Me, the Dog, and Jesus

The shelter dog experience requires a great deal of patience (at least two I know of, do). Sometimes I look at this beautiful dog with some of the most aggravating quirks I have seen, and I think how I am also a mongrel. I do not fit the average design, but God chose me, just as He did you, to be who exactly we are. He has a purpose for every sort of difficulty I present to Him. Usually, I think He wants me to learn on Him to depend, instead of any faith I might place in me.

I do not run straight to Jesus as often as I should. My dog does not run to me, she creeps, or sometimes she has that sad, sad face that will break me open because, despite her craziness, I love her. She hurts me, I have scars, I had to wear a brace, she runs off where I have to go into strange territory miles away searching for her, and she does not always answer when I call. I am like this with my sweet Jesus too. He died on the cross because of me, that is some incredible injury. How much a disappointment it must be to Him, when He is certain He made it perfectly clear what is expected, and I go my own way, then creep to touch His hand, hoping He will fight my battles. Thankfully, He does not scream at me, as I sometimes do with the dog. He remembers that I am living a broken, sinful life, in a shattered sin-filled world and over and again He has mercy on me. My mercifulness leaves much to be desired with the dog, but we are working on it, and it improves in spurts and starts.

I do not recommend the shelter dog experience, but should you wish an object lesson on who our Father is, try it. As Alex told me, “Get a big dog, it’ll be fun, Mom.”

I do not know how my analogy stands up, and really I just wrote this off the cuff. Jesus knows I try to explain who He is to me, so maybe you will find a life with Him. It is the only life worth living and has a single promise of eternity.

The Wookie is the big dog, the tiny tot is Mom’s dog (mine now), Tribble. We might explore another story another day.

Just So…

This day may not go my way, but that is okay. I know there is a reason God made it that way. Maybe He has a lesson of understanding for me to learn; that others’ experiences when related, I might not as insignificant spurn.

Our lives are not a vacuum, they are part of the immensity of Jesus’ relation with the race of mankind. He imparts lessons through us to His divinity show. We may bear the impositions of our days with better resolve if we realize they are part of God’s infinite picture of grace. All things He works together to point our lives to Himself.

I am still here. I hope all you are well and experiencing many blessings. I am delighted that the weather begins to cool.

I am grateful to have finally gotten my Explorer repaired. It is a joy to have acceleration again. I hope you are enjoying comfort and prosperity. May the good always outweigh the difficulties in your existence. Love be with each of you.

Thank you for reading. Come back if you wish.

Always,
Jo Ann

Musing on Repair

This may get further treatment, but for now, it is.

I hope you are enjoying your day. I have QUEEN playing and am creating, so it is an excellent day to be alive, even with being alive a challenge.

I have a medication change I am adjusting to with some angst, but, I have meds, which is better than the alternative.

Gratitude List

I am thankful:

1. There is air conditioning.
2. There is food in the house.
3. I know how to read.
4. Writing is an extraordinary grace.
5. I found a piece that facilitated making a much-desired repair.

As a prompt, explore what you might do allowed to correct your worse mistake.

Thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative. There is a follow button, or make the journey back at your leisure.

Site Blunders, Mistaken Communication

I was checking in on the tablet because I turned the computer off. Scrolling through themes, I found one more attractive to my sensitivities. So, sorry, but we are now revamped. This theme is Publication 2. It has my sidebars and widgets, which were sadly missing in SAGA. I am old school, having blogged since 2005. (See Chronicles should you be interested in that history. It has lots on it.) I like as much detail on pages as artificial intelligence can afford me. I am still not paying for the website, though I did keep my domain. (It will happen, just at the appropriate time.)

School has begun in a lot of places. Those of you with kids, (and our crowd of creatives), I recommend you institute a period of gratitude each day. I find this gives a perspective that sometimes slips into the busy oblivion of day following day. Just have a few minutes to write or simply verbally share some things that went well during your limit of hours.

I am thankful:

The Wookie (Marbles) did not injure me while we walked. This being an ongoing problem I am praying about, I would much appreciate an improvement.
My stomach seems to be recovering, I, unfortunately, forgot I cannot eat foods with heavy concentrations of MSG. Mongolian Chicken should be prohibited.
I found a much more appropriate and loveable theme.
I completed reading Ink and Bone by Lisa Unger. An excellent book with some paranormal emphasis and well-developed characters. Missing it. Somewhat adrift trying to find something new. Oh, it was 5 stars, highly recommend it.
Music; brings me through the days when I am straying and finding the way hard to navigate. (We Believe – Newsboys) (Time Waits For Noone – Freddie Mercury) (Anything by the most esteemed Dr. Brian May) (Gangsters Are Running the World – Roger Taylor) ( Hide Away – What can I say, Mick Jagger)

If you can, pull your youngsters (and yourselves) away from screens long enough to do a minimum of ten minutes of creative work, whether art, writing, photography or whatever the penchant. These things will enrich your days and add joy to your lives.

I know many of you are more successful social media mavens than I am. Should you feel inclined and you find my communications of efficacy, please share as you may. I thank you for visiting Haphazard Creative today. I hope you will explore and wander about a bit. There is a follow button, or you may simply return as appeals to you. I think my links are now available again without having to search as much.

As a prompt, if you have a blog or site, which you have not refreshed in some time. Consider what a change might do. I know it takes some investment of time and effort, but the payoffs are sometimes higher than we expect.

Had to share the Tribble, just for the cuteness factor. My buddy.

Love, it may come late, but when it shows up, the world rocks…

Hands touching across
A divide longstanding wide,
Could grow side by side.

I Might Write Songs, No…

You Know

I have seen the sun come up
On days, maybe, like tomorrow,
The moonlight bow to the sea,
But I will never live another love
Like ours was, no matter how old,
Separate, we both grow to be,
There is a pain, I have well hidden,
Such deep joy, which, I again will
Unlikely, have a chance to see,
I shall forever remember,
Letting it not slip into oblivion
But the magic lives in me.

Staying up all night might be a hazard. Retrospectively speaking, it might. Then again, what is a singer without a song, a poet without her poem?

A Beginning, Maybe, But Oh My

Please understand this is a hypothetical. Creative, original imaginary fiction, but well informed by years of interaction. I did it by hand in my journal, and it needs a continuance, possibly. I am not sure why my hand has gotten a bit spidery, but I am working to get it back better. I am a bit surprised at how the story developed. It is the fruit of one of my all-nighters, with Queen on the stereo, and taking off from a few sources.

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Bet you did not see that one coming. I hope you enjoyed it. I never really know whether anything I do is worthwhile, but I think I might have captured a bit of the tension that arises at times.

Under the MENU button, you will find the follow button. I thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you will visit again.

Bless you and yours. Try to remember the whole of our existence is about love. Be the love you want to see in the world.

Recalibration

I did not set out to write a poem, as I almost always start with a title. The poem found me and captivated my hand. I think there are times when all of us doubt ourselves and doubt the lives we live. I want you to know everything is in place for a reason, and you are strong enough to get through whatever comes.

I encountered some frustration in the evening that definitely caused undue stress. I decided to change my reading material up, then found the apps for what I wanted would not work on my devices. It became clear that I was going to need an alternative. Though I never used it as a tablet before, I have a tablet PC. I used Chrome to pull up the publication sites I wanted and read them that way, so I could walk while reading. As a tablet that Dell will give an arm a workout, but reading on it cheered me up. I had solved an issue and overcome.

It may sound minor, but sometimes the little things can change the direction of your hours. Even when you accomplish just a step in the right direction, give yourself credit. It can help move your mood into positivity, and there is enough negativity without us adding to our own.

There is wonder in you, there is beauty, glory, strength, possibility, courage, brilliance, talent, goodness, love, honor, joy, ability, gifts, you are you for a reason and a purpose, and you will contribute great things to the world. Small things matter. If one brick is left out of the foundation of a wall, the whole structure is unstable and unreliable, what you do is building something grand, and it is tremendously important.

I feel like I am running on, and I do not wish to bore you, so, as a prompt, create something that expresses affirmations that you can meditate on when you are discouraged.

I appreciate your visit to Haphazard Creative. I hope it has nurtured and inspired you. You may drop down the MENU button to follow, or come back as suits you. I am trying very hard to encourage myself to post here more often and employ my creativity.

Creativity is a quality that grows bolder when more often used. Try it yourself, and you will find it correct. Just do one small thing a day if that is all that you have time or energy for doing. It will help you feel better adjusted to reality and get you out of it for those moments.

I am grateful that I bought the tablet PC and it was available for my time of need. Sometimes we do things without quite knowing why, and things come clear in time. I am so blessed and I bet you are too.

God be with you. Blessings to you and all your kin. Smile, let joy be your aspect even should you not feel it. Smiling will increase the likelihood of you living it.