As odd as it may seem, I never really understood what worship is until the later years of my life. Most certainly I’ve spent many hours in what I’ll call ‘worship services’ in various churches throughout my entire life. So, how could I have not understood that worship is more about God than about me? … Continue reading Worship Is . . .
There is so much beauty in nature that it is easy for me to believe there had to be a ‘Creative Spark’ which caused it all to begin. I step outside my back door and am immediately struck by the color and vibrancy of my tiger lilies. Although tiger lilies come in many colors, mine … Continue reading THE BEAUTY OF THE UNIVERSE (Finding Beauty Series, #5)
The months of May and June bring with them the celebration of Mother's Day and then Father's Day in the U.S.A. as well as many other countries throughout the world. As my family treated me this past Mother's Day with lots of flowers and foods plus a family get-together at my older daughter’s house, I … Continue reading Tell Mother I’ll Be There . . .
In my memory, I have a vivid image of countless blades of grass in my backyard which I was seeing for the first time in an almost magical way. When was that? The time was when I had just returned home after the cataract removal and intraocular implant on my right eye. I was just … Continue reading BEAUTY IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD (Finding Beauty Series, #4)
Are you familiar with the names Phishing, Smishing, and Vishing? These are IT or Information Technology terms used to denote online scams. Here is a brief run-down on their use and how you can protect yourself. Phishing is a tech term for fishing for information with a fake email address. You can protect yourself by … Continue reading Don’t Be Fooled By Scams Of Our Day — How to Protect Yourself
It seems everyone is talking about Artificial Intelligence, or what is commonly known as AI. It has branched off from what many of us rely on daily: the world’s Informational Technology, or more simply expressed as IT. They both continue to increase at exponential rates. Are our societies ready for AI? Ready or not, it … Continue reading ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A 1984 George Orwellian World?
Can there be any benefit in filling our minds with beautiful thoughts? Some might counter that if we are struggling with difficult events in our life, which is true for so many of us, having the fortitude to control what enters our brain is out of reach. My response is: consider your reflections or meditations … Continue reading CREATING BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS (Finding Beauty Series, #3)
Much of our society—in particular, what is distributed through mass communication, including social media—is focused on what is perceived as beautiful. As I am a woman, I’ll just speak to what I know personally and let someone else speak for men. For girls and women there are endless cosmetics for enhancing the beauty of the … Continue reading WHAT IS BEAUTY ? (Finding Beauty Series, #2)
There is beauty all around us. And a worthy endeavor is nurturing that beauty. I find beauty in the sunshine-filled bay window at the front of my house. It has an assortment of potted plants. Some were given to me. Some I bought for myself. In my care, they require a constant vigilance if they … Continue reading NURTURING BEAUTY (Finding Beauty Series, #1)
The Easter season for me every year is a time of serious reflection as it was on Easter Sunday in 1999 that my husband at age fifty-two passed from this life into the next. Our three young adult children and I didn't see his death coming until there was a crisis moment when he ended … Continue reading Holy Ground – An Easter essay of Hope & Encouragement
What do you think of when you think of the word “wilderness”? The first syllable ‘wild’ is what jumps out to me. Untamable like the weeds in my garden sometime! Or in biblical reference, I think of the forty years the Israelites in the Holy Bible book of Exodus wandered trying to find their way, … Continue reading Escape From Darkness – A Palm Sunday essay of Hope & Encouragement
Have you ever started out on a road trip knowing the highway you were going to take, but not quite sure how many miles you were going to travel, or exactly what would become your final destination? This was the kind of journey the “Magi,” or Wise Men from the East” found themselves on as … Continue reading A Journey Full of Hope
I remember a game passed along in the Carlisle family, now still finding interest down to the fourth generation---passing from my father to me, to my children, and to my grandchildren. My son says he has done research trying to find an earlier origin of the game, or to see if there is another family … Continue reading Carlisle Family Christmas Eve Gift Game
Some of you may be thinking, “What in the world is a house for Toddler Jesus?” Let me give you some background information before I jump into telling you how my two school age granddaughters and I recently made a little cardboard and popsicle stick house. We are going to use it at Christmastime alongside … Continue reading A House for Toddler Jesus (craft project)
We see a wide-eyed little girl, maybe six or so, in a church worship service. She’s standing next to her mother in a pew at the left side of the sanctuary, very close to the pianist whose fingers move adroitly over the keys of the ebony baby grand piano. The child’s eyes shift from the … Continue reading Vibrant Vibes: A Musical Phenomenon
One of my climbing red rose bushes a couple of years ago developed a really thick stem with huge prickly thorns for practically its entire length of about four feet. That started me to think about the thorns we are enduring in our daily lives which have been turned topsy-turvy since 2020 as we continue … Continue reading Enduring Thorns 🌹
For a long time, I interpreted the judge in one of Jesus’ New Testament parables as a figure representing God. I even had a family member whose instruction to me was, “Worry the Judge!” when I would complain to him about some disturbing aspect of my life. However, now upon closer examination of the Gospel … Continue reading Worry the Judge!
In the twentieth century, the practice of cryonics (preserving dead bodies for a future ‘resurrection’) came into being. Though dismissed by many as a pseudo-science, others have clung to its hope by having their own or loved one’s body go through the preservation procedure. According to my Google search, there are at least four cryonic … Continue reading How to Live Forever
A note from Nonny -- Thanks in no small part to your prayers and well wishes, I'm out of the hospital, back home, and getting stronger by the day. Thank you, Connie Carlisle Polley Millions of people in the U.S.A. and other parts of the world have gastric disorders related to the foods they eat. … Continue reading A Tasty Dish that’s Good for Your Gut! (Recipe)
A note from Nonny's youngest -- It would mean so much if you would keep Connie Carlisle Polley in your thoughts, hearts, prayers, and best hopes at this time. She has been in the hospital for the last few days. Ever-diligent, Nonny prepared this blog in advance and asked me to make sure it got … Continue reading They All Showed Up For The Party!
As a child I knew my Dad had a strong work ethic, both at home and on the job. And I was used to seeing him occupied with fixing something such as malfunctioning plumbing or painting inside and out to keep our house looking well-kept. When I was in grade school he began working at … Continue reading Still Putting Bread and Butter on Our Family’s Table
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘translate’? If you are like most of us in the United States of America, your mind envisions a text in English which has been rewritten in another language such as French, Spanish, or German. You may encounter these three languages in the instruction and/or care … Continue reading A Story Retold So All Can Understand: A Resource for Hope
KET, Kentucky Educational Television, recently broadcast a fascinating forum hosted by Renee Shaw called “AgriTech in Kentucky” (May 23, 2022). ‘AgriTech’ is an abbreviated way to say ‘agricultural technology.’ This program noted that the Commonwealth of Kentucky in the heart of the U.S.A. has, by its geographical location on the banks of the Ohio River, … Continue reading The New Kentucky ‘Farmer’: Moving Forward with Technology
It has always been true that the world has a way of catching us off guard. Many of us like to think we have our life in control. Especially if we were fortunate enough to be born into a comfortable middle-class family, we have been taught to work hard and life will reward you. Pestilence, … Continue reading Sabbatical Series: Enduring Thorns
It has always been true that the world has a way of catching us off guard. Many of us like to think we have our life in control. Especially if we were fortunate enough to be born into a comfortable middle-class family, we have been taught to work hard and life will reward you. Pestilence, … Continue reading Sabbatical Series: Giving Grace and Salt to Our Words
It has always been true that the world has a way of catching us off guard. Many of us like to think we have our life in control. Especially if we were fortunate enough to be born into a comfortable middle-class family, we have been taught to work hard and life will reward you. Pestilence, … Continue reading Sabbatical Series: How to Keep Standing
It has always been true that the world has a way of catching us off guard. Many of us like to think we have our life in control. Especially if we were fortunate enough to be born into a comfortable middle-class family, we have been taught to work hard and life will reward you. Pestilence, … Continue reading Sabbatical Series: Music’s Magic Healing Place
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