August 31, 2014 Blessings

Blessings are not something worked for but that which is free, given and excepted without condition.
 
 Much of what life has to offer comes with conditions attached. Fail to meet those conditions and the offering is lost or taken away. Even life itself is conditional. Fail to give your body what it needs to continue and it dies. Blessings on the other hand are not conditional. They cannot be earned or purchased, bartered for or traded. They are meant to be shared but if they are not they will not be taken away, only lessened. Blessings are a free gift, given without condition. They are most often intangible for anyone but those receiving them. They are not always recognized or acknowledged in a lifetime unless someone else recognizes them and points them out. They can be difficult or easy, broad or narrow in scope. It is always up to the recipient whether or not to accept them but they are always there. What are they? They are anything that you have that can build up your life or other lives in positive ways that are not tied to earthly bonds and do not come with a price tag of any kind or expectation of something in return. The greatest and most perfect gift of all is our spiritual life. It was paid for at a cost none of us could pay. What is our cost? Acceptance of the gift. Life itself is a death road of no hope. Denial, ignoring or ignorance of the gift is fatal. What is the gift? Forgiveness of sin and transgression and life everlasting.

 "through the Law I am dead to the Law so that I can be alive to God. I have been crucified with Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me. The life that I am now living, subject to the limitation of human nature, I am living in faith, faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not setting aside God’s grace as of no value; it is merely that if saving justice comes through the Law, Christ died needlessly.

The New Jerusalem Bible. (1985). (Ga 2:19–21). New York: Doubleday.

Today is our 51st wedding anniversary. In honor of that I would like to share one of Jill's favorite backyard places. It is a wood project done several years ago because of a comment from Jill that she wished she had a swing in the back yard. This is my own design from beginning to end. It took about a week to construct and is solid as a rock.

 This is a view of the swing before the roof was added. 

This is the swing after the roof was added. Nice when you want some shade. The cement pads are paving blocks I used to keep the wood legs off the ground. We have Termite problems in the area.

The swing will accommodate three adults easily. The swing was my design and even the bench is my design. I made it with a curved seat and back to make it more comfortable.

Yesterday we went to our favorite restaurant at "Sunnybrook Ballroom" in Pottstown, PA. The food is good, the waitresses are attentive and if you get to meet the chef you will not regret it. It was one of the best times out we have had in a long time. What we thought would be an hour or so was more than a three hour visit. The chef joined us at our table for a good bit of the time. Don't believe me: 

He  is always a treat to have visit the table. His staff says he is a floor show in his own right. He has a ton of stories and all are funny. He isn't drinking that wine by the way. He had a bottle of beer that he shoved out of view and picked up my glass of wine for the picture. That is what we are all laughing about. He provided  us with complimentary champagne (which Jill and I are holding), appetizers, and deserts as well as a ton of laughs. He even made sure the meal was made to order for us. The waitresses even sat with us when they could and talked. They made our day complete. Good food, good wine and good company. By the way, chef often stops by tables and chats when he is in house. If you are in the Pottstown area and you stop and dine here you just may get a visit from him.

Last but by no means least is a card we received from Darnell to helps us celebrate our 51st wedding anniversary.

Such a sweetheart. Thank you so much for the thoughtfulness. We appreciate it, especially knowing how busy you are. Give this sweet lady a visit and leave a comment on her wonderful blog.

I will be trying to post an update on the painting toward the middle of this week. There is just so much happening right now that it will not get done before then. Until then, remember, LOVE THE DETAILS.