Ephesians 4:22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitfulness desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Isaiah 43:18,19 Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up: do you not perceive it?

Psalm 139:21,22 Search me, o God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

2 Corinthians 10:4,5,  Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:9,10

I reached out and said yes to the invitation without knowing what I expected or really wanted. I just remember I felt drawn and responded by reaching out and accepting. And for the next several days it did not feel as though I walked on the ground; I walked about 18” above it.

I had no idea of what or how my life would change, but it began to change in subtle ways—finding coarse language a little offensive, being offended by cheap dress or actions, but still I was not growing and seeking the way I should. Over time, I learned I needed to spend time with God on a personal basis, and I had to learn via church, bible studies, and good bible teachers. The more I read and could see the areas I was not living in the manner I should, the more I wanted to change.

It was rarely a quick change. I might realize I needed to be more patient with my children, then for sure, they would be beasts for a few moments and my temper would soar. There were even a couple of times, I started to loudly scold, then froze as the Holy Spirit suddenly showed me I was acting out–and not in the manner I wanted. I stopped, told them to quiet their voices, I loved them then walked away. It usually took a few moments for the anger to ebb away, but it did. And each time it happened, I learned and gained more control until I could keep the anger at bay except for the serious issues—not the squabbling the kids might be doing.

It’s been a growth, a wonderful progression of who I want to be, who I hope I show to others. I am NOT perfect, but I look back and can see the steps of love, and the falls and confessions and the wonderful blessing of forgiveness. I try to walk the best I can so He will be pleased with me. God’s love is the best of “mybellaviews.”

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation.  Psalm 68:

A friend brought me a perfect white cream rose the other day as a thank you and a sign of friendship, and because she is one of those kind, thoughtful people I am blessed to have in my life. The thank you was a simple, simple thing—just gather the mail one day while she was away; nothing major, we live only a few yards (as in distance) apart.

pure rose

But when she came to collect her mail, she gave me the gift of friendship and this lovely rose. That was four days ago and the rose still sits in its small vase she brought it in, and it makes me smile.  And it makes me thankful. Thankful for the wonderful creation in just this simple rose, never mind all the other bounty He created. I am thankful for the many friends in my life, but it always touches my heart so much when my friends do the sweetest things such as present a gift, or present (haha, a homophobic word!) as a thanks, as a thinking of you. This gesture and flower touched my heart, and I hope it touches yours.   

It is so lovely, pure, and simple in the intricacy of each petal. No one but God could create such a lovely, natural flower.

God created all—all my friends, all the bounties of nature, the blue sky, lovely trees, singing birds, and so many other things which touch me in deep, moving and personal ways. So thank You, God for all those things that touch me–my wonderful friends, and the simple, yet, complex beauty of my life and “mybellaviews.

Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight

Galatians 3: 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith

What is faith? It is more than hope, although hope is imbedded in it. It is the deep belief of what is to come, a conviction that something is going to occur. It is the trust, certainty, the absolute knowledge of the spoken promise. It is the willingness to wait—patiently, knowing in God’s time, the promise will be delivered. That’s faith.

I so admire Abraham. He was waiting and believing, all the while being bullied by his wife to act in the flesh, instead of waiting in the spirit. And oh, what problems that caused. Silly Sarah, encouraging him to be with another woman. But Abraham had been willing to wait because God had told him he would make him the “Father of

Then when God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac his son of Sarah, after also having told him he would be the father of many, Abraham prepared to kill him. But even as he trekked up the side of the mountain to obey, he believed God would send an alternate sacrifice. He had faith in God.

God tested Abrahams’ faith, found him sincere, and loved him for it. Faith is believing He will deliver all He has promised; even when we wait a long time.

But faith is huge. It can carry you through times of difficulty, fear, anxiety, hurt, loss, illness, addiction, and so many difficulties we face. For those who believe, we cling to God’s promises, and although we may not understand, and we may grieve at times, we know that His will and promise will see us through.

Faith is incredible. And I want more…and more.

Thank you for the faith. Help me have more in all of “mybellaviews.”

You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. James 2:24

Whew! I have been pleasantly busy the past several days washing windows, having a new door installed, cleaning ceiling fans, windows, moving furniture, painting baseboards and trim within the house, and cleaning “kitties.” And yes, although I own two cats those were not the kitties I cleaned. One thinks they do a good job housecleaning, UNTIL Spring cleaning. I rarely get to the Fall cleaning, tending to bask in the warm sun, knowing it will soon leech into winter.

But every task on my long list has been completed! How exciting! What a feeling of satisfaction when you do as you need to and accomplish your goals. I truly thought I would skip some or pull a ‘Scarlett O’Hara’ and “worry about it tomorrow.” There was a lot of work on that list. And now, because I followed through and completed the list with good cheer and faith, doing each task to the best of my ability, they are done.

Once the windows were completed, it rained the next day, and of course the pollen is spewing yellow trails down them. I love to keep windows open once it is warm enough and before the weather heats to its Eastern NC hot, so, I wipe my “clean” counters down each day picking up the pollen deposits. Lucky for me I am not bothered by troublesome allergies. But I wonder when I wipe counters and window sills if God is smiling at me and my impatient ‘let’s get this house sparkling!’ But it feels clean, and looks pretty with spring flowers scattered in the gardens and the pots that align my outside stairs.

So, I am feeling thankful for the spring, the finished heavy cleaning, and the blessing of my home, “mybellaviews.”

A time to die, a time to heal, a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. . .   Ecclesiastes 3:3,4

I found shag dancing, dance of the Carolinas several months after my husband’s death. I needed to get out, socialize and thought I would try dancing. Although I enjoyed some of the ballroom lessons, it was not quite it. Then I found a class for shag, so let’s give it a try.

It was like another home. I enjoyed the music, learning a new step was challenging and great exercise, and I was meeting lots of nice people. There are some wonderful gospel shag tunes such as ‘Give Me that Ole Time Religion,’ ‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands,’ ‘Going Home to Jesus,’ and ‘Rough Side of the Mountain,’ and so many others.

What a blessing it was to have an activity I looked forward to with folks I enjoyed. After a difficult time, I was meeting new friends, who came from all over the Carolinas, Virginia, and as far north as Pennsylvania and New York, and south to Florida, Alabama and so forth.

Dancing is fun, while it can be an artistic expression, a means of expressing feelings but also sharing with others who like one of your interests. I have meant so many wonderful friends I see repeatedly at different shag events, even if I don’t get to see them at any other times than a dance event.  So for me, I found more friendships, am able to see some fantastic dancers, such as Charlie Womble and his wife Jackie McGee, (you might want to see one of their Youtube videos!), and get to exercise, and have a lot of fun.

For everything, there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven…. Eccl 3:1.

Since one of the year’s biggest events for dancing is coming up in NMB, I plan to be there for a few days. I will be with these supportive folks who so enjoy the expression of music, dance and the camaraderie; this is a blessing to me, a favorite “mybellaview.”

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