought or shame.
Lying is a way of life.....everybody does it....no harm done.

When someone lies to me it is felt deep down in my hurting place.
When I know they know they are lying to me it hurts even more.
Do they think I am stupid......?

I have told some lies in my time. In the seventh grade I lied to protect a girl who had cheated off of my paper. She wasn't even my friend. The teacher found out and put so much guilt and shame on me that I thought I would never get over it.

I threw my green peas in the bushes and told my parents I had eaten them. I was punished.

I could go on and on, but I will not do that.

I do know that I finally figured out that lying was wrong and that bad things happened when I didn't speak the truth. It was only when I realized how much God hates lying that it had an impact on my life.

Why do people lie? Mostly, I think, for protection of the "self." We think very highly of our "self." We care deeply about our "self." We don't want anything to happen to our "self." And pretty soon our lying becomes habitual and we don't even realize what we are doing.

What does God think of lying?

"Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord." Proverbs 12:22

"For they have opened the wicked and evil mouth against me; they have spoken against me with a lying tongue." Psalm 109:2

"................the Lord hates........... a lying tongue." Psalm 6: 16-17

God hates lying. He doesn't mince words about how despicable it is to Him.

If God thinks lying lips are an abomination, shouldn't we think as God thinks?

O God, help me to stop and think about You when I am tempted to lie.......Help me to think about how I am hurting the one I am lying to.

"What ever you do, do it to the glory of God."

Amen!

25 random things

There is a thing going around on Facebook where you quickly jot down 25 random things about yourself. This is what I wrote in the last fifteen minutes...........

1. I would love to live in Italy in the Tuscan Hills in a real Italian villa. I want to walk to the market to buy bread and I want to learn to speak Italian.

2. My late solid white cat had one green eye and one blue eye. I miss her a lot.

3. I go to bed at 9:00 most every night. (to read)

4. I dance and sing around the house when I am alone.

5. I would rather read than watch tv any day.

6. My fear of lizards make my blood turn to ice.

7. I am intensely interested in the weather and weather related fiction.

8. Being in a large group of people I don't know well scares me to death.

9. I would love to travel leisurely around the USA in a motor home....I want to see it all!!

10. I will write a book one day.

11. I want to learn photography and be really good.

12. My favorite style of living is Cottage....I like a mixture of new furniture and antiques....aqua, brown, pale yellow and neutral are my favorite colors....I want lighted candles in every room and lots of pictures of my family. I like open windows and the smell of fresh and clean. All rooms must be comfortable and I want my grand babies doing their things all over my home. I want to be surrounded by the people and things that make me happy.

13. I get really, really excited if a hurricane is coming.

14. I go nuts over cute shoes.

15. Chocolate and ice-cream are my downfall.

16. I always buy fresh flowers.............I love Gerber daisies.

17. I adore driving my Honda van.....will never want any other kind of vehicle.

18. It thrills my soul to make people happy.

19. I love, love,love to dress up.

20. I have gotten too many speeding tickets.

21. I never get tired of looking at the ocean.

22. I wish I took better care of my fingernails.

23. Shopping for treasures at bargain prices is so much fun.

24. My family is my greatest joy.

25. I love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my mind. There is nothing more important in my life than Him and I use His word for all of my guidance and wisdom. It has all of the answers to all of life's questions. To God I give all the Glory for the blessings listed above.

Thanks for reading, Cathy

the joy of reading the things of God

God graciously allowed me to finish reading the book "Total Truth." It was only by His Spirit that I was successful.

I know that it was God's timing for me to read this book at this time because of one short paragraph in the last chapter that spoke directly to my heart regarding the situation I am going through with my extended family.

I just finished writing the book of the Psalms. It was a blessing. I am so comforted and I have gained so much knowledge of our great and mighty God. What will I do tomorrow? Go back to chapter one and start writing it again. I am writing the book of I Kings as well. I retain things so much better when I write them down. After I Kings I want to write the book of John.

I am also reading Martin Lloyd Jones commentary on II Peter. Tonight I read about the "New Earth." You know, God is going to remake the earth back to how it was at the beginning before sin. The Bible says we do not have the capacity to imagine how wonderful it will be.

I write not in boasting.
Our pastor prayed this morning that we would be thrilled when we hear His word.
I am and I want you to be.
When you read the Bible you find out all sorts of amazing and fascinating things.

God made us in His image with a capacity to know Him.
Read as if your life depended on it.

It does......cathy

my 500th post

His birthday wish is a day late......yesterday David, my son turned 35 years old. He is pictured above with his little son Harry.

I couldn't write about him yesterday because we kept Lucy and Harry so that he and his lovely wife Erika could have an afternoon and evening on the town. I read every book in the house out loud to Lucy with Harry drifting by to listen every once in a while. I also had to perform surgery on "Puppy," Lucy's favorite stuffed animal. He had developed a hole in his arm that needed to be mended......so I was busy.

I wish everyone could know David. He is a witty, interesting, loving man.
He keeps his father and I on our p's and q's......he holds us accountable.
I am the reason he loves to read and he is the reason I love to read.
There is something in him that is in me and I am drawn to whatever it is.
He loves to travel and is fascinated by new places and geography the same as me.

David works with young people.
He is passionate about the truth of God's word.
He is a man who prays.

God blessed David with a wife who loves what he loves.
They are always talking....making plans.....moving toward a goal.
Lucy and Harry are his blessed children......placed by God in a house of love and truth.

I am constantly amazed at the way that God works in his life............meeting needs, opening doors, giving wisdom and understanding when things don't make sense humanly.

He is my son, but he is God's vessel to use as He will. I love the man, husband, father he has become.

I love you, mom

lucy and the preacher

Let me start this out by saying that my granddaughter Lucy is a very industrious little lady.

Last evening David and Erika had our pastor and his wife over for dinner. We were invited as well.

Since I have been so sick, I have not been able to spend much time with her, so Lucy was extra attentive to me. She sat by me at the table and I fed her broccoli like it was going out of style.
The meal went great and there was pleasant conversation all around. Eventually Erika and Lucy and Harry left the room while the rest of us lingered.

Sometime very quickly after Lucy left the table, she must have decided that she was ready to go to bed. She also made the decision that Harry was going too. They share a nursery. It looks like the nursery from Peter Pan by the way.

Still sitting and conversing at the table, I looked down to see Lucy standing before me completely naked. She had brought me her pull-ups and nightie and she also brought Harry's jammies and a diaper for him.

There was no shame........she needed me to help her get ready for bed. It didn't matter about the preacher, his wife, or any of them.

Well my mouth dropped open and I quickly shuffled her away to do her bidding.

Graciously no one made a big deal and the night proceeded without another incident......but I tell you, I just about cracked completely up.

A couple of things.....

I don't think that she has yet grappled with the whole Adam - Eve- sin - need to be covered thing.

She makes me laugh out loud.....if you make me laugh I will love you forever.

Cathy

mixer a go-go

I was given this hand mixer as a wedding gift 39 years ago by a sweet lady in my church.
This is the only mixer I have ever owned and to this day it still performs at top level.
It is a "Presto" mixer, and I would say I got a good one.

My first kitchen appliances were harvest gold. The avocado green color of this machine fit right in with my color scheme. I chose Sculptured Daisy everyday dishes which were green and yellow, so it all made for a very beautiful color palate. I still use my beautiful daisy dishes at times and have them on display......I cherish my own antiques.

Bubba uses the mixer more than I now because he makes his "from scratch" mashed potatoes quite frequently. We always have the utmost confidence that it will do its job. Maybe I will donate it to the Smithsonian when it finally dies.

It is raining.....I love rainy Sunday afternoons. There is a fire in the place, candles burning, and lots of reading going on. We never want much to eat on Sunday night so Bubba is going to make blueberry pancakes made with real , fresh blueberries and sausage for our pleasure.

Can't get any better than that. cathy

choose to be happy

Here are some things that are making me happy right now.........

*A cold day with plenty of sunshine and no wind to speak of

*airing out my bedroom after so many germs

*Clorox...it really cleans and it makes my whites really white

*The loaf of rosemary bread that came free with a roasted chicken yesterday

*Bubba inviting me to go to Papa's to get fresh fish tonight for dinner

*Fresh, clean sheets for the bed

*Diamonds sparkling on the water behind our house

*Planning a late evening picnic on the beach with candles as soon as it warms up enough

*Lying in a huge puddle of sun light for my nap......the doctor said I must

*Being able to get dressed up and go to worship tomorrow

*Feeling better a little each day

*The message to me from one of Bubba's friends that he was praying for me

*Napping under a heavenly silk comforter that belonged to Bubba's mother and father

*This passage from Psalm 139 1-6

O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me.
Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up;
Thou dost understand my thought from afar.
Thou dost scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And art intimately involved with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, Thou dost know it all.
Thou hast enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Thy hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high,
I cannot attain to it.

How can I not be happy when that verse applies to me........it applies to you as well if you belong to Him.

We choose to happy......it is a choice that we make.

i just want to remember.......

I loved getting to decorate this house for Christmas, but we won't be in this house next Christmas.

Let me explain.
We own two properties on Tybee Island. We rented this house last March in hopes that we would sell one of the condos to facilitate our getting a mortgage to buy this one. No buyer has turned up as yet, so........

After much prayer and consideration, Bubba and I have decided to move back to our condo on the beach.

I have loved living in this house. I love having all of my home "stuff" around me. It is so comfortable here.

One thing has been revealed to us as we have spent this year on the west side of Savannah.....this is not where we ultimately want to settle. We both want to be closer to town. That in itself is a real blessing.

Living on the beach has always been my dream......so nothing will be lost but space and my "stuff." During this process we will be downsizing a lot and getting rid of things we no longer need or use.

This perfectly suits my need for adventure. We have always moved around alot and I have loved it. Who knows where we might end up on this earth? I do crave my ultimate destination of heaven......but love the fun I'm having on the way.

why do you always disappear? c

various and the sum of all things

First of all I am making good progress with the book, "Total Truth" that I mentioned earlier in the week. I am well into chapter seven.

Every time I pick it up I ask God through His Spirit to give me understanding and the ability to concentrate as it is not an easy read.

This is where I am.......we who know the Truth are indeed the most blessed people in this world.
We who God has chosen to be His in Jesus Christ.

John 8: 31& 32 "If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free."

Jesus said that:

1. We who read and study His word constantly, we who spend much time in prayer and meditation over His word are the ones who belong to Him.

2. If you are engaged in the practice of seeking Him through His word, you will know the truth and that truth will set you free. Wow!

How many people in this world are walking around asking these questions:

What is life all about?
Is this all there is to life?
Why does my life feel so empty?

All of the answers to life's difficult questions are contained in God's holy word. But instead of desiring it as a "deer pants for water," they scoff at God's word and say, "It is not relative to our modern times." Oh how wrong they are.

Psalm 119:160 "The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever."

I guess I am getting better. I still haven't heard from the doctor about the results of my chest x-ray. Today will be two weeks since this started.

The benefits have been many.......... lots of much needed rest and a chance to clear my head to start the new year. There is much going on that requires complete trust in the guidance of the Lord right now. I will write more about that in a later post.

I love facebook!! It is one of my "favorite things." I have caught up with so many old friends and even some of my students from my third grade teaching days. It is a constant source of joy to me. I have posted almost fifty of my Christmas photos. The comments received on my "wall" have been so sweet and inspirational. You should join!

I praise God for so many answers to prayer from our gracious God and Father. David has accepted a part time job with Ferguson Ave Baptist Church as their youth pastor. He is still pursuing the ultimate goal of starting a new church to God's glory.

Both Harry and Eli have received great reports from their respective therapists and are making exceptional progress. We attribute this to the miracle of God's healing power and the prayers of everyone.

There is not enough time in the day or space on this computer to praise God as He should be praised. In heaven we will get to do that in ways we cannot dream of her on this earth.

To God be the glory great things He hath done!

it never fails

Yesterday afternoon at two o'clock, I was shown into a three by five foot room and told that my doctor would be in to see me in a few minutes.

At five o'clock I was still sitting there waiting for him to show up.

I had been told that they would "fit me in" since I didn't have an appointment, but I wasn't prepared to spend three hours in this closet with no source of air.

After reading everything that I could devour to pass the time (even a copy of all things Rolling Stone Magazine), I began to go stir crazy.

The only window in the room was five and a half feet from the ground. I spent a lot of time on my tips looking out at Waters Ave. I zeroed in on a cooking school across the street that I may be interested in if I ever get well. The best thing about this activity was that I had to stretch my body to be able to see out.

I spent a good bit of time fanning myself with one of the magazines, but this got very old,very quickly.

One time I got up my nerve and stumbled out in the hallway to try to get some fresher air. The nurse agreed with me that it was very hot, but said nothing about when or even if the doctor would show up.

I was put in the last room down a very long hallway. Well into the third hour I began to get paranoid. My mind became solely focused on straining to hear any sound outside of my room that would give me hope. Every now and then I would hear footsteps, but they never came close. I tried to pray but every sound made my heart leap and I was distracted.

At five I was sure that they had forgotten about me.....the sounds had ceased and the sky in the little high window was darkening.

What should I do? I could get on the examining table, sleep through the night, and be the first patient in the morning.

Finally the door opened and in came the doctor. He asked me how I was......i said, "Fine."
I lied to him, but I was so glad to see him that I could have kissed his feet.

He changed my medicine and I feel a lot better.

I did have to go get a chest x-ray today.

They took me back, told me to undress, and then came back to ask me what I was having done to which I replied, "I'm having an x-ray done of my chest, to which they replied, "I have you down for a barium enema."

Oh, please........I had to get dressed and wait some more while they got everything straightened out. There was no way I was taking my jeans off....

I think that things like this happen to me so that I will have something to write about.

I am better today and feel like I may live to see another day.

Cathy

streeeeeetching my mind

I started it last summer while we were at Hilton Head.
I thought I had gotten further along than my bookmark indicated when I picked it back up again a few days ago.
It comes highly recommended by David and Erika's dad.
I am determined to read it all the way through, but it is stretching my mind to its farthest extent. I have made it through three chapters so far.

"Christianity is not a series of truths in the plural, but rather truth spelled with a capital 'T.' Truth about total reality, not just about religious things.

Biblical Christianity is Truth concerning total reality---
and the intellectual holding of that total Truth
and then living in the light of that Truth."

foreword to the book by Francis Shaeffer - - -April 1981

Even the foreword is alot to get your mind around.....but I want to try.

I am a firm believer that if we don't use our minds constructively as we live in Him that we lose them. I have seen it happen too many times.

In sickness still I write. I was unable to go to church this morning because of the constant coughing. You suffer for a while and then one day you realize you are well and thankfulness abounds.....I long for that day. In the meantime, I will praise my God for His goodness and mercy to me & mine.

ps.....someone very special to me took his first little hesitant steps yesterday and I got to see them. Hurrah Harry!!!!

will we need shoes in heaven?

I love shoes. Ever since I can remember I have always loved shoes. Cute shoes, comfortable shoes, unique shoes, feminine shoes, even some kinds of funky shoes.....always catch my eye. I saw a pair the other day that were mustard colored with a purple bow. Amazing!

There is someone very close to me that can spot shoes that I will love. She did that this Christmas when she presented me with the adorable pair pictured above.

Amanda is my daughter as most of you know. She is also very tuned in to what I like and her gifts are always very exciting to open. She also presented my favorite candle, "Keepers of the Light," and a vintage Christmas ornament.

Something special, something that he or she knows I will love speaks volumes, doesn't it?

That is the essence of gift giving. Gifts don't have to be extravagant or expensive, but when you know someone knows you that well and cares that much to buy you a treasure, it means a lot.

I love watching my children celebrate Christmas in their homes with their families. Traditions are being established, some old and some new. In my mind Christmas is being with those people who you love and care about sharing food and laughter and gifts and Christmases that have gone before.

One more word on shoes. I have read alot in the last few weeks about us being fitted on this earth for what we will be doing in heaven for all eternity.

I think I will be a shoemaker.

Thanks Amanda and Mark............I love you both

just finished....

The act of gift giving is an art. I truly love to go gift shopping. I love to think about the person I am buying for and then choose just the right delicacy for them to open on a special day.

I love to wrap my choice for them in beautiful paper and ribbon.....all of this makes me feel very happy.

The book pictured above was chosen for me by David and Erika......they know that I love to read books about weather related disasters. They went to an antique store downtown and found this book knowing that it would thrill my soul.

The title is in case you cannot see it well is, Our National Calamity of Fire, Flood, and Tornado. Thrilling Stories with Photographs and Sketches.

It was written in 1913 concerning a series of calamities in the Midwestern states of our country.

I read it from cover to cover while I was sick. It was very depressing, but interesting at the same time. I love to read these books because they give me such a feel for that part of the history of our great country.....how people coped under such tremendous pressure and tragedy.

I love old books....the way they look, the way they feel, the way they smell.

Who read this book?

Who held it in their hands and spent so much time with it as I just did?

Did whoever read this book live the tragety? I will never know, but somehow I feel a kinship....

Thank you David and Erika for knowing what makes me happy.......lm

my aunt jackie

She brought me yellow roses on Christmas Eve.
You can see them in the picture on the last blog of 2008.
What a sweet thing to do......I love her very much.

In many ways she and I are alot alike.
We like to have fun and we like to laugh and giggle.
We like to travel and we like to eat.
She has lots of friends and plays a mean hand of cards.

I was in her wedding when I was two years old....looking very scared, but I got my job done.

She has three great kids with whom I grew up ....Trish, Mike, and Steve.
Four wonderful grandchildren.....Emily, Rusty, Ian, and Caty
And the loves of her life great grandchildren.....Nathan and Jocelyn.

Her cat "Miss Priss" is reclusive, but is her perfect pet.

I am glad she is in my life.

Yellow roses represent happiness and joy. They are the ideal way to brighten the day of someone who may be down.

That's what my Aunt Jackie is all about.......brightening people's days.

I love you, cathy

our sweet aunt dottie

She is the elder stateswoman of our family......she came to our house for Christmas dinner and we were glad that she did.

In this picture she is enjoying a joke about the lovely apron I am wearing and you can see from

her smile that she was having a good time.

I have been told by her as well as several others that she enjoys my blog. Estelle runs them off, pictures and all, and takes them to her most every day.

Estelle's computer was on the blink for several weeks and she started telling me how much she missed her "daily readings" as she calls them.

So here's to you, Aunt Dottie.......Estelle got a new computer for Christmas and hopefully the presses are rolling again.

Aunt Dottie is one example of why I write. She loves to read my writings. She looks forward to them, they brighten her lonely day. She stays informed of where our crazy lives take us.

Aunt Dottie is much loved.

Cathy

God's will in sickness

We are so mortal, so finite, so susceptible that it is amazing we last as long as we do.
The Bible says that we have seventy years.....maybe eighty if we do well.

I am blessed to be a pretty healthy girl. I always smile and say thank you Lord when the nurse tells me that my blood pressure is normal (without drugs) and that my heart is beating away faithfully in it's little place in my chest.

But, inevitably, every once in a while, something will come along and make me realise how humanly frail I am.

This time it was a bug that got itself ensconced inside of me. I kind of had some warning, but I never expected to be wracking with cough and listening to someone having conversations in my chest. Bubba can hear the wheezing from across the room.

What is God's will in sickness?

It is His way of reminding us that life is short. We will not be here forever. Don't settle in and be complacent. Seek Him, Be content, LOVE others with all that is in you.

It is His way of reminding us of who is in control in our lives. When I started hearing those people talking in my chest, it was like they were saying...."Get to the doctor now so that you can begin to feel whole again."

It is His way of getting us to stop in the midst of life and reflect on Him...At first my mind was too scrambled, but as the days have worn on I am back reading a little and reflecting on the goodness of God.

It is His way of saying, "Stay home, take your medicine, nourish yourself, be in My word and I will see you through." A good way to show love to others is to contain yourself as much as possible while contagious.

Amanda was funny this morning. She said she couldn't believe that I blogged last night after telling her earlier in the afternoon that I had pneumonia. She said, "You misspelled several words, but I was impressed that you blogged. She also said that she was calling it my "drunk on medicine" blog.

I didn't even tell her this, but I saw one of the misspellings, went back into the post to correct it, and noticed this morning that it was still misspelled. I was really out of it I guess.

Bubba has been a great nurse to me. Thank you...."in sickness and in health."

eli on christmas morning

Eli likes to wear his mommy's bedroom slippers.
I thought they looked especially nice with the red onesie and gray soks.

Back to the doctor today for me.....I have pneumonia.
God knew I needed a loy of rest.

c

jake on christmas morning

Cathy is still sick.....two days of flat on my back sick.
Can't write much but can send this picture.
If you look back a few posts you can see that I predicted this.
c

the dreaded crud......

This will be short...........Now I am sick.
I ache all over and then some more,
I am coughing my head off,
I can't stay up for longer that a few minutes at a time without feeling faint.

Yes, I went to the doctor today.
She gave meds and told me to rest all weekend.
Golly gee, I can't begin to do anything else.

Would someone please come and take down my beautiful Christmas tree?

Cathy :(

Happy New Year!!!!!

May God's richest blessings be upon you throughout the coming year.

Seek Him while He can still be found.

Do good and share for God is well pleased with such sacrifices.

Stand firm in the truth.

Be strong.

Be on the alert.

Do not grow weary of doing good.

Pray without ceasing.

Give thanks in everything.

Rejoice always.

Let your speech always be with grace.

Do not lie to one another.

Learn to be content in whatever situation you find yourself.

Let all that you do be done in love.

Pursue love...............

from cathy starting a new year of blogging, one of my favorite things.

(all admonitions above were taken from God's word.)