Weekly Word: Stayed On Him Part 2, Reading, Stitching and Gratitude

  

Hello There, 

I'm sure many of you are preparing for your Thanksgiving celebrations.  Perhaps you would like to share your favorite Thanksgiving tradition in the comments below?  Or maybe you have a new tradition you're adding to your celebration of gratitude this week?   

One of my favorite traditions is listening to each person around our table share whatever is that they are grateful for.  I also love to bake my stuffing as I remember my Grandmother making it - with tons of carrots, celery and a dash of onions.  Yum!

I am adding Jenn at Jenn's Bookshelves Thankfully Reading to my Thanksgiving weekend plans.  Who knows?  Perhaps it will become a new tradition for many of us!

  Jenn is once hosting the Thankfully Reading from November 24 - 28.  No rules, simply cuddle up and read.  Are you in?  If so, please join us by signing up here!  

Time for this week's post.  Here's is an index should you have a special interest you like to read first!  

The Weekly Word - is a short devotional that sometimes becomes a Bible Study series.  

My Reading Life - is filled with current, completed and upcoming reads as well as an occasional short review.      

Stash Report and To Do Tuesday is where I'll share share stats regarding my fiber usage and acquisitions, goals met/lack thereof and photos of my projects. 

Gratitude Journal - Sometimes I get lost in my own stinky thinking.  This digital journal reminds me to count my blessings!    

The Weekly Word

Depressed?  Grieving?  Just Plain Sad? Part 2

As I shared last week our family has been going through a transition.  Also, like many of you, we have recently experienced the loss of several family members and friends, some to COVID, some to cancer.  

Though societal pressures may tempt us to rush the grieving process, Ecclesiastes 3:4 clearly states there is a time to grieve.  
 

After listening to Terrian's song, Stayed on Him, a curiosity about grieving, depression and just plain sadness led me to this website.  The author listed times with Biblical heroes were struggling.  As I read this examples I felt less alone, but I noticed something:  every single passage in which despair was expressed, the various authors also expressed a deep faith in God's promises.  

Let's look at Psalm 56 where David expresses his feelings as he faces looming danger from the Philistines:

Record my misery; 

list my tears on  Your scroll - 

are they not in Your record?

- Psalm 56:8

David is in such distress that he want to make sure his feelings and even tears are recorded in God's scroll!  

But look!  Just a few verses later, he writes:

In God whose Word I praise, 

in the LORD, whose Word I praise - 

in God I trust and am not afraid. 

What can man do to me?

- Psalm 56:10-11

When I read a repeated phrase, I sit up and take note.  David is praising God, despite his misery and fears!  In fact, verses 10 and 11 are actually a repeat of verses 3 & 4!  He is trusting God and is not afraid - after all - what can mere man do to him?

When I saw this, I excitedly turned to the next example, such as Moses in Numbers 11.

I cannot carry all these people by myself;

it is too burdensome for me.

If this is how You are going to treat me, 

please kill me right now—

if I have found favor in Your eyes—

and let me not see my own wretchedness.”

- Numbers 11:14-15

So much can be said about these verses, but for the sake of this study, let me simply ask you this:  Has your despair, or the despair of someone you know, ever reached such a level that you/they wished God would actually kill you?  How many times do we put on a "brave face" only to be hiding our grief and pain from those who love us so much?

Oh, dear Reader, look how our loving LORD responded to Moses:

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you

as leaders and officers of the people. 

Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you.

And I will come down and speak with you there, 

and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you 

and put that Spirit on them. 

They will help you bear the burden of the people, 

so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.

Numbers 11:17

God is ready to sent us people to help us through the valley!  This time around, I openly shared my feelings with my family and a few trusted friends.  For the most part, they were quite understanding.  Those who weren't, well, I stood my ground, remembering that God's Word says there is a time to grieve.  I refused to allow anyone to invalidate my feelings.  

Friends, be it grief, depression or just sadness, let us give ourselves the time to go through these times in a healthy manner.  

As we move into a season of gratitude, let us not only be grateful for the knowledge that God hears our hearts and will respond with love, compassion and assistance, but let us avail ourselves of His support.  

I hope to see you next week as we continue this study.  Blessings to you all!

My Reading Life

I'm starting to make a list of Reading Challenges for 2022!   I've been participating in the annual Goodreads Challenge and am ready to branch into a couple of more challenges.  I found an interesting list of personal challenges here and picked #5:  reading a book published every year since my birth - yikes!  I challenged myself even further by choosing as many books as possible from my bookshelf!  

Here is my week of reading.  Remember, if you click on the books' image, you should get directed to a book description.  

Currently Reading

Finished

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Granddaughter and I haven't met
for our book club, but I finished this book. 
I'm still a bit concerned 
about how she will react, but it's a
great opportunity for discussion
as well as to share a few comforting
Scriptures.  

⭐⭐⭐⭐
This one was a bit
hard to get into, but
I'm so glad
I stuck with it!

Stash Report

Yarny Numbers

Again there's no changes in my yarn numbers, but definitely changes in fabric - it continues to roll in! 

Fabric numbers

Lots of fabric came in this week, too!  

I picked up the white on whites on the left
to finish up my Qube Crush Quilt.
(Ignore the spot on the middle piece - 
it was from my camera.)
My daughter gifted me the ones on the right
for the same purpose.  

We went to Texas Foam and Fabric to get a chair upholstered and I brought home the top two fabrics which will become pillows for our backyard furniture.  Except for the grey fabric, the bottom fabrics were gifted to me.

So, I'm at least one quilt's worth of fabric in the red, 

but the year isn't over yet!  :)

To Do Tuesday

Last Week's List

1.  Sunday Slow Stitching:  Keep up with my daily QAYG Hexagons.  Nope, but close!

2.  Slow Sunday Stitching:  Work on my mittens.  Nope.

3.   Crochet:  Progress on both Tranquil afghans and make more dishcloths. Nope.

4.  Machine Sewing:  Finish the commission job.  Oh yes!

5.  Machine Sewing:  Plan and layout the blocks from my Qube Crush quilt.  Yes!

These need pressing.....

These blocks are impatiently waiting for their friends!
I have enough to make a queen-sized quilt
for my bed!

6.  Choose and prep this year's Christmas gifts for my grandbabies. Nope.

It looks like I didn't do much, but wow!  The Qube Crush quilt is almost finished!  That one took a bit of time as there are 72  9"  blocks to work with!

This Week's List

1.  Sunday Slow Stitching:  Keep up with my daily QAYG Hexagons.  UPDATE:  Here's a picture of  my Slow Stitching for today:  prepping the hexies!

2.  Slow Sunday Stitching:  Work on my mittens.  UPDATE:  And here's a picture of the progress on my mittens!

3.   Crochet:  Progress on both Tranquil afghans and make more dishcloths. 

4.  Machine Sewing:  Stitch up the Qube Crush quilt top.  

6.  Choose and prep this year's Christmas gifts for my grandbabies. 

   Gratitude Journal

This week I made another family favorite - Pumpkin Bread!  

It's from a Mennonite cookbook that was gifted to me years ago by our Youth Pastor's wife, Mary Scott.

I so wanted that cookbook, but at the time money was a bit tight.

She gave it to me for my birthday...

and I have passed it onto my daughter.  

I'm so grateful for this pastor's wife.

Here's the recipe.  One note though, 

I add in the spices and pecans 

quite liberally! 

Last week I shared this beautiful scarf. 
Emma from The Crochet Swirl
has since released the pattern. 
Here it is if you're interested!

I am most grateful for my local quilt shop, Be Sew Creative, and it's employees.  They are caring, supportive and so very knowledgeable.  Lately, I've been visiting frequently and they are always ready with a sincere, cheerful greeting.  I experimented with videos to show you a bit of this wonderful shop!   

But most of all, I am grateful for you, my blogging community.  Bloggers, blog readers, those who host and participate in link ups, the whole kit and caboodle - I am grateful for you all.  Thank you for being a part of my life.  

Perhaps you'll visit these link ups!    

Sunday Salon @ Readerbuzz

Slow Sunday Stitching @ Kathy's Quilts 

Sunday Post at the Caffeinated Reviewer

Sunday Stash @ Quilt, Paint, Create

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? @ Book Date 

To Do Tuesday @ Texas Quilt Gal

Midweek Makers @ Quilt Fabrication (Wednesdays)

The Loop Scoop hosted simultaneously by

Petals to Picots and Moogly

Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation

I Like @ Not Afraid of Color (Thursday)

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop? @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Friday)

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