A Fresh Cup of Coffee

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Monthly Musings - Warm Weather Destinations/Winter Travel Tips

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Time for another collection of Monthly Musings questions! Holly at Pink Lady and Patty at Good Better Best co-host this monthly sharing of tips, tricks, and conversation starters.

Here's what we're musing about this month - warm weather destinations and winter travel tips! I just wish I could travel to a warm weather destination right about now, even though it's not particularly cold here these days. A quick look down the list of questions, and I can tell you that I'm not the right person to ask about any of these! I feel like I'm pretty well-traveled within the US and Canada, but have very little travel experience other than road trips! Hopefully I'll learn something from the other participants that I can put to use on an upcoming cruise or something! I can hope!

Favorite Warm Weather Destinations: Oh, Florida, for sure! It's easy to get to, no borders to cross, and very affordable! I love everywhere in Florida we've visited so far, with the panhandle being the only area I've never been to. Now if my husband reads this, he would immediately tell me that we need to move to Florida since I love it so much. And I do love it, but I'm not ready to move that far. Let's please wait until actual retirement age before moving.

I also really enjoyed the Bahamas when we were there years ago and would love to go back. But I've never been anywhere else in the Caribbean, never been to Mexico, never been to any touristy destination in Central America, so I'm not exactly the person to ask about warm weather destinations. (I have visited Honduras, but it was on a missions trip, not a vacation.)

Packing Cubes: Yes or No? I'm obviously not a traveler. I have no idea.

Favorite Carry on? I have a Roots leather backpack that I really like for traveling in general, and it works great for carry on, because I can get everything into it I want with me and it's all easy to get to because of the outside pockets. And I think it looks a little classier than just any old backpack.

Essential Items In Your Suitcase? I'm going to be pretty basic here. Obviously the clothes and shoes and toiletries I need. I always take books, even on vacation. Even though I know I won't read them all, I want to have a choice of what to read!

Excursions, yes or no? Share your favorites: Not having been on a cruise or on many resort type vacations, I can't give much of an answer. When we have done excursions, we've always enjoyed them, and my thinking is that I want to see and try as many interesting things as possible so I would vote Yes for excursions given the opportunity.

Most Random Item You Always Pack: Tums. I don't know how random that is, but I never leave home without them. I don't nearly always need them, but when I do it will be really late at night, so if they aren't handy I won't get any sleep.

Do you use a travel agent? For the kind of vacations we've done over the past however many years, no. But now that we're empty nesters and can travel without kids, we certainly would use an agent for anything more involved than simply booking a flight.

Favorite sunscreen: I'm not fussy. Just whatever I happen to find that's reasonably priced.

Favorite Flip Flops or Sandals? I love flip flops, and used to always have a collection of really cheap ones. My favorites were a pair of Skechers and a couple pairs of Champion flip flops. As the arthritis in my knees got worse, I had to be really careful about having stable shoes with good arch support, and I found a pair of sandals that worked well. Initially I didn't even like how they looked all that much, but I needed something for summer wear. Well, they turned out to be some of the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned.

Favorite Swimsuit: I don't have a beach body and am not much of a swimmer, so no expertise here.

I bet you learned nothing from my musings, other than that I'm a wannabe traveler and not the real deal! Who knows? Maybe that will all change over the next few years and the hubster and I will start visiting some new destinations! We do have a long list of places we'd like to go - just don't have the time and money to get to them all!

What must-see warm-weather destination should be first on our list? Leave a comment and let me know!

I'm linking up with Monthly Musings hosted by Holly at Pink Lady and Patty at Good Better Best.

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©2006-2023 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/

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Wednesday, February 22, 2023

What's Up Wednesday - February 2023

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I didn't forget about What's Up Wednesday with Shaeffer & Shay this month, but I am going to try and keep it a little shorter today. I felt like I rambled a lot last month, but I suppose that's what I do most of the time . . . ramble. Unless someone interrupts me, so feel free to jump in and do that!

On the last Wednesday of each month, these two lovely bloggers host a link-up to talk a bit about what's going on in our worlds - food, entertainment, plans, fashion, work, whatever - in the What's Up Wednesday linky party.

What We're Eating This Week . . . pretty simple foods. Nothing too fancy or adventurous this week, as my husband has been fasting for some bloodwork and other medical tests. And I'm being especially picky about what I eat right now until I can get to the dentist, because I suspect I have a filling that's broken or something along that line. We did go out to dinner on Saturday and I had a really good brisket grilled cheese sandwich. I'm planning chicken parm for dinner on Friday.

Going back a little further, I tried a couple of new things - a chorizo and sweet potato skillet (very good but not as flavorful as we expected) and chicken costoletta (delicious and easy, but I got the coating a little darker than I wanted).

What I'm Reminiscing About . . . posts about the Winter Olympics have come up in my Fakebook memories quite often lately. There were several reminiscing about the games in Calgary in 1988. Not only am I old enough to remember it, we were there and attended a few events, and I'm also old enough to have been a choir member in the opening ceremonies. Very cool memories!

What I'm Loving . . . I'm still getting used to it, but I am loving having shorter hair again. I got tired of it being heavy and falling into my face, and was starting to get a lot of breakage around my temples, so I opted for a short layered cut. It does need actual styling, but it's not hanging in my eyes even when I don't style it so that's a win right now!

What We've Been Up To . . . mostly the same as last month! We've got things pretty settled in the townhouse so we can call it home for the rest of the year. We've pretty much settled on a church too, and it's nearby, so that's been nice. We've gone to their Wednesday evening dinner and small group activities a few times, and hopefully as we get to know people there we might find some friends to socialize with a little too.

Speaking of friends, we had friends from Ontario stop in on the weekend as they were on their way south on vacation. It was wonderful to have company and someone to visit with!

What I'm Dreading . . . doing our taxes. I've done it myself all but the first year or two we lived in the USA, and I'm hopeful that I can do it this year too, even though there are a lot of new and weird things to figure out. I haven't started yet because of a couple of those weird things - it's been a headache to get all the documents we need!

I'm also dreading going to a new dentist and doctor but that's coming up soon on my to-do list!

What I'm Working On . . . I'm attempting to be more consistent with getting out to walk and getting exercise. I've never been a fan of exercising, and my arthritis made it really hard to do much anyway during the past couple years. I had my knee replaced in the summer and have been able to walk again, but it's just not that much fun to go walking by myself on the same path so I've had a tough time establishing that habit. I've noticed that my knee is not always as flexible as I'd like so I need to work on that. I'm back to tracking my miles walked to earn medals in The Conqueror Challenges, but it's still slow going. This is my most recent medal, and here are the ones I'd earned previously:

What I'm Excited About . . . it seems bleak, but to be honest I don't have a lot to be excited about right now. I'm looking forward to a trip home to Maryland, but I don't know whether I can do that before May so I'm really not excited about it yet, and not excited about anything else that I can think of either. Sigh. My boring life!

What I'm Watching/Reading . . . (see my book blog at Just A Second).

I'm currently working on:

In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel

The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham

Shirley, I Jest: A Storied Life by Cindy Williams

Recently completed:

The Letter From Briarton Park by Sarah E. Ladd

What I Would Tell You by Liz Tolsma

The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West

Up next:

If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't) by Betty White

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber

In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd

What I'm Listening To . . . It's pretty quiet right now. I still like to listen to podcasts and RadioU and my Spotify playlists, but I'm content to just have the quiet as well.

What I'm Wearing . . . long sleeve t-shirts and yoga pants or jeans, most of the time. I bought a new long cardigan sweater but it's much warmer than I expected so I think it will be a spring 'jacket' more than anything.

What I'm Doing This Weekend . . . no specific plans, but hoping to get together with our son and his family again. They were sick last weekend and we missed hanging out.

What I'm Looking Forward To Next Month . . . We'll be going to a hockey game or two next month so that will be fun. Other than that, I don't know yet!

What Else Is New . . . not much here. Back in Maryland, Aubrey just had her six-month checkup and she's doing great! She's got a few new tricks she's learning, including this variation on crawling. Isn't she the cutest?

In less happy news, this week my daughter called with a concern about our one cat who has a messed-up tooth now. They don't know what happened, but we're sure it's not a result of an injury or anything. It looks like my Merida kitty has a tooth that's about to fall out. We authorized a trip to the vet and decided to do it soon rather than wait and see whether the tooth comes out on its own and risk an 'emergency' vet visit. So I'm a little worried about how that will go and what the bill will come to. (Maybe I should have put that as something I'm dreading!)

But overall, things are a lot of same old same old, which isn't necessarily a bad thing!

This post is linked at What's Up Wednesday for February, with Sheaffer & Shay.

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Wednesday Hodgepodge - Thoughts on Telling the Truth

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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. What do you find is the most boring part of your life at the moment?

The weekday routines are boring right now, because they are so much the same from Monday to Friday. I have a standing "virtual coffee break" phone call with a friend each week, but other than that there's little to distinguish one day from another and I often have to look at the calendar to remind myself whether it's Monday or Tuesday.

2. February 22nd is George Washington's birthday. You'll find his face on the US $1 bill. What's the last thing you bought for roughly $1.00?

Yesterday I picked up a few groceries and these cans of soup were $1.25 each, I believe. But a couple days before that, I bought a box of wooden toothpicks for 75 cents.

3. Is it ever okay to tell a 'little white lie'? Explain.

I feel like any lie is still a lie, so in that sense, it's never okay. However, I don't consider it a 'little white lie' to tell a casual acquaintance that I'm doing fine when they ask how I am, even if I'm having a crappy day; or to say that something was no trouble and I was happy to do it even if it was actually inconvenient. I used to claim I had 'other plans' in order to decline an invitation to something I had zero interest in, even though there was nothing on my calendar. But it wasn't a lie, because maybe my 'other plans' were to stay home and read a good book. Being truthful doesn't mean I have to tell everybody every detail of what I'm thinking, so I strive to be truthful but discerning and kind in what I choose to say.

4. What's the last thing you 'chopped'? Cherry pie, chocolate-covered cherries, a bowl of cherries, cherry vanilla ice cream, maraschino cherries, a cherry-flavored lifesaver . . . your favorite cherry-flavored something?

I chopped my hair off this week! Or paid a hairdresser to chop it off, I guess. Is that what we're talking about? I love cherry flavor, especially cherry pie and chocolate cherries, but I haven't had either of those in awhile. I had black cherry yogurt for breakfast a couple days ago.

5. Describe yourself with three words using your first, middle, and last initials.

This is harder than I first thought! Kind? I don't know if I am! I try. Knowledgeable? That sounds like I'm a Know-it-all, which also starts with K. Hmm. Klutzy? Possibly true, but I don't want to acknowledge it! Lonely? Lazy? I guess the three words don't necessarily need to be adjectives, so that might help. Let's go with . . .

Keyboards - Learning - Talkative

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Once again, I will add a random thought related to the Write 28 Days blogging challenge word prompt for today - danger. It struck me that lying can be very dangerous. Well, obviously lying in a court of law or lying on our taxes is dangerous and I don't think anyone would argue that. But perhaps our little fibs that we think unimportant can lead to danger as well. Lying can become a habit that gets us into all kinds of trouble. Getting caught in lies ruins our reputation and good name. Refusing to acknowledge the truth about ourselves is a form of lying too, and carries its own threat of danger to our very souls. I have to conclude that it's better to always stick to the truth!

I don't know who Wellins Calcott was, but this quote with his views on lying was quite sobering and blunt, but I find that I cannot disagree with his argument!

All men must acknowledge Lying to be one of the most scandalous sins, that can be committed between man and man; a crime of a deep dye, and of an extensive nature, leading into innumerable sin; for Lying is practiced to deceive, to injure, betray, rob, destroy, and the like; Lying in this sense is the concealing of all other crimes, the sheep's clothing upon the wolf's back, the Pharisee's prayer, the harlot's blush, the hypocrite's pain, and Judas's kiss: in a word, it is mankind's darling sin, and the Devil's distinguished characteristic. ~Wellins Calcott

He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual; he tells lies without attending to it, and truths without the world's believing him. This falsehood of the tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions. ~Thomas Jefferson

The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

The prudent see danger and take refuge,

but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

~Proverbs 22:3~

And how do we see the danger? By walking in the light of truth;

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

~I John 1:5-7~

That feels like a rather heavy way to conclude a light-hearted hodgepodge of questions and answers! So tell me the truth - could you describe yourself accurately using just three words that start with your initials? Leave a comment and let me know!

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

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

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Tuesday, February 21, 2023

Adore Him

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O Come Let Us Adore Him!

Christ the Lord!

Yes, a Christmas carol, but the first song I thought of when I saw the word "adore". And after all, shouldn't we bring our adoration to Jesus throughout the year? It is really the only proper response to the God that so loved us that he gave his Son for us.

God loves us so much - adores us, in a way - that he made a way for us to be with him, and it cost him everything. He loves us so much that we are the "apple of his eye" (Psalm 17:8), he delights to show mercy to us, and he rejoices over us with singing!

The LORD your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

but will rejoice over you with singing.

~Zephaniah 3:17~

And in response, we adore God! Not just as an adorable baby at Christmas, but as our Savior and Friend, our Strong Deliverer, our Provider, and the Almighty God!

Adoration is more than just awe and admiration. There's also a passionate affection and love implied in adoration. A sense that we would do whatever it takes to be close to him and express our love to him.

Though you have not seen him, you love him, Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

~I Peter 1:8-9~

To gather with God's people in united adoration of the Father is as necessary to the Christian life as prayer. ~Martin Luther

And an amazing thing happens when we fully adore God and delight ourselves in him. The desires of our hearts become more and more aligned with his, and he gives us the desires of our hearts. He delights to give us more of himself.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

~Psalm 37:4-6~

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

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How We Won the Lottery

This is the story of how we won the lottery. And not just the lottery, but had a run of lucky coincidences that all fell into place after the big win. By the way, it was the green card lottery, not a Powerball of MegaMillions lottery, so the prize was not cash but opportunity. It's hard to say whether the odds are better or not, but I can tell you that winning the initial draw is only the start. There's a whole series of other 'lotteries' that must be won as well before having your name drawn the first time does you any good. So it takes more than just dumb luck.

My husband and I are Canadians. He grew up in southern Ontario and I grew up in Calgary, Alberta. We met in the middle at college. We lived in Calgary for the first few years we were married. Early in 1993, we lived in Calgary, and he was working in a greenhouse, and we received surprising news - his name had been drawn in the green card 'lottery' he'd entered the previous year! What luck! We hadn't won millions of dollars, but we had won an opportunity to find a job in the USA and be able to live and work there.

So he started applying for jobs, but there wasn't much response. One day, his manager brought him into the office to take a call. A grower in New Jersey had called for a reference for someone else, and the manager had said, "I have a different guy here that I'd much rather recommend, and he has been looking for a job in the US. Want to talk to him?" Very shortly after that, my husband flew out for an interview and was offered the job. A job he hadn't even applied for. What are the chances, right? Someone else that used to work at the same relatively small place had applied to a company on the other side of the continent, and the manager had suggested my husband instead!

Next, we needed to apply for the green cards. Although 30,000 names were drawn, only 10,000 visas were awarded, and one is needed for each family member. In addition, we found out that we needed specific appointment slots at the consulate for the number of visas we'd need, which was three. Time was also running out - they had started awarding the visas at least six months previous, and we don't know how many were left at that point. Everything was booked up for the month when I called, and we thought we'd need to wait, but I was advised to call after a week or so to see if there were cancellations. You guessed it - by sheer coincidence (???), three spots had opened up, so we could get our visas processed.

Many people would say those were incredibly lucky coincidences and good fortune was one our side, that it was fate, or even that we'd done something to deserve good karma. We know without a doubt that it was our God at work. He had my husband's name drawn out of the thousands entered; he orchestrated a phone call that led to a job offer in a place we hadn't thought to look; he made sure we'd find the exact appointments we needed, just in time; and he had 'reserved' visas for us. If it was just the luck of the draw, it was at God's direction.

The dice are thrown into the lap,

but their every decision is from the LORD.

~Proverbs 16:33~

God knew where we needed to be, and had a purpose for us. He had a plan for us. After we'd moved, I was struck by part of the apostle Paul's speech in Athens that came to mean a lot to me, and I've returned to it again and again, because it's a reminder that none of us are where we are solely by chance or luck. Now, all these years later, although I'm sure that our move to Ohio was also a series of coincidences orchestrated by God, I'm not yet sure about my purpose here. And so I still need to be reminded that God is control and yes, he has a plan.

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

~Acts 17:26-27~

When we experience 'good luck', perhaps it's God blessing us. Consider the possibility that he is putting opportunities for ministry in our path, or orchestrating a blessing for us or others, or just trying to get our attention. What appears to be luck or coincidence might just be the answers to our prayers, or our chance to participate in the answer to someone else's prayers.

For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

~Ephesians 2:10~

All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

~Psalm 139:16~

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

This post will also be linked at Inspire Me Monday hosted by Anita Ojeda

A previous version of this article appeared on Homeschool Coffee Break in February 2021: Write 28 Days - Serendipity

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©2006-2025 HS Coffee Break/Just A Second/A Fresh Cup of Coffee. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. This post was written by a human. https://morecoffeebreaks.blogspot.com/

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.

Monday, February 20, 2023

Seasonal Changes

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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 or seasons.

I think there are also seasons during 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 letting go time 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, 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 in this case I disagree 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 almost springtime after a very stormy winter. The weather outside hasn't been that bad for the most part, but the first 'frost' of our decision 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. I think we all felt the shock to our systems, but we have had to practice trusting the Master Gardener to know what he is doing. The young trees are thriving, and we the older trees are acclimating and getting reestablished.

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~

***************

Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said: "Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes time and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him.

~Daniel 2:19-22~

This post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

A previous version of this article was published on Homeschool Coffee Break in February 2022, as part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda. Find all my posts for the 2022 challenge here: 28 Days of Coping With Change

Don't miss a coffee break! Subscribe to A Fresh Cup of Coffee by email.

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.

Sunday, February 19, 2023

Scripture and a Snapshot - We Love Because

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Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loves us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confident on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. the one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us.

~I John 4:7-19~

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Although I didn't use the prompt for the day, this post is part of the Write 28 Days Blogging Challenge hosted by Anita Ojeda because I did indeed "Write Something Somewhere". Find all my posts for the 2023 challenge here: Write Something Somewhere

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