Thank you for taking time to visit, and I hope I am even a tiny bit helpful as I have been helped and blessed by so many others. I have been doing Calligraphy since teens, and card making for many years as well. In 1990 I delighted in the joys of stamping with ink and embossing after a trip to Cairns, Qld. In 2009 I discovered the brayer, 2010 the Cuttlebug, also have now taking to reading up on crafting blogs and lo! Here I am, on one of my own.

I live on the coast of eastern Australia. I am a Christian. I trusted in the LORD down here at the beach, amazingly it is not far from where I now live. It was over 50 years ago, after a Beach Mission Service at the age of 12 years

Monday 5 October 2015

Thankfulness With Joy = Contentment

Hull everyone,  just letting you know things are a little busy with family et al here, so taking a wee break from blogging. Am well and thoroughly enjoying our spring time :D

Sharing with you a beautiful digi image with some favourite flowers, forget-me-nots and a thought of great wisdom.  
Indeed we can add to our joy by counting our blessings which are so many.  This truly helps to bring things on a clearer perspective. 
Thankfulness leads to joy - twins that lead to a contented heart.
~ ~ ~
I was sent this today by a very dear friend. Thought how well it tied in with this post which I had  already begun, so add it here. May it bless you also.
The Pickle Jar
 The pickle jar as far back as I can remember sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom.  When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar. As a small boy, I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar.  They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty. Then the tones gradually muted to a dull thud as the jar was filled.
 I used to squat on the floor in front of the jar to admire the copper and silver circles that glinted like a pirate's treasure when the sun poured through the bedroom window. When the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table and roll the coins before taking them to the bank. Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production.  Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box, the coins were placed between Dad and me on the seat of his old truck. Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me hopefully. 'Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill, son. You're going to do better than me. This old mill town's not going to hold you back.' Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would grin proudly. 'These are for my son's college fund. He'll never work at the mill all his life like me.'

 We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone. I always got chocolate. Dad always got vanilla. When the clerk at the ice cream parlor handed Dad his change, he would show me the few coins nestled in his palm. 'When we get home, we'll start filling the jar again.' He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. As they rattled around with a brief, happy jingle, we grinned at each other.
 'You'll get to college on pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters,' he said. 'But you'll get there; I'll see to that. No matter how rough things got at home, Dad continued to doggedly drop his coins into the jar. Even the summer when Dad got laid off from the mill, and Mama had to serve dried beans several times a week, not a single dime was taken from the jar. To the contrary, as Dad looked across the table at me, pouring catsup over my beans to make them more palatable, he became more determined than ever to make a way out for me 'When you finish college, Son,' he told me, his eyes glistening, 'You'll never have to eat beans again - unless you want to.'
 The years passed, and I finished college and took a job in another town. Once, while visiting my parents, I used the phone in their bedroom, and noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and had been
removed. A lump rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside the dresser where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words: he never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance, and faith. The pickle jar had taught me all these virtues far more eloquently than the most flowery of words could have done.
 When I married, I told my wife Susan about the significant part the lowly pickle jar had played in my life as a boy. In my mind, it defined, more than anything else, how much my dad had loved me.
 The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the holiday with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other on the sofa, taking turns cuddling their first grandchild. Jessica began to whimper softly, and Susan took her from Dad's arms. 'She probably needs to be changed,' she said, carrying the baby into my parents' bedroom to diaper her. When Susan came back into the living room, there was a strange mist in her eyes.
 She handed Jessica back to Dad before taking my hand and leading me into the room. 'Look,' she said softly, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor beside the dresser. To my amazement, there, as if it had never been removed, stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already covered with coins..
 I walked over to the pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out a fistful of coins. With a gamut of emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar. I looked up and saw that Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly into the room. Our eyes locked, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt.
Neither one of us could speak.
 This truly touched my heart. Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life, for better or for worse.
 God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for GOOD in others.

 The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched - they must be felt with the heart ~ Helen Keller
 Thanking the Lord for each of you, and praying for you that the LORD would be your Strength and Guide through each and every day,
Shaz in Oz.x
PS commenting will be limited, but appreciate everyone of yours..

11 comments:

Betsy said...

Thank you for that story about the pickle jar. It was very touching. I hope you have fun with your family and enjoy every single moment that God blesses you with having them there with you.
Blessings,
Betsy

brenda said...

Enjoy your break and family time Shaz, blogland will still be here when you are ready to return.

B x

kiwimeskreations said...

May this time with your family be blessed and filled with joy unspeakable. Thank you for your pickle jar story, it is priceless.
Blessings
Maxine

Barb said...

Hi Shaz, I enjoyed reading about the pickle jar. Have a happy and peaceful break from blogging and enjoy your family time. We'll speak when your back. Hugs. Barbxx

Stephanie said...

Hi sweet friend! Thank you for sharing such a precious story :) And may you have a beautiful break! Love and hugs to you!

Kathleen said...

What a fabulous story, brought tears to my eyes, you enjoy your family time.

Kath x

cheiro urgia said...

What a wonderful story, thanks so much for sharing it.
It reminds me of how we as kids put money that we received for birthdays/Christmas/Easter/... in an envelope to save "for education". Even though the individual "deposits" weren't big, it was a nice, not so little something by the time we went to University.
I felt quite important managing my own finances this way, and I can't remember thinking of spending this money on clothes, cinema or whatever.
I wonder if kids nowadays can deal with responsibility and discipline on a long-term basis?

Hope you get to enjoy family time, and can't wait for your spring-ish Aussie photos now that fall is coming to our side of the world.

Hugs, V

Shelly Schmidt said...

What a wonderful story- it always makes me feel nostalgic when I read it. Have a lovely break from Blogland. Spending time with family is priceless!!!

Conniecrafter said...

So good to hear your enjoying a beautiful spring, we must have those times that we walk away from all else and just enjoy the season!!

Maarit at Violets Corner said...

I'm writing this with the tears in my eyes, Shaz, the story of the pickle jar and the words about thankfulness, joy and a contented heart reminds me so much about my late father and grandparents. They gave so much so that I can give. Enjoy the weekend and your time with family sweetie :)

Love and hugs
Maarit

Brenda in IN said...

Thanks for sharing that story. It brought tears to my eyes. How sweet.

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