I could have danced all night I could have danced all night And still have begged for more
I could have spread my wings And done a thousand things I've never done before
I'll never know what made it so exciting Why all at once my heart took flight I only know when he began to dance with me I could have danced, danced, danced all night
Yes, after 56 years I am more than willing to dance with Robert Milan. We have FUN together. Sometimes he carries his teasing and jokes too far for my emotion at a given moment, but overall, we have fun.
We create humor and jokes between ourselves. We are friends, yes, even best friends. There are times he gets on my last nerve and I get on his, but we each get over that and move on.
On this date in Edges of His Ways Amy wrote:
It is the little things of life, the minute, unimportant-looking things, that are most likely to shatter our peace, because they are so small that we are very likely to fight them ourselves instead of looking up at once to our Strong God, our Barrier between us and them. “Close the gate, or bar up the way, as the cloudy pillar formed a barricade between the Egyptians and Israel” is Kay’s note.
The deaths of Ginny and Chuck Lynch have taught us how short life is, how unexpectedly death can come and now is the time to love and laugh, to cherish and sing.
When I saw Bob Dutina for the first time, at a distance, it really was love at first sight. I have never understood exactly how our lives came to be together; however, I am grateful and blessed to have been given the gift of this incredible marriage.. Thanks be to God!
Psalm 90:12. So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
I posted this with wrong date. Then it did not seem to post this morning. So here is another attempt!!
I write about this many times because I am still learning the importance of gratitude. I studied the book by Ann Voskamp entitled One Thousand Gifts and did the work of finding a thousand things to be grateful for. Mind you, there were to be no repeats from day to day. Her goal was for us to “Find Everyday Graces.”
There have been many research projects proving the benefits of doing this practice.
Recently while listening on Insight Timer the meditation instructor mentioned write 3 gratitudes, large or small. Yes, I know about those. Then he went further and said, “#2. Explain why you are grateful and how they improve your life.”
Yes, I have likely thought that while recording the gratitude, but never wrote out the reasons why. Research shows that if we will write things out, especially with pen or pencil, they make a greater impact upon us.
Then he went on to, “#3: Notice how focus upon gratitude shifts awareness from unfairness towards appreciation.”
Oh boy! Don’t most of us love to harp on things we perceive as unfair!?!
So while writing this blog I stopped to perform the three steps the teacher proposed for expanding gratitude. Yes, I literally stopped typing and wrote out with a pen the answers to his expanded examination of gratitude. It actually takes less time than one might think it would! And I do find myself more at peace and delighted with the three gratitudes.
If I type my responses out for you, I am not at all certain they will retain your attention. The benefits however are not to be discounted.
Word Press says that so far this blog post only requires a one minute or so reading. So here goes. I have often blogged about crocheting, cooking and gardening. They are my three topics.
1. I am able to crochet again
2. I enjoy cooking
3. Nasturtium blessings
Okay there are three but they are not explained at all.
#2. Why grateful? How it improves you life.
I am grateful I can create with yarn, be it a coaster, hat or blanket. Crochet improves my life with gifts to give, plus the joy of sharing patterns and the craft with Dana, Bonnie, Phyllis, etc.
Cooking is a creative outlet for me, but I am glad we can eat out when we want so I don’t have to cook dinner daily. Cooking improves my life because I use better ingredients and less salt than restaurants. It is also fun to share what I cook with others.
I am grateful for nasturtiums because so long as I pick them they bloom on and on. No matter how many I pick they bloom right into the frost season. They also remind me of our first year of marriage.
Nasturtiums improve my life because through them I can bring sunshine into the house with different shades of yellow and orange. I also get to share a bouquet with others. 🙂
Our nasturtiums with one rose
Gratitude shifts from unfair to appreciative.
After 55 years of the craft to have to stop crochet was sad, but the steroid injection in my thumb joint, then giving it time to heal, learning a new way to hold my hook differently and being content to crochet less all flowed from the change in ability. Perhaps this old dog has actually learned a new trick?!?
I have gratitude that I could in recent years offer meals to Pete (RIP) and Chuck and Ginny (RIP). The gratitude helps relieve the grief of their passing. Soon Kathy will move back to Florida for six or seven months, (that too is grief for me). I suppose I might share her portions with Jennifer, Judi and Micky, or Jerry and Diane?
The summer was blistering and miserable. I got nasturtium seeds in the ground before surgery. Then I had to get family, friends and neighbors to pick the flowers so they would not go to seed. I was often frustrated that I could not just go do it myself. (In fact, it was one of the first things I actually did outdoors once I could bear weight on the boot.) I have a better appreciation now for these sturdy little annuals and the friends who helped me in my garden when I was unable.
There. That is expansion on the three simple gratitudes. It did not take much time to write it out long hand. Studies show that is more impactful on our brains than typing, though I mostly type my journal now because of arthritis in my hands.
I hope this blog will inspire you to try this exercise. At least once a week? Look at your life, find three things to be grateful for, and then answers the questions.
#1. Write 3 gratitudes, large or small. #2. Explain why you are grateful and how they improve your life. #3. Notice how focus upon gratitude shifts awareness from unfairness towards appreciation.
Ann Voskamp wrote, “And I ride the undulating wave of grace, this lifting higher and higher in grace, the surging crest of joy, and this plunging lower and lower in humble thankfulness only to rise yet higher in grace.” Page 108 One Thousand Gifts Devotional
We were driving through Columbus, Ohio and stumbled upon this mural. No, it is not a little thing, but look closely! At first we were mesmerized by how perfectly the yellow Swallowtails were captured. Then the perfect goldfinch.
And the plants on the outside of the build!
Taken of a wall facing the mural, so light not the best.
And then I startled Bob when I cried out in my amazement, Look! Look at the hands!!
We had been looking at the features of this mural, but we had not seen that there were hands sheltering the goldfinch at the center. My eyes were able to overlook the windows in the wall, and the plants were lovely. When I spotted the hands I was amazed! If you are a regular reader you might remember I just wrote last week about the Goldfinch on the “volunteer” sunflowers along our front walkway. https://treasuresinplainsight.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=23792&action=edit
It is good, every once in a while, to let ourselves be stupefied by gratitude, to cast upon ourselves a spell against indifference by moving through the world with an inner bow at every littlest thing that prevailed over the odds of otherwise in order to exist.
MARIA POPOVA
I left home the morning of our travels with this quote in my mind and heart. Have you done this? Have you turned life into a festival of statuettes. Has “every littlest thing that prevailed over the odds of otherwise in order to exist” captured your attention? Can you bow at this thing? The blade of grass growing through a crack in the pavement. The crickets singing in spite of rain and drought and mowers, prevailing over chemical treatment of lawns and the supposed decline of the lightning bugs.
“Stupefied by gratitude.” What a glorious stance towards life! I am going it try this today and hopefully for several days.
“Cast upon ourselves a spell against INDIFFERENCE.” In these weeks of preparation for Halloween and All Saints Day this a reminder every time we see a “play” witch to cast upon OURSELVES – that spell against indifference. Powerful concept. We usually walk about in a stupor, numb against the obvious blessings that overflow our lives. Can we imagine the many angels that walk with us?
Moving through the world with an inner bow .. yes! As the hardware store slogan goes, “Let’s do this!” So grateful for each little thing.
We made a little short trip to get us out of town, break up the routine and see the area of Holmes County, northern Ohio where many Amish dwell.
Found the pattern for this quilt that my Grandgirl has been wanting to make. They called it a rag quilt. It was made with strips of flannel that have the raw edges exposed. It was so soft I almost bought this one. But it was only a lap size and I would want a big one!
I bought some flannel for a new pillow cover for myself. At another fabric shop I bought a piece of fabric to cover the sofa since that beagle sheds so mightily.
We saw so many motorized bicycles! Even the grannies were riding them! And many, many houses with solar panels. It seems that Amish and Mennonite families are now allowed to own solar panels as long as they are not connected to the electric grid.
Photo by rm dutina
On our last trip we asked a young Mennonite lady where she charged her bike. She said many employers are nice enough to let them charge the bikes at work. Now with so many solar panels I guess most of them charge at home.
One of the hardest things we had finding was a cup of coffee to go! We missed our afternoon rest for several days in a row, so coffee kept us from getting too grumpy. Once you are out of the metropolis, it is hard to find Starbucks, Dunkin’ or the other chains. When we found this coffee shop that served good coffee and lunch we were especially blessed as they had this delicious dessert. I chose the mantra “Eat dessert first!’ while we waited for our lunch to be served. My friend, Dana, mentioned that she needed a slice of that. The next day since we were on our way home, Bob drove back to get coffee and a slice for her!
Yes that was fudge-like between the layers!!
Forget the soggy Oreo on top. Just give me the chocolate!
We stayed at the Inn at Honey Run. It was a new one to us. Upscale, set in the woods, very quiet. We would have liked a fridge and microwave to make tea and heat our leftovers. Evidently they are remodeling the rooms and those amenities are coming. Guess we are spoiled. First world problems…
Such a sharp contrast between our lives and the simplicity there. Seeing this photo I can still hear the clip/clop of the horses’ hooves.
On our way home we visited my favorite cheese shop, Pearl Valley Cheese. Oh man, I will never tire of that award winning Colby! Before we left we took orders from friends for Smoked Gouda, Smoked Horseradish, Hot Pepper. We decided to try their Swiss cheese with almond spread. Guess we should have bought one neighbor a bucket full! Shared ours with her and she went wild.
Lucky with S’Mores
While we were away Lucky got to have a sleepover with S’Mores and Noodle at Lizzie and Drew’s house. She slept for several days after that! Someone mentioned she is looking out the window as if to ask us “Where did you go?”
The hummingbird is flitting from one jewelweed flower to the next, and there are hundreds of flowers out there. I read they know every flower they visit. How do they remember all of those flowers? So tiny, pausing only a short moment to drink from each, how do they keep track?
Flash of green darting among the green leaves and orange flowers, you are a marvel.
It has been reported they can recognize humans!
Hummingbirds have excellent memory and pattern recognition skills. There is evidence that they can remember and recognize individual humans, particularly if that person frequently interacts with them or feeds them. However, more research is needed to fully understand the extent of hummingbirds’ ability to differentiate between people. https://www.hummingbird101.com/do-hummingbirds-recognize-individual-people/
What?!? Those tiny creatures who migrate thousands of miles can know me? We have seen them come to the kitchen window and look in as if to find us or remind us to refill their feeder.
Hummingbirds remember every flower they visit and when it will have fresh nectar again!?!
Perhaps even more impressive than their spatial memory is hummingbirds’ temporal memory—their ability to track when flowers replenish their nectar. Studies by Dr. Susan Healy and colleagues revealed that wild hummingbirds can remember the refill schedules of hundreds of individual flowers, returning to them just as the nectar reaches optimal levels.https://www.animalsaroundtheglobe.com/hummingbirds-remember-every-flower-7-326678/
They report that the hummingbird’s brain is roughly the size of a grain of rice. I want to know if that is cooked or uncooked rice? Imagine their ability in contrast to ours! I can walk from the office to the bedroom and forget why I was going to the bedroom. Remember every flower? Human faces? What an amazing creature!
Each time I think I am finished blogging about these amazing birds who frequent the late summer jewelweed I find even more reasons to marvel over them.
They were His idea from the beginning!
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” 21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” Genesis 1:20-22
Thank you God for the blessing of birds and flowers!
As seasons change I am noticing the change in sunlight and find myself anticipating the daybreak. Then I read this quote –
We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.
HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Some mornings I actually awake before dawn! Turning the clocks back help me eventually get up earlier. “Reawaken with an infinite expectation of the dawn.” Our neighbor Chuck is dying from the leukemia he has fought for the last 12 months. The doctors say there is nothing more they can do for him. He is not responding to treatment. From listening to his heart’s desire to go be with Jesus, I imagine he only has an infinite expectation of waking in the Light of Christ, not the dawn of the sun, but the Son.
Those of us less aware of our dying are called by Thoreau to reawaken and KEEP ourselves awake by an infinite expectation of the dawn. How are you at this admonition?
When was the last time you looked towards the east while it was still dark on the earth and had an expectation of the dawn? A new start! A new day! Another attempt to enjoy life. Life in the here and now? Perhaps you can arise early tomorrow and be like the watchman in the Psalms?
I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:6 NIV
This morning my meditation sites seemed to all converge. Don’t you just love when that happens? God uses all the sources around us to point to the Divine will for us.
Challenge to me is can I stay right here in the present moments as they unfold this day? Not worry about if I can attend the book discussion group this evening. Having no fret about completing my writing so I can teach a new pattern to someone tomorrow morning. No concern about something I said or did yesterday. Just right here. Right now. This present moment, enjoy this gift.
Then the Scripture meditation on another app:
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal, but I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have laid hold of it, but one thing I have laid hold of: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us, then, who are mature think this way, and if you think differently about anything, this, too, God will reveal to you. 16 Only let us hold fast to what we have attained. Philippians 3:13-16 NRSVUE
Paul urges us to turn loose of the past, anything we have already laid hold of we should keep, but not dwell there in that past accomplishment. Press on toward “the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” Right here I want to embrace You Lord and Your will for me.
It has been said that if you do not know what God is asking you to do right now then obey the last thing that you heard. In other words, if I do not have new marching orders, do the last thing I heard. How do you accomplish that? Are you obedient to what you have been told or are you always seeking for something else, some new thing you might like better?
Trying to find artwork to illustrate this blog entry I found runners and then more runners (that does not apply to me as I barely walk right now) then even worse, a guy walking a tightrope over the Grand Canyon (I fear heights). For me to ‘press on toward’ means do not stop where you are for more than this moment. On toward the goal.
Along with Paul I do not consider this a done deal. It requires my discipline and obedience daily, at times hourly. “Let those of us, then, who are mature think this way.” Ouch that could hurt on days when I am stuck in some other kind of thinking! The good Lord does not leave us to ourselves. Paul goes on to write “and if you think differently about anything, this, too, God will reveal to you.”
Holy Spirit come please, correct my wrong thinking and help me to follow hard after the thoughts of the Lord God Almighty. Deliver me from brain habits and flesh habits and world habits. Help me recognize and cling to Christ-like habits. Make me wholly Yours. Amen.
To be astonished is one of the surest ways of not growing old too quickly. SIDONIE-GABRIELLE COLETTE
Around our neighborhood we are each looking for this elixir, ways of not growing old too quickly. Oh Lord, help us find soul-filling healthy astonishment this week! There has been a lot of death around here for the past year. One gal wondered if we should walk around burning sage and praying?
When was the last time you were astonished?
Bob and I decided not to go to the beach in September. It is just too soon after my foot surgery. Instead we will likely go to the Amish country in northern Ohio and visit our favorite cheese shop, Pearl Valley. Yes, I ran out of the very large order we placed some months ago. Besides, for reasons unbeknownst to us they do not ship sliced cheese? Good excuse for a short get away.
I heard the monarchs are making a comeback. That made my heart skip a beat!
The Butterfly Connection reports “According to a recent report from the World Wildlife Fund, the eastern monarch butterfly population has increased by 64% during the 2025–2026 winter season.
Remember the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that caused many to lose power in many parts of the country including ours? Now that Bob is serving on the HOA board again, he made a call to the folks in charge of our retention pond and the fountain that keeps the water moving. The timer was out of whack. She said that fountains all over town are messed up due to the power outages. That never crossed my mind before! I imagine they are running from subdivision to subdivision resetting timers!
Not our actual pond, but you get the idea!
I saw Ed walking down the sidewalk. He is a neighbor who is suddenly father of two lovely children. When we first moved in he and his wife were trying to train their large black Doodle dog, Maverick, to walk calmly on a leash. They were having a time of it, but finally prevailed.
Maverick is VERY well behaved now. Then they had their first child and Maverick had to learn how to walk alongside the baby stroller with Keegan. Then they were gifted with sweet Ember girl. Maverick then had to navigate alongside a stroller for two!
Ed just walked past pushing the newest stroller which allows Keegan to stand on the back while Ember rides in the seat. He was moving at a fast clip. And there was Maverick sedately keeping pace with the family parade. Those sorts of this bring me awe. This young family has blessed us many times over. When I had to miss Ember’s first birthday party because of the foot surgery they came to see us afterwards. Ember used to cry when she saw me, but even with my foot elevated and iced she just smiled and cooed. Keegan was well behaved as he marveled at being inside our home.
I am in awe at how blessed our lives are. I do not fully understand it. I do adhere to the tile plaque in our hallway declaring people are more important than things.
What brings you awe? Try to come up with one thing, then go for two!
You have stirred in us the desire to praise you, for you have made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it comes to rest in you. Grant me, O Lord, to know and understand whether first to pray to you or to praise you; whether first to know you or call upon you. Augustine’s Confessions https://augustinesconfessions.com/chapter1.html
Which do you do first first? Pray or praise God? Call upon God or know God?
Have you been seeking those experiences? The 5 ways in short are 1. what makes you say “whoa”? 2. Think small. 3. It can happen on a screen, (nature, short lab videos, etc.) 4. Awe is a reset button and 5. Pay attention to goodness.
Our deathly ill neighbors have large flower boxes on either side of the front walk. Last spring, a healthy friend of theirs planted annual seeds in the boxes for them. Ginny has since passed away. I went clumping over in my orthotic boot one day and could not get through to the front door as the sidewalk was overgrown with flowers blooming and falling all over the place. Zinnias that were over 3 feet tall, sunflowers falling down, and under it all a riot of marigolds. I am still trying to offer meals to Chuck. Last Sunday I asked Bob to go with me bearing clippers and a bucket so we could cut back the jungle to get to the porch. We disturbed a parade of butterflies and bees. As I cut one stem I noticed a lovely bug. At first I called it a leaf hopper. (See opening photo) On closer inspection it was more likely one of the zillion kinds of grasshoppers. And as I marveled at its intricate body I realized I was holding my breath for a moment in awe. There it is!
From the bedroom window this morning I could tell the weather has finally changed with lower humidity, MUCH LOWER, and cooler temperatures. Then my eye was captured by the sunlight through the elephant ears. No rabbits lately, but this was indeed a delight. Breathe in the awe with me.
We attended church this morning with me in sandals, left one had top one strap entirely unfastened, no boot! Though the day held delightful weather our outdoor service was changed to indoor due to other issues. After being spread out in chairs under the towering oak trees in the parking lot there was an enhanced sense of intimacy once indoors. I was amazed how many people greeted me with well wishes for thorough healing. The arms of Christ were certainly all about me. The doctor had said he still wanted me to wear the boot in public. I admit I was a bit nervous with all those other feet around me, especially the children. I look forward to serving at the altar again as soon as I can climb the stairs.
What a glorious day of awe and wonder. Instead of rainstorms right now there are small, pure white, puffy clouds floating slowly past in an incredibly blue sky. Life is truly a wonder. The TIME article suggests taking a 15-minute “awe walk.” Just look at the world with fresh eyes, pay attention to the details around you, and engage your senses.” Slow down for the details and let awe capture you!
Consider the work of God; who can make straight what he has made crooked?
In the day of prosperity, be joyful, and in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that mortals may not find out anything that comes after them. Ecclesiastes 7:13-15 NRSVUE
I came across this poem set to music after reading Amy Carmichael’s chapter entitled Rose from Brier in her collected writings in the book by the same title. (Pages 51-53) I found it enchanting. The photography, also, especially the raindrops on the pavement! She heard this poem as “a little song that sang within me” as she longed to be at a welcoming service in the House of Prayer, but could not leave her bed.
Amy Carmichael Rose From Brier
She describes the sweetbrier of England in contrast to the roses of India. “I saw a little, low, very prickly bush in an old-fashioned English garden; it was covered with inconspicuous pink roses. But the wonder of the bush was its all-pervading fragrance, for it was a sweetbrier. And I saw one who has long been in the land where no thorns grow, cutting a spray from the bush, stripping the thorns off and giving it to me. May these for whom a rose from my brier may be caused to blow, those who do indeed walk the dear familiar ways of home, and road, and street, as unregarded as a breath of air, but there in love and longing, always there, find no pricking thorn on the stem of this rose from my brier.
“I think that when He whom our soul loveth comes so near to us, and so gently helps our human weakness, then what Madame Guyon wrote more than three hundred years ago becomes a present truth. We are borne over the oppression that would hold us down, we mount up on wings, we find a secret sweetness in our brier. But it is not of us. It’s Love that lifts us up. It is Love that is the sweetness.
“Is the one who reads this in a great weariness, or the exhaustion that follows a sore hurt, or in the terrible grasp of pain? He who loves as no one else can love understands to the uttermost, is not far away. He wants us to say, He can give it to us to say, “My Lord, my Love, I am content with Thee.”
Beautiful pink and yellow flower of dog-rose, sweet brier
In America we often call the same plant a Dog Rose. My neighbor has them in her backyard. I will have to experiment next spring to find out if the foliage is also fragrant as the internet reports!
I find the fragrance of Amy’s writings a gift to my soul.
