God has given each of you a gift from His great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God Himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
1 Peter 4:10-11
It all started years ago when my friend’s cat had kittens. I wanted one. Of course I did—I have never met a kitten I haven’t wanted. Mom was holding out, not agreeing to getting one of the kittens as we already had two until my friend brought the last homeless kitten over to our house. My mother took one look at that cute little face and caved. We named her Girtie and agreed that she would be my kitty; the one I would take after I moved out and got a place of my own.
Fast forward five years. I was newly married, settled into our first apartment, and ready to bring Girtie to my house. I called mom to tell her that I would be picking Girtie up that weekend and mom was “less” than excited. She protested that she loved Girtie—I reminded her that she could come visit Girtie who was, after all, always supposed to be my kitty. Mom relented and I brought Girtie to her new home.
Being a five year old cat at this point, Girtie was a little slow to adjust; she meowed constantly and stayed mostly to herself the first few days, not venturing out and exploring her new home much. I made the mistake of telling my mother this and mom insisted that Girtie was not happy and should be brought back home to her house. I told her I thought Girtie was slowly adjusting but it did seem like mom wasn’t happy . . . should I take Girtie back? My question was answered when I saw pictures of some kittens that her friend had—they were 6 weeks old and in need of a home.
Girtie was returned and my husband and I went to pick out our new cat. There was just one problem—how were we supposed to pick just one?!? There was this adorable and sweet kitty with a miniature lightning bolt on his little nose, but then there was this really pretty light gray kitty with white marking on her face and a fiery little personality. We picked the one with the lightning bolt on his nose. We made it to the car. Then we stopped—was this the right decision? I kept remembering the delicate markings on the sweet face of the little light gray kitty. We turned around and told the owner we wanted her too! Thus, Jester and Trixie came home to live with us.
I think of that now and I don’t know how we ever made it to the car the first time without our little Trixie. She has such a big personality and has established herself as queen over the other furry residents in our house—namely her brother, Jester, and our dog, Rosie. Trixie keeps everyone in check. She makes us laugh and brings so much joy to our lives. Even though in the grand scheme of things Trixie may be just a cat (don’t tell her that!) I cannot imagine only having one kitty. Can you relate?
How marvelous is it that the God of the universe thought the same thing about us! The world was ticking right along with how many billions of people on it and yet God thought that the world wasn’t complete. So He created you too! He could have shrugged it off, thought about how many other millions of little babies He had breathed life into just that day and let it go—but He didn’t. He thought about how the lives of the people you love would be that much poorer, that much grayer, without the joy that you unwittingly bring just by being you!
It’s easy to think we don’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things. Easy to think of the times when we’ve needed help from others, easy to think that we are such an inconvenience at times to others. When it seems like everything is going wrong it is easy to ask what our significance even is here on this earth.
We won’t know always know. When it comes right down to it we are just billions of insignificant people doing this significant thing called life. We can never know all the ways in which we affect and touch other’s lives, but what we do know is God created us for a reason, and the world just wouldn’t be the same without you or me.
Who were you put here to bless? What mission on this earth were you specifically designed for? What spiritual gifts has He blessed you with; don’t say none! Who cannot imagine their life without you? Think of them. Then think of others that mean the world to you. Thank God for them every day, and then go see how you can be a blessing to those closest to you today.
Hey! May I Send You Something?
If you are here, chances are you just might like my writing. (wink) If you Drop your email address in the box below I’ll save you time by emailing you the link every time a new post comes out!
Do your reading tastes change with the seasons? While I can enjoy a great piece of historical fiction anytime of year, fall is always when I start wanting something a little spookier- it’s the spooky time of year after all right? While I’m a wimp when it comes to scary I do like something slightly eerie! Mysteries are usually where I turn for that spine tingling spookiness! Below are several historical fiction mysteries, some a little spooky, others not so much, but all were book I really enjoyed and if you decide to pick them up I hope that you enjoy them too!
Murder on Astor Place by Victoria Thompson
A young girl is found dead in her rented room, and it appears she was pregnant…. Sarah Brandt is a widow, who has now taken over her dead husband’s medical practice, effectively casting her out of polite society. She knows she shouldn’t get too wrapped up in the death of this girl, but the girl bears an uncanny likeness to one of Sarah’s childhood friends- and thus she find herself trying to put the pieces together in what looks like a murder case. As always I one of my main criteria for judging how good a book is, is weather it keeps my interest- forget the deep literary meat of a book until that first box has been checked! This book definitely checked that box! Set in New York in the late 1800s/early 1900s, Murder on Astor Place, is not only a good mystery but also good historical fiction- we learn a lot about the corruption among the police that was happeneing at this time.
Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
This is an oldie but it is still good! The main character is so peppy and delightful she will have you laughing to yourself the whole way through this book. Amelia Peabody is the heiress of a large fortune. She has always wanted to see the world and has decided to do some extended travel to visit parts of Egypt, she is fascinated by archeology! Finding it lonely to travel alone she hires a companion to accompany her, a young woman named Evelyn, who feels that she has a few skeletons in her personal closet, but Amelia Peabody is unconcerned about this. The two women find themselves at an archeological dig when odd things start occurring, for instance a walking breathing mummy! Amelia is sure there has to be a reasonable explanation for this, but a reasonable explanation may prove even more frightening than a mummy that has come back to live! Who could be trying to scare them? Why? To what lengths will whoever go to to frighten Amelia and Evelyn?
The Anatomist’s Wife by Anna Lee Huber
Set in Scotland in the late 1830s Lady Kiera Darby finds herself precariously implicated when a woman is found dead on her sister’s and brother-in-law’s estate during a large party they were hosting. She is implicated, not because of anything she has done, but rather because of what she used to do- paint detailed diagrams of cadavers for a book her late husband had hopes of publishing to enhance his medical career. Since those days Lady Darby has been an outcast. Now everyone but her sister and brother-in-law believe her possible of the crime. The medical examiner is on his way to investigate the case- Lady Darby has 3 days to prove her innocence or most likely be found guilty of murder.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
You’ve no doubt heard of this one before ( I talked about it in my post: why I challenged myself in my reading life last year) but this is a small town southern mystery/coming of age story with a strong female heroine. The man who was the star quarterback in highschool is found dead at the bottom of the water tower- did he fall, or was he pushed to his death? Kya is known as the marsh girl, abandoned by her family she has raised herself in the swamplands of Georgia. Who else could be to blame but this girl who is an outsider in her own town?
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
Set in the library in New York this story follows of a fictional family who lives in the library’s upper apartment, in 1913. The story contrasts between then, and the 1990’s where we meet the granddaughter of this family, and who also works in the library. In 1913 we meet Laura Lyons whose husband in charge of the Library. Laura is feeling stifled and has decided to finally pursue her dream of becoming a journalist- a resolution that will be put to the test as life becomes strenuous as precious volumes begin to disappear from the library. The Lyon’s family may be out on the street if they are not able to stop the books from isappearing, and fast! Fast forward to 1993 and Sadie Donovan is experiencing the same problem as as rare manuscripts and books start disappearing from the library’s valuable Berg Collection. Sadie begins to investigate and ends up learning a lot more about her family- and herself- than she had originally bargained for.
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.
Isaiah 41:16 NIV
Have you ever been around chickens—I mean more than just at dinner time? We had chickens while I was growing up and my parents still keep chickens today which makes things a little more difficult when they go on vacation. This summer they took an extended vacation which meant they needed their one and only daughter—their favorite daughter—to come to their house several times a week to gather eggs, and to feed and water the chickens.
Chickens are rather silly creatures. If you have never spent time around them you probably don’t think they can provide much entertainment, but that is where you would be wrong. I opened the gate to their coop and 13 hens and a large rooster came barreling out, flapping their wings, and making their little chicken noises. The chickens tend to stay in a large group until something scares them—a leaf, a shadow, a loud noise—then they take off running, none of them know where to, just away from whatever startled them. Since they are pretty skittish, the hens generally give you a wide berth, and this particular rooster generally leaves you alone unless he feels you are threatening “his” hens.
When it came time to feed them, all of the chickens would pause and warily eye me as I walked over to the large metal trash can that houses their food. Hearing their food bag crinkle, they would come trotting over and I would toss them a handful of food. That is when the rooster acts like he is the boss. Seeing the food fall to the ground, he would start a gurgling clucking sound, alerting the hens to the fact that there was food available. If they were not close by, the hens come running. I laughed at the rooster; there I was giving them the food and he acted like he’s the one who found the food—claiming all the glory for himself!
Everything was all well and good until I started to walk over to get the garden hose to refill the water. I noticed the rooster looking at me in that suspicious way roosters do before they decide you are a threat: part in nonchalance—head turned looking out of the corner of their eye, the other part so focused you know they are watching your every move. I was not between him and the hens so I didn’t think he should feel threatened but I gave him a wider berth anyway. It didn’t matter. He came running at me with his neck feathers raised and he kicked me!
You may not be aware that rather than pecking you, roosters typically kick their attacker. They jump, flapping their wings, and lifting their feet they kick and dig their claws into you. At the very least, they can deliver a nice welt and a bruise. I backed away and yet he still came at me. I was stuck; if I ran he would chase me and, as he was not allowing me to put space in between us, I decided to do the only other thing I could—catch him when he jumped at me! He jumped and I stuck my arms out to grab him. He ended up hitting my hands and bouncing back from me but it was enough—he left me alone! I then escaped to the house to call my parents to tell mom that her “nice” rooster had just kicked me!
Thinking about the chickens though made me realize once again how much the animal and natural world reflect the spiritual world. How often do we act towards God the way that rooster acted towards me? God showers us with blessings and just like the rooster with the food, we act like it was all our doing—as if we had total control bringing the good event to fruition.
Like the rooster kicking me when I was trying to get the hose to give them life-giving water, we eye God suspiciously when He is doing something new in our lives. We know He has taken care of us and yet when something new comes our way, when we hear Him calling us to do something we don’t want to do, we act like the rooster. We kick, we fight, we throw a tantrum. We get in the way of Him giving us the very thing we need. Just as the chickens don’t know that water is contained in that big, scary, green, garden hose; we don’t know what is on the other side of our comfort zone.
The rooster ended up behaving after that incident. He didn’t try to kick me again, and he was generally well behaved for the rest of the time I was housesitting. It didn’t take his little pea brain long to figure out that I was on the same side with him and the hens. Do we learn that quickly with God? Do we show even less faith and trust than a chicken?
P.S. Don’t forget if you like seeing these posts here, join me over on Pinterest or Instagram to see more encouragement pop up in your daily feeds! I can always be found @Essentiallyemmamarie. Thank you in Advance!
I love summer but fall is just about here and the fun of fall decorating does lessen the sting of summer’s passing! There is such cute, fun decor out there this year. Honestly though, I love every season. I love fall. I love the colors in nature. I love the crisp evenings; they are perfect for having campfires. And most of all, I love the coziness associated with this season—give me a cup of hot Chai tea, pass the blanket and let me curl up with my book!
Here are decor trends that are hot this season!
· Colors: Greens, blues, creams, and rusts are all popular colors this season, especially sage and emerald greens. Also popular this year are navy, deep teal, and sky blue, along with rust, dusty rose, and dark peach.
· Neutrals: Tans, creams, whites, as well as sage greens and deep navy pumpkins are trending this fall.
· Greenery: Bring in the colors I mentioned above with dried or fresh eucalyptus or other greens. Drape them along mantles, in baskets, to fill out vignettes, or use greenery in your centerpieces.
· Texture: Lots and lots of texture! Wheat, braided jute pumpkins, concrete pumpkins—you name it, it is in!
· Golds: Gold, rose gold, brass and rust. These are the tones we will be seeing pop up over and over again this fall season!
Try Making a Fall Vignette
I just mentioned some popular decor items and hopefully that got your wheels turning thinking of how you could play with some fun fall décor, but in case you’re stuck—try making a vignette!
You can make a vignette for the centerpiece on your dining room table, squeeze a pumpkin into your kitchen decor, or create a vignette on an entryway table. Don’t forget to add some fall touches to your mantle, and if you have a piano, to your piano too!
Fall Flowers
We usually start to get a few frosts here in Pennsylvania by the time October rolls around. In my mind, that means it’s safe to get rid of any flowers I’ve had in pots on my porch or patio. To help things not feel as stark, I like to get a few mums or pumpkins. I especially love using dried flowers for my indoor decorating at this time of year. If you don’t want to invest annually, a cute fall sign can help to warm up an empty entryway or porch. Speaking of warming things up, try incorporating an outdoor throw blanket into your porch decor!
Candles
The first thing I think of when I think of fall is cozy, warm lighting; fires in the fireplaces; candles … candles in lanterns, and, of course, jack-o-lanterns! I personally love a big lantern. I think they look great almost anywhere—beside a fireplace, next to an accent chair, a medium-sized lantern as a focal point in a vignette, and they are very welcoming outside a front door, or on an outdoor coffee table. If you already have a lantern, try adding some leaves, or a sprig or two of artificial flowers to add an additional fall touch.
Scents
Speaking of candles—the scents of fall cannot be beat! There are delicious sweet smells: pumpkin latte, apple tart, and cinnamon roll. If you are not someone who likes sweet smells filling your home (no judgement!), there are candles and essential oils that invoke scents of campfires and falling leaves.
One of my favorite candle companies is the Chestnut Hill Candle Co. They have a variety of scents—all of them delicious—and the scent really permeates your home. I dislike when a candle smells good burning but can only be smelled if you are within six inches of it. Some of our favorite candle scents for fall from this company are: White Pumpkin, Farmstead, and Coffee.
Cozy Up!
Time to pull out the softer throws—flannel, knit, or even some plush blankets! This is also one of my favorite ways to work some fall color into my decor. There are really cute fall plaids in a variety of color combinations. Just adding colors in a plaid, even if they aren’t traditional fall colors, is enough to add a touch of fall.
The other comfy, cozy touch is to switch out decorative pillows, for cute fall pillows! If you don’t want to store a bunch of bulky pillows you can get pillow covers (look on Etsy or Overstock), and that way you just have a slim cover to pack away instead of a pillow.
Music
At Christmas time we play Christmas music to get us in the mood. In the summer I hear a lot more country being played. So why not play fall music for fall? This is very subjective, I like some Michael Buble, or Sinatra, but other people like banjo or bluegrass music. Regardless of what kind of music you like, I would like to challenge you to find something that feels special to you, and to the season, and embrace it as your own special playlist to get you in the fall spirit!
Lights
Little twinkle lights are often saved for Christmas but as the days shorten I like to add a little additional brightness to my life. You can sometimes find these lights with orange bulbs. I’ll insert a strip of lights in my fall centerpiece, intertwine a strand with fall twine woven throughout my mantle or the top of my piano. Many of these have a timer setting that will come on automatically every day. I get all warm and fuzzy inside when I come home after dark and, having forgot to leave any lights on, see my little lights lighting my way. It feels like my house is welcoming me home!
Create A Cozy Nook
Do you think of curling up with some hot apple cider and a good book in the fall? Make a spot specifically dedicated to relaxing. So often we spend time creating these beautiful homes and then never make time to use them. Change that this year! Create a spot that’s so inviting you just can’t wait to curl up with your favorite things and enjoy the season. Add pillows, throws, a cute sign, or whatever else speaks comfort to you and try to take a little time for yourself to relax and enjoy the beautiful home you’ve created this autumn.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
I Corinthians 13:1-2 NIV
I hate technology. I may be the only millennial to have ever uttered those words but it is true. I do not get along with it. I am not constantly tied to my phone and I probably would not even have a Facebook page if my friend had not made me one years ago so we could easily group chat about her upcoming wedding. Why we couldn’t have had a text message group rather than a Facebook group is still an area of consternation to me but I digress…
I frequently wondered where this dislike of technology come from—my parents were fairly easy adapters to computers and such so why was I so resistant? Then one day I remembered my first interaction with a computer that to this day affects my attitude towards them.
I was about 5 years old when my daycare/pre-K got a few computers for us to play on in an effort to familiarize us with the then-new technology. We were in the playroom where the computers were along with the scooters, blocks, finger paints, and, in general, all of the fun stuff. As there were many of us, we had to be divided into groups to play with all the various toys. The teacher told us to raise our hands when she said one of the activities, however, she did not tell us beforehand what our choices were going to be. The first activity she mentioned was the computer, that sounded like fun so I raised my hand. Three of us were picked to play on the computer first. She next asked who wanted to ride the scooters, which sounded like more fun so I raised my hand again in an effort to switch my vote. The teacher said I had already raised my hand to play on the computer. I was upset—I loved the scooters and we weren’t always allowed to play on them! If I had known they were an option I would have chosen them and not the computer!
Over to the computer I went, but I kept looking at the kids on the scooters—they were riding around laughing and having much more fun than I was having. When I looked back at my computer screen there was a message box displayed. I couldn’t read very well and the teacher seemed busy so I clicked on it and it went away … like, totally away—the box, the computer game, everything. Confused, I called out to my teacher and when she came over she took one look and in an annoyed voice said, “Oh you broke it.”
She told to get out of my chair so she could try to figure out what went wrong. I remember just sitting there staring at my teacher’s back. She was at the computer a long time and I had no idea if she would be able to fix it or not. I don’t remember if there was anything else to do at the table or not; I was too upset. I had just broken one of the brand new computers and that was the first time I had ever touched a computer!
This teacher was not a particularly harsh individual. I don’t remember much about her, I don’t even remember her name, but I do remember the harsh words she spoke to me that day. Unbeknownst to her, those words colored many of my future interactions with technology. Our words have power.
I mention this not to paralyze us so that we are afraid to speak but to remind us that the Bible tells us to let all we do be done in love (I Corinthians 16:14). I Corinthians 13:1-2 says: If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
I do endeavor to speak gently and with love to those that I interact with but this is not necessarily my strong suit! (See my post about gentleness here!) I am sure that teacher had no idea that some 20 years later I would still remember the words she spoke to me—and I cannot even remember her name! Likewise, I remember compliments and other things that people have said to me in a much brighter light. A heartfelt compliment can bring a smile to the person that compliment was paid years later. Given the choice between the two, the second is the legacy I want to leave.
People will remember different things about us. Some will remember the good, some will remember the bad, most will remember a mix, the kind and unkind things we have said. Just like my teacher, we cannot control what people will remember about us. Despite our fumbling words, and despite when we say things that come out all wrong, we can pray that God will use our fumblings to still reach through us to the people that we were put on this earth to minister to. We cannot control how people perceive our words, but we can control the attitude and tone in which we speak. We can ask God to help cover everything we say and do in love because our words have the power to change a life.
Hey! May I Send You Something?
If you are here, chances are you just might like my writing. (wink) If you Drop your email address in the box below I’ll save you time by emailing you the link every time a new post comes out!
