JOY For Our Journey~~Puddleduckin It

Hi Sweet Friends!!

Many of you are probably familiar with this

adorable and precocious little duck.

~~~

She is one of Beatrix Potter's creations. Oh

yes, she can find some mischief, but that is

not how I felt I related to her yesterday.

~~~

You see, I have been working on organizing

these piles of stuff that had been moved

around from other places I organized into

my bedroom. There was all manner of stuff like

memorabilia, craft supplies, paperwork,

and little annoying odds and ends that I have

no idea where to put!!

~~~

Well, it never seems to fail that as I sift through,

I stumble onto something that

causes me to reflect on things in the past.

Such was the case yesterday.

~~~

I found a photo taken at my sister's house

with my Dad and Mom, just a week before

my Mom drew in her last breath. I felt like I

had been punched in the stomach, and let

out a big sigh.

~~~

I've seen the picture often since that day,

and you would think that 5 years later I

might just be able to smile and put it

down. Quite the contrary. I recalled the

day that photo was snapped in detail.

~~~

Alzheimer's had taken so much away from

my Mom, but as I was kneeling next to her,

my arm on the arm of the chair, she spied

this pretty little turquoise bracelet I had on

that was just loaded with dangly beads.

~~~

She had a passion for jewelry, and especially

jewelry that had "motion" to it. As best as she

could, she reached over with her hand, moved

the beads with her finger, mumbled words
I couldn't understand,

and her face just beamed with JOY!

~~~

What an incredible delight it was that day

to see her half-mouthed smile and her face

light up, but as I was looking at her in this

photo yesterday, all I could do was cry and cry

some more. Oh how I love and miss my

Mom.

~~~

I literally felt like I was in a puddle of tears. I

even had that thought and the next thought

of Jemima Puddleduck. I was smack in the

middle of a puddle of tears, just watching each one

splash and ripple in the water. I just wanted

to stay in the puddle and feel sad.

~~~

Then I began feeling like I couldn't stop
and was trying to

get a grip, you know?

~~~

That's when I remembered all the joy I saw

on my Mom's face that day. She was still

in there!! The Alzheimer's hadn't taken

all of her!!! My tears began to slow, and

I just savored the JOY! I mean I really

savored it. I held it close to me like a mother

holds her baby, and it warmed me from the

inside out.

~~~

I thank God for His wonderful blessing that

day; for giving me something I could take JOY

in even years after the loss of my Mom, and at

a time of such deep pain.

~~~

My friends, what a tender, loving, compassionate

God! He knows our needs so perfectly.

And He delights in meeting them, and showing

us how deeply He loves us!!

~~~

How Great A Joy!!

~~~

Praying today that the joy of the Lord will

be your strength, your reason to smile

and to praise His Holy Name!

Love you!

Becky

JOY For Our Journey~~Gushing Over!

A lovely picture isn't it? I like to think that

a waterfall in all of it's cascading, unstoppable

beauty and force is what God had in His mind
when He cried out:

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,

out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

John 7:37-38

Jesus doesn't desire us to dry up spiritually and be

like a parched, barren land that has
nothing to offer. So He says
"Come to me and drink". Drink in all of

Me...and then our hearts will overflow with living
water that He will use to nourish us and all
of those He has placed in our lives.


In other words...

We will literally gush over, with His lovely,
unrestrained power, and impact our
world for Christ!!

I don't know about you, but I sure love the idea

of gushing over for God!! JOY of JOYS!!

Can it really get any better than that?

Go...go now and drink Him all in!!!

And then go gush out onto someone, ok?

Love ya!!!

Becky

This photo is of Looking Glass Falls in the Pisgah

Forest in the Smoky Mountains.

Feel free to grab this photo for your blog!!

And thank you so much for loving and praying

all over Deby!! I know she was blessed!!

Ya'll ROCK!! Seriously!!

JOY For Our Journey~~Breakfast of Champions

Joyful Morning Greetings to You My Friends!

Hope your weekend was enjoyable and restful,

and that this day finds you ready to face with
God all that the week may hold!

~~~

I know that I am ready! WHY??

Because early this morning I consumed

THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS!!

Ohhh! You thought I meant this one, huh?
OK, well I couldn't resist this box with
adorable little Mary Lou Retton on it!!
Remember how she dazzled us all
back in the day?? All right...let's
get to the real deal!!

~~~

Well, I was referring to the REAL breakfast

of champions...

An early morning feast of God's Word, of course!!!
There is just nothing like sitting down with
my morning coffee and just gobbling up God's Word!

~~~

Let's look at the prophet Jeremiah for a moment.
In Jeremiah 15:10 this is what he says when he

is in anguish and being cursed by men...

~~~

Woe is me, my mother
That you have borne me
A man of strife and a man of contention
to the whole earth!

So in his agony what did Jeremiah do?
We find it down a few verses:

~~~

Verse 16

Your words were found,
and I ate them,
And Your word was to me
the joy and rejoicing of my heart,
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.

~~~

Is God's Word "joy and rejoicing"
to your heart?

If not, it can be!!
Too often we get busy with life, and don't
"eat" His Word daily. Then some crisis
comes and we find ourselves desperately
seeking Him.

Well, I prefer plan A!! Begin each day
feasting on God's Word and with
JOY and REJOICING!!

He is already wherever our day will take us,
and will prepare us for what it holds!

DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT????

I don't think so!!!

It says in 2Timothy 3:17 that His Word
completes the man of God, and thoroughly
equips him for every good work.

SO..........................

Be sure to eat the breakfast of champions
(champions of God, that is) each day
and enjoy the sweet victory over all the
things in this life that can so easily
encumber us!!

We need our spiritual food as much as we
need our physical food!!

May your week be full of

JOY AND REJOICING!!

Love and hugs,
Becky

JOY For Our Journey~~Our Extravagant Lord!!

Happee Monday, Sweeties!!

I am continually amazed by the

EXTRAVAGANCE

of our Lord!!

~~~

Let's see...
Ever stop to think

about how many things are
taking place in your body as
you are sitting sipping your
morning coffee or tea?

Hundreds, possibly thousands!!

Are you making them do that?
~~~

Did you know that scientists have

proven that each and every tree,

even of the same species, has different

DNA, just like we do??

~~~

Our amazing Creator fashions even
the trees one at a time, giving each

it's own God-ordained fingerprint!!

***EXTRAVAGANT!!!!***

~~~

Oh the mysteries of God are far

too wonderful to even begin to

comprehend!!!

BUT...

We can sure enjoy them!!

This week I want us all to

really take the time to look at
all our loving God has created

with new eyes.

~~~

Think about the absolute perfection

of all He has done, and meditate on

the Glory of God!!

~~~

Spend some extra time in nature,

and think about even your own

body and how He has blessed you

with life, movement, brains,

each breath you breathe!

~~~

OH THE JOY OF IT ALL!!!

~~~

I have included a bunch of

photos that showcase His Majesty.

I hope you enjoy looking at them,

and find joy in His

EXTRAVAGANCE!!!

~~~

Truly the whole earth

is full of His glory!!

May you find joy inexpressible in

the amazing wonder and mystery

of the Lover of your soul!!

Love and hugs,
Becky

JOY For Our Journey~SHOUT IT OUT!!!

HAPPEE MONDAY, SWEETIES!!

It is a gorgeous morning here in sunny Florida!!

And a great day to...

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God.

It is He who has made us,

and not we ourselves;

We are His people,

And the sheep of His pasture.

Psalm 100:1-3

We shout for all kinds of reasons, don't we?

We shout to cheer our kids on, we shout to one
end of the house from the other,
we shout to get someone's attention,

but when was the last time you shouted with
JOY to your Lord???

Have you ever shouted with JOY over the Lord??

If not, you really must!!!
I didn't say to, He did!!

Stand up in a room in your house, lift up
your hands and SHOUT ...

I LOVE YOU LORD!!

THANK YOU FOR WHO YOU ARE,

AND FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE!!!

I guarantee you will be flooded with exhilaration,
and more importantly,

YOU WILL BE MAGNIFYING YOUR FATHER
IN HEAVEN, AND HE WILL BE

DELIGHTED!!

May the words of our mouths and the meditations
of our hearts be pleasing to you, oh God.

HAVE A GLORIOUS WEEK, MY FRIENDS!!

HUGS,
BECKY

JOY For Our Journey~~Hope

HAPPEE MONDAY, SWEETIES!

HOPE

Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God
has been poured out in our hearts
by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:5

********************************

What does hope look like to you?

Whenever I look at a flower bud, I see hope...

Hope...the promise that something better will come...

Hope...the essence of great possibilities not yet known...

Sweet friends,
What are you placing your hope in?

If you are placing it in anything in the
temporal, you are certain to be let down...
and maybe let down
HARD.

Hope in Christ does not disappoint.

It can't.

WHY ??

Because God never
fails at
anything!

Praying today that God will fill your
hearts with hope in Christ,
and that your lips will overflow
with praise to Him!

It would be my great delight and privilege to
pray for you, so if you have a prayer request,
please email me at:
holidayinthesun_1@yahoo.com

I will add your request to my prayer journal
and bring it to the Lord regularly!!
(AND only to the Lord!!)

Have a joyful week!!

Love and hugs,

Becky

Joy For Our Journey~~Soaring To New Heights

Good Morning Sweeties!!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend
and pray that your week will be a good one!!

I just HAD to share this with you!!! The following
quote was on world renowned Bible teacher
Beth Moore's blog.

If you enjoy straight talk, teaching from the heart,
with life humor mixed in...

SHE IS AS REAL AS IT GETS!!

Please go check out her blog.
She is a blessing!!

photo taken by my brother, Randy

"Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Grab life by the mane. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention.

Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons.

Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life.

Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating.

Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out.
Quit holding back. Quit running away.
Chase the lion."

- Mark Batterson

Doesn't this just address it all??!!

I am printing this, framing it, and hanging it in
my family room!!

Come soar with me!! The best is yet to be!!

Love 'n Hugs, Friends,
Becky

JOY For Our Journey/In Unexpected Places

A joyful Monday to all of my sweeties out there!!

I feel like I have so much to share with you that I
am just going to burst!! So much going on, so many
different feelings, but this is about JOY...will you
indulge me as I share some personal joy?

Hopefully, you, too, will find JOY in some rather
unexpected places.

I have been really missing my Mom lately. It kind
of comes and goes, but it is still hard for me
to grasp that she is gone.
I don't know if it will ever really sink in.
It hurts a lot sometimes, even after almost 5 years.

SO WHERE IS THE JOY IN THAT, BECKY?

I was blessed to have an amazing, loving Mom,
friend, and cheerleader. She was a true inspiration
and I couldn't have asked for a better Mom!!

I FIND GREAT JOY IN THAT!!

My sister-in law's memorial service was gut-wrenching,
and so totally senseless. Such a tragic loss.

AGAIN, WHERE IS THE JOY IN THAT?

I am so blessed to be part of such a loving, supportive family.
All of my siblings were in attendance along with
extended family.

As each family member arrived the sense of my
brother's assurance that he would be ok was elevated,
and the love and support was so strong that I think
every person in the room could not only see it,
but feel it, too!!

A family functioning as God would have them function in
difficult circumstances....

WONDERFUL JOY!!!

My Mom's brother, Bud, Uncle Bud has always been
my favorite uncle. His wife Janice, was my favorite
aunt.

Years ago they went through a painful divorce, and each
got remarried. I never got to see Aunt Janice anymore.
There was this emptiness in my heart without her there.

Well, a couple of months ago, her husband passed away.
And guess what?

She came to the memorial service!! I got to hug
her a bunch of times, and tell her how much I had
missed her, how glad I was to see her, and she said
she had missed us all very much, too!!

My favorite cousins came, too (her daughters) and I am
going to begin to see one of them regularly as well as
my Uncle Bud. He is the best!!

JOY!! JOY!! JOY!!

So, sweeties, start looking around, even in the seemingly
dark places, and you may be surprised to find some

JOY

where you would least expect it!!

Thank you all again for your kind thoughts
and prayers. You are truly a blessing to me!!

I'll be posting an update tomorrow.

Joy and hugs,
Becky

JOY For Our Journey

TOP O' THE MORNING TO YOU, SWEETIES!!

As some of you may already know, I am one of those
sometimes annoying "The glass is half-full" type of people.
I prefer to look at things through the eyes of optimism,
and hope for the best.

One thing that really helps us do this when our circumstances
may be quite overwhelming and burdening is to...



COUNT OUR BLESSINGS!!

"Can it really be that simple?", you say.
And I answer with a resounding YES!!!

You see, I believe something supernatural...no not
like the do-do-do-do twilight zone or ghosts and such,
but
something divinely supernatural happens when
we thank God for all of His many blessings.

We cannot...I repeat cannot focus on ourselves and
our difficult situations when our hearts, minds and mouths
are full of thanks and praise!!!

Not sure I know what I'm talking about...
well then just try it!!

Our hearts become softened, our burdens seem lighter,
and our spirits are given a lift.

Now for those who want an extra shot of hope and joy
read or sing this:

Count your blessings name them one by one

Count your blessings see what God has done

Count your blessings...name them one by one...

Count your many blessings see what God has done!!


Go ahead...start counting!!

Later today, I'm celebrating Lady Katherine's Birthday
with my version of a tea party!!

Love 'n Hugs,
Becky

Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart!!

When I thought about Joy For Our Journey today,

the first thing that popped into my head was...

I've got joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!!

So here you go, Sweeties!!

An uplifting song to start the week with!!

I've Got the Joy In My Heart

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart
Where?
Down in my heart!
Where?
Down in my heart!
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart
Down in my heart to stay

And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart
Down in my heart
And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart.

I've got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus
Down in my heart
Where?
Down in my heart!
Where?
Down in my heart!
I've got the love of Jesus, love of Jesus
Down in my heart
Where?
Down in my heart to stay.

And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart
Down in my heart
And I'm so happy

So very happy

I've got the love of Jesus in my heart.

I've got the peace that passes understanding
Way down in the depths of my heart!
Where?
Down in the depths of my heart!
Where?
Down in the depths of my heart!
I've got the peace that passes understanding
Way down in the depths of my heart!
Down in my heart to stay

And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart
Down in my heart
And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart.

And if the Devil doesn't like it
He can sit on a tack!
Ouch!
Sit on a tack!
Ouch!
Sit on a tack!
And if the Devil doesn't like it
He can sit on a tack!
Ouch!
Sit on a tack to stay!

And I'm so happy
So very happy
I've got the love of Jesus in my heart
Down in my heart
And I'm so happy
So very happy

I've got the love of Jesus in my heart!!

These three tags are free for you to use if you'd like.
Just right click, copy and paste!!

I will be posting a birdy update later...so stay tuned!!!

Blessings and joy to you all!!
Becky

JOY For Our Journey~~Joys of Friendship

I've been thinking a lot about friendship lately,

and I believe it is truly one of the greatest

sources of joy in this life.

I mean, can you imagine a life without friends?

I certainly can't!

I found these beautiful quotes and hope that by

reading them you will have a renewed

sense of awe and appreciation for those special friends

God has gifted you with!!

"A friend loves at all times..." Proverbs 17:17


"Friendship doubles your joys, and divides your sorrows." ~ author unknown

"Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some people move our souls to dance. They awaken us to new understanding with the passing whisper of their wisdom. Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon. They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same." ~ Flavia Weedn

"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light." ~ Albert Schweitzer

"A friend is someone who sings your heart's song back to you when you have forgotten the words." ~ David Coppola, Ph.D.



Stay is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary.
~Louisa May Alcott



Treat your friends as you do your pictures,
and place them in their best light.
~Jennie Jerome Churchill

Please know how very much I appreciate each of you!

You add JOY to my days and it is my delight

to call you FRIENDS!!

Have a glorious week!
Hugs, Becky

JOY for our Journey~Sharing Tidbits of My Joy

Yesterday evening, Randy, me, Maddy, and my niece Kristina were driving out of the neighborhood to go to the coast and watch the space shuttle launch, and this is the sky we saw!!



It immediately made me think of the glory of God that is going to shine so bright in heaven that there will be no need for light!!

Do I hear a HALLELUJAH??!! AMEN!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, you all probably know by now that I adore birds. Right?

A couple of days ago I was feeling a little sad because it seems that our backyard bird population is dwindling...everyone else had more birds singing than us...WAAAHHH!!!

Why couldn't the bird lady have more birds?? WAAAHHH!!!

Well, we have a double front door that I have these two cone shaped flower pockets hanging on.

I thought it a bit strange when the one on the door that is never opened kept getting tilted. Hubby gave some explanation on the laws of physics, and I bought it hook, line, and sinker...that is until...
we saw a little birdy on top of it!

A few days went by and when I was straightening it, I took it down and looked inside...and lo and behold...the beginning of a nest was in it!!!

JOY of JOYS!! Front door birds!!!

Fast forward a couple of days to today, and look who appeared bearing more nest building materials...



How adorable is this??








Needless to say I will keep you abreast of this developing story!! I'm so excited!!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Now to go boldly where no other blog has ever gone!!!

The Flylady (if you don't know who she is you should check her out!) talks about how important shining your sink is...and I agree...

A shiny sink is a happy sink and makes me smile (although mine is porcelain...a bright white sink is a happy sink!!)


BUT, with that said...


Prepare yourselves...this is almost a holy moment...cue the choir...





A fresh, clean organized fridge just makes my face beam with JOY!!!


Speaking of beams...see that light...I told you it was almost holy!!! LOL!!!


So glad to get this done...it was overdue, and I feel so much better now, don't you?? :)


Those are my tidbits of joy to start off the week!!



Be a blessing!!
HUGS!
Becky

JOY For Our Journey~~The Joy of the Lord!

HAPPEE MONDAY, FRIENDS!!


Shortly after my dear hubby was deployed to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm, I participated in my first group ladies Bible study.

The name of the study was "Joy of Living" and I can't even begin to tell you what it meant to me during that time of my life, and even today.

I grew so deep and so fast that my head was spinning in a good way! I just drank in God's word...and made sure I got every last drop!!

Each time we met we sang this song, and I still find myself humming it today!!
It has a very catchy melody!!

The joy of the Lord is my strength!
The joy of the Lord is my strength!
The joy of the Lord is my strength!
The joy of the Lord is my strength!

He heals the broken hearted and they cry no more
He heals the broken hearted and they cry no more
He heals the broken hearted and they cry no more
The joy of the Lord is my strength!

He gives me living water and I thirst no more
He gives me living water and I thirst no more
He gives me living water and I thirst no more
The joy of the Lord is my strength!


During the war, I can honestly say that the joy God gave me was my strength! No one could believe how well I was doing.

What are you dealing with today?

God wants us all to visit the well often and draw from it the living water, so that we can glorify Him and be strengthened for every circumstance we're faced with.

MAY THE JOY OF THE LORD BE YOUR STRENGTH TODAY!!!

Have an absolutely delightful week!!

Fondly,
Becky

JOY For Our Journey--Up on a Limb!

Have you ever experienced the joy of climbing a tree??



When I was a young girl, we lived in a small home on an acre of property with quite a few trees. One of my favorite things to do was to climb them.

Many times it would just be for fun and to hide, and other times it would be to just get away from everything...to have a sense of being above all the cares of my little world. The above photo is a Ficus tree similar to one I climbed in my front yard, but a good bit larger.

Last week was not an easy one for a few different reasons. How I longed to be up in a tree...the branches swaying in the breeze... and me far above all that concerned my heart; up where the squirrels scamper and play, the birds sing, and everything is right with the world...at least while I'm there.

Over the weekend, in search of some encouragement for myself, I purchased a little book about encouragement. However, the book was about giving it rather than receiving it. OR WAS IT???

Hmm...could it be that in order to get my eyes off of my concerns, I could encourage someone else, and we would both be blessed and encouraged?? That was exactly the point this book made!!!

One of my strengths is that of an encourager...I knew that already, so it was time to snap out of it and get to encouraging...so I did.

I bought my 20 yo some ice cream from her favorite shop which she drove 20 minutes to get to the night before, but they changed their hours and were closed. She's had a rough time and was really counting on that ice cream cone!!

I took my niece, Maddy and her best friend to an RV show and we had a blast climbing in and out of all of the vehicles, campers, and amazing coaches. Their smiles and enthusiasm were priceless!!

I gave my husband some extra loving and compliments on how great he's looking with his weight loss, and offered to rub his sore muscles. He was delighted and showered me with lovin'!!

There were a few more, but you get the idea.

Mark Twain stated it very simply:

The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer everybody else up!!

It is almost impossible to think of yourself when you're encouraging someone else. Of course, God knew that!! And how gracious of Him to remind me when I needed it most!!



Isn't this one a beauty??

Well, as appealing as a good climbing tree is to get away from it all, how much more wonderful is it to help someone else feel better and be doubly blessed and encouraged yourself??!!

Spread some encouragement and joy, and watch it boomerang right back atcha!! :)

Have a delightful week!!!

HUGS,
Becky