gratitude

Happy Fall

Beth Jones Blog September 25, 2016September 25, 2016autumn, boots, candles, decorations, Faith, fall, fashion, God, gratitude, home decor, seasons, shopping, Target, Thanksgiving 0 Comment

Heather's office fall decoration — Heather’s office fall decoration

Our daughter Heather loves to shop at Target and recently she bought some fall decorations for her office at work. The above pic is just one of them. Below is another cute one she picked out that says, “Happy Fall.” I love her name on the sign behind it!

Below is another deco of cute fall leaves. Almost makes me want to work at her place!

Cute fall leaves decos — Heather’s cute fall leaves decos

Fall is one of my fave times of year. Pumpkin spice lattes and everything nice:

Tall, genuine leather boots
Deliciously scented candles
S’mores over a bonfire
The leaves changing beautiful colors & the crunch they make
Pretty scarves and stylish fall fashions
Soft, warm blankets to cuddle under with a good book
Bulky sweaters with big buttons, pockets, and a hood
Thanksgiving food with favorite family recipes
Cute fall decorations for home and work
Fall blog posts

One of the things I love about Target is their dollar bins. Recently I was shopping there, and found this Gratitude Tree below there.

I posted a pic of it on Facebook, and Heather bought it for me. I think it’s a great visual reminder to count your blessings daily and to cultivate a grateful heart.

Target also had these little appetizer plates with the inscription, “Thankful & grateful.” I also loved the ceramic orange pumpkin as a table decoration. Do you ever feel like you could buy everything in the store at Target because it’s just the cutest thing ever, even though you don’t even need it? Yeah, me too!

They also had these chic fall wallets. LOVE the teal and purple!

Although I have friends who are chompin’ at the bit to put on their fall boots, sweaters, scarves, and other accessories, I feel an urge this year to put on the brakes. Our kids and grandkids are growing up way too fast, and I want to savor each moment, enjoying the season I’m in now.

Recently I found a cute little purse calendar and on one of the pages is the inscription, “Your days are as fun as you make them.” AMEN!

What is your favorite thing about fall? Leave your comments below.

“It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.”–Daniel 2:21

autumn leaves quote

Communion: Give thanks

Beth Jones Blog, Faith, Marriage, Parenting, prayer, Writing November 15, 2015November 15, 2015Ann VosKamp, bread, communion, Eucharist, gratitude, One Thousand Gifts, Paris attacks, Roman Catholicism, thankfulness, Torah, tragedies, wine 0 Comment

For the last several Sundays, I’ve been attending a new church. I’ve been part of a small group in some friends’ home for the last two years and over the summer, they took a much-needed break. The leaders began the group again, but this time on Saturday nights, which doesn’t work with my schedule since Saturday is my only “official” day off work in my speaking/writing business.

I decided to start attending a local traditional church on Sunday mornings, because one thing Ray hates for me to spend his hard-working money on is gas, driving to churches an hour away!

Communion bread and wine — Communion bread & wine
Resource: Pinterest

This morning the church had communion. I’ve always loved communion. There is something so holy and special about taking the bread and the wine (in this church’s case grape juice!), representing the precious body and blood of Christ.

This is done in remembrance of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:23-25; cf. Luke 22:18-20 and Matthew 26:26-28).

Roman Catholics consider the “Eucharist” (communion) the highlight of their Mass, the highest and most important form of prayer. The Mass is divided into two sections, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. They believe it actually turns into the body and blood of Jesus–called “transubstantiation.” (I don’t personally believe this, but many practicing Catholics do.)

For the Jew, bread was equated with the Torah, eating and understanding of the covenant of God. (cf. Deuteronomy 8:3).

The word “Eucharist” comes from:

the Greek eukharistia “thanksgiving, gratitude;” later “the Lord’s Supper”;
from eukharistos “grateful”;
from eu “well” + stem of kharizesthai “show favor”;
from kharis “favor, grace.”

To give thanksgiving; to be grateful; to show favor. When we take the Eucharist, this communion wafer or bread, this red wine or Welch’s grape juice, we give thanks and are grateful, we worship God, and remember what Jesus so selflessly did for us. To save us from this wretched body of sin and make us holy and right with God, so we can live with God for eternity in heaven.

He died so we could live.

Author and Speaker Ann VosKamp writes in her book One Thousand Gifts: “Eucharisteo—thanksgiving—always precedes the miracle.”

It’s easy to be thankful in the good times, the blessed times. But what about the bad?

When tragedies such as the Paris attacks, where at least 129 people were killed and 352 wounded, occur?
When your child gets sick?
When you lose everything you have? (Although I don’t believe in “The Universe,” I don’t do yoga, and I’m not into Feng Shui, I do think this article I found googling is good.)
When there’s severe financial struggles?

Last night I had a dream about me and my sister Maria. She and I were both afraid and angry about something. We went into this place that was pitch black, where God was. I sensed His holy presence there and felt the fear of the Lord, the kind that caused prophets and priests to fall flat on their faces before Him. He spoke to me in the dream and said, “Give your anger and fear to Me.”

When I texted my sister the dream today, she asked, “Why was it pitch black?” I explained that in the Bible, God is sometimes described as being surrounded by darkness: Deuteronomy 5:22, Exodus 20:21, and Psalm 97:2. He is a dark mystery we can’t see, and must search for.

In the darkest night, God’s light and glory shines the most, and we can still give thanks for who He is, no matter the outcome.

Ann writes in One Thousand Gifts: “It is in the dark that God is passing by. The bridge and our lives shake not because God has abandoned, but the exact opposite: God is passing by. God is in the tremors. Dark is the holiest ground, the glory passing by. In the blackest, God is closest, at work, forging His perfect and right will. Though it is black and we can’t see and our world seems to be free-falling and we feel utterly alone, Christ is most present to us…”

Christ is most present to us, always. You are not alone. Give thanks. Remember what Jesus did.

Italian for Thanksgiving

Beth Jones Blog, Faith, Marriage, Parenting, prayer, Travel November 26, 2014November 26, 2014blessings, Cinzetti's Italian Market, Faith, family, friends, God, gratitude, holiday travel, holidays, Italian, restaurants, Thanksgiving, Winter Storm Cato 0 Comment

Cinzzetti's Italian Market tables — Cinzzetti’s Italian Market tables

Winter Storm Cato is beginning, with 1,200 flights cancelled across the U.S. Although it’s primarily hitting the northeast U.S., the storm was already starting here in the Kansas City, MO area, very windy and cold, when I was picking up a few snacks for tomorrow. I’m praying it will pass by Sunday, when Ray and I are supposed to eat out with our kids and grandkids at Cinzzetti’s Italian Market for our Thanksgiving meal. We had to coordinate Ray’s work schedule with our daughters Heather’s and Eden’s work schedules.

An Italian buffet is different from the traditional American Thanksgiving fare, but I’m REALLY looking forward to it! No cooking. No mess in the kitchen. (When Ray and Eden are in a kitchen cooking, it looks like a tornado hit it.) No dishes to wash. Just eating, relaxing, and enjoying our family!