#Ten Things of Thankful: Before the Vacation

1. T 
2. H
3. A
4. N
5. K
6.  
7. Y
8. O
9. U
10. !

I hope to see you again soon. 😊

ありがとう。

Amy

 Amy did look forward to the annual high school class reunions, and she always volunteered to be one of the organizers. Weeks before the party, she went shopping for a new dress. Her favorite boutique, whose name was also AMY, was near the corner of the main street leading to the railway station. The shop owner was about the same age as Amy, and the two ladies chatted on and on, selecting a chic dress for the occasion every year...

No one in her family was able to dissuade Amy from attending the reunion even when she was going through the terminal stage of her long illness. 

Less than one month after the memorable event, the life and soul of the party passed away peacefully at the age of 69,

Six Sentence Stories

this week's prompt: boutique

#Ten Things of Thankful: Oct. 17, 2020

1. the ability to feel pain
2. knowing when to take a rest
3. my determination to give up non-essential things
4. knowing Jesus as my Savior
5. the privilege to pray to God
6. teardrops that enhance my view of His Kingdom
7. growing patience for slowing down
8. memories of numerous blessings I have received so far
9. teaching myself ophthalmology, orthopedics, and endocrinology, empirically and with books for 'lay people' 😊
10. friends who are willing to listen to me and pray for me

Frost

The field was now sparkling with frost.  Looking out of the window, Hannah gently rubbed her left hand with her right hand.  Both of her hands were painfully deformed now, and she found it difficult to perform her everyday tasks.  

Having been proud of being an amateur church organist for decades, she had spent so much time and effort practicing playing the organ, but a couple of weeks ago, she found that her skills had slipped away from her numb hands almost completely, far sooner than she had imagined.

Hannah closed her eyes and began to pray, "Lord, how painful it is to get closer to You." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she continued, "However, I am thankful to You, loving Father, because 'losing' my hands is helping me understand what it is really like to live with pain, enabling me to love others and myself more. 

Six Sentence Stories

this week's prompt: field

The Key

 The key to being obedient to God is a humbly broken heart.

#Ten Things of Thankful that I Should Never Take for Granted

in no particular order

• my eyes
• my ears
• my nose
• my mouth
• my teeth
• my head
• my arms
• my hands
• my legs
• my feet 

and all the other parts of my body not mentioned here

#Sky Watch Friday: October 9, 2020

 

5:29 A.M.

the eastern sky seen from the bridge

5:49 A.M.

the eastern sky seen from the other side of the river

Skywatch Friday

The Mysterious Universe

 

Her parents say that M. E. is always following the path of least resistance, and she sometimes thinks they are right.

M. E. graduated from senior high school more than a decade ago, but she has never tried to get a job. She doesn't want to get married and start a family, either.

She confines herself in her room almost all day long, watching TV, reading books, and daydreaming. She sometimes writes short poems about injustice and follies in the world. 

Though her parents and sisters insist that she should see the world and make friends, M.E. doesn't listen to them because she is satisfied with exploring the mysterious universe within her heart.

 

Six Sentence Stories

this week's prompt: resistance

Memory Challenge: Week 5

 

image source: Do Not Depart. com

A.S.K.

Ask, Seek, Knock

for more information, see The Bible Memory Challenge.

Learning Matthew 7:7-8 by heart, I am pondering what I am to ask Him for.

the kingdom of heaven

the Holy Spirit,

His righteousness,

His wisdom

Jesus Himself

#Ten Things of Thankful: Breakfast

 Ten of the things I had for breakfast this week that I am especially thankful for:

1. homemade fig jam
2. homemade yogurt
3. bananas
4. kiwi fruits
5. oranges
6. Chinese blackberry leaf tea
7. green tea
8. perilla oil
9. cheese
10. boiled eggs

#Sky Watch Friday: October 2, 2020

 

Every ordinary day is a special day.

Skywatch Friday

The Oxford English Dictionary

 

About one year after she started teaching English as a foreign language at a rural senior high school in Japan, she purchased The Oxford English Dictionary in twelve volumes. She was excited at the amount of information found there and she enjoyed consulting the dictionary. She also loved spending some time reading here and there in it.

Fast forward to today, and the bulky books sit on the bottom shelf gathering dust. she took out one of the hefty tomes on a whim, put it on the desk, and opened it, only to find that the font was so small that she almost felt dizzy.  

When she got the dictionary in the 1980s, she could not foresee what it would be like in the 21st century.

Six Sentence Stories

this week's prompt: volume