Catalina State Park, Tucson, Arizona
If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. ~ Proverbs 21:13
My devotional today talked about being grateful for “life’s simple pleasures”. Personally, I believe I’ve always (well, usually anyway) done that (Thanks, Mom!) and tried to teach that to our son’s. I’m not sure I was as successful as my mother was, but I tried. I also try to pass that along in my blog posts, although I don’t talk about each and every one every day.
So what do you consider simple pleasures? What small things bring a smile to your face (even a faint one) and joy to your heart? Hopefully your list is long! You might consider making a list sometime and then thanking God for them. After all, He’s the Author and Creator of those simple pleasures – and the fact that we can smile and can feel joy. 😊
Here’s a few of my things off the top of my head:
The feel of my husband’s hand in mine
My mother’s comforting words
My grandson, Alex’s laugh
My grandchildren’s hugs
Young children giggling
Flowers in bloom
Crunching autumn leaves
Having time to read
The smell of fresh-baked bread
Studying God’s Word with others
Being near my sons (whether in person or just in communication)
Cooking
I could go on and on, but that’s more than enough. 😊
The news this morning was mostly about the Coronavirus and how it’s disrupting life as we know it – suspending NBA games, people being encouraged to work from home (Blaine and I suspect the majority of people can’t do that), colleges closed (including Kent State University, which is near our hometown), kids’ schools closed, restaurants scanning people for fevers before they’re allowed inside. . . .
And we’re beginning to wonder about the possibility of National and State Park closures or campground quarantines. This is the bulk of our trip until September, and also most of the places where we have reservations to stay are within those Parks. So we’ve begun to consider ways we can prepare for that. Just in case. Things like making sure we’re full of fuel, filling our cupboards with non-perishable food, making sure our toiletries, etc. are stocked. Just things like that. Little stuff. Let’s pray that doesn’t happen, because if it does, I’m not sure how Blaine and I would do sitting around for two weeks. But at least we’d have a bit more wiggle room than a cruise ship stateroom. 😊
All this thinking is probably the result of sitting around inside on what turned out to be a dark and dismal day today. Our majestic mountain views were almost non-existent – at least for the morning.
And then, this afternoon, we decided to head back to WalMart to stock up. I’m not talking overflowing cart, I’m just talking a few things like tuna, Ragu and noodles, oj, eggs, TP, stuff like that.
Wow! What a difference a day makes!
WalMart was packed with people, and stuff was flying off the shelves! And many shelf areas were bare. And there was no toilet paper of any kind to be had! There was even a sign up that ‘due to the overwhelming demand, you could only purchase two.’ Now, does that mean two rolls? Two 18-count packs? Whatever it was, there was also a sign up at the register. But it doesn’t really matter if there’s none to be had, is there? We were able to purchase everything except that. And we’re not left without, so there’ll be no sending Blaine into the brush to gather leaves. Which is good, because there doesn’t seem to be any leaves around here anyway. 😊
Crazy days we’re living in!
Doesn’t that look like a volcano?
Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. ~ II Thessalonians 3:16