Finding God in the Psalms: Psalm 1, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

 

Hello There,

Happy New Year!  Thank you for stopping by! I hope you were filled with joy, peace and love this holiday season.  Ours were nice as we spent time with the grandkids and family.  The days after Christmas caught me by surprise as a deep grief engulfed me.   Blogging was out of the question.  BUT, my dear friends, God comforted me with this verse from Psalm 34:

18The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and 

saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Joy of joys! This will be my verse for 2026.  (If you're interested in further study, I found this and this link helpful.) This will be my verse for 2026.   

Take good care and, as Daddy used to say, 

"Make memories; it's later than you think."

HERE'S A WORD

Last month I was thinking about this section of my blog and what to write in 2026.  As I was praying and God gave me an idea: write about the Psalms.    Like Moses, I reminded Him of my limitations.  His reply?  "You can do this. You will find Me in the Psalms."

Yikes!  What an overwhelming task.  But then I remembered this verse from Tozer's book on the Holy Spirit.

My goal for this series is to 1) look for God's attributes and for what God does and 2) how we can apply this knowledge to our lives.  Additionally, I look forward to learning from you as you share your knowledge and wisdom in the comments.  

The Angel Gabriel told Mary nothing is impossible with God - not even immaculate conception.  

So with trembling and courage simoultaneously in my heart I say:  Let's find God in the Psalms!

1Blessed is the man^a

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

2but his delight is in the law^b of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.

3He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not wither.

In all that he does, he prospers.

4The wicked are not so,

but are like chaff that the wind drives away.

5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;

6for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.

God has laws for us to follow.  Therefore, no one else can judge us except for God.  

He knows the way of the righteous.  How does He know this?  He walks with us.  

God is our loving lawmaker.  His laws are to enrich our lives.  I encourage you to study to learn more about God's laws. 

As we meditate, delight and prayerfully learn to live by His laws, Psalm One is filled with the promises that come from obeying our loving God.  Take time to re-read it with an open and searching heart.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  

  

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

My last post was December 13 and I was desparately attempting to finish Grandson #2's ornament.  I managed to finish stitching not only his ornament, but also Grandson #3's ornament!  They simply need to be made tree ready.  

Last Week's List

1.  Finish 

2.  Focus (The picture has a link to the patterns.)

- Grandson's #2 ornament Done! All the ornaments are stitched up and ready to become ornaments, except for Charizard, the dragon, who will be framed, at his request.  I used 14 ct. Aida so he's a bit large.  One of my goals is to experiment with 16 and perhaps 18 ct. 

I believe you've seen this photo, but here it is again. If you click on it, you will notice it's done in the colcha stitch.  Instead of using hand dyed wool, I used three strands of embroidery floss.  

Grandson #1's Star Wars theme continues with a Yoda ornament.   

And finally, Grandson #3's love for Spiderman is displayed with the 2025 ornament.  

3.   Prepare/make a kit Nothing at all - I think 😉

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

Somehow I lost Gengar, last year's ornament for Grandson #2!  Apparently, I asked for the ornament back to make adjustments.  LOL!  The story sounds familiar, but I don't remember!  I've been told this is part of aging!  Funny, I still feel so much younger than 63!  

This Week's goals

1.  Finish - Gengar cross stitch

2.  Focus - Turn the grands' stitchery into ornaments.

3.   Prepare/make a kit I haven't decided yet.  I think I'll clean up my sewing room and make a plan for the month...or just the next couple of weeks...or maybe just a week ahead.  I'm so scatterbrained lately!  😉

4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

Kathy of Kathy Quilts mentioned Pattern Keeper a phenomenal app that enhances the cross-stitch experience. I am a beginner/intermediate cross stitcher and have used this app all of last month with both complex (to me) and simpler patterns. It was such a help in keeping my place and marking the completed stitches You might want to give it a shot.

LITERARY LIFE   

I love how my focus has increased with the "Finish, Focus and Prep" methodology I use with my Fiber Arts.  Consequently, I'm going to apply that to my reading life with a bit of a twist.  The categories will be "Finish, Focus and Next".  This is not working out with my reading, so I'll simply share my thoughts on books I've read.  

These are some of the books I listened to over Christmas.  I would recommend them when you simply need a gentle read.

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 freebies

Hoopla:  

Kindle Freebies:  

Libby:

NetGalley:  none

Purchased:  none

Gift:

FINDING JOY

LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color  consistently helps me find the joy in every life.  

As I shared earlier in this post, I absolutely love the Pattern Keeper app for cross-stitch patterns.  I loved that it's free for 30 days with the full features and then it's a one-time charge of about $9.00.  It only took me a week to decide it was the tool for me.

I love the peaceful sound of our waterfall.

I love this video of a  missionary trip my son went on the week before Christmas.  The group went to minister to the Tarahumaran Tribe in Mexico - a tribe long-forgotten by the Mexican government.  They live in desparate poverty as you will se in the video.  

This song is sure to get your feet dancing and your heart rejoicing!

I hope you have a great week!  

   

Your comments are so appreciated! 

I read each one and will respond by email.

You can also expect a visit from me as well!

Here are the parties I sometimes link up with:  

Sundays

Slow Sunday Stitching @ Kathy's Quilts

Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz

Mondays

Mailbox Monday @ I'd Rather Be At the Beach

Sew and Tell at Melva Loves Scraps

What Are You Reading at The Book Date

Tuesdays

To Do Tuesday posts at Quilt Schmilt

Thursdays

I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color