DAY FOUR OF CHRISTMAS ❤️

It is so very lovely, comforting and special that when Zechariah, Mary and the Shepherds were fearful     when they saw and heard the Angel, the Lord said through the Angel : “ Don't be afraid”
It would have calmed and encouraged them when they hears those words,
Our loving Lord Jesus and loving Heavenly Father still says the same words to us today. They care sooo much for us! ❤️

THIRD   DAY OF CHRISTMAS

The Shepherds were so very, very excited on that first Christmas night! They were at first afraid when they saw the Angel appear, and them after that they had the huge privilege and joy of seeing Baby Jesus in the manger! Their delight at all that they had seen and heard overflowed from then on as they spread the great news!  Our loving Lord Jesus Who is the Good Shepherd, has the shepherds as his first visitors! May we as His sheep  take comfort from the knowledge that our Good Shepherd is always caring and looking over  us, ❤️

SECOND  DAY OF CHRISTMAS

The Manger is a very lovely bed for our loving Lord Jesus ❤️ It didn’t have fluffy cushions ,or soft sheets or an electric blanket or hot water bottle to keep it warm. But...it did have lullabies of sheep, cows, goats, donkeys, chickens, ducks, oxen  and geese to send the baby to sleep. 

I think that the animals would have sensed Who the Baby was,and would have worshipped Him  with their animal noises. May we ourselves in our hearts sing out songs of love and thanks to our loving  Lord ❤️

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
   I will be posting a Christmas themed post each day for the next 12 days leading up to Christmas Day!
  DAY ONE
Red Poinsettias are very special Christmastime flowers! Their  red leaves are very vibrant and seem quite bold! They seem to boldly shout out:
 “Hear the eternal message of Christmas, that our beautiful and loving Lord Jesus was born  as a child on Christmas Day!” 
May we take joy and encouragement through this message!  And may the redness of the leaves also link us to Easter and the precious blood of our Lord. Christmas and Easter will eternally always be linked, the reason why love brought him to the Manger ❤️

It is great that there are so many McDonalds restaurants around the world! Wherever people go, they can look out for the  big golden arches and know that they can enjoy eating a burger, have some French fries, enjoy having a drink,  or have  some other McDonalds menu item that they enjoy eating! The red and yellow colour scheme also looks so bright! 

The colour yellow is very  sunny and warming! Seeing a yellow coloured item on a day when  we may not be feeling too good, brings encouragement  to us! Yellow daffodils trumpet a loud message to us of  hope! The warmth that comes from sunshine rays on the cold day helps both our mind and our body! Of most importance though is the Son-shine love of our Loving Lord, Who is the Son of God ❤️

I think that the saying : “ an apple a day keeps the Doctor away” is a funny saying! I can just imagine a big basket of apples, and as a doctor is nearing someone, the apples jump up and form a shield wall to prevent him coming closer! Apples are very nice to eat! They are crunchy, juicy and tasty! It is quite amazing that a big apple tree can grow from a such a little apple seed! In the same way,  one little act done in love can cause a big encouraging help in the lives of another person! As we take bites of apples, may it encourage us to “ live a life of love” 

I was thinking about hankies the other day. Hankies come in a wide variety of colours, patterns and sizes!  There are large men’s hankies, ladies hankies, hankies to put in a pocket when going to a wedding, and cute kids themed hankies also! Hankies also are used for a variety of reasons and on many different occasions! When a person is upset , they will wipe away their tears with a hankie. When they are unwell with a cold and feel sneezy, a hankie is very helpful. A hankie in the top of a pocket of a suit with by men at a wedding, is worn on a very happy occasion! 

May we always be willing to offer an “ invisible hankie made of love” to all who need each day. May we caringly have a listening ear when people need to talk. When they are upset, may the words that we say with love, help them with their tears. May we caringly support others through their ill health. And just like a hankie in the pocket of a wedding suit,  may we also share their joy through their times of special happy news. 

May our love for each other be like  a very large men’s hankie ❤️

Cockatoos are such noisy birds! They do though look very nice with their white feathers and yellow head crest ! They like to gather on electricity power lines and cheerfully “squawk”! When you  say an encouraging word to some else, “ we are not squawking”!  We are showing that we are caring about them, We all wear different colours of clothes, and usually don’t wear all white, but it is good to talk over things with our loved ones and be a listening ear. The voice of a loved one saying “ hello” , or “ I care” or “ I love you” and chatting with us,  is such a melodious tune for us to hear! 

I was looking out through the side glass windows in our home today, and saw that my Grandpa’s rose bush has lovely red roses on it! I hasn’t seen them before today, and Dad kindly picked a few of them so that I could enjoy them close near me in a vase. Their fragrance is so lovely! It is not too strong that it affects my nose. The rose bush is from roses that my grandpa and grandma had in their garden when they were alive. Each petal is also a reminder of them ❤️ I send softly scented  rose petals to encircle the hearts of those who may be hurting inside today, or who are feeling weary or tired, or enduring through physical or mental pain. May their fragrance bring comfort to you and help you through all that your life is holding. You are so very, very precious and special ! I send a gentle hug too ❤️

May a beautiful sunrise and a lovely sunset with their special shades of pink, red, orange and yellow  enwrap the beginning and then the  end of your days. Through the joyful times, sad times, exciting times, and painful/achey times that each day may hold, may the caring loving support of family and friends be your encouragement and give strength as you face whatever the day holds and enjoy the quiet blessings of each day.

To see the colours of the sunrise and sunset, we need to look upwards. May we always look upwards  and be so very aware of His love ❤️

I like having tic tacs! My favourite variety is peppermint. When I eat them, they seem to help with pain. The latest version has faces on them, which is cute! They are just little in size, but when you eat them, they give a great strong taste to your mouth! It is a bit like life. What may seem to be a just little thing to do, like a smile, or a “ I’m thinking of you” message, or stopping what you are doing to listen to another one who needs to talk can have long lasting effects! They can bring a sunshine moment on a cloudy day, and help to bring caring

encouragement just when it is so much needed! 

          The new season stone fruit from local farmers are now at Coles! The peaches and nectarines are delicious ! They are also very juicy! My lovely  Mum makes fruit salad each day for me to enjoy eating! She then puts yoghurt on top of it. I like natural plain yoghurt rather than the fruity variety of yoghurt. The “ plain” everyday things in our life are very special! Being with our loved ones, just doing the normal day by day things, brings a sense of comfort, in all that our lives  are holding.

Through happy times, painful times, and sad times, it is the everyday things that are special to do with our loved ones. Just like a “dollop” of yoghurt on a bowl of fruit salad, I send a  “dollop” of love to you to spread on you in all that your days are holding this week!

       

Mr Kipling’s makes delicious and yummy  Cherry Bakewells! They look very special with the icing on them and a cherry on top! They have a plum and raspberry jam filling . They are a special treat to offer to visitors, or as an enjoyable morming or afternoon bakery  snack to enjoy on your own or with family at any time! Love is like the plum and raspberry jam in bakewells! It  holds our life together! Just like there is jam in each bite of a Bakewell tart, love sustains and encourages us through all that life is holding. The  love of our beautiful loving Lord Jesus and our loving Heavenly Father encourages, comforts and gives us the strength that we need for each day! 

A friend of ours recently went to the Floriade flower event in Canberra. It is a month long floral event, that has lots of beautiful flowers on display! She sent us some pictures that she had taken of the flowers, so that we could share in seeing the lovely flowers also ❤️

A few of them I have posted below.

The word : “ Floriade” sounds a very  melodious word! It is a gentle word, that seems to flow when it is said aloud . Flower petals are very delicate and fragile , and their beauty  brings so  much delight to all who look at them!  Life is very precious and  fragile also, but contains so much beauty in the “ everyday” blessings that we have day by day. May we take the time to “ Stop,  look,  and see” , the many blessings in  our day by day’s lives that we can be muchly thankful for!