Day 5

It is Day 5 of my personal challenge. I challenged myself to do three things for 100 days. It is not Day 5 blog something each day didn't get down today and honestly I just don't know what to write about. Is it still true that a picture is worth a thousand words? I will just add a photo or two and call it a blog post.

I decided to go to my photos and find the first photo and the last photo and include those.

A photo of my grandmother and my nephew. It looks like they are working on a puzzle. I miss my grandmother and that little boy is now taller than me.

Here is a photo of my ragu cooking in my cast iron pan from Monday evening. It has become a family favourite.

That is done for today. I need to get some inspiration and time tomorrow to write a bit more.

Beth

Greater Love

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Have you ever thought how one event can begin series of events that even 350 years impacts a small village? A piece of cloth arrived in a small village. The cloth had been sent from London to the small village in August 1665. That fabric had fleas, fleas that were carrying the plague. Just a week after receiving the fabric the first victim of this small village dies. The village had about 350 people in it at that time.

The plague in a small village is enough of a story but there is more to the story. William Mompresson, the vicar, convinced the people that they needed to quarantine themselves to prevent the spend of the plague. The Earl of Devonshire as well as the surrounding villages helped to provide food leaving it outside the village for the people to collect. For over a year the plague took lives and changed the village. In all 260 people died from the plague but if they had not quarantined themselves the plague would have spread.

This is a village that truly was self-sacrificing. They were willing to do something difficult and hard but knowing that it was good for others. Now more than 350 years later it is still an example to us of how an event can change a village and how that village can be an example to the world.

Here is a bit more details about this.


Beth

Beauty All Around

I find that life can easily get busy. I have meals to cook, laundry to wash, activities to take children to,  and a long list of things to do, places to be. I am busy and don't take the time to pause and look at the beauty around me. After a while, I begin to think that there is no beauty. I think that is one reason that I like the change of seasons as they are an opportunity to see beauty.

Yesterday we went to some place new. I have heard about it for a few years but just didn't take the time to go there until yesterday. It was a nice sunny day so we took a picnic and went to the Sculpture  Park. 

We wandered around the lake and some some geese. There were lots of them in the water. 

There was art throughout the park. Some of it we were able to see understand some left us wondering what we were seeing. This was rather interesting to see the face and see it at different angles.

Across the lake is the old manor house.  It looks so peaceful.

It was a nice walk as we paused and looked at various things along the way. I love the wild flower look and also the variety of colours.

Another big of flowers and water. It is relaxing to walk near water or just to sit and look at the water.

 The thistle has a nice purple flower but it also have prickles there to protect it from being eaten. Interesting how a beautiful flower has something that be painful so even in our pain there can be beauty. I took some photos but I don't think it is quite thistle season.

We did see both beauty and art around us yesterday. Do you see beauty around you?


Beth

Living the Gospel

Our small groups at church have been studying 2 Corinthians. I decided to do a doodle Bible study from Stone Soup for Five. I couldn't just begin in 2 Corinthians but decided to begin in 1 Corinthians. So I did 1 Corinthians in my own study and then in the sermon series and in our small groups we are discussing 2 Corinthians.

As I began the study, one of the verses that caused me to pause and ponder the truth.

"for Christ did not send me to baptise but to preach the gospel and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power." I Corinthians 1:17

I wrote this verse in my notebook and highlighted "preach the gospel". So what is the gospel? It is easy to just say, "Jesus died on the cross" but what does that mean? The gospel is so much more and something that we need to be living each day. As I pondered this, I thought the gospel is love, grace, mercy, sacrifice, and forgiveness. As a mom, as a wife, as a friend how do I "preach the gospel" in my relationships. Am I loving, giving grace, showing mercy, willing to sacrifice, ready to forgive. That is preaching the gospel. I have been pondering that and pondering how am Living the Gospel.

Just a few thoughts for today. How are you living the gospel?

Beth

Verbania Treasure - Book Review

Recently I have been reading children's/young adult books. I think it is a combination of homeschool mom guilt -- I need to read the books on my shelves, you know the ones that I bought because they are classics or on the list of books that your homeschooler should read and now I am reading them. The other reason is I enjoy those books. They are easy to read, adds another book to my list of books. I also learn from the reading those books.

I had the opportunity to read Verbania Treasure by Anne Phillips. Verbania Treasure is a story set in the Italian Lakes region. It is the story of five cousins and their grandmother who spend four weeks overseas following a treasure hunt. I loved reading the story and admit to looking various places online to see where the children were exploring. I loved the different characters, the way they work together. I admire Grandma Sybil for taking five children on an adventure. I also admire her for putting aside her own desires and buying chocolate in Switzerland. It made me feel bad for my children as I took them to Switzerland and didn't buy them any chocolate. There were times that you felt like you were right there with the children as they explored. There were times that you just didn't know what to do with George but even times when you felt sorry for him. This is a great book to give a bit of an understanding of Italy.

I think I decided where I want to go for holiday next year. I might need to take our Ambrose with us for the adventure.

Verbania Treasure is available on Kindle. Get it for yourself or a child.

Ms. Phillips has written another book, The Lizard Garden. This book has the same children and tells of adventures in the Netherlands. The Lizard Garden takes place prior to Verbania Treasure. There are references to story but these can be stand alone books.

I recommend both of these books for yourself or your children.

I was given a copy of Verbania Treasure to review. The comments are my own.

Check out Anne's blog with a bit of the behind the scenes including photos.

Beth

Better with Friends

Have you ever done something or got in the middle of something and thought, "this is crazy?" It sounds fun at the beginning. You began with energy and excitement and then you begin to wonder what you have gotten yourself into.

I am in the middle of one of those things. I am too far in at this time to quit and really I do want to finish it. It might be crazy. It might be time consuming. It might be hard but I think it is rewarding. I say I think because I have not finished it yet.

It all began in January a friend posted on Facebook about a 100km walk and was anyone interested in doing it with her. In talking with my friend I decided why not. I can do it. My friend had volunteered last year and was impressed with the people that did it, not the athletics but the people that worked hard and walked lots, the people that you cheered when they finished. She came back with the idea, "if they can do that, I can do it." So she recruited some friends to join.

So the crazy thing I am doing is a 100km walk. 50 km on one day, a night at base camp and then we get up the next day and do 50km again.

For the past few weeks we have been walking on a Saturday morning. Some days it is beautiful and some days it has been cold and wet. We even had a day of sun as we began and then rain but that is English weather.

We have gotten lost, scrambled down rocks as we couldn't find the path, jumped across a stream, fell in a stream (just one of us did that though if you hear the story it might be described as a raging river), drank cups of coffee, ate some cake, talked, laughed, and did it with friends.

We have begun the countdown to the race, less than a month. We have been training in our hills and hopefully that will make it easier when we walk. One day I had over 250 flights of stairs on my Fitbit. I have set a few records on the Fitbit.

I have enjoyed the company and the accountability. I think if I didn't have some meeting me on the corner to begin the walk there would have been many Saturdays that I would have just stayed in bed.

I have to say that this is Better with Friends.

That is my crazy thing for this year. Maybe for this decade. Have you ever done something crazy?

Beth

Margin in Life

I learned to type on a manual typewriter. I know that ages me but I was about 10 or maybe 12 when I learned to type. I remember sitting at the typewriter and practicing jjff kkdd llss ;;aa as I learned the home row. As you began typing, one of the things that you needed to do was set the margins. Then with your fingers on the home row and you would begin typing. As you get near the end of the line, a little bell would chime telling you that you needed to move to the next line. You physically had to reach up and move the lever so the paper would go to the next line. If you did not do this when the bell chimed, you could just keep typing and go into the margin and then even off the page. What is typed beyond the page is unreadable.

Margins are there to give space around a document. It gives white space to make the document easier to read.

Margin in life gives us space. It gives space to have down time, space to reflect, and space to be still. Margin in life allows us be able to meet needs in our own live or in the lives of others. Margin allows us to have time for the unplanned and unexpected.

Do you push each day to see how much you can get done? Do you have a to do list that is longer than possible to do in a day or week?

Margin doesn't just happen. You need to plan margin into life. Give yourself time to sit, time to dream, time to reflect. Sit and meditate on God's word, pondering who God is and what he wants you to do.

Look at your week and see when you can add margin into the day. Use the margin to refresh yourself, spend time in prayer or use the margin in ministering and serving others. Have margin so that the unexpected of life doesn't push you to the maximum and you have no extra time.

Do you have margin planned in your week? How do you use the margin that you have?

Beth