July 20th, We are a part of the problem or a part of the solution. Which are you?

Good morning Y'all!!!!      Here we are July 20th, 2020, and I say, "Where has 2020 gone?"      "What has happened to our beloved world?"       It really saddens me this morning as I sit here contemplating the events of this year, up to this point in time.

Back on March 20th, I shared a quick little post, and I have reshared it a time or two since then in some other posts.     Guess what, I'm sharing it again.      If you read my blog, I want these questions to be at the forefront of your mind.   

This is it:  

Thoughts for the day   March 20th, 2020

1. What will be your greatest lesson learned from this ordeal?
2. What will be your greatest sacrifice through this ordeal?
3. What will be your biggest blessing on the other side of this ordeal?

These are just 3 things to think about in the days ahead.    Think about these and come back here some time and share with me what your answer to these are.

In the days ahead, remember that God wants to be in right relationship with us and the only possible way for that to happen is for us to know His Son, Jesus Christ.     Think about that too. Now is the time. This is the day of salvation, there may be no other day and no other chance.    Today is the day we have. Remember God loves you and I do too. hugs, love, and blessings, patty

Exactly 4 months later, 1/3 of the year, and I'm still asking myself these questions.         What's funny, is just about every day the answer to those questions change a little.        One thing I know for sure, God is still in control and nothing, absolutely NOTHING happens without His knowledge.    There is much comfort in knowing this.

The enemy is rampant!!!    he is on the warpath of destruction because he knows his days are numbered and are swiftly slipping thru his grasp.    Friends, we haven't seen anything yet!!!    But........our hope is in the Lord!!    He hasn't failed us yet and He won't ever fail us!!!    That is something we can count on!!

But I want to look at the questions and answer those for myself and be able to see my response.    And my answers will be all inclusive of ALL the events that has happened since March 20th.      And it will be referring to the disease, rioting, murdering and what ever else I didn't just mention.    I just won't be calling it by name, but it will be all inclusive.

1. What will be your greatest lesson learned from this ordeal?

Well, it's sad to say, but I think my greatest lesson from this ordeal is that people that I have known all my life and friends alike have really disappointed me in their re-action to all this.    One of the saddest things is that the true nature of humanity has shown in a lot of people.    Sin has a way of showing up. Again, it just emphasizes the fact that we should ONLY look to Jesus for anything!!    When we look to and expect a certain behavior from others, we will be let down. Jesus never disappoints.

2. What will be your greatest sacrifice through this ordeal?

Let me preface my answer by saying that not many of us really know much about sacrifice.        The generation of the Great Depression and the World War 2 generations knew a lot about sacrifice and lots of generations before them.    The generations since have lived in abundance and haven't had to sacrifice much at all for anything, and that even goes for myself.        I don't know what sacrifice is all about myself.        I was reared by a father that worked to provide for his family and a momma that took care of the home front.    I was reared by parents who was not afraid to discipline their children.

With all that in mind, to this point, my greatest sacrifice has been not getting to see my Momma as much as I want to.    We have stayed away to try to prevent the spread of disease.    We have actually seen her 4 or 5 times over the last couple months, but with the disease kicking back up, we have slacked off again. I know it has been hard on her!!!        She loves her children and she loves seeing us and since February, she hasn't had access to her children, grand children and great grand children like she wants to have.

With all that said, if everyone, EVERYONE, would put a mask on, she could see her family. Nuff said on that.

3. What will be your biggest blessing on the other side of this ordeal?

My biggest blessing has been the same all along.    That God is in control and that He goes before me setting my path for me to trod.    He calms my heart, He brings peace when there is no external peace. He has given me clarity when the world is all about confusion.    He helps me see things the way He sees it thru His gift of discernment.       He collects my tears as He wipes them from my face.    He is my fortress, my stronghold.    Growing nearer to my Heavenly Father is a great thing.


The answers to 1. and 2. may change again and again, but I feel rest assured that the answers to 3. will remain the same.    We've seen some pretty dark days in the recent past and those days are not done.    We have seen the exercise of sin throughout the land.    We have seen perversion at it's worst and it's just getting started.    We've seen people acting out of their greatest perversions and we haven't seen anything yet.

Yes, I know there are a lot of people out there that thinks this whole thing is a hoax.    There are also a lot of people out there that think believing in Jesus Christ is a hoax.    But if I live my life believing in Jesus Christ as I do and at the end of my days, it was hoax, then nothing lost.       I was kind to people and know that I tried to have a good heart that was respectful to everyone.       If on the other hand, I live my life thinking He is a hoax, and He turns out to be the real deal, then I just sent myself to hell.

How can I relate this to wearing a mask?    Well, let me preface this by saying that for all the health care workers having to wear these respirator masks for 8 to 12 and even more hours in a day, then God bless you all and I do pray for your protection and for your families protection.        Be careful of the info floating around on the internet, a lot of it is to get you to let your guard down and get sick and possibly die. It's not for your benefit!!

But for those of us who just want to get groceries, get out of the house and get a fast food fix, or go into the bank or the drug store, or just do some fun shopping, we can do some of things that can potentially expose others to the virus, by not wearing a mask, and you are living as if this is a hoax.      What if your behavior, and your behavior alone, killed your Momma, killed your children, killed your grand children?????    We don't have to wear a mask long enough to cause some of the problems that people are claiming.    Yeah, you may asthma, but if it was something you REALLY wanted to do and if it's something to keep YOU safe, that's a different story!!    We are hearing a LOT of excuses!!!!    That's all it is, excuses backed by the enemy himself.       Poor souls don't even know they are being used.    What we are seeing is ugly, sin stained hearts coming to the surface.    They can be hidden only so long.        You can talk about Jesus all day long on face book, but your actions speak louder than words.    You can go to church every sunday of the world and still be as lost as the needle in the haystack.        Like they say, standing in a garage doesn't make you a car either.        It boils down to sin.

There are a lot of people who want to say that those who do wear a mask are sheep.    Well, my friends, look in scripture and see what the word of God says about sheep.    Call me sheep any day, I will count it as one of the highest compliments anyone could ever gave me!!!!!!     The Shepherd knows His sheep!!!!        So, baa baa baa!!!    Yes, I'm a sheep and proud of it.

As for all the recent events being foreshadowing of things to come, like I said earlier, God knows what's happening.    I don't think He needs any of us fighting against what the back of the BOOK says is going to happen.    It will happen in His time and He tells us "to be ready for it!!!        He doesn't tell us to be out in the streets beating our chests like some kind of war drums and shaking a fist, like it really means anything anyway.    And burning our cities and other people livelihoods and creating confusion.       We already discussed where confusion fits in and it's of the enemy.    But what it does tell us is to live our lives as peaceably as we can, when it depends on us.    Standing out, shaking my fists, calling names, and cursing is not what God has called me to do.    If that's His calling on your life, then I suggest you ask Him for more discernment.    I suggest you channel whatever is causing your behavior to more constructive things.    Mow a neighbors yard, shop for groceries for an elderly friend, tend to a neighbors garden, go plant a small garden for a neighbor and help take care of it for them.       Do something constructive.    Tell someone they look beautiful.       Make someones day by opening a door. Do all these good things for others while wearing a mask.

The simple fact of the matter is this, if you claim to be a a Christ Follower, then your life should show it.      His kingdom was never about ruling planet earth.    His kingdom was all about living in the lives of those us who love Him and being with Him in His true domain.     Remember, in the Garden, when Peter pulled a sword and cut Malcus' ear off?     Jesus told Peter to put away the sword.      And........He healed that ear of Malcus!!!!!      I'll just imagine that Malcus remembered that the rest of his days!!! Truth be known, he may have even bragged about it a little.      He had a testimony, whether he knew it or not.

Thing of it is, we all have a testimony.    We don't look at lives, most of the time, as testimony, but if we love Jesus, then we are a walking testimony to the goodness of God in our lives.    The only reason Jesus hasn't already come back is because God is waiting for that one more soul to come to know Him. Just one more, just one more, just one more......................... You see, our God is a God of many opportunities, but those opportunities will be coming to an end some day.    I have no idea how soon it will be, but it will happen.    I just pray that just one more, and just one more, and just one more will keep on coming to know Him as Lord and Savior.

My testimony is that Jesus saved such a wretched sinner as I, knowing that I don't, didn't and will ever deserve it on my own.     The thing of it is, it's not based on how wretched I am, it's based on how wonderful, amazing, awesome and loving and trustworthy He is!!!       My Savior is the epitome of sacrifice!!!!!       He died in my place, all those years ago.     What is so sweet, is the fact that if I had been the only one to ever need His sacrifice, He would have done it just for me.      That is my testimony, He sacrificed Himself just for me.      He done the same thing for you!!!        It's only when we make it real for us that it becomes our testimony.      So, call me "sheep" and I will take that as an ultimate compliment.     I know my Shepherds voice and He knows mine.    Can you say the same?       I hope so.

So, this is my 4 month summary of the questions I asked myself back on March 20th, 2020.       Some of the answers may change over the next 4 months, I don't know.      But I will try to remember to revisit the questions again and see what has changed.     Until then, be the change that you want to see in the world.     One person can make a difference in your own world.      I pray that I am making a difference in my world.     I certainly try to.

That's all I have for now.    Blessings on you and those you love.      Do what you can to help others and protect others.    Be a light in an otherwise dark world.    Love those around you.     Show kindness to all people.    Let your heart, your beautiful heart that loves Jesus, be what others see in you.    Remember that God loves you and I do too.    Have a wonderful rest of the day and thank God for it. hugs, love and blessings, patty

Clenched fists or Open hands

I shared this on facebook a little while ago and thought I would share it here too.


this is what's on my mind this evening and thought I would jot down my thoughts.    these are just my thoughts, that's all.    but my thoughts can be dangerous for me sometimes and these were.    kinda made me take a second look at me. the images are everywhere.    oh, you may not even pay any attention to them now, we've seen them so much here lately. but when I see the images, I see something I don't like. what are the images?    if you have read this far, you may be curious. the images of the "upraised clenched fist".    when I see them, it almost makes me sick to my stomach. and I seen an image this afternoon and it just stuck.    I knew I would have to knuckle down and make sense out of why it just makes me sick.    like I said earlier, this is my assessment and I'm not asking for anyone's approval of my thoughts or comments either.

a little digging and this is what I learned about the upraised clenched fist. it signifies threat, rejection, arrogance, exclusion, refusal, ready to fight, anger and violence.    I think we've seen a lot of all of these traits in the last few weeks.    we've seen the clenched fists out in the streets committing heinous crimes.    I don't know about anyone else, but it has just about made me sick. sometimes, I would like to know how people could have so much hate on the inside of them.    then, I remember that at one point in time, I had just as much hate on the inside of me as the people we've seen of late, still have on the inside of them.

then a little more digging also showed me what the open hand means.    it means friendship, help, peace, sharing, humility, communication and connection. to be honest, that's something we've not seen a lot of these days.    that's what's missing these days. it's not missing because the church doors have been shut due to the pandemic.    the church is not the building.    the church is each of us who claim to know Him.    where I am, there is the church.    where you are, there is the church.    that is only true if you know Him.

when I think of an open hand, I actually think of 2 open hands.    the 2 open hands of my Savior that was nailed to the cross for my sins.    all of the sudden, that's when I realized why the clenched fist makes me sick.    go back up and read the traits of the clenched fist again. they have nothing in common with the open hands.    other than that fact that all open hands, were indeed clenched fists until they had an encounter with Him.

the open hands of my Savior had all the traits and so many more as described by the open hands.    I am so thankful for His open hands on my behalf.    if He would have had a clenched fist, life for all of us would be so different. the truth of the matter, my Savior had the choice to make; clenched fist or open hands.    after all, He was fully human and capable of making a decision opposite of what He made.    He had a choice.    He chose me.    He chose you.

so, I have a choice to make and I have chosen Him.    does that make me perfect?    laughably, absolutely not.    it makes me a sinner saved by the grace of open hands.    we all have a choice to make.    it's not easy being open handed all the time because people think you are weak and beat down among other things.    but at this point in my life, I could care less what people think about me and just pray that people start thinking more about Him.    when we take our eyes off the open and nail scarred hands of our Savior, it's easy to start to getting clench fisted and full of hate again.    my hearts desire for myself is that in all my activities from this moment on in my life, I pray that my Savior sees me living my life with open hands.    that is the choice that I make, and I will fully rely on Him.    we all have a choice to make.    I can only make my choice.    have a blessed evening, hugs and love, patty

What are you made of?

I wrote this last year on my birthday and shared it on facebook, but I don't think I shared it here. I hope you can relate to some of these things that has helped make me who I am.


Pigtails and pin curls.

Skinned knees and climbing trees.

Horse shoes and basketball.

Digging worms and fishing poles.

Bobby socks and new shoes.

Cornbread and fresh butter.

Badminton and backyard volleyball.

Puppies and kittens.

Gathering eggs and chasing chickens.

Ghost stories and lightening bugs.

Licking the beaters and washing dishes.

Hanging out clothes and bringing clothes in.

Sunshine and rainy days.

Biscuits and gravy.

Monopoly and card games.

Crayons and coloring books.

Paper dolls and barbie dolls.

Bb guns and squirt pistols.

Blackberries and chiggers.

Momma and Daddy.

Grandparents and cousins.

Yoyos and jacks.

Beans and potatoes.

June bugs and butterflies.

Mud pies and pea shooters.

Buttons and barrettes.

Bow and arrows and target practice.

Cuts and bee stings.

Chicken pox and mumps.

Popcorn balls and sorghum molasses.

Measles and Mercurochrome.

Neighbors and friends.

Guns and hair bows.

A little country and a lot of Jesus!!!!


God bless each and everyone of you and just know that He loves you all. hugs and love till next time, patty

A Beautiful Day

Good afternoon Lovely people.     I hope and pray that where ever you are on this planet, that you are having a beautiful day and that you recognize this is a day that Lord has made and He made it just for us!!!     Yes and Amen!!!!

I haven't done anything overly special today.    I planted seeds in my latest GreenStalk.   An upright planter with 4 tiers to fill full of wonderful veggies.    I just pray Gods blessings over my feeble efforts and I know if anything grows, it's because He heard my prayers.     I assure you I know nothing about gardening.    hahaha      But I do know that God is faithful. 

I worked on my yogurt that I started last night in Instant Pot.    I put it in the fridge to get it cooled down and now I have it in my flour sack cloth lined strainer basket, draining the whey from it to make greek yogurt.   It will be delicious!!!

I made a grocery order from Kroger and had that delivered a couple hours ago.    I have that out of the way till I make my Aldi order later on this week.     There's thing's I prefer from Kroger and things I prefer from Aldi.

I've been on face book quite a bit today responding to Happy Birthday wishes today.      While I'm not crazy about big celebrations, I do enjoy the quick responses and well wishes from family, friends, acquaintances and friends of family members and their well wishes.    That brings lots of joy.    Sharing old pictures and funny pictures and reminiscing of days gone by and a simpler time.

As I reflect on the years I've been on this planet, I have a lot to be thankful for.   And I am most thankful and grateful to God for every day of my life thus far and look with great anticipation to the days ahead.    I have no idea what they will bring.    I imagine there will be joy in the days ahead.    No doubt, there will be lots of fun and laughter.    I can just imagine, too, that there will pain and heart ache in the days ahead.     I have no idea what lay ahead.    One thing I do know for sure, God is already there!!!     He is working ahead of me.     He is designing my steps.     He is my plan keeper.    I don't know what the plans are, but He does.     So with that in my mind, I can face each day as they come and know that nothing is a surprise to God.

The days and times in which we live are unsettling to say the least.    As I struggle with all of it, my mind and heart easily slips from today to yester-year and thoughts of home, family, friends, brothers, parents, grandparents, home places, cousins, aunts and uncles and all those things oh so familiar, but some are long gone.   Those are things that make it home, no matter where you are.

I can pull out the picture albums and go right back to that little kid.     Quiet, shy, reserved, an observer,  hard, serious, a thinker, awkward, goofy, silly, but also someone who felt and still feels things deeply.  While this is going to sound silly and childish, when one of my seedlings in my little garden doesn't make it, I wonder what I done to kill it.     And that makes me sad.      In reality, it shouldn't, but it does.

So you can certainly understand why the events of the recent past are so unsettling.     I was reared to have respect for certain things.  Other people, people in authority, even titles of people deserved respect.     I didn't talk back to the elders around me.     If I done something that merited a spanking, I got it.     There wasn't anyone that would or could stop my Momma from dispensing correction, when correction was due.   You know what????     I am so thankful for that!!!!!    I'm so thankful that my Momma loved me and my 5 brothers enough to discipline us!!!      I truly am!!!      It breaks my heart to see people that I know who have not had one second of correction in their lives.     I really hate to say it, but what we see today is no discipline producing no discipline     That is such a hard thing to say, but it is truth.   

The Bible clearly states in several places and not necessarily in my words, but correction is a good thing and when correction is spared the child is spoiled.     That is true.     While I can't give you an example of Momma spanking me, I know she did.     I also know she spanked my brothers.    She spanked the children she kept while their parents worked.     If someone didn't want their child spanked, they found another babysitter.     My Momma would spank your child when necessary or you got another babysitter.   End of story.    hahaha   

I remember we would go to visit neighbors and friends back when we was all little.     When we was all in the car, my Momma would lay the law down to us about behaving.   She might even tell us before we got in the car, but she always TOLD us before hand.   More than likely, while visiting, she would never say a word, but she had a look and we all knew that LOOK.  When we had received that look, we knew we was in trouble when we got home, most of the time there wasn't a discussion.    We knew why we got the look, we was just praying she would forget that she had to use the look.     She never did.    We knew we would get our hide tanned and we did.     Fortunately for us, we were quick and easy learners.    It didn't happen often, but it did happen a time or two.    To the best of my knowledge, no one we ever visited when we was all young ever dreaded seeing us come to their house.     I don't reckon we ever had any critical words from neighbors, family and friends.    That is something that I'm proud of today!!!     But I can tell you there were some that came to our house and we dreaded to see them coming and was thrilled to see them leaving. 

As kids, we was always so happy when some of our cousins came to visit.     Didn't matter if they lived up the road or in other states, we was so excited to see them all.     They were taught to behave like we were.   I love all the memories that was made back then.    Time has passed and some of my cousins are no longer with us and that breaks my heart.    With the passage of time, as of right now on this day, my Momma is the last one living of her generation.     Daddy is gone and all my Aunts and Uncles on both sides of my family are now gone.    That is such a lonely thought, that my Momma is the last one standing.    I pray she has many more healthy years left in her.    I believe she does.     But I also know she is lonely.    While she still has lots of friends, there's just something different about family and she feels it.

My Momma worked harder than any other mother I know of anywhere.     She done without, so we could have school clothes.     She was always last on the list for anything.     Didn't make any difference what it was, she came last.     She put herself there.    She put herself last.     She has no regrets for anything she done for us.     She was always on our side.    She always wanted to see her children succeed.     She helped her children succeed. 

My Daddy worked all his life.    He was gone before sun up and home around 5 pm every day, just like clock work.    He provided for his family.     He taught his children about work and gave us all a work ethic that none can compare.    He worked.   That was his job.     He set an example.     That too, was his job.    He never called in sick.     He worked.     It's not easy providing for a household of 8.    If you think it is, go try it.     See how hard it is.     We took no government handouts.     They were available.    We took no government handouts.     No free lunches.     Nada.     Zilch.     He worked.    He set an example.     That's what some men done back then.   They worked.    They set an example.

Fast forward to today.     What are Momma's and Daddy's doing?     Rioting, killing, stealing, spitting on police officers, breaking things that's not theirs, collecting welfare, tearing down, destroying, taking, cursing, standing in hand out lines, being belligerent, hurting others, killing babies, screaming inequality.     They too are setting an example. 

Oh Lord God take control of this nation!!!    Please put a burden and desire in the hearts of ALL parents to do right by their children.     Please help them and all of us to see the error of our ways that comes from turning a deaf ear.     I pray that you put a miraculous end to the hate filled hearts.   I know you can Lord!!!    I know you can.     I feel the call of angels from heavens shore because I don't feel like I'm at home down here anymore.      I don't know that I can say that this ever felt like home, but it certainly feels less and less like home.    I am so thankful for the days behind me.    All of them, even the bad days and there have been plenty of bad days.     Every day I've lived to this day has helped make me the person I am today.     So, yes, I'm thankful for the days behind me.     I do look with great anticipation to the days ahead.     The days behind me showed me that God was there, so I know He will be in my days ahead.     I pray He will give me what is necessary to make it thru each day till He calls me home or till He calls us all home.     With His faithfulness in the past, I know He will be faithful in the future and that He is already there, making a way.    He is the Way Maker!!! 
So, today, I reminisce of days gone by and I look to the unknown days ahead.    But I do it all knowing that God has seen every day of my life to this day and He will be my guide and companion thru the days ahead.    He will count all my joys and laughs and happiness.    He will also catch and count all the tears that slip down cheeks.    Just as He has done in the past, so will He do in the days ahead.    My God is faithful!!   Me, not so much!!      But my God is!!!

I don't know what you think of today's blog.    This was just something I needed to write down for me and decided to share it with y'all.    I hope you all know my God and have a personal relationship with Him.    That would be a wonderful birthday present, just knowing that someone seen the God that I serve as someone they wanted to serve too.     Jesus made the way for us to be in relationship with God.    Jesus saved my soul.     Jesus made me whole.     He can do the same for you.    Acknowledge your sin, repent of your sin, ask Jesus to come into your life.   He will.   Then you will be in right relationship with God thru the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

I love you all.   As much I love all of you, just know that God loves you so much more than I ever could.     I pray you have a beautiful rest of the evening, a wonderful rest filled night and if you are blessed to wake in the morning, I pray you will give God glory for it!!!   hugs and love, patty

Where is your heart this morning?

Good morning Y'all!!!      I hope and pray that wherever Y'all are today that you know and feel the presence of the Lord today.     Just wanted to share what was on my heart this morning and I hope you can find some comfort in it.

Who wants a good read today?       If you do, grab your Bible and turn to 1 Peter 2 and read the whole chapter.       It tells us how we are to live in this world, that is not our permanent home.       We are sojourners just passing thru this land.       If you long for something different, just know, that's heaven calling.       "This world is not my home" keeps rushing thru my mind and below is a portion of that song.

""This world is not my home I'm just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore
Oh lord you know I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home then lord what will I do
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore.""

There is also another beautiful hymn that keeps coming up too, "This is my Fathers world".     This is a portion of that song:

""This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world,
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas,
His hand the wonders wrought.""

I love the nature side of my Fathers world as described in this sweet hymn of faith, but not so much the side of humanity that we are seeing today. So, while I think of rocks and trees and skies and seas, I also hear the angels beckon me from heaven's open door and I don't feel at home here anymore.

I can't possibly be the only person with a heart that is longing for heaven, but I also long to see God's people do right by one another.

Anyway, this is where my heart was this morning. hugs and love to all and have a blessed day. patty