do you love coffee?

 I'm pretty sure many of you love coffee in the morning... 

as do I.

But, how many of you have coffee that LOVES YOU??

(see photo of my hot water pot below)

“Come, let us drink our fill of love..."

~Proverbs 7:18 

(taken completely out of context, I know!! 

but tell me that didn't make you smile!)

His love will wipe away all our tears...

 Over the years since I began this blog, I've had friends send me photos of hearts they discover in their worlds.  I always love it when I see these reminders of God's love in our daily lives.  I especially love that others see them, too... and it's that much more special when they share them with me.

One of my friends has several daughters, and they love to send me photos of the hearts they discover.   The photo below is one the girls sent me awhile ago.   Unfortunately, on my cell phone's tiny screen, I couldn't tell what it actually was and had to ask...

only to discover it was... 

a roll of toilet paper!!!!

 They couldn't wait to send it to me, and it definitely made me smile!!  God uses the strangest things to speak to us, if we have eyes to see! 

...And the Lord GOD 

will wipe tears away from all faces... 

~Isaiah 25:8

ttmms... (things that make me smile)...

Most people who have known me more than just a few days probably have discovered that I can be pretty easily entertained and amused.  I get a kick out of small things (not like midgets and such!) and enjoy finding quirky bits in life.  I'm an avid reader-of-license plates and actually have a list of fun ones I've seen.  I love strangely colored or shaped fruit or veges or just things that look out-of-the-ordinary.  I have the carcasses of several brightly-colored bugs in a box on my dresser.   I see faces on cars, either front end or back.  

All these things make me smile and give me joy.

I think it's a good thing to be able to find fun and to take pleasure in the small things in life.  I mean, isn't that what our lives are really made up of-- an occasional big thing here and there strung together with many many small things in between?  I know I don't wait to wait around for a big thing to enjoy when I can delight in so many other little things along the way.

And that is what this blog is really about-- experiencing the daily life stuff and looking and listening for God's hand and voice in it all.  And seeing what delights He has put here for us to enjoy if we will allow ourselves to be easily entertained.

In light of all of that, I present to you today one of the many Things That Make Me Smile...  

I have recently discovered ...the happiest cars on earth:

Tell me that doesn't make you smile!! : )

I am grateful for smiling cars...

A joyful heart is good medicine...

~Proverbs 17:22a

2011... day 2....

(butter on my cornbread)

He gives food to every creature.

His love endures forever.

~Psalm 126:35

2011... day 1...

(strawberry in New Year's Day breakfast cereal)

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
~Psalm 107:1

ttmms...

Today I was at work enjoying a snack of raspberries and almonds.

I was happily munching along when this little character showed up...

Who, on earth, was this?

A strange little "person" whom I could possibly call

Mr. Raspberry...

or, perhaps, Little Orphan Almondine?

What a silly, happy little face--

I couldn't help but giggle every time I looked at it...

and, yes, even laugh out loud!

Yes, I do realize I have yet to grow up...

and to stop playing with my food...

but, tell me, what fun would THAT be?!

I like to think it's just a bit of that

"created in God's image" piece called

CREATIVITY

and

DELIGHT.

...yes, this is one of those

Things That Make Me Smile...
(go ahead...you can laugh at it, too!)

curiosity...

I don't know about you, but I am the curious type. I like to know things... to investigate... to explore... to discover! I love to use my macro lens to see into the micro world. I love to look under rocks and logs and behind trees and into the center of flowers. I pick things up and put them in my pockets. I've always been that way. My mom said I was always curious as a child. I guess it's the way I was designed... with an extra measure of curiosity.

So... what does one do when one is created with a huge amount of curiosity and one finds a hole in the ground?? Questions fly faster than Mercury.... what made the hole? what lives in there? I must know!! I must investigate! I must find out!!

My nephews found this hole while I was visiting them in Georgia, and they were as curious as I. They patiently stone-still and waited by the hole... and waited ... and waited...

...and waited...

and then...

there it was....

...the inhabitant of the hole!
...so fuzzy...

...so leggy...

...so many eyes!!

...and curiosity satisfied...

{sigh of contentment}

God made the wild animals according to their kinds,

the livestock according to their kinds,

and all the creatures that move along the ground

according to their kinds.

And God saw that it was good.

~Genesis 1:25

i'm lovin' it!

My cousin posted this wonderful heart on my Facebook wall today!! It's a chicken mcnugget!! and I love it! What a great reminder to be on the lookout for delightful surprises...you never know where or how God's going to give you some lovin'!

eggs-actly how I like it!

This evening my mom and I had dinner with a friend at a pancake house. I didn't end up with pancakes; I decided to have eggs with biscuits and gravy. (please, let's not think about the cholesterol or fat content...this was just pure eating fun!)


My order included two eggs, and this is what my plate looked like when it arrived:

Ummmm.... I don't know about anyone else, but I believe I'm seeing FOUR eggs here!


When I started to ask about the eggs situation, the waitress, already anticipating the question, quickly said, "We only serve eggs with double yolks here!"


WOW! My favorite part and double the deliciosity!! (yes, I'm sure that is a word! if not, it should be!)


Just thought I would share the oddity of the day and my doubly-delightful dinner...eggsactly how I like my eggs!!

things you DON'T want to see in your pool...

That's definitely something you don't want to find in your swimming pool!!

My friend is the President of her condo's Home Owner's Association, and she received a late night 911 call. When she listened to the message left on her voice mail, she discovered that one of the owners had seen a creature --a very large snake-- in the pool. They weren't sure... but it looked very real and more than a bit intimidating!

When I got to her house in the morning,

I found the following note in the elevator...

I love it...
Just one more of those things that make me smile!!
* * * * *
(but I do think they should have written: "fowling" the water!)
These are things that bring joy to my day!

seeing the miraculous in the "common"...

The invariable mark of wisdom is

to see the miraculous in the common.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"The common"... being that which we see in every day life...

and do not appreciate for the very miracle that it is.

Just because it is "common"

does not make it any less miraculous...

Like, for instance...

a nut...

or a fruit...

or a rock...

in a shape --a heart--

speaking of a Father's amazing creative love!

Or, draining the "water" from a tree...

to boil down into a gloriously sweet treat
called maple syrup!

Or, to see ducks walking by

with heads of brilliant metallic royal blue...

which, in just a slight turn of their heads,

shine an amazing emerald green!

Or, how a small, strange, papery egg sac stuck to a rock...

will produce hundreds of delightfully garden-loving praying mantises! (manti??) Or how a spring flower pushes its head through the snow and debris
to blossom in the spring sunshine

where no seed was planted ...

but comes up year after year "on its own."
Or, the strikingly amazing rainbow colors...

of an ordinary vegetable which would commonly be green...

These are all "miraculous"

in the common of our every day lives.

I am grateful that we have a Creator who daily

displays miracles for us

if we will have the eyes to see

and hearts to understand!

loving the macro world...

I have decided that I adore the macro world! Er...well, or is it the "micro" world?? I call it the macro world because that's the camera lens through which I examine and photolog it. My friend, however, pointed out that it's really the MICRO world--I'm looking at the teeny tiniest up-close-and-personal details of things. So, whether you call it the micro world or the macro world, just know that I LOVE it!!

What looks like an ordinary bougainvillea plant ....

...when looked at microscopically...

or through a macro lens...

becomes so much more extraordinary!!

...closer...

...closer....

...WOW!!.. look at that wonderful detail!!...
...and now from the front and center...

...closer...

...look at those colors...

(and, are those little white hearts even??)

...flowers within a flower...

...amazing color and detail...

I love that our Father is the most amazing Creator

and that He pays such attention to detail!

For this... I am grateful!

(no wonder He says we are "fearfully and wonderfully made!" Psalm 139:14)

what you see...

It's not what you look at that matters,
it's what you see.

~Henry David Thoreau

a dirty parking lot floor,

or.....?

(top left of picture... )

(hope you enjoyed "seeing" a spot of gum in a new way!)

"special"...

On Saturday, two of my young friends and I went on a little excursion to a local shell shop for a bit of shopping. They each had a certain amount of money to spend and were working hard to buy what they really wanted and still stay within the specified dollar amount. S, the older (at 8 1/2), was doing pretty well on his own--finding treasures, adding up the cost, checking with me for verification of his funds availability (and could he go over just a bit?!)--while I helped B, the younger (at 7), do his treasure hunting and calculating.

We had a great time checking out all the sea treasures and doodads in the store, and it didn't take the boys too long to make their decisions and reach their dollar limits. They were able to get a bit more "bang for their buck," as many of the items were on sale, and most of the baskets from which they pulled their treasures were marked with "SPECIAL!" signs.

When we got out to the car, both of the boys opened their bags and pulled out and unwrapped their purchases to examine them with delight once again. They were very pleased with themselves. S exclaimed about what a great shop that was and how wonderful everything was in it. He said, "These things are so very SPECIAL, aren't they, Sharilyn?!" I agreed with him that they, indeed, were.

Both boys talked excitedly about the store and the awesome things they had seen in it. And then, after remarking about how great were his purchases, S said, "There were so many good things in that store! That's why there were all those signs saying 'special'... because all those things were so special!"

I agreed with him as I held back a chuckle at his misunderstanding of the use of the "special" signs. He was impressed that everything was so very "special" in the shop and didn't realize that "special" meant "on sale" in that context.

This little boy's misinterpretation of the use of a word started my mind to working.... about how differently God sees than we do. People. Circumstances. What we see as failure, God sees as an opportunity for growth and deepening of character. What we see as a broken life, God sees as a chance for something new to be built from the pieces. What we see as a hopeless person, not worth trying to rescue (on sale? not worth much?), God sees as SPECIAL... a treasure.

Hmmm. Out of the mouths of babes... no wonder Jesus said we must be like children! They have a way of seeing things that we miss. They have insight and understanding born of a certain sense of innocence and lack of sophistication. They are generally looking at the world with their eyes wide open and with the wonder and awe of seeing things for the first time. To them, so very much of the world and what it holds is, indeed, SPECIAL...to be delighted in...to be treasured.

I love how God uses everyday situations to remind us of His presence and His character. I love how He uses even the seemingly smallest things to point us to Him and His ways. And, I'm sure I'll never look at a "SPECIAL" sale sign in the same way again.

a matter of perspective...

Much of the time, I find that my view of my world and how I feel about it really is a matter of perspective.

Like today, for instance.

The weather was gloomy, darkish, overcast--my friend thought it was depressing and ominous whereas I thought it was wonderful in its moodiness and gloom.

I was tired of and frustrated by the project I was working on at work today, and then I was reminded of all the people who are currently out of work.

I was wishing the air conditioning was working in my car, and then I thought of all the people taking the city bus because they couldn't afford to have a car.

And... when I was walking into the post office, there on the sidewalk was what others would consider a dirt spot, a smear of grease...
...but it didn't look like a dirt spot to me... I see a man (tall and thin) holding a heart in his hand...(I'm not sure, though, if it's his or that of someone he loves)

How do you see things today?

(and, if you have any thoughts about my grease spot, feel free to tell me what it looks like to you!)

what...?!?!

I've spent the last two evenings after work, until just about bed time, at the hospital visiting a friend who is unexpectedly there for a few days. And, it's been a long week at work. I'm a bit tired, and perhaps, a bit punchy as well. It is in that mode/mood I write this post tonight...

I had a couple of "what....!?!" sightings on the way home that I thought I would share with you.

For this first one, I was driving from work and had to stop at a stoplight. I looked at the car in front of me... nice car... an Audi... but WHAT was that riding around on the trunk?!!?!?

I started laughing!! How funny! I think it was play-dough... in a lovely shade of fuschia!

I wonder if the driver even knew it was there?? And, I wondered if the one who put it there just forgot it or if it was meant to be a joke, in which case they're somewhere snickering away? Either way, I enjoyed the stop at that stop light!!

I also had to stop at the store to pick up some milk. When I came out of the store, it was just turning to dusk, and I happened to glance up at the sky. "What...?!" It was a lovely display of moon and star (probably planet, actually...Venus, maybe?) ...

They were in kind of unusual positions, and I thought they were beautiful.

I really loved that a couple of other people were walking to their cars gazing and commenting on how cool it looked! (I do so love it when I catch other people seeing and enjoying the things I see and enjoy!)

And, lastly, when I was walking to the hospital from the parking lot tonight, I happened to look down at the sidewalk in front of me, and ... "What...?!" I saw a bill on the ground, and there was no one else around to whom it could belong. I bent down and picked it up and discovered it was a $5 bill--which is just about what it costs to park in the hospital parking lot for the hours I was going to be there!

God is very cool, don't you think?! ... a laugh at a stoplight, a wonderful night sky, and my parking at the hospital paid for... What more could one ask for in one night?

...and so, with a smile (like the moon) and a wink (like the star), and a thank you to the One Who created them both (and gave me the parking money!!), I bid this day good-night...