Our Thanksgiving

 

Our Thanksgiving was not normal

But it was nice.

With family scattered,

Our family of four spent the day "home alone."

 

 

We didn't prepare quite the "traditional" meal.

We fixed ham, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, macaroni and cheese,

And Sister Schubert's rolls

And topped that off with pecan pie.

 

Then we broke out all our Christmas boxes

And the Christmas tree!

A snake skin was sticking like glue

To our Christmas box that had been in the garage!

 

After taking a country walk with the sheep,

And taking a nap

We turned on "It's a Wonderful Life" as always ...

 

Karalee chose the first ornament

Here is the first ornament ...

(Grinning)

 

 

Stockings hung

Our cat Lucy already under the tree

 



Aslan and Lucy under the tree ...

 



 

Our stack of Christmas books to read throughout the season ...

I believe every one was given to me by

 my sweet mother.

She loves Jesus. 

 

Karalee placing the star ...

 

The star lit up ... yay!

 

My favorites ...



Ornaments from years past ...

 



My sweet husband began wrapping three presents.

The girls were so excited.

 

 

He let us open the presents because

We should celebrate Christmas every day.

 



We were blessed with movie tickets, $2 bills for a movie snack, and fuzzy socks!

All lit up inside ...



 

And shining brighter through the darkness ...

 

 

We hope you had a very special Thanksgiving!

And that your heart is preparing

For what lies ahead ...

 

Our Jesus is breathtaking

Our Jesus is captivating

Our Jesus is heart-capturing

 

 

 

Do You?

Remembering what our Jesus went through for us ...

So that we could go through life with Him. 

Do You?

Do you ever feel abandoned?

Do you ever feel despair?

Do you watch a loved one turn and go?

Do you watch the fragments tear?

 

Do you hear the words: "I - hate - you"?

Do you feel them pierce your heart?

Do you feel your whole world shatter?

Do you gather broken parts?

 

Do you realize your Jesus knows?

Do you know what He went through?

Do you ponder His heart-wrenching question:

“You do not want to leave too, do you?”

 

 

Inspired by John 6:67 NIV

 

By Shelli Littleton Copyright 2013




Jesus, you are breathtaking.

 

 

Gathering

We all suffer hardships.
 

Yesterday, teaching Sunday school

from Jesus feeding the 5K+,

the most amazing feast
John 6:12 leapt off the page:

"Gather the pieces that are left over.

Let nothing be wasted."

 

My mind went to the movie

Home Alone.

Do you remember when the kid, Kevin, 

had gone grocery shopping?

On his way home,

his grocery bags burst and

everything he had lay strewn on the ground.

Regardless of the apparent mess 

He gathered the pieces that were left over.

Nothing was wasted.

The pieces helped nourish him, protect him, and save his family.

 

When we are feeling broken

When we are scattered on the ground

Jesus says, "Gather the pieces that are left over.

Let nothing be wasted."

 

He takes our pieces, and through Him,

We are nourished, protected, and enabled to minister to others.

 

 

 

 

SLR

SLR (Single-lens reflex) camera ...

I really want one.

But they are pricy.

What I love, as you know, is

By simple actions, they make the object you want to capture prominent

Leaving the background blurry around the "subject."

 

This is exactly how we need to be with our Shepherd.

We need our focus on Him

Allowing everything else to blur a bit.
We need an SLR view.

This is the way to a sound mind.
 

What does it look like to lose focus on the Shepherd?

 

This is Sammy, our neighbor's dog.

He  has fifty+ acres, and "twin lakes"

Yet he continually swims through his lake, under a fence, and
Settles for our five acres and a swimming pool.

He has taken his eyes off his Shepherd.

 

 



This is another's neighbor's duck

The girls have named it Snowy

It has the largest pond I've ever seen

But every summer, it settles for this: 

 

 

 

It has taken its eyes off its Shepherd.

 

 

We have two sheep, Bindi and Sandy.

 

 

 

 

They are provided for ...

A nice barn for shelter

Food till their heart's content

Protection from the flood waters that used to pass through the barn

 

 

 

 

Bindi is the black one.

And though she has a Shepherd,

She continually tries to lead.

We walk around our property trail

The sheep always follow.

But it never fails, Bindi will move in front

She wants to lead.
She has taken her eyes off the Shepherd.

But then she stops in her tracks.
She doesn't know where to go.
She doesn't know how to lead.

The Shepherd can't lead her if she is in the way.

The Shepherd is not being allowed to lead.

 

 



Progress is blurry.

She often has to be gently nudged to the side

Returning to the following position
So progress resumes.

 

And if the sheep don't see their Shepherd daily

They barely recognize their Shepherd.

They didn't know their Shepherd.

They keep their distance ...

They run, jump, and kick at mere touch and

Prefer to be with their own kind.

 

But when they meet the Shepherd daily,

They feed right out of the hand

They allow love.

The more time spent with the Shepherd,

The more they want to be with the Shepherd.
They cry out to the Shepherd
At the mere glimpse.

 

We are the same.

We try to lead

Instead of following.

 

Some surroundings are wonderful

Some are not.

Regardless ...

God deserves our total focus.
Again, this is the way to a sound mind.
And it  may cost us.
Nevertheless ...
We can't lead our direction/destination properly.
Simple actions ...

Move over and follow.
It will cost more if we don't.
Never settle for less.

Will we let God lead?

Will we let Him near?

Will we let Him feed?

Will we let Him comfort?

Will we let Him protect?

The more time spent with our Shepherd, in the Word,

the more we'll want to be with Him.
We will not want anything more than Him.
 

 

"The Lord is my Shepherd,

I shall not want."
Psalm 23  

 

 

 

 

Is it Real?

We have the cutest storage shed.

It was made to look like a little house.

I love the joined chairs in front ...

Reminds me of my mother's parents.

 

 

 

The original owners built the storage building.

I think it would make a wonderful writing cabin.

It had a broken window on it ...

But after investigation,

the window wasn't even real.

It was just made to look like a broken window.

 

The "not real" broken window accidentally got hit,

And now the broken window panes have fallen out of the "not real" window.

 

 

 

 

I was disappointed.

But when you step back from the "loss,"

The walls, frame, door, and foundation are still strong.

And they are real.

Not all is lost.

 

I've had a personal window knocked out lately.

I have been under the weather for the last two weeks ...

On and off.

Been on an antibiotic for two weeks.

Allergies.

I just can't seem to shake it.

And now I have a cough that is zapping my strength.

I don't feel like doing my normal stuff.

It's so tempting to feel like a failure.

I feel like I've failed at everything these last two weeks.

 

With my strength depleted,

The girls have been spending more time together.

They've had sleepovers

And a chance to pull out old toys to play with "one more time"

Before giving them away or placing in storage.

As I was uploading the storage shed photos for this post,

I found this little treasure.

The girls had taken this photo of their old dolls they are soon to part with.

The Lord was reminding me that though my plans have failed this week,

His plans have not failed.

The girls are making long-lasting special memories together.

That is real.

 

 



 

 

When discouragement tries to sneak in and knock out our windows.

Go easy on yourself.

Look for the windows of opportunity the Lord will bring

In spite of apparent setbacks.

Don't focus on the loss.

Remember your sure foundation.

Remember who you are joined with.

After all, Jesus is our true window of opportunity

So it's okay if our plans fail or fall out.

And in comparison to the cross ...

You might discover your situation wasn't even real.

 

 

Remember ...

God's will prevails,

Regardless of what else fails.

My Best Friend

We've moved a time or two

And I've been so needy in the past ... in my youth.

I wanted acceptance.

Who doesn't?

Moving is hard ...

It's always hard to fit in when you are "new" ...

Whether at school, church, work, home.

Oh, God has always provided that special friend for me.

But I remember specifically when I didn't "need" that special friend ...

I only needed God.

We were moving ... I was about to start home schooling ...

I had been delving into Bible study, and the Lord had truly become my all.

That's a good place.

In our new location, I didn't even try to make friends.

Oh, I was friendly, but friends were not my focus.

Acceptance was not my focus.

Knowing God was my focus.

And that is when the Lord brought into my life one of my dearest friends and

My girls' best friends.
God's rewards came from earnestly seeking Him.

 

We all want acceptance

At school, church, work, home ...

Yes, even at home.

I know my spouse "loves" me, but I'd be a fool to say he always "likes" me.

Regardless of the location,

Feeling shunned hurts.
 

Have you made God your best friend?
You must seek after Him and long for His company

ABOVE ALL OTHERS.

When you do that, something amazing happens.

You become comfortable with yourself.

You don't need acceptance.

Yes ...

 

When you feel the LEAST bit shunned,

Grab hold of the GREAT KING of all NATIONS.

 

My best friend and I ... He may not be visible,
but He is the one who will never leave me nor forsake me.
He is with me.
The Great King of all Nations



The Green

 "He makes me lie down in green pastures."

 

Y'all, this morning I read Psalm 23 ...

This section of the verse got me so tickled for a minute.

I never thought of it this way before.

When we look upon a green pasture, it is a beautiful sight to behold,

and what a seemingly beautiful place to lie down ...

"If" it has no cows or animals grazing on it.

I had the blessed opportunity to spend many days on

my grandparent's green pasture.

The green pasture had cows grazing on it ... and you know what they leave "behind"!

I remember as a kid walking in that green pasture,

and we'd always have to walk around what my grandmother referred to as "cow poo."

 

And there was so much of it.
It's over here ...



 (the girls at my grandparent's pasture)


 It's over there ...

 

You couldn't let down your guard even in that  beautiful green pasture.

Once, there was ice on the ground in winter ...

we made sleds out of cardboard boxes ...

and when I slid down, my gloved hand landed right in cow poo.

The same is true for life ...

those green pastures we lie down in ...

there is always a little cow poo nearby...

something that seems a little unpleasant.

But remember the unpleasant is what promotes growth and maturity

and keeps that pasture green.

The bad is always there ...

we can't prevent it ...

but the sight of it – in that green pasture, following after God –

should keep us on our guard,

allow us to grow in our faith,

 keep us mindful where we lie down and where we step,

... in other words, keep us on the green.

 

Following after God will keep you on the green.

 

He makes me lie down in "green" ...

 

Atlanta, Texas

Overwhelm

“Your daughter has a Wilms tumor”
And your heart sinks
You grab her sleeping body in your arms and as you rock,
You capture the way that she breathes and the way that she blinks
And you are overwhelmed
And then God came down
Through sisters and brothers just like you
Courage comes and fear seems to drown
And you know that you can face this day
And you can face the next day...
And you walk on stones of faith and hope and love
And at Jesus’ feet, overwhelm is laid.

 

- by Shelli Littleton (copyright 2013)



2001 at Cook Childrens

2001 at The Ronald McDonald House

 

Coming Soon ...

Gain

When you are mourning loss~
And oh, it comes in many forms~

loss of a child
loss of a spouse
loss of sound mind
loss of your house

loss of security
loss of mobility...
loss of acceptance
loss of tranquility

And your throat is tight from restricting the tears
And why the pain for so many years?
And the tears still come
And you wonder is their an escape from ...

 

the pain

 

Gaze upon the Bright Morning Star.
And you "will" gain.

- by Shelli Littleton (copyright 2013)

 

 

 

Whew!

Our baby girl is a cancer survivor.

She was only 13 months old when diagnosed.
Wilms kidney tumor.

She is 13 years old today.

We praise God.

 

Katelyn at only 13 months old.

 

Katelyn with her oncologist. 13 years old.

  

Things have sailed fairly smoothly since that horrid tragedy.

And it was tragic.

 

Yearly check-up went great.

12 years cancer-free!

We rejoice!

 

Got a phone call ...

Protein in only kidney elevated.

Life-threatening scare.

We fear rejoicing too much.

 

I am on my face in prayer.

That is one precious child.

That is one precious kidney.

 

Retested.

Normal.

Whew.

And we are grateful for prayers lifted on her behalf.

 

Week goes by ...

 

Got a phone call ...

Crystals were present.

Indication of future kidney stones?

Not life-threatening

But wearisome.

Are things going to be okay?

Why all this?

 

Retested.

Got a phone call ...

Normal.

Whew.

And we praise God.

Felt like the world's longest tennis match.
Heads going back and forth.
Where is this going to land?

 

Told that baby girl

We are putting this behind us

Till next year.

 

And your prayers are coveted.

 

These times are a gift.
These times test our faith.

These times put us on our faces
Desperate for God
And we are desperate for Him.

And because God is our joy, we can always rejoice.
Regardless of circumstances at hand.
May we never be robbed of joy.
May we never be too fearful to rejoice.

 

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,

who have been called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

 

 

 

 

A Name

Because sometimes a name has to be remembered ~

It deserves remembering.

It is good.

My grandfather and grandmother are with Jesus.

Oh, how I miss them.

You know.

Few escape loss.

My grandfather was my grandmother's second husband

So none of the children have that same name.

That name rarely crosses my path ...

No more birthday or Christmas cards.
No more phone calls with that name on caller ID.

So he was not my "biological" grandfather,

But

He was mine.

I was his.

His username: Pa-Paw
His famous words: Boy Howdy!

I have found a precious relative of my grandfather's ...

She is my Facebook friend now.

Seeing that name on my screen

Is beauty

That precious last name is before me

And it is a remembrance of everything good.

I clasp my face in my hands

And I cry out to God,

"I  miss them."

The tears flow uncontrollably for a bit.

I haven't truly let myself "feel" the loss.

That name.

That precious person.

What about my name?

What will it remind people of?

Will it be beautiful?

Will it be mindful of joy?

"A good name is more desirable than great riches;

to be esteemed is better than silver or gold."

Proverbs 22:1

My Ma-Maw and Pa-Paw.

My Pa-Paw and his cows in his pasture. He took great joy in them.

My Pa-Paw by his garden and the watermelon he grew.



My Pa-Paw and me 1996. I am lassoed in his arms. And his whiskers were wonderful.

Sitting at my Pa-Paw's feet never tired. And oh, he could sing. And he could "name that tune"!

And he loved.

He loved double-time.

And he led. This is my husband, my Pa-Paw's shadow.

I praise God for His name ...

for the sweet name of Jesus

"that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:10-11

~Hallowed be your name

~Come together in my name

~Whatever you ask in my name

~On the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved

~There is no other name

~The name that is above every name

~Do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus

~And His name is the Word of God

What's in a name? Boy howdy! Glory!