Dear Reader:

It was Karen Carpenter who sang about “Rainy Days and Mondays always got her down.” But Sundays? Yesterday actually made me happy…in the sense of content to snuggle in and just enjoy the rainy day.

The gardener in me was happy for the soft rain to help all the potting soil and manure sink into the ground around the Japanese Maples. I was also happy that Luke had cut down the little shrub tree we nicknamed the “devil” because the thorns on it were wicked. Poor Luke got stabbed a few times just trying to get it out to the curb for pick-up late Saturday afternoon.

I didn’t want to take a chance on any of the grandchildren accidentally getting stabbed looking for Easter eggs or while just playing  in the back yard. Besides it was right next to Eloise’s new Japanese Maple…wicked thorns…yuck!

Outside my computer “office”…is a beautiful old camellia bush (tree size)…it is already gearing up for February with the top branches full of tiny pink buds. So wonderful to see color returning to the landscape!

There are several smaller camellia bushes squeezed in on the property line between my next door neighbor and me…a nice young couple who told me to help myself to anything that popped up…since we shared them equally. So sweet. Here are two I picked to bring back in and brighten the house.

It was also a day for reading…I love rainy days for that very reason. Over the weekend I was working on getting my bills for the month of February ready to go out and I began gathering tax returns to be ready to get that annual “chore” over with soon too.

So…I decided to treat myself to a rainy day of soup and sandwiches Sunday…’Tea Room Mysteries” books and perhaps even a Hallmark television romance. It is just what we gals like to do! Any little nook and cranny (like the title photo) in my bedroom appeals to me…I find myself wanting to crawl up in it and fall asleep safe and sound.

It makes me wonder about God and resting. I have always heard God is on “watch” 24/7 but that makes me sad in a way. After all He purposefully built in a day of rest for us mere mortals each week…doesn’t our Divine Creator deserve the same?

I enjoyed reading this article on the connection of our resting and the quality of our lives.

The Lost Practice of Resting One Day Each Week

WRITTEN by JOSHUA BECKER

*This is a great article to read all the way through…if you have time…pull it and read it sometime when you have time...or make time. In the meantime...here are a few excerpts I liked.

…”Ask many of yesterday’s philosophers and they will tell you rest is essential for the mind. Leonardo da Vinci said, “Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer.” And Ovid, the Roman poet, said, “Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.” Your mind requires rest.

Ask most religious leaders and they will tell you rest is essential for the soul. Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam (among others) teach the importance of setting aside a period of time for rest. Your soul requires rest.”

“…Find contentment in your current life. Much of the reason we are unable to find adequate rest is because we are under the constant impression that our lives can and should be better than they are today. This constant drive to improve our standing through the acquisition of money, power, or skills robs us of contentment and joy.

Ultimately, rest is an extension of our contentment and security. Without them, simplicity and rest is difficult, if not impossible. Stop focusing on what you don’t have and start enjoying the things you do.”

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So until tomorrow:

He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.” —Benjamin Franklin

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

This is my artifact from the Pine Forest Inn that Honey gave me years ago…a little tin duck candle holder.I prize it!  (Different rooms in the inn had different themes and this room accessory probably was located in rooms set aside for the avid hunters who came down each year for dove, quail, or duck hunting.)