A Quiet Evening

Dear Friends,
   Well it is finally here... the Sabbath. From Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown, we stop the daily grind and slip into a quieter state of being. I look forward to this time with relish. I prepare for it all week, each day doing something in preparation for a "down day". So that when the Friday evening arrives, the house is clean , food is already prepared, loose ends are tied up and I am mentally ready to change gears. I put down all my burdens and concerns, open a bottle of wine, light the Sabbath candles, breathe a deep sigh of relief and thank the Creator of the Universe for such a gift!. The scriptures say that the Sabbath should be considered a delight... that is a wonderful description of it... it is delightful.

Tonight my husband and I are in the sitting room in front of a toasty, crackling fire. I can hear the wind chimes on the front porch tinkling in the chilly breeze. My dog Tagg is snoozing on his bed at my feet. I have had a very busy week and I am tired. There hasn't been much time for being in the moment and enjoying  my surroundings. I have been pretty much head down, plowing through a long list of to-do's. Some weeks are like that, especially at this time of year when there is so much to do in preparation for the spring garden. But tonight, I can allow myself to be tired, to doze, to contemplate, to search my heart and find that special place where meet I with my Heavenly Father. There are not words to describe the peace.

I have been thinking about all my dear mail art and pen friends, remembering details I have learned about them through their letters, and counting each person as a blessing. I have not been writing very much recently, not because I don't want to, there just hasn't been much time for writing and by the end of the day I am so spent I don't have any words left. I am very fortunate to have some really great people to correspond with. I have not met most of the people I write face to face, I  met them through my blog, or other postal avenues, but their words encourage me, inspire me, and keep me company. I am grateful for each of them. Tomorrow I will not be so tired since I will have had some time to decompress, so I hope to spend some happy hours chatting on paper with my pen friends and making some mail art.

Well I hope this finds you well, happy and hopefully enjoying some down time of your own! Until next time, I will see you in the mail!

An Update on Tagg's Condition

Tagg is doing much, much better! It has taken awhile, but he is now able to walk without limping, can get around on his own and on a good day can even run a little bit. Unfortunately, I don't think he will ever be back to the way he was, but I am very happy for the improvements he has made! He has had to learn new ways to play, since much of his previous play had to do with playing chase and tag, running from room to room, and tugging rope, (which he doesn't have the balance for any more). He has been quite inventive, making up little games like "where's the puppy", (the hides under his blanket and wags his tail until I "find" him, then he shakes the blanket, crawls under it again and wags his tail, waiting to be found. He is still a puppy at heart, even though his body would tell him differently. He brings laughter and joy to our household and I am very grateful for his renewed strength and the possibility for quality of life