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Monday, April 18, 2016

One Step At A Time

For the past week or so I have been walking as much as possible. This past week, however, I turned up the the pace. I wanted to do as much as possible each day and have the best week ever. In a 7 day period I did 143,000 steps (paces).That translates into 66.79 miles. Within that, 217 floors (10 feet in height per floor) were registered. One 30,000 (14.16 miles) and one 35,000 (16.57 miles) and several 15 to 20,000+ step days were recorded. This was triggered by achieving a recorded distance of more than 1600 miles since last May. That is more than 3.5 million paces. Why am I telling you this? My walks are my time with our Lord and, at times, with my dear wife when she wants to walk for awhile.  (I do spend good quality time with Jill other than this. No, she does not do the distance I do. Smile! I have no wish to carry her back to the house.) It is great alone time and meditation time. Just wanted to share this with all of you. Each and every step we as Christians take is one step closer to our goal. Looking back should present a view of how far we have come. In this case there is a spiritual and even a mental tally we should be able to recognize. It should be encouraging to you to recognize where you started and where your journey has brought you. Hindsight will keep you on track and moving in the right direction.

I have been reading through the book of wisdom for the past several months. There is much to ponder in this book. It is not the first time through but each time I try to read it from a different version of scripture. In 2 Chronicles 1:10 - 12 Solomon asks for wisdom and knowledge in that order. God grants his wish in that order. Knowledge is of no use without wisdom. Knowledge in and of itself is useless without the wisdom to know how or when to use it. 

I have Two cards to share with you as well. I am not going to elaborate much on them. They are made from materials purchased at the Allentown, Pennsylvania  Craft Fair. The first card was a bit of a challenge but Came out fairly well.       


This card was meant to be a note card as is the second card I will present to you. The heart die cut is Impression Obsession  "Die126-U". The Key is Our Daily Bread "Keys". The border is from Stamp On It. The paper and pearls are from my stash. Everything was glued on with TomBow Mono Liquid Glue using a tooth pick as the applicator

The next note card is a Impression Obsession die cut as well. It is "Die044-Y"


There are about 40 or 50 flowers in that flower head. Each one was glued on with TomBow Mono Liquid Glue using a tooth pick as the applicator. The white centers to the flowers was done with a white Gel pen. All Papers are from my stash.

The image that was shared last time is still in progress. Very tedious. 

That will be it for now. Remember to always Love The Details. Hugs and  Blessings.        

16 comments:

  1. Life is all about one step at a time and huge congrats on all those dedicated steps you have taken and will be taking. Love your beautiful cards and that purple flower was definitely a step by step labour of love.
    Hugs Desíre {Doing Life}

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  2. Beautiful cards, and congratulations on keeping moving, walking is a great exercise, and my fave hobby. Hugs, Valerie

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  3. Oh Jim, love your perspective on walking, and on looking back to see how far we have come - God has been good and I am so grateful I no longer walk the paths that I was walking when God changed me and my life.
    Love your cards, and it;s good to know I am not the only one who uses a toothpick to apply glue!!
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  4. Wow! Such patience to adhere all those flowers to make up the Hydrangea! Both cards are beautiful. I enjoyed reading about your walks. My husband goes off backpacking regularly to get that extra dose of peace and talk with God.

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  5. I'm with you on your walk of faith, my amazing friend.

    Love, hugs and blessings,
    Em x

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  6. Brilliantly designs here today and gorgeous colour combo used…love the concept of walking and as I walk I silently pray and thank God for the beauty that surrounds my path...xx

     {aNNie}

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  7. Two great cards Jim. The weather here was lovely yesterday for a change - we went to visit a World Heritage Site - Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens. The abbey was founded in 1152 by 13 monks and is the longest surviving Cistercian monasteries. The abbey operated for over 400 years, until 1539, when Henry VIII ordered the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The place is atmospheric and thought provoking - as you know I am not a 'faith' person but I respect those who have their own beliefs. These monks must have had a terrifically hard life but their faith and belief enabled each one of them to embark on their own incredible journey. I was humbled.
    I hope the sun is shining where you are my friend. x

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  8. Love is indeed in the details with these magnificent cards, Jim!! I love doing tedious (puzzle) type cards and find it very therapeutic. If you can ever get your hands on some beautiful dried flowers, I think you would really enjoy making cards with them. They are so fragile, but you have the skill to make them sign. Well, I meant to say sing, but if you can make them sign, that'd be pretty awesome, too! Well done on your get-up-and-go skills, too!! Keep it up!! Hugs, Darnell

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  9. These came out more than just 'fairly well'! They're both simply beautiful! I love the first one. The key is the crowning touch for it. The second....all that patience adding those tiny little flowers. Two wonderful cards!
    Lynn

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  10. OOh! I love that elaborate heart with the key. So elegant and such a wonderful message with that card. The flower card is very nice too with all those individually glued on blossoms. So much time and love went into these cards. Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your walks and time with the Lord.

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  11. I'm with you on the walking, Jim - I do nearly 8km at a time in an hour, which is a very fast pace and I also find that that is wonderful alone and meditation time and time to talk to God!!!! I really enjoy these walks that feed the soul!!!!
    Your cards are so beautiful!!!!! Nearly 40 or 50 little flowers - you are so patient, Jim, but it was surely worth all the time and effort - you hydrangea looks wonderful and the script bg is the perfect choice!!! Love the very delicate die and sweet little key on the first card - the colours are lovely!!!! Two beautiful cards, my friend!!!!
    Have a wonderful day!!!!
    Hugz

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  12. Jim, your cards are simply sensational - so much more than just fairly well! They have such a brightness to them, and the flower/key speaks such volumns with it's design and beauty. Good for you for getting out and walking - that is a tremdendous amount of miles, and flights up! I, too, have amped up my walking/biking/hiking and it's good for the mind, body and soul. My son (just 11) asked me once "what do you think about when you are walking, like for an hour and a half!" and I replied "I pray, mostly. I talk to God. I thank him for every single thing my eyes take in, from the breeze to the chirping birds and barking dogs. And I write." He said 'You write? While you walk?" And I replied "No dear, just in my head." LOL! I imagine you do as well, Jim! Everything you share is noteworthy and touches the heart!
    Blessings!

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  13. Wow Jim, that's a lot of walking, but more importantly, good time spend with the good Lord and meditation. I spend a lot of time mediating when washing dishes and mowing the lawn. As well as in bed each night. I have many talks with the Lord and Dwayne then. I look forward to spending that time in meditation and talking with the Lord. Your cards are stunning Jim! I love that heart flourish, so pretty and the key tucked in it makes this card even more special. The hydrangea card is stunning as well. Wow, that is a lot of flower heads to place on! But it turned out so beautiful. Hugs, Brenda

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  14. Oh, Jim, what a blessing it is to walk with the Lord, and I praise God that you are a prayer warrior and that you use this special time (one step at a time) praying. That's a lot of walking, and I know that it's health for you as well. Yes, you'd have to carry me home as well. My husband bikes each day, and it's been a big help for the health of his knees. I so loved your thoughts about wisdom and knowledge -- in that order. As Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." And you are right about the order. I do love looking back at my life and seeing how God has changed me and molded me, and yet, there is still work to do. As long as I have breath, there is need to draw closer to Him. I love the two beautiful cards you've shared in this post. The first is stunning with the beautiful die against the sparkling paper. And I love the Impression Obsession dies and can only imagine all the work of putting 40-50 bitty flowers in place! But it was well worth it. They are gorgeous. And thank you for taking this time with us and sharing your thoughts and encouraging us with them. Blessings and hugs to you and Jill!

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  15. Beautiful work Both the art and photography Right now heavy prayers for Western Canada so sad.........................Lis

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  16. Two beautiful cards, Jim. Congrats to you on all your steps. My DH just starting wearing a FitBit and it's all about steps and flights now too ;) I must say I checked out your stencil project too and WOW! You are one patient guy. She turned out so pretty.

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