heavy heart

So much sadness, pain and sorrow as this day comes to a close.
My friend Sandy had to leave her husband Robert at a different "home" tonight.
He will be at a personal care facility just for Alzheimers patients;
and she will go home to start adjusting to life without him there.

As she has shared with me so many times,
"This is not the way it was supposed to be."

Sandy, let us take comfort tonight that
God knows and cares about your broken heart and shattered life.
Your faith in Him along with your family and friends will see you through.
You will survive and be stronger from this ordeal.

"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowlege Him,
and He will direct your path."

I love you,
cathy

short update...

Lucy is okay.
No sickness came upon her during the night.
Evidently this chicken did not carry the salmonella virus.
Everyone is very thankful.

more later,
cc

six hours tops

Most of the time
I never know what I will write
until I sit in this chair and go to koinoia.
Tonight I had something else in mind but......

David just called.
Erika was preparing a chicken dish with a superb marinade.
Lucy was "helping" mom in the kitchen.
While Erika's back was turned for a split second,
Lucy decided to sample the sauce.

We have all agreed that the salmonella will take up to six hours to do its deed.
In the meantime we just wait.....
Wish there was something I could do.....:(

not a stellar speller

Okay ya'll.
You have let me go for years on end misspelling a word over and over.
After my post last night I just got this nagging feeling that
l-i-g-h-t-e-n-i-n-g
may not be the right spelling for
those flashes out in the night sky that thrill me so much.
So....I got out my trusty "Webster's Instant Word Guide" and did some checking.
Sure enough my instinct was right.
The word is spelled L-I-G-H-T-N-I-N-G.
I quickly corrected the post and will work on those that came before.

I have said this before.
If you see me in error, please let me know.
I don't want to send things out that are wrong.
(and that make me look like an idiot)
So please don't "withhold correction."

cathy

I'm just going to ask you to continue to pray for the Rushing family.
Hard things going on with them at this time.

"I lift up my eyes to the hills,
from where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth."
Psalm 121: 1 & 2

lightning show

We are right now having the thunderstorm I've waited all summer for.
It has been going on for about two hours and shows no signs of relenting.
The lightning is amazing and the rain is torrential.
Thank you Lord....We needed it so much and I love it!

I am lying in bed watching the show.
Still feeling poorly/ can't seem to get over this latest malady.
I'm beginning to think that the infusions have stopped working.
That would be too bad I think.....

Feeling sad...
that happens sometimes.
Tomorrow will be better.
goodnight....
c

"you have not because you ask not"

This is the fourth time I have posted today!

After two days of rest I am beginning to feel better.
Met David and fam for a sandwich just now.
It was so good to get out and laugh for a while.

The psalmist is asking these things of God......
God loves it when desire these things from Him.
He is faithful to answer the humble prayers of His saints.

Teach me Thy statutes.

Open my eyes that I may see,
wonderful things from Thy word.

Revive me according to Thy word.

Make me understand the way of Thy precepts.

Strengthen me according to Thy word.

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes

Give me understanding that I may observe Thy law
and keep it with all my heart.

Make me walk in the path of Thy commandments

Incline my heart to Thy testimonies

Establish Thy word to Thy servant

Taken from Psalm 119: 1 - 40

falling out of a window

third post on this Saturday
I love this passage.....

"And on the first day of the week,
when we were gathered together to break bread,
Paul began talking to them,
intending to depart the next day,
and he prolonged his message until midnight."

Some would call Paul long-winded......
but not these early Christians who were hanging on every word of truth Paul uttered from Scripture. These people came to sit at his feet and listen.

"And there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together."

The abundance of lamps was noted here.
This could have been a contributing factor to what comes next....
lots of people in a very small space
being warmed by the light and warmth coming from the lamps.

"And there was a certain young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill,
sinking into a deep sleep;
and as Paul kept on talking,
the young man was overcome by sleep
and fell down from the third floor,
and was picked up dead."

Maybe Eutychus went to sit on the window sill
to catch a breath of fresh air....
he was trying so hard to stay awake. (Does this ever happen to you in church?)
These measures did not work.
His fall seems to end tragically in his death.
I love that it notes that Paul went right on talking.

"But Paul went down and fell upon him,
and after embracing him he said,
'Do not be troubled for his life is in him.' "

Eutychus's fall got Paul's attention.
He ran to the boy and made it plain to all that the boy was still alive.

"And when he had gone back up,
and had broken bread and eaten,
he talked with them a long while,
until daybreak,
and so departed."

I love this! Everyone went back up to share a meal......
and Paul went right on talking until daybreak and then left them.

"And they took away the boy alive,
and were greatly comforted."

Praise God...the boy Eutychus survived the fall
and they all were comforted by hearing Paul teach.
The words of God in His word bring comfort and peace

Amazing passage

Acts 20 7 ~ 12

a few random things....

I am recovering from a "bout" of some kind of crazy malady.......
staying home, resting, blogging, reading, watching the last 3 videos of the "War & Rememberence" saga, unpacking.....
yes I am still unpacking.

I just found the most amazing book that I didn't know I had.....
F5~Devastation, Survival, and the Most Violent Tornado
Outbreak of the Twentieth Century by Mark Levine.
What a read that is going to be!!

Today would have been little Emma Key's ninth birthday.
Please continue to lift that family up in prayer.
It is our privilege as believers to pray to our Most High God.

Lastly.....Bless the Broken Road ~ Rascal Flatts
c

treasuring His word

This new day dawns bright and clear.

The sun is strong in the east...... unrelenting almost, in it's intensity.

This new day brings with it promise and hope in Christ.

It is a testimony to the goodness of God, this new day.

~

Robert Rushing is better.....he had an allergic reaction to a new drug.

The family faces lots of very difficult decisions. Please keep praying for them.

~

I promise that if you read your Bible every day and ask God for understanding,

He will bless you beyond measure in His Word.

~

It is all there...

the explanation for what's happening in the world

the reason for our existence

how the earth came into being

who Jesus is and why He came

and so much more.

~

"With all my heart I have sought Thee;

do not let me wander from Thy commandments."

~

"Thy word I have treasured in my heart,

that I might not sin against Thee." Psalm 119: 10 & 11

~

Two things for us to do here...

seek God

treasure His word in our hearts

~

cathy

a short blurb

home
sick....hope it is just a reaction to a new med my doctor gave me to try yesterday.
Please remember to pray for Robert Rushing....
He is not showing a lot of improvement and is still hospitalized.
thanks,
cathy

a note from atlanta

it is hot here too

pf changs.....(bubba has a hard time with changing to a new restaurant)

there is nothing new in the treatment of my "thorn in the flesh"

the doctor cares and listens (worth the drive up)

we made a late night visit to the dairy queen

i am on my way to lenox mall whilst bub goes to his office of old

still looking for my new purse (if i can find one that doesn't require me digging to China for my cell phone, he will buy it for me) (he thinks this is a huge source of frustration for me) (it is!)

he is ready to go NOW....

more when i get home.

cathy

a deer encounter

Amanda cracked me up this afternoon,
as she often does,
with one of her funny stories.
Hopefully I can write it so it will give you a laugh too.

This morning she woke at 5:15 am......
wide awake and unable to go back to sleep.
Not startling yet....I get up early too...
ready to get the day started while things are fresh and new.
But here is the startling thing....
She got up at 5:15 am and decided to go run.

She is working in Vacation Bible School this week and
doing swimming lessons with Jake so........
no time for her exercise class at the Y.

Throwing on some clothes,
she headed over to a nearby subdivision and proceeded to run with no abandon.
Of course, she had her ipod going and was in her own little world when,
out of nowhere, a large deer darted out in front of her.

Needless to say she was quite startled and screamed her head off.
She was sure that the deer was going to counter and attack her on the spot.

She started running down the middle of the road with all her might,
not hearing the car that was behind her because of the ipod in her ears.

Poor guy in the car must have thought he had happened upon a lunatic
running madly down the center of the road.

Amanda didn't stop to think that the deer
was running just as fast
in the other direction
to get away from her.

Bubba said no to Houston's in Atlanta tomorrow evening.
No good reason was given.
I will be happy wherever we go .

Please pray for Sandy and Robert.
My heart is breaking after being with them today.

cathy

this dress....

is for Lucy.
I couldn't resist buying it for her today.
That's what grammys do you know....
spend all of their money on the grandbabies.

I had another laser done on my eye today.
The doctor said again that the sight in my left eye is not improving.
no worse....
just not getting any better.
He can insert a pellet...
but I just can't consent to do that.
If another infection happens I may not regain any of my sight.

Please pray for our friends Robert and Sandra Rushing.
As most of you know, he has alzheimers disease.
Early this morning he fell and was taken to the hospital.
He has a fracture in his spine among other injuries.
Pray for the family
to have wisdom regarding his care at this time and healing for Robert.

We are heading up to Atlanta on Wednesday morning.
I have an appointment with my doctor in the afternoon.
This is what I am hoping for...
to eat dinner at Houstons.
The food is incredible and I haven't had it in so long.
We'll see!

"And from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace." John 1:16

To Sandy and all who are suffering and overwhelmed tonight
this is God's comfort to you....
When it seems as if God's grace is receding there is already more grace on its way to replenish. We are never without His abundant grace. He will see you through.

to fathers and daughters.....

Amanda Beth Cleland Hollingsworth
was born on Father's Day in the year of 1976.

She was two weeks late when she decided to come.
We had just moved into our new home on Donna Road.

I was in that state of fully ripe pregnant women when you start to believe that your baby will never come and you will be that way for the rest of your life.
A huge Father's Day Sunday dinner was planned and being executed.

Much to everyones delight,
Amanda was born at 1:30 on Sunday afternoon.
The dinner never happened.
everyone was at the hospital to welcome her arrival.

All during my pregnancy I was told that I was carrying another boy.
You can imagine my ultimate joy when they finally convinced me that I had a girl.

David had already made Bubba a Daddy,
but I must say a baby girl named Amanda was the perfect Fathers Day gift.

I love both of you!

Happy Birthday Amanda
Happy Father's Day Bubba

there is such joy....

in preparing a meal for those you love.

It begins with thinking....
thinking about the person or people that will sit at your table.
What do they like?
what would please them?
How can I make them feel special and loved?

Next is planning...
what will I need to buy?
How will I set the table?

I just returned from the grocery.
Now, in just a little while I will begin the preparation.
It will take the better part of the afternoon to get it all done.
This is a labor of love and well worth the effort.

And then during the meal, another time to minister and show love
by making sure that everyone is comfortable and has everything they need

I write now because tonight after all is done I will be exhausted.
In a little while I will throw in a picture of the set table....
I'm using the new plates that I bought in Florida.

Tomorrow is Father's Day and my dad is coming to dinner.
We are actually having the celebration this evening.
This will be the first time he has been in this new home.
Most of you know what this means to me.
I'm still amazed at God's goodness to restore him to me.

Psalm 119:24 ~ about God's word....
Your testimonies are my delight;
They are my counselors.

daily!!!!
cathy

sweet peace and contentment

I bought these yesterday.
Aren't they so beautiful?

I think....
no, I know, that I am becoming more and more a homebody.
I just like being in my home, in my bed, with my things surrounding me.

Bubba's 42 year career in the military took us all over the country.
We hardly got back from one trip before we were out headed on another.
I enjoyed every minute of it but....
I am so thankful now whenever I can be in my home.

I cleaned it to perfection today.
I even got to those floors that I had neglected.
The best part of house cleaning is to look at it when I'm all done
and say, "awwwwww."

There is a sweet peace that comes with being content in one's circumstances.

"How blessed are those who observe His testimonies,
who seek Him with all of their heart." Psalm 119:2

I needed today
in this home
in His word
in prayer
seeking Him with all of my heart.

*remember to pray diligently for Steven and Sherry Key

maps & me

So I chose the brown map template for my blog to rave reviews.
Glad you like it.

I love maps.
One of my best afternoons when we travel is to
find an old bookstore that sells maps.
I could look at them for hours.

Maps are fascinating.......
especially old ones.
Can you imagine the effort that went into mapping in days gone by?
They took years to complete and then the old maps were less than accurate.
I like those the best....
the ones that are obviously distorted to some extent.

I found the above map the other day in some of my things.
I'm looking for the right wall to plaster it on.

Oh, and by the way,
I want one of those lighted globes that turns freely on it's axis.
I also want one of those maps that show the
darkness descending on the face of the earth.

"Cowboy take me away....
Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue....."
c

my book list

Those of you who supper at our table.....

know about my fondness for Vietre dinnerware.
This fine pottery is handmade in Italy.
I have been collecting it for years.

~
On our trip to Florida last week,

I found the above pieces in a boutique in St. Augustine.
They were offered for sale at half price and I scooped them up.

I also found the above tablecloth on sale as well.

You know the rest of that story.

I have all kinds of decorating plans going on in my head for these items.

~

Yesterday on Facebook there came around this statement...

List the first 15 books you think of that you have read & that impacted you.

Since reading is a passion for me I sat down and created my list immediately.

Here it is.....

~

1. The Bible (my life depends on it)

~

2 Assurance of Salvation (have read it twice....every believer should)

~

3. Winds of War (a saga of WW II - I can't get enough)

~

4. The Great Doctrines of the Bible (taught me to love the truth of God's word)

~

5. Total Truth ( in this world where "the lie" is considered truth, this is a must read)

~

6. War & Rememberance (more WW II - a continuation of Winds of War)

~

7. The Thorn Birds (this story haunts me to this day)

~

8. Isacc's Storm (this got me started loving weather related disaster books)

~

9. Pilgrim's Progress (love to think of this as I plod through life)

~

10. Pompeii ( I have to go there one day to stand in the midst of this place)

~

11. Winnie the Pooh (I decorated David's nursery in Winnie because of this book)

~

12. The Footsteps of the Messiah (reading now...mesmerized - deals with the end times)

~

13. Rebecca (a classic that has stuck with me)

~

14. Charlotte's Web (I read this every year to my third grade class)

~

15. Gone With the Wind (read as a teenager...made me glad to be a southern girl)

~

16. Martin L. Jones Commentary on Romans chapter 6 (this changed my life)

~

This list is not in any way comprehensive.

It will change over time.

These were the ones that jumped out at me.

I would love to see yours.

~

cathy

~

What do you think of this format?

The black was not well recieved.

so....

This is what I think about the new template...
the black is striking but it is not me.
so......
look for a new template and a blog later on today.
cathy

a gallery of sunrises....

taken from the window of our suite.

~

God puts on this miraculous show

early every morning

to remind us of His greatness...

as if we need reminding.

~

"The young lions roar for their prey,

seeking their food from God.

When the sun rises,

they steal away and lie down in their dens."

Psalm 104: 21 ~ 22

trip to florida

osteen's - st augustine
518 top floor (it's the best)
hanging over the st. john's river
99 degrees
the cottages
"i think i just saw some manatees"
shrimp franchese
no more egg rolls
sleeping in the afternoon
dv suite
turtles and huge gold fish
"please go buy yourself a new purse"
half price vietre ~ taupe
an incredible view of the ocean
birthplace of the blue angels
original cheesecake w/ fresh strawberries
the long-legged crane who came to visit
Safe Harbor ~ Mayport
avonlea antiques on phillips highway

I found this verse early today while reading my Bible....
"Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of His godly ones."
Psalm 116:15

Precious to God is our death?
Must be
really something
to look forward to
when we cross over from this life
into eternity.

cathy

so hard to get there from here

it flips open
it has a large screen on the front
with bigger letters and numbers
so that I can see who's calling without my glasses.

yes, I got a new cell phone today!
i asked for the most basic model....
i only need to make and receive calls.
i am taking the user guide to florida with me tomorrow
and will diligently pursue becoming totally familiar with how to use it.
yea...we'll see. (i can never understand user manuals)

Yes, we are going to Florida.
Bubba thinks I need a break and a rest and
I kinda agree with him.
My only regret is that I have stacks on my desk that need to be dealt with
and my floors need cleaning....
but hey, all of that will be here when I return.

I love this about knowing God...
truly,
certainly,
astoundingly,
astonishingly,
our fellowship is with God.

Enoch walked with God, and if we are truly Christian,
we should be walking with God,
speaking to Him,
knowing He is there speaking to us,
delighting to praise Him,
anxious to know Him more and more. Life in Christ MLJ

I find this passage to be most profound.
It is what my heart wants more than anything else,
but I find it so hard to get there from here.
cathy

hot nights and hotter days

This house has been hot for almost a week now.
The air conditioning repair man was here all afternoon....
he left and has returned and is still outside.
I am just now beginning to be able to breathe.

We have been spending the hot nights at the beach and then returning early to get to our chores.

For the last two weeks there has hardly been time for me to draw a breath.
I have not been in God's word on a regular basis.
What happens?
That sweet fellowship with Him ebbs away,
I am less able to cope with the daily cares,
I forget to bring every thought captive,
and I become a general mess.

Today I made sure that I was getting back where I belong in His word.
I took my Bible
and my notebook
and my pens and markers and glasses
and the two other study books that I am reading
and went over to the new library across the street.

I was looking forward to sitting in the cool for two or three hours reading and studying.

When I got there the sign on the door read,
"Closed on Monday."

"Those who love Thy word have great peace
and nothing causes them to stumble." Psalm 119:165

a thief in the afternoon

Yesterday afternoon on the way to the third funeral visitation of the week

Amanda said this to me......

~

"I have an intense desire to stop at one of these old abandoned houses

that are surrounded by these big blue beautiful hydrangeas and pick a bouquet.....

but I would never have have the nerve to do it."

~

That was all I needed to hear.

On the way home we did stop

and while she idled the car

I jumped out with scissors and cut a bunch or two.

The results are pictured above.

~

Amanda is back in Lanexa with a very sick little Eli headed to the doctor.

It looks like strep.

I am so sorry.

~

Our air has been out most of this past week.

We thought it was fixed yesterday, but by this morning it was gone again. It will not be fixed now until Monday and it is too muggy to sleep with the windows open. At least we are renting and the landlord will have to pay to fix it because.....

~

THE TRANSMISSION

IN BUBBA'S VAN

QUIT WORKING

YESTERDAY

TO THE TUNE OF $3,000.

~

All that to say this....

We are heading to the beach condo,

to get cool,

to walk on the beach,

to view my much loved ocean,

and to sleep cool.

You know I love it!

c

and so I will continue

On Monday evening I was writing about thinking as God thinks.
The passage that I quoted was in our Sunday bulletin a few weeks ago and I was intrigued.
It struck me as profound.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus asks a simple question....
"Why do you worry?"

Jesus says and I paraphrase...."The birds, the flowers, and the grass do not toil or spin, why do you?"

And then He tells us to
consider the lilies,
watch the birds and
gaze upon the grass of the field.

Consider means to think logically, to observe, to draw your deduction from.

If God takes such care to provide for these small things that are here today and gone tomorrow, how much more does he care about us?

He closes the verse with this stunning statement:

"O ye of little faith."

Faith, if you like, can be defined as this:
It is a man insisting upon thinking as God thinks
when everything seems determined to bludgeon and knock him down in an intellectual sense.

The trouble with the person of little faith is that,
instead of controlling his own thought,
his thought is being controlled by something else.
He goes round and round in circles.

That is the essence of worry.
That is not thought,
that is the absense of thought,
a failure to think. (Martin Lloyd-Jones gets the credit for this.)

"Consider the lilies......"

a long life

The family said goodbye to Aunt Dottie today.
She was laid to rest surrounded by those who loved her
in the midst of stunningly beautiful flowers
on a sun-filled morning
with the children running around in their Sunday best.....
We watched her body being given back to the earth.

Afterwards we fellowshipped together over a meal remarking on how much Dottie would have enjoyed being there with us laughing and eating.

Her love and generosity will not soon be forgotten.
Thank you God for allowing her to be a part of our family....

The only hope in death is Christ Jesus!

"Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall commend Your works to another
and shall declare Your mighty acts.

On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works,
I will meditate.

They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of Your righteousness."

Psalm 145: 3 ~ 7

goodbye aunt dottie

Last evening as I was writing my blog Bubba's cell phone rang.
It was the nursing home....
our much-loved Aunt Dottie had just passed away.

Abruptly I stopped writing and we headed to Azalealand.
One is never prepared to come face to face with death.
There she lay, her life at it's end....calm and peaceful....no struggle, no more pain.
Together Bubba and I remembered our friend and the good times we had shared.

Not ready to let her go, but not wanting to watch her suffer anymore,
we said goodbye and went out into the gathering night.

Some things I remember...... Aunt Dottie

going to visit you in North Carolina tobacco country
pig pickins
your delicious strawberry garden
the tobacco sheds
picking suppernongs at Emma's house
sitting around that big round table in your kitchen
how much you loved Jake and Eli and Lucy and Harry
you always saying I love you as I closed your door
eating crab au gratin with you at Johnny Harris'
how you couldn't wait to open your gifts
how you liked to eat your dessert right after supper
that you loved me as your own....

All of us who loved you are gathering to say goodbye.
It was most lovely to have known and loved you.

Cathy