A Hot Mess of Friday Thoughts

I've been quiet this week. Taking and processing the things in the news, I guess, and there has been a lot to process, hasn't there? If you keep your eyes on everything that's going on in the world it is easy to slip into negative thinking and feel overwhelmed and stressed by it. 

It's times like these that I am glad I have placed my hope in Jesus Christ and no matter what is going on in this world, I know that God Almighty is in control. I like using that specific name for God. Almighty means "having complete power, omnipotent, all-powerful, supreme, invincible, unconquerable." That is my God. He is big. He is powerful. He can't be beaten. He rules over all. He is a faithful God, He never fails to do what He promises. It may not be in my timing or the way I think I want it, but it will be at the perfect time in the perfect way. And He is personal. He loves me, little, insignificant in the scheme of the universe me. He loves you, too, and He has since before you were born, before the world existed even.

Keeping the absolute truth of God in mind in these times makes it easier to still be thankful and though I am a day late, I still want to link up with Rebecca Jo @ Knit By God's Hand for Thankful Thursday.

Things I am thankful for today...

** Knowing I can talk directly to God and that He hears my prayers.

** All of my family that has been fighting illness finally saw their doctors and got treatment this week. Tim has a touch of pneumonia, Megan has a sinus infection and both ears are infected, her husband also has a touch of pneumonia.

** Considering how awful Tim's cough has been I'm thankful the pneumonia was caught early. I can't imagine how bad it would have been had it had more time.

** I've remained healthy with all those germs swirling around me!

** I'm thankful that my friend Angel's (she's one of my former clients) family wants me to continue meeting her twice a month even though the agency finally found her another companion. 

** Colton graduated from preschool and will be heading off to kindergarten in August. 

There was some drama two days before the end of the year between a mother, a teacher, and a local police officer. I hate to say it, but the mother was off the rails and reacted badly and waaaay out of proportion to being asked to move her vehicle. She even returned to the school to rail at the officer and school staff. She also posted on Facebook, ripping into the staff and the other parents who didn't come to her defense, going so far as to say to the other mothers that she "hoped to God their daughters don't grow up to be like them."

Because of her actions, the school cancelled the little graduation ceremony that was supposed to take place yesterday. All because she was asked to move her vehicle. Crazy.

** Lots of time with my granddaughter, Leah. She is such a joy and she loves spending time with me. 

Lately she has enjoyed walking around and looking at all the pretty flowers blooming in our neighborhood. Of all my four grandchildren, she is the only one to show interest in learning the appreciation and enjoyment of nature my grandmother taught me. Funny since her momma was definitely in the "not interested" camp when she was little.

Yesterday I had Leah most of the day and we went to the garden center together. We walked around with her pointing out the different flowers and colors and at each one insisting, "Smell it, Nanny." We picked out bright pink petunias and a mix of white petunias and red petunias with white stripes. We also picked out several packets of sunflower seeds to plant around my deck. We saved a few of each for her to plant at home. If they all grow it should be quite a show. She chose 4 varieties: little yellow ones that are only 2' tall; autumn colored ones (reds and oranges with gold) that should be 5-7' tall; a golden mammoth variety that grows to 12'; and another large variety that is a pale yellow and grows up to 15'!

** Jasper finally seems to be slowing down and mellowing out. The wild and crazy times are just a now and then thing rather than an all day, every day thing.

** I'm also thankful, that in addition to growing into the large size of a Maine Coon cat, Jasper has retained all his fluffiness and his beautiful mane. Megan's cat, who is a brother from an earlier litter, has the size but has lost all his fluffiness and looks like a regular cat, albeit a BIG one. The one our son-in-law's parents have is Jasper's brother from the same litter and he is much smaller and now Megan reports he is losing his fluffiness.

** As we begin the Memorial Day weekend and the start of the summer season, I am especially thankful for all the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect our way of life and ensure that freedom rings out across this land.

** For all of you who come to visit my blog and have become friends. We may never meet face to face, but you are friends who are loved and appreciated.

Now, since it's Friday...

Some things I like:

• Hearing a lot more conversation, as opposed to screaming and posturing, following the tragedy in Texas. People seem to be waking up to the fact that we need to work together and change a lot of things, not just one thing.
• Switching to lighter, summer meals.
• Sitting on the porch, enjoying my flowers and my family.

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• Bare feet or flip-flops (I wear Vionics flip-flops so lots of arch support).
• A perfectly grilled steak. My dad made the best ones!

Some things I don't like:

• When people are so set in their views that we can't even have an honest discussion that doesn't devolve into angry shouting and insults. Just hear each other out, for crying out loud. It's called respect. We used to give it to each other.
• Paying higher prices for groceries...and having them go bad very quickly because they are already old when they get to the store (I assume).
• Paying higher prices for a favorite food, having it be a yet smaller size, and then being disappointed because it's not the same as it was because the seller can't get the same ingredients or has to use inferior ingredients to keep the cost down.
• All the extra commercials some of the streaming services we subscribe to (or maybe it's Roku?) are adding. It seems like on some of them there's a commercial break every 5 minutes.

Wishing you all a happy, safe, and blessed Memorial Day weekend!