Faith, Trust and Breast Cancer: Psalm 6, Fiber Fun, Literary Living, Finding Joy

Hello There,

Thank you for stopping in! I hope your week was fabulous and that the coming week is even better. I was quite productive this week and even finished two books! It feels like I am finally getting my "land legs" back after my father's passing. Though I’m a bit late, I’m ready to set my goals for the year:

Prioritize a healthier lifestyle with the goal of moving away from at least one medication.
Continue sewing from my stash, only purchasing new fabric when necessary to complete a specific project.
Finish my "Quilt As You Go" quilt. It’s currently about 20% finished!

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. Then I make a list of them. I'll follow the same format here.

Psalm 6 ^aFor the director of music. With stringed instruments.

According to sheminith. ^b A psalm of David.

1Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.

2Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;

heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

3My soul is in deep anguish.

How long, Lord, how long?

4Turn, Lord, and deliver me;

save me because of your unfailing love.

5Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

Who praises you from the grave?

6I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping

and drench my couch with tears.

7My eyes grow weak with sorrow;

they fail because of all my foes.

8Away from me, all you who do evil,

for the Lord has heard my weeping.

9The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;

the Lord accepts my prayer.

10All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;

they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

David is so broken that his tears flood his bed and drench his couch. Even his eyes are weak with sorrow. Despite his despair, he still has the strength to rebuke his enemies as he knows that in his weakness, God is strong! (2 Corinthians 12:10)
Just look at the list he made of all that God does for him!
- rebukes him
- disiplines him
- has mercy on him
- heals him
- delivers him
- saves him
- God has unfailing love for him
- the Lord hears his weeping.
- the Lord hears his cries for mercy;
- the Lord accepts his prayer

The Lord continues to do the same for us today! During COVID, a great battle broke out within our home. Looking back six years later, we can finally claim the victory. God has acted decisively—not only by transforming the situation, but by growing our hearts closer to Him and each other.

The transformation is so deep that my cries and prayers for mercy are now directed toward someone I never imagined I would pray for. It is a testament to His grace that where there was once conflict, there is now a sincere heart for intercession.

Do you feel surrounded? Do you feel like nobody is listening? God is right there with you and hears you. He will answer your prayers in His perfect timing. Meanwhile, let continuous praise and prayers flow to the King of Kings!

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 - I am once again pulling projects from my little pink plastic case. These little projects should be fast finishes.

- patch up Chloe's toys and Grandson #4's crocheted toy Done! Chloe and Chico are thrilled to be reunited with their favorite toys!

I'm not sure what my grandson's toy is, but I fixed a hole and secured what I believe is a backpack. :)

2. Focus -

- FoF BOM:  finish binding one hexie; finish the EPP sewing, applique and bind last week's hexie
PartiallyDone! Though it was a bit challenging to work with the tiny leaves, I'm pleased with the results!

- Complete at least 15% of the Darth Vader ornament Not done.
- QAYG quilt - continue join the row to the main piece Not done.
- FBF:   I'll be picking up this BOM at a later date
- Disappearing Nine-Patch: cut up the nine patch and begin sewing the new squares together Done! I just have a small stack to join!
3.   Prepare/make a kit
- for Grandson #2's cross stitch ornament using this pattern for a Pokemon character, Blastoise, from BixoStitch. To ensure I am getting an original pattern, I only purchase cross stitch patterns that include the color AND black and white patterns.    Not done.

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

This Week's goals

1. Finish - I am once again pulling projects from my little pink plastic case.

- the third pen holder
2. Focus -
- FoF BOM:  finish binding one hexie; begin the EPP sewing and bind another hexie
- Complete 15% of the Darth Vader ornament
- QAYG quilt -continue joining the last row
- FBF:   I'll be picking up this BOM at a later date
- Disappearing Nine-Patch: finish stitching and pressing the new blocks

3.   Prepare/make a kit
- for Grandson #3's cross stitch ornament
He requested a T-Rex ornament, so my husband and I finally ended up choosing this pattern by   To ensure I am getting an original pattern, I only purchase cross stitch patterns that include the color AND black and white patterns.
4. Be kind = Soft Deadlines - which are good for my mental health!

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.

I picked up these two books for the Latinx Book Club and

the Banned Books Club hosted by our local library.

****Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Moimoto was so interesting because it focuses on the concept of actually doing nothing for pay. Morimoto’s gentle memoir shifted my perspective between two angles: I went from wondering if he was simply lazy to realizing he is actually providing a wonderful service. He makes sense in that he is simply available to those who need a bit of support as they tackle their own challenges. At the same time, he maintains clear boundaries about what he is willing to participate in within his 'do-nothing' world. Morimoto makes many profound points; I may pick the book up again simply to highlight and re-read the sections that really made me ponder his thoughts. Recommend.

FINDING JOY

LeeAnna's I Like on Thursdays at Not Afraid of Color helps me consistently find the joy in every life. She also provides a prompt for us to use. Here's this week's prompt: What is the most adventurous thing you've ever done? Wow. I'll keep the adventures from my teen years to myself, but in my adult years can be public knowledge! :) While living in Okinawa, we visited a waterfall. Along with a friend, we climbed to mountain to stand in a crevice behind the waterfall. It was thrilling to stand on the backside of the waterfall!

I sure enjoyed stitching on my Fields of Fancy Flower at the Sit and Sew Be Sew Creative hosted last Sunday!