thanksgiving at the beach

It was a glorious day.

I spent the morning and the afternoon on the beach.

The weather was balmy.

The kids were in the pool every day...all day.

Our rental company heated it for us for free for the week.

The seven are on the balcony off of the kitchen.

This balcony was in the front of the house.

I, of course, put out a sign...

Give Thanks!

We set our eat time at 12:30.

Amanda and I had done most of the cooking the day before.

We ordered our turkey and dressing from Kenny B's,

a really good restaurant on the island.

Here is a picture of David carving the bird.

Below is a picture of how he arranged it on the platter.

Best arrangement ever!

Y'all, I carried all of my Thanksgiving decorations and my orange plates.

I had lots of candles.

It was fun decorating the house.

Very festive.

We arranged all of the side dishes on the kitchen island.

We really had a feast!

It was so amazingly good.

Everyone enjoyed!

Kenny stuffed the dressing inside of the turkey.

That was a first for me.

We had...

Sweet Potatoe Casserole.

Red Rice,

Green Beans,

 Cranberry Congealed Salad,

Mac & Cheese.

Pineapple Bake.

and, of course, Yeast Rolls.

Mark made us two delicious Pumpkin Pies,

and Kenny B gave us an amazingly delicious Apple Pie with our order.

Archie ate that turkey leg down to the bone,

and everything else on his plate too.

His granddaddy also loved to eat a turkey leg on Thanksgiving.

🦃

"In all things give thanks,

 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

I Thessalonians 5:18

 

my facebook post for today...

This year I spent Thanksgiving at the beach with our precious family.

Even though Bubba was not with us.

 we felt him close.

I think he was smiling down on us

and cheering us on, 

as we run the race to the finish line,

 and get to be with him again.

💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙❤️

@Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

🏖

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

I am just home from the most wonderful week with all of our family.

We had a great big beach house just steps from the ocean.

I have lots of pictures to share later,

but first I must unpack and rest.

We decided to get away and do something different for Thanksgiving.

We have experienced such a great loss this year.

Bubba is missed every moment;

but I know he was smiling at all of the love he left behind.

Perfect in all ways!

💙 

Thank You Lord for this blessing and for our family!

 

happy thanksgiving

"But God, 

who is rich in mercy, 

because of His great love with which He loved us,

 even when we were dead in sins, 

made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 

and raised us up together, 

and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

 that in the ages to come

 He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us

 in Christ Jesus."

Ephesians 2: 4 ~ 7

In Christ Jesus,

Cathy

 

mourning into dancing

I thought I would share this picture I took yesterday.

It is a perfect example of the way sunlight bounces off of a window

(as per my last blog post).

I am constantly on the lookout for beauty,

"Glimpses of heaven" I call them.

I got up super early this morning.

I think a "three" was still the first number on my clock.

I knew I was done sleeping.

I have a lot on my mind and I needed to get on up and get to work.

My gas logs are up and running again.

It is finally cool enough for me to enjoy them.

There is nothing like a fire in the fireplace early in the morning while I'm reading God's word!

Ever since Bubba died I have been in the Psalms.

When I get to the end, chapter 150, I start over again.

I cannot tell you what this has done for me.

Reading the Psalms soothes my soul.

It has revived me...

brought me back to life.

This verse...

"You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness."

Psalm 30:11

I'm doing a bit more dancing and I'm so thankful for the gladness He has put in my heart. 

God is good all the time!

My heart is full of the joy of the Lord!

❤️

 

And, most importantly,

never ever, ever give up hope!

💕

 

when life gives you lemons ~ make lemon pie

I ended up with 10 viable lemons on the big lemon tree.

There were zero lemons on the small lemon tree.

I now have fertilizer for the coming year.

They never got fed last year.

I know where, how, and how much to apply to the soil surrounding these beauties.

I'm hoping that they will produce bountifully next year.

Yesterday I picked the first prize.

It was as big as a grapefruit.

I think I let it stay on the limb a little too long.

From one lemon I got half a cup of juice...

enough to make one lemon pie.

They are so fragrant and pungent!

Nothing like home grown.

🍋

My faithful family came over yesterday for supper.

They love this pie and were quite excited to gobble it up.

These lemon trees are part of Granddaddy's legacy,

We dedicated the pie to him and wished he was here to enjoy it with us.

Tablescape...

It's beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving!

These holidays are so hard for me.

I feel Bubba's loss so deeply when we are all gathered and he is not a part.

Thankfully, God's love is greater than all of the sorrow.

His grace and His mercy hold me up and keep me going.

🧡

 

i shall not want

This picture hangs in my house.

I love it!

I ❤️ the 23rd Psalm.

The Lord is my shepherd!

These notes from my Hebrew-Greek study Bible are precious to me.

"This Psalm was written by David during a time when he was fleeing from  King Saul.

He had been wandering from place to place.

He was in exile from his own people and constantly living among strangers, even enemies.

His life was continually being threatened.

This Psalm is an outpouring of David's confidence in the Lord,

 and trust in His care for him in every moment of his life, even to death.  

With God's loving care and concern there could be no reason to fear even before his enemies.

 We can well imagine, from the imagery, 

that David's thoughts had returned to the secure time of his boyhood

 when he himself was a shepherd who totally cared for his sheep 

and in whom his sheep had complete trust. 

What a vivid, comforting thought for him to conceive of the Lord as his Shepherd 

and then to sum up the whole thought of the Psalm with the words, 

"I SHALL NOT WANT." 

The thought is just as vivid and comforting today for Christians who, 

in the midst of the turmoil and frustrations of life, 

 fully understands the 

"THE LORD IS HIS SHEPHERD" 

also and therefore, 

"HE SHALL NOT WANT." "

Oh to trust God like David did.

He was a man after God's own heart.

❤️

Get your Bible and read Psalm 23.

Read it more than once.

Think about what it says.

It is a real blessing for your soul!

 

erika & lu

Erika makes bread for me most every week.

It is delicious toasted ~ I eat it with my soup every day.

Almost three years ago now,

 a biopsy discovered a cancer on my tongue.

The radiation that followed destroyed my saliva glands and my taste buds.

There is no hope for any improvement.

It is what it is!

Eating is no longer a joy...it's more like something I have to do to stay alive.

I am so thankful that there are a few foods that I can tolerate and even look forward to eating.

Erika's bread is one of those treats.

Thank You!

🍞

Lucy loves to get in the kitchen and cook.

I heard from David that she was making me a surprise.

The surprise was waiting for me in my seat at church on Sunday morning,

I have always loved chocolate-dipped orange slices.

She made these for me to try.

🧡

To cook for someone is a way to show love.

My family takes such good care of me.

I like to cook for them as well.

It makes me happy.

I memorized this verse for yesterday's Bible study.

(It was nice because I already knew it)

"Train up a child in the way he should go;

even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6

🧡

 

our great God loves us so much

I take my comfort from the great and mighty God we serve.

He is at work revealing His plan...

the plan that He set in motion before the foundation of this world was established.

Nothing is out of His perfect will.

God is sovereign.

Jesus has paid the price for our salvation by the shedding of His blood on the cross.

We are securely "IN CHRIST."

God's Spirit is at work in the hearts of all that belong to Him.

We have "HIS WORD" to reveal His truth.

He has granted to us by His divine power everything we need for life and godliness.

Daily He loads us up with benefits.

Nothing escapes His notice.

He could come for us any day now.

There is no reason to be afraid of any terrors. 

In Christ, we have nothing to fear.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,

that WHOEVER believeth in Him 

shall not perish but have everlasting life."

John 3:16

❤️

 

tybee island

Enjoy this stunning aerial view of Tybee Island ~ North end 

 by Stephen Snyder Productions.

This is my happy place.

Our condo is just out of the picture on the right side.

I have walked this beach so many times.

I call this spot the convergence...

the place where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Savannah River.

It's a tiny little piece of paradise.

I'm thinking of maybe moving in down there but what would I do with all of my stuff?

I think I could live quite happily there.

The simple life!

I just want to share these verses with you that have helped me so much in these last years 

with my cancer and Bubba's death.

My intention every day is to wake with these words on my mind,

 to remember them all day long,

and to think about them as drift off to sleep.

Applying these truths can change your life.

"Rejoice always;

pray without ceasing;

in everything give thanks;

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5: 16 ~ 18.

❤️

 

this makes it really real

Back in the summer some time ago,

Amanda and I went to pick out Bubba's grave marker.

Last week I received this picture...

the finished product.

Sobering, I think, to say the least.

Death is final.

Can't sugar coat it.

It hurts and hurts and hurts.

Yesterday I picked up some Chick Fil A and went to the cemetery to check it out.

I parked under a tree right by the river and ate my picnic lunch.

It is very plain and simple,

white granite from North Georgia.

No embellishment.

Just wanted to mark the spot.

 I was pleased ~ as much as one can be pleased with things such as this.

They did a good job!

This was another hurdle for me and I made it through.

Right by myself with 4 chicken nuggets and a vanilla milkshake.

Life goes on even at a burial site.

"Even so, come Lord Jesus!"

Revelation 22:20

 

fire

This morning dawned frigid.

I awoke at 4 AM and immediately pulled a second quilt over my shivering body.

It was the first really cold morning of the season.

It was nice to snuggle back in for a little more sleep,

 toasty and warm again.

When I finally rolled out of the bed,

I noticed that there was frost on the roof of the house across the street.

So, I said to myself, 

"I think I'll have my first fire this morning."

A fire and coffee and God's word and a soft cozy throw sounded absolutely wonderful.

I have gas logs.

They are controlled by a remote control.

I got all settled in,

covered up, 

coffee good and hot,

ready to start the ceremonial first fire.

I pressed the button...

no fire appeared.

It was making all the right noises but there was no flame.

I kept pressing the button,

I got a bit agitated,

I lost my patience,

I finally gave up.

I didn't cry,

the moment passed.

Then the truth dawned on me...

"I need to call someone to make my gas logs work again."

That is the continuing story of my widowed life.

Everything needs to be fixed and I cannot fix anything.

I called the man who installed them,

it will be a while before he can come because he is very busy.

Probably all they need is for me to light the pilot,

but I don't have a clue how to do that.

I will get the man who comes to teach me so that I can do it in the future.

My picture for today's blog is random.

I thought it was pretty.

I would love to sit outside around a fire that looks just like that.

🔥

Thankfully, I had Bible study this morning and a nice Mexican lunch with people I like very much.

a very sweet halloween

These kids have been instrumental in getting me through the months since their Granddaddy died.

They give me a reason to keep going,

to keep trying,

to hope,

to laugh,

to look to the future.

I will forever remember the love and compassion they have shown me.

Yesterday they came out for dinner and to help me give out my ten pounds of Halloween candy.

When Lucy came in the door,

she handed me this sunflower that she had bought for me...

She thought of me,

she knows I love flowers.

My heart overflows.

We all had fun greeting the trick or treaters from the neighborhood.

Even though they were few and far between,

there was definitely a festive air to the evening.

I made cut out cookies for dessert. 🡇

They were so good!

There is something wonderful about making something beautiful out of a ball of dough.

We took the extra ones to church this morning for snack time.

They were well received!

Of course, the key is the presentation of your goodies.

Sugar cookies in a glass cake server.

Why not?

My kinda spooky table setting.

Anyway,

we had a lovely evening,

and,

I laughed with these loved ones so hard.

I haven't laughed like that since Bubba died.

I am so thankful for laughter.

It kinda cleans out your soul.

"These words, 

which I am commanding you today,

 shall be on your heart.

And you shall teach them diligently to your sons.

And shall talk of them when you sit in your house 

and when you walk by the way 

and when you lie down

 and when you rise up." 

Deuteronomy 6: 6~7 

This is the verse that I memorized this past week.

It tells us of the importance of God's word in our daily lives.

How we should make sure to teach it to our kids and talk of it all day long.

The particular verse (these words) referred to here is Deuteronomy 6:5

"And you shall love the Lord your God 

with all your heart  

and with all your soul 

and with all your might."

🧡