Well howdy Readers! It's me, Miss Dottie, here in North Central Texas. It's a cold damp day (thanks Lord for the rain last night) ~ a perfect day to relax and enjoy the Sensational Six. I've got the fireplace going, washer going, dryer going, and, when I finish chatting with you, I will have my mop going. To be honest, I am enjoying my Winter break from daily gardening duties. It's given me a chance to catch up on my reading and household projects.
Did you know that today is Squirrel Appreciation Day? I was watching them scamper around in the back yard this morning. My goodness they are fat little rascals. They managed to strip the pecan trees this year and have buried pecans in nearly every pot and hanging basket outside. Wouldn't be so bad except they are not neat about their digging ... dirt everywhere! They are cute but not so nice to the birds who want to nest in "their" trees.
This past week, I decided to d-e-e-p clean and managed to tackle the cottage, casa, and shed. I wallpapered kitchen shelves and decluttered each room including drawers, closets, under beds, etc. I did more giving away and have started some tubs marked, "For Victims Needing Essentials." I need to remember the vow I made to myself in 2002: travel light, my dear, travel light. This is my temporary home. The things of this world I hold near and dear will be left to be sold or maybe they'll find their way into one of my children's or friend's homes. The only thing I will take with me to my eternal home in Heaven is me. I wonder if I'll be assigned new clothes or if I will live in a mansion or a small cottage. (Laugh) It doesn't matter to me ~ I'll be on the lookout for people I have only read about in my family, my parents, and friends who have contributed to my journey through life. I cannot even fathom what it will be like. Just the thought of looking into my Savior's eyes blows me away!
I came into this world on a cold, wintry morning. I've walked many a mile and have led an amazing life. Yes, there have been trials (some almost more than I could bear) yet each mile has taken me closer to my forever home. The other day I was thinking about my baptism and how important that day was to me. It was the day that all anger and resentment miraculously disappeared from my entire being. Maybe that was the Holy Spirit's gift to me!! I could begin blogging about my life without having flashbacks and sitting in a corner, cowered, crying. It was like talking about another me. When Pastor George pulled me up out of the water and said "made to walk in the newness of life," I did just that. I was a new creation and those attending my baptism said I had a radiant glow about me. I felt this sense of peace. What a day ... I knew for sure I had secured my place in my eternal home.
I've moved so many times since I left home at seventeen. Adventure is my middle name and, I must say, I've enjoyed each city (Glenwood, Moorhead, Yuma, Minneapolis, Houston, Plano, San Antonio, Dallas, Plano, Lakeville, back to Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Hillsboro) that I've called home. I was hoping that my move to McKinney, TX would be my last stop but ... one night, I heard this little voice inside me saying I needed to move to Hillsboro, TX. What???? Nooo.... This girl liked the city and being close to family and friends. I didn't want to go but that little voice kept nudging me.
Preparations began in 2010 for the move southward to the house Michael grew up in. The renovations (we gutted the inside) took nearly two years. In early March of 2012, we packed up our belongings and began our journey. For awhile, getting things in order and having garage sales to get rid of excess furniture and stuff filled my time. The lil casa was cute and comfortable. New work had begun in March 2012 on turning the garage into a cottage just for moi! I tried churches in the area and none clicked. I had a deep sadness that began to fill me ~ I questioned God, I was lonely ~ I missed my family and friends terribly. It seemed I was nowhere close to finding a church home.
Funny how it seems like I have to come to the end of myself before the Lord reveals his plan for my life. In May 2014, Susan and John invited us to attend the Open Range Cowboy Church in Whitney, TX. I felt this urgency to go. I did. The second Sunday, I joined. God knew where I was meant to be and all of a sudden, I did too. Was the journey and wait worth it? YES!! I am loving this temporary home where I go to worship ... my little cottage where I write ... the gardens that are a work in progress. Maybe I had to experience riding the crest of the wave and living the life that few others have gotten to live just so I could find out what was really important. Will the Lord give me the desire of my heart to live out my life here? I guess, I'll wait and see. For now, I am blooming where I am planted! Miss Dottie
Heavenly Father, I thank you for the gift of life ... for giving me a purpose in helping others in your name and for taking away the resentment and anger I held tightly. I pray for others who are going through rough patches in their lives ... financial difficulties, health challenges, relationship woes, addictions, self-depreciation, and that horrible hole in the heart that can come from trying to "buy" ourselves into feeling better. Only YOU can fill those gaps in our lives; and, Holy Spirit, I ask that you woo the broken, the warped, and the hurting. For those Readers outside of America especially Russia and France, I pray for your safety and freedom. For those Readers in the United States, I pray for an awakening to truth and the importance of selecting a Christian to lead our country. Most of all, I want to pray that all Christians would become a part of a Bible-based church family where they are loved, cherished, encouraged, and taught to grow in God's purpose for their lives. Amen, it is so...
Always remember you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!
