Gratitude even when its hard

Lately there have been a lot of road blocks in my life.  This past summer was really hard because I lost my job and my grandma died of dementia.  Then when things could not get any worse my car broke down and it cost 1000 dollars to fix it which I still owe back to my mom.  Now things are getting hard again.  We just got an eviction notice because we have not paid on some b.s. charges that my landlord wanted to add to our rent.  Like for instance, he charged us a 110 dollars to come out and clean our drain.  They said the charge was because there was excess hair but I have lived here for 6 years and the drains have never been cleaned.  For all I know I am paying for the past tenants excess hair problem.  Every time we call our landlord over to fix a problem he finds some way to charge us.  And to top it all off our car is broke down again.  The pedal goes all the way to the floor before the car comes to a stop.  Plus I have been having seizures and have missed a weeks worth of work.  But here's where the gratitude comes in.  Earlier today out of the blue a church friend dropped off some stuff that we needed and couldn't get because the car was broke down like coffee and toilet paper.  Its nice to know someone cares enough to do that for us.  Then my grandpa is loaning the money to my mom to pay our rent and get our car fixed.  So I thought I would try focusing on some of the things that I am grateful for because so far God has not let me down.

Things I am grateful for:
God and his faithfulness to me
My husband
My 4 beautiful cats
My car that usually runs
My job
My family
A computer and the internet so that I can write irritating blogs like this
My somewhat imperfect health
My family that always helps me when I need it most
Clothing
Books to read(I am quite a book junkie)

So in every storm life throws if we look really hard we can always find something to be grateful for.  And gratitude will always help lessen the emotional load that you are carrying.

To Be Grateful

I was thinking about this this morning that I have a lot to be grateful for.  Sure technical I am in the poverty level for the United States but compared to a lot of other countries I have it really good.  My car is broke down and it is getting fixed but at least I have a car to fix.  I have a roof over my head.  I have a bed to sleep in.  All of my needs are always taken care of.  My health is for the most part good.  So I thank God for taking care of me.   It is when I remember what I am grateful for that I can praise him more fully and understand that even in my struggles he has never left me or forsaken me.  It is when I am grateful that I get a glimpse of heaven.

Movie Night

Just watched the movie "Lion".  It was a good movie.   It was based on a true story of a lost boy from India that was separated from his brother one night at a train station.  He was then to make a long story short put in an orphanage and adopted out to a couple in Australia.  Later in life he started to remember parts of his past,  and he went looking for his birth mother and brother.   He ends up finding them.   This just really got me thinking about my own life even though I wasn't adopted out there was a period when I didn't know my birth father.  Now I wish I didn't know him but that is another story.  Anyways I could really relate to some of the feelings in this movie as strange as that may seem as I am no Indian orphan.  Just a good movie.   I highly recommend it.  I give it 2 thumbs up.

Our Abandoned Friend

I am left trying to find a home for this beautiful kitty because yet again one of our neighbors has moved out and left their pet behind.   I just do not get this mentality that people have that make them think it's OK to get pets and then leave them behind when it's no longer convenient to have them anymore.  I have 4 cats and they are my children.  I would feed them before I would feed myself,  and I could never leave them behind.   I mean come on people these are domesticated animals.   They don't know how to fend for themselves, they count on us for that.   If you are going to get a pet please make sure you can commit to that pets care for the next 16 to 20 years or however long they live.   Anything less is animal cruelty.

Faith in the Darkness

Joshua 1:9 ^" Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

In the past few weeks life has been really hard for me and my family.  First my grandma died from dementia after a two year struggle with it.  She was like a second mom to me so this loss was very hard on me.  Then my boss wouldn't let me have the time off to go to her funeral so I quit my job.  After my grandmas funeral our car started having problems and it needed 1300 dollars in repairs and we didn't have the funds to pay for it.  On top of all of this there was other medical stuff going on with my spouse and I.  Normally when stuff like this would take place I would blame God and lose hope.  This time I didn't do that.   Instead I remembered all the times it was bad before and then it turned out OK.  I choose to have faith.  Then yesterday happened.  My mom called and said that she was going to have my car fixed and we could pay her back.  I got a job later on in the day within walking distance from my house.  And we got a gig over the weekend that is going to pay 160 dollars for 2 days of work.   That will pay for the tags on my car.   I knew God would make everything better and he did. 

What the Bible has to say on Immigration.

This is how we as Christians ought to treat foreigners.  The Bible is very clear on this. 

 “The LORD your God is the God of all gods and Lord of all lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God who doesn’t play favorites and doesn’t take bribes. He enacts justice for orphans and widows, and he loves immigrants, giving them food and clothing. That means you must also love immigrants because you were immigrants in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:17-19 CEB)   “You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9 NLT)   “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (Leviticus 19:33-34 ESV)   “The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you” (Exodus 12:49 NIV)   “Don’t oppress the widow, the orphan, the stranger, and the poor; don’t plan evil against each other!” (Zechariah 7:10 CEB)   “The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin” (Psalm 146:9 ESV)   “You have brought your judgment days near and have come to your years of punishment [because] father and mother are treated with contempt, and the foreign resident is exploited within you. The fatherless and widow are oppressed in you” (Ezekiel 22:4, 7 HCSB)   “‘I will come to you in judgment, and I will be ready to witness against sorcerers and adulterers; against those who swear falsely; against those who oppress the widow and the fatherless, and cheat the wage earner; and against those who deny justice to the foreigner. They do not fear Me,’ says the LORD of Hosts” (Malachi 3:5 HCSB)   “If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever” (Jeremiah 7:5-7 NIV 1984)   “Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place” (Jeremiah 22:3 ESV)   “When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow” (Deuteronomy 24:19-21 NIV)   “When you have finished paying the entire tenth part of your produce on the third year—that is the year for paying the tenth-part—you will give it to the Levites, the immigrants, the orphans, and the widows so they can eat in your cities until they are full” (Deuteronomy 26:12 CEB)   “‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’” (Matthew 25:35-40 NASB)   “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2 NIV)   “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul” (1 Peter 2:11 NIV 1984

My new Etsy Store

Please check out my new Etsy Store.  It is called My Ragtag Imagination and can be found at HTTP://MyRagtagImagination.etsy.com

Here are a few things I am selling in my store

I'm back and will be posting on here regularly.  Since my last post I have gotten engaged to a long time freind, Kristin.  So Happy Easter everyone!

Card Making

Lately I have started a new hobby, and I am selling my cards and paper products on etsy.com. Here's some examples of what I have made.
















I also have Halloween cards.















-And journals and notebooks














And at last, bookmarks and post it holders.






























You can visit my entire shop at, http://www.etsy.com/shop/MelissasCreations33

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Exam Week

So I am getting to the end of my first year at Grand Valley State University, and in a few short days I will be a Junior.  I can not believe that I have weathered so well for my first year.  Overall, I have remained quite calm, and I have been very successful in my first year.  Now I look forward to a summer of fun and relaxation.  I can not wait for sun and time at the beach.  I am also looking forward to seeing my cousin get married in Florida.  There’s so much to look forward to this summer, I will keep everyone up dated!  Also I will let everyone know how I did on my finals very soon.