Tidying Up Loose Ends

Both Nat and Penny are asking us to write about what we are thankful for this month.  Gracious!  The list would be too long.   All the people God has blessed me to know in my life.  My salvation.  My reasonable health.  The man I've shared my life with for nearly 23 years.  Two smart, healthy, loving, beautiful children.  Extended family....the ones that love me and even the ones that merely tolerate me.  The beauty in this world.  The nation in which I reside and those that defend it. 

 

But, as I grow older the thing that stands out to me more and more is the heritage that my parents, aunts and uncles passed to me.  The heritage of a Christian family.  Of staying together, of doing what is right, of helping and kindness.  Of hard work and responsibility.  I see that this is the springboard from which most of every other blessing in my life has sprung.  It is the promise of God and it is true!  My prayer is that I am doing it justice in my attempt to pass it on. 

 

And then Canyonsun04 and Pharmolo were looking back to what was posted on their journals a year ago.   Made me curious about my own self.   Seems I had just posted my last entry about Hurricane Rita, which was a list of acts of kindness displayed throughout the aftermath.

 

Then I posted what is probably my favorite of the entries I ever made, in response to some questions about faith that Stacy had posed.   It was the first time I ever tried to express what faith meant to me, was to me.

 

And there was a rambling entry about the value of journals, and responding to Paula asking about Pig Stand restaurants.  Shame to say the one on Calder has had to close.  Seems some taxes weren't paid.  May be goodbye to an era.

 

I also put my two cents in on the advertisements in AOL Journals issue that cost us some talent and friends among us here in J-land.

 

Nat has hit us with the question of why we hang out in J-land.  I first started browsing around online, looking to find female, Christian fellowship.  In my search, I found a large Christian web-site with a message board on which so many posted questions they should have known the answer to if they ever bothered to open their Bibles.  I felt lead to find a place to post encouragement.  For everyone, but focused toward women.  While starting up here in J-land I found such warmth!!  It has become a very symbiotic relationship for me.  Or at least I pray it is. 

 

Lastly, I want to say Congratulations to all who won awards in the VIVI's!  It means a lot to know your peers enjoy and appreciate your work.  Everyone here fills a place, a niche.  Some touch many, some only a few profoundly.

 

I will be posting soon a comedic piece, entirely original.  Do hope you will all drop by to check it out, and hopefully enjoy it.

 

  Barbara  

(More of Emma's gifs.)