A Psalm for a day of Rejoicing

13 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized

Psalm 103

New International Version (NIV)

Psalm 103

Of David.

1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:
8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
15 The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.
21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.
22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the LORD, my soul.

The Tale of Two Turkeys

12 Apr 2012 1 Comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

Most people who know me well, know that I am not a great cook.  I’m okay with who I am.  Nobody in family ever starved.   Cooking just doesn’t come easy for me.  So I look for really easy things to make.  One of my favorite new things to make is Turkey Breast Tenderloin by Jennie-O in the Savory Roast Flavor.  It comes pre-seasoned in a nice plastic pouch.  It freezes well.  Thaws out nicely.  It is easy to cook.  Just pop it in the oven(after removing it from the nice little plastic pouch) and roast for about an hour.  Slice and serve with any side dish and vegetable.  Instant yummy dinner for two, plus leftovers.

So last week, on Monday I had to be away from home the whole afternoon.  I thought I would try this delicious turkey in the slow cooker.  A fool-proof dinner would be awaiting me and the big guy.  Except for one tiny detail.

I forgot to turn the slow cooker to “low”.  I left it in the “off” mode.  Note to everyone:  turkey does not cook when placed in “Off” slow cooker and sits on the kitchen table with the sun beating down on it all afternoon.  The turkey had to be trashed.  And a kind soul (thank you son) brought in fast food.

I was a bit dejected.  I had never ruined this easy a dinner.  Well, not in a long time.

So, on Wednesday, I trekked to Woodman’s where it is most likely to find this lovely turkey item and bought another to make for dinner that night.

I started early, making dinner that is.  I put the food item in a the oven at 1pm to cook for an hour.  Then I was going to slice in and simmer it in broth  for awhile and make potatoes and green beans to complete this wonderful meal.

I was going to do all that, except after putting the turkey in the oven, I fell asleep for almost two hours.  When I awoke to the scent of charred turkey, I knew I was in trouble.  And so was the turkey.

It was edible, sort of.  It was unique.  It was a one of a kind meal.  One that I never want to have again.

And these two turkeys have completely destroyed my confidence.  In cooking, that is.

Until further notice, we will be eating sandwiches.

Sprinkled With Humor

11 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized Tags: , , , ,

Actual (or nearest I remember it) conversation in the car on the way to Easter Sunday service:

Son:  Have you guys ever eaten donuts from Sil’s?

Mom & Dad:  no

Son:  too bad, it’s closing soon

Mom:  really? I wonder why

Dad:  Maybe they’re out of dough

Mom:  I thought maybe they’re in the hole

Son:  (lol)

everyone’s eyes glaze over

Yup, that’s how we roll.

 

A Big Pile of Dirt

10 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

I’ve written before about the big pile of mulch we got and how we just handled it one shovel at a time.  Well last week we got a big pile of dirt, topsoil, really.

By this time, we just said, “We need help”.

Sometimes, life dumps a big pile of dirt in your front yard and it is way too much to handle alone.

That’s when you need family and friends.

Soap and water.

Two or three shovels.  Two or three wheelbarrows.

Where two or three are gathered together, there I am in the midst, said Jesus.

We all need a village to raise us.  A village and a mighty God.

And when the big pile of dirt is finally taken care of, a nice hot bath and a good night’s sleep.

And may I say, no more big piles of anything else this year!

Now it’s time to put that dirt and mulch to work to create a good foundation for growing healthy plants.

Dirt and mulch and compost.

Compost, that’s a story for another day.

Blessings, Vicki

The Monday after Easter

09 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

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11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[a] his Spirit who lives in you. ”  Romans 8:11.

The Monday after Easter is always a letdown.  All the excitement is slumped on the floor in a heap like the peeled off Easter dresses.  The empty tomb, the Hallelujah Chorus, the delicious Easter dinner, the candy-filled Easter baskets; it all turns into “ho-hum” on Monday morning.

Yet, if we look at Romans 8:11, it proclaims that the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies.  The Spirit who raised Jesus had some awesome power.  To raise a dead body to life took some mighty power.  Power that I find hard to comprehend.

And that same Spirit is living in me.  With that same mighty power.  Not just on Easter Sunday, but everyday.

Now, I don’t need any raising from the dead.  But I could use a little bit of that mighty power.

If I become willing to ask for His power to work in me, that becomes my new definition of  “willpower”.

So often, when trying to change something in my life, I’ve tried to stir up the old willpower.  Buck up and suck it up.  Steel my mind for the grim battle that confronts me.  Dig in for the long haul.

Okay, that lasts, for me, until about noon.

Maybe I’m weak, maybe I don’t have what it takes, maybe I don’t have any discipline.  Maybe I’m lazy.

Maybe I’m just human.

I’ve stared down a lot of Monday mornings with grim determination.  I’ve struggled through the battles and lost most of them.

This year, I’m changing strategies.  It’s not all on me anymore.  I’m asking for His mighty power to work in me, that same power from that same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.

That’s some willpower that I think will last through the lunch hour!

On Good Friday we cried, on Easter Sunday we rejoiced, but on Easter Monday, we conquer victoriously!

 

A Prayer that Works

05 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , ,

Almost daily, for the past five years I have prayed this prayer.  This is a prayer that is always answered.

It was written by Reinhold Niebuhr a long time ago:

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,

enjoying one moment at a time,

accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;

taking, as Jesus did,

this sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it;

trusting that You will make all things right

if I surrender to Your will;

so that I may be reasonably happing in this life

and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

peaceful sunset

The Siren Song of the Earth

04 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized

The Siren Song of the Earth

 

The song begins softly: time to dig, time to plant, time to return to the earth.

 

I ignore the song at first.  It’s too chilly.  I’m busy with other things.  I’m not ready.

 

But the ground is ready.  It calls for hands and  shovels to turn the brown crust over. 

 

Smell the richness that lies underneath.  The life in the loam wants to be brought forth with loving hands. 

 

I resist.  I listen.  Finally, I can ignore the song no longer.  I must dig.  I don’t know why. 

 

The generations have imprinted within me  farmers and gardeners and salt of the earth people. 

 

The season of new life in spring, a power rises in me that I cannot resist.  I return to the roots. 

I return to the ground. 

 

I dig again.  I plant again. 

 

I garden once again. 

 

To plant even a small green thing in a crusty corner of the earth is to plant a garden. 

 

To garden is to hope, and plan, and dream of better things to come. 

 

I cannot resist the siren song of hope and new life. 

 

Why would I want to?

A Garden is an Act of Hope

03 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized

Image

A garden is an act of hope.

It is a gamble against time, weather, pests, laziness.

A gamble that the tiny seed will prevail against all odds.

A garden is a statement that I, as little as I am, will attempt to prevail over the natural world.

I will claim my right to fill the earth and subdue it.

I will wage war against  thistles and thorns.

I will nurture and care for something.,

I will make order out of chaos.

A garden is courage, hope, faith, perseverance, all wrapped up in a tomato plant or a rose bush.

A stone rightly placed.  A statue rabbit standing guard, boldly, over the carrots.

A bird bath inviting the wild.

A garden is a promise and determination.

A garden is beauty and truth and pride and hard work.

A garden has to start with something.  A dream, a plan, a desire for beauty.  A need for food.

A garden is magic.  Life from dust, dirt, molecules of minerals.

It all started for human beings in a garden.

No wonder we go back to dig and find our roots.

Our lives are like gardens, too.

(Go back to the beginning of this and replace “my life” for the word garden)

Tend your garden well today.

My Basket of Spring Beauties

02 Apr 2012 Leave a comment

by lifefullyinhabited in Uncategorized

Into my basket of beauties this weekend, I added a small bouquet of grape hyacinths placed in an antique creamer from my Grandma Hoover.

 I took time to thank the Lord for the strong, hard-working hands of the man I share my life with. 

With the chilly days returning, cozy blankets and hot coffee are once again primary comforts.

Over-the-counter pain relievers are little miracles for the aches and pains of arthritis showing up even at my relatively young age.

Tulips are budding, on the cusp of great glory.

Drove past a yard where a single  flowering almond bush was extravagantly declaring to the world, “Look at me, ain’t I grand?  Don’t I look like cotton candy?”

Bittersweet Sunday service:  rejoicing with palm branches waving, crying over the prayers for a dear friend’s husband who is fighting cancer.

Precious time with a long-time friend over dinner.

Hearing the siren song of the earth, sweetly beckoning me to dig, dig, dig!

Grandma's antique creamer with a bouquet of grape hyacinths

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