My Journey to work

On my other blog White Lilly I wrote about my travel to work and about the many sites and smells I have along the way. But there is more than just that, even though it is a 45 minute drive it gives me much joy because I can pray and talk to God about what is on my heart and sometimes I just ramble to him about what is going on in my life, not that he doesn't know. It gives me joy to sing and praise him on that trip and I can see his creation before me. The mountains are so amazing and the valleys are so beautiful and sometimes I just stare up into the sky and watch the clouds or the sun rising.

I am the Lord,

who has made all things,

who alone stretched out the heavens,

who spread out the earth by myself

Isaiah 44:24

What to do

Tell me do you have the same problem as I do. Your day starts early and you go to work, first you have a bit of travelling to do to get to work then your day starts. Your head is full of activity mainly of work but occasionally you think of what you could be doing at home or your thinking of what you have to do when you get home. The day goes fairly quickly and sometimes you have to bring work home to complete it. You run out to the shops to pick up a few things you have ran out of or need urgently and then you start your trip home.You get home and start on dinner and doing the evening chores, your mind is going a hundred miles an hour as you try to start to unwind, dinner is over and you finely get to flop on the lounge and you think wouldn't it be nice do some knitting or sewing and maybe make something for yourself or your family. You read all these blogs where woman are making lovely things and they are enjoying themselves yet you are too tired or hyped up to sit relaxed and do these things.

There is so much joy in creating something with your hands and then there is the love as you put the time and hours into it and give it to one of your love ones. Do you have a busy life like me and you want to use your hands to stitch, knit or sew something from the heart yet you can't find the time or the stillness in yourself to sit down and start. Maybe I might have to train myself to sit down in a special place or at a specific time and just relax and take deep breaths and quieten my heart and mind and start knitting or sew.

I used to sew and knit when my family was young and it was rewarding and fun but now I am in my grandma years I'd like to get started again. If you have any ideas of what helps you or could help me I would love to hear from you.

Arise and Shine

The way we get up in the morning sets the tone for our entire day. I can remember many mornings when I knew the day was going to be one filled with stress and I would lay in bed as long as I could dreading the moment of putting my feet on the floor for the start of the day. After coming through stressful times in my life and learning to lean onto God I am now more prepared and joyful about starting each morning. When you get up in the morning get alone with God for a few minutes, think of your days plans and hand them over to him. So many of us start our day anxious, rushed, fearful or hurried . We don't have to, commit your day to God and be joyful :)

Psalm 90:14

"Satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, that we may sing for you and be glad all our days"

When you're stressed out you lose your joy, and when you lose your joy you lose your strength because " the joy of the Lord is your strength" Nehemiah 8:10

Baby News!

I received beautiful news last night that my son and daughter-in-law are having another baby and that makes me a grandma again. Dave and I are so over joyed with the good news and pleased for them. Just the mention of baby and my hearts desire is get busy with a knitting or sewing project. I was only thinking the other day how it must be at least 15 years ago when I used to be so busy sewing, knitting and crafting but with having a busy lifestyle, moving house and many other reason I seem to have lost the interest or drive. I feel now that I need to kick start those skills, especially now that I will be a grandma of two and start knitting and sewing again. I know there is so much joy in making hand made gifts especially for the ones you love and not to mention the peace and calmness it brings as you sit down and enjoy the slowness of stitching and knitting. I will have to resurrect my knitting and sewing patterns and and set up a comfy chair to relax in and enjoy this time in my life.

I will try again!

I think I have overcome my problem of doing links in my post, I would like to apologise for not having the link to Mary Stephenson's 'Foot Prints in the Sand' Poem. Just to make sure I have put it here for those who have not read it before.


Foot Prints in the Sand by Mary Stephenson

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints.

Other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life

when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow, or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints,so I said to the Lord,

"You promised me, Lord, that if I followed You, You would walk with me always.

But I noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there have only

been one set of prints in the sand.

Why, When I have needed You most, You have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have seen only one set of footprints is when I carried you."

Mary Stephenson

Challenges

You know I really wanted to start this blog, yet I did not know what I was going to write about or what I wanted to accomplish. I suppose I just felt led by the Holy Spirit and to wait to see what unfolds. Like I said in my first post I was not in any way a confident writer and have only just felt confident with my other blog White Lilly. One thing I do know is that God touches my heart and I have learned to lean on him in many ways and he leads me to places I am sure I would never go myself. I have had many challenges and tragedies in my life and still do, my youngest daughter had to have spinal surgery, my mother after being diagnosed with breast cancer and going through chemo therapy and radiation therapy for 12 months died and my husband was hit with some virus that attacked his immune system and he ended up with a non-specific form of Arthritis which turned his life and mine upside down for about seven years. We had a court case where the solicitor would not contact us or return phone calls and did not appear in court at a crucial stage and we lost the case and were not aware of it until it was nearly too late We later found out that he had done this sort of thing before and was soon to be struck off the register. We also found out that is wife tried to murder him by stabbing him ten times. All this was going on while my husband was ill and we were selling our house and the another solicitor trying to rectify what the first solicitor had caused made an error on an affidavit which caused another lot of problems. We went to a third solicitor to sort it all out and get compensation and about two years later it came to an end so we moved out to the country to our promised land of peace and serenity.

In the midst of all that God had provided for us, because we sold our house and were waiting on compensation , a place to rent that was so beautiful it was 55 acres that overlooked mountains and valleys We were about a kilometre from the road down a dirt track and then it opened out to this view, the property had beautiful trails and an abundance of fruit trees and rose bushes. There were paddocks for our horses and sheep, the yard was secure for our dogs and our water was from a natural spring that got fed into our tank. With all the turmoil going on God had provide a safe haven for us to unwind and enjoy.

Psalms 32:7
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

1Thessalonians 5:16
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Welcome!

This is the first post of my new blog A Joyfull Heart, I want this blog to be full of things that bring joy to my and your heart. I am not much of a writer and I find it hard to express my feelings and emotions but I do know what gives me joy in my heart. I want to write and share the simple things in life that bring the most joy; a radiant smile, a beautiful sunset, a warm embrace, a hot chocolate on a cold day, the smell of rain, a beautiful poem, laughter with a friend, the smell of a baby, a helpful hand, you know what I mean.

I also want to share the joy in my heart of knowing a God that is all knowing, all powerful and a God that loves unconditionally and will never leave or forsake me. As I look back over my life it has not been smooth sailing and I don't think anybodies is but I can see God has been by my side teaching and moulding me to be more like him and even carrying me. I love the poem 'Footprints in the Sand" by Mary Stephenson you can read it here I hope this blog will encourage and inspire you and bring joy to your heart. Please leave a comment or share something that gives joy to your heart.

With joy Sue