Recycled Bags Gone Wild!

Would it be fair to say that I have a plethora of recycled grocery bags? I'm seriously wondering if I should give some of my bags away to someone in need. My bag collection started simply enough with an adorable red Piggly Wiggly bag! For only .99 it was hard to pass up such a bargain in light of saving the environment. A second bag was purchased at Walmart, the Evil Empire and 4 more followed from Corley's, our local meat market. Allen generally carries the 2 from Corley's in his car. And then a funny thing happened. I received 2 oversized plastic shopping bags as a Christmas present. These two bags are my favorite because they are the size of department store shopping bag. They hold the most stuff in the best way. These bags came from Pier 1 and have catchy prints on them including the Eiffel Tower and various other landmarks. Sleek, stylish and durable. I realize I am name dropping here, but it is unintentional

I love irony. So, all told I have accumulated close to 15 bags. One from the wine store has 6 dividers in it just in case you feel the need to purchase 6 bottles at one time. Another bag reads, Nature's Remedies. While in Pittsburgh last month I purchased a great black and gold Steelers tote.

Recycling bags run amok I tell you. I have lined them all up in my living room and it is ridiculous. If I am at a store and happen to forget to carry in my collection of earth bags, I will probably buy another just because I am that anti "plastic" these days. Forgetting my bags? This realistically should never happen since they have taken over my car, but it does actually happen. I'm beginning to think an intervention might be in order. Would anyone like to borrow a tote?

Soy Beans vs Bacon

I am married to a wonderful man. A man who loves all things pork. He commonly refers to himself as a "carnivore" and anyone who knows my man is well acquainted with his quest for Baconnaise. Last week his shipment of Baconnaise arrived. We made BLT sandwiches that night that were delicious in an unhealthy fashion. Prior to dinner I asked my man what he'd like to have to go along with our Baconnaise BLT delights and to my surprise, he suggested Edamame, the soybean steamed and salted in it's original form. No tofu or tofurkey for him, but edamame is okay. This paradox right here is one of the reasons I love this man. Let's just say he consumed more edamame that night than bacon or bacon-flavored dressing. Yep, I love my carnivore!

P.S. Skydiving

I am almost ready to take the plunge, or rather to make the jump. If I can get up enough courage by my 45th birthday, I will go skydiving tandem style here in SC. Thanks to Kimberly I now know the cost and in general the feeling of pain & exhilation that awaits me. More on this to follow. And just so you know, there's a pretty good chance I'm only doing this to cross the item off my 101 list.

-Breathe-

Reborn

On March 20th of this year I wrote out a prayer in my journal that my spirit would be reborn. On May 12th, 2009 my daughter Bethany sent me a devotional she thought I might enjoy reading.
The devotional was titled, "The Greatest Miracle in the World," by Og Mandino. I am going to share a few excerpts from this because it inspired me and was in some way an answer to my prayer dated May 12th. I hope it touches your heart.

I love you. You are the greatest miracle...

"The passing years have destroyed your recollection, for they have filled your mind with fear and doubt and anxiety and remorse and hate and there is no room for joyful memories where these beasts habitate.
Weep no more. I am with you...and this moment is the dividing line of your life. All that has gone before is like unto no more than that time you slept within your mother's womb. What is past is past. Let the dead bury the dead.
This day you return from the living dead. This day, like unto Elijah with the widow's son, I stretch myself upon thee three times and you live again.
This day, like unto Elisha with the Shunammite's son, I put my mouth upon your mouth and my eyes upon your eyes and my hands upon your hands and your flesh is warm again.
This day, like unto Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus, I command you to come forth and you will walk from your cave of doom to begin a new life.
This is your birthday. This is the new date of your birth. Your first life, like unto a play of the theatre, was only a rehearsal. This time the curtain is up. This time the world watches and waits to applaud. This time you will not fail.
Light your candles. Share your cake. Pour the wine. You have been reborn.
Like a butterfly from its chrysalis you will fly...fly as high as you wish, and neither the wasps nor dragonflies nor mantids shall obstruct your mission or your search for the true riches of life.
Feel my hand upon thy head.
Attend to my wisdom. Let me share with you, again, the secret you heard at your birth and forgot.
You are my greatest miracle.
You are the greatest miracle in the world.
Those were the first words you ever heard. Then you cried. They all cry..."
I will claim May 12, 2009 as the day of my rebirth.

God's Bountiful Kindness

"Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word."
Psalm 119:37

Fruit salad in the month of July or August is a special treat--watermelon chunks nestled next to ripe strawberries, blueberries and maybe even raspberries. Yum! The flavors are succulent. Fresh fruit is good for our bodies because it provides vitamins A & C, and E--important nutrients. God designed our bodies to live on healthy foods. He also designed a way for our spiritual bodies to grow in strength and might. Our spiritual nourishment comes from his Word and the Holy Spirit.
God, in his bountiful kindness, gave us his written Word to carry with us in our daily lives. It is through the eternal goodness of God's word that we learn about our Father's character and gain understanding of his kindness and mercy. Being saturated with God's Word is the beginning of aligning our lives with his character and spreading his kindness to others.
Imagine again a tasty fruit salad. When we spend time in the Word and in prayer, our spiritual fruit is healthy and full of life.
Now imagine making fruit salad with fruit that is days old. Fruit flies take over and leave you with unrecognizable lumps. When we fail to read God's Word and focus instead on worthless things, aren't we more likely to be unkind and disobedient? We react to situations inappropriately because we have deprived our bodies of their spiritual nourishment. God's Word does preserve us. It has the ability to keep us from worthless things and can keep our kindness from deteriorating. God can't use us when our fruit is moldy.

Weed & Water:

Pray for the strength to resist pursuing worthless things. Prayer for the day: Father, turn my eyes from worthless things and...

*Fruit that is not used rots quickly.
Taken from Bible Seeds 2002/DZ

Boomerang

One of the greatest joys in this life is spending time with my soul mate. Being married for 25 years this June is another. And being the parents of 2 grown adult children is equally as rewarding.We managed to be "empty nesters" for a time and then entered the stage of life known as boomerang. This condition occurs when one or more of your adult children returns to the nest for financial or emotional reasons. My friend Linda had warned me this might happen because Allen and I became empty nesters at such an early age, 44 & 45 respectively. Linda too has experienced this very common stage. I left home at age 19 and did not move back in with Mom & Dad.
Although we are experiencing a certain loss of privacy right now, we are reaping the benefits of engaging conversation with our grown children. We have outrageous vegetarian meal nights, boating adventures and laughter that we wouldn't trade for anything. It is great fun to reminisce over the good old days when the kids were young. They really got into having pool parties every summer, bonfires in the fall and our annual Christmas Eve/Christmas morning festivities.

I know that having Jordan and Bethany home is but for a season. It is a good season; one my husband and I will cherish until this season passes and a new one begins. I have a feeling Summer 2009 will be a summer to remember. Boomerang!