"Even when the rainbow seems to pass right by me....I'm still finding Gold in the clouds....."

12 April 2024

Spring Time Faves

 

April is just flying right by isn't it? 

It's been a busy week...whomever said retirement is boring, clearly doesn't belong to a vibrant active church because I've had something on the agenda every day either for church or a ministry I'm involved in leading. Add to that the Eclipse and out of state company and it was packed full of blessings.  I'm here to share five of those blessings that top my fave list. If you head over to Susanne's blog, you can read more or join in!

Sunday AM Breakfast:
 Veggie Omelet, Fresh orange, whole grain toast
  • SUNDAY BREAKFAST:  Sunday morning, after Dave and I were showered and had our first mug of coffee, he decided to make veggie omelets for breakfast. Typically, he's been doing intermittent fasting so doesn't have breakfast.  But he wanted to cook one and I was totally fine with that!!  It was delicious!  I'm so thankful I have a husband who likes to cook and is good at it. And while I finished getting ready for church, he even washed up the dishes! A huge blessing for me. 

ready for company!

  • SPRING CLEANING! The beginning of this past week was just gorgeous. Warmer temps, blue skies and sunshine and a temp of over 70!  I had an afternoon where I could get out the deck furniture from under the tarps and clean off all the winter crud. I swept the deck (I'm not bothering to wash it because it needs to be repainted at some point so I'll do it then).  I set up the reading/talking corner and will finish the rest of the deck and backyard sometime over the weekend or next week. I'm thankful it's SPRING and that this chore is halfway done. 
total eclipse
Schroon Lake NY
Eastern Adirondacks
about 3:28 pm
photo by Courtney E T





just after total eclipse when sun just starting to show again

  • ECLIPSE: You can read about my experience here and what God showed me during this amazing event.  This whole day brought a huge smile to my face, I was  neck and headache pain free, and I thank God for making memories with some family members. I thank God for being an amazing Creator of this universe. 

communion pack and tiny brush
  • SPRING FLING BRUNCH:  I was invited to attend a brunch held in the gym/main classroom of our church on Wednesday morning.  Every Wednesday from September to June (minus the holiday season) there's a class for Women titled Women's Daytime Series.  They have various speakers, do a Bible study sometimes, etc.  I hadn't been to one since 2006 when I was a stay at home mom that year!  Now that I'm retired, it seems like every Wednesday I have something else going on so I was especially thrilled that my  dear friend Diane invited me as well as one of the members of my SoulSteps Walking group.  I was motivated to go because the main speaker was the woman (who now attends a different church) who taught the Small Group Leadership class I had to take to become a Bible Study/Small Group Leader years ago. Her message was about Cleaning our Hearts and it was based on Psalm 51.  She gave us  all little items for her object lesson.  The communion wafer/cup is to remind us that we don't need to be in church to take communion!  We can do it in our own home after  examining our hearts for sin  which the brush represented....the cleaning away the sin.  There was more to it but that was the basic summary.  I'm so thankful I went because I was able to sit with 2 friends I hadn't seen in a long time.  The food was good, but my fave was the powerful message and worship. 

  • NUMBER CHOSEN!!  The state park about 35 minutes north of us where we used to bring our kayaks, pay a fee and leave tied to a tree, now has rules that all kayaks/canoes must be on one of the racks.  Last year we waited in line for 2 hours only to be told there were only 3 spots left and all were over my head (I'm not allowed to lift items over 15 lbs over my head due to degenerative disc disease).  THIS year the state decided the rack spots would be done by lottery. We had to fill out an application for each boat (we have 2 kayaks) and then get it in on a certain date. The winners were chosen this past Wednesday and my number was one of them!  Praise God!! I was so thankful....this truly made me smile. We had to choose 2 levels per boat so of course I chose ground level or the next one up (with the approval of my chirorpactor...it's just 22 inches from ground).  We are guarenteed one of those spots per boat.  If all goes well this weekend, we plan on getting the boats up there Sunday after church, pay the fee, get the decal and get them on to the rack.  We are allowed to store them there from April 15th until November 15th.  
Well those five things are what topped my week.

I had other blessings of course:  a couple of nice sunny days; the chance to file away some papers in the basement and shred other papers we no longer need; good phone conversations with a couple of childhood friends who have kept in touch; hot steaming mugs of coffee on a dreary damp rainy day, time in the Scriptures. 

I hope what ever you have planned for the weekend will be a time of rest and recharging. 

HAPPY WEEKEND!!






11 comments:

Melanie said...

That's great you got a view of the eclipse. It was so cloudy here and rain that there was nothing to see. It did get a bit darker though. I've got your post about the eclipse bookmarked to read later.

Your brunches sound so nice. The illustrated message your speaker gave is so true. Did she record it?

I've been spring cleaning this week as well, in honor of my daughter's visit. It reminds me that I need to get on a schedule. It's so easy to let things go until "next week". Ha Ha

How blessed with a husband who makes omelets and cleans up afterwards! My daughter does intermittent fasting as well. How is it working for him?

Have a blessed weekend,

Jennifer said...

It doesn't get much better than Sunday breakfast cooked by your hubby...and e does the dishes afterwards!! I love it. And congrats on getting your number chosen. I hope you have lots of fun days on the water in your future!! Here's to a good weekend ahead, too!

Marilyn @ MountainTopSpice said...

So many little things in life add up to big precious blessings! Yummie omelette cooked by your husband, a place to go kayaking, and being able to experience the eclipse, as well as get some spring cleaning done, and experience a precious community of ladies in bible study - yes, all blessings indeed! Have a blessed weekend!

Deb J. in Utah said...

Hi Faith. What a nice list of favorites for the week! Yes, the eclipse does remind us of the beauty and wonder of this world God has created for us. The woman's meeting at your church sounds very nice with a good, uplifting message. So glad you could go. It's so great that your number was chosen so you can store your Kayak at the lake. I hope that you have a very good weekend. See you again soon!

HappyK said...

We both have kayaks and look forward to going paddling. Still a bit to chilly though.

Mari said...

Hi Faith,
Thanks for stopping by. I am getting close to retirement and keep hearing how busy people are after retirement. I'm looking forward to being able to do more in our church when my days aren't so full with work.
I enjoyed your list of favorites. I was also touched but the eclipse and the way it showed God's majesty!

Susan said...

Hi Faith, sounds like you had a great week. I agree with you about being busy even when we are retired. I have never been in a kayak, but I would like to try. I have been on an outrigger canoe in Hawaii and loved that! I have a husband that likes to cook. Enjoy your weekend!

Willow said...

You had a wonderful view of the eclipse! We were at more than 99% but didn't go all the way dark. It certainly seemed like dusk, though.
Good news on getting the spots for the kayaks!
I mentioned the busyness of being retired, too! Yes, I think I'm busier than before I retired.
Enjoy a hopefully sunny weekend!

Barbara H. said...

We were supposed to have 87% totality for the eclipse, but it was too cloudy to see it. Some of the guys traveled to see it, though, and enjoyed it. It's nice to be getting the deck ready for more outdoor use. I'm glad you got to go to the spring fling brunch. That's great that you were chosen to have a place to keep your kayaks. I know what you mean about retirement--there are always things to do.

Wendy said...

So good to hear you are enjoying your retirement and have had some pain free days. Glad you got lucky with the kayak storage too.

Susanne said...

So cool that you were in the path of totality! It didn't even get a smidge darker here. Our weather is so back and forth. Nice that you got the deck ready. Yay for getting your kayak storage spot! What a blessing to have breakfast cooked and cleaned up on a Sunday!