Beauty in Today 1/3/16

After church, Tim and I stopped at a local restaurant for Sunday dinner. A nice end to our holiday break. The young lady who waited on us had a sweet smile and pleasant demeanor. She answered my food questions with patience. 


I couldn't help but notice the table next to us. The people somehow ended up with the wrong order. Our waitress offered to take the food back, but they preferred to keep it and have a reduction made to their check. 

I know this doesn't sound like a moment of beauty...but here's the rest of the story.

Toward the end of our meal, the manager made his way from table to table inquiring about customer satisfaction. When he stopped at the table next to us, they once again complained. Even though the waitress had assured them their bill would be reduced, they replayed the entire scene. Sadly, the waitress overheard and saw the manager offer them a gift card. Instead of being embarrassed, or angry, our waitress went to the table, smiled, and wished them a good day. She had an attitude that helped her rise above the grumblings. Now that's beauty in the day. 

Beauty in today 1/2/16

1/2/16-As I was working on my computer, I caught the reflection of a sweet little bird on my screen. He'd landed on a branch outside the window. God's engineering of that little guy amazes me. What a beautiful sight to start my day.

From Wikimedia Commons

Beauty in Today 1/1/16

Since my blog is about finding the beauty in every day things, I've added a new page to reflect the beautiful things I come across. They may include nature's beauty, people, my reflections or anything that shows the lovely side of life. You can find my musings at Beauty in Today, one of the tabs under the header. 

I encourage you to leave a comment about something you've found that shows beauty in the every day.

The Value of People

Philippians 2:3-4
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

A young man in our tri-state area worked hard to make a difference this holiday season. Noah wanted to help people who have no home. He knew they were cold and needed comfort. On Facebook I saw his challenge. He asked everyone to gather socks and blankets to give to folks who are homeless. In his challenge, I saw an opportunity to share with my granddaughter. We went shopping for items the homeless shelter near me might use. I explained to her that there may be children who have nowhere to live. She carefully chose a beautiful scarf and gloves for a child her age.

After we paid for the items, we drove to the shelter and delivered the bags. The people staying at the shelter were so appreciative. I'm so glad Noah set the wheels in motion. Jesus wants me to see the needs of others before mine. I've been blessed at times in my life with help when I needed it. I want to pass that on. Paul's words in Philippians speak to the church, God's people. As I enter this new year I pray I can keep these words close to my heart. Value others above myself and look to their interests. Praise God for people who care.

Noah's video

The Beginning of my Colored Pencil Journey

Christmas in the Forest

Pink and the Butterfly

 

Purple on canvas

Children's Book Review: Super Heroes of the Bible Sticker And Activity Book

Book Description:

Bible heroes come to life through age-appropriate puzzles, activity pages, and 50 reusable stickers in this friendly and fun sticker and activity Book featuring The Beginner’s Bible classic art and simply written content.

My Review:
All the children I know love stickers and super heroes. This a wonderful book for kids who enjoy activities and like to do puzzles. The colorful format will keep them engaged as they learn about Bible characters. Great for those cold winter days.

I received this book in exchange for a fair review.  

The Year of Trust

This has been a year of trusting God for answers. Through health issues for myself and people close to me, challenges at work, decisions on where to worship, and happy times--my daughter's wedding and the addition of more family have brought me to my knees so many times. Both in praise and request, I've sought out God's wisdom and the Holy Spirit's nudgings. I thank God for tending to me and my loved ones. 2015's word for the year was "follow." And I tried my best to walk the path God rolled out before me.

For 2016 I want to "keep moving forward." That sounds easy enough. But I know I can get stuck in a rut and ignore the prompts to move, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. By moving forward I hope to grow in wisdom and faith.

I'm not one to make resolutions but I do want to be aware of my need to grow and learn through this new year.

I pray you have an excellent year ahead.

What are your thoughts on resolutions and goals in the new year?