Friendly Fill-Ins: If I coulda-I woulda

1. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is magical & exhilerating.
2. If breathing were worth money, then I would be rich.
3. I am proud of my Lord and Savior, Jesus, The Messiah.
4. If I could time travel, I would visit the year 3,000.

Happy Weekend blessings, everyone. I’m going to focus on my knee recovery.

Friendly Fill-ins : September Routine

My Friendly Fill-ins:

1. September is the perfect month for Transitioning from Summer to Autumn_.
2. This month, I am looking forward to Temperatures to cool down and the beginning of Autumn sunsets.
3. My morning routine always includes hobbling to the restroom, eating breakfast, drinking coffee, and a physical therapy routine as a result of my total knee replacement surgery on 9/5.
4. I have a love-hate relationship with Technology. When it’s working I love it. When it doesn’t work; I hate it.

Friendly Fill-Ins:I

Join in! See the hosts here: 15andmeowing.com/2018/08/friendly-fill-ins-week-118 & fourleggedfurballs.blogspot.com/2018/08/friendly-fill-ins_17.html

1. I am going on a road trip next week.
   [At the end of the road trip I’ll be getting one total knee replacement surgery. It will be over 1K miles from where I live. Scary much!?!? Yes, it’s scary.]
2. I want to be more in tune with God/Yahweh.
   [I don’t feel as close to Yah as I’d like to. It’s good to be.]
3. Once in a blue moon, I can’t think of anything for this one.
4. I have a large collection of random stuff I need to just let go of and toss it.
   [I love owls. At one point I had quite a library of books. I gave 85% of them to a local library prior to moving homes. I needed to severly downsize. Some other random stuff is office supplies and personal items. I have let go of a lot of it. I’ve limited it to a few small to medium boxes.]

Emotional Support Fur Companions

Misa 5 weeks old, 2008. Click the image to see the full photo album I created for her.

As long as I can remember I’ve had animals around me. When I was in primary school we had one. She was one of my favorites; she was Minouette. A blue (silvery blue fur) French toy poodle. She was mom’s dog. Minouette would follow me around. She slept in mom’s bedroom, though, at the foot of the bed on a footstool. Minouette would meet me at the door every day after a day of kindergarten. As soon as I walked in the door she jumped up in my arms. We were both little! LOL. I do not know what happened to her. She was just gone one day.

Over time we had other pets, mostly dogs. I remember one dog that jumped the fence. My parents even put in a gate that was 6 feet tall. The dog still jumped the fence. I watched her do it one day. I was in amazement. My parents gave her away. She wasn’t for us.

When I was 12, my big sister gave us a 4-week old kitten. (It was a gift because we were about to move homes over 2K miles away.) It was meant to be a gift for me and one of my other sisters. But, I was the cat person. LOL. I ended up caring for this kitty. I named her ‘Lucky’. As a kid, I thought, this kitty was lucky to be alive. I bottle fed her and took care of her until she was big enough to eat by herself on kitty food and so on. She slept with me. When I graduated from high school I took her with me when I moved out of the house. She was 5 yrs old by then. However, like most all pets who are moved to a new home, she went walk-about. She was trying to find her other home she lived in before. I thought she was dead. A couple months later this scraggly horrific looking creature showed up in my driveway. It took me a couple of minutes, but, realized it was Lucky returning from her journey. It was a grand reunion. She was nasty though. I had to clean her up and get her some food. She rarely had any kittens. But, in the late 80s, I noticed she kept disappearing for short periods of time and then coming back. I noticed at one point she had a hole in her neck, in front. I first thought she a gunshot wound. I took her to the veterinarian. He informed me that she had thyroid cancer and was dying. I cried and cried. I took her home and was going to just let her live out the rest of her life there. All the images that were taken with her are gone now. I have none.

One day afterward, I heard this yowling and a noise on the window screen of the door in the back. I went to check it out. It was Lucky hanging on the window screen of the door yowling for me to let her in. I said, “If I didn’t know any better I’d say she’s pregnant and getting ready to birth a litter.” Going with that, I set up a birthing box for her. Knowing she was ill I kept an eye on her. Next thing you know, there was this little tiny black kitten next to her. Not long after giving birth to this one kitten, Lucky had a seizure. I was afraid for the kitten so I pulled him out of the box until the seizure was over and then put him back with her. He was such a cute little thing. He was all black except for a small white crescent on his tummy. That’s where his name comes from. It reminded me of a lunar eclipse. So, I named him Eclipse. He was long haired.

Eclipse in back of Mister! Mister was a rescue kitten from a nearby tree. Eclipse was being his big brother. The image was taken at night out on the porch with a point & shoot camera. Sorry for the poor quality. This image was taken in 1993. Eclipse was born in the late Spring 1986. So, he was 7 yrs old here. Mister was roughly 1 yrs old. When we rescued him he was about 2-3 months old.

After Eclipse was weened from nursing I noticed how badly Lucky was. It took all I had in me, but, I took her to a veterinarian in the city and had her put down. The Vet’s office offered to take her and deal with her burial, etc. I told them I’d take her home and bury her myself. They even offered to connect me with a cat breeder locally to soften and hurry the grieving process. I declined and let them know that I had her last kitten that was born.

I went home with the box with Lucky in it. I gave her a proper burial at home. Eclipse was growing by leaps and bounds. He was something and very adorable. One day all of a sudden he was limp and was acting all weird and not functioning properly. He was about 3 months old. It was strange to me. He functioned leaning to one side and he seemed a bit paralyzed if you will. He recovered after a few months of that behavior. He has some weird mannerisms after that. Then it hit me. He’d had a stroke and it affected him much the same way it does humans. I believe he was somewhat blind in the eye on the side affected. From time to time for no apparent reason, he’d shake his head and then each foot on the affected side. I pretty much just giggled because it was life-threatening.

Sometime between 1985-1989, we rescued some other puppies. One was part German Shepphard. His name was Smokey. He was a great socializer in the neighborhood. However, every morning he would sit with me on the back porch while the sun rose. We interacted and enjoyed each other’s company. One day in the mid-1990s (maybe 1994?) I got word a dog was found dead in the woods and had been identified as my Smokey. He died by gunshot. I was livid. We couldn’t prove who did it, though. Before this happened, though, we had another female rescue dog that he had bred with and we had that pup. The pup was my daughter’s dog. We called him, Sparky. He kind of took after his mother, Fancy. She was a speckled blue-heeler mix. Great fun furries until someone stole Sparky right out of our front yard. My daughter was livid and she kept a watch everywhere she went to find him. At one point she saw him in town tied in someone’s yard. When we went to investigate the dog was gone. He was never recovered.

We had some other furries. We had this one kitty. She was the Manx breed. Her kittens went fast after they were born. I kept one or two. Then they became my Manx breeders. The main mama Manx died. I forget how and why, though. There was this litter born and a couple of them stayed with me. But, just when they were roughly 2 months old one of them got his front feet slammed in the front door and broken. They never healed right and he had a funny swagger. Those two were basically my daughter’s kitties until one litter was born that had this buff colored baby. We instantly fell love him. She named him, “Spunky”. He loved water and he loved being vacuumed. He was so laid back and a lover. He ran away in 2000 after my daughter moved 2K miles to live with me and brought him along. He was never found.

All the fur companions I’ve ever had pretty much clung to me and interacted with me in a supportive way.

In the Fall of 1999, this kitten appeared out of nowhere when I was walking in from my car after work one evening. It was dark and rainy. The light in our apartment landing was burnt out also. As I neared the landing to the door this thing darted out of that area away. At first, it freaked me out. But, quickly surmised the situation and realized it was a kitten. I exclaimed out loud, “Oh, it’s a kitten!” Immediately, the kitten ran to me and meowed. As if she was asking for my help. I picked her up and she curled up in my arms and started purring. I took her inside and showed her to Paul. Nobody was looking for her or claiming her after that. So, I claimed her for our own after about 10 days. The black on her fur was a very deep black. So, I thought, I’d call her India, like India ink.

In 2005, we acquired a 5 yr old female French Bulldog, Olivia. She was a poor wretched soul. We only had her for 2 yrs. I found a FB breeder nearish to us and gave her to the breeder. At first, the breeder cussed me up one side and down another and said she’d make sure I never had another FB. Some yrs later, however, she apologized to me. She realized the dog’s condition had nothing to do with me. I tried my best to care for her. She had every malady known to the FB breed plus some. She was too much for me. She passed away a few yrs later.

Meet India. She was roughly 3 yrs old here. She looked like she had a tuxedo and gloves/booties on. I have some other images of her. Click the image above to see the others. She’s the kitty that disappeared in the Spring of 2008. She was 9 yrs old at that time.

After India disappeared I really struggled mentally. The one thing I didn’t mention about Misa and that story is this; at the five-week mark of Paul’s Akita breeder experience he said to me, “You need a fur baby to take care of.”

The main reason he was so excited about the Akita is that some years before I had mentioned a story about an Akita in my young adult life. I had experience around the Akita dog. I really liked them. Paul saw this as a moment to support my liking of Akitas and that he likes dogs too. Big ones. She was such an amazing fur person. I say that because her personality wasn’t just a dog. But, she had some amazing qualities to her personality. She deeply loved and was loyal to her pack. She was a protector and a lover. The images in her photo album (linked in the very first image at the top) tell a great story. She’s the only fur companion I’ve grieved after this long. She died at Christmastime in 2016.

Now, the place we’re renting to live doesn’t allow animals. It’s not the same but, I try to live vicariously through other’s fur companions. I don’t have the same connection with them as I would my own fur companion, however.

It’s very hard to cope a lot of the time. I’ve noticed since Misa’s passing that I’ve been a bit more withdrawn and down. Only God gets me through every day now. Yes, my husband is a great husband. He isn’t a fur companion though. He’s unable to provide mental therapy and support the way a fur companion does. Fur companions just seem to know you need them and will be there for you.

Thank you for reading and I hope that in some way this story touches you and blesses you.

Friendly Fill-Ins: Things I…

See our hosts blogs here: https://fourleggedfurballs.blogspot.com & http://15andmeowing.com

1. I have faith in my Father God, who holds me in the palm of His hand.
2. Yesterday, I rearranged some things in my schedule and just hung out at home.
3. My favorite place to be is where God puts me.
4. If I was granted one wish, it would be nothing. I don’t have wishes. I know and trust God to supply my every need.

Friendly Fill-Ins – I Would

This is a fun meme is co-hosted by 15 and Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs. To join in on the fun, be sure to visit one of them and join in!

1. I would like tickets to anywhere God sees fit for me to go for His purpose and to share The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. Please don’t ask me to lie, cheat, or steal.
3. I’d rather share about Jesus, the Messiah than help someone live a lie.
4. By this time next year, I will have a new knee and be able to walk and get strong again.

Boom! You’re up! Your turn.

Friendly Fill-Ins – If I…

 

Click image to access the host’s post.

 

Here are the fill-ins:

1. I deserve a gold star for nothing, today. I point to God. He’s the almighty Father and is in control of my life. I go where He leads me. I do what He points me to.

2. Right now, I am loving the break from ministry work. It has afforded me time to focus on my relationship with my Heavenly Father, and recharge.

3. The best advice I’ve ever been given is to be aware of my surroundings and my words.

4. If I had to choose a new first name, it would be Wynona. My mother wanted to name me this, but my father said “no”. So, it became Kimberly instead. I rather like this name, Wynona. It has a bit of a native American ring to it.

Your turn! Go to the host’s website and copy/paste the clean fill-ins and make your own post. It gets one to thinking.

Happy Friday Blessings, All!

A Hope & A Trust

Lantern Photo by Vero Photoart on Unsplash

Blessed, being sacred, with God.

Hope and trust. Our Christian faith hinges on these two. They are synonyms. Hoping is believing with faith, a confidence, and trusting God to carry out His plan for our lives. Without these two we are lost.

I have days like this. I lose sight of my faith in God. I forget that He is in control. Mentally, I run amuck. Isn’t that the human condition? We think we can handle life. We step away from our faith for a minute thinking we got it under control. Then, boom! I get knocked off my feet. I then look around to see if anyone is watching. You know when you trip and check out of embarrassment if anyone saw you? Yeah, like that.

I then realize how dumb a move that was. I reach up to God and seek His forgiveness and allow Him to have the control again and just trust Him in hope knowing He’s got this! That’s being blessed!

What does being blessed look like for you? Comment and let’s chat. Bless others with your story!

Happy Reading and/or Writing!!

 

Day 6 – Story – FMF

Typewriter Photo by Florian Klauer & Colorful lights Photo by Karl Taylor on Unsplash.com. FMF image by Kate Motaung

We all have stories. Our individual stories and stories of others. I love stories. Stories make up the fabric of our lives. It’s how we remember our culture. It’s how we remember important people in our lives.

In legal cases, people tell their side of the story to the court to convince the powers that be of innocence and conviction.

In the scripture above, Micah 6:1-8 The Lord reminds the people through the story of where they came from. The Lord tells the people to “Get Up!” Plead your case in front of the mountains; let the hills hear your story. The mountains and foundations listen. The Lord queries the people about what He did for them. He reminds them of how He brought them from slavery and freed them. The Lord is trying to convince the people that He does what is right.

We must remember that the Lord does right for us. He will never lead us astray or do wrong to us. We mustn’t believe the lies of Satan. Satan would go to the ends of the earth to convince us that the Lord doesn’t care for us and will leave us and hate us.

Who are you listening to? How does your story play out in regards to what the Lord has done for you?

Contact me with feedback or a prayer request using the contact form below, or leave a comment on the blog. It’s your choice. Let’s connect.

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Day 3 – Create

Base Photo by Cathal Mac an Bheatha on Unsplash

Create. I love to create. We all create something every day. We create memories, outfits to wear, art, and food dishes. You name it we create it.

However, we need to look further back past ourselves. We were created; by God. The very first line in scripture from the Bible, Genesis 1:1 says, In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. Then in the next chapter of Genesis 2:7 scripture says, Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

We’re alive because Yahweh formed us from the dust of the ground. He created us from dirt! Well, technically, the woman was created from Adam’s side, from a bone. But, since Adam came from dust, so did woman.

Yahweh put creativity in us. Seek Him and He will guide you. Be obedient to Him and the creative spirit will flow from you.

Some people say they’re not creative. That’s a bunch of hooey. We all have the creative instinct.

What have you created lately? Comment and share a story about what you like to create.

Me: I create all sorts of things everything. I create art, food, memories, whatever. I just love to create. Don’t you? If not, why?

The second part of the scripture image is Psalm 51:10.

In life, things get messed up. People’s attitudes go awry and people become mentally stuck. Our hearts get hard toward people and Yahweh. David asked Yahweh this: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Because of our fallen state, I think we all find ourselves in this place from time to time. Sometimes we encounter people in this place. We need to seek Yahweh and ask for a clean heart and renewed and steadfast spirit within us.

I think we all find ourselves in this place from time to time. Sometimes we encounter people in this place. We need to seek Yahweh and ask for a clean heart and renewed and steadfast spirit within us.

When we don’t, eventually, we run amuck. How’s that working for you? Leave a comment on where you are with that.

Me: Yes, I seek Yahweh regularly to clear out the cobwebs of muck and mire to renew my heart and spirit.

Happy reading!