Second Row, Piano Side: The Truth Hurts

 

A few days ago, I wrote about the "Dark Night of the Soul."

 

Some may try to guess what or when that "night" may be or have been,

what ghosts haunt me-

what grief has stricken me-

to have caused such pain and depression.

 

I wanted a label to put on this malady,

so a doctor said, "You are Bipolar."

And I believed it.

 

Someone recently said to me,

"You are NOT Bipolar.  You have a diagnosis of Bipolar.  It does NOT define You."

 

I SMILED:) 

 

I'm not sure this story is ready to be told

because the process of healing

has just begun and the truth hurts.

 

I know that Jesus IS "The Light of the Word

and in HIM THERE is NO darkness at all."

 

Jesus also said, "I am the Light of the world.  Whoever follows me will NEVER WALK IN DARKNESS, BUT WILL HAVE THE LIGHT OF LIFE."  John 8:12

 

And He can heal in an instant

because that is WHO HE IS.

 

Beth Moore is my favorite Bible teacher of all time.

She dares to be real,

And I don't know about you,

but I'm so tired of the "religious."

I want "real" igious.

 

Beth said it this way,

"I wonder what kind of healing would come if we got real."

People don't need for us to act like we have it all together.

People want us to "be whom we seem."

 

True-to-the-bone-cut-the-malarkey

Honest-before-God,

REAL!

 

Sometimes I am so brutally honest that it scares people.

Not everyone can appreciate that.

 

As a young child, growing up in a strict evangelical home,

I had to be all things to all people.

I suffered greatly at the hands of those well-meaning "religious" leaders

who often said,

"Pretty is as pretty does,"

 

I can tell you I wasn't that "pretty,"

but as I look back on it,

I was a mere child.

 

Pretty didn't talk back.

Pretty didn't wear make-up.

Pretty didn't wear slacks.

Pretty didn't go to movies.

Pretty didn't make out with boys.

Shoot, pretty didn't swim with boys!

 

Being a PK (Preacher's Kid) was is not easy.

And that label has attached itself to me with such

strong adhesive that although I have ripped peeled it off

the thread is still attached to the fabric or the glue is still sticky.

 

Sometimes it feels like I still sit on the "Second Row, Piano Side."

 

Beth said, "When you truly get FREE, you will have a far greater ministry

because you have known the POWER of HIS HEALING!"

 

Someone told me yesterday,

"God has brought you here for this time,

not last year, not 10 years ago,

not even when he called you in 1987."

 

Something else (and yes, I'm rambling. It's what I do best:)

Beth said, "God is peeling away the layers-layer by layer."

She added, which I think is PROFOUND,

"I knew MY HEALER better than the healing."

 

I want to know the healer.

The healing will come.

 

I am reading JESUS.

I am soaking in HIM.

I don't want to know the rules of the church.

(I have it memorized anyway!)

I don't want to know what some religious leader or theologian thinks.

I want to know JESUS.

I want to know the HEALER.

 

What I am learning from the Healer is something I didn't learn from an institution...

 

...I HAVE VALUE AS HIS CHILD.

 

IN CHRIST

 

I AM REDEEMED.

 

I AM CHOSEN-I AM ADOPTED AS HIS DAUGHTER.

 

HIS GRACE HAS BEEN LAVISHED ON ME.

 

I AM SAVED THROUGH FAITH

THAT IS NOT OF MYSELF OR YOU THAT WE MAY BE ABLE TO BOAST

 

BUT IS IN

 

CHRIST ALONE!

 

Yes, it's written in ALL CAPS because I am screaming it!

 

I don't know that I have ever truly believed this.

 

Today I do.

 

This defines me.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Upscale Brush Trees

I just love vintage look-alikes/remakes.

 

 

I ordered these last year on ebay.

 

 

I don't know where I came to love brush trees.

 

I don't remember that Mama had them.

 

Maybe Granny Haywood had them.

She would always let me play with her what-nots (that's what we called them).

 

Or maybe I just came to appreciate them with age (mine not theirs),

 

To me they are UPSCALE decor!

 

 

:)

 

What more can I say?

 

Bonnie

 

 

 

 



Silver Bells or Silver Balls?

Silver Bells, Silver Bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring-a-ling

Hear them ring

Soon it will be Christmas day...

 

 

Yes, in the air there's a feeling of Christmas.

 

 

 

Had my eye on this tree from TJ Maxx for a couple of weeks.

 

 

The clear balls with strips of sheet music look great atop the mercury glass votives

that I found at Warthen Lane Interiors, a local shop.

 

 

The vintage cake plate has been right under my nose at Cornerstone Treasures,

the local shop that I've managed

for the past year.

I remembered it when I saw a new look-alike at TJ Maxx.

Rushed home and found it the back of the shop, on a top shelf:)

 

 

Silver Bells or Silver Balls-

both give the feeling of Christmas.

 

Gotta get those pumpkins off the front porch!

 

 

 

 



Second Row, Piano Side: Mama's Christmas Lights and Ornaments

 

 

Our Christmas tree was full LIGHTS.

There was not even a piece of a branch that didn't radiate with light.

 

As we got older she graduated

from the big bulb lights to the mini multi-colored lights that twinkled.

 

Mama would hang each shiny silver icicle one by one.

NEEEEVER were we allowed to throw them on the tree-

the hanging of every icicle, every ornament, and every light

was a deliberate act.

Each were placed in a position to reflect the lights.

 

The colored lights eventually became clear lights.

The Shiny-Brites were replaced with drops of crystal, silver and gold.

 

Now my once green and red has been exchanged for crystal, silver and gold-

all Mama's ornaments that give perfect reflections of light.

 

 

A Lantern, another giver of light.



 

Mama loved music. 

She taught herself how to play the piano

when she found out she was going to marry a preacher boy.

 

I got this ornament off of one of the wreaths she made.

 

Many a Christmas was spent around the piano

with Mama playing and singing alto

and Daddy leading the children.

Although not in perfect pitch, there was always

a soprano, a tenor and a couple of altos.

 

 

The crystal icicles were my children's favorite

and what they remember most about "Nanny's" tree.

She would never have had a hole like you see here!

 

 

The glass balls were not Shiny Brites

but sure did SHINE brightly.

 

 

She filled in with the plastic ones.

 

 

The butterfly was one of her favorites.

 

 

as well as the crystal pine cone.

 

She had a tree filled with ornaments enough to

fill 3 trees.

 

 

She would be horrified to know that I enjoy

a plain, ol' Charlie Brown tree

with paper ornaments...

...and of course, a sentimental tree full of her ornaments that
reflect the light.

Bittersweet Memories
From my Heart to Yours,

Bonnie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Winner of Giveaway: Rebecca at A Gathering Place

 

The Winner is.....(drum roll)

 

One of my favorite blogging buddies,

 

Rebecca at A Gathering Place.

 

 

I didn't have much response from my blog

but had tons of friends on Facebook

to respond.

 

I was just ticked PINK (of course PINK)

because I drew Rebecca's name!

 

I love dropping names of my friends in HIGH places-

those of you who have

made HEADLINES  in magazines

like

ROMANTIC HOMES.

 

I'm glad to call Rebecca my friend,

not just on my blog,

but a new, soul connection.

Super excited!
Congratulations, Rebecca:)

 

 

I've been slow at getting going this year so

I'm gonna share some of last years decor...


My Make-Believe Mantle

This years unfinished tree...

As you can see the broom is against the wall,
the lid to the storage box is still on the floor,

And you'll NEVVVVER see the rest of the mess.

To be continued...

 



Thank You, Lord, For Your Blessings On Me

 

I've a roof up above me

I've a good place to sleep

There's food on my table

And shoes on my feet

You gave me your love, Lord

And a fine family.

Thank You, Lord

For your blessings on me.

...there's a verse or two to this song that I don't remember

I think someone wrote, "A good cup of coffee"

and a good place to sleep.

I think I like that.

I think a good cup of coffee would make even a tent

feel like home.

Sometimes the most simple pleasures

are the greatest blessings.

Today I'm thankful for peace-

peace that comes from quiet trust and rest.

I know grief beyond words

and what some writers call,

"The dark night of the soul,"

Today I know peace

and for that

I am thankful.

I hope I've turned a corner.

I'm learning to let go-

to say no

and for once to just "be"

rather than "do."

The process has not been easy-

but necessary.

Because until I've let it hold me and not let me go

until I've faced the terrors that have haunted my soul

and help me captive-

only then have I found the courage to let go.

And in my letting go,

I am truly free.

I found this canvas art

 

 

It is as close to our family as you can get.

 

Only a little different...

 

We laugh a lot...

when the children are home.

 

Been laughing alot the last few days...

 

 

 

 



To Paint or Not to Paint

I feel like I'm in Never-never land...

 

I've got this

 

stuffy...

  achy...

fever..

and need some rest..

mess...

 

I've had it for a month now..

 

Feels like I'm having one of those

out of body experiences.

 

Remember the commercial

where the head blows up like a balloon

and

pops!

 

It's hard to get in the Holiday spirit.

 

I feel like I've been in the "spirits" and I don't do spirits-

well not that kind anyway.

 

So while all you my friends are running around

crafting,

shopping,

enjoying the holiday.

 

I'm looking at this...

 

...while lying in bed

 

and wondering

 

How I can get her ready for the holidays.

 

It's a piece I traded for.

 

It's a rare find, old and unique.

 

Not too many pieces have this rounded edge in ths wood-maple I think.

 

 

Any ideas?

 

To Paint or Not to Paint?



The Story of The Picnic by the late Bob Benson

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines

the meaning of "share."

 

to Share: to participate in, to use, or

experience in common; to have or

take a part.

 

All of a sudden it dawned on me that God was saying to me,

"Why don't you take what you have and what you are-your being-

and I will take what I have and what I am-my being-

and we will share-

we will participate in, we will use,

we will experience together in common.

 

Do you remember when they had old fashioned Sunday School picnic?

(I don't:)

 

It was before air-conditioning.

They said, "We'll meet a Sycamore Lodge in Shelby Park at 4:30 Saturday.

 

You bring your supper and we'll furnish the tea."

 

But you came home at the last minute

and when you got ready to pack your lunch,

all you could find in the refrigerator

was one dried up piece of baloney

and just enough mustard in the bottom of the jar

so that you got it all over your knuckles trying to get it out.

 

And there were two stale pieces of bread.

 

So you made your baloney sandwich

and wrapped it in some brown bag

and went to the picnic.

 

 

And when it came time to eat

you sat at the end of a table and spread out your sandwich.

 

But the folks next to you-the lady was a good cook

and she had worked all day

and she had fried chicken, and baked beans,

and potato salad, and homemade rolls, and sliced tomatoes,

and pickles, and olives, and celery,

and topped it off

with two big homemade chocolate pies.

(Sounds like my mama!)

 

And they spread it all out beside you

 

 

and there you were with your baloney sandwich.

 

But they said to you,

"Why don't we put it all together?"

 

"No, I couldn't do that, I just couldn't even think about it."

you murmured embarrassingly.

 

"Oh, come on, there's plenty of chicken

and plenty of pie

and plenty of everything-

 

and we just love baloney sandwiches.

Let's put it all together."

 

And so you did

and there you sat-

eating like a king

when you came like a pauper.

 

--Bob Benson

"Come Share The Being"

 

I wish I had written it!

Art in My Neck of the Woods

I have found the greatest artists,

whether of music, photography, drama, the written word,

the spoken word, the stroke of the hand

are often found in our own back yard-

or somewhere in our neck of the woods.

 

(Photo by Jo Lynn Still)

 

The rusty and crusty appeal to me in some

nostalgic and comfortable kind of way.

 

 

I thought my blogging buddies would enjoy

the beauty in this tangled hanging of metal frames.

 

(Again, Jo Lynn uses God's perfect backdrop to create a masterpiece)

 

 

Dry, crusty leaves

Rusty rims and old pipes

A brick wall...

 

Art

in the eye of the beholder...

 

Beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Giveaway: One Year Blogging Anniversary

Ok, girls and guys.

 

I realized this morning that a year ago this month,

I ventured out into the unknown world of blogging.

 

It has been a great way of expression for me.

I have experienced healing in the process.

I have developed new friends.

I have stumbled upon, not my accident, a dear friend

who shares so much of my journey.

Happenstance?

No way, never!

 

So to celebrate, I am doing a giveaway!

 

Since some of you are just dying to start decorating for Christmas,

I decided to help you out a bit while putting a few pennies

in my daughter's pocket.

 

I am giving away her yarn Christmas wreath.

 

It is very simple, but elegant.

 

My simply-no-creative-bone-in-my-body self

CAN NOT do the simplest rosette.

 

I love the burlap under the berries spray.

 

For those of you who follow me via facebook, to be eligible,

you've got to create you own blog

and follow me.

 

If I can do it, anyone can! 

That means you, my darling, Christy!

(I've been trying to get her to share her creativity)

 

Rules (I guess) and ways to win:

 

I still haven't gotten this linky stuff down.

 

1.  Become a follower of my blog.

 

2.  Post my link to your facebook page.

 

3.  Share with a friend and have them follow me.

 

4.  Leave a comment and tell me what you did.

 

I will draw a winner on 11/15/12 and will announce on my 11/16/12 post.

 

Four chances to win.

 

I think my daughter is pretty incredible.

 

She gets $30 and I get to feel good about helping her and giving you something!

 

 

 

 



An Enamel Creamer and an Ironstone Teapot

You know you are feeling better

when you start taking photos of your finds

from a week ago

at 11:30 p.m.

 

Am I  the only one???

Are there others of you who really get creative just before midnight???

 

So at 11:00 p.m. I started my dig.

 

I had completely forgotten what I had purchased and where...

 

It's been awhile.

 

 

I can never resist enamel anything!

 

I've had my share of enamels with red, blue, black, green, yellow rims

teapots, pitchers, pots, pans, plates, cups, dippers and just about anything!

But I honestly have never had an enamel creamer!

I adore!

 

 

You know me, I go through the shops looking for WHITE

This rather LARGE teapot caught my eye.

 

A HUGE hunk of Ironstone for only $6!

 

Can you imagine?

 

I'm telling the price, because it's NOT GOING INTO THE SHOP!

 

Made to look old, it's not.

The label is French.

It's dishwasher safe.

 

It's already found a home among the other ironstone!

 

And the little enamel creamer?

 

 

 

It stays!