FACING THE NEW YEAR WITH COURAGE!

The following is copied from The Word For Today

Be strong and courageous. Deuteronomy 31:6

"Dr. John Maxwell writes: "When I began my career I was very ineffective as a leader. My problem was that I wanted to please everybody. Making people happy was the most important thing to me. I lacked the courage to make right but unpopular decisions. How did I turn things around: By making small decisions that were difficult. With each one I gained more confidence and more courage, and I began to change. The process took me 4 years. At the end of that time I felt I had learned many valuable lessons, and I wrote the following to help me cement what I had learned. 'Courageous leadership simply means I've developed:

(1) Convictions that are stronger than popular opinion.

(2) Vision that is clearer than my doubts.

(3) Spiritual sensitivity that is louder than popular opinion.

(4) Self-esteem that is deeper than self-protection.

(5) Appreciation for discipline that is greater than my desire for leisure.

(6) Dissatisfaction that is more forceful than the status quo.

(7) Poise that is more unshakable than panic.

(8) Risk-taking that is stronger than safety-keeping.

(9) Actions that are more robust than rationalization.

(10) A desire to see potential reached more than to see people pleased.'

If people-pleasing is your problem, you might want to go back and re-read those 10 things. You don't have to be great to become a person of courage. You just have to want to fulfill God's purpose for your life - and be willing to trade what seems good in the moment for what's best for your future! And that's something you can do this year, regardless of your level of natural talent."

I thought this was so great wanted to share it with you my blog friends.

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Thank you for all the wonderful comments on my quilt!!! I am truly humbled and honored! I just embroidered the top (and it was a kit with instructions, pattern, thread, etc.) the quilting was done by this group of wonderful ladies in a church in Tennessee. It is worth every cent I paid to have it done. It makes me happy every time I walk by the door to that room and see it and think of all your wonderful comments :o)

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Our Church always has a theme for each year. 2007 was "Not Without Jesus"

Our 2008 theme is "I Want More". I truly want more of all God has for me and especially of all He desires I become. Please join me in Wanting More of what God wants for each of us.

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I am excited by the grass-root movements we are beginning to see in the political area. It looks like "We The People" may finally be standing up and saying, "We want our country back and out of the hands of the lobbiest and politicians." I would be interested in your feelings and comments about what is taking place.

SHOW & TELL '08 #1 - Embroidery Quilt

Welcome to my first Show & Tell of 2008. Drop over to Kelli's at There Is No Place Like Home and check out the event. Post your Show & Tell item and then go back and list it on Mr. Linkey. Then enjoy viewing all the other wonderful Show & Tell items for this week.

(click to enlarge)

This is a quilt that I spent hours embroidering in 1980-81. It was a kit top that I purchased. After completing it I just folded it up and put it away because I do not quilt and did not know how to get it finished. About 10 years later my sister-in-love in Memphis told me about some women in a church in a smaller town in Tennessee who still got together and did hand quilting. I sent it to her and told them to take as long as they needed to finish it. I waited over a year and then it came in the mail one day.

Here is another view of it. I use it on the antique Jenny Lynn bed in our guest bedroom, Both the bed and the quilt are treasured items,

Thanks for letting me share these two items with you.

I AM SO HONORED

Talk about a surprise......I have been catching up with reading my favorite blogs.

Imagine my surprise when I opened up Just So You'll Know blog by KC and found he had named me as one of his choices for the "Be The Blog" Award.

“Be The Blog” Award which is granted to “those bloggers that are showing time and time again that they are true to themselves and that they ARE their blog”.

I am always touched and moved every time I am blessed by you in Blogland with an Award but this one really knocked my socks off for two reasons:

#1 - KC's blog is one of those that I lurked at for months being afraid to even leave a comment because it was so deep!!! When I finally began to tip-toe gently in and leave a comment or two I figured he's never get around to reading my blog. To find out he does.......and then to be named by him for this Award is mind boggling to me!!! Can you tell how surprised I am?!!!!

#2 - The most important thing to me with my blog is to be REAL. It is not always easy.....especially when you are hurting or disappointed. So to receive an Award that honors being "true to themselves and that they ARE their blog" is truly the highest compliment I could receive.

These are KC's words he wrote: Ms. Susan has wonderfully shared both herself and her many blessings with us even in spite of the fact that she’s a Penless Writer! Her warm, kind and generous spirit shines through every offering she makes on her blog. God has blessed me so many times through her words.

KC I literally have tears in my eyes. Thank you SOOOO much!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR

I am a very reflective person. Especially at the beginning of each New Year I endeavor to reflect on the up coming New Year. To ponder and consider what I hope the New Year will hold and especially to set new goals and resolutions for myself.

So I begin January 1, 2008 quoting Paul, to the Philippians, and setting the following as my goal for this year.

"(For my determined purpose is) that I may know Him (that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly), and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection (which it exerts over believers), and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed (in spirit into His likeness even) to His death, (in the hope). 3:10

"That if possible I may attain to the (spiritual and moral) resurrection (that lifts me) out from among the dead (even while in the body)." 3:11

"Not that I have now attained (this ideal), or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own." 3:12

Phillipians 3:10-12 Amplified - I love the amplified translation as it adds to and stresses the truth of what is being said.

'THAT I MAY KNOW HIM"!!!!

&

"I press on to lay hold of and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me and made me His own."

SHOW & TELL #32 - Partridge Wall Hanging

Show & Tell time again over at Kelli's. Go and check it out here.

My Show & Tell for today is this Partridge In a Pear Tree walling hanging.

It is quite large, measuring 4'9" tall by 3' wide.

I made this piece in 1965 - That would make it 42 years old!!

It was a pattern I saw in a Woman's Day Magazine.

The background is blue canvas. You can see the blue color has faded over the years.

The other piece are felt and of course the tassels and partridge tail are yarn.

That year I made this Partridge for myself and one for my sister Marion.

I also made two other similar, but smaller wall hangings of a Reindeer for my mother and mother-in-love.

Boy, looking back I am amazed at all I got accomplished in those years.

This hanging has hung in our home EVERY Christmas.

My daughter, Suzette, now has the Reindeer that belonged to my mother.

Jacque has already put in her "dibs" for this one!!! She'll get it!!

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Trust everyone had a wonderful and BLESSED CHRISTMAS

WE DID!!!

We celebrated ours Christmas Eve, our family tradition, with a BIG turkey dinner with all the fixings that Mickey & I prepared.

We bought only for the grand kids this year and then drew names for the adults.

It was really nice not to be so gift centered!!

Jacque drew my name and gave me a lovely pair of black slacks and a 2 piece, pink Cardigan sweater set. Lovely and fit perfectly.

Bennie drew Mickey's name and gave him a HoMedics back vibrator that fits, upper and lower, into a chair. Everyone took turns trying it out!!!!

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Christmas morning Suzette and Dave had us all over to their home for Christmas Brunch and to celebrate my 70th Birthday.

This had been planned for weeks but I was only informed Christmas Eve so it was a delightful surprise :o)

I got two of those lovely Mom birthday cards that touch your heart and make you cry, which I did!!!! It's a joke in our family that I always cry over the sweet cards that my kids give to me. I mean, those big cries where you look so ugly!!!

THEN Suzette, Jacque & Marc presented me with a new Brighton Purse.

Can I say, YEAH!!!!

I have a very old one that I have used for about 9 years now.

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For those of you that wonder.......it "ain't" bad being 70!!!!!!!!

THE SOLID ROCK

It's almost Christmas......and the melodies and lyrics of all the wonderful old, and new, Christmas hymns and songs are filling the air. Along with all the Christmas decorations and dispays everywhere. I have always loved Christmas!!! It is such a special time.....and it's also my Birthday which makes it double precious to me.

Amidst all of the above the melody and lyrics of this beautiful old hymn, lyrics by Edward Mote and music by William B Bradbury written in 1834, keep ringing through my mind and in my Spirit. Just think....a hundred and seventy three years ago!! This is one of the many old hymns I grew up on and my early Christian walk were formed by.

THE SOLID ROCK

vs 1: My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

vs 2: When darkness seems to hide his face,

I rest on his unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the vale.

vs3: His oath, His covenant, His blood,

Support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my hope and stay.

vs 4: When he shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in him be found;

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne.

Chorus: On Christ, the solid rock I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS

December is a big birthday month in the Joyce family for the women.

We celebrated at the Cheesecake Factory with these, after stuffing ourselves with lunch first!!!

Mother and daughter.

Jacque, our younger daughter, who's birthday was today, December 22nd

&

Jessica, our oldest granddaughter, who turns 22 tomorrow, December 23rd.

Mother & daughter

Susan with Suzette, our oldest daughter, who celebrated her birthday on December 13th. I prepare a family dinner celebration on that date.

Jacque, Jessica & Suzette leaving the Cheesecake Factory with gifts in tow

after a wonderful time of sharing, eating and fun.

This is 12 year old Oksana taken at a friends house during our recent Ice Storm.

The last Joyce woman who was scheduled to attend the celebration and didn't get to come because she woke up very sick this morning.

We missed you honey.

P.S. Mother & Grandmother Susan will be celebrating her 70th birthday on Christmas Day!!!

Can you believe, after celebrating my birthday on Christmas, I would have two daughters and a granddaughter born so close to Christmas?