Pretending to have seasons

I found this recipe for pumpkin muffins this morning... be sure to click on link to see beautiful picts of muffins. We didn't have any eggs! So it was cinnamon toast and Hot Choclate, in his own Hot Choclate mug, and we even read Snow a PD Eastman book. It was dark outside, and cold so we pretended we were in a fall/winter house, warming up to the day. It was a hoot!

I know I'm in denial, I have Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow, as my new phone ring. It's kind of funny. Eric was tired of my 'screamer' ring, of Love Song by ___ Barellis. I like it, but it does kind of break the mood. He thinks I should get stand by your man, however,,, didn't that relationship end up in Divorce?

So we were off to City Park today. It's a new park revived in a sort of fantastic old style way. There is a fantastic kids playground, tennis center, art gallery, golf course, beaches w/ducks to feed, and 'lakes'. There is also a dog park, sponsored by Cane's Chicken. Yum!

Anyway, we met Meg and girls and had a ball, we actually were in a BREC advertisement for a Christmas event... well, Meg & I weren't, the kids were. We picked up take-out at Zeeland Market, veggie plate and a turkey sandwich for boy's and we were off. Super yum... Sweet potatoes, green beans, dressing, & butter beans. Sweet tea!

I promised myself a few things when I started to blog. One of those things is to not be negative. I blog on a day where hot choclate & cinnamon toast & a trip to City Park were more for Mom than for kids. I am prayerful today, with some simple efforts to distract myself from the newspaper headlines. Can't say I'm surprised at the headlines. But I'm not a blogger in denial. I may have a rediculous ring-tone...and blog about restaurants, but if you know me at all, you know I'm concerned for our nation. I trust you & I will be mindful of our newly elected president & his family, in prayer, for our nation, for our new & incumbent members of house & senate.

That said, I ran across an 'old faithful' sister read. Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World written by Joanna Weaver was the book I had read. And just picking it up to share, I realized I had come across a new book from the same author. The title of this read is Having a Martha Spirit. The book is filled with inspiring information... helpful information...timely information.

From her chapter entitled 'Rooting Out Bitterness' she mentions 9 suggestions for avoiding the 'shriveled soul syndrome.' I won't attempt to post all of these. I found this book in our public library, but I will share one idea that spoke to me.

'#9 Think globally. Enlarged souls follow the Lord of the universe. Shriveled souls want a village God who attends to their whims... Enlarged souls see their role in serving the world. Shriveled souls make their world the whole world." Her comment was footnoted from another book titled "The Shriveled Soul Syndrome: How to Live Large for a Lifetime,"by Paul Borthwick. The same term 'village God' I read in a book from renowned author Madeline L'Engle, writer of "A Wrinkle in Time."(and at least 20 other books...) News to me, she is quite a faithful believer in God. Understament. Her spiritual maturity is far beyond mine, not to mention her life experience maturity by age and event. But back to my point, she writes in her book The Rock that is Higher about this same village God.