Posted in change, choice, diversity, farmer, follow, God, heart, Holy Spirit, Jesus, joy, life, love, Prayer, purpose, repent, understand, wisdom, words

The Biscuit Prayer and His Purposes

Posted on by deannagreensandgardenart

I have been complaining about the season I am in, and the cards I have been dealt. Negativism dominated my thoughts. I have prayed for a changed heart. A refocus on Jesus and His purposes not mine. I am making an effort to be more present moment and in prayer. Ash Wednesday begins the Lent season this week. Attending the evening bi-lingual Mass at our neighborhood church, I recognize the mediative beats of the rosary being said by our Hispanic brothers and sisters. There were plenty of noon time rosary reciting at a nearby church during the noon hour when I worked in Clayton. Cannot mistake that mediative beat. The priest says “repent and return to Christ” while marking a cross on my forehead with black ash. That is the Holy Spirit speaking through Father Godefroid.

I read this story I am calling “The Biscuit Prayer”…

A pastor asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.  

“Lord, I hate buttermilk”, the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going.  

The farmer loudly proclaimed, “Lord, I hate lard.” Now the pastor was growing concerned.  

Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, “And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour”. The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn’t the only one to feel uncomfortable.  

Then the farmer added, “But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So Lord, when things come up that we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen.”  

Within that prayer there is great wisdom for all when it comes to complicated situations like we are experiencing in the world today.  

Stay strong, my friends, because our LORD is mixing several things that we don’t really care for, but something even better is going to come when HE is done with it. AMEN!

“Don’t try to boil the ocean,” I heard on a webinar this week. Change one thing at a time. What’s the one thing I can change? Myself. The me, myself, and I attitude, actions, and words. Unlike the trio: Me, Myself, and I Personal Pizzas made in the kids’ cooking class this week. More like this trio: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “Thank You, Father for creating me. Thank You, Jesus for loving me. I love You because You loved me first. Thank You for Your guidance every day, Holy Spirit. Let me serve God’s purposes today. Let me be faithful today. Let me share Jesus’ love today.”

Posted in anger, daughter, disabled, earth, empty, faith, Family, fear, feelings, gift, God, grandchild, grief, heart, home, house, insecurity, Jesus, life, love, pain, poverty, Prayer, quote, resilience, season, seed, son, sorrow, time, truth, worry

Prayer Like A Lace Shawl

Posted on by deannagreensandgardenart

Snow has covered the roof tops, grass, leaves, and trees like a lace shawl early this morning. Soft, no harshness with this snowfall. But life has been harsh this past month, like a blizzard. Details to provide for my daughter’s family after their house burned down Christmas night are harsh realities. Life has not been a bed of roses for my daughter most of her life. Disabled with a nerve disorder caused by an error during a disc surgery went undetected for months. Consequently, she has and still suffers with pain most every minute of her day. Every day. Most days she is on top of it, smiles at the days to come. At this bleak season of her life, she lives one day at a time, one hour at a time, and one minute at a time while those details are being covered in prayer. Prayer like a lace shawl does not completely cover the substance underneath. You still see glimpses of rawness; although the bare reality by a teaspoon instead of gallons at any given moment. Loss, grief, disbelief, emptiness, doing without, fear, doubt, anger, just surviving, insecurity, faith at times smaller than a mustard seed, coping, resilience rising, moving a finger at a time and then a hand to say “I am alive” are some of the heart’s feelings they share. God completely envelope my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren with Your love this very moment.

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan;
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty —
Jesus Christ.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am? —
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part, —
Yet what I can I give Him, —
Give my heart.

“In this bleak mid-winter” as the Christina Rossetti poem and lyrics go, “yet what I can give Him, give my heart.” As we conclude the Advent season, I resound “I can and will give my heart”. We all must in order to survive this harsh world.

Posted in angels, Ann Voskamp, Christmas, holy, Jesus, joy, love, Mother Mary, night, peace, Rejoice, scripture, Spiritual, star

Holy Night

Posted on by deannagreensandgardenart

In all your preparations for this Holy Night, let Jesus be the reason! He loves you and wants to be with you! Pause, let your heart accept Him, and rejoice!

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heav’nly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

Silent night, holy night!
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

Silent night, holy night!
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!

~Josef Mohr

Posted in Blog, brother, color, cousin, day, death, Family, feelings, flower, gift, give, God, grace, health, hope, Jesus, mother, Mother Mary, people, quote, renew, sad, scripture, season, sinful woman, Spiritual, woman, Women in My Life, words, write, writer

More Pink Days

Posted on by deannagreensandgardenart

What color is your day today? I perused my photos on my cell phone to recall my year. Pink was the pronounced color for this year, with blue a close second. I lost five family members in 2022; two uncles, an aunt, a cousin, and my younger brother. Those were blue days and weeks. The feeling of sadness overwhelmed me at times. But pink, a color synonymous to healthiness, optimism, innocence, and hope overshadowed those days. My hopes are that pink reigns mightily in 2023.

Pink isn’t just a color, it’s an attitude!

Miley Cyrus

I found myself surrounded with clothing in pinks: dusty rose, cerise, salmon, blush champagne, pink lemonade, bubble gum, magenta … scarves, gloves, hats, dresses, blouses, fancy britches, bunny costumes, accessories …

I am lured to chaise lounges, couches, and chairs dressed in pink.

Nature shows off her pink hues … the winter skyline, spring trees, summer blooms, and autumn grasses.

Date nights, anniversaries, holidays, vacations, and entertainment venues staged in magenta and bubblegum pinks with warm sunshine and waterfront breezes bring a renewed glow …

Strawberry lemonade and tea party pink cookies make any day a special occasion …

The grandeur ladies and Mother Nature placed in my life feed my inner child and I gather myself by writing words in poetry, blogs, and short stories…

This last month of the year I decorate our tabletop Christmas tree with vintage Shiny Brite ornaments from my parents’ collection and love the nostalgic greeting cards sparkled with white and pink splendor, those precious childhood memories flood my senses…

Remember the reason for this holiday season … every season … and use that gift God gave you to share with others in 2023.

Posted in book, faith, Family, God, Holy Spirit, Prayer, quiet, quote, scripture, silence, stillness, words

Be Quiet, Be Still

Posted on by deannagreensandgardenart

Get out of your own way. Just sit down a bit. No radio or TV or computer or phone. Pick up that devotional book and read what words are found for today. “Noise is the mouthpiece of the world. Silence is the mouthpiece of God,” author Matthew Kelly shares in his book Amazing Possibilities. The Holy Spirit prompts me to turn off the morning news, put down my i-phone, and to sit in silence. What do I hear while waiting in silence? The songbirds at the feeders, a firetruck zooming down the street, and then the church bells. I sit awhile longer; I can hear and feel my own heart. I start to unload the needs of my family, and miracles requested as I pray to our God. These are big orders, but with God all things are possible. And then those precious thoughts and intimate words only the Divine can share. With faith I embrace His words. 

"Be still and know that I am God." 
Psalm 46:10
Posted in appreciate, cross, fight, forgiveness, hate, life, love, purpose, season, sick, sin

Love Without Ceasing Season

Posted on by deannagreensandgardenart

“Love without ceasing” the Holy Scriptures tell us. But what about all those sicknesses and evil people who bring us unceasing heartache? These chronic illnesses rob their victims of enjoyment in life and life itself, and some hateful people do, too. It’s okay to hate cancer, arachnoiditis, and evildoers. A matter of fact that hate can help us fight for a better life. The challenge is not to get caught up in that hate. “Love covers a multitude of sin” (1 Peter 4:8). Jesus’ perfect love demonstrated on the cross did that and still does that. “Forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). This season in my life, your life is serving a purpose. Keep loving even if it is hard.

"Love without ceasing." 
~ 1 Corinthians 16:14~

	







	
			

			
				
							
		

	
	

		Posted in come, earth, eyes, faith, God, grace, heaven, help, hope, Jesus, love, mercy, mountains, sacred, scripture, seed		
Rough Crags and Towering Mountains
		

			Posted on  by deannagreensandgardenart					

			


	

		






The words were plenty to describe how I felt as a passenger in our sedan driving in the canyons with the rough crags and towering mountains surrounding.  I felt swallowed up, minuet, minuscule, insignificant, a speck, as dust in the wind and then vaporized.  It was a perspective I had not thought about in years as it had been at least 3 years since I was in the Rocky Mountains.  I was overwhelmingly humbled by the sacred terrain at various times while vacationing in Colorado, brought to tears. 





Such a vast and broad point of view if I were one of those mountains.  It must be a fraction of how God views each of us.  Yet He has personalized His love for each of us with His Son, Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.  Oh, the love, grace, and mercy of our God!  And how He views my faith the size of a mustard seed, and still helps!





“I will lift up my eyes to the hills– From whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.“
Psalms 121: 1- 2






	







	
	
	

		Posted in book, children, editor, Emotional, faith, fight, heart, life, mother, Prayer, quote, silence, soul, vulnerable, warm, Warrior, woman, words, write, writer		
Wordsmithery
		

			Posted on  by deannagreensandgardenart					

			


	

		

It all started with words scribbled in a journal 40 years ago as a young mother, excited and overwhelmed at the same time with my new role as a parent of a little one.  I have kept a journal since.  It is not a locked diary like as a pre-teen, as my words are an open book.  I keep no secrets.  I write my heart and eventually some words come out in blog form, poetry, and short stories.  A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Flapper Press to request an interview for an article in their newsletter.  Included in the interview were three poems I wrote about various topics that have stirred my emotions regarding the basic human need for warmth in the winter, a woman’s vulnerability, and Ukraine’s fight for democracy.   I submitted these to the Flapper Press editor, Annie prior to the interview request.  Read Annie’s write-up for more details. 






Flapper Press




I return to pen and paper or the other form of word processing, a laptop computer as the need arises.  Which is just about daily.  Wordsmithery has become a way of being for me.  Playing “Word With Friends” or Scrabble, daily use of the online dictionary, and reading are all a part of my obsession with words.   As a child my mother would tell me to pick up a book and read.  No one has to encourage me with that anymore.  Now I am a wordsmith by necessity.  “I am a poet and didn’t even know it”.  I believe that is an old saying that has rung true to me as an adult.  This quiet soul has words welling up to share.  Many words.  With prayer and faith let them be His words.





“So give me Words to speak, don’t let my Spirit sleep.”
Aaron Shust

	










	
			

			
				
							
		

	
	

		Posted in age, anxious, art, body, change, community, connection, crazy, creative, Family, garden, God, health, heart, Holy Spirit, home, hospitality, house, Jesus, job, life, listen, live, Martha, Mary, nourish, people, quote, renew, resources, rest, scripture, season, sin, soul, stillness, time, walk, words, works, worry, write, writer		
A Day In A Life Of This Retired Martha
		

			Posted on  by deannagreensandgardenart					

			


	

		

People ask, “What do you do with your day now that you are retired?” I have always said I will never completely retire. I may not get paid for my labor but will always find a project or two worth working at. I am semi-retired at this time of my life.  In June 2021 what I retired from was multi-tasking 5 or 6 days a week. My body and mind had enough, literally my heart and my doctors were telling me to slow down. My employee wellness job with the local government kept me overly busy with 4 or 5 projects at a time, an income not reflecting what I did for over 4,000 employees and 2,500 retirees.  Since retirement from full-time work, I ask the Holy Spirit to fill my days with what God deems worth my time, resources, and energy. A person’s value or worth to this world is not based on how much income they bring in. Value is placed on what God says is worthy. I know worth is found through Jesus, who died on the cross for my sins and yours, because of His love for me and you. I believe most people have a “Mary” and a “Martha” side to them. I have been a “Martha” by necessity since 8 years of age and have to allow the “Mary” side to come out more. That is the side where my soul gets refreshed and my writing plays in the script. When I allow myself plenty of time to reflect, the words flow.  For me at least one day out of the week, it is a steady stream.





“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and upset about many things, when only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:41 & 42





My hobbies of gardening, cooking, crafting, reading and writing provide several projects, but not all at the same time. Each day is different than yesterday. Those daily routines of making the bed, laundry, meals, bills, and quiet time, are consistent.  I am attempting to make brisk walks or lap-swims a regular part my life again without making it such a regiment, just a natural flow in my day.  I started working a wellness-related job, but just 1 or 2 days a week. That’s enough multi-tasking for me. Developing and teaching culinary classes at the local community college is limited to just 2 or 3 classes a month. This summer I took on work with senior citizens in our community through an organization called Papa. Using an app, I sign up as needs arise, assisting with household chores for 1 or 2 local women in my community during the month. Recently I signed up to bring meals to our pastors twice a month. Then one weekend a month Dean and I rent our vintage home through Airbnb, a good reason for a thorough cleaning before and after the rental weekend. This allows tourists a quaint home to stay in for the weekend while visiting our historic town.  I know what I like when Dean & I travel and try to make our home just that for others.  We recently have made “super host” status.  My newest art craze are button journals. I design those and attempt to sell them through a local hand-craft boutique.  And there is our big family with all those social events such as birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries in the mix.  So that is the day in the life of this retired Martha, never the same each day.  I am not retired from life and enjoy living a Mary life more and more each day.

	







	
	
	

		Posted in anxious, blessings, care, community, cousin, depression, die, Emotional, empty, failure, faith, Family, feelings, God, house, hurt, job, joy, love, Mental, mercy, neighbor, pain, people, Physical, Prayer, water, weep		
Lavish Love
		

			Posted on  by deannagreensandgardenart					

			


	

		

Some days I feel people just don’t even give a damn.  Other days it hurts to see those you love in pain, physical or emotional anguish.  I holler out, “God, where is Your mercy, Your justice.”  Then other days when the flood waters rise, it is hard to see God in it.  We prayed for rain after 100+ degree temps and no rain for days this scorching summer.  We got it alright in one stormy night of 8 -12 inches of rain.  Destruction surrounds us and the local news captures the next devastating story of the flash floods.  One person dead.  10 puppies from a stray rescue facility drown.  Basements and houses fill with water.  Businesses close.  No flood insurance for most.  Is this the Noah’s ark story being told again, I wonder?  I attended the funeral service for my uncle this week.  A man wrongly accused the latter days of his life.  My cousin cried.  Many of us shed our own tears, crying for mercy.  










The pastor who shared at my uncle’s eulogy reminded us of the beautiful Japanese art form that is made from broken fragments.  Nothing is wasted, everything made beautiful it its time.  Ravishing lavish love, this is what I want.  Flooding in.  It’s what we all want.  People will fail, just living this life will disappoint, but God does not.  His love is perfect.  Let Him fill that emptiness you feel with His perfect love.  The anxiety about your present-day situation will subside.  Feeling overwhelmed is real . . . Stop now.  Pray.  Count your blessings.  Your cup will overflow with His love.  Families, neighbors, and the community have come and will come together to help those in need.  People and pets are rescued.  Officials and first responders care and continue to share the burden.  Jesus is carrying you.  He cares.





“May mercy, peace, and love be lavished on you!” ~ Jude 1:2