"Cultivate an attitude of happiness. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine."
― Gordon B. Hinckley
This is something one of our neighbors on the main highway put next to their gate...I'll just bet it's made a lot of people smile. And it's a lovely way to get a message across, isn't it?
It was a stumble upon this week but I found this vlog called "The Chateau Diaries". It's a lovely way to pass time, sitting and watching these vlogs. She is very real about what it costs, about the struggles and her absolute adoration of the place. I've linked to the consecutive videos, in order. Episode 3 which was a costume ball was like watching a dream. Please, take time to go enjoy this!
Another really lovely vlogger is Bayoona. No words are spoken, but it's a lovely quiet visual of beautiful foods, tablescapes and such.
Passover evening was unique this year. Sundown was a bit later than our church's communion Good Friday service. I had put together a Seder plate of sorts. With things as they are this year we didn't go all out. I had remembered to purchase horseradish and parsley. I had a chicken thigh bone that had been roasted, romaine leaves, salt water, a slice of apple and Matzah. Of course we had our grape juice. And so we had an early prayer time over our Passover plate.
As we waited for the elements to be passed among the cars (it was a drive-in service) we were saying our prayers. I thought about what the pastor had spoken upon. I thought about the fact that at this hour, Christ had died and been placed in his tomb. I thought back over the hours preceding and remembered that he had been present at a Passover supper...And there my heart stopped and my mind opened.
Because we think in terms of our Western culture and our modern day world the term 'supper' had always meant to me that Christ was at a meal. And he likely was. But also at that meal would have been a Seder plate, the elements perhaps a little different upon it, but a Seder plate. The Matzah (or unleavened bread), the salt water, the bitter herbs, Haroset (a mix of apple, honey and wine), and the shank bone of a lamb...He would have partaken of the ritual of bread and wine that we call communion.
I looked up at John with tears in my eyes. "What is it?" "Christ...this is what He did that last evening before His crucifixion. He would have had this communion and the Seder plate to share with the disciples..." My voice was thick with tears. It was perhaps the most sobering communion we've ever partaken of in that moment, but the connection between our world today and our Savior had become so very real to me, in a fresh way.
Well dear ladies, I completely messed up my week by agreeing to go out with John for an appointment mid-morning...forgetting all about little Josh coming for school time and all about our drawing for the Gladys Taber book. Sigh.
Josh's school didn't go unattended. I just asked Bess to send him over early and he fairly flew through his work. There's a game called Hero Tom on Kindle that he absolutely loves playing and that's his reward for getting work done. He had time to spare this morning to play a bit of his game.
But I did forget the drawing. So I had to enlist a senior name drawer.
And he picked this name...
She wrote: I absolutely love Gladys Taber. I read her books from the library every year around this time. I would love to own at least one of her books. What a nice thing to do. Thank you for the opportunity to possibly get one.
Well Mary, my email is teaccheney@gmail.com. Send me your snail mail address and I'll ship this book out to you!
This was such great fun, I think I'll do it again!
I have this book:
I'd love to send it to one of you...So leave me a comment! I've just finished reading Exit Betty in this book and couldn't put it down. I've two of the three books listed in this book already.
I will do a drawing again in one week's time...
For those of you who get emails, I'm sorry...I forgot to put in the picture of the book!
For those of you who get emails, I'm sorry...I forgot to put in the picture of the book!
