a spirit of simplicity

  t For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function,  so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another.  Romans 12:4-5 Here in New England,Autumn and particularly October, is a miraculously beautiful time.  Each individual leaf bursts forth into bright and beautiful colour…red, yellow, orange, green, brown. One could spend days and days admiring each single leaf. But when viewed from above or when driving down a forested road…when seen as a whole… It is absolutely stunning. I think of this as how God may see us.  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Scripture and a snapshot Sunday scripture blessings You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  My grandson, Verne, turned 5 on Tuesday! On Monday my daughter, grandchildren and I went to an indigenous people’s day event in a state park. Verne was very interested and asked a lot of questions.  I was purchasing a pair of earrings at a vendor booth while we were there and happened to admire a necklace when the woman running the booth said she would like to gift the necklace to me. I thanked her and said I really couldn’t take such a generous gift…it was a $50.00 necklace..but she insisted. She said she had been looking for just the right person to give a gift to. I didn’t want to offend her so I took this necklace with many, many thanks. It was made out of a part of a shell and I just think it’s so pretty.  Natalie Faith found herself a big yellow oak leaf and it kept her happy the entire time we hiked  through the wood.  Yesterday was pumpkin-day at the school where I work.  In years past the older children have always gone for a field trip to a pumpkin patch. Last year, during

  I am so head over heels in love with this beautiful grandson of mine. His fifth birthday was earlier this week. It’s hard to believe that I have a five year old grandchild! He fills me and the rest of his family with so much joy! Thankful Thursday

  Newburyport, MA has recently changed Colombia Day to Indigenous People’s day which is certainly a cause for celebration! They hosted the first ever Indigenous People’s day celebration and ceremonies in a local park. It was quite well attended but my grandchildren needed to take a break from all the local officials thanking everyone and talking, talking, talking. So, we followed one of the trails through the wood and discovered quite a few wonderful things. One of them was this little “house” tucked into the bottom of a group of bushes up near the beginning of the trail. The four of us climbed underneath the canopy of leaves and branches and my daughter snapped a picture before climbing in herself. I handed my youngest granddaughter, Natalie, a large yellow oak leaf and she was enthralled with it most of the afternoon. Certainly makes one think about all the plastic toys we buy children when we could be sharing the leaves and trees with them instead. ~ ~ ~ Nature Notes Our world Tuesd

  Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices, My flesh also dwells secure. Psalm 16:9 Scripture and a snapshot Sunday scripture blessings You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  Mornings have been chilly.  I lit the little wood stove to take the chill out of the house while my sister and I were vacationing last week. Something about that is just so cozy. It was peaceful and relaxing to sip tea by the fireside and not have to leave for work. I wish I could do that every morning. Back at home my husband turned on the heat for the first time this season. I picked up a pumpkin from the garden center and it’s beginning to look and feel like Autumn! I found a new scented candle. It is called Beach Pines and it is so wonderful. They only have this brand at one store near me and it is in Salem. It’s on my way home from work but it’s October…in Salem, MA. So I have to wait till next month…when the tourists have all gone home to their bat caves, liars, and covens…to buy another one so I have been burning it sparingly. I planted my autumn window box. It’s very simple with just a few chrysanthemums. My mum and I did quite a bit of gardening together and since her death

  We had a child in my cohort at the school where I work test positive for COVID. Fortunately for me it was the week I was on vacation so I was not exposed. My vacation was extended because the  two classes had to close through Monday. I am so thankful that the child is okay and that no one else tested positive.  My class was opened back up for children this week! ~ ~ ~ Thankful Thursday

  I was vacationing with my sister at the mouth of the Annisquam river in Gloucester, MA last week.  So beautiful and peaceful. We saw so many sea birds. Here I was able to get a picture of one white Egret but later in the day there were 15 or so of them standing in the same spot! They were fishing for dinner…or lunch…at one point I got to see one of them catch and eat a fish.  We also saw geese, ducks, cormorants, a couple of very friendly seagulls, great blue herons, and a bald eagle which flew directly toward us right at our eye height and then banked right to follow the path of the river. He must have been fishing as well.  We did all of our meals in the vacation B&B because we didn’t want to miss any of the show.  ~ ~ ~ Nature Notes Our world Tuesday Image-in-ing

  Cultivate Peace James 3:18 My sister and I spent most of last week vacationing at the mouth of the Annisquam river in Gloucester. We stayed in a cozy and quaint little cottage equipped with the bare necessities… And a screened in deck that looked out over the tidal river and out into the Atlantic Ocean. My sister and I have not always had a very close relationship. We love each other without doubt but navigating our way through a friendship has not always been easy…or even possible.  Now that our mother is gone we have been trying to create a relationship that is deeper.  It is a complex process because we know one another in the ways that we always have  but we don’t know one another in the ways that we are now.  When I read this version of this verse from James while I was sitting in this sweet little vacation home It made me wonder what we are cultivating in our own homes.  ~ ~ ~ Great Spirit, now I pray to you… Great Spirit, hear me; My soul is weary, Now I pray that your spirit

The good My sister and I vacationed together last week at a quaint and cozy VB&B in Gloucester, MA. It was absolutely beautiful, right on the mouth of the Annisquam river, and so relaxing.  Holly and I don’t get much of a chance to spend time together as she lives in Connecticut and I am in Massachusetts. When she came to visit she would spend most of her time with our mother but since our mother passed away in June Holly and I have been thinking up ways to spend more time with one another. Sort of getting to know one another again…as grown-ups and as friends.  The random We began our vacation on Monday and had decided to stop for lunch at a little restaurant that we love. However, the place was closed. So…we stopped into the Beaufort Hotel in Gloucester. What a treat! Firstly we were greeted with valet parking which was wonderful because parking in Gloucester is not a treat! Inside we were not disappointed. It was so pretty and right on the water. We opted to sit inside instead of

t  And goodness is the harvest that is produced From the seeds the peacemakers plant in peace.  James 3:18 ~ ~ ~ Scripture and a snapshot Sunday scripture blessings You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  My sister, brother and I were together for the first time since our mother’s funeral services in July. We were sitting on my brother’s deck with my husband and my sister-in-law and looked up during a few sprinkles to see a beautiful double rainbow just over the house! So beautiful! I got a picture of my sister and brother just before we started carving the pumpkins. I know it’s very early…it wasn’t even October yet. They will certainly rot long before Halloween but we had fun doing it together!! On Monday Holly and I began our vacation in Gloucester, MA. We stayed in a tiny little VB&B right on the mouth of the river. It was absolutely beautiful.  We spent most of the days sitting inside the cozy living room or on the deck. Either way we had quite an amazing view. Every morning working fishing/lobster boats would chug up the river toward the open water. In the late afternoon sailboats would glide past our little house. ~ ~ ~ Friday fave fives Friendship Friday Thankful Thursday T

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The fun My sister is visiting my brother and sister-in-law a few towns over so my husband and I went over for dinner. While we were there we all carved pumpkins! I know it’s much, much too early.  Certainly they will rot by Halloween but we had fun together and that is all that matters. The random Here and there bits of Autumn have been making themselves known.  A Sycamore leaf caught up in the lichen covered wooden fence looks so pretty filled with the sunlight of a delightful Autumn afternoon.  The good While we were carving pumpkins it started to rain a little bit and when it stopped a giant double rainbow appeared just over the house!  It was the first time that my sister, brother and I had been together since my mum’s funeral in July so this beautiful rainbow seemed pretty special.  ~ ~ ~ All Seasons The good, the fun, the random The hearth and soul

   t Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 1 Peter 2:10 ~ ~ ~ Scripture and a snapshot Sunday scripture blessings You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Welcome Autumn Natalie Faith loves her mama’s kisses I love the old glass in one of the old buildings just around the corner from my house. It is old glass which was hand blown.  The nights have been cooler of late…which means the mornings have been foggy. Last year my mum put some gourds in the porch planter along with some chrysanthemums. We noticed that the squirrels nibbled at them throughout the season. This spring I noticed that quite a few rogue vines were interspersed throughout the gardens.  Now…we have a bowlful of pretty gourds at the kitchen table! ~ ~ ~ Friday fave fives Friendship Friday Thursday favorite things

  I am thankful for myself.  My health, my sense of humour, my belief in who I am, my faith, my adventurousness, my photography, my ability to turn a phrase, my love, my spirit, my heart… I am 58…inching toward 60, my mum passed away at the start of summer and I am, for the first time, parentless, which leaves me more free in some ways, than I have ever been.  I am forever grateful for my mum and I miss her more than words could ever say…I tear up as I type this. However, I feel as though I have a chance to sort recreate, or add-on…or even just sort of shift about the parts of me that inevitably change with the passages of life. I am mindfully and purposefully creating/choosing the me that will emerge from this sorrowful time. Almost like a cocoon of sorts  A metamorphosis  ~ ~ ~ Thankful Thursday

  Golden yellows and oranges Darker greens and all shades of brown Colour the world with Autumn My very favourite season here in New England ~ ~ ~ Our world Tuesday Image-in-ing Nature Notes

  Since apples and zucchini are so abundant at this time of year, it’s only natural that the two be used together in one recipe. I don’t really know the origin of this bread, but I do know it’s been one of our favourites for many years. Ingredients 4 cups all purpose flour 1 tablespoon backing soda 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 5 eggs 1-1/2 vegetable oil  2 cups sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla 2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini 1 cup peeled shredded apple 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional) Directions In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another bowl, beat eggs. Add oil, sugars and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in zucchini, apples, and pecans (batter will be stiff). Spoon into three greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes or until done. Cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield:  three loaves ~ ~ ~ Grace at hom

  The good Early Saturday morning was quite foggy… Such a quiet and pretty time for walking along the harbour.  The fun The last muster of the season was on Sunday. My son-in-law’s team won the competition for the day and came in second for the year! I love this picture with my daughter and granddaughter, Natalie.  The random It’s very random that I post a picture of myself! I’ve been trying to do it a bit more often.  It’s important that we celebrate ourselves once in a while! ~ ~ ~ The good, the fun, the random

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t For all flesh is like grass, And all its glory like the flower of the field; The grass withers and the flower wilts; But the word of the Lord remains forever 1 Peter 1:24-25 ~ ~ ~ Scripture and a snapshot Sunday scripture blessings You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

  Under the big old Beech tree in the playground at work. I was snapping women pictures of the children and my phone happened to switch to selfie-mode. So…I took a quick shot of myself. My grandson’s first day of pre-school this year.  His birthday is in October so he won’t start kindergarten till next year. This year he will go 3 half-days a week. He is very excited about it! Joe and I walked to old Fort Sewell after dinner one evening this week. There was a stiff breeze coming off of the ocean and we had our sweatshirts zipped up for the first time in months and months. The pre-revolutionary era fort had been closed for renovations for the past year and just reopened at the beginning of the summer. I had walked it earlier in the year but this was the first time Joe had seen it. They really did a spectacular job. There was some concern that they would “fix” things so much that it would be unrecognizable. The fort was established in 1644. It turned out that the restoration was perfectl