The Look of Love

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all. What a wonderful holiday - about taking time to express a grateful attitude. We are blessed beyond belief here on Buhlaland, warm house, family upstairs visiting us for the holiday and a new bovine neighbor.

Our delightful neighbors just to the north have longhorned cattle - the big gal is Maggie and her look of love is for her handsome bull calf - Buckaroo. Who loves ya baby?(line from old tv detective show) nobody loves you like your mama.

Thankful - best holiday of the year - giving thanks in all things for that is the will of Jesus Christ in our lives. Be good to yourself today and look deeply into someone's eyes letting them know the look of love.

Kindness -

Be kind to yourself. God thinks you’re worth His kindness. And He’s a good judge of character. Max Lucado

Explanation - this says I wrote it on November 4th - but in reality - I wrote the title and the Max Lucado quote the 4th - then shelved the whole thing until today - November 20th - shameful behavior - I'm a PRO at crastination.







With a theme of self kindness - I am not groveling in guilt or posturing in pain - simply sharing in simplicity.

I am not blogging regularly - whether motivation or hesitation or gestation (oops not that word) or even aggravation - the end result is my 400th blog post is about being kind.

Pondering why it is easy to be kind to total strangers (giving to charities, praying for people unknown to me, supporting children in far off lands) yet often hard to be kind to my self or those dearest to me?
Now don't mistake my statement for a proclamation of being totally sacrificial or never self indulgent -would not be a truth.

I have enough of the old legalism in my system to believe I need to castigate myself for old wrongs, dredge up events which have long since become dusty ancient history or remind myself - you may have done something nice this time - but you KNOW how you are. Well - doubt I'll change all those years of programming but I do know - staying in touch with my internet, blogosphere world is important enough I want to be holding up my end of the deal.

Next week I'm off work (from wonderful job at acupunct's office) and celebrating one of the best holidays of the year. Thanksgiving - yep - I can DO thanksgiving. I'm giving thanks this year for so many gifts - hard to number but I begin with this prayer:



We bless the Lord, the just, the good, who fills our hearts with joy and food; who pours His blessing from the skies, and loads our days with rich supplies.
Isaac Watts

Amen - our rich supplies aren't listed with turkey, yams and butter - we are supplied with what really matters - good beginning to my week of Thanksgiving.

399 blog posts - what a LOT of words - hope some of them have given you hope, peace or at least a smile. We always have the goats on Buhlaland to give us a smile!

Responses

First I'll put up a legal disclaimer since idjits at internet central or whatever have nothing more to do than be concerned whether bloggers are fraudulently recommending things for which they are paid to recommend - nothing in this blog is paid for by any being - the Lord provides and the Lord takes away, Blessed is the name of the Lord.

Whew - now pinto bean recipe for Pam - I know she is eating healthier (and has lost a LOT of weight as well as gained energy). By the way, dear Pam - we don't much eat turnips - not a favorite of either of us. If I did - would brush small amount of good olive oil, plenty of salt and pepper - then roast 'em til they are squishy and sweet.

Currently I'm making beans this way:

32 ounce bag dried pinto beans
1 large onion roughly chopped
Garlic – at least two cloves chopped
Two teaspoons of pepper corns
Two small cans diced green chilies
Large can of tomatoes including juice
Two teaspoons ground cumin
One lb. bacon chopped, cooked and drained OR
One 2.8 oz. jar Hormel REAL bacon pieces
Salt to taste


Prepare dried beans by rinsing with clean water and picking out any small pieces of rock or debris. Put beans in a large cooking pot – cover with water and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover pan and let sit for one hour – beans will absorb liquid and swell up. If you are picky – drain off water add fresh but I use the soak water – beans are already clean from rinsing. Remove cover; add enough water to completely cover beans. Add to bean pot, Onion, garlic, peppercorns, chilies, tomatoes and bacon - bring to low simmering boil. Cook until beans are softened – adding hot water if water level drops below top of beans. Add salt as soon as beans begin to soften – good way to check if beans are done – take one bean out in a cold metal spoon – blow on it and if the skin breaks open – it is probably quite done!

I also recommend going to the various boards for recipes - Dry Beans
Obviously if your family hates garlic or chilies or whatever – modify – the bacon pieces in a jar are less expensive and WAY less messy than frying up all that bacon.

KathyB -will have to find those B&B pictures and a few recipes - will have to be a whole separate posting. I probably do have a picture of our wedding at the inn.

Lanny - already said I'm going to work at posting more often but I am so committed to a few other things - not sure how well I'll do this - so will try but not covenant to post more often.

Sandra - not at all sure about Scotsmen - one of the few nationalities I have never dated or married! I'd hope they wore something solid color (I'm including skin color in there 'cause I've heard that is most likely what they wear) so wouldn't clash with clan plaid. Question immediately reminded me of the scene in Braveheart where the clans pulled up their kilts in defiance and shone their hineys at enemy soldiers!

Vickie - fellow Texan! Where would I visit IF the world weren't beset by terrorists, economic upheaval and hatred of Americans? - Dream visit would probably be Jerusalem - dream vacation would be a warm tropical beach - have lived on both right and left side of USA map - as well as north and south - love the natural beauty and unique places each state has to offer. But my statement stands - if I had to pick - visit Jerusalem/ stay a while on warm sands in the tropics!

Kathleen - funny you would ask what would I do, recently did a bucket list (things to do before we die) with a bunch of people on WalkerTracker.com -

top would be (I sound like a dimwitted beauty contestant here) something of significance for the Kingdom of God - build a missionary hospital in Ethiopia would top that list. Probably in the list of things I'd be able to do without winning lotto would be stay where we are for as long as we live - then both go to heaven at the same time!

Picture is recent sunrise over the tree line at our place - I mean really - where would I want to be other than right here on Buhlaland. It is good here and I appreciate y'all's interest in my life. Will put up B&B post SOON I promise .

It's a mad plaid world isn't it?

Dear friends and others who read my foolishness - picture is quite irrelevant to what I am writing today . Picture taken last holiday season - me holding a large gift bow on top of my head and attempting to get a picture of my big plaid self. The expression - ah - a thing of beauty is a joy forever - or some such poetic nonsense. I take self portraits in front of our hall tree/mirror in entry way - limits the options but can see myself.

All this aside - I am only a few posts short of putting up my 400th (oh my goodness) blogpost and rather than think of something clever or meaningful (and to prove I'm mentally lazy) I have decided to open the door to potential hazardous topics.

Y'all can ask anything you want - do I wear boxers or briefs? Where did I get my education? Am I a pre/mid or post tribulationist? You send in the question and I'll attempt to answer. Now - I will refuse a question which I cannot answer honestly/truthfully without hurting someone else - fair enough?

No prizes - no guess my weight or anything risky - just questions and answers. I realize I am not Ree Drummond but hope this will be fun for y'all. Oh - yes food questions are great too. Things like how I cook an elephant (very seldom) or my favorite meal ever - or something simple like why does a jelly sandwich always land jelly side down?

Life is great on Buhlaland - incredible autumn weather, within a reasonable time of finishing THE GREAT RENOVATION PROJECT (cue the sound of celestial choirs) and overall knowing we are blessed beyond belief. Our infirmities never block the view of eternity.

Sharing with you an absolute Truth with a capital T -

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
2 Corinthians 12:9