Happy Birthday!

 

July 4, 2025.

Today is America’s birthday. She is 249 years old.

Today is my birthday, too, but I’m not telling you my age or weight.

After waking this morning, I stumbled into my study with a cup of coffee and picked up my Bible. I sat in my comfy chair, placed the Good Book on my knees, gazed at it, and spoke aloud. “Okay, Lord, it’s my birthday. What Scripture do You have for me today?”

I opened His Word to this Psalm.

Psalm 144:4 reads, "Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow."

I glanced upward and said, “Really, Lord?” And then I guffawed. I think He did too. God showed me His sense of humor. I felt a bit depressed as my birthday approached. As I grow older, I know my time on Earth grows briefer, so what did He do? He gave me a Scripture that says life is short.

 

I love it when He does things like that!  He is real, and He talks to us in mysterious ways. Do you hear from Him? If not, draw close to Him, and He will become more existent to you.

People may think I’m sacrilegious with this post. We once had a church member who thought it sinful to laugh. She thought God wanted us to act, think, and talk in a serious manner all the time.

God gave me a sharp sense of humor, and I’m grateful for it. He made man (and woman) after His image, and added jocularity is in the mix. Why? Because He can chuckle too. In His creation, He created outstanding beauty, but He included funny looking animals and flowers too.

Naked Man Orchid

https://earthlymission.com/strangest-flowers-orchids-world-resemble-look-like-something-else/

Back to the Scripture quoted above.

Life is short, and I’m blessed to have the gift of living to an older maturity.  In the past nine months, we have attended nine funerals for people under the age of 60.

How often do you hear a person say, “I have years before I need to get into the Jesus stuff.”

Not so.  We don’t know when our breath will be like a passing shadow.

I want all who read this to have many more trips around the sun, and I want you to know and laugh with the Lord.

 Gay's Author Page

Gay on YouTube

A Deer Momma and her Children

 

Hubby and I watched a momma deer and her newborn twins yesterday. Momma ambled on our side of the fence, and her children wandered on the other side. Momma Deer traipsed back and forth from our yard to the neighbor’s yard. Her twins stayed trapped in another yard. They followed her as she looked for ways to rescue them.

How did the twins get through the enclosure and away from momma? Hubby and I couldn’t guess. They touched their mom’s nose through the fence, but their size prevented them from going through the bars.

In my mind, I heard the mom say, “What are you doing over there? I told you to stay close to me. Now, how am I going to get you back over here? I’ll find a way, and when I do, you’re in trouble.”

Both mom and babies walked along the neighbor’s barrier for hours. With no gate at the back, we had no way to open the railing. The opening exists at the front of the neighbor’s house near the garage.

If we had ventured outside, we would scare the momma, and she’d dart away, but the twins couldn’t go with her. On the other hand, deer can be dangerous. A man, along with his dog, took corn outside to feed the deer. The animal kicked the dog and injured it.

Who or what agency do people call when animals have an emergency?

We continued to stay on guard to help if we could.

Children and momma remained safe, and I wondered how the twins would find momma once they discovered a route out of their confinement.

Meanwhile, the mom lay down. She looked exhausted from worry, but she kept an eye on the stranded children. At times, she glanced toward our house as if to say, “Can you help me?”

I am guessing she knew she could jump the fence, but then she’d be trapped, too. This deer family remained split apart for hours. I know the mom worried, and the children? Well, they wanted to be with momma.

One of the neighbors must have seen Momma Deer’s plight and called for help. I saw a truck arrive, but I didn’t see how someone rescued the deer family.

Once freed, the trio returned to our residence. The twins ate, but they seemed more interested in new things.

The mom ate grass from our yard, nibbled our trees, and bushes. The poor thing hadn’t eaten all day. Apprehension can do that to you. Her anxiety kept her appetite at bay, but once the kids became safe, she could eat.

The twins didn’t learn a lesson. They wandered from mom’s side, but mom kept an eye on them while she dined. The newborns wanted to explore their world, but like human children, they don’t know how to reason and stay away from trouble. Moms teach those lessons.

With an awkward, bounding gate, the twins suddenly ran away from her and out of sight, but she seemed to know they were okay and in no danger. I don’t know how deer communicate, but Momma Deer’s ears tweaked back and forth, and she’d gaze in a certain direction.

When the fawns experienced trouble, they wanted their mom. Once free from fear, they returned to their normal, rebellious behavior.

Mothers and babies show similar traits in every species.

Gay's Author Page

To Kiill or Not to Kill.

 I started a novel five years ago, and the genre is a departure for me. Most of my books are uplifting, happy, and funny. Sarah, the haphazard angel, keeps one in stitches as she goes about Earth trying to help people.

Besides my Sarah Series, I wrote two historical novels and they make one think about cultural changes.

All my books are Christian.

I decided to try my hand at something different. So, this novel is about a lady seeking revenge. She plans to kill a man she hates.

Here's an excerpt.

After the funeral, her parents urged her to live with them. Toby’s parents in Florida had offered their home, too, and that was generous of them, she reasoned, but it wasn’t possible. Murder required careful preparation, and she couldn’t scheme with family around. They’d badger her with their good intentions, but they’d be in her way. Besides, she didn’t want law enforcement inquiries traced back to them. Arrangements for murder took careful thought. Living Colorado gave her the opportunity to search for the men she hated. If they were still in the area, she’d find them. If they lived elsewhere, she’d go wherever they were. And kill them—one-by-one, but she’d make them suffer first.

Revenge was a hell burning insider her again, and the desire to payback grew to inferno proportions. After she evened the score with those devils, she’d start a new life. Far away from this one. But not until she saw them die for what they’d done.

 I'm not good at murder mysteries. I'm wondering if I should let these men live. Or not.

And here’s another thing. Can I write a clean book without it being Christian? The paragraph above doesn't sound Christian.

I’m not sure I can write this, but it is a good story.

Stay tuned.

My Author Page

I Now Have What I Prayed For!

 

While shopping in Hobby Lobby, I saw this plaque.

And it hit home with me.

 I Now Have What I Prayed For!

When hubby and I married, we spent the first seventeen years living in church owned homes. The first two houses, or parsonages as they are called, were furnished with sofas, tables, and beds from parishioners. All items were cast off from various people and no longer wanted.

A few items weren’t too bad, but they weren’t my choice, and none matched. These furnishings were a mishmash of necessary pieces.

We outgrew the second parsonage when two of our daughters were born. The house had one tiny closet for four people. I often felt like a sardine stuffed into a small can.

Frustration became a daily emotion.

The flock expected me to keep everything clean and look new, and I did what I could. We ordered a beige metal closet from the Sears Catalogue and placed it in the bedroom. It was not pretty, but it was functional.

The time came when we needed a new kitchen table. I was elated! “Now I can choose something I like.” I said to hubby. Nope! Not to be. A man found a table in a used furniture store, bought it, and delivered it to the parsonage. It was actually nice, and I liked it. But my point? I didn’t get the chance to shop and select.

I prayed for the day I’d be able to have my own home with my personal choices of furniture.

Our first owned home came seventeen years after marriage, and we are currently in our fourth one. Today I have a beautiful home with my selections!  We have lived in four parsonages owned by churches and four we bought.

I’m thankful God heard my prayers of long ago. He told me to wait. He said it would happen, but I didn’t believe Him! I thought I was destined to never have beautiful things from my personal selection.

I don’t know why He times events the way He does, but I know the waiting from all the yesterdays made me more appreciative of today.

Gay on Amazon

Nature's Wonders

 

 

Nature’s Wonders

Years ago, I produced a video, Psalms from the Mountains. This film contained audio Scripture and traditional hymns.  My motto was "Sharing His Creation."

I remember with joy the euphoria I experienced as I rode with a film crew through vistas in Canada, Hawaii, and Texas. They were all beautiful beyond description. God has done amazing work with this place He calls Earth.  As I followed the crew, I beheld a dazzling scene, and I said aloud, “God, have You seen this?”

And then I laughed. I think He did, too. Of course He saw it on that day with me, but He created it eons ago, and He must have enjoyed it then as well.

Studies have been done on the effects of nature to our wellbeing. Most of us spend our days on the computer, and we miss the benefits of outdoors.

The colors of nature can enhance our cognitive abilities, elevate our moods, and reduce stress. The lowering of blood pressure is another benefit.

I live in Houston, and it is brutally hot in the summer, so I don’t enjoy leaving my house. As I write this, it is spring, and the weather is beautiful. I’ve increased my walks.

I've been sitting on the porch.

I'm remembering my trips through the mountains.

Gazing at my many pictures of Texas bluebonnets.

Do I feel guilty for doing nothing?

I fight the guilt. In truth, I’m doing something. I’m listening to my body. I’m relaxing, healing, and I’m thanking God for giving the beauty around me. And I can do this from the comfort of home. There is beauty here, too. Tall trees. Blue sky. Birds chirping. Green grass. Colorful flowers.

Take a few minutes to breathe in His Creation.

Gay on Amazon