Valiant men and women signed on the dotted line to fight for the freedom we have. Strong and ready young men and women gave up the comforts of home, the easy living, the enjoyments of friends and family to lend us their courage to fight, to serve, to do the hard things to make this country what it is today.
So, we pause in this hour to say Thank You.
Our thanks could never be enough, but it’s all we have to give. So, we give it sincerely, and we mean it deeply, more than words can adequately express
Thank you for all that have served and who are now serving.
God bless you, each and every one.
❤️🇺🇸❤️
Happy Veterans Day!
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
3 John 1:2
The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.
Grief can be hidden and tucked away so deep, you almost forget it’s there.
Yet, when it peeks back through the shadows, it’s like a scream within that no one else can hear.
But you can sense it, even in the deepest shadows.
You can feel it, even in the stillest night.
You can almost see it, even in the blackest of eves.
And it will return with such fierce vengeance while no one else recognizes it’s deafening sound.
That is grief.
The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit.
Psalm 34:18
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
For years, I’ve heard of the movie Good Will Hunting. I’ve tried to watch it on air flights every chance I got. But the unedited version just turned me off after the first maybe 5 mins. Forgive me. I’m weird like that, but I just don’t get into a lot of foul language and crude conversations. I’m not a big movie watcher anyway; so, I don’t care to waste my time…
But my husband had first watched it on an edited flight many years ago and had been referencing it for one situation or another all this time. I wanted to watch it so bad, I was almost tempted just to forgo my personal standards and just watch it anyway. Well, he told me the other day he’d had the tv edited version on our recordings for a while now, and he didn’t realize I’d wanted to watch it so bad. Lol.
So, we finally found time to sit down to watch it, and Wow. If you’ve not seen this. You need to. Of course, I would definitely encourage the edited version. Ha.ha. But anyway.
Without being a spoiler, let’s just say this little statement above came alive and well in the middle of the story, and I just balled my eyes out! Geez. I’m so glad I was in the privacy of my own home with only my husband to see me crying like a blubbering idiot and not on a plane where a whole bunch of strangers would wonder what in the world was my problem!
Some days the memories still knock the wind out of me.
And that’s just the honest truth of life, isn’t it?
It doesn’t really matter if it’s past pain, grief, brokenness or shame. When the memories come up, it doesn’t matter how deep you’ve stuffed them down, or how far beneath the surface you think you’ve buried them.
They’re going to slam into your heart like a tsunami.
They’re going to run through your mind like a twister seeking a place to land.
They’re going to roll over your soul like a freight train.
There’s no real stopping them.
You might as well stop the denial. And you might as well not try to run. Cuz they’ll chase you down and beat you, or they’ll just lie in wait for you at your next destination.
Memories don’t go away like a vapor in the wind.
They are like the fragrance on that wind, choosing when to come and when to go.
Claiming no responsibility and receiving no accountability.
Never giving forwarning of their arrival nor a wave to their departure.
They just are and forever will be.
It’s better to embrace, evaluate, excavate and even let them exuberate.
Otherwise, you’ll get sucked into an abyss of that depression, anger, resentment, confusion, and heartache from whence they came.
One of which you’ll never escape.
Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert.
What change, big or small, would you like your blog to make in the world?
Immediately when I read the question, what change would you like your blog to make in the world, I thought of that old song, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.”
I hadn’t thought of that song in ages.
If you’re a child of the 70s or 80s, you might be hearing the jingle chime in your head right now. (You’re welcome. Lol.)
If you’re younger, you’ll get the pleasure of hearing it in the video below.
I’d not actually want my blog to buy the world a coke or to teach it to sing, per se, but rather I’d like to convey those kinds of feelings and thoughts to all those who take the time to read something in the Grizzle Grist Mill.
“All is grist for the mill.” — a Proverb
I chose that old Proverb as the theme of my blog because I believe that’s just what it is. I have a lot of thoughts, words, stories and even strong beliefs I share here, but in the greater scheme of life, they may just be as sand on the seashore, or grist for the grinding mill.
This blog may not change the world. It may not even change a nation, or a race, or even a whole gathering of people. I’d love for that to be the case, but I’m not foolish enough to believe my words can be that impactful; although, every true writer has that dream.
Yet, if something I’ve written might leave you with a feeling of hope, of love, of joy, and of peace, then I will believe they have been worth something.
If these words might create a memory to hold onto, or a thought of things to come that you can run toward, or maybe a faith that keeps you coming back for more, then I will know I’ve done a good job.
If these letters converged together by pen and paper (or rather by computer and keys these days), if they mean anything to you, the reader, if they make an impression in any way, then I will consider my time, my effort, and my desire to make a difference can be effective, even if it’s only in my little corner of the world.
These heart notes may be as small as the grains of sand, but when piled up in one place, they might just make a beautiful sand dune to be enjoyed or an intricately designed sand castle that will capture a picture in your memory for a lifetime…
It’s funny. I never remembered the beginning of the song until I replayed it today…
I recently lost my grandmother of 94 years, and I miss her so. She and I were a lot alike in so many ways, and often growing up, she was more like a mother to me than a grandmother.
She taught me how a young lady should carry herself and how to really love your man.
She taught me that a gentle word really can turn away wrath and a loving touch can bring harmony to a chaotic world.
She taught me how to be classy and be okay with tradition, religion and “the way things have always been.”
She taught me that you’re never too old to try new things, as she traveled to Jamaica in a missions trip at 80 years old.
She taught me that if you set your mind to it, you can accomplish just about anything, as she lived by herself for almost 20 years in a great big bay front property after my grandfather’s death.
And the most important thing she ever taught me was that a relationship with Jesus Christ and with the joy of the Lord being your strength, you can live out your days with laughter and peacefulness, no matter what the storms of life might bring.
I am thankful for the heritage she offered, and I will gladly pick up the mantle she left. She may not have always done everything right, and she’d have never wanted you to call her the picture of perfection.
But if I can live my life with as much dignity, class, integrity, charm, joy, love and peace as she had, I will call myself a blessed woman.
What heritage are you grasping hold of today?
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Proverbs 31:30-31
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
Proverbs 31:25
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
I spend the majority of my time with the loves of my life: my husband and our two sons.
We have the most fun together, either all together, individually, or even broken up into pairs.
We love to travel, or hike, or to take a road trip, or take a walk, or go shopping, or find a great restaurant, or maybe just sit for a spell, telling stories, pondering the mysteries of God, comparing notes on the Lord of the Rings, or simply hanging out doing nothing at all.
Just being together is what counts. And although, each of us are so very different from the other, we’ve always been a very tight knit family. But as they grow, those days are coming to change very soon.
And my heart gets a bit sad every time I think about it.
Yet, I know it is meant to be, and I know it’s bittersweet.
It is meant to be because every parent wants their child to always be moving forward in life, never crippled, never wounded, or just stuck in one phase.
It is meant to be because every parent wants to see their children flourish, succeed, and fly like an eagle into their adult life, learning, growing and soaring into his own.
It is exciting because we want them to be strong men, independent, and confident in who they each are called to be. We raised them this way, and they are boldly approaching the goal.
It is exciting because we want to see them explore and experience all the thrills, all the joys, we once did and so much more.
It is bittersweet because I know as these days draw closer, they will fly; they will flourish, and one day, they will find the girl of their dreams. Then, they will begin their own families, their own lives.
It is bittersweet because this mama’s heart will miss them so and long for one more hug, another spontaneous, late night chat, an unexpected trip to the store “just to get a few things” and have some extra individual time together.
It is heartwarming because as you realize they’ve got what it takes to make it, and not just to survive but to thrive, you realize they really did hear you. They really did receive.
It is heartwarming because you know the two of you, husband and wife, now will have a rediscovery of each other. You’ll have opportunities for time renewed that has been shared for decades, and now, it’s just the two of you.
Yes, it is meant to be, and it is bittersweet.
And yet, it is both exciting and heartwarming.
Change is coming, and it’s coming so fast.
It will be upon us before I am truly ready.
So for now, I will be present in the moment.
I will cherish the past and look expectantly toward the future.
But I will continue to savor my overspent time with my loves right here, right now.
And I will continue spending my most valuable moments with the loves of my life.
For this is where I long to be most, second only to being by my Savior’s side. But that story will be saved for another day’s writing…
Right now, I’m going to get back to where I love to spend most of my time…❤️
You can close the lid and toss them into the bin, believing they’re done.
But as you pick up that larger box to throw them all away,
Those little suckers will come tumbling out like a waterfall.
When you bend over to pick up one, three more flip to the floor.
When you place those back on top, a whole passel come plummeting out,
As if they’ve got to make a nose-dive to the base level.
Almost like dominoes, they come cascading down the path.
Will they relent? Will they end?
They come back with every holiday and trend.
They push their way into every crevice, every crack,
Reaching for a new freedom, seeking shelter from what has been.
Will they be cast down? Will they bend?
I place them in the dark, into the new room
Waiting to surprise a new, non-alerted bloke
Waiting in earnest anticipation to capture another one’s journey bouncing down memory lane.
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create…
I felt like I had a bit of posting overload today, on Veterans Day, but maybe it’s simply because it means more to me today than it ever has.
See, I’ve always been thankful for our veterans, but when you learn a new story, receive a new testimony, and it’s all wrapped up in a life you never knew even living so close to you, your heart grasps a whole new level of gratefulness.
So many never share their stories.
Too many are haunted by their demons.
Even more just ask the question, “Why?”
To unravel these mysteries, it would take too many lifetimes to start, but I have one plea to those who served,
“Please, tell your stories. Share your pain and your victory. Maybe you can’t relive, but if you remain silent, it’s easier for us to forget.”
To reinstall the honor and respect from the young may take decades to come, but I have one plea to those coming behind,
“Please, listen to the ages. Read. Research. Ask. Be curious and be hungry for knowledge. For if we never grasp the value, it’s easier to forget.”
Lives have been lost. Scars have been branded, and tears have been shed to bring you freedom.
Let us not take it for granted.
Let us never forget their valiant sacrifices. ❤️🇺🇸❤️
My journey didn’t stop with mere time travel or writing; it led me to become one of the most sought-after empaths, a soulful psychic who reads the hidden depths of the human spirit. I’ve been blessed—or perhaps burdened—with an ability that allows me to feel the emotions of people from every corner of time.
I am a licensed psychologist based in Greece. My love for housekeeping has inspired me to create this blog about home management and family relationships. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing!
Dedicated to movie nerdom, nostalgia, and escape. In the late 90s, I worked at Blockbuster Video where they let me take home two free movies a day. I caught up on the classics and reviewed theatrical releases for Denver 'burbs newspapers and magazines. Today, while raising two young, beautiful daughters with my amazing wife, I look forward to anything rated R and not Bluey. Comments and dialogue encouraged!
the grizzle grist mill 