People are complaining about the weather a lot today, it is January 22, 2016. The weather forecasters are calling for a blizzard from the Midwest and up into the northern states. It is cold and stormy in the north, as far south as North Carolina.
And in Florida where I am visiting, it is a gray and rainy day, although warm. It’s always strange to me how lazy and sleepy I feel on a rainy day. Good to snuggle in with a good book or a great movie.
I don’t mind the rain or snow too much, although I purposely chose to not live in New England again when we returned to the states. I was done with snow, ice, treacherous roads, and bulky clothes and then of course, the air that froze the hair in one’s nostrils. th[9]
Once in a great while in eastern NC, we get a little snow (little is the operative word) but it is rare, and it doesn’t linger long since we don’t maintain temperatures in the low thirties and less. But if I have no busy errands planned on a stormy day, I appreciate the down time, and the opportunity to snuggle in with the characters in a book or movie. Then maybe I can grab a fifteen minute nap. Gray, stormy days are wonderful for a nap. I believe that naps on stormy days are another of God’s blessings.
There is so much in any day for us to be thankful for. So although it is rainy and gray, I am with friends, enjoying some laughs, thankful for their acceptance, and friendship. And I know I am blessed
I am so thankful I see so many blessings in my life. So, God, thank you for keeping me out of the snow and ice and putting me amongst good friends for this weekend.
betty pic 1 24 16 This photo was taken by my neighbor, Jan 24, 2016, and the site I was blessed to see when I got home from Florida.
These are a couple photos Patty Sanchioni posted of that impressive moon. She is gracious enough to share many of her photos with me for the blog. Please check out more of her work on facebook on her page at Patty Joslyn Sanchioni. Thanks Pat! These are awesome pictures of that impressive moon blessing!
patty sanchioni 1 25 16 This first is a great shot of time lapse!

patty sanchioni b 1 25 16 You can see more of Patty’s work through lifesblessingsbiz. You won’t be sorry looking through them!

Please feel free to share your comments and blessings on my webpage at www.mybellaviews.com

IMG_0106 Several years ago, we decided to get small dogs. We’d always had large dogs, but now I no longer wanted to deal with the larger breeds, and their medical issues, so I began researching the smaller breeds.
Deciding on Boston terriers was fairly easy for a couple of reasons. First, they were originally bred between a dog in Southboro, MA and another in Boston MA, which had moved there from England. My husband grew up in Southboro, we were both from MA, and how fitting to have these dogs first bred into this new breed in our own state, since we were Yankees, with no plans to ever live in the northeast again.
Theses dogs are a sweet breed, have relatively few health issues, and have cute, albeit smashed-in faces. I decided I wanted a male and female from the same litter, and luckily found a breeder who had a female who had just delivered six pups. The breeder allowed me to go and pick the gems I wanted.
What a blessing these critters have been! hey are so loving and accepting, have adorable faces, and have brought me a lot of laughs. The two are well known in my neighborhood as soccer players on the beach; they tend to be ruthless!
My female snores very loudly since her face is flatter than the male’s, and she is the reason my television needs to be turned louder and louder. They can both clear a room after dinner!
But they are so much company and comfort. Their love is steady, enduring, and enthusiastically unconditional. They have endless patience. Their greatest joy in life is for me to walk in the door. How wonderful is that kind of blessing! No judgment, they hold no grudges, they just have eagerness to see me whenever I come through the door; just love, devotion and the blessing of happiness at return. (I am sure next up on their happy meter is food, but still I know I take first place!)
Sounds a lot like Jesus, doesn’t it? Unconditional love, enthusiasm and happiness you are spending time with Him, and He has endurance to stick with us with all our faults, accepting us and guiding us to be better. Thank you, God, for these little blessings. Thank you for these little critters which have shown me unconditional acceptance.
Feel free to share your own blessings; I love to hear of them.
Here are a couple of pictures of the blessings living at Mybellaviews.

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Hi all. For the past few months I have not been adding to my website, as I was having it re-vamped, and it is now finally up and operational again. Yea!

I was traveling a great deal, helping friends move, cleaning out my own house and removing things that were no longer needed and could be better used by others, or junked. And of course, there were the holidays to enjoy and prepare for. So I pushed writing to the side.

In September I attended my first ever writer’s conference in Dallas, TX. It was crowded with attendees, full of wonderful educators and two great speakers. I was energized. I was terrified. I have good material. I have awful material. Yes, unequivocally, I was intimidated. I wondered if all my years of writing were for naught, if all my good reviews in all the classes I had taken were flukes. How was I going to forge ahead?

We were encouraged to form our platform. Hmm, was that like taking 2×4’s and plywood and nailing something together? I could do that—with help.

But no, it meant putting me out there. ‘Out there.’ Yikes, always I have maintained a presence in the background, rooted for my friends to step out, and been a great encourager. But now, I needed to step out, out there. And I did not have the wherewithal, the knowledge, the courage, to go ‘out there.’

So I came home, and attempted some edits, and liked some of the changes, but my gut was filled with trepidation. I entered an online critique group. Yikes, my material was not next to near as good as the material I read to critique. So I ducked out, stopped writing and continued in true Scarlett O’Hara manner to “think about it tomorrow.” One only gets better with practice. It’s time to practice.

So, I will again be writing regularly with the blogs, and hope you will check them out. Thankfully, I have wonderful family and friends who have prodded, encouraged, and if they have judged, have done it silently. I’ve only been blessed with their support.

So thank you all who have lovingly urged me to start again. Thank you for being part of the many blessings, my bellaviews, in life.

I lost my credit card case today.

I’d gone to a lovely lunch with friends, paid with cash so never missed it. Driving almost home, I decided to stop at the store. No credit card case. Had I taken it out of my purse? Maybe. When was the last time I used a card? Yes, Saturday. Sunday? No, no stores on Sunday. Yesterday? No, went to meet a friend and paid cash for dinner. Okay, so maybe it was home on my kitchen table. Please, please God.

So driving back toward the house, I kept reminding myself that in all my years, I’ve only lost two things that mean a lot to me that have not been retrieved. I know God delivered all those other items back to me. And I knew this credit card case and cards was going to come back. And I still have faith that I might recover the cross and the book that mean so much to me.

But that fear was trying to creep in like smoke under a door. It was awful. You know, probably, especially if you’ve lost the same, that terrible horrific feeling of panic and loss; and oh my goodness, I didn’t even write all the credit card numbers down. The panic kept trying to surge up and engulf. My mind firmly pushed Satan and his taunting away, and for those moments that his whisper was loud, I could feel the anxiety building. But I pushed it away, confident, I would find it at home, and reminding Satan, that I belonged to God and His Son, and I would have my cards. (Truly, I have come so far to be able to do that and to KNOW in my spirit that I would get them and it would be all right. I was at one time quite the doubter!)

The case was not on the table, not in a drawer, not on the stairs, not in the garage. Had I been careless putting it away after using it on Saturday? No. Clear memory of tucking it back into purse firmly. So hadn’t used it after Saturday afternoon.

I called the restaurant where we had had lunch. I remembered my purse had fallen on the floor, but all had appeared intact when I picked it up.   But I called. It was the dinner hour, (6:10 PM) and I knew they were busy. A lovely lady answered the phone, went and checked the office and reported no case had been found. I told her where we had sat, and that we hadn’t left the restaurant until 2:45, and described the case. She took my information. And basically, I forgot it.

Once in a while a brief thought of it fluttered through my brain, moving like a hummingbird, but that was it. I’d already told God that if I didn’t have it by the morning, I’d cancel my cards. A part of me wondered if I had carried it upstairs for some crazy purpose, but I had not climbed the stairs to verify yay or nay.

But at 8:32 PM, less than twenty minutes ago now, Stacy from the restaurant called to say they had found my case. We made arrangements for me to return to pick it up in the morning since it’s an hour away. I told her she was a blessing.

Isn’t God great?

That was my favorite Mybellaview blessing today. Can you beat that one?

 

 

 

I think everyone questions their purpose here on earth at least at different times.  Some may find a job they are very good at, enjoy, and get satisfaction from, at least most of the time.  I had that blessing–loved my job, was very good at it, loved being a preceptor to new employees, and teaching them about the “whole” being.   But, as in all things, times change, and it became less pleasurable, and more impersonal, and for me, much less satisfying.   I have enjoyed bunches of people, times, events in my life, but sometimes, there was a nagging feeling that I was missing something.  But what?  All my blocks were checked.  My immediate goals were being worked if not accomplished.   Why was I not settled, not at peace, feeling as though something were missing.   It almost felt like I had missed a homework assignment so therefore was not fully prepared.  

What was wrong with me?  No one else seemed to feel unsettled that I could see.  Was I doing something wrong?  Had I missed something?   Had I dropped the ball somewhere?  Had I messed up as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister?   Something was annoyingly OFF. and I couldn’t place, so therefore couldn’t fix it.   Although I asked god for direction, there was no quiet guidance of voice, but opportunities came to help–seeing a couple of folks who needed visits, some nursing, some just for company, doing errands for some, helping with kitchen work at times.  I didn’t like being in charge, but I like and am good at following directions, and that gives satisfaction.  But, huh, still not a full purpose, right?  It must have been what He wanted and somewhere in there what He was teaching, as I settled; at least not feeling so like a jigsaw missing the last three pieces–all from different sections of the puzzle.

I believe God created each with a desire for something fulfilling.  That may not mean something positive; perhaps those who hack in and steal things, a cat burglar or a computer hacker, they feel  challenged when they can break a code, and either steal data or objects.  There is a thrill to the challenge and a feeling of success when they are successful.  Most, I hope and think, even though most news stations will have us all fearful and waiting for more bad news daily, try to do right and kind things to others.  That too is a sense of success and a positive challenge has been met.  But that is still probably not the core of what our purpose is.  

So many in my different circles have no relationship with God.  Some know He exists, but state they don’t fear or honor Him as they believe they have been their own success, made their own decisions and accomplishments.   Others are thankful for the things in nature they enjoy and relax in, appreciating the scenes, the animals, and may utter a thankful few thoughts, but there is no daily connection.  So many say they are too busy to add another thing to their day–my day tends to spin out of control if I don’t have my devotional and bible time.   

 

 

We still may question our purpose for being here, but I think we question less. We seek answers from God through the Holy Spirit, “ hearing “ from God through His word, and sometimes through the still, but strong urgings we feel.  It’s sometimes a strong recognition that whatever we have read, or sensed in our spirit is the correct thing. Exactly what He wants us to be doing.  We are able to “test” and seek if what we believe is actually from Him, when we are doubtful.  But that is not to be abused. We don’t continually test or see if He will change his mind. Yet the more we know His direction for us, the less we feel a need to test.  Able to discern His way for us, we no longer feel a need to test and make sure, get verification.   The more often we do this, the more we recognize His voice versus that of the evil one…who also tries to whisper and direct our paths.

Do you know your purpose?  What are your strengths?

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