The dirt!

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My husband just came home from the ship and of course I am so happy for that. But  since he is just going to be at home for four weeks, he has so many things to be done for a very short period of time.
Hope you remember from my previous post that  we had just purchased a second hand 24 feet boat. And since it has been in the sea water for a long time, we have to bring it on land to see how it looks under and do what is necessary.

As you can see under the boat, something must be done.

this how it looks like under....

And my husband  used a high-pressure washer to remove all the dirt and me a piece of wood to scrape the shells that was stuck under the boat. It was really a hard work. 

And after many hours of work, we managed to remove all the dirt under the boat. But guess what? Now we are the ones who needs to be cleaned. Not only that, our bodies were aching. I supposed we are not so young anymore. 

Anyway,  my husband has to let the boat to  dry first before he can repair and repaint the damages . So I was glad to hear that coz we really need a long hot shower and rest for our aging body. 

This boat is actually like us human. Although we are not under the seawater to absorb all the dirt under the sea, but we are in this world and are surrounded with every kinds of filthy things that can make our mind, soul and spirit like  a garbage dump if we just let it happen. But it happen more or less whether we like it or not. And when that happens, then how can we make us clean? We can use all kinds of soap, sponge, scrub to clean our physical body and it helps for a while, until we get dirty again. 

But how about our soul and spirit? Soap and water can't do the job. But isn't  so amazing that Jesus did all the dirty work for us? We don't have to scrub and to spend many hours of cleaning and repairing ourselves coz Jesus came to do that for us. We only need to put our lives into His hands and let him do the job. 

King David's prayer! 

And we should be our prayer too. Create in us a clean heart  God.  

                                                      JOY

Saying good-bye!

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People come and go into our lives. Some leaves a mark, some you easily forget. But this lady had definetely will leave  a mark in my heart. Gonna miss her. For seven years we worked together in the activity center. But now she is retiring. Or maybe I should say, she is retiring from work, but will begin a new epoch in her life. We had shared lots of laughter. Many times I asked advice from this woman being older than me. She is a co-worker that is very cooperative. But she had working in the nursing home more than 40 years and now it is time to retire at the age of 67 years.
But before she leaves, we have to thank her for everything we shared together with the elderly. So we  bought a cake for the day:)

And now she is ready to serve the cake for this time. She said that she is going to bake a cake and bring to us one day. How kind she is.

And of course the elderly and I gave her a gift as a remembrance .

And I asked a friend of mine to make a portrait of her. My co-worker was touched and she loved it. She said that she is going to hang the picture on the wall when she comes home. And our leader in the nursing home gave it to her as a gift from us co-workers.

We are only two who work in the activity center, but the three ladies at the back from the right work as volunteers and the lady from the back left side is the one who is going to take my co-worker's place. 

And before we say really good-bye, we went out to eat at the nearest restaurant. 

And while waiting for the food we ordered..picture taking for the last time.

And this is what I ordered to be eaten with rice. 

And they ordered these...

and these....

Potatoes baked in cream....delicious.

                                                    

How about you? Who had said good-bye to you lately? 

JOY

A day worth remembering!

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Again I was invited to a confirmation. This time it was my  friend's son. She is also from the Philippines married to a Norwegian.

                            My friend Jolly, her son, our local priest and my friend's husband.

The difference with this confirmation from the first one I attended was the place where the event was held and it was a catholic confirmation.

And this is the place.  Austrått  borgen! Since the 10th century Austrått has been the residence for many noblemen, noblewomen and officials who played a significant role in Norwegian history. But now it is a tourist spot.

And there is a chapel inside the manor.

The manor's entry portal with the coat of arms carved in soapstone.

Inside the manor!

Both sides are decorated with the ten bridesmaids who waited for the groom. Five of them were foolish and five of them are wise. Story found in Mathew 25.

Then the confirmation! The pictures tells all:)

Then, congratulation to the family! Jolly has five adorable children! The little girl is not her's.

Some picture taking of the guests  after  the ceremony... but the best is yet to come.

Now at the reception!

And the foods that everybody is waiting for.

and the cakes...

more cakes...

Some pictures of the guests....

And the beautiful mother who made almost all the foods with her beautiful helpers and Winston who grilled this whole pig.

Well, after all the foods we had eaten, we find out that it was best to go outside for a walk. 

But I had to take off my shoes...coz It was difficult take a long walk with high heel's shoes:)

                          And guess what? We found these  cows and we have to take a picture with them.

But this one is the sweetest!

And with this picture together with the husband of my cousin and us, I say bye for now. This day was really worth remembering. Food for body, soul and spirit. 

JOY

How's your day?

A day of gratitude!

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I am so lucky and thankful to get a job in the nursing home here where I live and I am working there since 1991.

For that reason, it is easy for me to take the elderly for a tour outside the nursing home when the weather is nice. And I did that today!

We went to the seaside to fill our lungs with fresh air coming from the sea. 

And here she is really enjoying the view and the sun. Imagine, she haven't been out since last summer. Almost a year ago. I can almost feel her joy which she transmitted to me. A sickness of joy.
Anyway we were both happy when we came back to the nursing home and although my muscle was aching because it was heavy pushing the wheelchair, but I don't mind. It was worth. I just thank God for having the opportunity to make one's day special.

Another thing to be grateful about is my tulips that are now blooming!

                                                                    A yellow one!

a red one....

                                  an orange one......this in not a tulip

                                  Grateful for this wild flowers. They are also beautiful.

and for  my flowering cherry tree....

And for this citrus tree that I found in a flowers and  plants shop. Now I can make citrus juice everyday!

And for this delicious cake that we had eaten at work. 

And lastly, I am grateful for God's words for today!

How's your day?

JOY

The weeds of our lives!

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During spring time, we can see dandelions growing everywhere. And for me they are beautiful.  Many people don't like this wild grass because if one let them grow, they choke the other plants.  So although they are nice to look at, I dont want them either in my flowering  beds or else my other plants will be suffocated.

Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion (often simply called "dandelion"), is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae (Compositae). It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils. T. officinale is considered a weedy species, especially in lawns and along roadsides, but it is sometimes used as a medical herb and in food preparation. As a nearly cosmopolitan weed, common dandelion is best known for its yellow flower heads that turn into round balls of silver tufted fruits that blow away on the wind. ( wikipedia)

Anyway I tried to make an omelet one day and put diced dandelion leaves. But the taste was bitter and I just couldn't eat it.  I heard also that they make wine out of the yellow flowers. Well, for wine lovers, they can harvest tons of flowers during spring time if they want to. But for me, I am satisfied to let them color the roadsides.

In our lives, there are also many types of weeds that can choke our daily walk with God.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:16-17

The weeds of life: the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are like a banquet  of different kinds of foods just waiting to be eaten. Both our eyes and stomach longs for these delicacies. But if we devour all what's on the table, it can make us sick.  The weeds of life can make our lives miserable. The secret of resisting the weeds of life is to to do the will of God, thus abides forever.

And today I am grateful for God's words reminding me to do His will, not for  His benefit, but for my welfare. Isn't God really good?

Another thing to be greatful is the clear blue sky. It makes  our soul, body and spirit longs to spend our day outside. Imagine after a long winter,  we can just go outside without wearing  a jacket. 

So, me and my friend went to the nearest Cafe to take a bite then explore the beauty under the sun.

And guess what... there were no customers. Everybody is out and enjoying the sun.

Well, time to order something sweet!

Hmmm, this is really good!

Then smile to camera:)

And now, enjoying the beauty under the sun.

Like those cows in the meadow. They don't worry... just taking their lives as it is although one day they are going to end as biff on the table.

How about you? How's your day today?

JOY