Friday, January 17, 2020

5 Bright Spots

In 2020, I'm being more intentional in looking for blessings. 




Here's five:

1. Sabbath - I'm working really hard on making space for a day of rest. Since I have so many duties at the church, and Sunday is not really restful, I'm designating Saturdays as my Sabbath. Last Saturday, I vowed and declared I'm not going anywhere. And I didn't! I did have to do some paperwork, but since I did it in my home office, in my jammies, sipping coffee from my favorite mug, it didn't feel like work. The rest of the day I just enjoyed myself doing what I wanted, some of which was listening to John Mark Comer from Bridgetown Church (author of The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry) and Pastor Greg Locke on YouTube.

I have to be diligent through the week to get things done so that I don't have to do them on Saturday. Baby steps!

2. Another new recipe that worked! Honey Glazed Chicken and Sweet Potato Skillet was a success and general consensus was, "You didn't make enough!" Alrighty, I'll be making double batch next time. By the way, the chicken got ate up but there were some leftover veggies that I had for lunch the next day. Delicious!

3. Funny for the week: The twins get a mark from their teacher on their homework every day. If they've done exceptionally well, they get a purple mark. Each color means something - pink means almost exceptional - but yellow means "you've not been good that day." Brody came home with a yellow mark and seemed not to know why.

Turns out he got a yellow mark for "dancing on the picnic table" on the playground when he was told not to do so. Definitely he should obey his teacher; and it would be dangerous for kids to do such a thing. 

I have to admit, though, that I cracked up at the very idea of his dancing. Later, he gave me a demonstration. Let's just say while highly entertaining he is not very coordinated! The teacher also probably thought he'd fall and break something.

4. Drastic haircut: A new year, a new decade, a new me. (Hopefully this is just the beginning.)

5. My scripture this morning:

Let your unfailing love surround us, Lordfor our hope is in you alone.
Psalm 33:22

Surrounded by love! What could be better?


~~~

How did YOUR week go? I'd love to hear. Leave a comment, or consider linking up your own 5 Faves at Susanne's place, Living to Tell the Story.

I'm also linking up at Grace&Truth
and Inspire Me Monday,
InstaEncouragements Link-Up,
#TellHisStory,
#TuneInThursday



17 comments:

  1. Haha...dancing on the picnic table. Sounds like he might be an extrovert. Nice bright spots!

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  2. Well now i wanna see your new hair cut!!!! 😀

    That's amusing about your grandson and the picnic table. I do know that as a teacher of preK children, we have to make sure they follow the playground rules as we are held liable if anything happens!!

    Oooh.....I'm going to make that chicken recipe!! Thanks for posting it. I'll sub broccoli for Brussels sprouts as no one here cares for those. And i will use some honey with a dab of maple syrup as our youngest daughter brought some to us from NH as a Xmas gift. Looks my Sunday after church dinner is all planned!! 😀💕

    I love setting aside most of Saturday for my Sabbath. I do often have some light chores in the morning but i set aside from 1-7 pm as my sabbath time, when i can. Glad you are doing so well wth it!

    Happy weekend!

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  3. Well, I'm a teacher, and I'd probably have done the same thing his teacher did - and I think it's funny also!!! :-) Kids - you gotta love 'em!!! :-) --Ann

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  4. P.S. - I guarantee you that the teachers were chuckling in the teachers' lounge that afternoon!!! :-) --Ann

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  5. Hello Jerralea - I love this post. I love your very intentional approach to the Sabbath. I love my Sabbath Sundays - which I try to make a peaceful, restful, delightful day. Funny story about your grandson. I hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your sabbath!

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  6. Hello, my friend! You teased us with the bit about a new haircut, so we NEED to see it! That chicken recipe sounds delish! I will have to try it but would need to leave the garlic out since my Man does not like garlic. Good for you on being intentional about carving out Sabbath time. It really is such a blessing, isn't it?

    Have a wonderful weekend.

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  7. We try to do that on Sundays-set aside any work except that which has to be done, like meals and dishes. We usually take a nap after church and lunch, and then putter, read, etc. the rest of the day. It's such a blessing to have that down time.

    We have recipes like that where I make a double batch even though there are only three of us at home. We love them the first time and love the leftovers for lunches.

    Funny about your grandson's dancing. I can see why they have the rules, but it would have been funny.

    A new haircut can be invigorating! And I love that last verse.

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  8. Enjoyed reading your post. I hope you managed to enjoy your Sabbath today.

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  9. I love the idea of dancing on the picnic table but do understand why it probably isn't the best idea. I always wish I would feel free enough to do such a thing. Thank you for sharing your 5 bright spots with us at Grace & Truth Link-Up. You sure brought a little light to my day.

    Maree

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  10. Thank you for sharing the recipe. It looks delicious. Cute story about your grandson!

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  11. Picnic table dancing!? Sometimes it is very hard not to laugh at their antics. I've made Sunday my day of rest. I used to fritter my Saturdays away and then have a ton of stuff to get done on Sunday. Add church to that and I started my Monday workweek exhausted. I've made myself get to the things that need doing on Friday and Saturday. It's taken a lot of work to break my habits but the Sunday totally off sure feels good! Dinner sure sounds good! You'll have to show us a pic of your haircut!

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  12. I think everyone who reads this post is going to laugh (quietly) about your grandson dancing on the picnic table.
    I like that you are 'working' on making your Sabbath a day of rest. Yes, we do have to focus and organize, but it is worth it.

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  13. Thanks for the new recipe. I'm trying it this week!!! Those twins! LOL Dancing on the table... What a handfull and so much fun they must be. Thanks for this encouraging post. It was fun to read!

    Thank you for linking up at InstaEncouragements!

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  14. I had a hectic week (lost my planner over the weekend--no fun) and had company for three days. But I know that I can do all things through God, who gives me strength. I also had a lovely weekend getaway with my husband--after 26 out of 30 days with company, we needed some time to ourselves!

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  15. I am with you on the sabbathing. I'm not very good at it. Visiting today from Tune in Thurs. laurensparks.net

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  16. What a great idea to share five positive things each week. It makes all the difference in how we look at our lives. Blessings on your week.

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  17. i'm so inspired by your search to create a meaningful Sabbath experience, friend. thank you for nudging to do the same by your example.

    bless you!

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