Thankful Thursday

Sister visit

Leaving the door open 

Fellowship at church

Gospel study with friends

Yummy waffles with family

Gorgeous weather 

God's grace

The Piano Guys - Golden

https://youtu.be/y6_UGs1YqYc?si=8tbxeGZxVlVSviW4 

Wordless Wednesday

Veterans Day

Thank you to all who served with honor. 

Monday Quote

Several years ago, on FB, Battle Buddy posted: Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.

 

Sunday Scripture

Psalms 91:5-8 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

 

Saturday Links

Big Sky Buckeye shares poetry, quotes, trivia, and fun facts; this time he shared my home state:

https://bigskybuckeye.com/2025/10/11/trivias-facts-and-more-10-11/ 

https://bigskybuckeye.com/2025/10/25/buckeye-snapshots-issue-15/ 

Into the Light Adventures shared Lake Superior Northern Lights; how cool is that? 

https://intothelightadventures.com/lake-superior-northern-lights/ 

God bless.

 

Favorite Book Friday

A Ghost of a Chance by Donna Hatch "a haunting All Hallow's Eve regency romance. Paranormal is not usually my choice of reading. This story is an exception. I bought the eformat, in case I didn't like it, but loved it so much I bought the paperback. I'm adding it to my annual October holiday reading list. Sweet, insightful, hopeful.  

Thankful Thursday

Gospel study with friends

 Worship with fellow believers

Open front door

 Learning to let go

Favorite movies 

Pumpkin spice English muffins, toasted and buttered 

God's grace 

Visual Melodies shared Epic Bagpipe and Uilleann Pipe Music

https://youtu.be/L7U8HNVZHcA?si=kSYurPKdjN3zeuRK 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Quote

"The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class—it is the cause of humankind." ~ Anna Julia Cooper

Sunday Scripture

Psalms 91 : The Soldier's Prayer 

Psalms 91:1-4 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

 

Saturday Links

Tales from a Mid-Lifer shared Farewell October: 

https://family5power.com/2025/10/31/farewell-october/

Inspiration from Bridget A. Thomas:

https://bridgetathomas.com/2025/10/09/what-we-feed/ 

God bless.

 

Celebrating Samhain

Why I celebrate Halloween: It's the one holiday we encourage ourselves to look into the darkness and drag our fears into the light and hopefully see them for what they are: An opportunity to be brave and reclaim our power over them.

Shelley's "Frankenstein" explores the folly of men pretending to be God. Stoker's "Dracula" reveals the horror of those who live by taking from others. I can't imagine a world without Poe, and his willingness to expose the monsters within. We prevail when we choose good over evil.

The early history of Samhain, what would later become Halloween, was a celebration of the end of the harvest and the end of the year as well as the beginning of a new year. Leave in the past what no longer brings life and love. Welcome the opportunity to start fresh with the old and withered swept away, making room for the new. A time to seek God's protection in the coming winter.

For the record, I don't do scary. Growing up in it means it isn't entertainment for me. Dress up is fun. I've always had a fondness for jack-o-lanterns, the cheerful flame flickering inside. Not to mention my love of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. The promise of cooler weather, a definite bonus in the desert. The changing color of the leaves, which people generously share through pictures. The prelude to the coming triad holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year (gratitude, giving, and starting anew). Enjoy the day. Indulge in a treat. Laugh.

Some of my favorites to fit a Halloween mood:

Most people will recognize this piece of music but may not know the name. From Carmina Burana ~ O Fortuna by Carl Orff performed by André Rieu:

https://youtu.be/EJC-_j3SnXk 

Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRU1AJsXN1g

Gustav Holst's Mars from The Planets

https://youtu.be/Jmk5frp6-3Q

Hall of the Mountain King (Peer Gynt) by Edvard Grieg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLp_Hh6DKWc

Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by J. S. Bach needs to be heard as an organ piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho9rZjlsyYY

Night on Bald Mountain by Mussorgsky:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCEDfZgDPS8

 

Thankful Thursday

Service/help opportunities 

Church

Cool enough to leave the door open

 New book

Gospel study with friends 

God's grace

Gentri "The Impossible Dream"

https://youtu.be/h5kd_XnuzjE?si=ni652hAYsmH22mYH 

 

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Quote from Secondhand Samhein

 Thanks to Donna Keevers Driver for creating this for me:

 

Sunday Scripture

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 

 

Saturday Links

I love beautiful pictures and Tales from a Mid-Lifer shared this sunset:

https://family5power.com/2025/10/01/last-nights-sunset/ 

Suzanne Askham makes an inspiring observation: 

https://suzanneaskham.com/2025/10/01/wellbeing-notes-leave-peace-and-kindness-in-your-wake/ 

God bless.

Halloween is next Friday

Celebrate with a story.

Secondhand Samhain 

The seventh novella in the series.

Welcome back to Holiday, USA, small town America, where nothing happens, except holidays... and a little romance, if the hero and heroine trust God.

Jan Connor, the new manager of the secondhand shop Vintage Holiday, loves her job, her town, and her life. She doesn't need anything except a little bit of help. Her annual Halloween birthday party isn't coming together, and her antiquated computer system is only making it worse.

Trent McDonald, computer guru extraordinaire, is looking for a place to call home. His brother, Cowboy, suggested Holiday might offer what he needs but never mentioned Vintage Holiday's pretty shop manager.

Between one breath and the next, God changes everything...

http://www.amazon.com/Secondhand-Samhain-Holiday-USA-Book-ebook/dp/B01A0IBBQI/ref=sr_1_1

If you prefer paperbacks, Holiday, USA Anthology 2015

All four novellas published in 2015 are available in their entirety in paperback, including the covers on the back, for those who enjoy collecting a series.

https://www.amazon.com/Holiday-USA-Anthology-2015-2/dp/153018617X/ref=sr_1_22 

Thankful Thursday

Serving others

Church with family

Surprises from friends

Gospel study with friends

New books by favorite authors

Weather cool enough to leave the door open 

God's grace

Gentri - "All I Ask of You" featuring Laura Osnes

https://youtu.be/NF7Y_E9Nz7k?si=i1WMVE9FEhw8pNcT