Tag Archives: Heart

658. God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. ~St. Augustine

by

25

What you are is God’s gift to you,
what you become is your gift to God.
~Hans Urs von Balthasar

Screen shot 2015-02-18 at 9.47.19 PM

O Lord, whose voice I hear in the winds and my heart,
and whose breath gives life to all the world,
I come before You, one of Your many children, to ask that
You 
let me walk in beauty and help me make my eyes
ever ready to behold all the wonders of Creation.
Teach my hands to respect all the things You have made,
and help my ears be sharp to hear Your voice.
Help me also to be wise, so that I may know the things You
have hidden in every flower, leaf, and rock.
Teach me to rely on Your strength, not to fee; superior to others,
but to be able to fight against anything that displeases You.
Help me to be ever ready to come to You with clean hands,
a contrite heart, and straight eyes so when life fades
like a fading sunset my soul can come to You without shame.
~Edited and adapted Native American Prayer

The Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works. ~Psalm 145:9    ✝

Thank you, Jesus, for Your tender mercies; thank You that my surgery went well; and thank you that You walked with me every step of the way.  I come before You now to praise Your holy name and ask You to bless all those who have been praying for me.

**Image via Pinterest

650. Gratitude is the prayer, while celebration is the song and the dance of praise. ~Jonathan Lockwood Huie

by

42

Tha-thump, tha-thump, tha-thump…

Screen shot 2015-02-05 at 2.15.53 PM

Thank you, Lord, that the stress test on Tuesday showed that nothing is wrong with my heart other than the split-second delay between the tha-thump on the right side and the tha-thump on the left side. So the cardiologist has given the go ahead to the surgeon, and now, my knee-replacement is scheduled for next Thursday, February 26th at 10:30 A.M. So let the countdown begin… Love, Natalie

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. ~Psalm 103:2   ✝

** Image via Pinterest

648. Make friends with the angels, who though invisible, are always with you. ~St. Francis de Sales

by

24

The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us,
and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to
visit us, and we only know them when they are gone.
~George Eliot

Screen shot 2015-02-17 at 4.35.26 PM

Kind words, considerate actions, comforting wisdom, encouraging praise–all or some borne on the breath of warmhearted, consoling voices–are no less than the sweet sound of Grace falling on the ears of those in need of reassurance or salvation or deliverance. And what a blessing are they are, these angels chosen to deliver God’s grace for their tender voices and caring kindnesses penetrate all manner of despair. And these divinely appointed “earth angels,” often come from the ranks of ordinary people, but in rising to a divine calling they are lifted up to the realm of the extraordinary. And how they honor the Christ by answering His call to serve!

The human heart is an altar upon which one can and does lay a multitude of things. But, it is not meant to be a personal shrine for self-centered collections of worldliness. Nor should it be defiled with traces of anger, jealousy, or hatred. The altar of the heart should be blanketed with empathy, compassion, kindness, gentleness, non-violence, and love. Only then will it be a place that Holy God can find the fruits befitting angels and use the bearers of such as instruments of His grace and mercy. It’s not always an easy task to prepare the heart’s altar in such a way, but what an honor it is to realize that on the altar of one’s heart there is something worthy of being used by the Lord God Almighty.

Here’s to all the “earth angels” out there in the blogosphere who share their hearts and gifts with those in need.  I recognize your grace-filled hearts and I adore you…Natalie

May God grant you always…
a sunbeam to warm you,
a moonbeam to charm you,
a sheltering angel so nothing can harm you,
laughter to cheer you,
faithful friends near and far,
and whenever you pray, His ear to hear you.
~Irish Blessing

Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. ~Psalm 103:20   ✝

**Image via Pinterest

643. For it was not into my ear you whispered but into my heart; it was not my lips you kissed but my soul. ~Judy Garland

by

21

I would live in your love
as the sea-grasses live in the sea,
Borne up by each wave as it passes,
drawn down by each wave that recedes;
I would empty my soul of
the
 dreams that have gathered in me,
I would beat with your heart as it beats,
I would follow your soul as it leads.
~Sara Teasdale

*Holly over at House of Heart showed me how to insert music with my blog entries. So enjoy the love song at the bottom of this post.

Screen shot 2015-02-09 at 4.38.37 PM

The fountains mingle with the river
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single,
All things by a law divine
In one another’s being mingle—
Why not I with thine?

Screen shot 2015-02-09 at 4.50.33 PM

See the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves clasp one another;
No sister-flower would be forgiven
If it disdain’d its brother;
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea—
What is all this sweet work worth
If thou kiss not me?
~ Percy Bysshe Shelley

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. ~John 3:16    ✝

** Images via Pinterest

641. I’ll love you dear, I’ll love you till China and Africa meet and the river jumps over the mountain and the salmon sing in the street. ~W. H. Auden

by

14

We’re all a little weird.
And life is a little weird.
And when we find someone
whose weirdness is compatible with ours,
we join up with them and fall
into mutually satisfying weirdness —
and call it love — true love.
~Robert Fulghum

Screen shot 2015-02-11 at 7.38.08 PM

You’re my funny valentine,
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with my heart
Your looks are laughable, unphotographable
Yet, you’re my favorite work of art
Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak are you smart?

Screen shot 2015-02-09 at 4.55.24 PM


But, don’t change a hair for me,
not if you care for me
Stay little valentine, stay,
each day is valentine’s day…
~Excerpts from the song, My Funny Valentine, written by
Bradley, Robert/Nehra, Michael/Nehra,
Andrew/Fowlkes, Jeff/Diaz, Tim

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ~1 Corinthians 13:4-5   ✝

** Images via Pinterest

639. Update on knee surgery…

by

78

So I go in last week to do the pre-op for my knee replacement surgery which was (notice I said was) scheduled for next Tuesday, February 17th, and they call me the next day to say that my EKG was abnormal and that I need to see a cardiologist.  Thankfully there were able to arrange an appointment with the cardiologist for today.  This quote in the photo below seemed to be just right for an update about all this since it talks about the heart and left and right issues.

Screen shot 2015-02-10 at 4.14.03 PM

The electrical impulse that moves from the right side of the heart to the left should create a simultaneous spark or beat or whatever they call it, and mine isn’t.  There’s a split second delay between the firing on the right side and the firing on the left side.  The good news is that the cardiologist said it wasn’t a long enough delay to be serious at this time and that sometimes it happens as we age.  He went on to say that more than likely it would not require the insertion of a pacemaker.  But just to be sure there is no heart disease that might be causing it, he wants me to have a stress test and the quickest that it could be scheduled was next Tuesday the day I was supposed to have the surgery.  Thus, now pending any negative results from the stress test, the surgery has been rescheduled for Thursday, February 26th.  In the meantime the pain in my knee (actually now it’s pretty much my entire left leg and foot) has increased significantly.  That’s why I’ve not been able to read many of your posts and have been slow to answer comments and emails for the last several days.  I hate that and sadly with this increased amount of pain, that may continue right up until the surgery.  So please forgive me and keep those prayers a comin’.  I am going to try however to keep up with a daily post as that helps keep my mind off the pain, the tedium, and the anxiety.  I know the Lord has a reason for everything and I trust that He is watching over me and guiding these events, but the going is still very tough at times especially since this and another health issue have plagued me for over a year and both are exhausting.  Hopefully, I will be back some day soon.  Much love, Natalie

**Image via Pinterest

638. Love has no desire but to fulfill itself. To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving. ~Khalil Gibran

by

20

What greater thing is there for two human souls
than to feel that they are joined together
to strengthen each other in all labor,
to minister to each other in all sorrow,
to share with each other in all gladness,
to be one with each other
in the silent unspoken memories?
~George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans)

Screen shot 2015-02-08 at 10.02.21 PM

Close your eyes, baby
Follow my heart
Call on the memories
Here in the dark
We’ll let the magic
Take us away
Back to the feelings
We shared when they played:
In the still of the night
Hold me darlin’, hold me tight,
Oh so real, so right
Lost in the fifties tonight
These precious hours
We know can’t survive
But love’s all that matters
While the past is alive
Now and for always
Till time disappears
We’ll hold each other…
~Excerpted lines from “Lost in the 50’s Tonight” recorded
by Ronnie Milsap and written
by Seals, Troy Harold/Reid, Mike/Parris, Fredericke

Follow God’s example; therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ~Ephesians 5:1   ✝

**Images via Pinterest; collage created by Natalie

637. Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. ~Author Unknown

by

20

I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Screen shot 2015-02-08 at 9.46.23 AM

I want no world (for beautiful you are my world)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)
~Excerpted lines from a poem
by e.e. cummings

The Lord appeared to us in the past saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. ~Jeremiah 31:3   ✝

**Image via Pinterest

635. Red is the color that makes my heart sing. ~ Author Unknown

by

34

Red is the taste of a ripe, luscious strawberry,
and red the breast of a robin flying high.
Red’s also the crimson glow of Rudolph’s nose,
and red is the color of St. Nicholas’ suit.
Red are boxes of chocolate on Valentine’s Day,
and red is the shiny ruby that cries out to be bought.
Red are the garnet embers of a crackling fire,
and red is a feeling of safety with the ones you love.

Screen shot 2015-02-04 at 10.31.23 AM

Red is hard and stubborn.
Red will never give in
Even when it needs to.

Screen shot 2015-02-04 at 10.21.05 AM

Red has the brawn of an ox,
The skill of a pride of lions,
And the diligence of a colony of ants.

Screen shot 2015-02-04 at 4.45.01 PM

Red does not back down or grow weary.
Red stands his ground firmly.
Red is optimistic.

Screen shot 2015-02-04 at 11.06.37 AM

Red is like a harvest of fresh raspberries:
Satisfyingly and deliciously juicy.
Red is charming and romantic.
~Edited verses by Sunny Summers

Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor. ~Proverbs 21:21   ✝

**Images via Pinterest; collages created by Natalie

630. If Heaven made him — earth can find some use for him. ~Chinese Proverb

by

12

Truly, I am as a grain of sand in the desert,
Infinitesimal, so very small!
And, yet, I serve a purpose in this wondrous world,
As do the trees, so stately and so tall.
I’m just a tiny atom that God has placed down here—
I do not even know the reason why!
But I’m sure that He, with wisdom, has evolved a plan
To fit me in His pattern ere I die.
~Gertrude Tooley Buckingham

Screen shot 2015-01-27 at 2.01.27 PM

According to Scripture, each one of us is made in God’s image, and though we are, as Buckingham declares, merely an infinitesimal “grain of sand in the desert,” we do indeed, as she also purports, serve a purpose “in this wondrous world.” We are also told in Holy Writ, that the Lord with His limitless power is ready, willing, and able to helps us discern what our purpose is. So the question is how does He do that? Well, we are given a brain that has the ability to learn, a heart that is able to love, ears that hear, and eyes that are capable of discerning a wide spectrum of things. Okay, then, how does He, from afar, orchestrate the discharge of His plan. Well, since our mouths can deliver His loving smile, our voices speak comforting words, our hands administer compassionate healing, our legs carry whatever is lacking to places totally bereft of the “wondrous” aspect of life, it would appear our lives are to be spent serving Him with the gifts we’ve been given. The better question is: how can we who bear Yahweh’s image and breathe His holy breath, do anything but make it our primary concern to spend time with Him and ask for revelation about what it is He would have us do with our “one wild and precious life.” Otherwise, what would be the point of being able to give and receive love if there were no place to spend it nor people with whom to share it?

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose. ~Romans 8:28   ✝

** Image via Pinterest