Hello and welcome!

Our word of the week is Wonder. As a noun Merriam Webster defines wonder as:

1a: a cause of astonishment or admiration : MARVEL b: MIRACLE

2: the quality of exciting amazed admiration

3a: rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one’s experience b: a feeling of doubt or uncertainty

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I was going to share my thoughts on the word wonder but it occurred to me that others may have said it better than I. First is Louis Armstrong as he describes a Wonder-filled or Wonderful World.

and then I join Lee Ann Womack in “‘Hoping you never lose your sense of wonder’.

Wising you all a wonder-filled week. 🙂

Hello and welcome!

Our word for this week is Integrity.

According to Merriam Webster Integrity means:

1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY

2: an unimpaired condition : SOUNDNESS

3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESS

Integrity is probably my favorite character trait. I have great respect and admiration for those who demonstrate this attribute. I personally think of integrity as “doing the right thing just because it is the right thing to do,” but I also like the term Incorruptibility used in the definition above. Nowadays integrity seems to be something that is severely lacking in our society. The news, no matter what your source, is filled with stories of crime and corruption at every level; we are continually being warned about scams and we are being told how we must protect our identity from unknown predators looking to gain access to our personal information. I’ve find it sad that there is such a lack of integrity in society.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized that perhaps integrity is not as rare as it may seem. You see integrity is not news worthy. It does not evoke the emotions of fear, frustration, disgust, anger or rage that keep us coming back to hear more. It does not get us riled up.

Integrity is humble it doesn’t scream “look at me – here I am”.

Integrity is confident and stands on it’s own principles. It often stands alone in the crowd. It does not require recognition or commendation, but is self satisfying and rewarding. It brings peace of mind to those who have it. They can sleep well at night.

Integrity can’t be bought but to know a person with integrity is a priceless gift.

My daughter recently encountered a person with integrity when she lost her debit card while on vacation. Three days after loosing her card she was contacted by a woman through social media. The woman thought she had found my daughters card. I won’t go into all the details but this woman went above and beyond to make sure Lindell’s debit card was returned to her. Lindell was most grateful but the woman would not accept anything in return. That’s integrity!

Do you have a story about integrity that you would like to share?

Hello and Welcome.

I know it’s late in the week but as they say better late than never. Our word this week is memorial.

Meriam Webster defines memorial as:

1: serving to preserve remembrance : COMMEMORATIVE

2: of or relating to memory

Monday is a national holiday here in the U.S.A.. It is Memorial Day – the day dedicated to remembrance of those who have died fighting in our nation’s wars. This link offers a history of how this holiday came to be. In recent years memorial day celebrations have encompassed the weekend prior to as well as the last Monday of May, making it a three day weekend. It has become know as the unofficial start of summer and many celebrations include recreational activities such as picnics, boating and camping. However you choose to celebrate I do think it’s important to at least pause and reflect on why we are able to enjoy such activities.

“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.”

– Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Note: My sister sent me the photos she took this Memorial Day morning. She tagged them “Beautiful morning. Grateful hearts.” They were a perfect addition to this post. Thanks! J.B.

Hello everyone and welcome!

Our word of the week was inspired by a quote that my sister K.C. shared with me.

The word is saunter and it is defined by Merriam Webster as:

 to walk about in an idle or leisurely manner : STROLL

and here is the quote that inspired this post

While I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Muir’s premise I would like to amend it slightly by stating that we don’t need to be in the mountains to reap benefits from sauntering. I often saunter around our farm and allow the natural environment to fill my senses. I see various flowers in bloom, seeds sprouting up through the soil, a bird’s nest in a tree or a hawk flying high over head. I might hear the rustling leaves, frogs singing, bees buzzing, or the call of a male pheasant somewhere in the field. I might smell fresh cut grass, lilacs or autumn olives in bloom, or mulch that is being added to the prayer garden. I often smile as I feel the sun on my face, the wind in my hair, or the grass under my bare feet. Perhaps I even enjoy the savory taste of a chive that I’ve pull from the bunch, the sweetness of a ripe strawberry, or the freshness of a mint leaf I’ve plucked off the stem. All these things I would have missed if I’d been in a hurry.

You see sauntering allows us the time to enjoy some of life’s most simple pleasures.

Wishing you a wonderful week. 🙂

Are you a saunterer?

Hello and welcome!

This weeks word is inspired by my friend the knockin’ robin that you met last week in this post. Our word for this week is Perseverance.

According to Merriam Webster Perseverance is:

continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition : the action or condition or an instance of persevering: STEADFASTNESS

I have to admit, despite being annoyed by it, I kind of admired the robin’s perseverance assuming that his mission was to fend off what he believed was another male bird threatening his territory and perhaps his family – even if he was mistaken.

I have also considered the adage “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” This seems to prove my husbands theory, “That bird is crazy!”

I am happy to say that my perseverance in finding a solution for the robin’s problems seems to have paid off. I will share what I’ve done in my next post.

Romans 5:3-4

³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Thanks for reading.