Words to Live By

"Sing unto the Lord, all the earth;
show forth from day to day
His salvation."

1 Chronicles 16:23

Old Chairs

I love old chairs. There's just something about their charm and grace that's so inviting. Whenever I see an old chair in an antique shop or a thrift store, I want to bring it home with me. Of course that's just not possible. There should be a sign outside my house - "Home for wayward and lost chairs".

My daughter was making some changes in her room. She asked if I would swap a chair she had in her room for a smaller one in our living room. I thought it was a great idea, and in the process, we rearranged furniture in the living room.

I've fallen in love with this chair.

It is big, and comfy AND short :-) I'm not very tall, and sometimes my feet barely reach the floor when I sit in an easy chair. This chair has compassion for shorter people. It's old and bumpy, but it encompasses me with it's warm inviting arms. I can sit in this chair and read, or watch the butterflys outside.

I love sitting here, wrapped up in a good book and a cup of tea.


"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort, of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away."
~ George Eliot

Treasures to be found

Antique Malls can be so diverse.  We sometimes find the most unique displays.

I'm afraid this booth took my breath away!

 Yes, I love books!  You just squeezed into this space. I could have stayed in this booth for days.

When I found the mysteries section, I made a search for something that would appease my need for a book!  And I found Agatha Christie!!

Five complete Hercule Poirot Novels in one volume!  For $4.  Couldn't pass this one up. What a great collection!

Words to Live By

Blessed is the man who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting at my doorposts.
For he who finds me finds life,
and obtains favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 8: 34-35

Paw prints on my heart

I was not going to cry!!

I went to the library to check out the audio of "Persuasion." However I discovered that it was already checked out!.

Bummer.....

 I found the CD's for "Marley and Me" by John Grogan and stepped into the check out line. As the librarian looked at what I had, she asked if I had read the book. I told her no, but had heard it was good. "You better get the tissues out, cause it will make you cry." Well before I even popped the first disc in, I told myself I would not cry. I mean it is a story about a dog..... I can handle that.

So for that whole week I enjoyed this story about a big yellow lab named Marley.  As I was putting the last disc in the CD player, I reassured myself, I was NOT going to cry.

So I listened. And then it came.... the tears.... big loppy tears. It was not so much the sadness of the story's ending, but the overwhelming memory of my own little puppy. Who turned into a big lovable Airedale dog!

 She was my best friend. We had her before we had our children.

She was my buddy.

My friend.

 Ten years and two children later, she left us. And oh..... what an ache in my heart. Even now as I think of her, the tears well up. How do we fall so in love with these critters and then they leave us!! My love for her was so deep that I have never been able to have another dog. I felt that I could not do it again. Their life is so short.

 John Grogan said it well. There are just some animals that you never forget. They have left their imprint on your heart.

"Flowers of true friendship never fade."

Awesome Thought

Could we with ink the ocean fill,

And were the skies of parchment made,

Were every stalk on earth a quill,

And every man a scribe by trade;

To write the love of God above

Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,

though stretched from sky to sky.

                                                                                    The Love of God | Frederick M. Lehman

A Romantic at heart

I think I must be a romantic at heart.

I love to read old stories. I fell in love with the classics several years ago.

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice stole my heart. The love story between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy wrapped me up in their emotional interludes. Love/hate/misunderstandings/reconciliation/happy ending. How could I ask for more?

And then there was Emma,

the spoiled country girl who tried to be the matchmaker. Only to find that it was she who would lose in love. Ah! But there is also another happy ending.

Sense and Sensibility............

Two sisters, two loves, two broken hearts, two happy endings.  These books are so much more than the movies portray.

Jane Austen is not the only classic author I favor.

I recently listened to the "Little Women" CD's. I found this to be a most enjoyable book. With so many characters and story lines. Even though I have enjoyed the movies, the books have so much more depth.

And speaking of movies, a couple of years ago I watched "North and South" a PBS made for TV movie. I thought the production was good, and ventured to find the book. It was very elusive. But when I came across a paperback copy, I grabbed it.

I'm telling you, I was gripped by this story. The movie is nothing compared to the story of Margaret and Mr. Thornton. One reason I love to read these old classics, is that their emotions are written in such beautiful detail, and yet there is nothing unsavory.

Yep, I think I am a romantic at heart. Love the old classics. How about you??