The Life of Mrs. Miles

Use it as you will, with my blessings!
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Sigh, another beeee-uteeful flower, but with no real purpose. Just me playing around and learning new techiques. So, I'm releasing it to you - to see what ways you can use it. Puh-leese, if you use it, won't you share with me & I can feature your creative ways with the the rest of my blog readers? Just email me at lalalime(at)hotmail(dot)com

I am campaigning today for you to visit Jazzy's blog. I'm sure you all know about her recent loss of her nephew, as KimB published it a few days ago, but I've found that people are often wandering about in fresh grief, fresh pain - shock, really, no matter how prepared they may have seemed for the inevitable... and its like a physical wound. Its after a few days, when your mind allows you absorb it - and the ramifications of it all come to roost, that recieving extra comfort at this time, might even mean more. See, when something bad happens, its natural we should all REACT - our bodies even do that without us even giving it a thought... so thats why it means so much more when we make an extra, conscious effort to bring a gift of a few kind words. And what, it will take you 5 mins out of your busy day. And that 5 mins, I guarantee, will be of more value than most of your other 5 minutes-es in your day. Forgo any comment here, just reach out to Jazzy by clicking HERE.

Please also pray for my dear friend Becky, who is expecting ANY DAY now. (Perhaps any minute - according to the email she sent me this a.m. Hoping its not 'false' pains!) May you have a safe delivery, and know we are thinking of you!

A Day of Swimming Layout by Valinda
credits: Olivia Dorazio's (thats ME) Tsunami Blue Kit
available HERE

How CLEVER - my dear friend Valinda used my Tsunami Kit to make a watery, shimmery layout of her grandkids. It never ceases to delight me to see how my elements get put together to come up with amazing layouts like these! Valinda makes some lovely, LOVELY giveaways herself, and you can pick them up at her blog by clicking HERE.

If you have a layout using my kits you would like to share, just send me a pic, or point me to your gallery and I'll feature you here.

I have been working on a kit for nearly a month now (I'm sure Sophia is wringing her hands by now) but it will be well worth the wait. This one will be huge - mainly because I just CAN'T STOP... haha, I wake up in the middle of the night and get up and design like mad for 2 hours at a shot. Mr. Miles lifts an eyelid and says "Whaaa? Are you at it AGAIN?" Haha, I feel like a mad scientist. But its GOOD. Some of my best designs come to me in the middle of the night, and if I don't go and get them down on (digi) paper, then I am tortured all night long and don't get any real rest. This ever happen to you?

I have been working hard, for sure, but I'm also allowing myself some downtime too. I try to take some quiet time out through the days - time for rest and reflection. Funny, but our Pastor spoke on this very thing last Sunday - and it just resonated with me.

I think I mentioned we have a hanging hummingbird feeder - its right outside our kitchen window. One afternoon recently, I went and sat outside in the cool of the evening, letting the cool breeze wash over me, and letting the stresses of the day flow out of me. This is the time that I feel closest to God, when I make myself sit still - quieten my thinking, push away all the troubles and niggles in my mind.

As I sat, I watched the hummingbirds come and feed. We've had quite a few of them this year, sometimes, as many as 5 at a time! The feeder is a little beehive of activity.

As I was sitting fairly close to the feeder, I noticed that though the hummers checked me out pretty good, if I sat still for long enough, they took no notice of me and braved the feeder. So, I got the idea to put the feeder in the flat of my hand, and balance it there to see what would happen.



Well, nothing happened - for 5 minutes. 5 minutes can seem like an eternity when you're holding your arm out midair with no support. But, my patience paid off. A hummer buzzed in, not realizing I was there at first, then, once it did realize I was there, it pulled up short and hovered.

Isn't that the coolest thing about hummingbirds - the hovering thing?

Then, it gently hovered down, till it sat on the feeder, in my hand, and delicately fed.

(no, I have not got a photo of this, but my brother Dave did, and I'll publish it when he sends me a copy)



And THATS where I meet God.

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10 (kjv)

When I am obedient to find an quiet place and SEEK HIM. These times are the most frequent that He is revealed to me. God knocks, but he does not force His presence in your life. He wants to be invited. We need to leave, or create some space for this to happen. In this day and age of being continuously bombarded with information its harder and harder to get alone with our Creator.

You must learn to be still in the midst of
activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.

~ Indira Ghandi

We can and will be busy, but its healthy to REST. Rest allows us to recuperate from the buffeting our bodies, minds and spirits take from all the frantic activity of just living in this age. The enemy works very efficiently in keeping us so busy that we often don't even realize it. If we are so focussed on the endless tasks and stimulations around us, we can miss subtle clues that we are doing ourselves harm. This is why so many people are finding themselves SICK from it all, without knowing how they actually got there. REST is designed to give us time to reflect - to put perspective on whats happening in our lives. We CAN be so busy living, that we are not REALLY LIVING. Its possible to be merely reacting to our environment, rather than being in control of it. And often times God WHISPERS, and unless one is listening - we miss His gentle call.

Think about it - ANIMALS react - God created us as humans, to knowingly make choices, according the the wisdom and discernment he's given us.

I also liken rest and work to sweet and sour, hot and cold - unless we contrast one against the other, they lose their value, thus, taking a short time to rest, often refreshes me to enjoy work all the much more. No matter how much you might enjoy whatever your work is, that enjoyment is that much increased upon a time away. And if you don't enjoy your work, it seems a bit more bearable for a rest. The rest becomes not a force of habit, but a reward.

When we are obedient to take the rest that God prompts us to, good comes of it.

What happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives,
much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard -
things like affection for others, exuberence about life, serenity.
We develop a willingness to stick with things,
a sense of compassion in the heart,
and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people.
We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments.

Galations 5:22 (The Message)