Vintage Photos, Laces, Hearts, and Dried Roses

Nostalgia, Blessings, Remembering, Growing.

It always seems that when I work with my laces, I'm thinking of people who lived long ago.

When I touch the beautiful designs made by hands long ago, it connects me in the NOW, with people from the PAST.  And it makes me think.  What will people in the FUTURE think or know about me?

Am I leaving something behind for those who will come after me that will be of value?

I know I am.  Because I'm a living, breathing, human being of value to God, and so are YOU.

We have a purpose here.  We have a place, and we have HIM.

My value?  Only God knows the real value, but I can name a few that I see.

To my husband, my children, my church family, and my friends.

You see, things would be a lot different if I wasn't here.

And that's what I guess I'm getting at.

I almost wasn't.

These vintage photos are just so sweet.  Beautiful children who lived long ago.

Their pictures left behind for others to value.

But the people themselves, they had value, and they probably grew up to have their own children, and then THEY had children who may be those of you who are reading this today.

Being you today is a gift from God.  Life is a gift.  And it's God's to give or take.

The old things I collect and love to play with are truly just things.  They have little value.

And as I grow older, I seem to be able to pass more of the items I've cherished on to others.  Realizing that it's the OTHERS who have value!

I'm so thankful for photos.  They are the visual history of our world.  Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words!  And the photos I cherish of my loved ones from the past as well as my children from today make my life happier.  Those have value.  Because THEY had/have value.

And some day when photos are all that is left of me, I hope that the people seeing them will realize that life is precious.  That life if of value.  That THEY have value!

Mankind is always trying to do or make something that will keep their NAME remembered.

I don't care if my name is remembered.  I want them not to remember my name, but my JESUS!!

And the VALUE He puts in THEM!

I almost wasn't born, I was not wanted. And in a day and age where life is now an item that has little or no value, it makes me incredibly thankful to the ONE who gives life.  And to the one who decided to go against her parent's wishes and give me a life. 

Each of you who are reading this have been given a miracle.  LIFE.

Live it for a purpose.  Live it because you are special.  Live it because YOU HAVE VALUE!!

And thank the ONE who gave it to you.

Blessings,

Doni

Sewing Notion Collection Goodies

As the end of summer and the beginning of fall approaches, I am so excited!  COOLER WEATHER!

It makes me actually want to move around again.  The coolness permeates the house through the open windows in the mornings.  It is invigorating, and I think, 'What will I do today?'

Now don't get me wrong.  I'm not so full of spunk that I am going to clean all the rooms in the house today, or get that huge project finished, or anything funny as that.  But I do see some progress in my work, which to me, is quite exciting!

Sewing is one of my favorite pastimes. Collecting sewing notions is something that I just cannot stop doing!  I decided to pull together some pretties and show them off this week.

Below, packages of Silhouette trim were a recent find that are going in the 'keep' collection!

I hope you are all having a lovely week!  And that cool breezes and refreshing days are part of your future!  Take care and thank you so much for visiting me!

Blessings,

Doni

Praying for Oklahoma This Week

My heart is broken for the people of Moore, Oklahoma this week after the devastating tornado.

Please keep them in your prayers as the survivors try to get their lives back together, and pray especially for those who lost loved ones.

We are so blessed, and take life for granted.



With heartfelt sorrow, Doni

Pearls and Lace Thursday #14

Looking for Happiness, Love, Wisdom, Peace?

We send cards back and forth to each other, we read books, we call friends and family,

or just text them...

But real Peace and Joy come from one source only...

God's Word is the key to Peace and Joy...the source of knowledge of Him.

We have so many self-help books available to us. They come and they go. But the eternal source of help for self STILL remains the Bible. We all have one, and yet we tend to look to those other books rather than God's Word to find help in times of need.

Pull out your Bible ladies, and let's get back to the Source of all Wisdom.

I share these things with you because I have come to care for you all.

We spend so much time 'blogging' and clicking away at our computers...I know I do,

and yet I don't have a close relationship with any of you.

I have though gotten to know many of you from your own blogs.

You share your triumphs and your losses, your joys and your pains.

You share your families and your homes, therefore you let me and others know who you are.

You are opening your lives to others this way, and we all share in that.

I usually sign my posts with "Blessings", and I want you all to have God's best blessings in your lives. Please know that. It's not just a catchy way to sign off a post.

It's a prayer for each of you.

I know we all love beautiful things, and God has given us a love for things beautiful because HE is beautiful. Do you see Him in the beauty around you?

I do. And I want to share it with you.

So, pick up your Bibles, read a chapter, and look at Who He is.

Feel free to join me today for Pearls and Lace Thursday by clicking on the Link below and adding your post's url. I'd truly love to see your Bibles in your post!!!

And now Blessings to each of you....

Doni

God's Jewelry Box

Join me as I look through a jewelry box.

The Jewelry Box of God.

Layered on a black background of eternal magnitude, the jewels are set off to perfection.

Perhaps this is a brooch, with sweeping arms of lacy silver with delicate pinks set among the feathery workings, a diamond in the center.

Matching Diamonds, so brilliant that they burst with colors more awesome than any
Hope diamond on earth.

Single jewels of fiery opals, reflecting colors of beauty that outshines the small rocks on earth that are treasured and hoarded.

Orbs of rainbows that are vast and magnificent.

Emerald and sapphire, Amber and gold.

Delicate whisps of cloudlike lace, so delicate a breath might blow it away:

But no human breath can reach it.

The Hand of God, His Creation, His handiwork.

And WE get to actually see what's in the Box...the Box of Heaven itself.

God's Jewelry Box. Do you think He finds these beautiful?

He knew we would, therefore He allowed us to be able to see them, in THIS time of humanity.

WE are blessed to be able to view these pictures because of a man-made item,

a telescope that is floating in space, controlled by men sitting on earth.

Isn't it awesome that He gave us the ability to put pieces of metal, glass, plastic, etc. together so that we can see inside God's Jewelry Box.

And do you have a better view now of God? His vastness? His eternalness?

His Power??? His love for us?

His Gift to us!!

Because Jesus is the Gift...not the pictures of the heavens, but a real, living Person, who came to THIS earth, to save HIS people.

Now THAT was the Gift!!

We may look at the pictures and see the Hand of God, but we can look in our very own Bible and KNOW God HIMSELF!

images from http://heritage.stsci.edu/gallery/gallery.html

Check out "The Gift" here:
http://faithgracecrafts.blogspot.com/p/dear-friend.html#links


Blessings,

Doni

The Gift

It's really pretty. It was fun to look in all my boxes and find that if I put it all

together, it would look so nice. But there's more to it than that.
Click here to read why I did it.

Blessings,

Doni