Christmas is such a cozy time for me.   I'm enjoying having a little extra time to talk to friends and family, getting out in the crazy Christmas shopping rush, and watching some of our favorite Christmas shows while we bake cookies.  I've had some wonderful conversations with my boys the last few days, about Christmas and why we celebrate.  We've observed people around us "stressing out" over festivities, party preparations, and gift giving.  Our desire is to make sure we don't join in on that part of the season, but that we relax and appreciate what we have.  This year, my heart is filled with gratitude toward a Savior who gives my life substance beyond measure.   That is what I wish for everyone this Christmas.

 2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Celebrate!
Because He came.
Because He lived, died, and rose again. 
Because He forgives completely.
Because He loves us intensely.
Because He longs for us to love Him. 
Because He promises never to leave us.
Because He gives us this incredible life.
©2014Janet Carol Davis

Click on the link below for a couple Christmas songs and a Merry Christmas wish from me!

http://www.tangibleinspirations.com/archives.html

Surprises

Psalm 37:3,4
Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

The last few months of my life, I've experienced some wonderful surprises.  I've entered the public speaking arena again and as nervous as I was to get started, the big surprise is that I absolutely love it!  There have been lots of smaller "surprises" too, like being able to start an Etsy shop, and having the privilege of being able to make bracelets to raise funds for a family who needs help with medical expenses.  Perhaps the biggest surprise for me is that I was never- I mean never- going back to school.  But as of January 5th, 2015, I will be a full time student!  God is amazing, and I am learning He can be full of surprises!

All these surprises started as ideas that stemmed from desires within my heart.  Looking back, it seems it is God that gave me those desires, and helped me pursue them.  I wonder how many surprises I've missed out on because fear kept me from following through with a desire or dream.  The tendency for humans, I believe, is to play it safe. We tell ourselves "It just doesn't seem feasible".  But God doesn't intend for us to stay in our safe little circles.  He desires for us to live abundantly, and I am learning that means trying new things and taking risks.

The faint desire you have to attempt something new, to look into a different career, or try your hand at some unfamiliar art form may actually be a calling from your Heavenly Father to be the person He created you to be.  He desires for us to have a life that is overflowing with joy, peace, and satisfaction. Consider then, the desire may be from God.  Let that desire fuel your willingness to work on your dreams.  Pray about it, commit it to God, and let Him help you find your way.  You may be surprised at what He has in store for you.


©2014 Janet Davis

Gone Fishin’

When my friend recently suggested we go fishing, I jumped at the opportunity.  With our first experience, we didn’t catch many, but it felt good to cast my line.  Being near the water and hearing it lap up on the rocks was refreshing.  The next few attempts were more successful:  crappie, catfish, bluegill, perch, and a bass here and there!  To add to the satisfaction of the sport, I decided to learn how to fillet pan fish.  As a result we have enjoyed several tasty meals of crappie and blue gill!

What my friend and I didn’t realize, however, was I would become slightly obsessed with the pastime.   It’s true- I’m “hooked” on fishing.  (Pun intended!) My car automatically turns in at a reservoir or lake, just to see if there are any good fishing spots.  My pole, and most probably some wax worms, are always in my back seat, along with my tackle box. When I cross a bridge I think about all the crappie and bluegill hanging out in the sheltered water below.  Even the search history on my computer will reveal video after video about reels, cleaning fish, best bait to use, etc.

So I asked myself today, while fishing and catching some nice fat bluegill, “Why do I like this so much?”

The answer was multifaceted.  Fishing takes me back to a safe, happy time in my life: Memories of summertime weekends spent with my cousins at my grandparent's lake cottage, waking in the morning there to sounds of the water outside my window and the smell of Grandma’s cooking all come to mind in a swirl of joy that stirs me in a way I can’t sufficiently describe.  I only know it is wonderful.

Somehow recalling the security of my childhood gives me a sense of being anchored, so when I fish, I am often overwhelmed with gratitude. 

An abundance of blue gill at Griggs Reservoir!

The quietness of fishing gives me a chance to express that gratitude to God.  We have a lot of talks, God and I, while I’m fishing.  The beauty of the water, the company of the ducks passing by, and the sound-the beautiful sweet sound of water against the shore all whisper God’s presence to me. 

Fishing gives me a reprieve from the many unknowns in my present life.  “Not knowing” is not scary for me, mind you.  He has shown me time and time again in my life that I can trust Him.  However, getting away from my work, really away, beside a quiet stream or along side a lake allows me to maintain that assurance by taking time to breath deeply and focus on Him. 
I'm grateful my friend re-introduced me to fishing.  It's a vacation I can take any day I want, even if just for a few hours.  No fancy hotel, no big screen TV, no room service- just me, my God, a quiet spot by the water, and my fishin' pole.  Perfection!                                   ©2014jcd

 Psalm 23: 2-3a  
"He makes me to lie down in green pastures;  He leads me beside the still waters.  He restores my soul.

 

One of the many beautiful views at Griggs Reservoir

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Home Made Herbicide

It was bound to happen, since I haven’t used commercial weed killers in my back yard for several years.  I’ve never minded clover and the occasional dandelion, but during the past two weeks, my back yard has been taken over with a plethora of uninvited plants: thistles, quack grass, spurge, chickweed, etc.  It seems the weeds have spread the word that my back yard is the place to come and thrive, safe and non-threatened.

One of the offending thistles.

Honestly, if I were in the country, I wouldn’t mind most of these more aggressive plants. With the appearance of thistles by the pool steps, however, (ouch!) and the re-emergence of a most unwelcome poison ivy vine next to my kitchen window, I decided to search for a remedy that would end the silent takeover that has been slowly spreading throughout the summer.

A friend of mine gave me a safe and simple weed-killing
 recipe to try on my worst offenders.

Two days ago I mixed the inexpensive ingredients together and walked around my entire back yard, spraying the solution on thistles, crab grass, dandelions, and the poison ivy vine.  It was nice to know that what I was applying wasn’t toxic to wildlife, though I noted that my back yard smelled like a salad for about a day.

One day later, every plant I sprayed was showing signs of dying. 

2 days after with the homemade herbicide

  
Two days after application, (today)
 they look even worse and the thistles,
which I have been fighting all summer, look
completely dead.  Even the poison ivy is shriveled up!
 I am curious to see if re-growth occurs but so far I am really
 happy with the results, so thought I would share the recipe  
 with my readers!
 Here it is!

 Home made, safe weed killer.

1 gallon vinegar

2 cups salt (I used Epsom’s)

¼ cup liquid soap  (I used dishwashing liquid)

Mix it all together, put it in a sprayer, and apply to any unwanted plants-over leaves and down at the root.

Spray directly on the soil where you want no growth.  For me this was the area around my pool, and the sitting area in my back garden.

Hope it works as well for you as it did for me!

Catharine

Today after breakfast, an impromptu road trip with a friend of mine led me to a peaceful old cemetery by the road.  It was beautiful there.  We walked through the rows of old tombstones, some of which were so weather worn they were no longer legible.  Many of the ones we could read dated back to the early 1800's.

There was, at the front of the cemetery,
a row of cedar trees.
A twig laden with the beautiful
evergreen leaves hung down low,
and I pinched it to breath in
the heavy cedar scent.
It was lovely.

Catharine's tombstone behind the cedar tree

Hiding behind one of the massive cedar trees was a tombstone that held some significance for me.
A passerby might not even see it because the tree trunk hid it almost completely, but I knew it was somewhere there, among the cedars.
Then I found it.
It was the tombstone of my great, great, great, great grandmother,  Catharine Richardson.  Apparently the large cedar, which grew in front of her grave, had protected her stone from the weathering others nearby had suffered.  The inscription was still easy to read, and there were even traces of a pretty fern like engraving that wrapped around the words.





Something about seeing the gravesite in person stirred my heart and caused my voice to quiver unexpectedly when I called out to my friend to say, "Here it is!"
The marker stood alone, and told only of her name, her husband, the date of her death, and that she was 47 years of age when she died.  My mind swirled with questions:  What was life like for her?  What hardships did she endure? What were her fears?  Did she ever laugh?  Did her eyes twinkle?  Had a family resemblance been passed down through the generations?   What horrible thing had taken her at only 47 years old?
Sitting by her grave, I sorted through a rush of thoughts.  
My life, my wonderful childhood, my present day family,
all the joys brought to me by my own children, would not have happened if not for Catharine!

Close-up of the fern-like engraving on the tombstone.

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I wished I could thank her and tell her how much I appreciated her part in my family history.  Instead, more than 170 years after her death, overwhelming gratitude compelled me to keep company for a while with her silent tribute there-behind the cedar tree.
It was the least I could do.

©2014janet carol davis

Some Days....

 Most days I wake up with so much on my mind I hit the floor running and don’t stop till my head hits the pillow that night.   I love this crazy busy life full of new adventures, running a business, creating new artwork every day, and meeting incredible people.  Squeeze in the laundry, sweeping, bill writing, and all the mundane house chores-throw in an    urgent visit to the vet when the dog swallows something she shouldn’t, and an impromptu phone call from a good friend and my day is filled from top to bottom.  I’m not complaining.  In fact I wouldn’t have it any other way!  At the end of these busy days I usually feel productive and I like that.

Every once in a while, however, I feel misdirected.  It’s like I’m lost.  I can see the responsibilities I need to conquer right in front of me yet I sense an inability to move forward.  Those days I long to sense God’s presence, and I know it’s because I’ve been so busy with all the “stuff” I have to do, that I’ve neglected to stop and listen to my Heavenly Father’s kind voice of direction and reassurance.

Only when I make time to remember who He is, and who I am in Him, does my life come back into focus. When I go to Him, He reminds me how much He loves me.  His word gives me guidance and strength, and I can face the day refreshed.  He welcomes me into His presence and encourages me in all my endeavors.  He draws me close to Him and reassures me that I am His and He wants what is best for me.  Time with my wonderful Lord and Savior: loving Him, worshiping Him, listening. That’s what I desire and need daily.  That’s what He desires of me.             ©2014Janet Carol Davis 

Psalm 23:1-3

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.


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Comfort From Isaiah

   Today my mind is preoccupied with thoughts of a friend who is grieving the loss of her husband who died just a few days ago.  While her heart is grieving and broken, while her family and friends gather around her over these next several days, her world has temporarily come to a stand still.  Over the last year I've known several who have lost someone dear to them, and a childhood friend of my own died suddenly.  Though as a Christian I certainly take comfort in believing that I will see these people again, no matter what we believe, having to say goodbye to someone we love while we are left here to continue on is never easy.  For me, comfort comes not only in believing that those who love Jesus will live on in His presence after their physical departure from this earth, but also in knowing that I am not alone here.  God promises He will be with us always.  He is with us in our heartache.  In our darkest hours, when grief is fresh-when the newness of a loss is still warm- He is there to hold us and give us hope and strength to move on in this life.  In hopes of bringing the smallest bit of comfort to those of you who are aching, I'm sharing the link below which leads to a song with words from Isaiah that give me great peace when my heart is hurting.                              


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