Hot Spots and Peppers!

I'm heading out shortly to have coffee with a local grassroots organizer and the head of a minister's alliance in my city.  The purpose of our meeting ~ to discuss a request from our police department to have teams of citizens PRAY in gang 'hot spots'.  That's right, PRAY!




It's going to be modeled after successful prayer-walk efforts in the city of Salinas, CA. and Boston, MA.  called "Night Walks".  Apparently, those involved with violence prevention programs believe that involving the faith-based community is essential to impacting neighborhoods.

I've been invited to "the table" because I founded and facilitated an intercessory prayer group, CityWatch, that met monthly and prayed for ten years for our city.  I'm humbled to be a part of this huge step in the "church of the city" connecting with city government for the purpose of transforming community.

In the meantime, I'm making pico de gallo from some of our garden peppers.

Hope you're having a great Monday!

Counting My Blessings

xo  Susy

One Man's Trash...

I was moved by this little video that carries a big message.  It's about kids in Paraguay that play instruments made from discarded trash from the city dump.

"When I listen to the sound of a violin, I feel butterflies in my stomach." ~ Ada 

For more information on these incredible kids,  Google

 

Counting My Blessings,

xo Susy

 

Sweet

 We celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary yesterday ~ and enjoyed a delightful dinner out with our son and daughter-in-law, with a very sweet ending.

We have so much to be grateful for, and went to bed counting our blessings.

xo Susy

Happy May ~

Hope it's filled with lots of sweet blessings ~

Counting My Blessings

xo Susy

 ♥ 

Reflections

Yay!  I did it - happily I'm joining Claudia at A Favorite Thing Saturday.

It's been a super busy work season, and it feels good to do something that has nothing to do with strategic planning,,
logistics, email campaigns, or bookkeeping.  This blog post makes me feel plain ol' happy and creative.

I think I've mentioned before that my mother and her best friend hitched a ride from Oklahoma to California in 1939, and made a beeline to Hollywood.  They found a cute little apartment right away, and being skilled seamstresses, they easily landed  jobs with fashion designer Howard Greer.

Mr. Greer designed for the stars, like Susan Hayward and Rita Hayworth.  My mom and her friend fitted and sewed for the actresses. 

Recently, two of my fashionista girlfriends were in Nieman Marcus and spotted this very large photo, framed and under glass, on the wall.  Knowing my mother's story, my friend snapped this photo on her phone camera and sent it off to me.

Summer Fantasy designed for us by Howard Greer

 What a treat.

And the really fun part is, my friend is reflected back in the glass

in exactly the right place.

Remembering my mother is my favorite thing today ♥

Counting My Blessings,

xo Susy

Enjoy some other favorite things at 

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

A Favorite Thing 

 

Thursdays with Rachel

She says she's always been different, and surely she is.  

We met just a few months ago, following a phone call from her sister asking if we could help out with some furniture; a bed, a dresser, maybe some dishes.  Rachel was a "rescue" from an abusive relationship, and her sister was helping her set up housekeeping in an itsy bitsy, shoebox-sized studio apartment.  We gladly filled the place up.

We have little in common, but share a mutual love for God.  This love is new for Rachel.  She only learned about Jesus last September (until then she just knew that he was "some guy that died on a cross"), and she'd never opened a bible until last December.  I've been "saved" since 1971 and studying the bible for over forty years ~ yet, I learn something new from Rachel every time I visit.

A friendship, of sorts, has begun to take hold between the two of us.  Friendship is two words, she explains, friend and ship.  "Ship means you carry things back and forth to each other."  Ahh.

She has no car, she doesn't work, or have a television.  Her life is uncomplicated, uncluttered, and undistracted.  She spends her day reading the bible, journaling, collecting seashells as she strolls on the beach talking to with God, and walking her neighborhood searching for homeless people she can share her small supply of food with.

Yesterday she packed a lunch for a homeless man that frequents a certain spot, and set out to find him.  As it turned out, though, he wasn't to be found.  Instead, on the way home, she encountered another homeless man walking down the street with hands lifted to the heavens, calling out "super food!".  He gladly accepted her meal ~ telling her he was going to share it with a friend.  "God bless you", they said to each other as they parted.

Shortly after returning home she received a call from an acquaintance, who offered to take her to the laundromat if she was ready.  She was, and off they went.  She had several loads to do, and she and her friend sat and talked and folded towels.

Always on the alert, Rachel noticed a young man sitting on a bench in the laundromat, dozing.  Eventually he woke up, and when he got up to leave Rachel called out, "God bless you!"  He turned, and she asked, "what's your name?".  She says she likes to know people's names and look them in the eye so she can "see deeper". 

He asked if she could give him some money; he was hungry.  He told her someone had given him some food but he thought is was poisoned because it smelled like fish.  She figured he was on drugs ~ in fact she KNEW he was.  She knew because she'd been on drugs herself until just a few months ago.  She spoke his 'language' and told him he needed to go to the "Jesus party".  He actually listened to her; he wanted to be free.  They talked a while longer, she encouraged him, and finally took him by the hand and prayed for him.

Then, she asked if he would like her to check his food and see if it was okay to eat.  She opened the bag.  It was the lunch she had packed for the homeless man and had instead given to the stranger who was going to share it with a friend.

She assured him it was quite safe to eat, it was tuna and she'd made it herself.

Rachel is 65, lives in her "mansion by the sea", with her little dog Jake.  
My visits with her are among my favorite things.

Counting My Blessings,

xo Susy

I'm joining Claudia at Mockingbird Hill Cottage
for
A Favorite Thing