Cup of Joy....mid-week

Mmmmm! Love a good summer smoothie with a BIG straw and an umbrella!!! It's warming up around here..so i thought i would change my cuppa... you wouldn't believe how many pictures it took to get a pretty one... i wish everything fit in the window sill...the lighting was so good here..

So let's have a little sip together...

Above all, love each other deeply,

because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Each one should use whatever gift he has received

to serve others,

faithfully administering God's grace in it's various forms.

1 Peter 4:8-10

So... we don't have much to give... not in the form of money or "things".. but we do have abilities... let me tell you a little story whilst you sip a little..(watch the umbrella)

We have a neighbor lady...remember the one who hasn't lived there for a year..with the beautiful (scragly) rose bush peeking over our fence...?... well...she had a leaky pipe..in her walls.. and it created a HUGE mold problem.. she was getting sick a lot... and so she had to move into her son's house..(temporarily)

meanwhile..all summer long...a company was cleaning out the mold... and pretty much demo-ing the inside of her home..

it has been a year now...and she has no walls or ceiling..it is not liveable in...(does that make sense?)

we really haven't even had a conversation.. we never took the time to go meet her...and now after all this time .. we know more about the situation from others than her.. so..last week..her grandson came over and left his 2 big pitbullish type doggies in his grandmother's backyard... he was in a dire situation and they needed a place to stay....it was a weird week of watching the doggies..1)jump the fence (scarey!!!) 2) be tied to a tree 3) be tied to each other 4) 1 untied..the other...etc...

*stay with me... i know...i'm into details...

Well...neighbors a couple doors down...that we have never met.. were being so kind and helpful... the grandson.. was coming twice a day..but doggies needed some more attention.. so they were coming over and helping out... fyi..they are not friends with grandson.. helping just because...

we thought...hmmm...we've just been sitting over here thinking of all the rotten things that were wrong with the picture...

i hesitate to even state them because it shows how very lacking my grace has been... so...not to be boastful... only in the kick in the pants i got from witnessing graciousness from a stranger neighbor.....what can we give... 2 cans of doggie food we had..

doesn't seem like much, huh? especially since we watched them for 4 days tied to this and that.. (we did try to spray them down with water from the hose..but they didn't seem to want a shower)...the doggies were gone that night and we haven't seen them again... well..Sunday.. I had it with myself...and since doggies were gone..i wanted to serve..love...offer hospitality.. use whatever gift i had... (my hands...my arms...my strength)

to show grace.... so me and my rake... took care of some business next door...and i was humbled by my lack of grace all along... it was so obvious to me on Sunday...

I want to be more neighborly... i think i am afraid or something... i have these visions of knocking on everyone's door... bringing them homemade goodness...and then something happens...and nothing happens...

Does this happen to you??? Do you have any ideas or encouragement to get me over the hump..??

I should be brave...

I am brave...but i should be more cautious....trust me..you don't want to hear my other neighbor story...

Well...if you are still with me....you may only have a couple sips left...so enjoy these pictures...

McQueen and Sally......

Smylie...lining up his cars...(on the bistro table)

Okay...how funny are these?? They were on Clearance at Target today... Sweetums needs some sun protection...and some sensory help just having something on his face... he was not that happy with his new Elton John look....

But he sure is Sweetums!!!

Have a Love-fully!!