I hope you've all had a fabulous week! Yes, I actually had my surgery yesterday, but I was able to post this because most of it was pre-written. Luckily, the surgery was done laparoscopically, so recovery is fairly easy. I'm hopeful it stays that way.
In the eleven months since my daddy's passing, I’ve found that grief never truly ends; we just learn to live with it as it sleeps, and then wakes up roaring. I'm realizing my mind isn't entirely clear right now. One goal that has completely fallen off my radar is keeping track of my reading life. I just don't have the bandwidth for Goodreads, StoryGraph or the reading challenges I signed up for this year. I will absolutely continue with my NetGalley review books that were sent to me before Daddy's passing as well as future titles that really pique my interest—you know how we bibliophiles are!—but for now, I’m giving myself grace for the foreseeable future. Perhaps I'll jump back into the numbers game down the road.
For today, grab your favorite beverage, and let's catch up!
HERE'S A WORD
As I prepped for this study, I simply highlight all the words that describe what God does for us in my Bible and make a list of them in my journal. I'll follow the same format here.
David is desparately coming before God asking him to consider and answer him. Obviously, David feels abandoned by God. As we learned last week, God promisess that He will NEVER abandon nor forsake us. Feelings are not fact.
According to Webster, consider can have many meanings; yet in this case, David is perhaps saying, "Regard me and my situation. Please treat me/the situation in an attentive way." God does indeed look upon us from heaven (Psalm 14:2). Jesus even said that even the very hairs on our head are numbered (Matthew 10:30-31)! I love my kids and grandbabies with all my heart, but I certainly don't know how many hairs are on even one of their heads! Can you imagine how much God loves his children?
David appears to be in dire straights. Some commentators believe that perhaps David was asking God for "light" because he was ill, near death as David said in verse 3b. Others wrote that perhaps he was in a dark place emotionally; so anxious was he that his surroundings felt "dark".
Either way, David knows that he knows that he knows God will indeed consider him, answer him and give light to his body and/or mind.
Guess what? He'll do the same for you and I as we walk with Him as our LORD and Savior! Isn't this exciting?
We are not alone! We have a God who loves us, considers us, answers us and provides light to our mind/body lest the darkness of physical, mental or spiritual death overtake us. What a loving God we serve!
Please know this:
You are loved. You are not alone. You are being lovingly prayed for.
FIBER FUN
I broke down my "To Dos" into three categories: Finish, Focus, Prep/make a kit, and Be Kind = Soft Deadlines. FoF represents the Fields of Fancy BOM, which I'm doing with Liberty of London Tana Lawn fabrics. FBF represents the Flower Box Friends BOM
Last Week's List
1. Finish
- at least one FoF hexagon Not done
- Grandson's #4 afghan just in time for his birthday! Finished! I'll post pictures next week.
2. Focus
- FoF EPP/applique Done!
- Now I'll focus on the Christmas Cowls I've been making. Partially done, I needed more yarn.
- Begin the jalepeno table topper Done! Now, I just need to quilt it and bind it. The pattern is from My Cotton Creations.
I also finished up the last of the Disappearaing Nine-Patch projects, a hot pad and coasters.
3. Prepare/make a kit
- for Grandson #3 and #4's ornament Done!
Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!
This Week's goals
Recover from Surgery
15 MINUTES TO STICH
I’m joining the Kate's 15 Minutes to Stitch' challenge at Life in Piecesto build the habit of machine sewing every day. I hand stitched every day and machine stitched one day out of the week.
LITERARY LIFE
MAILBOX MONDAY- is a gathering place for readers to share books that they added to their shelves or eBook readers the previous week. Some of these books were recommended by you! Do you see your reads below? Thank all of you for sharing!
Here's what I've picked up this week.
ereaderiq.com I'm starting to post these titles on Instagram on the day I acquire them as the deals are short-term.
***** The Paper Princess by Elisa Kleven is a delightful read for children and those who are young at heart. Kleven is definitely the latter, as evidenced by her skill in describing the Paper Princess's adventures and the deep love she has for her creator, to whom she desperately wants to return. The story beautifully illustrates the bond between siblings and the kindness of strangers, and its gentle tone makes this book a fabulous bedtime story.
As a former teacher, I can see multiple uses for The Paper Princess in the classroom. It is perfect for settling children down, or as an introduction to thematic units on community, acceptance, family, travel, and adventure. More importantly, we finally have a sweet female protagonist to rival Flat Stanley. Finding such a treasure can be difficult, so this is a highly welcome addition to any bookshelf. Highly recommend.
I express my gratitude to Elisa Kleven, The Collective Book Studio and NetGalley for providing the opportunity to review The Paper Princess.
**** The Museum of Second Chances by Jo Leevers is a wonderful tale about Evelyn, her disorganized museum, and the local council threatening to shut it down in the name of big business. Evelyn enjoys beachcoming and placing the objects she finds into her museum. Her most treasured item, however, could hold the key to her past—but at what cost?
Such is the case with many of her collected treasures. Thus begins our journey with Evelyn and a delightful cast of characters as they work together to save this special place. Will their efforts uncover other secrets the museum holds? Will the precious items within unlock the keys to the past and maybe bring a brighter future for all? Recommend.
I express my gratitude to Jo Leevers, Amazon Publishing UK| Lake Union Publishingand NetGalley for providing the opportunity to review The Museum of Second Chances to be published July 1, 2026.
FINDING JOY
LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Colorhelps me consistently find the joy in every life. She also provides a prompt for us to use like this one: Did you go to the beach as a child? Did you like to collect shells? Build a sand castle? Have a favorite swimsuit or toy? If no beach, did you go to a lake or river?
We didn't live near a beach, but we would go camping by streams. I enjoyed wading in them and learning all kinds of nature lessons from Daddy. We would even find the occassional sea shell and he would teach me how they ended up on a mountain in New Mexico! We would find little treasures using his metal detector. Such pleasant memories.
Surprise! Here is a mini-post! A funny thing happened this morning as I was reading my daily devotionals. In Tozer on the Holy Spirit, I read about being sensitive to the Holy Spirit and following His leading. Then, while reading today's passage from Healing After Loss, I felt led to share it with you. Hence, here I am popping into your email today!
The author mentioned that many of us find "peace of heart and mind" by gazing at the ocean. He reminded us that while we may not always have that opportunity, God created the sky for us as well. We can find just as much comfort in that.
Whenever I was in New Mexico, I used to say, "When I go back to San Diego, I'll go to the ocean and find comfort and healing." But on my last trip, I could not bring myself to gaze upon the sight that Daddy loved so much. When I went home, I thought, I'll just go to the beach next time.
Today I realized that even when I am inland, I still have a vast "ocean" to find comfort in. No matter where we are, we always have the beautiful sky to gaze upon. To do so, however, we must look up, not down. When we look at God's wondrous creation in the heavens and find comfort, we also find Him—the One who has our names engraved on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16), collects our every tear in His bottle, and records each one in His book (Psalm 56:8).
So, let's look up today! Even through our pain, grief and tears, we can find His comfort.
Thank you for stopping by! Whether you are enjoying summer or a completely different season across the globe, I hope you are staying comfortable. Here in Southern New Mexico, the heat is no joke. I’ve been fleeing the heat by going indoors by 10:00 AM, stepping out only for my absolute favorite things: my reading and fiber arts groups. Well, I also step out for my responsibilities like medical appointments and purchasing fresh produce. I’m drinking so much water I feel like my eyeballs are floating!
Wow, it has been two whole weeks since my last post! I honestly thought I’d be blogging while in San Diego, but we were just too busy making memories. From exploring local gems with Mama—complete with a perfect afternoon sharing cheesecake at her home—to discovering new spots with my DH, we completely immersed ourselves in the local scene.
Welcome! I hope you've had a fabulous week! I wanted to share a couple of blogging tips I've learned the hard way. I've lost so much time when I somehow make the post/s I'm working on disappear. Now I regularly create a backup for these posts as I'm writing them.
Perhaps some of you work on your phone and computer as you write your posts. Make sure to close your posts before you use your other devices. Otherwise, the post might disappear. Ask me how I know.
