Five for Friday #3

A Five for Friday

I haven't posted much lately, so I thought I would pop in with an update today. 

My first one is long, but worthy of my time to explain.

1. The Book of Numbers and My Lesson on Grumbling

Two weeks ago, my morning Bible time found me in the Book of Numbers. I am following an app, and we had just finished Acts, a rather exciting book.

Numbers...not so exciting, so I began to slack and quickly read it and half heartedly at best.

I am no better than the Israelites who should have known that wouldn't end well.

Anyway, I was rebuked by Scripture. (II Timothy 3:16)     I had just read Numbers 12 about Aaron and Miriam grumbling. I choose the word grumbling BECAUSE that is just what I had been doing for the previous week.

It slowly seeped in ---the grumbling attitude.

Webster's defines grumble as ...as complain or protest about something in a bad-tempered but typically muted way.

That is why I say I had a grumbling attitude...I was muted in my grumbling mostly, but it had permeated my heart.

So, I found myself on Tuesday reading that the Lord got angry at them and departed. Miriam becomes leprous and is shut up for seven days outside the camp.

I was struck instantly by the Holy Spirit that I had been an incessant grumbler for over a week.

He then led me back to Numbers 11 that I had skimmed over about the Israelites complaints over wanting meat instead of the manna.  Moses had become quite discouraged. (You aren't  just messing yourself up with a bad attitude.)

Oh, they got meat alright ----they got so much quail and a plague.

I know I am skimming over it, but I am confessing my grumbling attitude was sucking the fun out of me. When I repented...

He has made Numbers so rich. Two days of powerful lessons in what I didn't think I needed to read.

I think I will just try and listen and obey more.

2.  Mama has the neighbor ladies coming for dominos.

Y'all this is such good news. I don't know if she wore them down asking or if they really want to come, but she has the neighborhood ladies coming to play dominos today. I am sure she has made a cake and will be completely kaput when it is all over, but she did it on her own.

I am praying that it will be a good thing.

3.  Lots of sadness lately.

I have struggled with some sadness this week, good thing my attitude is better. 

My son has two brothers that he is really good friends with. One is a year older than him and is his roommate. The other is a year younger and they have been very close for a long time.

Their mother died on Wednesday morning. 

Their father died less than two years ago.

My heart has just been crushed for them. I too have had many losses in my life and I think that makes it harder for me sometimes.

I had been over there just a couple of weeks ago and actually didn't see the mom, but I had no idea she was that close. I have had a really hard time with that news this week.

She asked to see my son and the other roommate, but they didn't get there. She went that quickly.

Life is hard sometimes.

I also have a dear friend whose daughter-in-law is just a day or so away from passing from cancer. She is in her early 30's with a young child. Hits too close to home for me and my daddy.

You get a glimpse of why I have been silent.

4. Soaking up the longer days.

All I have wanted to do in the evenings is soak up the length of the days. Time passes so quickly and the longer days is one of the things I LOVE about summer. Knowing that the longest day of the year was this week has had me sitting on the back deck trying to soak it up each evening.

I need to remember that I live in a vacation paradise and enjoy it to the fullest.

5.  Cross stitching update.

Y'all know I didn't like the June cottage. Since I already have July's cottage finished. That leaves me with just August. I decided to use some time to redo the June cottage.

Somehow, I figured if I didn't do it now, it might not ever get done.

I shared that the inspiration came from the placemats and napkins I have on the table for the month of June. They are not red...that is July people.

Anyway...here is a sneak peek at June. I am loving it.

By the way, it is simply amazing how much more you can accomplish in a day when you have a better attitude.

Soaking up sunshine and long days with a much better attitude,

Sandy