EUCHARISTEO - "You-Kra-stay-o"

Eucharisteo.........
My Study on Thankfulness......

Friends, I am starting a a new study this week........a study on Eucharisteo........a study I have been quietly doing for the past year......I just didn't know there was a defining word for what I was doing.  It means to daily search for His blessings.....to fully experience these blessings......to write them down.....to snap them with my camera.....to see God in everything.....and to thank Him for everything........everything!  Even the not so good things.....because those are the things that change us.....that draw our eyes and heart away from ourselves and directly to Him.....

Because "life change" comes when we receive life with thanks and ask for nothing to change......So, thought I'd share a few of mine from this morning......

1)  My beautiful granddaughters who are amazingly full of spunk......full of looniness.....full of giggles.....who have blessed my life and who I will never, as long as I live, tire of hearing scream "LELE" when I walk into the room.

2)  This beautiful hat that reminds me of my dear Mom each time I see it.....I can't bring myself to wear it.....yet.....but some day I will wear it with a smile as big as she had that day my sister and I placed it on her head at Wal-Mart.....

3)  This hat that my nephew, 2nd Lieutenant Lance Calloway, gave me.......because it has his wonderful DNA on it......and is a constant reminder of the boy he used to be.....and the man he has become.........

4)  My sweet, funny, crazy friend Patsy who always made me giggle with her rib-tickling, infectious laugh ......her beautiful smile.....and her forgiving ways towards others.  I will forever miss my sweet friend.....but will always chuckle when I look at her gardening hat and remember her priceless ways.....

5)  All of my Sisters.......of which I have many.....My birth sister, Debbie, who I would gladly, willingly, freely give my life for.  She has brought such happiness, joy and yes, many tears to my life.  God blessed me with this incredible woman whom I love dearly.  

And my Sisters in Christ.......those who have walked down difficult roads with me.....holding my hand....many times carrying me through tough times.....and loving me all the way back to healing.  God dropped these remarkable and amazing women into my life at just the right times and some, He took out of my life at just the right times.....You know who you are......and you know you own a portion of my heart.....and I keep you on a chain around my neck so I can reach up and hold you in my fingers whenever I need you.

Want to try it with me?  I'd love to hear what you're thankful for today......

I promise your life will never be the same..........

Just One of Those Days........

October 22, 2012

Today has been one of THOSE days......

One of my Meals on Wheels clients, who has been "mentally slipping" over the past year, decided she didn't want me delivering her meals to her anymore after 6 years.  I must admit; I was devastated.  I asked her "why" and she said it was cause I made her "nervous".  I make a lot of people nervous, but after asking her "how I made her nervous", she said, "I don't really want to talk about it, but its because you didn't show up two weeks ago."  Now, two weeks ago, I was headed to the doctor for poison ivy covering the left side of my face and couldn't deliver my meals that day, however, someone else took my route that day.  Bless her heart.....although I knew she wasn't thinking clearly, I still left there with tears running down my face....

Tears resolved, Chuck and I headed to Wal-Mart.  I hate Wal-Mart.......but it's all we got, folks.  As we're checking out, the credit card machine won't accept my debit card.  My heart skips a beat......I feel myself starting to panic.....wondering "why" won't it accept my card.  As I nervously try to access my bank account through the tiny little 3"x2" screen on my iphone while pushing a grocery cart out to the parking lot, I can't get my bank account to pull up.  My mind is racing as I fly down the country roads, dodging squirrels and deer, to the house where I am able to finally pull up our bank account and see that someone in Pennsylvania is buying boots.....LOTS of boots.....on our bank account to the tune of several hundred dollars.  AGHHHHH.......

But today wasn't totally a waste of a perfectly beautiful day.....oh no.......after my little incident with my Meals on Wheels client above, another client I hadn't seen in several months was finally home.  Ohhhhhh.....it was so AWESOME seeing my sweet friend Jewel and her son WB.  They are like family to me.....so much so, their family invited me this past Mothers Day, a week after losing my own mother,  to spend Mother's Day with their whole family.....Did I mention their mother, Jewell, is going to be 106 in December??  Awwww......seee.........life is goooooood.......

Oh ya, and finally......I learned tonight that if you put your ipod buds in your nose, the music will come out your mouth!!!  Really....Try it.......WAY COOL!!!!

Our Friend Jim.......

October 17, 2012

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” 

– Tim Cahill

With Jim in Mesa Verde, CO

I have SO much to tell you guys!  

Remember back two years ago (ya right....I"m sure you remember that) when Chuck and I were on the road and were in Moab, Utah and parked next to a guy from Florida that had just lost his wife to cancer and he made me cry.....no....BAWL???  Of course you do......here's the link to that Blog:

http://murphys-mom.blogspot.com/2010/09/day-77-steeeeeep-ramp-and-man-that-made.html

Anyway, two years and many thousands of miles later, he was returning home from his 3rd trip since that chance-meeting in September 2010 and stopped in to the Etheridge house in Mt. Vernon, Texas for the weekend!  We have kept up with this sweetheart-of-a-guy all this time and were thrilled that he made time to visit with us!

We showed him Countryfest here in beautiful East Texas and introduced him to our friends.........

Took him for his first ride on the trike.....

And helped him get all 468 photos from the past 4 months of traveling off his camera (He's a lightweight....thats the amount of pictures Liz takes in a day......!)

How blessed....BLESSED.....are we to have had the opportunity to meet people like Jim throughout our travels??

Blessed Indeed!!!!

"Adventure is a path. 

Real adventure - self-determined, self-motivated, often risky - 

forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. 

The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. 

Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. 

In this way, you will be compelled to grapple with the 

limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind - 

and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. 

This will change you. 

Nothing will ever again be black-and-white." 

- Mark Jenkins

GREAT NEWS!!!

Monday, October 8, 2012

GREAT NEWS!!!

My ITCHY-SCALY-RED-CRUSTY-ZITTY looking bumps on the left side of my face 

aren't shingles......

It's POISON-SOMETHING!!

Poison Ivy.......

Poison Oak.......

Poison Sumac.......

Poison Crape Myrtle.......

Poison Pine Trees........

Poison Grass......

Poison Obama.......

who the heck knows......

All I know is the left side of my face looks like I'm going through puberty all over again.....

And the good news.....yep....there's good news......those 4 bumps on my knee I thought were connected to the Poison-Whatever above.......nope......SPIDER bite!  AGHHHHH!!!!!  

Awwwww.......Country-Life!!!!

My Home.......I'm Blessed Indeed

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

“The Degree to which I am blessed staggers me... 

the degree to which I take that for granted shames me." 
― John Green

What I love the most about living in East Texas is how you rarely meet anyone who doesn't treat you (a stranger) like a long lost 2nd cousin or Aunt Eula.  

They will give you (a stranger) the shirt off their back which, 

most likely, came from Goodwill.......

and will tell you how very 

"BLESSED" 

they are.   

They may live in a trailer with their yard ornaments comprising of old bra's and pink flamingo's that they, most likely, got for 

Aunt Eula from the local thrift shop......

yet they will always tell you how 

"BLESSED"

 they are......

It doesn't seem strange to them to ride their horse through the drive-thru of the local McDonalds......because they are just

"BLESSED" 

to have a horse and a new McDonalds!

They may have a young one with a disability.......

a disability that he doesn't carry alone.....

because it belongs to the whole town......

cause, you see......the whole town family is so very 

"BLESSED" 

to have this little one with a disability.  

And they show that by hosting a Handicap Rodeo 

each year so these 

"BLESSED" 

little ones can, for a change, 

sit higher than everyone else.....

And where else could I be so 

"BLESSED"

to call this Home?  

This is my home.....I'm "BLESSED" Indeed.......

Cotton Shed No. 11...........Such A COOL Name.....

September 24, 2012

I just LOVE having talented friends!!  

Take my friend, Jackie Carlson, who owns a fabulous home interior store in Canton called "Cotton Shed No. 11" that is opening up on the square in downtown Canton this coming Thursday.  I was "lucky" enough to help her set up her store this week and boy-howdy......is this an incredible store!

To my girlfriends out there......get a bunch of yacking ladies together and COME TO CANTON THIS WEEKEND.......!!

The weather is suppose to be NICE........the crowds won't hit full force until November.......and you'll kick yourself if you don't stop by Jackie's new store on the square in Canton (just south of the Trade Days).  Just so you know......I'm not getting a commission for telling you all this......I just truly believe in this chick.  Her style is what I could only hope to have one day......her store makes me want to sell everything in my house and start over......She has things you will not find anywhere else....I promise!

Did I mention she's a wonderful person too??  Yep, she sure is!!!

Check her out on Facebook at 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Devine-Decor/166227856725300 

and her new store in downtown Canton this coming weekend!!

Things I've Learned From My Granddaughters.....

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Things I've Learned From My Granddaughters.....

Time at Grandpa Charlie and Lele's (Chuck & Liz) lakehouse is always more fun 

when they bring their best friend, Sophia, with them!

It takes a grand total of 6.4 minutes from the time they arrive 

to the time the guest bedroom looks like this.

Always....ALWAYS.....warn the dogs before the girls get here......

It's always fun going for a ride in the Workhorse around the neighborhood 

in the rain.....

.......Unless something falls off the Workhorse.......

.....Like the trailer hitch.......

.....And never, EVER leave the keys and unattended kids 

in the Workhorse when picking up the pieces 

that fell off......

They just may run off without you.

Dear Sweet Norm......

September 15, 2012

"Walking with a friend in the DARK....

Is better than walking alone in the LIGHT.  

Helen Keller

We recently returned from a week in Rogers, Arkansas......tagging along with our friend Sue as she wrapped up the final arrangements for her husband, Norm's, gravesite.  

Norm passed away in May of this year.......

But as we stood over Norm's grave, remembering the wonderful times we've all had together; Alaskan cruise, summer trips to Missouri, weekend dinners at the lake..... I couldn't help but think how much Norm and Sue have added to our lives....how blessed we've been by their friendship.

Blessed indeed........

I read a quote today as I neared the end of a book (which everyone needs to read, BTW) called "The Harbinger" I'd like to share with you.....

"You're only one heartbeat away from eternity.  

Everything you have - your life, your breath, this moment, 
it's all borrowed, it's all a gift.  

And at any moment it all ends with a heartbeat.....
just one heartbeat, and there's no more time.  

One heartbeat and the chance to be saved is gone.  

One heartbeat and there's no more choosing - 
it's all sealed for eternal life or eternal death......

If you don't choose to be saved, then you've chosen not to be saved.  

Your life and your eternity....it all rests on one heartbeat.  

And what will you do on the Day of Judgment?"

Rest In Peace, sweet Norm......

Rest In Peace.

  

Quote For the Day - Septemver 10, 2012

Monday, September 10, 2012


"When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives
but are grateful for the abundance that's present...we experience heaven on earth."

 

Not A Single Drop......

 Tuesday, August 28, 2012

.....We didn't get a drop of rain from this fantastically beautiful storm last night

Not A Single Drop.

"If you spend your whole life 

waiting for the storm,

you'll never enjoy

the sunshine."