PRAYER...

    Inheritance we receive.

        A legacy we will leave.

At church in Franklin, North Carolina this morning, he talked about prayer; the inheritance we receive and the legacy we leave. It wasn't a coincidence. It never is. I have been thinking about my children and grandchildren, their inheritance and the legacy that we are leaving behind. I have been reading the biography of David Green founder of Hobby Lobby, so it has been on my mind a lot lately. It was fresh on my mind this morning as I drank a cup of coffee, breathed in the mountain air, and enjoyed the solace in my life. So thankful for a praying grandmother and grandfather; and all those before me that prayed for me. A mother that thought it was important to take my sister and I to church every Sunday morning to learn about God. Where might we be if she hadn't. A sister who cared enough about me to encourage me in my walk with Him. Her and her friends who taught me the importance of prayer and how to pray. I am so grateful. What a rich inheritance, I inherited. Thank you Father for praying loved ones in our lives. We have prayed many prayers for our own children and grandchildren; the most important prayers have been that they put God first in their lives; walking in His fullness. Some of our prayers will be answered in our lifetime and others we might not ever see. But, they will be answered. Makes me think of my granny and poppy and how
much they must have prayed for my daddy to be saved. He was too, but they never saw the fruits of
their labor. He came to know Jesus after they were no longer here. I know that many prayers I have prayed were at a time of sadness in my own life. Times when my heart was heavy. Times when I had no idea what I was going to do. Though the season changes...my reliance on the Lord never will. Praying is a way of life; doesn't depend on my circumstances. I am and always will be desperate for the peace, love and joy of knowing Christ Jesus. His presence in our life and the lives of our loved ones is paramount. That is the only thing that will last forever.  God has always taken care of our needs. These weeks in the mountains, (almost three), have helped me realize how God is so involved in every little "itsy bitsy" detail of our lives. I never prayed Lord give me a home in the mountains. It has always been a dream of mine; a heart's desire, I guess you would say. So it's really hard to believe that we are here. Looking for a home in these gorgeous mountains. This will be an inheritance for our children and our grandchildren. A place of peace and enjoyment. A place that they will enjoy coming to. A place where the presence of God is very tangible. The most important thing I want to leave our children and grandchildren is the legacy that we have loved the Lord with all our hearts and showed them the way to do the same. If God sees fit to give us the "little cabin" of our dreams, full of His presence; then that is just icing on the cake 🏠

loving Him always,
sammie jean

something about the mountains....a poem

Something about the
 mountains...
not sure what it could be...



the early morning fog
hanging on for dear life,
 crisp, cool, air
that I breathe
 the rustling
brooks that skip and sputter
over the smooth rocks,







 the music that I hear with
the fiddle and the banjo,
 the easy way of life,
that draws me near,
it might be
the cry of the Cherokee
their hopes and dreams





 churches with their steeples
reaching to the sky,
the cows in the valley,
green pasture all around,
the foothills gracing it all,
rolling hills in the countryside,
the rustic barn, old wooden planks
falling down,
 country home with its
white columns standing tall,





There's just something that
draws me near
Not sure what it
 could be...

sjo

lest I forget...

Cullasaja Falls, Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina

I remembered this morning once again...I called, You answered, and You came to my rescue.

          and

I wanna be where you are.

Lyrics by Hillsong United

Thank you for loving me always and forever,

Sammie Jean

the tortoise and the hare

My inspiration this morning came straight from Mr. Aesop himself. The story of the Tortoise and the Hare came to mind on my walk. Can't help it. My elementary background comes to the forefront often. Let me humor you with this cute little fable. Tortoise and Hare had a race. We all know that hare was in better shape and could run faster. He was created to run faster. Because of that, he was also a little on the "cocky" side. And then there is Tortoise. Known to be slow. Never in a hurry. But, since he wasn't created for speed he had to rely on other skills. He had to be very focused to get to his goal. Well as it goes, Hare sprints off with great speed. He takes a huge lead. But, he has to stop along the way because he runs out of steam. He also thinks that because of his great lead, Tortoise will never catch him. It did look that way, however he misunderstood something about Tortoise. He never dreamed that Tortoise was looking toward the finish line; was goal oriented. He didn't know how confident Tortoise really was either. That he wasn't judging himself by what others could do or what others thought about him. He didn't get caught up in performance. He just steadily worked at it...never giving up, persevering to the end. As we know, he won the race! Thus the moral of the story, "Slow and Steady Wins the Race." As I look and listen, I see it everywhere; on social media, conversations, everywhere. The craze to get fit, to lose weight. The mania to "keep up with the Jones." Competition, competition, competition. In the way we look, how many miles we can run or walk, what we drive, what we wear, what we live in, who our kids play with, what college they attend...the list goes on an on. It's just crazy. I know I'm old. Sixty to be exact. I have a small piece of advice; tiny words of wisdom (and it comes with age.) I know that whatever my hands find to do, I should do it well. I definitely don't want to be lazy. I want to stay healthy; spiritually, physically, and mentally. But, let's move at a pace that doesn't cause "burn out." Let's not live in a space that is always saying, "I should do this or "if I would have done that." Let's live in the grace of each day...really each moment. Let's enjoy what we're doing!  Truthfully if the load is too hard to carry, it was probably never meant to be carried. Jesus said that, I didn't. All I'm saying is according to Paul, "let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." If we are doing, "whatever we are doing," for any other reason than "unto the Lord," we won't be able to hold out to the end.

Your speed doesn't matter...forward is forward 🐢 🐢

sammie jean💚

Taken April 17, 2017 in our yard

Our shared brokenness... as the fertile place

Love this quote from Wild in the Hollows, by Amber C. Haines, "My desire was to see Jesus from the floor up, from the root, to see us recognize our shared brokenness as the fertile place, how we are an outgrowth of life from a seed that died before it produced fruit. I longed to see the church know how desired she is, to see the beautiful gift of paradox, the broken whole of us."

The broken whole of us...I just love that!

living loved by His grace and mercy,
sammie jean 💞

spending time...the only spending that will ever make me rich

We went fishing with our grandchildren on the creek that runs on the edge of our property. It was late winter, early spring. Cool enough to wear a jacket still.  Trudging through the uncleared woods; both grandsons pole in hand, granddaughter in wading boots, my husband with machete clearing the way, tackle box equipped with every thing we needed, even green worms that we bought at the little local store down the road, and me with picnic basket full of snacks that we didn't even eat. Whew! Felt like  we were moving but have to be prepared (you know.)  Everyone had to show their strength a long the way; chopping down dead trees and limbs from our path. Finally, the creek bank was in sight.  My grandsons immediately on the look-out for the hardest place to get to. "That's where the fish are." You know it's not fishing if you don't climb a tree and go out on the longest limb. My granddaughter, husband and I had our perfect spot in view; a little slew on down the creek. As we took our places, I prayed "Lord, please help us catch fish." Didn't say it but was sure thinking it pretty hard, "We have sure gone to a lot of trouble to not catch any fish." Almost as quick as I finished that prayer, I heard a commotion up the creek. Our grandson had caught a large warmouth bass. Not long after, the other grandson caught a good-eating hand size bass. I guess it was the "perfect spot" after all.  The next thing I knew, my granddaughter was right on top of a bed and started catching fish as quick as she could throw her hook in. Such a trooper; taking her fish off her line, baiting her hook with those green slimy worms; a little tomboy. The perfect afternoon... well almost. A few mishaps; fishing in the trees, losing the line, snags in the water, losing the hook. And oh yeah, "These fish aren't biting anymore." Famous last words.  Oh, well,  Paradise doesn't last forever. We came back. The same scene all over again. Cutting limbs, karate kicking dead trees, dragging poles, tackle box, picnic basket, not to mention tired, hot and sweaty bodies. Pawpaw cleaned and fried the fish. Good 'ole fried fish right out of the creek! What a way to end this adventure. Calm chaos! I came across something the other day about a pearl and how it grows inside an oyster. It is actually an irritation to the oyster.  A grain of sand works his way into the shell as an intruder and then over time...well, you know the story, a treasure is created.  Isn't it ironic how a beautiful pearl is first an irritant to the oyster?  Relationships are like that. It takes some planning. It takes a little effort. Sometimes it feels like hard work. There is always going to be a little "snag in the water." Relationships can only be made by spending time. It's the only spending that I know of that will make me rich.

making memories that will last a lifetime (maybe for eternity),
sammie jean

Forsake not...

 God tells us to forsake not our "assembling together." My whole life I have heard that referred to as one of the reasons that we should attend church. I'm not saying it isn't. But, just consider this. When two are gathered in my name I am there. Oh my! Have I really listened to the conversations that I have had when I am gathered with others? Have I allowed Holy Spirit to penetrate my heart with the words of my brothers and sisters? Is this time really important to me? Have I allowed myself to glean from the conversation? Have I been misled to think that only the pastor, teacher, evangelist, preacher can speak into my life at church on Sunday morning? I've asked myself all these questions.  I've always heard it said that communication is very difficult mainly because we are doing one of two things; we are thinking about what we want to say or we are judging what the other person is saying. Either way, We Aren't Listening (really). Holy Spirit has been speaking to my heart recently of how important conversations are when I'm talking to others. I have become very aware of how important this time is. It is an ordained time (if I believe my steps are ordered of God) for me. If I really believe this then I will listen to conversations and I will guard what I say to others. With Christ living in me, I should have something to say of importance. We are all messengers. What will our message be?  I had a conversation with my brother-in-law and sister recently and I listened; I really listened. Holy Spirit continued to speak to my heart after the conversation. Even days after. Thank you for making yourself available to me.

Thank you Father for loving me,