A Fresh Cup of Coffee

Sunday, April 20, 2025

Scripture and a Snapshot - Victory

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners; be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" Then they remembered his words.

~Luke 24:1-8~

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed― in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

"Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

~I Corinthians 15:51-58~

He is risen! Hallelujah!

Happy Resurrection Day!

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Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Spring Season

A hodgepodge is a jumble or assortment of things that might not appear to belong together. Joyce at From This Side of the Pond hosts a weekly link-up called Wednesday Hodgepodge that is a little collection of questions for bloggers to answer just for fun and to get to know each other. I always look forward to chatting with friends over coffee, so pour a cup of your favorite and let's visit for a few minutes!

Here are this week's questions - and my answers - for this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Do you complete your own taxes? Besides actual taxes, what's something you've found taxing lately?

Yes, we do our own taxes. The first couple years we were in the USA we went to a tax preparer, and the first year after moving to a new state we went to a tax preparer. I use a tax preparation software, of course.

Something I've found very taxing lately is all my coughing spells. I guess it's something of a chronic cough at this point, because I'm no longer congested and have no other symptoms, and it is allergy season. Most of the time it's fine, but if I get started coughing it can be really hard to get under control and it's exhausting and even painful. My ribs are quite sore, in fact!

2. What are three values you treasure most in a friendship?

Loyalty is so important. Laughter and sense of humour are essential! Honesty is another essential.

3. Do you meal plan or do you mostly wing it? Share your dinner menus for this week.

I try to meal plan but I'm not very good at it. Most weeks I plan the meat dish for dinners and figure out the veggies as I go. This week I haven't had a great plan to start off, but I hope my weekend meals will make up for it! Monday is always leftover day. Tuesday I also had leftovers as hubby ate out with everyone from his work. Wednesday evening we will have "breakfast for dinner" which will be bacon and eggs. I haven't got anything specific planned for Thursday or Friday but it will be something quick and light for when we get home from church. On Saturday we are planning to have friends over for lamb and beef kebabs. (Lamb is my traditional Resurrection Sunday meal, but we're having it on Saturday instead.) Our son and his family are coming for Sunday dinner, and he asked for Country-fried steak. Not a traditional "Easter dinner" but that's what we're planning!

4. Thomas Sowell is credited as saying, 'There are no solutions, only trade-offs.' Agree or disagree? Discuss.

I love Thomas Sowell. So smart and he makes economics easy to understand and even humorous. I think I agree with this statement when it comes to finances and economics in general, because there usually aren't any "perfect" solutions to money and resource problems. It's kind of like "there's no such thing as a free lunch". Everything has a cost of some kind, and you have to decide where and how to spend and invest your resources to get the benefits that you want. The hardest part is that we don't have a lot of say in some of those decisions, like how much we pay in taxes and how those tax dollars are spent by our government.

5. What's the best perk you've enjoyed at a job?

When I managed the small batch coffee roastery, I got to take home a pound of coffee every week, and I got to drink coffee all day at work.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

I haven't been very productive since getting back from my Canadian trip. I've been fighting that cold and cough, so that's my excuse. I finally got taxes done - just under the wire again, just like every year. I always plan to get it done early in February, even if I don't actually file until later, but it's been a few years since I managed that. We did well with state and local taxes this year, but got sucker punched by federal taxes. Sigh. Taxes kind of sucks the joy out of spring, doesn't it?

In happier news, I've got a vacation house booked for a weekend in the summer for our family get-together and that was a positive thing to check off on my to-do list! That's something to look forward do a few months down the road, and coming up very soon, we're looking forward to getting together with friends and with family this weekend, and to meeting up with a cousin of mine that I haven't seen in ages next weekend.

Is it springtime where you are? We're thinking about Spring Colours at Wednesday Quotes right now, and you can join in by sharing your post with at least one quote at WQ - The Colours of Spring.

I'm sharing in this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Fresh Cup of Coffee helps continue the coffee breaks and conversation. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

WQ - The Colours of Spring

When I think of the colours of springtime, green is first, of course. The buds on the trees, and the grass greening up, and the leaves of the daffodils and tulips that poke up before the flowers themselves. But green is just the beginning! All the pastel and bright shades of spring flowers, the blue skies, and since April showers are needed for May flowers, rainbows bring spring colours as well.

The naked earth is warm with Spring,

And with green grass and bursting trees

Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,

And quivers in the sunny breeze.

~Julian Grenfell

Spring comes: the flowers learn their colored shapes. ~Maria Konopnicka

Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil. ~Reginald Heber

Beautiful as a dandelion-blossom golden in the green grass, this life can be. ~Edna St. Vincent Millay

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills

When all at once I saw a crowd

A host of golden daffodils

Beside the lake beneath the trees

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

~William Wordsworth

The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also. ~Harriet Ann Jacobs

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Wednesday Quotes is a bi-weekly opportunity for bloggers to share their writing, poetry, photos, or stories inspired by our theme. We've chosen the themes as a starting point for your creativity, and the only requirement is that your post include at least one related quote. Feel free to combine or "double-dip" with other writing or photo challenges as well. Of course, we'd appreciate a link back to us, if you'd be so kind. Add your link and please visit others and leave a comment! The link is open for two weeks.

Thanks to Marsha at Always Write for introducing us to the Wednesday Quotes challenge, and for passing the hosting duties along so we can continue sharing great quotes! Wednesday Quotes is co-hosted by Kym at A Fresh Cup of Coffee and Sadje at Keep It Alive.

Quoting reminds me there are other people in the world besides only me.

And other thoughts besides mine, and other ways of thinking.

~Gregory Maguire~

Wednesday Quotes 2025 Themes

January 8 - Planning Ahead/Setting Goals

January 22 - Winter Sleep

February 5 - Love Inspires Us

February 19 - Staying Balanced

March 5 - First Impressions

March 19 - Looking After Yourself

April 2 - Competition

April 16 - Spring Colours

April 30 - Morning Routines

May 14 - Memorable Vacations

May 28 - Telling Your Stories

June 11 - Summer Fun

June 25 - Patriotism

July 9 - Hobbies

July 23 - Being Adventurous

August 6 - Spirituality

August 20 - Writing Letters

September 3 - Chocolate

September 17 - Making and Keeping Promises

October 1 - Autumn/Another Spring

October 15 - Daily Bread

October 29 - Night Skies/Stargazing

November 12 - Good Manners

November 26 - Celebrating Holidays

December 10 - Winter Wonderland

December 24 - Holiday Memories

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Sunday, April 13, 2025

Scripture and a Snapshot - A Mighty One Who Will Save

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter of Jerusalem!

The LORD your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.

~Zephaniah 3:14, 17~

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As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away."

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

"Say to Daughter Zion,

'See, your king comes to you,

gentle and riding on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

"Hosanna to the Son of David!"

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

"Hosanna in the highest heaven!"

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?"

The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant.

"Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him.

"Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read,

"'From the lips of children and infants

you, Lord, have called forth your praise'?"

~Matthew 21:1-11, 14-16~

Thank you for joining Scripture & A Snapshot. Leave a link to your own post sharing a Scripture and a Snapshot. Take time to visit some of the other links and bless each other with comments.

I also link up at the Sweet Tea & Friends Monthly Link-up Party hosted by Grace-Filled Moments

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Saturday, April 12, 2025

Tell Us About . . . Seasonal Changes: The Seasons of Parenting

This month the bloggers participating in the Tell Us About blogging challenge have chosen the theme "Changing Seasons". Right away I remembered something I'd written a couple of years ago that focused on how the different stages of parenting could be viewed as seasons. I've updated it a little bit to share today, and I invite you to reflect on these changing seasons with me.

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Just as we can observe seasonal changes in nature, there are changing seasons in parenting and the life of the family. An overarching seasonal development as children move from infancy through the growing up years until eventually they leave home as adults. And although their leaving home might feel as cold and bleak as a bare tree in winter sometimes, it can also be seen as the beginning of a new cycle of seasons.

I think there are also seasons throughout the various stages of parenting, on a smaller scale. At different stages of development, kids prepare for next steps and start out with something new, then flourish and thrive with the new skills or maturity, and perhaps new freedoms or independence that they earn. But a time of letting go usually follows that independence, as parents must step back and let kids be on their own. This can definitely feel like an autumn or even wintery season. During some winter seasons in the cycle, there's a period of quiet and rest where not much seems to be happening, but that rest may be necessary for the next round of learning and blossoming.

Let us acknowledge the LORD;

let us press on to acknowledge him.

As surely as the sun rises,

he will appear;

he will come to us like the winter rains,

like the spring rains that water the earth.

~Hosea 6:3~

Looking back, I can see many times when one of my kids had hit their stride in whatever new thing they were learning, or in finding out something about their purpose and what made them unique. Exciting times, to be sure! A five-year-old learns to read; a middle schooler falls in love with a sport or hobby that brings out their best; a high schooler makes decisions about a college or career path that is the perfect fit. And a young adult makes a choice of mate and sets out on their own. Times of great growth for them and for me as a parent. I'm not much of a gardener, but it's not unlike the pleasure of seeing the trees bud and the tulips come up and the roses bloom. I may have tended the garden, but the growth is not really my doing.

But the next stages often held some bittersweet. Once my little ones could read on their own, that meant a little less time spent on my lap requesting stories. When that young teen was delighting in music lessons or playing on a sports team or creating art, nurturing the interest and talent meant my time and money was being stretched. When the older teen started pursuing their goals and dreams, that also cost time and money, and inevitably would take them off on their own. Rather like the bold colors and crisp air of autumn. Exhilarating and beautiful, but a reminder that the season will soon change, and those leaves will drop. It's a time to do a bit of cleaning, and to prepare and protect for the next season.

Everything has seasons, and we have to be able to recognize when something's time has passed and be able to move into the next season. Everything that is alive requires pruning as well, which is a great metaphor for endings. ~Henry Cloud

Be glad, people of Zion,

rejoice in the LORD your God,

for he has given you the autumn rains

because he is faithful.

He sends you abundant showers,

both autumn and spring rains, as before.

~Joel 2:23~

The winter seasons are harder to define. And less predictable than weather cycles. But no matter how good and healthy the family dynamic, there are times when kids and young adults need their space and the atmosphere can feel chilly. Or it may seem as if nothing is growing and changing, but bare and dormant. Be patient and wise. Sometimes that frosty layer is protecting the growth happening underneath, and it will surprise you just like the crocuses and daffodils that seem to burst out overnight in the springtime. Keep the walkways cleared of snow so communication can continue, and wait on the Lord's timing.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

~James 5:7-8~

Nature gives to every time and season unique beauty; from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it's just a succession of changes so soft and comfortable that we hardly notice the progress. ~Charles Dickens

For me, the seasons have definitely changed again since I originally wrote this, and keep changing! And I find that I can't wholly agree with Mr. Dickens. The changes have not been soft or comfortable! I'm not too sure what season I'm in right now, but perhaps it's still springtime after a very stormy winter. The first 'frost' of our decision in late 2022 to take a job that would move us - the parents - away from our adult kids came suddenly and the cold was biting. We were the ones uprooted and transplanted, and usually it's the mature trees that remain and the shoots that are moved to grow to full maturity elsewhere. It was a shock to our systems, but we needed to practice trusting the Master Gardener to know what he is doing. The young trees we left behind are thriving, and we older trees had the job of acclimating and getting reestablished. Rather than fight the season and situation we found ourselves in, we had to bloom where we were planted and we have learned that we can flourish and be productive wherever we find ourselves.

White waiting for things to change, don't be discontent with where you are. Learn to enjoy the season that you're in. ~Joel Osteen

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

~Galatians 6:9~

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This article first appeared as Seasonal Changes in February 2023, and was adapted from an earlier article on Homeschool Coffee Break in February 2022,

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Tell Us About . . . is a monthly opportunity for bloggers to showcase their creativity. Each month one of the co-hosts will choose the word to focus on. On the third Thursday of every month we'll respond to the prompt "Tell Us About ---" which could be absolutely anything. And how we respond is also wide open. It could be a blog post with our opinions or reminscences; a poem, photos, a short story or whatever takes your fancy―it could even be a mix of all these! This month's theme, chosen by Marsha at Marsha in the Middle , is "Seasonal Changes"

This post is linked at Deb's World

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Thursday, April 10, 2025

Everyday Images #59

Welcome to another installment of my challenge and reminder to myself to take photos somewhat regularly. I'm not a photographer, but I enjoy taking everyday photos of things I find interesting or want to remember later, and I find that I notice interesting things when I'm intentionally watching for them. Having some prompts that are open to interpretation has helped me pay a little more attention to what's around me. Every two weeks I have a few words and phrases that I'm focusing on, and I try to find opportunities to take pictures of these things each week.

**Everyday Images will be every other THURSDAY instead of Tuesday from now on.**

March/April Prompts - Everyday Images #59

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travel

handmade

architecture

gather

sparkling

doorway (quarterly)

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travel

handmade

architecture - bridge at Covington, Kentucky, where apparently the river is a LOT higher right now! Or was on the weekend anyway. I took this photo from my hotel room the last weekend in March.

gather

sparkling - Now usually I only share a selfie when it's one of my prompts, but this one showing part of my costume for the Sweet Adelines regional had some sparkly elements.

doorway (quarterly) - there is quite literally nothing of interest at my door right now. I keep meaning to put my welcome sign for spring and summer on the door but it isn't done yet. We've got these two little tulips off to the side, so this pic will have to suffice.

And a few bonus photos:

This is the dulcimer I got from my aunt. I've wanted one for the longest time and she gave me the one she bought in the Ozarks decades ago. Now I have to learn to play!

This Canada Goose was standing guard above the door when I arrived at work on Tuesday.

I am sharing my photos every other Thursday, along with my prompts for the next two weeks. You can use all or some of the prompts for your own photo posts, or none of the prompts and just link up a post featuring your photos. Simple rules: Your posts must be family-friendly; the photos must be your own; and the post must be mostly photos. If you do share I'd appreciate a mention and link to A Fresh Cup of Coffee on your post.

**Everyday Images will be every other THURSDAY instead of Tuesday from now on.**

Everyday Images will continue in 2025, every other Thursday, and the link-up is open for two weeks.

April Prompts - Everyday Images #60

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at home (monthly)

flowers

looking up

pause

inside and/or outside

on my plate (quarterly)

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